Gold Post-it

The Father, The Son and The Holy...Who?

2010-03-05T14:54:00Z

Our history has been selectively written for as long as we've been writing it, with the most selectivity occurring around the deliberate exclusion of the Divine Feminine. There are more examples than I have space or time for here, but let me point out a few:

1.     Archaeological artifacts subjected to carbon-dating have identified worship of female deities as far back as 10,000 years B.C.E.

2.     Cleopatra spoke 9 languages, inherited a bankrupt country and turned it profitable, allowed women to be property owners and granted citizenship for meritorious service to the country.

3.     Victoria Woodhull, not Geraldine Ferraro, was the first woman to run on a Presidential ticket... and she ran for President! Her V.P. running mate was a freed, black slave, Frederick Douglas. It was 1872. Woodhull was also the first female stock broker on Wall Street.

But let's revisit the archaeological finds for a moment. Somewhere between 10,000 B.C.E. and the compilation of the Hebrew, Christian and Muslim religious writings, those female deities were unanimously and deliberately written out of our heritage... or at best relegated to minor, and sometimes troublesome, characters.

There is a spiritual (and I believe also religious) adage that goes "As above so below." Following that logic, what we see manifested here, in our world of matter, must necessarily exist on higher spiritual planes.

So, here's my understanding... and my dilemma.

But for the amoeba, wherever there is reproduction in the physical world, there exists a male, a female and an offspring. If you'll allow me, more commonly thought of as a father, a mother and a child. Not once have I ever heard anyone say that an offspring was created by a male and a holy ghost. That being the case "below"... why is it that for 2000-3000 years, or more, we have been repeating and perpetuating a creation story ("as above") that ignores and even denies the existence, role and contribution of the female?

I like to play with words. Its a lifelong pastime. Yesterday I was thinking about all of this and the word "mother" kept going around in my mind. As I was pondering "why" this obvious omission of the Divine Feminine pervades our history, I was asking "why" when the letter "y" suddenly inserted itself in the word mother... between the "m" and the "other"... so it now read "my other." And I paused. "My Other." The Father, the Son and My Other (Mother)!!!

Much more plausible, isn't it?

We are living through troubled and transformative times. We need all the help we can get. Even someone as near prophetic as Glenn Beck has been on unfolding events, was asking yesterday on-air where is a contemporary George Washington to lead us out of this mess. Beck then said, "Where is he? Where is that leader?" Immediately followed by my yelling at the radio, "Or she Glenn...or she!"

Yes, we need help. To that end, I have looked around thoroughly and cannot find one holy ghost anywhere. But we have a globe populated with Mothers. If we are pressed for time and cannot re-write the history books, perhaps we can make history instead by resurrecting to full status the Divine Feminine and the necessary contribution She was intended to make, and the role she was designed to fulfill, in maintaining the ongoing balance and harmony of all existence.

Now, I also have an issue with the whole "Son" thing... but that's another blog, isn't it?

Pharaohs, Pharisees, Obama & Andy Stern

2010-03-04T22:20:00Z

I've always been a believer that Nature has a great deal to teach me. Now I have to add that history does, too. I've been following the relationship between President Obama and Andy Stern, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and quite frankly that relationship is, at best, disturbing.

The President, Mr. Stern and SEIU have a long and entwined history that has generated a lot of mutual indebtedness. Mr. Stern has a lot of White House access. The Union, in the form of Mr. Stern, wants universal health care and they want it now. SEIU has a "chit" its calling in from the President for having donated $27 million dollars to his campaign. Mr. Stern has not been shy about making that clear. One need look no further to understand the White House's push to force passage of health care legislation and impose it upon a nation where 52% of the population oppose it.

Its made me think about some historical figures.

Pharaoh, for one. You know, the one of Moses' fame who liked having organized labor do his dirty work and whose sweat kept him and his cronies in total control. Or the Pharisees, also of biblical notoriety who, along with the Sadducees, corrupted the Priesthood of ancient Israel and are those who Jesus railed against when smashing their money-changing tables for doing business in his Father's house on the Sabbath.

When special interests get too close to corrupt power, much perversion is done both in the name of good and the name of God.

I think we're there.

History is replete with similar analogies. And Nature is replete with as many "corrections." Flood, famine, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption... Her list is lengthy. Of course, there's always that brief lull, or pause, between our awareness of the problem and Nature's need to act on our behalf. Its in that pause that we get the chance to self-correct... which much less overall trauma than if left to Nature. At times we have seized that moment. More often than not, we have not.

What will we do now?

We are in the pause. You can feel it because things are speeding up and slowing down... all at the same time. Its a moment... our moment... to self-correct. We can now make some important, and at times difficult, decisions... or we can abdicate responsibility for what we know in our hearts is wrong. Seriously wrong.

The choice belongs to each of us. Step up or step down. One way leads to higher ground. The other leads to.... well let's just say that in a difficult economy that continues to spiral out of control, ark building might soon be a very lucrative career choice.

I hope not.

Barack Obama: The Audacity of Deceit

2010-02-23T15:40:00Z

I've been writing this blog for over two years and for most of that time I have been repeating an "optimistic" warning (admittedly, an oxymoron!). It goes something like this. As we go through this transitory and transformational shift, anything that is deceitful, or cloaked in dark, dense, energy will be revealed. This is simply the natural outcome of what happens when light shines upon darkness. The shadows are revealed for what they truly are, and for what lies behind them.

My analysis, in fact my knowing and certainty about all of this, stems from a spiritual and metaphysical base. However, if you prefer, Bill Nuy ("The Science Guy"), a highly educated and well known scientist, was recently quoted as saying that "there isa tremendous amount of energy [infusing] the planet right now." Light is energy. Whether your perspective is physical or metaphysical, the conclusion is the same. There's a lot of Light around. Hence, fewer shadows.

Which brings me to Barack Obama.

Yesterday I watched and listened to two separate videotaped interviews with the man during the Presidential campaign. The content of the videos, and the statements made by Obama, are contradictory and irreconcilable. They are also undeniably revealing of Obama's unconscionable ability to flat out lie.

Hence, my optimistic warning.

It was vital that we come know, as quickly and surely as possible, who this man is. After all, we knew nothing about him when elected. At the time, he was an orator with a bumper sticker. Did he have core values that he lived by? Did he have integrity we could count on? Was he philosophically and genuinely aligned with the the best interests of the nation?

Its only been a year but the Light has done its work.

We know who Barack Obama is. He is a man who on any given day will look into the camera and say his only professional connection with ACORN was a legal matter he was once involved in while in private practice that also included the Justice Department. And, he is a man who will on another day and for another purpose say that he has worked for the interests of ACORN his entire professional career and will call them, they won't have to call him, to protect ACORN's interests.

This following is a painful sentence to write.

Barack Obama is an unconscionable liar who represents, and is advocating, interests that are adverse to the continued well being of the United States and the highest good for its citizens.

I believe the two videos I watched, made public by Glenn Beck, are the beginning of the end for this President.

My optimism remains in tact, though. The Light is doing its work.

Take heart.

Its a course correction.

That's all.

Glenn Beck's Bigger Message

2010-02-21T13:34:00Z

It comes as no surprise to anyone who reads my posts that I like Glenn Beck. If there was any doubt about that fact it was put to rest last night, Saturday night, when I turned down an invitation to go to a movie and dinner because the timing would have interfered with FOX's live coverage of Beck's speech as keynote at the CPAC conference.

I am willing to go out on a limb here. I think Beck is a prophet. Prophetic as in the biblical sense? Yes and no. Now, before you think this is all about Mormonism, Christianity or any other religion, let me tell you what I mean by that statement.

In the biblical sense, I believe he is facing down the entrenched "powers that be" and speaking truth to power... even if the message is at times dire. He is showing us the "pug-ugly" side and consequences of our poor choices while holding out hope that by combining faith with a course correction we can embark upon a higher road that will lead us to a grander view.

I believe his strength, insight and courage come from profound inner guidance. He is Self-sourced and Self-directed. What I mean is that through a personal and treacherous inner journey, he has accessed a voice within himself whose origin is the Source of All That Is. For millennia, we have been taught that the Source is outside of ourselves. Its not. Its our birthright, as individual aspects of All That Is, to tap into that energetic Source and know for ourselves what thoughts, words, and deeds support the ongoing growth of life towards Its highest good.

Beck has gone within and opened that line of communication. Which is why I call him a prophet. While he might not see or describe that Source as I do, I think we could agree on one thing. He seeks the highest good for all concerned.

Where I would differ with him, and enlarge his message, is that its not just political in nature or application. The messages of liberty, individualism, charity, forgiveness, dedication to higher principles, respect for differences, integrity and truth are universal and timeless. They need apply and be the priority in every moment and in every nation. We are not just at a critical juncture in the story of the United States... we are at a critical juncture in the story of human consciousness.

We, each one of us, is being given the opportunity to awaken to a new reality. To understand our inherent connectedness and responsibility to everyone and everything else. Not in the individual-deprecating manner of socialism...but rather in the full expression and celebration of individuality and personal responsibility within a framework of Oneness.

If the prophet analogy makes you uncomfortable, try Paul Revere.

Beck is, and has been for several years, figuratively riding from town to town ringing the bell of awareness shouting "Change is coming. Change is coming." So much of what he has presaged thus far has turned out to be accurate. Whether that prescience will continue or not, I don't know. What I do know is that if we step back and see the larger picture, he can be of enormous value in two ways.

The first is by his example of inner guidance. The second by his fearlessness.

If we allow him to teach us nothing other than those two lessons, I think history will find a worthy place for him... regardless of whether he turns our to be a prophet or not.

Tiger Woods: A Lesson in Thinking for Ourselves

2010-02-19T23:22:00Z

I was in my car listening to talk-radio when the topic of the hour was Tiger Woods' breaking of his 3-month silence with a public apology that occurred today. I heard lots of "perspectives"... from talk show hosts and their callers to excerpts from columnists and reporters. What I heard over and over was the "scripted" nature of Woods' apology and how managed it all seemed. Further, there was apparently a general consensus that he had done it for business reasons more than anything else...in an effort to salvage his career and rebuild his image in order to win back lost sponsors.

When I arrived home, there was more of the same on television news shows. In fact, I heard a sports agent confirm that it was all done, in fact, to ease his way back onto the golf circuit with some respectability. And finally, I heard from an "expert" that "He should have done this 3 months ago when it all happened." Somehow, according to the expert's opinion, the delayed mea culpa had diminished the message and its veracity.

Then I went on YouTube to watch Tiger Woods for myself.

What I saw was, yes, a somewhat stiff and scripted man who was clearly uncomfortable with what he was doing. And, yes, I heard references to his business commitments, his fans and the press. But more than anything I was struck by how many times, and with how much straightforward language, he took responsibility for his actions, his arrogance, his bad decisions and the hurt he caused his family.

Of course, only time will tell...as is the case with contrition. Its easy to express and hard to live. But I took heart for several reasons:

1. He minced no words in taking full responsibility for all of it.

2. He owned up to his arrogance.

3. He acknowledged who he hurt and what it has cost him.

4. He admitted to full-time counseling and the intention to continue with it.

5. He asked that friend's and fans have patience with him as he struggles to understand why he did what he did.

6. He asked for the press to honor the privacy of his wife and children to protect them from further hurt and humiliation.

7. He admitted thinking that ordinary rules didn't apply to him and that he was entitled to do whatever he wanted.

Contrary to the commentator's criticism of the timing, I think had Woods given an apologetic press conference a few days after being caught at flagrant and repeated infidelity he would have been saying he was sorry he got caught. It is certainly reasonable to believe that it has taken at least this amount of time for him to genuinely begin to see and understand what he did and the enormity of it all.

There are two important lessons in all of this. One global and one personal.

Globally, we are living through a time of transition when deceit and arrogance will be revealed when and where they crop up. The importance of such revelation is talking full responsibility for one's actions regardless of how painful. No pain, no gain as they say in sports...no pun intended. It's the only way to cure the world of what ails it.

Personally, it was a perfect lesson in why each of us has to make up our own minds based upon our own personal experience...not place blind faith in the advice and opinions of experts or persons with apparent authority.

Had I not watched Woods myself, but relied instead upon the pundits, commentators, reporters and broadcasters, I could never have concluded, as I have, that he gets it, he means it and he's trying to salvage not only his career but his family life.

As I said earlier, easy to say hard to do. But I'm with him on this one... unless and until he proves me wrong.

Everyone who genuinely seeks it deserves that second chance.

We've all been there...one way or another.

Obama and the Need for Change

2010-02-15T04:02:00Z

While recently contemplating all the disappointment surrounding President Obama's performance during his first year in office, I thought about the national need for change and how the promise of it resonated so strongly that it propelled him into office. Then I thought about where we are at the moment and how we haven't quite gotten what was promised... or what was expected.

So what went wrong?

I think the key word is "need." We needed change so badly we grabbed onto the first person who looked and sounded as if he understood our need. But neediness is tricky business. When you act out of need, and strike a deal based upon it, there is always a back-end price that turns out to be more than you were willing to pay. And like it or not... pay it you will.

Change has several characteristics.   Its natural, necessary, takes time, and requires sacrifice. It can't be gifted, bought, or bargained for. Its the stuff of Life. In fact, its the paradox of Life because the only thing you can count on for sure in Life is change.

But as with anything else, when you need it too badly, you tend to overlook a lot to fill the need. We do it all the time in personal relationships. We overlook qualities in another that would otherwise be deal-breakers simply because they have something we need. Thinking their presence in our life will somehow change it for the better, we proceed throwing caution to the wind.

We do it with acquisition. We buy things we can't afford because we need whatever it is that thing represents to make us feel or look better... or to fill a void we'd otherwise rather not explore.

So, when in 2008, we all innately knew we were living on the edge in too many ways, we also knew it was time to change that fact. We were right to think it. We were foolish to think that the necessary change would come so easily by way of bumper sticker and a charismatic speaker. Anyone who has ever watched or studied how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly knows better. It's a slow, and at times, painful process. It requires loss and letting go. It also requires endurance and the ability to survive adversity.

It happens one caterpillar at a time.

There is no top down solution to what ails us. No one is going to legislate, adjudicate or mandate us out of this one. As Barry Manilow once wrote, "This One's For You."   This one is for each of us to go within, find our values, our determination and the strength to endure change...and then to live it all in every facet of our lives...each and every day.

Knowing your core values, having unwavering determination and garnering inner strength you become exempt from need.   Exempt from need you need not cut any deals for which you will later find yourself unable to pay that back-end fee.

If the man we elected President in 2008 now seems to have disappointed us, and our plight no better and perhaps worse than he took office, remember that we cut a deal. We needed change and he promised to bring it.

I think the lesson is to be the change you want to see in the world. I didn't originate that realization, it was Gandhi's mission statement. He lived it and so changed the future of India. Not by promising to give change to his countrymen but by showing them, by example, how to do it themselves... one person at a time.

Mr. President, I'm still waiting.

Greece, Crete and the Future of the World

2010-02-12T13:32:00Z

I subscribe to the belief that 1) there are no accidents and 2) we are all One.

So, allow me to connect the dots.

Around 1400 B.C.E, the Oracle at Delphi was one of the most sacred sites in ancient Greece. It was where Priestesses, who represented the Divine Feminine aspect of God, received divine inspiration and prophesied about a variety of matters. Leaders from all over the Mediterranean came for guidance, including political advice. Sophia, the Goddess of Wisdom was loved and revered. Hence, the origins of the word philosopher..."philos" meaning "love" and soph(ia) meaning wisdom. Philosophers were lovers of wisdom. It was a time of great cultural advancement. In fact, Minoan Crete is viewed as a high point in early civilization and where the Divine Feminine was last worshiped before aggressive, warlike and patriarchal leadership conquered and destroyed much of what had been achieved.

The region was the birthplace of Democracy.

Fast forward 2500 years.

The economy of Greece is in a free fall and near collapse. The government, over time, has run up huge deficits that have become unsustainable. The EU is scrambling to put together some sort of package that will forestall an economic crisis that would likely be followed by similar crises in Portugal, Italy and Spain. (As an uncomfortable side note, we in the United States are economically situated not all that far from Greece's current position and it may be a dire early warning of its own for us as well).

We are living through remarkable and transforming times. You can feel the shifts occurring everywhere. The system is re-balancing itself... an occurrence long overdue, I might add. It is re-balancing the masculine with the feminine, the positive with the negative if you will. Both forces are equally necessary for the growth, evolution and harmony of our world.

As I connect the dots. it makes perfect sense that the "canary in the goldmine" turns out to be Greece. It is where the Divine Feminine was enslaved and relegated to second class citizenship 2500 years ago. It was where we went completely out-of-balance. And because we are all connected, the obliteration of the Divine Feminine eventually led us to the present moment where, now, 2500 years of patriarchal leadership and dominance have failed at the intended goal...peaceful co-existence.

I am an optimist and see the larger picture. From the ashes of Delphi and the economic collapse of present day Greece, will rise the Phoenix in the form of The Divine Feminine. She will bring us back into balance where finally, an understanding of Oneness and all it implies, will be known, appreciated and lived.

I have always loved connecting the dots.

Pulse of the Nation

2010-02-07T20:51:00Z

I was flipping through the Sunday morning news shows today...Chris Matthews, This Week, and Face the Nation...and found it rather incredible that all those educated panelists are so out of touch with what is really happening in this country. It's as if they are incapable of changing the context in which they evaluate the state of things.

Maybe its just me but I don't think so.

From where I stand, and consequently how I see things, most people have reached a saturation point in their lives concerning materialism, self-gratification and, yes, even technology. Its been a nice ride but when all is said and done we came up empty. Empty and yearning for something more. Something that can't be bought or even held onto..unless its what we give away.

You see, that's the paradox.

Our national search for "more"...be it whatever "more" we wanted...turned out to be a quest for fool's gold. Or false idols, depending on your belief system. All the doing, getting and having solved nothing and, in fact, created more problems than we can apparently handle at the moment. It's a lot older that Ivan Beosky's University of California Berkley speech in 1986 where he told the graduating class "Greed is healthy" ...although I think his words were a seminal moment by the absence of public outrage that failed to follow his pronouncement. Our silence spoke volumes about us and the future direction of our country.

Now, almost 25 years later, after proceeding down the path Boesky and we by our silence condoned, we have arrived at an unintended and undesirable destination.

The People get it. But those who govern, and most of those reporting upon it, don't. They're still talking about fixing the economy or closing the information leaks or creating jobs or lowering foreclosures and reinvigorating the housing market as those things that will return our lives to some recognizable scenario.

But its not about any of that. It's about balance and unity.

It's about lives that are balanced between what we take in and what we give out. It's about relationships that honor and respect differences. It's about bringing children into the world and then actually devoting the amount of time it takes to raise them with commendable values. It's about truth telling in our personal and professional lives. It's about compassion as the highest form of love. It's about pursuing technological development but not at the expense, or disregard, of ethical and spiritual development. It's about knowing how connected we are to everything on Earth and beyond... so that we think and act with the realization that our every thought and our every action matters.

So, to the people who govern and those who report upon it all: You can try and resurrect the past, or project how well your opinions and ideas will shape the future. But in the only analysis that matters, there is only the moment in which you are living. If you refuse to see and sense it for what it actually is you are living in an illusion and, therefore, part of the problem... not the solution.

Which is why I don't often watch Sunday morning news show.

Breaking News

2010-02-05T02:17:00Z

It seems that its becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with all the news. You pick the category and there's some breaking story in it. It really is information overload.

What's a person to do?

Well, may I suggest silence. Its a beautiful, and healing, alternative. I know because lately I've begun to meditate. Now please don't write me off as some mystic, or former hippie, who is looking for some way to "drop out." I am, and always have been, a Type A personality. If I'm not in motion, or using my brain in some challenging way...well such reckless frivolity has always been the very definition of "lazy" in my book. No, what led me to meditation was a combination of 1) coaxing from a dear friend and 2) more "news" than I could handle.

What I've learned from meditation is that there's more to learn in silence than in all the news that's fit to print...or broadcast...or telecast...or tweet. In silence exists an internal knowing that transcends words. Really. You can't describe it. You have to be it. When you are being it, what you feel is everything you've ever sought. Truly. Now my assumption is that what we all ultimately go in search of is inner peace. I mean, really, isn't all that we aspire to and seek done in the hopes of acquiring some satisfaction that always seems just beyond our reach...or so transient it was hardly worth the getting?

Well, here's breaking news.

Inner peace comes from within! Duh! You'd think that would be self-evident. However, we humans with our opposable thumbs and high tech world are still running around trying to find it outside of ourselves. Duh, squared!

So I could have posted this blog entry about Iran's launch into space, or the White House leak about the cooperating terrorist who tried to blow up a plane Christmas day with explosive underwear, or the yet again declining DOW, or the rumor that the Jolie-Pitts are on the rocks...but here's the thing. I'd just be adding to the information overload. So instead, I decided to share with you the sound of silence.

Once in a while, its really sweet to have nothing to say... and even less to listen to.

The November Elections: Think Bigger

2010-01-26T01:15:00Z

You almost have to be asleep to miss the political upheaval taking place. Its everywhere putting sheer terror into the hearts and minds of both Republican and Democrat incumbents as the November mid-term elections draw near. Politicians of both parties are scrambling to figure out just what the increasingly vocal and disenchanted populace wants of them. Its on the news day and night and the story will only get more coverage as we head into the Fall.

However, I think its just symptomatic of a much larger story.

It isn't just a change in our politics. It's a change in our consciousness... and its impacting every aspect of our lives, not just how we think and feel about government.

While the age-old choice has been one party or the other... the elite or the governed... the rich or the poor...the winners or the losers...such hierarchical constructs are about to experience their own transition. Don't get me wrong. I'm not talking about replacing Democracy with Socialism. What I am talking about is revisiting the best of both systems, and any others, that guide and support us in co-creating a world less divided.

So far, no one system has done the job admirably.. although Democracy has certainly, thus far, done it with the most expansiveness and respect for personal liberty. But so far, so good... isn't good enough. Nor is it a reason to stop trying to improve upon what we have achieved.

Authentic change... the change so many hungered for in the 2008 election, the change that has not as yet come but is on the horizon, is a re-balancing of female and male energies in every aspect of our lives.

The instability we feel at this moment in time in so many area of our lives is that which results from an imbalance in the extreme. Riane Eisler, author of "The Chalice and The Blade", identifies the result of such imbalance as having created "dominator" as opposed to "partnership" societies. The result of a world run by dominator societies is exactly where we now find ourselves. We have almost perfected the application and use of our financial resources and technological development for extinguishing the planet and all its inhabitants.

Simply put, we are out of balance.

In the First Five Books of Moses in Genesis, as well as in the majority of pre-history cults and religions, the "story" begins with a Being both male and female. Where we lost our way was in subjugating, and thereby eliminating, the unique contribution that 50% of humanity can bring to bear upon our conscious evolution.

When we realize there is Only One of Us, there follows the irrefutable realization that in the race to conquer and dominate... we are all speeding to Self-annihilation.

And so, while the news media is busy with whether the Democrats or Republicans will hold the majority in the House and the Senate come November... many of us are far more focused and intent upon a bigger question.

Will we transcend differences and a dominator mindset to see the beauty and value in diversity of gender and partnership... or will we remain distracted by the small stuff and never see the edge of the cliff coming up below our feet?

Now there's a poll worth taking.

Secrets of the Obama Administration... and More

2010-01-14T16:20:00Z

It has become increasingly difficult, some might say nearly impossible, for dishonest and corrupt politicians to keep their lies and greed confined to back room deals and off-the-record conversations. Have you noticed?
And why is that?

Its because the pendulum can swing only so far before it swings back again.

The Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal was the real turning point, or in the pendulum analogy, the point beyond which the corruption could go no further and had to necessarily reverse itself. I call the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal "corruption" because it's occurrence was a corruption of decency, dignity, and integrity. The "outing" of that descent into moral depravity and betrayal of trust on so many levels was significant not for the act itself but for the outing of it. For in the outing, the pendulum finally reached that critical point where it changes direction.

The directional change we took was away from alienation and apathy for all things ethical and spiritual towards a remembering and rekindling of those same values.

So what does the Obama Administration and secrets have to do with all of this. In particular not much. In general quite a bit.

This Administration is no more corrupt, greedy or lacking in conscience than those that preceded it. However, because it is as corrupt as its predecessors, and because the pendulum has changed direction the corruption, greed and lack of conscience will no longer remain undetected or unaccounted for.

And so, no more secrets.

Every day there's another breaking story about a new back room deal, a quid pro quo in order to get a vote, legislation that's intended pay back the few at the expense of the many and much, much more. While its easy to chalk it up to dogged investigative reporters or the ease with which the technology makes it difficult to keep such things hidden, I think not.

May I suggest another reason?

Yesterday on television, Glenn Beck interviewed Governor Sarah Palin. When asked about the soulless behavior of the politicians in Washington, and how it may be impossible to serve in government without losing one's soul, she replied (and I paraphrase) "We live in a fallen world and other than our spouse we are not supposed to put our trust in another person, especially not politicians."

I take issue with Governor Palin's observation. By her reply she is obviously religious. If you read my blog you know I am obviously spiritual.

They are not the same thing.

I do not see the world as "fallen." I do not believe there is original sin. Nor an avenging God. I do believe like the Universe in which we live, We are part of an expanding Consciousness moving towards evermore enlightenment and understanding. And as you move towards en-Light-enment, things that do not support the expansion, and cannot withstand the Light, are exposed and seen for what they truly are.

Hence, no more secrets. That which has been hidden from us is now emerging into the Light of day. It is no longer possible to keep such behavior obscured among the shadows.

This is not a bad thing. However, it makes for a difficult transition. We have lived in the shadows for quite some time now and so the light of day presents us with challenges. For one, our "eyes"... how we see things...have to adjust to a clarity and brightness we are unaccustomed to.

It would be wise for those with apparent power in positions of authority to realize what is happening. For unless they do, and change their values and behavior accordingly, they will go the way of the dinosaurs.

We are spiritually going through the equivalent of a cataclysmic change. A new environment is the natural result of such profound change. It isn't the strong who will survive.

Its those who understand Oneness.

Haiti, Venezuela and Nature

2010-01-13T02:32:00Z

It was just two days ago that I posted about the drought in Venezuela and its potential impact on the government of Hugo Chavez. The point of the post was to call attention to the power of Nature in relationship to the power humans like to think we wield. Now comes a devastating earthquake in Haiti with massive destruction and as yet untold numbers of lives lost.

Its all Natural law at work.

I'm not certain about global warming and whether we've created the problem, exacerbated it, or if it even exists at all. There seems to be a plethora of science on all sides of the argument. What I am certain of is that for thousands of years we have, at best, ignored the other forms of life with which we share planet Earth and at worst, exploited them for our personal pleasure and gain.

All bills come due, not just our national deficit.

While we are myopically focused on trying to stay afloat during an economic downturn and pass universal health care, we're neglecting to notice the warning sign emanating from Earth. She has had enough. I say "she" because "giving" is a characteristic of the Divine Feminine. The Earth, and all of Nature, know how to give. They give repeatedly and without demand, thus ensuring the cycle of life and all that it takes to sustain it.

In a groundbreaking book titled "The Chalice and The Blade" Riane Eisler explores, with specificity and over 50 pages of source notes, the archaeological discoveries and historical records that now point to both Paleolithic and Neolithic societies previously believed to be patriarchal which, in fact, were matriarchal. Matriarchal... without wars, and deeply aligned with and respectful of Nature.

So somewhere we went off track. Somewhere we decided that it was all here for our use and abuse. That self-satisfaction was the goal and greed was the means of attaining it. It has gotten us only so far.

It appears we're arrived at a critical evolutionary pause. Unlike those who see Armageddon, or some other cataclysmic event as the obvious outcome, I believe we have an alternative.

We can restore the Divine Feminine and all that She stands for to Her rightful place alongside the Divine Masculine.. and by that restoration reinvigorate our values, behavior and language with the dignity and respect due every living human being and thing.

In having denigrated and abandoned the Divine Feminine we also abandoned ourselves.

The bill is now due. We can pay it with our lives or we can enter into a repayment plan whereby, over time, we replenish through thought, word and deed the abundant bounty that was our birthright and which we so carelessly undervalued and exploited.

It is time to stop taking and start giving.

No one better exemplifies this quality of giving for the highest good of all concerned than the Divine Feminine... Mother of All That Is. In Her restoration, we restore ourselves unto ourselves. And in so doing, discover not a tragic end but rather a glorious new beginning.

Mother Nature Takes on Chavez

2010-01-10T03:37:00Z

I'm a firm believer that Nature has a way of correcting imbalances and moderating excess. Because of that, I often look to Nature for answers to very human problems. It seems all the international support and opposition to the Venezuelan government of Hugo Chavez has been less effective in bringing pressures to bear on the political situation in that country than that which Mother Nature has now engaged.

It seems Venezuela is in the midst of a dangerous and prolonged drought that is taxing the country's main hydroelectric source, Guri Dam. With the dam's water already 33 feet below acceptable levels and months yet to go in drought season, the prospect looms large that a crisis is potentially in the making. Shortages and fines are already a reality with more to come. Should the dam dry up, the country could come to a standstill. Literally.

Such an occurrence and its effect would seem almost biblical. Sort of like locusts or darkness. Then again, that's exactly how a dictator who defied human rights and imposed upon his People corrupt and self-aggrandizing measures finally got the message that you can only defy Natural Law so long. Then, when all else fails, Natural Law implements Its own remedies.

Historically, these tend to be much less desirable than man-made solutions.

Now I'm not equating Chavez to Pharaoh. How could I? Pharaoh ruled an empire. Chavez rules a country in South America. But here's the point.

The world was very far adrift during Pharaoh's reign. Values were skewed. Respect for human dignity was a non-sequitur. A few were prospering at the expense, and on the backs, of the many. And while Chavez and his ilk worldwide bemoan the plight of the "workers of the world", they are busy lining their own pockets, and the pockets of their cronies, with the wealth created by the workers they profess to be helping.

So one could say the world is once again very far adrift.

When humankind seems out of viable options for a course correction, Nature has a way of filling the vacuum. She (yes, I said she) has at Her disposal resources that makes ours pale in comparison.

Turning off the water is just one of them.

Today there was a byline on Fox.com's home page that hinted at the perfect storm set up by a continued recession and the prospect of another terror strike. Of course, such a coming together of economic woes and the threat of terrorism is real and potentially devastating. Californians have severe economic and cultural problems of their own but today there was also a 6.5 earthquake in Northern California.

Nature knows how to get our attention.

Have you noticed that most of the fear-based predictions and cautions that we are daily inundated with by the media don't pan out they way they're "supposed to." Yes, the DOW went from 14,000 to 6500...but it also went back up to 10,500. Yes, terror attempts have been made, but they've failed.

This isn't to say the economy can't collapse or a terrorist won't succeed. But until such time, I'm more concerned that we understand that Mother Nature has had enough of our shennanigans and our inability to live in harmony with one another, respecting the dignity of every human being and Her body, Earth, as well.

The consequences of Her having reached Her limit are certainly more catastrophic than the war games and political intrigue politicians play.

A lot of world leaders would like to see an end to the Chavez government and others like it. To that end they have pursued their goal overtly and covertly. They have tried diplomacy and aggression. Yet oppressive regimes still stand.

Chavez is finally in trouble. It may not be hot water but it's water non-the-less. Internal unrest is escalating as the populace blames his government's corruption and incompetence for the lack of preparedness and creation of viable alternatives to Guri Dam as an energy source for the country.

We would all be wise to sit up and take notice, and an accounting as well, of where and how we might self-correct. The alternative will be very unpleasant. I did say "She" above, didn't I?

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

What Dodd's Exit Signals

2010-01-06T20:02:00Z

The big news today is the surprising decision by Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Connecticut) and several other sitting members of the Senate not to seek re-election in 2010. Both the political Left and Right have quickly gone on record to put their interpretations on why... and what this means for their parties' respective political outcomes come the midterm elections. Of course, each believes it will work to their partisan advantage.

In the midst of so much economic uncertainty and recent resurrection of the potential threat of another terrorist attack upon Americans or U.S. soil, let me posit an alternative outcome.

There will likely be more such announcements by sitting members of Congress in coming weeks and months. Its political hunting season. House and Senate members with skeletons in their closet, or guilt on their conscience, know the American public is armed and looking for game.

But let me turn from such a violent metaphor and say that I think its all good. What it signifies is that, no matter what has personally or politically precipitated these decisions to walk, they open the door for a change in the character and focus of the individuals who will fill these seats and, therefore, truly represent We The People.

Things are never as they seem. While the Democrats appear to be scrambling and shaking things up within to effect damage control... and the Republicans are scrambling to strategize how to seize those seats now in play, I think there is a "higher ground" scenario at work here.

I believe that individuals with a more Universal view and expanded consciousness will emerge to become frontline spiritual warriors in the transformation of the Consciousness of this nation... not in the sense that Progressives view that transformation as occurring, but rather in the sense of a renewed dedication to freedom, individuality, responsibility, integrity, creativity and compassion.

Yes, these are challenging times. But they are exhilarating times as well... filled with the potential for greatness and expansion. Not territorial expansion as has always been the case. But expansion of mankind's understanding of, and contribution to, a Plan that is infinitely grander, profoundly wiser and irresistibly more loving than anything we have participated in thus far.

What Schools Don't Teach

2010-01-05T10:41:00Z

There's a standard joke that goes, "There are only two things in life you have to do. Die and pay taxes." Perhaps that's why we devote so much human energy to fending off death and managing our financial resources.

Theoretically, in opposition to the joke, one could argue that someday we may actually figure out how to live forever or at least maintain the body for renewed life (cryogenics), or that a new form of revenue raising may be created so the need for taxes becomes obsolete. Therefore, perhaps someday even the joke itself may become obsolete.

What is no joke is that the one thing we all will face for certain in life, and have to deal with, is Change. How ironic, and sad, that along with all that is taught as part of formal, and informal education, we spend no time or resources in teaching how to traverse and manage Change.

Change isn't something that happens in life.

Life is Change.

At every level of Nature, and within human nature, Change is the stuff of Life. Its how things grow. Without change there is no growth. Whether its the physical, emotional, mental or spiritual worlds we talk about, its the Process of Change that moves us through trial and error towards a more fully developed and expansive existence.

The harm in not teaching the fundamentals of Change is that so much time and energy is wasted on resisting rather than embracing it. Because there is something comfortable, even seductive, about what we know versus the unknown, we have a strong tendency to want to maintain the status quo... even if its a condition not particularly desirable, enjoyable, or supportive.

But the status quo, by definition, is "the existing order of things." Its similar to another Latin word, stasis, which is "the state of equilibrium or inactivity caused by opposing equal forces." The status quo implies an accepted, or at least passive, acquiesce to how thing are. But nothing is how it is since everything is in a constant state of change.

So what's the opposition to Change?

Precisely that it upsets the status quo!

Change necessitates being in a constant state of creativity in order to adapt to it. The only thing I know we teach as being in a constant state of creativity is Creator.

Uh-oh!

If we accept that 1) change is always occurring; 2) creativity is required to adapt to it; 3) Creator is in a constant state of creativity; then we will, by necessity, have to be as Creator is.

There's the resistance to teaching and learning about Change! The prospect that to embrace Life and live it fully requires us to be in a constant creative state of Being, such as Creator, is more responsibility than we want to take on. Hence, our preference for the status qou.

But here's the rub. The joke, it turns out, is on us. For in resisting Change, we defy the Law of Creation. In defying Creation, we guarantee our own demise.

So perhaps we can dispense with all the time, effort and money we put in to postponing death or trying to figure out how to resurrect the body. The short answer to that dilemma appears to be to live Life as Life Is... constantly in a state of change and thereby live forever.

Death, it turns out, isn't an ending but a transition to another form of Life.

Of course, its only that for those who know how to transition. Who know how to Change.

I think that's worth teaching, don't you?

A Hotline for Times of Stress

2009-12-29T23:41:00Z

When you're on a spiritual path, and all of us are whether we're aware of it or not, you go through spiritual growth spurts just like any other growth process. These are exhilarating times filled with optimism and faith. And, as you'd suspect, you also reach plateaus, or periods of "flat-lining", when there appears to be no growth at all. Finally, to our collective dismay, there are those times when it appears that some or all of our progress to-date has been lost...or at least seriously misplaced...and we wonder, in our confusion, where hope or inspiration may be found. Often times, this is when we reach out and call a friend.

In such moments, well meaning friends can empathize. They can even show compassion. That's why we call them. But, if what you really need is a transfusion, there's simply nothing in a first-aid kit that will do the trick. You must go to the bank where the blood is stored.

I have another suggestion born of experience.

Call God instead.

What it means to "call God instead" is to forgo the urge to ask someone other than yourself to lift you up. It means to surrender, in the most positive sense, the unfolding of your life to the Power that has given you life. It means to ask, out loud, for clarity as to your Life's purpose and how to best manifest it. It means to move your ego to a back burner and acknowledge that while you are not in control... you are in process of Be-coming that which you were designed to Be.

I choose the word "designed" here for a reason.

There is, in fact, a blueprint, for each of us. A plan for our fruition and our purpose. There is nothing in Creation for which a blueprint does not exist... encoded within its very essence. It's how a rose "grows up" to become a rose and not a daisy. For us, its encoded into our DNA. The only difference between the rose and us is that we have Free Will to interfere with the encoding and a mechanism with which to effect that interference...called "ego."

When ego's interference misleads us too far from our intended purpose (which, by the way, is to Be All That Love Is) we feel the dismay that sets in as a result of our self-imposed distance from Source.

This is the time to call God because God is where the original blueprint of You exists in its clearest form.

Since God created You with the intention that You Be As You Are Designed To Be, it is God's delight when called upon to shine The Light in order to show you, once again, the way back upon the path of your intended purpose.

By the way, when you make that call, you never get a busy signal.

God originated call waiting.

Is Janet Napolitano Right for the Job?

2009-12-29T01:14:00Z

I watched CBS's "This Week" on Sunday morning when Director of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, was interviewed and asked how the terrorist who tried to blow up a Delta flight from Amsterdam to Detroit managed to get a multiple visit U.S. visa and board the plane when he was a known security risk. But for the quick response of a passenger who jumped the terrorist and disarmed him, the ending might have been tragic. The Director's reply was that the system had, in fact, worked and the passengers and everything necessary came together to thwart the attempt.

My 16 year-old-daughter was walking through our living room at the time the Director spoke those words and, without missing a step, my daughter said out loud "It wasn't the passenger's job. It was yours." It seems my 16-year-old gets it....even if the Director of Homeland Security doesn't.

Now, one day later, it seems Director Napolitano has had a change of heart. Within 24 hours of that comment she has, apparently, made a startling realization. The system, it now appears, failed.
.
No kidding, Janet.

I pride myself on being able to find the higher meaning in every story. I have found it here.

Either 1) the Director changed her mind due to the outrage that followed her comments, making it a political change of mind not necessarily an enlightened one; or 2) she really is that dense and believed the system worked as intended, or 3) absent political fallout, she will defend this Administration regardless of the correctness, truthfulness, or even logic of her assertions.

Whichever is the case, the incident has given us insight into the necessity of replacing her as Head of Homeland Security.

It is hardly in the interest of this nation, or its citizens, to have an individual so unqualified, political and/or clueless, as Janet Napolitano in charge of our individual and collective safety.

So, let us be grateful to the Nigerian terrorist who failed at his intended purpose... but succeeded, brilliantly, at an unintended one.

We now know Napolitano must go.

Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

The Power of Certainty

2009-12-15T16:11:00Z

In giving thought to both the "successes", endurance and recruiting power of terrorist groups worldwide, its apparent to me that the one thing they have going for them is Certainty. No matter how irrational or destructive their goals, terrorists are certain, they have no doubt, about those goals or the acceptable means of achieving them.

Certainty is the engine that drives achievement. Its the power that moves an idea or intention to fruition. Lacking certainty, it is easy to either 1) lose your way, or 2) be persuaded by the power of someone else's certainty.

How this applies to our current political and economic situation is of utmost importance.

In any free society (read as "democracy" or "republic") there will always be an endless onslaught of ideas. This is the nature, and the intention, of such societies. The free and unfettered exchange of ideas. The extent to which an individual, or group, has certainty regarding their particular idea will drive, and likely determine, the dissemination and acceptance of that idea by the many.

Particularly in times of economic hardship, when individuals seek out way to alleviate the burdens of financial uncertainty, an idea or proposed solution buttressed by the passion of certainty is most compelling. Such was the power behind the success of Adolf Hitler and, as said earlier, global terrorism.

So how do we translate this awareness and apply it to the United States in 2010 as we face greater economic uncertainty that ever before in our nation's history? How do we make it work for us and for the good?

Poetically, and literally, I suggest you listen within.

Each of us has an inner knowing and that inner knowing has a voice. The key is to trust that you know then turn down the onslaught of external chatter so you can hear the voice of knowing.

Knowing tells you that you cannot get out of debt by spending more money that you have. Knowing also tells you that the money in Monopoly is neither real or valuable nor are vast sums of money that are continuously printed with nothing to back up their worth.

There is statistical evidence through a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll out that the movement identified as "The Tea Party" currently has a higher approval rating (41%) than both the Democrats (35%) and the Republicans 28%).

Why?

The growing popularity of the Tea Party Movement can be understood by its certainty. Adherents and followers alike know with certainty that the federal government has lost its way. To the contrary, politicians are being manipulated, tossed and bossed about like falling leaves on a windy day. Their collective uncertainty provides no momentum for sustained problem solving and so they have become ineffective at successfully addressing that which needs correction.

And so the Tea Party Movement's message of certainty is compelling and contagious. I suspect their numbers will continue to grow as will their influence.

This may be a good thing.

Ultimately, however, as tougher and tougher decisions need to be made as part of the course correction that is coming, each of us will have to know, with certainty, what it is we want and what we are and are not willing to do to achieve it.

In the meantime, what we can do individually is go within, listen, and be certain about what we believe... for the time is coming when inner certainty may well be the only guiding force you can rely on...with certainty.

Wanda Baucus: No More Secrets

2009-12-13T13:04:00Z

The recent news about Senator Max Baucus and his behavior with a former staffer has an interesting undercurrent to it. While on its surface the news seems to be about yet another unfaithful member of Congress who, at the very least, improperly used public monies to fund a romantic trip to Asia with a former staff member turned current live-in lover...there is a broader and more important story within the story.

Wanda Baucus, the Senator's former wife, is speaking out on the subject and its not her first foray into the subject.

The subject I'm referring to is the effect that the dominance of men in positions of power in Washington has had on women and, inevitably, on the country. Both their presence in such positions as well as their complicity in failing to hold one another accountable for immoral and, at times, criminally actionable behavior.

Now if this were the 60's or 70's, you'd likely think "Here we go. Another feminist male-bashing tirade." But its not. We're closing in on 2010 and both the means and the goal are of a higher order.

Wanda Baucus, a former outspoken supporter of Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings, has recently said that "If the women I know in Washington in the Senate talked and said all the things they know, this government would -- I mean talk about the revolution… this place would be turned upside down."

She's talking about sexual harassment and more.

Sadly, we have become so accustomed and hardened to such revelations that when they occur we are no longer shocked. It takes the fall of a seeming paragon of accomplishment and morality such as Tiger Woods to even phase us anymore...and even then only for a week or so. Thereafter, we go back to business as usual.

But here's the thing.

The country is broke. The government keeps spending money we do not have. Millions are unemployed. No one trusts the politicians... a state of being they've justifiably earned, I might add.

I'd focus on the excesses but I think it more important to focus on the deficiency.

The Divine Feminine has been too long absent.

By the Divine Feminine I do not mean feminists. I don't refer necessarily to women exclusively. However,
for the most part, what has been absent and what is now being resurrected will come forth mostly by and through women.

What I am referring to is the resurrection of that aspect of Creator's energy that balances out the qualities and characteristics inherent in male energy.

Male energy, in its natural state, is positive and expansive. Female energy, in its natural state, is negative and receptive. Be careful that your mind doesn't immediately attach worn out definitions to any of these words. There is nothing inherently "good' or "bad" about the words positive or negative. Where we run amok is when they are out of balance in relationship to one another. Such imbalance results in chaos which lacks the ability to self-organize. When in balance, we are a self-organizing species. We will return to a state of being that is the highest good for all concerned.

Absent balance, we will go the way of the dinosaur.

Which beings us back to Wanda and Max Baucus.

I know nothing about either of these people personally. What I do know is that Max Baucus is symptomatic of a diseased and dying concentration of perverse power run amok. Wanda Baucus is symptomatic of the emerging Divine Feminine that will, by its very presence and design, bring the human race back into the necessary balance to sustain physical life, expanded consciousness and spiritual growth.

Often following a long journey in the darkness, an emergence into the light can momentarily seem blinding. Remember, its just momentary. Our future is here and its bright. Just be patient and allow yourself some time to adjust to the re-emergence of the brilliant Light of the Divine Feminine.

Glenn Beck Meets Ayn Rand and Gandhi

2009-12-08T02:38:00Z

Politics aside, I admire Glenn Beck for his unabashed courage in speaking truth to power. At least his truth. Which is all anyone can be certain of.

And that's the point.

What Beck is standing for is your right to think, speak and act upon the truth as you know it. He's doing it peacefully... but not without power of his own. Not force but power. And while he can't do it for you, he can do it for himself...thereby acting as both example and guiding light for how its done.

Sure, you can say "easy for him" he's got a platform, a microphone and sponsors. However, each of us has a calling and is similarly provided the means to get there if only we have the courage to embark upon the journey.

Which got me to thinking about Ayn Rand and Mahatma Gandhi.

I've always been fascinated by Ayn Rand's writings and her fierce advocacy on behalf of individualism as opposed to collectivism. Democracy trumping Marxism, Communism or Fascism Yet, despite my dedication to re-reading Atlas Shrugged every decade or so, I've been uncomfortable with her obvious disbelief in a power greater than man or woman. To be specific, a lack of God in her philosophy.

Similar has been my fascination, and respect, for Mahatma Gandhi and what he was able to accomplish by bringing to the political arena a deeply held spiritual belief in the dignity of humankind tied to a responsibility for the well being of one another.

I thought if I could snap my fingers, I'd merge Rand and Gandhi and come up with a compassionate political solution to the world's problems. You know, "Hope and Change."

So I snapped them... and here's what I came up with.

There is a spiritual concept called Oneness. It is an eternal concept founded in the connectedness of everyone and everything that ever was or will be created. Socialism, Progressivism, Marxism, Communism, Fascism are political perversions of that spiritual concept. What Oneness accomplishes naturally through an understanding of how Spirit works and, consequently, our relationship to all things living...those political systems try to artificially impose through intimidation and redistribution of wealth.

Any Rand almost had it right... but for her resistance to the spiritual world which leaves her characters unforgiving, ungrateful and sometimes even cruel. Such is humankind absent Spirit.

Gandhi had it right... but enough of the world had not yet reached the tipping point necessary to be able to hold onto his accomplishment.

Which is why I admire Glenn Beck.

He knows with certainty what Ayn Rand knew which is the value of a fully conscious human mind. He also knows with certainty what Gandhi knew as well. That we are all born of Creator and our success is tied to understanding how that make us all connected.

What Glenn Beck is standing for is why this Administration must not prevail. To try and artificially impose, through force, intimidation and redistribution of wealth, that which has been Divinely seeded within the hearts and minds of All existence is to try to defy Universal Law and usurp the right of every human being to reach that realization in their own way and in their own time.

Its called Divine Time.

Hope and Change are qualities inherent in Creation placed there by Creator. They are neither to be toyed nor tampered with... and they most certainly are not a bumper sticker.