It is interesting to see life from the perspective of the weeks after 12/21/2012 - the date the world "ended." I have gone back and read a number of the predictions of Nostradamus, apocalyptic literature, etc. Beliefs and ideas, perhaps the fundamental currents of history, are fascinating things indeed. What lessons can we learn from what we saw in the last few weeks? What gifts do we discern? What warnings and precautions should we take as well?
I was sitting up last night, watching a documentary called the Nazi Gospels on H2 (History International). It went back over some of the original founding beliefs, occult ideas dating back into the mid to late 1800s. It was interesting to note some of those ideas and how similar they are to some of the current day metaphysical beliefs I've been studying. It shows me how easily beliefs based upon love and transcendence can become corrupted and turn into evil.
The specifics of the belief system are not as important as the process of corruption itself. We have seen nearly every belief system become corrupted this way at some point in history. Christianity, Islam, Socialism, and the neo-pagan metaphysics that became part of the Nazi beliefs.
In the Nazi Gospels, they talked about the idea of proto-civilizations, the Aryans, Atlantis, Thule and other quasi-mythical lands, realms and societies in the pre-dawn of our current civilization. During the mid to late 1800s, these ideas were popular, a bit of a flip-side to the prim and proper Victorian society. During that time, Spiritualism was in vogue. This was when the Theosophical society came into being with the writings of Mme Blavatsky. It was at this time when the ideas of the root races took hold. One of these was the Aryan root race.
In recent years, it has become apparent that there was likely such an ancient civilization. While I need to explore the details a lot more, this is considered by many to be the origination of the Vedic traditions, etc.
The idea that at least some in this previous cycle of civilization had superpowers such as telepathy, psychokinesis, etc., is intriguing. It roughly correlates with the Vedic ideas of Siddhi - the extraordinary effects that are said to arise as a result of meditation practice, etc. If a civilization is based upon such practices, perhaps certain extraordinary abilities might have been common. Yet In some way, these powers were apparently lost. This appears to be the core of mythology along the lines of the Tower of Babel, the Garden of Eden, etc. Yet the desire for power is ever-present, and the belief that by some means, we can reattain these elements of power is seductive, indeed.
Another idea injected into the post-world-war-1 ideas stew, was that these powers were lost due to mixing with "inferior" humans. The superior proto-people let the bloodline somehow become diluted, causing their powers to become weakened to the point of vanishing. Unfortunately, this gave rise to the idea that the Aryan race could be reconstituted through some kind of selective breeding - the core of the Nazi beliefs.
This shows us both how ideas can evolve, and how they can become corrupted from light to dark. They can morph from a positive love-based quest for enlightenment, service to others and universal healing - the core of meditative/spiritual traditions, to the negative, service-to-self quest for superiority and the subjugation of others.
Today, I see a number of similar (though less vitriolic) themes emerging. I regularly see postings on Facebook about the New World Order, finger-pointing about economic chaos, etc. A recent Facebook post described how the Rothschild dynasty, the CIA and "International Bankers" are behind various issues of today including 9/11, etc. I have even seen articles connecting them to the recent episodes of school violence.
While I can't say how much truth is or is-not present in any given allegation, conspiracy theories are always rampant. They are convenient in that they offer easy targets to blame for whatever ill society faces. When kept on the fringe, they are harmless. And sometimes, perhaps, they hold a degree of truth. I am not asserting that such beliefs are false, only that they are easy to grab onto and form an easy, potentially toxic crutch during rough times.
As we saw during the late 1930s, it is very easy to latch onto easy solutions, quick fix ideas. It is easy to cast blame, easy to follow a leader who promises to make it all better. It reminds us that anytime we hear such ideas, we need to apply a lot of discernment.
We need to remind ourselves of this anytime we hear "us and them" ideas presented. What is the motivation behind such ideas? What are the consequences of considering one group of people to be an enemy? What happens when a belief turns from a focus on love and healing to a focus on blame and conflict? How is any given idea "refined" and "implemented" in a given group or organization. Does that group look like a cult? a political or religious (perhaps fundamentalist) movement? Above all, does the advocacy of a particular belief improve conditions for the entire world? Is it based upon love and healing? Or is it based upon something else less positive?
Whatever the case, it is vital that before accepting any belief - whatever that belief may be - that we apply due discernment to it. Ultimately, for good or ill, one of humanity's most powerful tools is belief. It is a gift - and like all such gifts, we need to use it with care, love and respect
Monday, December 31, 2012
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
100YSS - star travel sooner than we think?
All my life I have been a space junkie. The idea of travel to the stars has always been one of the driving forces of my life. What will we find there? Who is out there already? What if you or I could actually go there? It has been the corner stone of my life from the starry eyed dreams of my youth all the way to the present day. in the back of my mind, I have always wondered - what would it take? What would it require for "Us" to go "There?"
In all of the work I've been involved with in anomaly and close encounter research, work with MUFON, etc., I have been focused on either the idea of "Them" coming here, "They" being already here, or "They" somehow being part of "Here" - either part of our own consciousness, multidimensional, spiritual or something else. Yet sometimes, I get back to what originally motivated me to get interested in all of this in the first place - the idea of star travel - of "Us" going "There".
In the Cosmic bridge, I suggest that humans are much closer than most of us think to being able to travel to the stars. While most of our efforts in the last fifty years have involved traveling in orbit around our own pale blue dot, I believe they are the just beginning. Given the incentive, I believe there is no limit as to what humans can do. And given the state of modern physics, only the speed of human thought limits how quickly we can do it.
This month's National Geographic had an article on this very topic, traveling to the stars. It looked at a lot of options, primarily dealing with some of the possibilities of interstellar travel such as multi-generation ark ships, robotic probes, etc. The biggest question is, of course, propulsion - how do we go fast enough to cover the distance in a reasonable amount of time - a few years, maximum.
Part of the article was a brief reference to the 100 Year Starship (100YSS) Initiative. So this afternoon, I did a little web surfing and found some interesting articles on 100YSS. Click - I was hooked. This really is kewl stuff.
Unfortunately, what they left out was probably the most promising material - the idea of gravity manipulation. And it is here that, I believe the biggest breakthroughs will come. Everything I have studied in the extensive body of unexplained UFO sightings, everything in current advanced concepts in physics, to me points toward some form of gravity control and warp drive or wormhole technology.
I pulled out some of the more recent books on quantum mechanics - something like "quantum physics for advanced beginners." The key word in that title was "advanced" - I had to scramble to recall the mathematical skills I had let atrophy over the years. Ultimately, I have been able to get the gist of what the author was saying (I think), but if it were a college course, my grade wouldn't be all that great... :-)
Still, it tells me that the knowledge base is there, people are working the edge and that one day there will be enough effort in just the right location to break down that wall of impossibility. Just like humans flying, going to the moon and other "impossibilities", I believe that within a hundred years or so we will have the fundamental physics worked out. Within few hundred years, we will be traveling to the stars, routinely. In short, I believe we will have the capability of star travel sooner that we think.
In all of the work I've been involved with in anomaly and close encounter research, work with MUFON, etc., I have been focused on either the idea of "Them" coming here, "They" being already here, or "They" somehow being part of "Here" - either part of our own consciousness, multidimensional, spiritual or something else. Yet sometimes, I get back to what originally motivated me to get interested in all of this in the first place - the idea of star travel - of "Us" going "There".
In the Cosmic bridge, I suggest that humans are much closer than most of us think to being able to travel to the stars. While most of our efforts in the last fifty years have involved traveling in orbit around our own pale blue dot, I believe they are the just beginning. Given the incentive, I believe there is no limit as to what humans can do. And given the state of modern physics, only the speed of human thought limits how quickly we can do it.
This month's National Geographic had an article on this very topic, traveling to the stars. It looked at a lot of options, primarily dealing with some of the possibilities of interstellar travel such as multi-generation ark ships, robotic probes, etc. The biggest question is, of course, propulsion - how do we go fast enough to cover the distance in a reasonable amount of time - a few years, maximum.
Part of the article was a brief reference to the 100 Year Starship (100YSS) Initiative. So this afternoon, I did a little web surfing and found some interesting articles on 100YSS. Click - I was hooked. This really is kewl stuff.
Unfortunately, what they left out was probably the most promising material - the idea of gravity manipulation. And it is here that, I believe the biggest breakthroughs will come. Everything I have studied in the extensive body of unexplained UFO sightings, everything in current advanced concepts in physics, to me points toward some form of gravity control and warp drive or wormhole technology.
I pulled out some of the more recent books on quantum mechanics - something like "quantum physics for advanced beginners." The key word in that title was "advanced" - I had to scramble to recall the mathematical skills I had let atrophy over the years. Ultimately, I have been able to get the gist of what the author was saying (I think), but if it were a college course, my grade wouldn't be all that great... :-)
Still, it tells me that the knowledge base is there, people are working the edge and that one day there will be enough effort in just the right location to break down that wall of impossibility. Just like humans flying, going to the moon and other "impossibilities", I believe that within a hundred years or so we will have the fundamental physics worked out. Within few hundred years, we will be traveling to the stars, routinely. In short, I believe we will have the capability of star travel sooner that we think.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
The day after yesterday
As I write this, it is December 22nd, 2012. It's one day past the end of the world - and last I checked, we're all still here.
For most of the people I know, the "End of the World" was a great excuse for a party. As I left my the studio at Joanie's Metaphysical, in Wyoming, MN, where I do Friday afternoon hypnosis sessions, I saw the bar next door had an 'End of the World' special. This was complete with with half-priced margaritas and a tag line on their sign - "party like there's no tomorrow." Several other friends of mine held parties or observances as well. Some of them were involved a significant degree of partying. Others were more spiritual, contemplative occasions. The one I chose to attend was the latter - at least at first, until later when the beer and wine, etc. came out.
While generally light-hearted, greeted with humor, celebrating, and ceremonies, there was still a deeper underlying realization. The world is not ending, but is IS changing. Earlier in the afternoon, while at Joanie's Metaphysical, we held a brief meditation - guided imagery about shifts in energy, beginnings and crossroads. Later, at the evening gathering I attended, we held a series of spiritual atunements, toning using Tibetan singing bowls, mantras, a collective meditation, and a few other wonderful experiences.
On nearly every occasion, talk turned to the meaning of what was going on. Many (including myself) had experienced tremendous shifts over the last couple of days. A lot of challenge occurred and, like me, several people had felt a tremendous sense of resolution, a surge of energy as the "Fifth World" began.
There was general agreement. The changes we see are subtle but profound. One analogy I often use is from Christian theology, the story of the empty tomb. At the time Mother Mary and Mary Magdalene discovered the stone rolled away from the door, and Jesus' tomb empty, suddenly the world was changed. A new era had begun in history. Yet only the two Mary's (and perhaps Salome and/or a sleepy Roman guard) knew that anything at all had happened.
Another metaphor I use at times is that of a mile marker on a highway. The marker denotes a certain relationship - a certain distance from/to a particular location. As you pass that marker in your car, nothing extraordinary happens. There is nothing about the road or the pavement to indicate that this spot is special. It simply denotes that you are on your journey, and that you have passed an arbitrary point. To me, this is the meaning of 12/21/2012, an arbitrary but all-important mile-marker on a journey of transformation.
Yesterday, there were no clouds of glowing fairy dust from heaven. No sudden pole shifts or pieces of the continent collapsing into the sea - there was only the moment when we acknowledged we had passed a certain point. I suspect it is a point of no return, like crossing the event horizon (into a wormhole or black hole). The location is all important, vitally affecting your destiny, but there is no noticeable change at that exact instant. Perhaps it's the passage of a tipping point - which I think is likely. This is all part of the journey, a transformation for better or for worse. But at this exact instant, the change is not immediately apparent. The milepost is arbitrary, only it's relationship to destiny is important.
We have come far in the last twenty five years. We have solved quite a few problems, but these are only the beginning. In the end, we have a prodigious amount of work to do if we are going to pull this out - if we are going to stay out of the abyss. But I left last night's gathering with more optimism than I have had in a long time.
I don't see us in the scenario of '2012' in the disaster film. Nor are we in 'The Day after Tomorrow' as depicted in the film based upon Whitley Strieber's book 'The Coming Global Superstorm' (at least I hope not, although the jury is still out on how the gamble/experiment we call climate change will play out).
For me, and for pretty much everybody else I know, today is merely today - it is merely the day after yesterday.
For most of the people I know, the "End of the World" was a great excuse for a party. As I left my the studio at Joanie's Metaphysical, in Wyoming, MN, where I do Friday afternoon hypnosis sessions, I saw the bar next door had an 'End of the World' special. This was complete with with half-priced margaritas and a tag line on their sign - "party like there's no tomorrow." Several other friends of mine held parties or observances as well. Some of them were involved a significant degree of partying. Others were more spiritual, contemplative occasions. The one I chose to attend was the latter - at least at first, until later when the beer and wine, etc. came out.
While generally light-hearted, greeted with humor, celebrating, and ceremonies, there was still a deeper underlying realization. The world is not ending, but is IS changing. Earlier in the afternoon, while at Joanie's Metaphysical, we held a brief meditation - guided imagery about shifts in energy, beginnings and crossroads. Later, at the evening gathering I attended, we held a series of spiritual atunements, toning using Tibetan singing bowls, mantras, a collective meditation, and a few other wonderful experiences.
On nearly every occasion, talk turned to the meaning of what was going on. Many (including myself) had experienced tremendous shifts over the last couple of days. A lot of challenge occurred and, like me, several people had felt a tremendous sense of resolution, a surge of energy as the "Fifth World" began.
There was general agreement. The changes we see are subtle but profound. One analogy I often use is from Christian theology, the story of the empty tomb. At the time Mother Mary and Mary Magdalene discovered the stone rolled away from the door, and Jesus' tomb empty, suddenly the world was changed. A new era had begun in history. Yet only the two Mary's (and perhaps Salome and/or a sleepy Roman guard) knew that anything at all had happened.
Another metaphor I use at times is that of a mile marker on a highway. The marker denotes a certain relationship - a certain distance from/to a particular location. As you pass that marker in your car, nothing extraordinary happens. There is nothing about the road or the pavement to indicate that this spot is special. It simply denotes that you are on your journey, and that you have passed an arbitrary point. To me, this is the meaning of 12/21/2012, an arbitrary but all-important mile-marker on a journey of transformation.
Yesterday, there were no clouds of glowing fairy dust from heaven. No sudden pole shifts or pieces of the continent collapsing into the sea - there was only the moment when we acknowledged we had passed a certain point. I suspect it is a point of no return, like crossing the event horizon (into a wormhole or black hole). The location is all important, vitally affecting your destiny, but there is no noticeable change at that exact instant. Perhaps it's the passage of a tipping point - which I think is likely. This is all part of the journey, a transformation for better or for worse. But at this exact instant, the change is not immediately apparent. The milepost is arbitrary, only it's relationship to destiny is important.
We have come far in the last twenty five years. We have solved quite a few problems, but these are only the beginning. In the end, we have a prodigious amount of work to do if we are going to pull this out - if we are going to stay out of the abyss. But I left last night's gathering with more optimism than I have had in a long time.
I don't see us in the scenario of '2012' in the disaster film. Nor are we in 'The Day after Tomorrow' as depicted in the film based upon Whitley Strieber's book 'The Coming Global Superstorm' (at least I hope not, although the jury is still out on how the gamble/experiment we call climate change will play out).
For me, and for pretty much everybody else I know, today is merely today - it is merely the day after yesterday.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
transcending a rough day
It's been a bit of a rough day. i've seen a fair amount of contention in the business world, today. I won't go into details, but I had some rather frank discussions with a friend about hypnotherapy topics. It's never easy to set aside the ego and accept disagreements with peers. Yet for each of us, constructive back and forth is vital for growth. We can't all see the world the same way. Yet every time we turn around we learn something new.
This has been pretty much the nature of the day. it's probably an exaggeration, but it feels like everybody is criticizing each other - and they don't seem to be very nice about it, either. A lot of the commentary i have heard flying back and forth today have been pretty harsh. some of the worst have been the back and forth about gun rights vs controls. I wrote in an earlier blog post about how a rise in the stakes seems to merely cause a rise in the intensity of the conflict. Today has been mostly a continuation of this. Several of the conversations have gotten really nasty.
In other posts, I am seeing stuff about police state, tying it in with various political beliefs - usually the beliefs opposite of those of the writer. Again, lots of contention, lots of acrimony.
This has been pretty much the nature of the day. it's probably an exaggeration, but it feels like everybody is criticizing each other - and they don't seem to be very nice about it, either. A lot of the commentary i have heard flying back and forth today have been pretty harsh. some of the worst have been the back and forth about gun rights vs controls. I wrote in an earlier blog post about how a rise in the stakes seems to merely cause a rise in the intensity of the conflict. Today has been mostly a continuation of this. Several of the conversations have gotten really nasty.
In other posts, I am seeing stuff about police state, tying it in with various political beliefs - usually the beliefs opposite of those of the writer. Again, lots of contention, lots of acrimony.
Last night, we saw a documentary on the Dali Lama's teacher (can't pronounce/spell his name). It was one of those moments where it struck me how difficult it is to move toward non-attachment, etc. Yet it also reminded me of how vital it is as well.
In a number of areas, people have made comments that I have had to make a great effort to look beyond. It takes a lot to move beyond attachments, let go of outcomes and live a mindful existence. In one way, perhaps this is simply a driver toward that exact thing - a lesson in the transcendence of a rough day.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Learning something new every day
I wrote this last week, but never got around to posting it....
I had an interesting experience a few days ago. As I was doing a work swap with a friend who is a relatively new hypnotist, exchanging sessions of trance work. The interesting thing was that being new, she had very recently studied a lot of the techniques and ideas we were practicing. At the same time, I had been doing this for about 15 years and have learned to trust a lot to intuition. However, she pointed out some interesting thoughts - things I had never thought of.
Mostly, it was on styles of hypnosis work, making post-hypnotic suggestions, etc. I had wondered about them at the time. But when I looked up some of what she had said I found that sure enough, there it was. What I had learned a long time ago had since been significantly improved (surprise, surprise).
Most of the changes were relatively small details, but we all know how much details can affect the big world in a big way. So as I took her suggestions to heart, I found that indeed, she was right. We learn something new every day.
Every day life serves us up events and challenges to stress our knowledge. Most of the time we succeed at what we set out to do. Sometimes we just have a learning experience. Every moment, if we are paying attention enough, we learn something new.
Later the same day, as I was driving down the freeway, I saw someone doing something extremely dangerous. He had missed his exit from the interstate and so had stopped along the right shoulder. Now he was backing up and once he reached the exit, turned off the freeway and accelerated rapidly down the ramp. If I hadn't been looking at just the right time, I would have hit him.
I think of this every time my cell phone rings while I am driving. I think of this every time I see a new hypnosis script, or any time there is a minor hiccup in the routines of the day. Lots of little lessons each day challenge our awareness. They combine to teaches us a big and fundamental lesson. We learn something new every day.
I had an interesting experience a few days ago. As I was doing a work swap with a friend who is a relatively new hypnotist, exchanging sessions of trance work. The interesting thing was that being new, she had very recently studied a lot of the techniques and ideas we were practicing. At the same time, I had been doing this for about 15 years and have learned to trust a lot to intuition. However, she pointed out some interesting thoughts - things I had never thought of.
Mostly, it was on styles of hypnosis work, making post-hypnotic suggestions, etc. I had wondered about them at the time. But when I looked up some of what she had said I found that sure enough, there it was. What I had learned a long time ago had since been significantly improved (surprise, surprise).
Most of the changes were relatively small details, but we all know how much details can affect the big world in a big way. So as I took her suggestions to heart, I found that indeed, she was right. We learn something new every day.
Every day life serves us up events and challenges to stress our knowledge. Most of the time we succeed at what we set out to do. Sometimes we just have a learning experience. Every moment, if we are paying attention enough, we learn something new.
Later the same day, as I was driving down the freeway, I saw someone doing something extremely dangerous. He had missed his exit from the interstate and so had stopped along the right shoulder. Now he was backing up and once he reached the exit, turned off the freeway and accelerated rapidly down the ramp. If I hadn't been looking at just the right time, I would have hit him.
I think of this every time my cell phone rings while I am driving. I think of this every time I see a new hypnosis script, or any time there is a minor hiccup in the routines of the day. Lots of little lessons each day challenge our awareness. They combine to teaches us a big and fundamental lesson. We learn something new every day.
Guns, shouts and answers
We were all saddened beyond words at the latest school shooting. I think President Obama put it best with his words, "Our hearts are broken..."
This morning, the news feed on my Facebook page was full of arguments about guns - gun control versus gun rights. Both sides had a lot to say, and to me, none of it was new.
When something like a school shooting occurs, we often hear two things happen. Gun control advocates increase their advocacy for more restrictions on handguns, and gun rights advocates increase their calls for more freedom to carry weapons. I've seen both arguments and some of them have been pretty strident. And to a degree, they are both correct.
In our recent politics, it seems that when the stakes go up, rather than people uniting around a common need, all that happens is that the intensity of the debate goes up. Both sides "have the answer" and with the increasing urgency, that "answer" gets more urgent as well. I've seen this with global warming, the fiscal cliff, the wars of the last 10 years, and now with weapons in school settings.
What's at the root of the needs of each side. Isn't there a better way to look at issues than as "us vs them"? And at least in part, might this adversarial "us vs them" viewpoint actually be a big contributor of this epidemic of violence in the first place?
I recall seeing Steven Covey speak many years ago at a workshop on the Seven Habits of Highly Successful People. One thing he advocated was to "Think Win-Win" - not compromise, but Win-Win. The best solution to differing opinions is to listen first, then work out what both sides need.
Another of Covey's points was "Seek first to understand, then to be understood." And perhaps this gets to the core of the question. Can we stop shouting at each other and actually hear what the other side really wants/needs? Can we work out a solution that meets the needs of both? Is it more important to be right for those within the country who agree with you, or to solve the problem in a way that benefits all?
Both sides have legitimate arguments. When we get these high-emotional-stakes debates, I often wonder if a Buddhist-style "middle path" might be more of an option. Isn't there a solution that benefits everyone, from gun owners to safety in the schools? What is it that each side really wants? What do gun owners need in order for constitutional rights to be protected? What do we need to keep school shooting disasters from happening again - for more protection from home invasions, for hunter safety, etc
In the end, I believe a solution is possible that accomplishes both - keeps constitutional rights intact and provides more protection - and intervention if needed, to those who might end up being in harms way. I hope we can find that solution soon.
This morning, the news feed on my Facebook page was full of arguments about guns - gun control versus gun rights. Both sides had a lot to say, and to me, none of it was new.
When something like a school shooting occurs, we often hear two things happen. Gun control advocates increase their advocacy for more restrictions on handguns, and gun rights advocates increase their calls for more freedom to carry weapons. I've seen both arguments and some of them have been pretty strident. And to a degree, they are both correct.
In our recent politics, it seems that when the stakes go up, rather than people uniting around a common need, all that happens is that the intensity of the debate goes up. Both sides "have the answer" and with the increasing urgency, that "answer" gets more urgent as well. I've seen this with global warming, the fiscal cliff, the wars of the last 10 years, and now with weapons in school settings.
What's at the root of the needs of each side. Isn't there a better way to look at issues than as "us vs them"? And at least in part, might this adversarial "us vs them" viewpoint actually be a big contributor of this epidemic of violence in the first place?
I recall seeing Steven Covey speak many years ago at a workshop on the Seven Habits of Highly Successful People. One thing he advocated was to "Think Win-Win" - not compromise, but Win-Win. The best solution to differing opinions is to listen first, then work out what both sides need.
Another of Covey's points was "Seek first to understand, then to be understood." And perhaps this gets to the core of the question. Can we stop shouting at each other and actually hear what the other side really wants/needs? Can we work out a solution that meets the needs of both? Is it more important to be right for those within the country who agree with you, or to solve the problem in a way that benefits all?
Both sides have legitimate arguments. When we get these high-emotional-stakes debates, I often wonder if a Buddhist-style "middle path" might be more of an option. Isn't there a solution that benefits everyone, from gun owners to safety in the schools? What is it that each side really wants? What do gun owners need in order for constitutional rights to be protected? What do we need to keep school shooting disasters from happening again - for more protection from home invasions, for hunter safety, etc
In the end, I believe a solution is possible that accomplishes both - keeps constitutional rights intact and provides more protection - and intervention if needed, to those who might end up being in harms way. I hope we can find that solution soon.
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