America's Independence Day; A History of Violence

PLEASE! Before y'all start throwing stones, first of all, remember that you live in a 'glass house', and secondly, just let me make this disclaimer; "I am NOT condemning America for rebelling against the tyranny of England, or Great Britain!" The War for American Independence, more commonly known as 'The Revolutionary War' began simply, to my understanding, as the American Colony's answer to the injustice of the British Empire, in particular, the unjust taxation of said colonies. Was America itself, or more precisely, 'The United States of America', just in waging war on their former countrymen, just because they happened to choose the 'wrong' side? Might there have been a better way to end the conflict? "IS Violence ( sometimes ) a 'necessary evil'?!" As the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence nears, let us see if we can answer these questions...........

In this blog, we have previously explored the notion that, whether we'd like to admit it or not, the American Empire ( for that is very arguably what we are ) is simply an extension of the British Empire, which itself is more or less an extension of the Roman Empire. ( "That may seem a bit of a leap, but bear with me!" ) The Bible - which I was brought up on - among other things, is a Tale of Empires. It seems that, almost from the inception of Israel as a nation, they were under the thumb of one empire or another, lastly, the Roman Empire. Interesting that a thousand or so years later, the land of Palestine - a battleground for the ages - was restored to the Jews ( Israel? ) by the British Empire. ( Please, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong! ) The point IS; empires, no matter how large or small, rise & fall! "Why?" you may ask.................My answer is, "Because ANYTHING founded on Violence is, sooner or later, doomed to fall!"

 "Violence begets Violence", I always say! One of the reasons, if not the main reason that the United States of America ( USA, Inc ), not to mention almost the entire world of individual nations, has been at continuous, almost uninterrupted war for millenia is that one single act of violence can - and usually does - have a ripple effect, like throwing the proverbial pebble in a pond ( kinda like lying )!

On July 4th, 1776, as the official story goes, the 'Declaration of Independence' was signed by representatives of what was to become the United States of America. The actual story might reveal some different facts & supply a few 'missing' details, but for our intended purpose here, we will stick with that explanation. What happened next was a violent uprising later called 'the Revolutionary War'. This violent uprising was in response to, according to the 'official' story, "taxation without representation" ( 'Sound familiar? ). I would imagine that many or most people that might have an opinion on this subject would immediately say that, "yes", this act of violence was necessary, even justifiable. In fact, it would be hard to deny this reasoning, especially since it seems to be as plain as the nose on one's proverbial face that, sometimes, the only reasonable answer to violence is more & usually greater violence.  However, "Violence is NOT the answer": It is undeniably AN answer & while it seems to be the only answer that some people understand, the use of violence, "as above, so below", only begets violence!

It really goes without saying ( in other words, "it just makes sense" ) that when someone ( anyone ) answers violence with violence, sooner or later ( usually "sooner" ), it only engenders more violence, again, usually greater! I almost hate to mention this example, as it is SO controversial, but, even if you subscribe to the 'official' story, that foreign terrorists were behind the attacks on the WTC and the Pentagon, these attacks came because........"Why?" The most immediate & glaring answer is "because the US. Inc. has been sticking their nose where it doesn't belong; in essence ( this is a LONG Story ) they have involved themselves ( thus the USA ) in the War that has disrupted the Peace of the Middle East for the afore-mentioned "millenia", some might say, "ever since biblical times". To the credit of certain leaders of the US. Inc, measures have been taken, previously, to withdraw the USA from the Middle East ( or parts of it anyway ), but, for one thing, we have seen how long THAT lasted & the effect it had; for two, it should be obvious that it was just another glaring example of "too little, too late". We should never have involved ourselves, as a nation, in their Conflict, but sadly, this is where the subject of Empire again rears its ugly head!

The British Empire, from which the American Colonies had gained an uneasy 'independence' not even 200 years prior, saw fit to 'liberate' the land of Palestine, in essence, wresting it, yet again, according to biblical history, from its original inhabitants & restoring it to its 'rightful' owners ( ? ). Whether this was right or wrong, a good decision or a bad one, might be left up to the individual, but I would like to be clear that, in my opinion, this was definitely NOT a good decision NOR was it right, for as a former Christian, even I understood that the Jews ( Israel, et al ) gave up their 'right' ( if they indeed had any to begin with ) to exist as a nation. 

The American Empire, which, as I claimed earlier, is "simply an extension of the British Empire" has not, until recently, tried their hand at empire-building beyond "making the world safe for Democracy" ( "whatever the hell that's supposed to mean!" ). I say "till recently", because, with our current president's talk of annexing all or parts of Canada, Greenland, etc., it would seem that we ( US. Inc. ) are following in the footsteps of our predecessor ( "who ain't dead yet!" )!  

"IS there a better Way?!" I'd like to think there is! Could those Colonists, those 'Rebels', have found a way to solve their conflict with their former countrymen that didn't involve the everlasting violence of all-out War? It's difficult to say, especially looking back at the situation from our modern point of view - "We weren't there!" I can only imagine how many peace-loving hippies are still out there, looking back with regret at the many, many armed conflicts that we, as a country, or even individually have taken part in! Not one veteran of any foreign war, I can guarantee you, even though they may have come home physically unscathed, has come home in one piece. You have no doubt heard the many horror stories about husbands, wives, sons & daughters that came home a totally different person, if they actually, truly came home at all. Admittedly, some may have figured how to leave the hellish horrors of War behind and fully return to their loved ones, but, as I've said before; "War is Hell!" It's hard to realize you're in Heaven if your life is one living Hell. 'Hard, but not impossible..................

So, to wrap things up; "No, Violence is NOT the Answer!" ( That much is clear ) But, what then IS the Answer?! The Answer is in YOU, my friend! You have the Power, the ResponsAbility to choose whether or not to fight Fire with Fire, or to simply walk away, to not only seek Peace, but to live, to manifest the Peace that is in you! "What then?" some might ask," should we just allow our rights to be trampled on?!"  Honestly, that sounds pretty Egoic to me ( mea culpa )! Allow me to pose THIS question in return; "Is it better to allow our fragile Ego to be hurt, or to continue the cycle of violence?" Our Ego is not a physical thing; if our feelers get bent, we don't suffer any physical harm, but if we return violence for violence ( "eye for an eye"? ) we may never see and end to the violence & the whole world might end up blind!

As we celebrate this coming weekend, then, please, PLEASE remember; we are NOT our 'Fathers'! Right or wrong, the rebellion they fomented & the violence they fostered have to end somewhere, somehow, sometime; Let it end with YOU ( okay, maybe not the "rebellion" part 1)!

 Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles 

  

The Christian Witch

One question that has been on my mind of late is, "Can a Christian be a Witch?", or maybe even better, "Can a Witch be a Christian?" In modern parlance, the answer might be a quick ( shuddering ) "Hell NO", while from the more spiritual ( not-so-religious ), the answer would likely be more affirmative.  Maybe more to the point though, is, "Why CAN'T a Christian be a Witch?" ( Or a Witch a Christian? ) Before we can answer THAT question however, we must definitively answer these; "What IS a Christian?" & "What IS a Witch?" To answer the latter question first, "What is a Witch?", we must first dispel a few errant notions. What might be called 'the Hollywood witch' is probably the most popular ( "familiar"? ) notion. Shows like 'Bewitched' & 'Sabrina, the Teenage Witch', among others are largely to blame for this one. Movies like, 'The Witches of Eastwick' & even Disney's 'Hocus Pocus' have served to promote this same image. From early times, witches have been described as 'wild women flying around on brooms, zapping their enemies with hexes'. These are NOT true Witches! First & foremost, to be a true Witch, One ( male OR female ) MUST possess an intimate knowledge of & relationship with themselves; secondarily, and leading FROM the first, this Person is intimately connected to our Blessed Mother Earth! Some might use the terminology, "Mother Nature", but really, both these monikers refer to the same Divine Being. Even the Christian Bible tells us that the Creator told Her, in Genesis 1:11 & 24, "bring forth"! However, speaking of the Christian Bible, another reason that most religious Christians would say that a Christian cannot be a Witch is that, most infamously, in Exodus 22:18, we read, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live". If my readers care to click on the link attached to "witch" in this verse, they will see that, though the foremost ( Strong's ) concordance seems to fall right in line with even 'the Hollywood witch', further in, Gesenius' Hebrew lexicon simply tells us that the word speaks of prayer & worship! This then, brings us to the question, "To Whom do you pray? Who DO you worship?" That, or rather, "those" questions, could open a whole NEW can of worms! Secondly, "What is a Christian?" While admittedly, particularly in this day & age, "Christian" is a bit of an 'umbrella term', biblically speaking, it means 'disciple, or follower of ( the ) Christ'. In fact, the term 'Christian' was at first given as a derogatory term, as it simply means, 'little Christ'. ( among the majority of the religious elite of his day, Jesus was NOT very popular & therefore, neither were his followers ) Put simply, then, a Christian is a follower of Jesus, who was the Christ & One who espouses the principles he gave us!

So, again; "Can a Christian be a Witch?", or vice-versa. We, however, must ask yet another question; "Are we speaking of a spiritual Christian or a religious one?" "What's the difference?" One might ask. This is NOT a one-size-fits-all answer, but "a spiritual Christian is one who believes in God ( ? ), follows the teachings of Jesus, but does NOT feel the need to worship Him ( ? ) in a corporate assembly, or even follow the 'rules' that most religious Christians do". A religious Christian then, is one who follows, or at least aspires to follow, not just the teachings of Jesus, but all ten rules ( Commandments/Laws? ) outlined in Exodus 20, et al. Religious Christians range from simple ( ignorant? ) folk who think they need to follow a set of rules in a religious text that was written to & for an ancient people in an almost ENTIRELY different culture in order to be a good Christian, to one who, like the Pharisees, trusts more in their ability to follow a set of laws, than in the Lawgiver. Personally speaking & coming from a space where I USED to be one of these latter, other than the most obvious ( perceived ) reason that a Christian can't be a Witch ( as outlined in the first paragraph ), I have no issues with a Witch believing in God ( ? ), or a Christian practicing the Craft!

 "Who IS God?" ( Yet another question, I know! ) Again, we must return to the issue of the religious Christian versus the spiritual Christian. As before, I'm not claiming to speak for all, but a religious Christian would most likely immediately point to what the Christian Bible says on the subject. A spiritual Christian, on the other hand, while not necessarily disagreeing with what it says, knows by experience that "God", whatever form that may be, is not limited to, or defined by it, or the ancient Hebrew text on which it is however loosely based. Whether or not the Christian God is the true God, the Source of all Life, or just One of Many different perceptions of that Source, It is what It is! As the saying goes, "A Rose by any other Name smells the same"! Well, in this case, maybe that's not quite true............

I was recently reminded how the monotheistic religions, in particularly the Big Three ( Judaism, Christianity & Islam ) have been responsible, directly or indirectly, for the overwhelming majority of national conflicts, or Wars, around the Globe since the inception of Institutional Religion: this is not to say that every adherent of said monotheistic religions is warlike, just that many or most monotheists seem to be of the notion that, "if you don't recognize MY god, I don't recognize yours ( or YOU, in many cases )!" Pagans, on the other hand, no matter what culture they're from ( Asia to the Americas  ) recognize & worship many gods, all of whom are tangible, visible Powers in Earth & Sky, from the Sun & Moon to Mother Earth Herself!

Again, for a Christian to be a Witch, despite what the Christian bible says, is entirely possible! For a Witch to be a Christian is thus not outside the realm of possibility, though unless the Christian in question is more of a spiritual One & not one who follows the party line without hesitation, there might be a few issues that she or he would need to overcome. The main Issue, I would say that such a questioner would need to overcome is that of placing Ultimate Power in something outside themselves. This is not, of course, to say that there IS no Power outside ourselves, because each Individual has their own Power, of sorts; the point IS, though, that AS Individuals, we ONLY have the Power to direct our own lives: like a famous Bear once said, "Only YOU can prevent forest fires!" Taken literally, as so many religionists tend to do, one might think it's all up to them, but no; that's not what I am, or "he is" ) saying at all! Individuals, however aware or unaware they may be, have the Ultimate Choice; no matter the impact someone else's choice might have on us, we ALWAYS have a choice as to how we will respond ( if at all )!

Finally, it is difficult to argue with the notion of 'the Hollywood Witch', at least to some extent, because honestly, I would say that some of the things they do are not outside the realm of possibility! I have never done any in-depth study of such phenomena as telekinesis, for instance, but I HAVE heard that the average person uses about 10% of their brains capacity. Movies like 'Lucy" are no doubt very fantasmagorical, but what if there WAS just a bit of Truth there?! "Can people actually move objects with their Mind?" I've heard Stories; I'm sure all my readers have heard stories & whether we believe them or not, again, "It is what It is!" Just like God ( ? ), just like 'witches', just like 'Christians'!

 "THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING!"

 Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles 

A Life of Thanksgiving

We all, or the overwhelming majority of us anyway, know the Story as it has been handed down for a bit over 400 years: "The year was 1621 when the first Thanksgiving was celebrated, hosted by Native Americans". Although it became a tradition, it was not officially set in writing as an annual holiday until 242 years later, when Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it so! I have no problem with feasting with my chosen family on this Day that has been set aside to celebrate Life's Blessings - I enjoy a good celebration as much as the next person ( relatively speaking, of course ). I understand the idea behind setting aside a certain day to celebrate - like Sunday Worship, for example ( or, relatively speaking, Saturday, for those who strive to be kosher ( Jewish ). It would obviously be a strain on both our time & money to celebrate our thanksgiving in this way every day, would it not?! The issue at hand, as far as I'm concerned, much as in the case of Sunday Worship, is; "Does either special day further enhance or detract from the notion of everyday thankfulness or worship?" Why do we need a special day set aside for either?

As the title of this small post suggests, thankfulness is something that should be celebrated every day. Like I said before, "I don't have a problem with gathering together with loved ones in order to celebrate Life's Blessings" - in this day & age of busyness, it's easier to set aside one special Day, rather than to focus on our thankfulness, our worship, EVERY day of the year. ( "I get it!" ) MY question is, "Why do we need a special day in which to celebrate our thankfulness, or for that matter, our worship?" 

Why can't we just be thankful for Life's Blessings every day, celebrating them with every meal we eat, with every drink we take? It is evident, by the very phrase, 'Sunday Christian', that there is a tendency, when there is a special day set aside, for any given purpose, to allow that "one day" to distract from daily practice. History is replete with examples of this. Growing up Christian, I was exposed to the hypocrisy of this notion at an early age, though it was not till years later that I became aware of the hypocrisy of esteeming one day better than another. 

However, this post was not meant to be a diatribe against Sunday Worship, OR Thanksgiving Day for that matter! Like I said earlier, "I enjoy a good celebration as much as the next person". As far as I'm concerned, if someone wants to esteem one day better than another, that is between them & their god. I will observe Thanksgiving Day as I enjoy a special feast with my loved ones, but I will also strive to be thankful EVERY day, in EVERYTHING I do & say!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ResponsAbility

Not knowing what dreams ( or "nightmares"? ) may come, I prophesied that 2025 was going to be my Year of ResponsAbility! "What a year it's been, too!" Near the end of April, if I remember correctly, I apparently received a letter from DPHHS ( Department of Health and Human Services ) dictating that I needed to send them verification of employment, including proof that my employer was paying FICA, unemployment insurance, social security, etc. For whatever reason, I failed to provide the needed proof, so some time later, I was informed that my benefits would END on May 31st! Not JUST my full Medicaid, which was a requirement to qualify for my nursing program with AbilityMT, but EVEN my QMB Medicaid, which at least paid my Medicare premium! Well, needless to say, May came and went, and when my SSDI was deposited on my debit card, it was quite a bit less than usual. That, in itself was a BIT of a challenge, but I was able to overcome THAT hurdle. 

It was around THAT time one of the new deputies here in Jefferson County felt the need to make my acquaintance. Yes, I got pulled over just as I got into town ( "Okay, so it was a couple blocks in, but who's counting?" ) I live about a mile and a half North of town, on a state highway, and as I was nearing town, I passed a parking area where deputies often park ( for whatever reason ), and once past the parking area, the deputy that had been sitting there in her car pulled out after me, following me into town. When I noticed that she, as well as another vehicle were following me, I pulled off the highway to allow them to pass, which they did, but the deputy slowed WAY down as she passed. Thinking nothing of it, I pulled out after her and the other vehicle had passed and continued on my merry way. Well, obviously, having seen, or rather, not seen what she was looking for, she then pulled into another parking lot, pulled out after I had passed, and proceeded to pull me over. The first thing she said when she walked up behind me was, "You know that plate's not real, right!?" She asked for my license and registration, neither of which I was able to provide. ( Something you must understand here, I'd been driving my golfcart ( "Sunshine" ) for about 5 1/2 years WITHOUT a license! ) I replied that, as far as I knew, golfcarts were not registerable vehicles. Long story short, after she walked back from her own vehicle, where she had obviously done a bit of her own research, she told me that, no, golfcarts didn't need to be registered, but that I DID need a license to operate it on a state highway, even a public thoroughfare, such as a city street. No ticket was issued, but I WAS warned! Okay, so after jumping a few more hurdles, I finally got my license!

Back to the Medicaid fiasco ( "mea culpa" ); I finally, after jumping MORE than a few hurdles, got my Medicaid reinstated ( July? ), but it was only QMB ( at least it took care of the Medicare premium ). I could have reinstated my full Medicaid AND my nursing program at that time, but I would have needed to pay Medicaid/DPHHS a 'spendown' amounting to almost $300. I was not prepared to do this, as I had been basically living paycheck to paycheck BEFORE all this transpired. So, it was back to beating the pavement, looking for someone who would give me a few hours a month so I could qualify for a spenddown of only $35/month. After working through my limited options, Town Pump, a convenience store here in Whitehall, hired me for 16 hours a month as a 'Grocery Merchandiser'. I've been there since August and everything has been going fairly well ( "knock on wood" ), and though it took this old, disabled body a few weeks to make the transition back into the workforce, I'm now a more or less fully-functioning member of society!

ResponsAbility falls into the "Simple but not Easy" category. The thing about it though, is that with it comes great freedom. Much of the problem in Society today is that we have given up so much of our responsibilities that in reality, we have very little, if any, of our true freedoms left. In the past year, I have found that, while on one hand, Life has gotten harder, on the other hand it has gotten BETTER! Again, this is not to say that taking ResponsAbility for your own life is easy ( "It's NOT!" ) but it IS simple! All you have to do is decide whether you'd rather be free, or live a life of ease and comfort. I KNOW that my struggles are not over, but I will no longer let someone else take responsibility for MY life! 

With all that said; "I still receive, and yes, count on that government paycheck every month!" Some might say that falls into the category of letting someone else take responsibility for my life, and they may have a point. Others might say that I DESERVE it, that I don't really have much of a choice, and THEY would have a point too! Right now, though; I will accept the ResponsAbility ( mea culpa ) for losing my Medicaid in the first place, but I also have accepted the ResponsAbility for jumping all the hurdles to get it reinstated, not least of which was finding that job at Town Pump!

Charles Haddon Shank 

Immortal, Invisible: Facets of Divinity

 "God [ is ] Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” - John 4:24 ( NKJV )

To get to the crux of the matter, we must first understand the words above. According to the author, Jesus spoke these words to a woman of Samaria. But first, we must go even further back & take into account that this very important quotation has been presented to us in a multitude of versions, of which the one I chose, the NKJV, or New King James Version is only one among many. These versions offer the phrase with slight differences; for instance, the KJV or regular King James Version, says it this way, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." Note the very slight difference here. According to the former, "God [ is - not in original text ] Spirit", while the latter says that he is "a" Spirit. Minuscule, even unimportant difference, one might say, but IS it? The first seems almost to be equating "God" & "Spirit", while the second simply tells us that "God is A Spirit" ( one among many? ) A quick search on sites like Bible Gateway will show that the majority of modern versions have it either as "God is Spirit" ( mostly ) or "God is a Spirit". The New King James as well as the Authorized King James are at least honest when they fill in the blanks with [ is ] or some such. The point here is that, as with any ancient text, unless one has the original manuscript before them & full understanding of the original language, aside from blind faith, it is impossible to say how far political bias has skewed the translation! Not only must we take assorted biases into account, it is most important to remember that, not only are we reading very biased versions ( translations ) of an ancient text; we are endeavoring to read an ancient text while ignoring the cultural & historical context! This brings us full circle, one might note, to the "woman of Samaria", mentioned earlier. Why, do you think, would Jesus say this to such a woman? Well, first, one must understand the difference between a Jew & a Samaritan. The Jews normally HATED the Samaritans ( hence, the woman's surprise that Jesus would even TALK to her )! "Why did the Jews hate the Samaritans?" you ask; to understand THAT involves understanding the historical context, which is explained by further reading in the Books of the Kings of Israel. In the context of the passage quoted above, John 4:24, Jesus reminds her of this history & reveals that neither the Samaritans nor the Jews had it right!

If you are at all familiar with this blog, you know that I am a former Christian. I was raised to believe in this 'God', a Being that reigns over us, mere mortals, from a place up in the sky called 'Heaven'. I no longer believe this; "I KNOW IT!" Of course, I understand these words a BIT differently now! "God" is simpler our Higher Self, which yes, IS "Immortal, Invisible". Our Higher Self, the Divinity of which we ALL partake, reigns over our Lower Self, our mortal body, not from somewhere in the sky, but from a Higher Plane, a Higher Dimension, if you will. Of course, some might protest that, "If EVERYONE'S Lower Self is ruled by their Higher Self, then we're in no better condition than when we were caught up in Christianity!" In other words, if a murderer, rapist, whatever, is ruled by their Higher Self, than how is that Higher Self any different than a "God" that allows such things to happen?! The Difference is Responsibility! Realizing/accepting the fact that it is OUR own Self that is choosing to allow that kind of behavior makes all the difference in the world! No longer can we blame our wrong ( or right ) actions on some imaginary Being outside our own Self! Be it 'God' or 'Satan' ( the 'Devil' ), NO ONE outside of US can chose what we do! Of course, many people, even some of my readers, perhaps, would immediately protest with something like, "No; sometimes there really IS no Choice; sometimes, we MUST choose the lesser of two evils!" However, as gray as I may have become in other areas, here I remain Black & White; "There is ALWAYS a Choice!" Granted, this Choice may not seem like a Choice at all; for example, your daughter is drowning, but you are the captain of a ship that is about to capsize & if you abandon the helm to save your daughter, THEY might drown! Another example might be something like this; a man has a gun to your head and says, "give me all your money, or I'll blow your fucking brains out!" Or even, the same man with the same gun says, "Kill that person, or I'll kill you!" All Choices, however much we detest them: we die, or they die, we lose our hard-earned money or our life, our daughter dies, or we save an entire boatload ( "Ship"? ) of strangers. We cannot choose for others, however, so the likelihood may be that both of you will end up being killed, you may lose your wallet AND your life, or the boat may capsize anyway, despite your most valiant efforts, but the point is, in the former two scenarios in particular, just as you make YOUR Choice, so does the Other make HIS or HER Choice! We ALL bear the Responsibility for our OWN Choices, NOT the Choices of OTHERS!

 "Who/What IS 'God' & why SHOULD we worship 'HIM'?!"

First of all, I realize that I'm doing a bit of what might be called back-treading' - I basically already told you my perception, MY Truth about Who & What 'God' is, but please, humor me for a minute! Secondly, "Why DO we refer to this 'God' as a 'HE' ( why not 'She'? )?!" To answer this question, we must again visit, not only the historical context, it is necessary to look at the political, or religious context as well. "Bias" might actually fit the bill better! I must admit to not being an ANE, or Ancient Near East scholar, but from what I have observed, the patriarchal practices of Ancient Israel were not really known, at least to any great extent, in Ancient Mesopotamia. Women were placed under the thumb of men, as far as I can tell, when Hebraism/Judaism became prevalent in the region. We see this in Islam as well, though it must be considered that Islam is an offshoot of Judaism, much as Mormonism is an offshoot of Christianity. So, this explains "Why" 'He' is a 'He', but why should WE worship 'Him'? Well, since Christianity is itself an offshoot of Judaism, it WOULD make sense that Christians would worship the god of the Jews. Speaking of "god", why, of all the religions of the world & all the gods/goddesses of said religions, do Christians simply call their god 'God'?" What happened to Jehovah/Yahweh, or even more correctly, 'Elohim'? ( By the way, "elohim" is plural ) It must be noted here, that there ARE certain denominations/sects under the umbrella of Christianity, that do refer to their god as "Jehovah/Yahweh". None that I know of, refer to the god of Christianity as "Elohim", although some might say that it should be understood as 'the Trinity'. The Bible says that the god of the Hebrew is the only TRUE god though, so I suppose this is why most Christians ( even some non-Christians ) simply call 'Him' 'God'. Whether this is TRUE or not is rather passe'; such is the nature of Perspective! 

 "Is 'He' Worthy of Worship?"

 It has been said that the etymology of the word 'worship' includes the definition, "to ascribe worth".  I suppose, if one is willing to follow 'His' every command, love 'Him' in the way 'He' commands & follow 'Him' as the only TRUE god; yes, 'he' could be perceived as "worthy of worship". But what if you want to live your OWN life, be your OWN person & not worship or follow the commands of some sky god who is willing to consign you to an eternity of flames & torment if you don't believe in 'Him', don't OBEY 'Him', don't LOVE 'Him'?! One example is; as a Christian, my favorite Bible verse ( "EVERY Christian has their favorite, right?" ) was Romans 8:28; "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to [ His ] purpose!". Now that I'm seeing clearly, two things immediately stand out; "Love Him" & "His purpose". ( Now, before I go any further in my little diatribe, I must admit to this STILL being my favorite, for it speaks of what I like to call Universal Truth. Basically, it may be rendered, "Do what is right & everything will turn out okay for you"! The rest of this verse, in my estimation, is ancient history & can stay there!

It is often pointed out by non-Christians ( as a reason for NOT ascribing Worth to this god ( of the Hebrews ), that, in the so-called 'Old Testament' in particular, Jehovah/Yahweh seems to be a somewhat PETTY god! "As above, so below", if one does not LOVE 'Him', OBEY 'Him', etc, etc, that one will not enjoy 'His' Divine Favor & will in fact end up burning in 'Hell' for Eternity, unless of course, that one changes his or her allegiance, PDQ ( Pretty Damn Quick )! It has been pointed out as well, that when Jesus came on the scene, he tamed his father down a bit ( making 'him' a bit LESS petty? ), but one only has to look at the passage quoted above to see that this is not really true! ( "Okay, so maybe a "BIT"! ) Anyway, as the case may be, obviously, it is a matter of perspective as to whether this 'God' is worthy of your worship! It is YOUR choice, YOUR RESPONSIBILITY! If you choose to believe in the god of the Hebrews as YOUR god, if you choose to follow this god, if you choose to obey this god; then I say, "More power to you!" 

It should come as no surprise to my readers then, for I said as much earlier, that I do not believe in the 'God' of the Bible! In fact, one might well say that I do not believe in ANY god at all! Is there ONE Ultimate & Divine Source of Wisdom & Intelligence? Yes, though maybe not in the way we, as human beings are used to thinking! There is One Divine Source ( call IT 'God' if you must ), with many ( to Infinity ) facets! The Hebrew perception of this Divine Source, at least how it appears to us, several millenia later, is only one among a multitude of perceptive images of this Divine Source. In passing, some have accused this 'God' as being more of a 'Satan' character in the biblical Story, the Old Testament in particular; in other words, for instance, that when 'He' forbade 'Adam & Eve' from eating from the mythical Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil, a command which they disobeyed, 'he' removed them from the Garden so they could not also partake from the Tree of Life & "live forever". 'He' revealed himself as the TRUE 'Satan' or adversary, to 'His' people. By the way, one might note that 'He' as much as said, "Oh, SHIT; they've become gods, like us!", in Genesis 3:22. Islam, as an offshoot of Judaism, or Hebraism, doesn't see their god, Allah', as being much different than the Hebrew god. One major difference, THE major difference maybe, is that Allah is only ONE god, while the Christian God is One, but in THREE persons! ( Don't get me started!" ) "How did we get from the Hebrew god to the Christian god?" I'm not sure if the ancient Hebrews actually had any kind of version of a Trinity of gods in their pantheon, but apparently there are enough clues in the Hebrew Scriptures ( trust me, I've "been there, done that!" ) to readily infer a Trinity of 'persons' within the 'Godhead' ( ? ). But enough of THAT! 

"Facets"?! No, the Hebrew god & the god of Islam are NOT facets of the Divinity! At least, not like you may be thinking. THOSE gods, in particular, though there ARE others, merely reflect the whims of the culture they were born from! No; the "Facets" I refer to are US! Each & every human being, no matter how much they try to hide it, has within them what is often referred to as a 'Spark of Divinity'. It is not that some have within them a greater or lesser 'Spark', simply that some have become used to listening to ( obeying ) their lower nature, or self, rather than their Higher Self: they have forgotten Who they are & thus have become little more than animals!

Some would probably accuse me, both semantically & theologically, of still hanging on to my upbringing & all I have to say to that is, "Maybe, but is that such a bad thing?!" My readers, be they staunch Christians or Doubting Thomas's, must make up their OWN minds! One does not have to agree with me, either semantically OR theologically in order to BE in accord with me. In THAT sense, if no other; we ARE One. The greatest import of that famous statement of course, being that we are all, in our Divinity, Facets of the Divine Source! 

If one feels they MUST be religious & trust me, I understand the attraction, I don't care what religion you belong to, be it Christianity, Judaism, OR Islam ( not to mention all the other 'isms' out there ), if you treat me as you would like to be treated, I WILL treat you accordingly! Admittedly, such a strong statement IS a two-edged sword. I do not wish harm on anybody, but I cannot truthfully say that one can mistreat me & get away with it! Some people just NEED a good ass-kicking ( Namaste', motherfucker!" )!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"It's A Living Thing!"; "Who IS Charlie Kirk?!"

 "And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living."

 -  Genesis 3:20 ( Hebrew Scriptures - NKJV )

Not only did I title this blogpost after one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite music groups, this  is one of the most important topics when it comes to this experience we call 'Life'!  Speaking of Music, another recent favorite of mine is 'How Did You Love?' by Shinedown. I've really begun to appreciate Shinedown, but maybe especially that song, because a better, very similar question is, "How Did You Live?" That's what's most important! Christian, Jew, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu; the important thing is how you LIVE your religion, NOT what you say you believe! One can SAY anything; but when we observe how they live or love ( or NOT ), THEN is when we KNOW what they TRULY believe!

"Charlie Kirk"? Up until a week or so ago, I had never even heard of him! A quick Google search revealed mostly just sad accounts of how he was assassinated, how he was taken from his family & this Life, too early. I could have taken my research a bit further to find out more about this young "martyr", but ( don't hate me ) I really don't care! ( Actually, I really don't care if you hate me, either ) Sure, it's awful that his family lost a husband & father ( not to mention, his OWN mother & father ), but one thing about the mainstream media ( I was just talking with a friend about this, in fact ) is that we only hear what 'they' want us to hear, WHEN they want us to hear it! No offense, but why is the death of one, Charlie Kirk, not to mention the multitude of Hollywood 'greats' who have recently passed away,  so much more newsworthy than the deaths of ordinary people who die horrible, tragic deaths every day, many at the hands of so-called assassins like the young man who supposedly killed Charlie Kirk?! "Charlie Kirk was a great guy'; I get it, "He did a lot of good in this chaotic, hate-filled world"; I get that too ( sounds kinda like Donald Trump, if I may ), but why, when most of the time, after killings like this, the news ( even the internet ) is inundated with pleas for more gun control, etc. is his death SO horrible, so IMPORTANT! Apparently he was a good friend, even worked closely with Donald Trump & THAT explains SO much!

 Originally, this post was going to have a more ecological bent, "as above, so below", "Eve.......was the mother of all living." I love shows like 'This Living Planet' because they are full of, well, LIFE! Messy, horrifying "Circle of Life" stuff too. Mostly animal life, though sometimes one might hear talk about how the trees & other plants have a life of their own. We are ALL connected in this "Living Thing" we call Life, which brings us back to Charlie Kirk. If in SOME way, however small or large, you didn't 'feel' his loss, just like the loss of some great tree that got cut down, or some animal that just dared cross the road & got hit by a car, even the so-called 'weed' that gets killed just because it was growing where the property 'owner' didn't want it, then MAYBE, just MAYBE, it's time to re-examine your feelings, start to allow yourself to empathize with Life! 

EVERYTHING deserves to live! I'm not saying we should do away with capital punishment; I'm not saying we should just allow wolves, bears, etc. to just feast at will on our livestock. I'm not even saying that we shouldn't weed our gardens, or that we should grow dandelion lawns ( the BEES would LOVE it though! ) All I'm saying is that though there are ALWAYS consequences to our actions, up to & including death, sometimes, the wild animals that surround us are only doing their part in the Circle of Life &  'weeds' are simply plants that are growing where they're not wanted. Conspiracy theories aside, anyone who murders another human being deservedly receives the same sentence. Sometimes they get away with it & in such a case we rightly say that "justice was not served" or "the system failed them". Somewhat similarly in the case of wild animals; either they are legally hunted ( killed ) or animal-rights activists/advocates lobby to protect them, making it illegal to hunt ( kill ) them. 'Weeds'? Sadly, they're pretty much on their own & subject to the whims of the property 'owner'!

Like I insinuated earlier, I really had no fucking idea, up till a week or so ago, that a man named 'Charlie Kirk' even EXISTED! I've HEARD things & READ even less about how good of a person he was. Friends have ranted about how angered, saddened, or horrified they are by his death ( assassination, whatever ) & you know what? THAT is THEIR right! It is MY right to not care ( even though I REALLY do - I empathize with his family )! From all accounts ( we can trust the Internet/Government, right? ), Charlie Kirk was one of the best kinds of Christian. No doubt he was, though again, one can SAY anything! "The proof is in the pudding!" From what I hear, there is plenty of proof in the pudding. 

"Proof"? Well, unless you knew Kirk personally, it would seem that you might have to just take their word for it ( "Whoever THEY are!" )! You might also trust your Inner Voice more than most. However you decide to approach your decision, whatever you choose to feel about this event ( the conspiracy theories are already circling ), one thing remains that we can totally trust; our ability to choose! It is totally our choice whether to believe the news articles/Mainstream Media/Internet, to trust our intuition, or, as in MY case, to just not let it affect you at all. Was Charlie assassinated by some random shooter, or was it the gunman "on the grassy knoll"?

 Sage Charles  

 

 

"May The Fourth Be With You!"

"Violence begets Violence"! Okay, so maybe I haven't ALWAYS thought this way, or even ordered my life according to this maxim, but the older I get, the more I realize the Truth of it. I readily acknowledge that, sometimes, it seems the only way to fight Fire is with ( Greater ) Fire, though that is VERY questionable, at least!

On this Day, when we celebrate our 'freedom', such as it is, from Great Britain ( England ), it's difficult not to get caught up in the patriotic fervor of almost deifying those who fought against the Redcoats in the late 18th century & for what?! Taxes? Isn't that what we're doing right now? One might argue that "this is different", but is it REALLY?! We pay taxes to support an Empire. No real difference there. "But it's OUR empire!" REALLY!! For one, unless you have swallowed, hook, line & sinker the 'righteousness' of Jihad ( Holy War ) & are fully invested in the 'Murican Empire, it is no more "OUR" Empire than public lands are public; second, did they ACTUALLY win our 'freedom' from Great Britain? The phrase, "Out of the frying pan, into the fire" comes to mind here! The so called 'Founding Fathers' saw this coming, or at least the potential for it. That's why they were so careful & fastidious setting up the Constitution & other such documents. "It lasted for a Time", but eventually the outcome they feared seems to have come true. Not only are we NOT as 'free' as we think in this country, the 'Murican Empire bears a frightening resemblance to the British Empire of old!

"Where is the Federal Reserve based?" Sure, if one were to do a web search right now, the majority of results would point you to a certain address in New York City. Obviously, the term itself, 'Federal Reserve', shouts, "America", right? As in, 'The Federal Government'. This may fall squarely in the realm of 'Conspiracy Theory', but what if, when the Founding Fathers 'won' our freedom, things didn't really change??! Yes, we "Beat the British" back to their own shores, but did we actually? Not only did we almost immediately adapt/adopt many of their practices, this country, basically from its inception, has been a 'Melting Pot' ( proudly so ), so while most immigrants came seeking religious freedom & freedom from tyranny, it would seem they brought their troubles with them, whether they realized ( admitted ) it or not. Another saying comes to mind here, "Wherever you go, there you are!"!

Whether America is STILL part of the British Empire ( very arguable ) or not, She is DEFINITELY following in their footsteps! Some might even acknowledge ( admit ) that the U.S. Inc. has ventured BEYOND any lengths the British Empire EVER aspired to, but that might be a discussion for another day.................for now, we'll suffice to say that we're really in no better condition than we would have if we had kept the chains of oppression under the British Empire!

I've mentioned previously our beloved nation's "History of Violence"; from the first ( initial ) conflict, the so-called Revolutionary War, followed by the War of 1812 & subsequent Empire-building, to this nation's deplorable treatment of the American Indian . The violence that all these conflicts have engendered are with us to this day. Our mistreatment of the Negroid race, for instance will never, it would seem, be satisfactorily resolved. One might easily see similar events transpiring with the Southern Immigration, whether legal or illegal, that's been going on for many years.

Please don't get me wrong, though; I'm not condemning our Founding Fathers for rebelling against a tyrannical government- they were simply doing what they felt they had to, like so many even today. I'm not even condemning ( though I'm not CONDONING them either ) the Empire-builders, past & present! Again, they are only doing what they know, acting instinctively ( like animals? ), letting their egos rule their decisions. 

The Fourth of July has become just another fucking holiday! Corporate America uses it to get fatter, the American public uses it as just another excuse to party & in most cases, the only real memorial to our 'freedom' is "the bombs bursting in the air" ( fireworks ). Is there a reason to celebrate? One must judge for oneself, but as for me, I know that any 'freedom' that we have in this country is questionable at best: the only True Freedom that we really can enjoy is the Freedom Within our hearts. That is where it MUST begin & truly, THAT is the only Freedom that NO ONE can take from us!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles