The Pagan Path

Those who wonder are not lost; they are trying to awaken! 'The Sleeper must awaken!'

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

The Masks We Wear & the Personas We Create: Shadows of the Self

We all have a part of the marvelous humanity we wear on a daily basis that we don't want others to perceive, integral parts of us that even WE fear to look into! If they found out what we're really into, we fear, they would 'drop us like a hot potato'. Speaking in a relative sense, though, we must understand that these 'parts' of our persona we hide from the general population are not necessarily 'bad', simply unacceptable to certain groups of people or individuals. On the other hand, these 'parts' of who we are may be perfectly presentable to 'others', who are thus not 'others' at all, but our 'Tribe'.

These 'Masks' we wear are mostly metaphorical for the way we present ourselves to a watching world & depending on who is watching, that 'Mask' may look entirely different! However, even though It is mostly metaphorical, It manifests in a very physical way. The way we purport ourselves, the clothes we wear, even the way we beautify ourselves. This, of course, is not to say that just because we wear certain clothes in certain situations, or make ourselves up for certain people ( even if it's just US ), we're being fake, just that, even though we wear these 'Masks', they're more or less true to who we really are, personally speaking. On the other hand, of course, it is important to remember that these 'Masks', though they are a necessary & integral part of our Persona, they do not define us; WE are not our Persona!

Speaking of our Persona, much as with our Mask, we allow others to see only that part of ourselves we wish them to see. Of course, there are times when we slip up & give them a glimpse, or a taste of the 'real' us! When this happens, our Persona remains ( untouched ), but their perception of us has changed, sometimes drastically. So, in a manner of speaking, one might note, the main difference between the Persona & the Mask is that the latter is an illusion ( metaphor? ) we have created to disguise our true feelings, our emotions, if you will, while the former, though our creation as well, has more of a physical manifestation ( if THAT makes any sense ) in that the Persona ( Person ) is that which wears the metaphorical 'Mask'.

Our Persona, or Person, is quite a bit more substantial than our Mask; it is, in fact, very real! Although our Personality, much like our Mask, is largely formed by our personal choices, our Persona is simply a part of who we are as human beings. Thus, It is much more concrete than our Mask, which is simply an Illusion we create, again, by choice. For instance, 'as above, so below', referring to the latter condition, we often choose to allow only certain people to see certain parts of our Personality; to all the 'others', we strive to keep them hidden. This comprises our Mask; the Persona is what remains, even if we are unMasked!

This all has to do with the Ego! It is through the Ego that we choose, for whatever reason, to reveal our true Self to certain people & to hide It from 'others'. As we have noted previously, the Ego is neither good nor bad; it just IS. Being an essential part of our humanity, it allows us to operate in the Mundane; in fact, one could almost say it's the link between our Divinity & our Humanity!

Through our choices, our actions or reactions, we either operate on this earthly plane by putting our Ego to good use, or we allow our Ego to define who we are as a Person. For example, one might accuse another of being a 'narcissist' because that 'other' has allowed their Ego to define them, thus acting as if it's all about them. On the other hand, though, we can put our Ego to good use, by employing good business sense, even though it might go against our 'druthers'.

On a happy note; our Egos, along with the accompanying Masks & Personas, do not define Us, nor need they! We, even personally speaking, are not our Ego. In fact, we are not even really the Person ( persona ) that most people see. either the ones that we allow to see our true Self or the ones who glimpse our true human nature by accident, so to speak, through the inevitability of Time. As More than Human; we have an Ego, but we are not that Ego!

Our true Self is, in Essence, More than Human! You may have heard the term 'astral body' & such; such terms refer to the onion-like layers that make up our unique Self. Underneath it all, at the very Core of our Being, one might say, is the Individual Soul, our True Nature. It is this Individual Soul, together with countless other Individual Souls, that make up the Collective, which could be called Divine Energy. Religion has called this Divine Energy 'God', 'Yahweh', 'Allah', 'Rah', 'Shiva', Krishna' & the list goes on.................... All this is to say that humanity, just as it has created the Persona for its own individual Self, has created, largely based on its environment ( culture, etc. ) a Persona for their Perception of this Divine Energy. While some religions realize we are One in Essence with this Divine Energy, 'others' perceive It as a Power outside of & thus apart from themselves. But this is changing......................

Previously, in the annals of this blog; I have entertained the proposition that we, in Essence, are Gods, or Goddesses, as the case may be. Even in our Humanity this might be said, because of our ability to choose, to shape, or form our own Destiny. Rather than sitting on our 'blessed conceptions', waiting for the 'God' or 'Goddess' of our own choosing to change our Season, we have the ability to make our own changes. Now, saying all this is not to say that we control the Universe around us. We cannot decide to sprout wings & fly, though the Wright brothers sure gave it 'the old college try' & look where we are today, vaulting through the 'heavens' like great silvery birds. It is not within our Power, though many men & women have tried, to control the actions of other people.It should be noted that this sort of 'enterprise' has seen some success & so continues to this day, but people are unpredictable.............

The unpredictability of people, speaking of the Individual Ego, is what makes the World go round! If everyone was the same & could be counted upon to always make the same choices, acting or reacting in the same way to any given situation, our World would be a very dull place indeed. If the Individual could indeed be controlled by an outside force ( ? ), all Hope for this World would be lost! But thanks be to all the Gods & Goddesses, this is not the case. Things may be looking pretty grim for our World, but as 'they' say,'it's always darkest before the dawn'. So it is dawning on an ever-widening array of people that it is within Us, within our Power to change the shape, not only of our World, but of the World to come. Now again, 'as above, so below', we cannot control the actions of those around us, but through the exercise of our Divinity, through our choices, how we act or else react, we can influence them & thus hopefully plant the Seeds of Life that will lead us to a better Future!

Dropping our Masks, showing 'others' who we really are will go a long way toward reaching this goal! If we would only be Who We are, not allowing their perception of us to influence our actions in this World, we might begin to see, not only great ( albeit, 'painful' ) change in our World, but in the World at large. As Individuals, Divine in our own right, we are the Spice of Life; in fact, we are Life itself. Realizing Who we truly are helps us to understand ( perceive ) that we are the Power that shapes our Future. Must we fear the choices that 'others' around us might make, to either purposely or accidentally upset our plans? That, of course, is your choice. So make the wise choice; BE Who you are, not just as an Individual Soul, but as the Goddess or God you REALLY are & sooner or later, everything will fall into place!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles

Tuesday, December 08, 2020

The Other Child

Josaphyna was different, there's no question! From the moment of her latest incarnation, when her avatar began to take form in her Mother's Womb, though she was barely aware, even her Mother knew that this One was unique. When she began to realize & recognize her surroundings, Jo, as she would later be addressed, knew that this was not her first time around. Her brothers & sisters ( for she was not the first to exit her Mother's Womb ), although they accepted her as part of the family, never treated her like their other siblings. She never quite fit into their plans, except as it was convenient to them! Jo never really blamed them, though if she thought about it too much, it wounded her Ego. Being more aware of her surroundings, more aware of everything, Josaphyna had to admit that she was a bit much for the uninitiated. Knowing what she knew at such an early age was pretty unusual, even weird, or scary. Not only did she begin to show signs of awareness as soon as she struggled free of her warm Cocoon, she was making sounds & even putting words together into sentences by the time she had been in the Open for 6 months!

Jo's parents knew they had a child prodigy on their hands! Although there were no musicians in their family, they soon found themselves making room for, first, a guitar, then a banjo, then a piano, a flute, a saxophone. Music began to absolutely flow from a house where there had never been any before! Oh, sure, her siblings had their own likes & dislikes, as far as music went, with their radios, records, tapes & later CD players, but Josaphyna felt the need to vibe to her own unique orchestration. For the most part, her family tolerated & even to some extent, enjoyed her talent, but they never quite understood it. 'Why did she have so much 'God-given' ( as they put it ) talent, whereas we ( her parents & siblings, even aunts, uncles & grandparents ) never experienced such a Gift?!' Then, there was the music she played, even began to create. Not only did she play the old favorites, including everything from the Classical Masters to Classic Rock, she even started, at the almost frightening age of 5, to compose her very own music, which, she claimed, was not her own; it was 'The Music of the Spheres'. This, of course, only served to further confuse, then frustrate them. 'What is she talking about, this 'Music of the Spheres'?! Jo soon found that she could try to explain it to them till she was 'blue in the face', but they would never 'get' her vibe; that is, until they made the conscious, or unconscious, choice to do so!

Josaphyna knew that this was not likely to occur in her lifetime, personally speaking, but she could plant the seeds that would bear fruit when her avatar no longer tread upon this earth. It was at the beginning of her 7th trip around the sun that Jo unconsciously made the decision that she, personally speaking anyway, was not going to bless this world with her physical presence much longer. She had always taken to heart the subtle feelings of rejection she felt from her siblings & even to some extent, her parents. Being so aware at such an early age, little Jo 's physical body began to show signs of dis-ease.

It wasn't that she was being attacked by outside forces, although sometimes it sure felt that way; no, Josaphyna, being empathetic as she was, simply stopped responding to her physical needs & so her organs slowly began to weaken, then deteriorate, then shut down! Although her parents did their best to try to make sure she ate & drank regularly, even with her diminutive size & relatively young age, they found it increasingly hard to control her, much less keep up with her.

A 'normal' day for Jo looked something like this; up with the Sun ( if she slept at all ), Josaphyna hit the ground running! If it wasn't for someone else ( which it usually was ), Jo, having her own Agenda, her own Life, never got bored; she was always doing something! Her parents, though they gave her some lee-way, actually began to show some concern for this young wisp of a girl, who was ( they thought ) WAY too mature for her age. First then, Jo would make sure that everyone in their moderate household was prepared for their day ( including breakfast, sack lunch, etc. ), all the while cradling her phone between her bony shoulder & her head, either 'talking a friend down' ( whether metaphorically or really ) or making sure everyone in her little 'world' was well. When everyone else was more or less taken care of, maybe then Jo could be bothered to take in a bit of nourishment, whether it be 'bread' or 'water'. As young as her avatar was, she knew the importance of attending to her own 'needs' before others, but she refused, 'right' or 'wrong', to look at it that way!
 
By her own choice then, our little heroine's health was steadily declining. While she still kept up a fairly steady pace & a brave face, Josaphyna's delicate little flower was showing definite signs of wilting. Holding unsteadily at the bare minimum functionality, Josaphyna, placing others before herself, was slowly approaching the end of her short but weary sojourn! In her relatively short lifetime ( at least, in this iteration ) Jo had accomplished much in the way of spreading Awareness, not that everyone with whom she came in contact immediately 'woke up'' ( by NO means ), but, 'as above, so below', our little flower had spread plenty of seeds in her short, but purposeful lifetime!

Just as her life in this iteration had begun, so long ago, so now her human experience was growing to an End! Josaphuna had fulfilled her Purpose in this thing we call Life & now was ready to be truly Free to continue her Purpose in the Realm of Pure Spirit. As Jo's Spirit poised to take flight, those who had been blessed by her physical presence gathered around her depleted avatar. While most mourned her 'passing', having loved her in their own way, the last words she breathed through her failing & feeble lips will forever be etched into the memory of those who truly knew & loved her; 'Be as I AM'!

Namaste' & Blessed Be
Sage Charles




Saturday, November 21, 2020

The Goddess Within, the God Without

Have you ever wondered why some fetuses turn out to be male while others are female? You may be aware of the scientific fact ( ? ) that all fetuses are formed as females. It's only when & if that extra male 'Y' chromosome enters the picture that it's determined whether the fetus/baby is a boy or a girl. Although there are theories abounding, I'm sure that it's still somewhat of a mystery how that happens. Here's a theory, though; what if it can't be explained by Science? What if it has more to do with what is known as 'metaphysical'? If the individual soul that inhabits that fetus/baby, no matter how one believes it got there, is what ultimately determines the sex of the baby, how can we say for certain that genitalia determines sex, or maybe more politically correctly, 'gender'? The ultimate question, in this regard then, is 'who are we'? Do we have genitalia? Or is it the bodies we inhabit that sport genitalia? Personally speaking, then. yes; our sex is usually determined by or genitalia, but is it really? What about hermaphrodites ( also called 'morphodites' )? Maybe homosexuals, male or female, ARE 'born that way' ( or at least, with a predilection for it )!

'You are what you eat'; humanly speaking, this is true enough, our bodies are affected largely by what we ingest. However, this is not all that determines the overall health of these biological machines we call 'home'.  'Stress', though it DOES come in many different shapes & forms ( including tangible ones ), can have an even greater ( adverse ) effect on our physical bodies. Many of these stressors, including the foods we eat, are linked inextricably to this biology, but, equally important, it should be noted. are those which emanate from the metaphysical, in particular, the Mind. Although the Mind may be inextricably (?) linked with the brain, which is tangible, it should be noted here that studies have found that the Mind has been discovered to still be aware, maybe even moreso, in fact, when the brain is functioning at a very minimal level, or else not at all. 

Within the confines of modern Science, there is & probably ever will be, two main camps; one that believes there is no consciousness apart from brain activity & one that sees that the Mind is still aware despite the lack of any noticeable activity in the brain. Not being a student of modern science myself, I hesitate to venture into all the intricacies of the human anatomy, especially the brain, but from what I understand, the scientific community is slowly but surely becoming more aware that not everything can be explained scientifically. For instance, new research has shown that it is not the X/Y chromosomes alone that determine the sex of a baby. According to this article, there is something in the human DNA strand they call 'regulators' that help strengthen a specific gene & voila, the child is either male or female. So far has Science come, but like the Darwinian evolutionists, they still cannot satisfactorily explain the 'where' & the 'why'!

The Christian story of Creation ( every religion & culture has one ) says that 'in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth' ( Genesis 1:1 ). As a covenantal preteristic Christian, I came to the understanding that this phrase refers, not to the actual formation of the material universe, but to the creation of a covenant with the Hebrew people. This is not to say that there is NOT a Divine Source that put everything in motion, just that the Bible is the Story of a specific people, from a specific time & place. I personally believe there IS a Divine Source, 'behind the curtain', so to speak, though this 'Divine Source' is not the personal 'God' they all revere! Some call 'Him' 'Allah' or 'Yahweh', while others revere the Divine Feminine ( as they should ), honoring Her role in the Creation of the material universe.

The Universe itself ( multi-verse? ) has often been ascribed the Creator & Sustainer of everything! In a blogpost a few years ago, I discussed how many view the universe as expanding. Rather than the Universe itself expanding, I raised the argument that it is our perception, or understanding of it that is expanding. The Universe, according to this statement, should thus be seen as Eternal, to use biblical jargon. It is neither expanding nor contracting, though the same may not be said of the objects in said universe. Not unlike our physical bodies, these heavenly bodies are in constant motion until they eventually burn out. Even then, though, they do not die but simply take on a new form.

'As above, so below'; modern science has not been able to satisfactorily explain how certain things occur. For instance, the Big Bang had to start SOMEWHERE, with SOMETHING! Call It 'God', cal It 'Energy', call It 'the Universe', that original bit of matter ( anti-matter? ) had its beginning. Unless, of course, the Universe IS ageless! Personally speaking. as my readers have no doubt gathered by now, I'm of the opinion that the 'God' Christians worship is NOT the Creator of the material 'heavens and earth', though 'He' IS an aspect of, or the Hebrew perception of the Divine Source. 

'As above, so below', getting back to our original subject matter, the Mind, though it is made manifest ( under 'normal' circumstances, anyway ), through the machinations of the brain, it is not subservient to that wondrous organ. Rather, the brain, like the rest of this biological machine, is put in motion by our true Self, which, like the Divine Source, is pure Energy. 

That fabulous instrument we call 'the Mind', though it IS an intangible & thus not really an instrument in the normal sense of the word, is responsible for so much More than the brain. While it does manifest through the activities of the brain, the Mind, which is, humanly speaking, our link to Divinity, is also where everything begins. Routed through the machinations of the brain, all of our thoughts & actions have their genesis in the Mind. Our Reality, for that matter. is all in our mind, in our perception. 

Humanly speaking, then, we may change our Reality by changing what we eat. Part of that Reality, for instance, might be that we are overly obese, looking at the possibly deadly disease of diabetes ( not to mention the aches & pains that stem from being overly obese ). Simply by changing our lifestyle ( diet, exercise ), we will lose the extra weight & even beat the diabetes. By simply not responding in a negative way ( worry, fear, etc. ) to the stressors that are presented to us every day in this grand adventure we call 'Life', we can beat the notion that 'stress is a killer'!

So, if in the beginning, again, humanly speaking, we are conceived female, who are we, as a society, to say that one must assume a certain role, simply because they were born with certain genitalia? What if their individual spirit ( do spirits have sex, or gender? ) does not wish to conform to the status quo, just because their biological bodies were formed in a certain fashion? As 'spirits having a physical experience', we are More than this Biology! We are Eternal ( for lack of a better word ) Beings that inhabit these biological bodies, but we are not defined by these marvelous machines; we DRIVE these marvelously fantastic machines! We are the Goddesses & Gods of our Universe ( or multi-verse )!

Namaste & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Overcoming Fear; Knowing Yourself

“To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.”

  Socrates'

'The fear of the Lord [ is ] the beginning of wisdom........................'

Psalm 111:10a 

Being brought up Christian as I was, I was taught to 'fear the Lord' from early on. To be honest, it was often, in my limited understanding, 'softened' ( for lack of a better word? ) to 'a healthy respect' or 'reverence', but for most of my Christian life, I experienced this 'healthy respect' as an almost deafening, blinding fear; fear that, at any second, the bottom could drop out & the hammer ( or 'lightning bolts' ) could come crashing down. Such was the Fear I was forced to confront when I began to 'see' myself for Who I really was, not what I was taught I was! Though Fear continues to rear its ugly head, it no longer rules me!

'Know thyself', as the phrase usually attributed to Socrates is often shortened to, has been the subject of philosophical arguments from ancient times, even, some say, as far back as Ancient Egypt. Some, in this article, for instance, seem to take it to mean that striving to know yourself could & most likely would lead to 'cognitive dissonance' & even confusion. This argument, however, should be dismissed outright, if only because who we are is not necessarily who we've been led to believe we are! As we have discussed for some length of time in this blog, we, as human beings, are More than our humanity. We are, in reality, 'spirit beings having a physical experience'. If we allow this physical experience to define us, then, as the article above suggests, it might be silly & yes, even dangerous to 'know thyself'. But if, in fact, our quest for self-knowledge reveals our True Nature, then it is truly a noble, even Divine venture.

Fear, in this human experience, is our greatest detractor! It could also be seen as one of our greatest protectors. By that, I simply mean if we have a healthy respect for what will most likely result from certain actions, we, humanly speaking, are preserved from bodily harm. On the other hand, though, an unhealthy fear will lead to stagnation, to rotting in our own shell, being afraid to venture Beyond our humanity & what Truths lie Within. In many ways, not just because we have been programmed for it, we fear this Truth, this Wisdom, because with Knowledge comes Freedom & with Freedom comes Responsibility. Responsibility scares the 'hell' out of most human beings. When we do the things we know we shouldn't or fail to do the things we should ( my training is showing here ), who are we to blame if we can't blame someone ( or Something ) else? For instance, 'the Devil made me do it', 'he/she finally pushed me too far & I just snapped', etc., etc., etc. 

When we, as human beings, begin to take responsibility for our own actions, though it hurts like hell, this in turn, leads to experiencing true freedom, which can, admittedly have the startling effect of learning to know yourself. 'Knowing yourself', of course, is not so simple or frivolous as truly understanding beyond a shadow of a doubt what kind of person you are ( in essence, what kind of coffee you like; 'am I coffee or tea-drinker?' ) To truly know oneself, one must discover their True Nature by peeling back, like an onion, the various layers of their humanity. This is by no means to say that our humanity is necessarily a bad thing, just that it does not define us! 

As responsible human beings, we do have an almost frightening tendency to blame anyone but ourselves for our problems! Part of 'knowing yourself' is acknowledging that we ARE responsible for our own actions ( or inactions ). 'As above, so below'; this can lead us dangerously close to the 'abyss' of Freedom, which, again, usually involves learning much of our True Nature. Being Who & What we are, we need not live in Fear of 'what may come', for whatever may come can only harm to our humanity, though this is itself somewhat relative, for 'harm' is just a perception. Only if we perceive our humanity as defining us can someone ( or something ) harm us. On the other hand, what one person perceives as 'harm' may indeed be perceived as a 'boon' by another. 

'As above, so below'; to truly know Oneself , One must simply acknowledge that One is More than Human, More than this Biology. Sounds simple, right? Well, yes; it IS that simple, but its also easier said than done! Yes, we're More than this Biology, but we're also IN this Biology. So, in Essence, we must reconcile these two glaring & glorious facts. In order to function in this mundane world in which we live, we must accept the fact, like it or not, that we have chosen to manifest in this Biology, in whatever form. However, if would truly be Free ( as we are ), we must live with the understanding that, though we are human beings, existing within the Circle of Life, we are also Spirit Beings, Eternal in the Heavens, without Beginning or End, outside that Circle! 

'Yes', as you may have guessed ( neither should it come as a surprise to some of my readers ), 'I AM equating Myself ( indeed, all my readers, too ) with the One that Christians call 'God'. 'No, I'm NOT saying that we, in our humanity, are equal to ( not even a blip on the radar ) the Source of all Life, though this Biology too, derives from this same Source & is inextricably & unexplainably linked to It'. Maybe it would be more correct to say that we are One with the Spirit of Life, call It 'Divine Energy' or what you will. Our Higher Self, then, is simply an extension, if you will, just one facet of an infinitely multi-faceted Gem!

Namaste' & Blessed Be, 

Sage Charles

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

The Seasons of Life; 'An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will'

A good friend of mine, who has passed from this biological experience we call 'Life', used to say crazy things like, 'Love God and do what you want'! Now, coming from that same Christian ( more or less ) worldview, I understand that he was referring to the God of the Bible, or 'Yahweh' of the Hebrews. All religious differences aside, one should note the striking similarities ( differences as well ) between these statements; 'Love God and do what you want' & 'An ye harm none, do what ye will'. The latter focuses on how we should treat 'others' in this biological experience ( experiment? ), while the other seems pretty ambiguous. 'What does it mean to 'love God'?' 'Who, for that matter, IS God?' We may say, 'Love God' & then 'do what you want', but that seems to grant quite a bit of lee-way'; if their 'God' is a bit more 'liberal' than yours, maybe He/She/It would allow them to harm anyone who got in the way of them doing what they wanted! Then again, 'what is 'harm'? 

The accepted dictionary definition of harm is 'physical injury, especially that which is deliberately inflicted.' In this scenario, it should be fairly simple, right? If you don't cause physical injury to anyone, especially deliberately, by doing what you want. then, 'no harm, no foul'; 'just do it'! So, by this strict dictionary definition, if no one is harmed in the process, then it's all good, right? Well, for instance, what about hunting? How can we take our rifle into the woods with the deliberate intention, not just of causing physical harm to, but of killing an animal? 'But, that's different', one might object, 'it's just a dumb animal; plus, it's only so we can eat'. Well. 'dumb animal' arguments aside, it's still a Life, it's still physical injury ( not only that, it's deliberate ), so how do we justify deliberately causing harm in this instance? How about 'self-defense'? If we cause physical injury or death to someone who is trying to harm us or a loved one, even though it may be termed 'justifiable', we're still causing harm to someone!

How then, do we justify killing someone or something, so that no harm will come to another? The Circle of Life entails the Law of Sacrifice. One thing must die, or offer it's life so that another might live. To use a simple biological example, plants, for instance, need the water from the clouds, the nutrients from the ground ( ? ) & for the seed itself, in essence, to die. in order to be ( trans ) formed. Human life, on the other hand, speaking gestationally, feeds off of human life. Though the mother doesn't usually give her own life that her child might live ( though this does happen, however infrequently ) in a sense, she does give of herself so that her child will prosper. ( Without going into all the biological intricacies of the human anatomy ( I am ill-equipped for that ); throughout the gestational period, the fetus feeds off the available nutrients that the mother's body holds, most of which are necessary to her own life. ) 

How can we, then, justify this 'Circle of Life' while holding to 'An ye harm none............'? This dilemma may be solved by looking at 'harm' in somewhat the same way as we do 'murder', Then again, if we go hunting, for instance, with the intention of killing an animal ( whether it be to eat or not ).................... On the other hand, though, we're back to 'The Circle of Life' & 'The Law of Sacrifice'. Something must die, biologically speaking, in order for something else to live. From the minerals that make up Mother Earth, to the plants which are consumed by animals and human alike, to what most call 'dumb animals', which often serve as 'food' for the human animal; call it 'transformation' or 'death', 'as above, so below'; in order for something to live, something else must die.

'What if the term 'harm' has become 'lost in the translation', so to speak?' As we are 'spiritual beings having a human experience', are we really harming another by causing physical injury to their biological machine, whether it's intentional or not? Without flirting with the nuances of things like war & abortion, let's take a short look at the concept of self-defense. In this scenario. which may be variously 'colored'; harming another may be justified, whether in defense of oneself or their loved ones, even a complete stranger. In such a scenario, though, especially that of the 'complete stronger', one must beware lest they themselves partake in another's karma! 

It should be understood, then, that harming another entails 'intention'. If we go into the woods with the intention of harming ( killing ) a 'dumb animal' for the sake of causing physical injury ( or death ), this might rightly be connoted 'harm'. However, if we were to take the same action with the intention of feeding our family in the great 'Circle of Life', it should be noted that this would be 'transformational', rather than 'harmful'. In the case of 'self-defense', where the intention would be more along the lines of preventing physical harm to oneself or a loved one than in causing harm to another, this too, could be termed 'justifiable', though, in this case, you must judge for yourself, The same would apply in the 'theatre' of war & abortion.

'As above, so below'; 'are we really harming another by causing physical injury to their biological machine?' Humanly speaking, it would be extremely difficult, if not entirely impossible, to debate this question. In fact, it seems somewhat ridiculous to even countenance such a query! With the understanding that we are primarily spiritual ( spirit ) beings, not physical ( human ) beings, we should note that the intention to cause physical harm to another comes, not from our spiritual ( divine ) nature, but from our Ego, which entails our human nature. In the same vein, 'harm' is relative; what, in one's perception would be denoted 'harm', may in another''s perception, simply be 'self-preservation', a necessary part of the 'Circle of Life'. Either way, 'as above. so below', it is in the the intention that the harm lies ( or not ).

'Death is an illusion'! Biologically speaking, one might note, like Energy Itself, everything. from the lowly mineral to the human being ( the highest form of Life? ) is simply transformed into what seems to be something else entirely. Some might ask, at this juncture, 'What then is 'death'?' That might require another story for another day. Suffice it to say for now though, 'death is not the end of anything; it is simply a transition from one form to another, a transformation, like a caterpillar to a butterfly. To quote from a recent movie, with obvious Christian under-tones, 'End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it. White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.' Metaphorically speaking, one should note that this could be, in fact should be understood to describe our own inner transformation or 'awakening'; in biblical terms, 'dying to oneself'.

So, not to justify the taking of a human life, or any biological entity, for that matter, when we view 'harm' from the perspective of 'The Circle of Life' & 'The Law of Sacrifice', we may see that 'death' is not the end of Life, it is simply the beginning of a new one, a transformation. From a spiritual standpoint, however, 'death' should be seen in a whole new Light: since 'death', as we know it, is encompassed by this physical experience alone, may not the same be said of 'harm'? This may seem an exercise in futility, but can we really harm anyone without them perceiving it as such? With trepidation, concepts like 'mercy killings' come to mind!

In conclusion, whatever one's perspective of Who ( or What ) 'God' is, whether it be a Higher Power out there somewhere, or their own Higher ( Divine ) Self, it should be clear that if we live by the Law of Love, we are free to live in this human experience as we will, yet harming none. 

Namaste' & Blessed Be,

Sage Charles

Monday, October 05, 2020

Beyond the Mind's Eye

 

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is [g]good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is [h]bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great [ is ] that darkness!

Matthew 6:22  & 23 - The Bible ( Hebrew/Greek Scriptures ) - New King James Version

At the Core of this post is the 6th chakra, that which is known in certain circles as 'The Third Eye Chakra'. Although some versions of the passage above transliterate the Greek ὀφθαλμός as 'eyes' ( plural ), it is more correctly 'eye' ( singular ). This 'eye' is metaphorical for the faculty of knowing, or what is sometimes called 'The Mind's Eye'. As we will see, though, the Mind is often part of the problem! It is with the Mind that we employ our sense ( if any ) of logic. With the Mind we think, solving the world's problems. We tend also to identify with the Mind, as well as identifying others by their mental capacity. The Mind is most definitely the most powerful tool in our biological arsenal, but when we posit ours or another's value by the strength of that person's Mind, we tend to undervalue that person, be it ourselves or the other. Again, if a Person has a strong Mind, we often place that Person on a pedestal, to whatever degree, thus identifying them with their Mind. Those with a weak Mind are often identified scurrilously as 'retarded'!

The Third Eye Chakra, as some understand it, is a spiritual center, located behind the physical eyes, between the brows, in the center of the forehead. As such, not unlike the Christian 'soul', it is not visible or substantial, though like the 'soul', it is evidentiary. It also requires a certain faith to believe in its existence, though for some, rather than having faith ( believing ), they have a Knowledge of spiritual things, such as 'chakras'. This may come off as sounding a bit uppity, but to be quite honest, anyone can 'garner' this Knowledge, which, in all Reality, isn't to be 'garnered'; this Knowledge exists within each & every human being! Most of us, unfortunately, are so preoccupied with the strength ( or weakness ) of the Mind, whether through social conditioning or what, that the overwhelming majority of us have forgotten, not only what We Know, but Who We are! Not to sound like a broken record, but as I've said in many of my recent posts, We are More than our humanity, More than this Biology ( wondrous as it is )!

The fact that We are More, although in a sense as 'unprovable' as the existence of 'chakras' or even the 'soul', is, in all actuality, fairly well-accepted, though maybe not in those terms. Being brought up Christian as I was, I 'learned' pretty quickly that, as human beings, we were part of the natural creation, though unlike the rest of creation, we were then imbued with a 'soul'. Without going into too much of a diatribe here; speaking of 'uppity', how much more uppity can we get, thinking that we ( human beings ) are the only ones with a 'soul'!? Reading the creation accounts in our English Bibles, even in a very literally wooden sense, it should be clear as day that it was the 'breath of life' that 'God' breathed into Adam which gave him life; without it, he was simply a lump of clay. Here's the question of the day; 'if the Hebrew Scriptures did not record 'God' breathing into the other animals ( created beings ) this 'breath of life', then how were they alive?' WERE they alive?! Or was the Text referring to something altogether different?

Getting back on track now, to the 'Heart' of the matter, or the 'Core' of the issue, so to speak, the Mind, with its logical capacity, should infer from the above musings that the creation accounts in the Hebrew Scriptures are indeed referring to something More than what most people have accepted for centuries. Admittedly, I used this same logic to arrive at this very conclusion! However, that was not the End of my studies: continuing to study, I soon came to realize that there was even More to it than that! The fact that the Text was, one, written to & for an Ancient Near Eastern people, maybe even more importantly, two, it was transliterated ( ordered ) by those with a western mindset, has been largely glossed over by its modern readers!

In all this, I employed my Mind & although I identified, for a time, with this garnered knowledge & with my Mind, I understand now that though, in a purely human sense, I did use my logical mind to reach this 'conclusion', I simply realized ( remembered? ) what I had always known; that I was More than my knowledge, More than my logical Mind; I AM a Spirit having a physical experience!

As Spirits having a physical ( human ) experience, we ALL thus share this Knowledge! 'As above, so below', though, the overwhelming majority of persons have forgotten this illuminating fact. Overrun by the trials & tribulations of this fleeting human experience, most are convinced that there is nothing More to Life than this human existence, that all we are is 'just another brick in the wall, to quote a famous music group. No wonder some people have no hope! Okay, so there are many that have a discombobulated hope, but is it really of any use in this Life?! 

So now, as we reach the conclusion ( of this post ), the question on our minds might be, 'How then, do we go 'Beyond the Mind's Eye'?' How would you suggest we move past the trials & tribulations of this earthly existence?' I'm glad you asked! Some people's go-to is religion. The belief in a Higher Power no doubt gives them some comfort; i.e., that Someone ( else ) is in control of things. ( I'm not saying there isn't a Higher Power ) The problem with this belief, though & with religion in general, is that it tends to take away our responsibility. We are responsible for our own actions, but far too often, we like to blame our problems ( which we create in our own mind ) on some evil entity called 'the Devil' or 'Satan'; some even blame 'God' for their problems!

Our 'problems' are all in our Mind ( at least, that's where they begin )! 'But', some might protest, 'what about when somebody else does something to us or our loved ones? Surely THAT'S not our problem!' Well, actually, it kinda is! When somebody does something to us that's beyond our control, it's still our choice as to how we respond to any given situation. What other people do is not our problem unless we make it our problem. Of course, where does the 'problem' begin, but in our Mind? We think, 'that person did this or that to me or my loved ones' & there is where Choice enters the arena. 

So religion is NOT the problem! It is what we DO with our religion! If our religion, for instance, tells us to love our neighbor & we DO, then it's all good. However if it tells us that & we do not ( love our neighbor ), it's anything but good. The religion is not at fault; WE made the choice to love or not. As I've noted previously as well, neither is belief, even faith, a bad thing. There's also nothing wrong with believing in a Higher Power. In believing though, believe in yourself as well. YOU have the power to control YOUR own life. What Christians call 'free-will', or 'Choice' is what gives us that Power.

Back to the question though & finally, 'how can we go beyond the mind's eye?' The first step is a fairly simple one; 'Remember'! Remember Who you are! 'How do we go about doing that?' Quiet your Mind. ( Now, that IS easier said than done! ) Stop dwelling on & identifying with your thoughts. Realize that you have them ( everybody does ) & there is nothing wrong with that. It is when we begin to identify with & act on those thoughts that we run into trouble. We have them; we are not them! We have a body; we are not that body!

The next step? Well, that's up to you, my friend...........

Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Charles Haddon Shank


Sunday, September 27, 2020

'I'm In Love; I'm All Shook Up'

This question has been proffered many times before, in several iterations, but, 'what IS love?!' We've covered the fact that, humanly speaking, it most certainly involves feelings, but surely, that's not all there is to it! 'Love is an action', so we've heard, but that doesn't seem to cover it, either................ It IS an active proposition, for if it's merely spoken words, where's the proof? 'Actions speak louder than words', they say. So again, humanly speaking,' love is an action', or maybe better said, 'Love is active'! In essence, one can say, 'I love you' every day, but if that 'love' doesn't manifest in their actions, can you trust that one truly loves you? If that one says they love you, but then abuses you in any way, whether physically, emotionally or spiritually, you can be sure they don't really love you, they just 'love' to use you. Once you are of no more use to them, they will slowly but surely fall 'out of love' with you & sooner or later, discard you out of mind!

Maybe our problem is that we've forgotten who we are! We are not bodies ( persons ) that have a Spirit/Soul; we are Spirits that have a ( biological ) body. That Spirit, just like It's Progenitor, IS Love. As Spirits that manifest in this biological construct called 'Life', we merely show that Love, share that Love, in a sensual way, to those around us. 'How do we show Love?', you may ask. Well, 'as above, so below'; Love does not abuse! Love, for that matter, does not even use! Those who use people, in whatever way, though they may truly 'have feelings' for that Person, are not actually manifesting True Love, but are proving their 'lust for the flesh'; they have forgotten Who they are, having swallowed 'hook, line & sinker' the proposition that We are simply People that happen to have a spirit. But, we must begin somewhere......

'Where to begin?' Well, in Reality, it starts with the Spirit! It is the Spirit that first must Will in order to do with the Body. The failure to first Will ( in the Spirit ) to do something ( in the Body ) is where most people get into trouble, for, thinking they are simply a body with a spirit/soul, they tend to act instinctually, like the animals they think they are, with their animalistic lusts ruling their action. Thus, even though they may feel they are showing you 'Love', they're only manifesting their animal nature. 'Love is not a victory march', says a popular song from our contemporary archives: in one way or the other, most people seem to think that it is ( most likely, even the author who coined this phrase ). The majority of people seem to think that one must win, through conquest, the 'love' of another. Once 'won', then, we must actively keep his or her love, for fear that we may lose it & them. In this way, we, generally speaking, are fighting a losing battle, for in that sense, 'the conquest never ends'!

So why, generally speaking, do we think we must fight to 'win' the love of a fair maiden ( or master )? On a funny note, isn't it interesting that we, as a society, seem to be stuck on the notion that the male of the species is the conquistador, not the female? Back to our question; is our culture to blame? A large part of the blame, we must acknowledge, rests squarely on the shoulders of Organized Religion in general & Christianity in particular! Interesting as well, is the fact that Judaism & Islam, from which Christianity unfortunately stems, seem to have this notion in their head as well, that men are somehow superior, in whatever way, to women & therefore bear the greater burden ( responsibility? ). When it comes down to it, it might be noted that this is a large part of the problem in our contemporary culture, with it's father-less children, 'dead-beat dads' & 'sperm-donors'. ( 'baby-daddies' is another such ). However, this is on the way out, slowly but surely, with a growing number of women realizing that they don't 'need' the male of the species to do anything but 'procreate'. But that's another subject for another day, perhaps..............

'Why do you say that 'we are fighting a losing battle?, you ask; 'as above, so below': 'the conquest never ends'! In general, day-to-day ( or yearly, as the case may may be ) terms, think of it like taxes: one might outright 'own' a piece of property, real estate or whatever, but if you miss one payment on your taxes due, you find out pretty damn quickly that, in actuality, it's really not your property, after all.  So in the case of say, the 'conquest' of marriage, whether it's primarily the male or female ( even if it's both ) doing the fighting; once one or both lose the impetus to keep the marriage going, it usually doesn't last very long.  This, again, leads us back to the fact that 'Love is not a victory march' ( whatever the author meant by these words ), so, since 'Love' is not a conquest, something to strive for, 'what IS it?! 

Love is Who we are! We do not need to tell someone that we love them, though it's nice to hear the words, to show someone that we love them, or rather, have feelings for them: all we have to do is 'let it be'. We only have to Be, not who we, as human beings, THINK we are, but Who we, as Spirit-beings, KNOW we are! Realizing this is easier said than done, I most readily acknowledge, what with cultural indoctrination & all; in order for our True Nature to shine through, we must drop the masks society has told us we MUST wear ( in order to be acceptable ). We must acknowledge, first & foremost to ourselves, for this is where True Love begins, that We are NOT what Cultured Society says We are! We are Who we Are, not because we feel like it, not because we've become that, or attained it, but because that is our very nature!

As human beings, to be perfectly honest, we DO feel the impetus to both love & be loved in return, but this is where get into 'Vibrations' & 'Frequencies': again, perhaps another subject for another day! For today, though, though we may hear both our biological clock ticking & feel the 'need' for that human touch, these sensations are felt simply by this biological machine ( wondrous as it is ); our True Selves want for ( need ) nothing: We are complete!

'What is Love? WE are Love! Not in our humanity, though we most certainly make it manifest through our  sensual bodies, but in our Heart of Hearts, Our True Nature, we are the Love that we so desperately seek, as human beings! Do we need to manifest this Love in our humanity, in order to BE Love? No, we must DO nothing in order to BE Who we are; unfortunately, not knowing who they really are, many have chosen to manifest Fear & Hatred. Realizing though, Who we really & just BEing, instead of feeling driven to DO, that we must be conquistadors, We cannot help but manifest our True Selves. This is Love, not that we have emotional feelings for others, but that we accept ourselves for Who we really are, that we first love ourselves!

Namaste & Blessed Be!

Charles Haddon Shank

Friday, September 18, 2020

Intentional Magick

'Abracadabra'

'Bippity, boppity, boo'

'Double bubble, toil & trouble'

There can be no doubt that words have power, but do words like those listed above actually have the power to change reality? 'First off', one might well ask, 'what IS Reality?' What determines if something is real or just a figment of our imagination? Do WE determine what is 'real', or is there an Absolute?! Can we alter Reality ( not just ours ) by uttering Words of Power like those above? These questions, as well as others like them, may seem frivolous, inconsequential, or even silly & stupid to some, but to others, they give pause to consider, at the very least. Reality, to most, IS Absolute! 'It is what it is' comes to mind. In this application, though, it should be understood to refer more to the choices of those around us, than to a deterministic, fatalistic type of view. It is true that, as far as our senses are concerned, inanimate objects, such as a block of wood or a stone ( boulder? ), are part of that Reality. It should be noted too, that, again, physically ( biologically ) speaking, we are a part of that Reality, as well. However, the Reality to which I'm referring here is an ever-changing one. While everyone may seem to be subject to the same Reality, in truth, everyone has their own Reality. determined by the choices we make as individuals. IE, because of personal choices, to whatever extent, one person's Reality may seem more hellish, while on the other hand, another feels they're walking on 'Cloud Nine'. Both Realities are very real, or at least, so it seems, but the perception is different!

Magick, as opposed to Magic, is Reality itself! The latter is an Illusion, mere ( however convincing ) parlor tricks, sleight-of-hand, while the other happens on a daily basis. Magick has been given a bad name over the years, with its practitioners operating under a cloud of stigma. Television, for the most part, hasn't helped in this arena, often portraying witches as evil & while that stigma may have lessened somewhat in general over the years, the magick practiced by witches is portrayed as almost supernatural ability. In fact, for the most part, these portrayals are noticeably ignorant of truth, being presented simply as 'magic'. Magick can be likened, perhaps, to what most call 'miracles'. This might warrant a post of its own ( maybe even a blog ), but Miracles, while they often seem supernatural, not unlike Magick, are an everyday occurrence as well. The birth of a child, for instance. From conception to its emergence into this cold, cruel world, the growth of the child, not to mention its very existence, is nothing short of miraculous. Planting a seed in the ground & watching it grow to fruition is a very similar process & hardly any less of a Miracle. Both of these, while many attribute the Miracle to 'God' ( or Whoever ), the Truth is that they are simply everyday occurrences & completely natural, biologically speaking.

Intention, unconscious or not, is what motivates us, humanly speaking. One example from my own experience is that when someone did us a perceived wrong & ended up hurting us either physically or emotionally, after being made aware of what they did, their response would be something along the lines of, 'I never meant to hurt you'. "Well, you didn't mean not to, did you?', was usually my sharp ( hurt ) retort! The point is, our intentions are manifested in our actions. When it comes to emotional harm, of course, it becomes difficult to discern between harm which we actually cause & that which is simply that person's perception. When we intentionally ( consciously ) practice doing what we know is good, just & true, we are, in essence, doing Magick!

Doing Magick can include ( depending on your chosen religion, or way of life ) the use of certain words, such as those above, or phrases, even chants or prayers. However, to practice Magick, one doesn't need to cast spells, perform certain rites, or utter incantations. One needs only to have the intention to do a certain thing & it will be done, if one's intentions are true. In the same vein, one's intentions may be true, but if what they intend is NOT good, just & true, that one may be perceived as practicing 'Black Magick'! 'Black Magick' is usually attributed to Satanic activity or devil-worship, involving dark incantations, or even the summoning of evil spirits & calling on the 'Dark Lord' himself!

While intentions are not always good ( ? ), our intentions lead us. Speaking of Magick, contrary to popular opinion, simply by intending to sprout literal wings & fly, one cannot thusly defy the laws of gravity ( ? ). It could be rightly said, however, that Orville & Wilbur Wright did just that, metaphorically speaking! Following their intentions to the end, the brothers figured out how to sustain flight & now, thanks to the same technology, even space travel has become almost matter-of-fact. Intentions help us to accomplish what might seem impossible to the casual observer. Call them Miracles, call it Magick, everything begins with our Intentions, whether it's a new life ( human ), or the Miracle of Flight!

There is a common thread, so to speak, running through both Magick & its illusory pretender; both are possible through Intentions. a mere magician ( parlor tricks, etc ) intends to fool his audience into thinking he ( or she ) has sawn a person in half, while still preserving their life, or just simply guessing ( correctly ) the card they chose. Magick, on the other hand, is a bit more mundane ( ? ), simply being the result of one's intentions for good. As we saw, simply by intending to 'sprout wings & fly', one cannot defy the Laws of Nature ( ? ), for example, but with the right intentions, plus plenty of blood, sweat & tears, one can indeed take flight into worlds unknown!

Reality, in the Greatest Sense, IS what you make it!

Namaste' & Blessed Be,

Charles Haddon Shank

Sunday, September 06, 2020

Beyond Dreams

Whether we realize it or not, when our body rests, we enter into the realm of dreams. Some people keep a dream journal by our respective beds so that when we return from that ( realm ) to this physical ( material ) realm, we can jot down what we remember from our sojourn there. There is no question that when we go to sleep, we enter another realm, not physically speaking, of course, but mentally, spiritually. Even if we aren't aware of our time in this realm, we all enter this state of consciousness! Some people enter this state during what are normally called 'waking hours'. Though these may seem to be somewhat different than our 'sleeping dreams', they're really not; dreams are dreams, whether we're awake or not, whether we're aware or not! The question is, 'what ARE dreams?' Are they reality, or are they merely our unconscious 'mind' manifesting our hopes or fears? Some have learned to pay attention to these dreams, as they believe, or 'know', rather, that these dreams are messages from their Higher Selves, warning them of what may happen if they continue the course they're on, or in other words, by making certain choices.

Dreams are funny things. 'As above, so below'; they can include anything from pleasant ones, like what are often called 'wet dreams' to premonitions of what we subconsciously ( or consciously ) fear may be looming on the horizon. Dreams can also take the form of nightmares, again, usually involving fear, with either scenes of things we hold remorse over, such as killing in war-time, or again, premonitions that our actions will have terrifying consequences! These should not, however, be feared, as they are messages from Beyond, whether powered by our conscious or unconscious 'mind'. The Mind is a powerful thing!! It is also something to be aware of; It can be deceitful! We create our own 'reality', our own 'truth', through it. Here's where we come face to face with the Ego. As we've noted previously, the Ego is neither good nor bad; It, like the Mind, just IS. It is when we allow them to control our lives that we get into trouble. Don't get me wrong, both the Mind & Ego CAN be put to good use. In this thing we call 'Life', one usually won't get far without a good, strong Mind; the Ego also helps keep us afloat in the busyness of the 'day-to-day', especially in this 'dog-eat-dog' world!

The question, at this juncture, is ( or should be ) 'what IS 'Life'?' If Life is simply ( ? ) the 'busyness of the 'day-to-day' in this 'dog-eat-dog' world', then maybe we should all just go Home! Is stepping on the backs of the down-trodden so that we, personally speaking, can get ahead really living, or is it just surviving? "Survival of the fittest' may not be as popular a phrase as it used to be, but it sure has manifested well ( ? ) over the ages! For all intents & purposes, one might well call this physical experience 'Life', but is that all there is to It?! We live & die, then we come back to Life to do it all over again ( hopefully with better results )? Now, the question that REALLY needs answering is, 'who ARE we?'

Knowing Who & What we are is of utmost importance! So 'people have 'survived' without truly knowing themselves for ages', one might object. That's true; they 'survived', only to 'die' & begin the cycle all over again ( some people are just slow learners ). To truly live, one MUST develop an understanding of Who & What they really are! It's been said before ( many times ) that we are spirits having a physical experience. Whether one believes this or not, 'it is what it is'; while believing ( knowing ) this will make the biggest difference in how we live our lives on this earth, it IS possible, through our choices ( powered by 'free-will' ) to do More than to just survive this experience. To truly LIVE, though, one must, to some extent at least, know themselves for Who & What they truly are. Not that this is an easy proposition. It IS, however, a simple one.  

Simple meditation, if we can but quiet our Minds & Egos, can do wonders for our soul, like 'Chicken Soup', one might say! Meditation is not 'the end-all', of course; it's simply a means to an end. The goal of meditation is More than just quieting the Mind, though that IS necessary; it is THROUGH quieting the Mind that One begins to realize that the Mind isn't all It's cracked up to be! 'As above, so below'; it is 'good', in this day & age especially, to have a Mind that is not easily swayed by outside influence, by 'others', so to speak, but in order to 'see' past the rigamarole of this thing we call 'Life, One must first stall the Mind, bypassing the Ego, to find the 'Us' that NEVER changes!

As a human being myself, personally speaking, I can surely understand that, with the busyness of 'Life & our hectic 'day-to-day', it is difficult, some might even say 'damn near impossible' to find the time to meditate! As they say, though, we must MAKE time!`If we can't take the time to get to know the Real Us, all we'll ever do is survive; we'll dig a rut so deep that our Mind will convince us that there's no way out. The Ego, on the other hand, will try to convince us that we're better than that, so there will be continuous warfare between these two, until we realize we are More than both of them!

Our dreams would tell us much, if we'd only listen! I should clarify; some dreams get pretty crazy, at least mine do. Crazy as it may sound, we, our Higher Selves, are telling us something important through those crazy dreams, something Beyond! Even though they may seem, especially at the time, to be rather inconsequential, even silly, there is a deeper meaning to them. If only we could easily decipher them & move Beyond, but alas, for the most part, our dreams, sleeping or waking, are relatively difficult to figure out. Some are fairly simple & vivid ( lucid? ), such as premonitory dreams, but even those usually have a deeper meaning attached. As the case may be; I wish you, my readers, the best of luck as you Journey Beyond your Dreams!

Namaste' & Blessed Be, 

Charles Haddon Shank

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

The Core

'Yes, Virginia, there IS an Afterlife!' Okay, so maybe not in the sense that most think of it, but then, everybody has their own unique perception, right?! One person's idea of an 'Afterlife' could be sitting on 'Cloud 9', playing on harps for Eternity ( a bit of a cliche' ), while another's could be a simple as playing 18 holes every day. The term 'Afterlife', especially for the Christian & certain other religious folks, is usually more-or-less synonymous with 'Heaven'. Some believe that, at the End of Time, the Earth will become 'Heaven', while others believe it is either so now, or at least underway. Whatever the case may be, in the view of this blogger; call it 'Heaven', 'the Afterlife', 'Summerland', or what you will, It, whatever It is, is simply a sort of spiritual 'waiting room', a dimension, if you will, where souls/spirits go when they are separated from their physical hosts, or 'avatars', until such 'time' when they reincarnate. Yes, that's a hard pill to swallow, but that is MY personal view & it resonates with my Spirit!

Having just read 'Proof of Heaven' by a neurological doctor ( surgeon, no less ), I can't help but perceive how his experience ( NDE ) was influenced, to whatever extent, by his chosen religion. No, I'm not saying that it was all in his head, nor am I discounting the reality of his, or any other NDE, just that, as he even states several times in his book, in other words, once 'encumbered' ( limited? ) by his physicality ( brain ) again, he found it well-nigh impossible to accurately portray what he experienced. Neither am I saying that ALL of what he portrayed was 'colored' by his religion; there is no doubt in my mind that 'he' experienced what he did, for there IS consciousness apart from our physicality, or humanity. All I'm saying here, is that while much of what he wrote, again, 'resonates with my Spirit', in the telling of his story, the good doctor showed his religious colors, for what that's worth!

'As above, so below'. Besides being chock-full, in its simplicity & complexity ( kinda like, 'it is what it is' ), this statement implies strongly, among other things, that the state of our Higher Being has a direct correlation to that of our Lower Being. Now, I realize too, that this statement itself implies 'separation', but this cannot really be helped, at least, not on  this 'plane', since sadly, many don't acknowledge that they have a Higher & Lower Self!

As we then, humanly speaking, contemplate our own mortality ( whatever our chosen belief system ), it is comforting, to whatever degree, to think that there IS life after death; in other words, that after our biological clock stops ticking, that somehow or other, we will live again, whether it's in another 'form', or in Christian terminology, as a glorified ( ?) human being, inhabiting 'a new heavens & a new earth' in the selfsame ( though 'glorified' ) body. A pleasant dream, no doubt, but a dream nonetheless!

At the very 'core' of our being, we are spirits having a physical experience. You've probably heard something like this before, but it bears repeating. If indeed it is otherwise & we are simply 'Higher Animals' ( on the evolutionary chain ), then why SHOULD we worry about trying to 'do better next time' or waste our time trying to make the world a better place? For that matter, why not just live our lives however the hell we want, since we are 'just' animals & this is all there is?! Thankfully, we are More than 'just' animals: though we have an animalistic nature, we also have a Higher Nature, One that, because of Its interconnectedness with the Divine, allows us to see & therefore live for More!

Dr. Alexander called this 'dimension' in which he experienced the Presence of Divinity 'the Core'. This, in my opinion, is a very fitting name for what most call 'Heaven', for it implies that we are 'Heaven'! Being brought up 'in the nurture & admonition of the Lord', so to speak, I learned, in time, that the Holy Spirit ( ' God' ) lives in our hearts. Now, if that's not 'Heaven', I don't know what is! If you've read any of my posts over the last 10 years ( give or take ) you're probably familiar with the phrase, 'Heaven' is in our hearts'. This is not to say, again, that the doctors 'vision' was all in his head, so to speak, for as he explained in his book; his brain ( at least the necessary cognitive part ) was not functioning at the time. Dr. Alexander DID experience an NDE; for all ( or at least most ) intents & purposes, he was physically ( clinically? ) dead! But, just like Lazarus in the biblical story, his spirit returned to his body & he awoke with New Purpose.

What then, does 'the Afterlife' look like? IS it a waiting room for the Eternal Cycle of, in Christian terms, 'Birth, Death & Resurrection', or in another, 'reincarnation'? Is it simply a place of Eternal Rest where we sing the praises of our Lord & Savior all day long? A 'place' we go to after we die? Of course, WE don't really die, do we?! This biological machine ( some call it our 'avatar' ) will eventually wind down & become wormfood, but who we really are, at the Core of our Being, will never die!

Namaste' & Blessed Be,

Charles Haddon Shank

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Perish the Thought

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Philippians 4:8 ( KJV )

'Think before you speak!' When dealing with the Person, especially the Other Person, this is usually a good idea. Or at least, so it would seem! Usually, in the course of any given day, at least once, we will find ourselves regretting something we've said or done without thinking it through. 'As above, so below'; thinking things through before you speak sounds good enough, but (at least ) two 'problems' should be noted here; one, even if it's not 'appropriate' ( ? ), by not saying how we really feel, we're being dishonest, not only with the 'Other', but with ourselves! Secondly, we have a tendency to over-think any given situation; so often, for much the same reason ( 'it's not appropriate' ), we end up doing or saying what we shouldn't. Either that, or we remain silent & inactive.

The verse above, again, personally speaking, sounds like great advice, right?! If we kept our minds 'on things above', so to speak, rather than 'things on the earth', to follow further instruction from the Christian bible, we would do well, we're told. But, therein lies much of the problem; because we as humans believe in duality, we see things in black & white. This is beautiful, that is not, etc. This is worthy ( we are worthy ), that is not ( they are not ). Don't get me wrong; I'm by no means saying there's no such thing as 'just desserts'  ( call it 'Karma' ), just that with a dualistic mindset comes 'separation'. 'But, there should be separation', some would argue, basing this on passages from the Christian bible, like II Corinthians 6:17. This is probably another matter for another day, but suffice it to say that this passage, indeed most if not all passages like it in the Christian bible are referring to a different people in a land & time far, far removed from our current situation.

Most famously, it was Rene' Descartes who said, 'I think, therefore I am'. If we've learned anything in the pages of this blog, it's that it not only sounds ass-backwards, it's just plain wrong! Thinking is not a result of who we are & it definitely doesn't make us who we are! The overwhelming majority of people in this world seem to think that we are merely human beings with rational minds & the ability ( unlike other animals? ) to think things through before we do or say something we might later regret. This is where Fear enters the picture, but again, 'another matter for another day', perhaps. This is not to say of course, that we needn't exercise care, watching our words, so to speak, but too often, our fear of what others might think prevents us from speaking our mind. Not altogether a bad thing maybe.............................

Getting back to Descartes' statement above, putting the cart before the horse ( ? ), so to speak, although it is more like, 'we ARE, therefore, we think', really, in all actuality, it is ( only ) in our capacity as human beings that we do think. As 'monads', or individual minds, in the Hyperian way of thinking, our thought processes do, in that sense, stem from the fact that we are More than our humanity, our 'avatars', in a manner of speaking. As just a bit of a side-note here; whether you take Morgue's word for it or not, he does make some sense; convoluted as it may be, the idea of 'the One & the Many' is not unique to him. Being unique ( individual ) souls, in a manner of speaking, we are possessed of our own thoughts; in other words, we, in our humanity, do not ( necessarily ) have a 'hive mentality'; we think differently, however similar or dissimilar, than any other human being. No one person out there thinks entirely the same as another.

Not to get too biblical, but the apostle Paul, in I Corinthians 2:16, talks about us, in our humanity ( ? ) having 'the mind of Christ'. As accurate or inaccurate as this translation may be, you can be sure that what the writer speaks of here is not a mind that only thinks pure thoughts, as one would expect of 'the mind of Christ'. No, what the author refers to here is the Oneness with the Source that the above-mentioned 'Morgue' also speaks of. As individual minds, or 'monads', we DO think our own thoughts, separate from the One Mind, or 'the Source'.  However, we may choose, as an integral part of the Source, the Collective Mind, one might note, to simply observe ( without judgement ) those unique, individual thoughts, allowing them to pass freely through our mind.

While we may be, as some have said, 'of like mind', we do not, 'as above, so below', think exactly the same thoughts as any other human being ( even 'monad' ). Although we may be fairly 'like-minded', we will never think the same thoughts as another individual. For example, we may be thinking the same thing, as sometimes happens, but everyone has their own unique 'spin' on it, whatever 'it' may be. On the other hand, we should well note, just because one has 'the mind of Christ', it is not to say that impure or 'unholy' thoughts never enter his or her ( individual ) mind!

Because we are who & what we are, call it 'monadic individuals' or what you will, we DO have thoughts unique to us, as individual human beings; there is no avoiding that, nor should we wish to. I realize that, in some traditions, 'thoughtlessness' is highly spoken of, but it is not that we need to avoid thinking, though sometimes we tend to overthink any given situation, it's that, rather than allowing our thoughts to rule us, to the point where we begin to identify with our thoughts ( for example, 'I'm thinking about this, so I must be a..............' ), we simply observe our thoughts, as one separate, yet not separate from the Source, call it 'the mind of Christ', or what you will.

'Speaking your mind' is not entirely a 'good' thing, nor is it necessarily a 'bad' thing. When one doesn't speak his or her mind, whether out of Fear or what, not only are they being dishonest with the other; they are also cutting themselves short. There is such a thing as 'tact', though; I'm not saying that we shouldn't choose our words ( timing ) carefully, just that we should always be true to ourselves. 'As above, so below'; it is when we identify with our thoughts ( 'I am this', 'I am that' ) that we run into trouble. For most people, it IS easier said than done, not to act ( 'right' or 'wrong' ) on our thoughts, but for those few who manage to disassociate themselves from their thoughts & simply observe them without judgement, like passing clouds above, the result is that we are not spurred to action by our thoughts, but by our Will.

The Will does not stand in opposition to the Ego, as some might suppose, for they stem from two very different sources! The Ego, as we've noted, is attached to our human, or animal nature. In fact of the matter, it is an integral part of our avatar. The Will, on the other hand, gets its strength from a Higher Source, stemming from & rooted in our true nature, as spirit beings having a physical experience. I should clarify; though it often seems that the Ego does oppose the Will & sometimes the Will must oppose the Ego, the Ego, as some also suppose ( we've been here before ) is not necessarily 'evil'. The problem 'crops up' when we allow It to overrule our Will.The Ego enables us, in our human nature, to operate in this physical realm; through It we exercise what we humanly call 'free-will', which, though attended by the Will, is not the same. But, I digress.................

There is nothing 'wrong' with thinking! Sometimes, even the darkest thoughts occur to us, troubling or else relieving our minds. We think, though, whether because of societal ( cultural ) conditioning, or what, that such thoughts are 'bad', or 'evil', but they are simply there. Again, 'it is what it is'. If we just observe those thoughts, allowing them to simply & smoothly pass through our mind, 'no problem': it is when we attach ourselves to these thoughts, allowing them to determine our course of action that we run into problems!

To end on a positive note, do not, as some seem to preach, try to change your way of thinking; 'you think just fine!' Your thoughts are NOT the problem; the free exercise ( I'm NOT referring to 'free-will', here ) of your Will is the problem. Learn to differentiate between your Will, which comes from the Spirit Within & your 'free-will', which originates with the Ego; again, NOT a 'bad' thing. Once we learn to differentiate between these two distinct points, we will be more easily able to simply observe our thoughts, without judgement, as they pass freely through our minds. Without the attachment to our thoughts, which belong to our humanity ( again, NOT 'wrong' or 'evil' ), we instead rely on our Higher Nature to determine our course of action, which is ALWAYS a 'good' thing!

Namaste' &  Blessed Be,
Charles Haddon Shank

Tuesday, July 07, 2020

The Death of the Person

First of all, what is Death, but the cessation of Life? In relation to that, what is Life? In one sense, it depends who you ask. 'What sense is that? one might well ask. 'Well, most people seem to think that biological existence is Life.' An acceptable enough answer, I reckon, but is that really what constitutes Life? One might note that it is a necessary constituent, but then we're right back to 'square one', so to speak. 'Is Life simply biological existence, or is there more to it than that?' If Life is mere biological existence, then yes; it could be rightly said that once a person stops breathing, Life has ceased to exist for that person: therefore, 'Death is the End'!

There are those who believe that Death is only the Beginning. In some sense, the greatest maybe, this is true: Death means the Beginning of something New. Biologically speaking, anyway, it is a Universal Truth that, in order for something, be it plant, animal or human ( animal ) to live, something else, 'as above, so below', must die. Therefore, when something dies, something else experiences new life, whether it's a blade of grass that becomes food for an animal, or whether it's what is usually called a 'dumb animal' offering it's 'Life' so that a more articulate ( human ) animal might live. That really doesn't answer the question though, does it? 'If you claim that Life is More than this Biology, then the burden of proof is on you, right!?' Well, yes & no. It's easy enough to say, 'It it what it is', in an attempt to slip out from beneath that burden, but that IS a pretty 'pat' answer!

Just as there are those, 'as above, so below', who believe that 'Death is only the Beginning'; in a slightly different sense, there are those who know that Death is only the Beginning! One might well ask, at this juncture, 'is there really much difference here, between knowing & believing?' Don't we know what we believe? In essence, if we believe something, doesn't that imply that we know it? 'I mean, what do you take me for, anyway?!' Then again, a Muslim believes certain things about 'God' that a Christian might gasp in horror at, because the Christian 'knows' that 'God' isn't like that. 'Why', you should ask yourself, 'does the Christian 'know' that 'God' isn't like that?' If it's because the Christian's Holy Book says so; don't you think the Muslim believes with the same or even more fervency what their Holy Book says about Who or What 'God' is?

Every culture known to humanity has their own peculiar notions about Who or What 'God' is! While Western religions, Near Eastern religions & even some Far Eastern Religions put a 'personal' spin on 'God'; those 'in the know' know that 'God' is simply the manifestation of our own Divinity. Now, before you consign me to 'Hell' for 'Eternity', let me offer this clarification. When I imply ( strongly ) that we are 'God'; I am by no means saying that we 'created' everything we see, up to & including the Universe ( or Multiverse ) Itself. We are not the Source of All!

Being One with, or a Part of that Source, we are then Divine, just as the Source is. Some call this Source 'God'. As we've noted before in the 'pages' of this blog, even the Christian Bible tells us that we are Gods ( small 'g' or large 'G'; does it really make THAT much of a difference?! ) As we've also noted, the Hebrew word used in both cases is the same. On the other hand, most Science tells us that the Universe & everything in it is made up of pure energy, always moving, like a great 'Wheel in the Sky'. If everything is Energy, where then did that Energy originate? Has It, like most religion's concept of 'God', always been, or did Energy have a Beginning? In our personal experience, something must be set in motion in order for it to maintain that motion, for whatever period of time, even for what might pass for Infinity. However, taking that back to its natural conclusion, that would be akin to saying that the Christian 'God' Himself, the Creator, had a beginning!

Science has told us that all is Energy. While that is 'plain' enough, It does not satisfy our curiosity as to Who or What 'God' is, the One who purportedly put everything in motion. What some call 'God', others call 'Energy'. Again, 'as above, so below', in our personal experience, a thing must be set in motion in order for it to remain in motion for any length of time: however, what if Energy, as some Science says, does not die, but is simply transformed? 'What then?! What if Energy is a veritable 'perpetual motion' machine? One might try to throw a wrench in the works here, saying something like, 'but even perpetual motion machines gotta start somewhere!' True enough; 'in our personal experience, yes, but are we not More than the Person?!

Whether one believes or not that we are spiritual beings having a physical experience, it cannot rationally be denied that there is more to us than what is noticeable on the surface. Most religions teach us that, after the death of the physical body, the 'soul', or spirit continues on for 'Eternity'. Thus, by the overwhelming majority of accounts, we, as the Person, are governed, or motivated by the Soul. Therefore, the Person is not 'Who' we are, so much as the Soul, or Spirit is!

Being Who we are, then, We cannot die! Only the Person dies. When our Person (individual body ) expires, if we identify with that Body ( as most do ) we might rightly say that Person, or individual has died. But those who know, know different. Just because an Individual believes they are the Person does not change the fact that they are More. They are simply blinded to the Fact!

The Death of the Person then, in that sense, if that sense alone, is not the End! It really is the Beginning, the Beginning of a New Person, the Beginning of a New Life, in a manner of speaking. 'But wait', you say,' didn't you imply earlier that Life is More than this Biology?!' Why yes, yes I did!

Namaste' & Blessed Be,
Charles Haddon Shank

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

The Healer

'Joe' was, to outside appearances anyway, your ordinary, average girl-next-door. Born Josaphyna Aryana Smith, she was the only daughter of the deacon of a local community church, a modest little social gathering that boasted around 200 members. Though her upstanding parents had managed to keep it out of the papers, so to speak, Joe had a dirty little secret: at the tender age of 13, she had managed to get herself pregnant. Whether because she knew from her upbringing that abortion was murder, or simply because she was afraid of the shame it would bring upon her parents, Joe found a 'black market' physician who would perform it for her, 'no questions asked', for a modest sum, of course. To his credit, the responsible young man, who was a bit older, somehow came up with the money. The abortionist, however, was not the physician he claimed, so when the deed was done, not only was little 'Joe' not pregnant anymore, unbeknownst to her at the time, she never would be again!

Like a lot of teenage girls, especially those infamous 'PKs', Joe had discovered the 'joy' of sex. Like most, though, she soon found that 'Joy' was a fickle mistress, for without the experience of orgasm through sexual intercourse, the relationship, such as it was, quickly fizzled out. In fact, because of this, Joe earned the nickname 'Potato Chip', for most of the local boys quickly learned that she was, to put it crudely, an 'easy lay', a moniker which became even more prolific when it was discovered that there was no 'danger' of pregnancy.

At first, Joe, along with her multitude of wannabe 'lovers', counted this a boon, but when she tried to 'straighten her act up', at the behest of her parents, who didn't realize she was barren, she found that she was not 'marriage material' to the kind of men her folks approved of. Though she did go through her fair share of suitors, even managing to get as far as engagement once or twice, Joe soon learned that, in most circles, particularly the ones her parents ran in, she was considered 'damaged goods', even 'broken'!

Broken' as she was, as well as being naturally rebellious to her strictly religious upbringing, Joe finally, at the ripe old age of 33, found a man that was willing to spend the rest of his life with her. As 'Luck' would have it though, her Joy was not to last, for a mere two years ( to the day ) after they said their vows to each other, her husband passed away in a freak vehicle turnover. At 37 years old, Joe was still quite a 'looker', so, while finding a 'lover' was a fairly easy task, since she only seemed to attract married men, none of whom were willing to leave their wives for her, she decided that the married life was not for her!

Enter 'John'. 'John was the kind that might be called a 'hurt puppy'! He WAS married, but because of certain unresolved issues in his life prior to this marriage, he was having problems keeping it afloat. John's wife had her own issues to deal with, so rather than listen with understanding to each other's issues, they both had chosen to deal with the other's issues without dealing with their own. In this way, both had become sullen, preferring, it would seem, to focus on solving the problem they saw reflected in their partner, not realizing it was their own reflection they saw!

When Joe came along, John found himself drawn to her, not sexually, so much as by an undeniable spiritual connection, though he had to admit she was still very attractive, physically speaking. As their connection continued to blossom, John's wife Mary, while struggling with her own issues, fought to keep her husband's obvious attraction to Joe at bay. Not wanting to cause further issues, while still wishing to maintain the secure connection she had finally found, Joe decided to pursue a relationship with both wounded parties, to see if she could aid in bringing healing to both!

Considering Joe's prior experiences with the opposite sex, physically speaking, it came as no surprise when she began to find herself attracted to Mary, though not necessarily sexually speaking! In her prior experience, Joe had found that men, for the most part, were lead by the wrong head. This is not to say that every man with whom she had dallied only had one thing on their mind, just that, for the greater part, their decisions were based, to whatever extent, on their 'need' to gratify their own lust. Therefore, when Joe began to cozy up to his wife, in a manner of speaking, John began to notice a subtle change in Mary, all the while realizing that it mirrored the transition he himself was experiencing!

John's main issue with his wife, he realized ( hopefully before it was too late ) was that he saw himself as a problem-solver. This sounds like a good thing, but really, most of the time it only serves to exacerbate the problem. When Mary would come crying to him, either literally or figuratively, John's 'go-to' had always, immediately been to try to fix it. When she would 'rag' on him for something he had supposedly done, or if she was just having a bad day, John would almost always go on the defensive, taking personally what was not so much aimed at him as it was just Mary's way of airing out her emotions, or feelings. One thing that John was learning through his relationship with Joe was to do more listening than talking. He was also learning not to be so quick to judge a book by its cover. Both he & Mary had been brought up similarly to how Joe had been raised, so they both were judgmental, not just of outsiders, but of each other. Learning to know Joe, as they both were, they were slowly realizing that though a person's prior history may have an effect on their future, it does not define who they are!

Joe's blossoming relationship with Mary, on the other hand, was more personally based, whereas with John it was mainly spiritual. Both had become more or less comfortable with Joe being in their lives, but Mary, probably because their friendship had begun in physicality, felt less threatened by Joe's presence than her husband did. Though they both had their moments, as anyone would, Joe's relationship with John was actually deeper because of their spiritual connection. Other than that, they really didn't have much in common, but they both felt an almost un-explainable affinity for each other.

Through all of this, almost mysteriously, John & Mary's failing marriage was beginning to show signs of being rekindled! Neither partner was perfect, don't gt me wrong, but through their relationship with Joe, they were quickly learning how much better ( in fact, they found soon enough that it was the best way ) it was to listen more, while talking less. Furthermore, to listen without judgement, though it was difficult for them both at first, became easier the more they exercised their new-found freedom!

Joe, meanwhile, was reaping the karma she had sown in her earlier life. The sexual 'freedom' she had experienced previously had proven to be detrimental, rather than a 'boon' to her health.While
John & Mary's relationship was rising like a phoenix from the ashes, Joe's bodily presence, having fulfilled its purpose, was fading. From all of her sexual escapades, Joe's body had been slowly but surely wearing down. John & Mary were both rather devastated by this realization, though understandably Mary moreso than John, but knew that her continued attachment to this couple would, in Time prove to be detrimental to their relationship, though it had effectively saved it.

Namaste' & Blessed Be,
Charles Haddon Shank

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Power to Breathe

Venturing out on a limb here, I'm going back to my roots! As most if not all of my readers know, I have a very strong Christian background. Quite a few years ago, before I was aware of the Journey I was on, much less the direction it was taking me, I wrote an article entitled 'The Difference Between Having & Taking'. Even though this article is no longer available for viewing ( probably a good thing ), the main gist of it, as I remember, based on the biblical text of Genesis 1:26-28, was that 'Elohim', or 'God', told 'His' Creation to 'have dominion'. It would seem from the garbled history of humanity that this has largely been interpreted as 'take dominion'. No matter how one interprets this passage, though, it clearly says that they were to exercise what they had been given, not take what they had not!

According to one author, Power, personally speaking anyway, takes three forms; 'power over', 'power with' & 'power from within'. She refers to these three forms in this way, '“power-over,” referring to domination and control; “power-from-within,” meaning personal ability and spiritual integrity; and “power-with,” pertaining to social power or influence among equals'. 'As above, so below'; personally ( individually ) speaking, one may exercise their own power over others, whether it be person, animal, or even plant, but, in the case of another person, only if the other, for whatever reason, allows them to. In the case of most animals, mankind has, for the past many hundreds of thousands of years ( ? ) been able to hold power over them, thanks mostly to their own ingenuity. Nature, though, has a way of evening the odds! One might well note that 'Karma' plays a big role here, as well!

Not knowing any more about the recent news out of Minnesota concerning George Floyd than what the MSM wants us to know; I will give this bit of commentary. No matter what the truth may be about this situation, George Floyd didn't deserve to die! The cop, or cops, that caused his death are guilty of murder ( call it 'manslaughter' if you want )! You may have heard that there was history surrounding the incident & maybe there was, but so what?! one can almost understand the one cop kneeling on his neck ( if THAT'S even totally accurate ), given this 'history', for, like as not, Mr. Floyd, if given an inch, would've taken a mile. I guess we'll never know! Whatever the case may be, George Floyd, by ceding his personal Power to someone else, whether through coercion, deceit or ignorance, lost his life that fateful day.

'The Power is YOURS', to quote an old cartoon! Personally speaking, we are creatures of Power. No, I'm not necessarily talking of physical strength, though that is surely a force to be reckoned with; I'm not even speaking of endurance, mental or physical. The Power that I'm referring to is the Power Within, the Power that we innately hold, as spirit-beings. One might even note that we are Power Itself, being One with the Source of Power, Divine Energy. This Power, of course, is not physical or mental strength, although it often manifests in those ways. Beyond the physical attributes or even the mind itself is our spirit/soul, where our personal Journey begins. It is here that Power resides. The Power to Choose is in our mind, but it really goes back, or up/in, even further than that, though we may or may not be aware of it. Our choices, when we are truly Aware, reflect that awareness. However, when we are driven by the Ego/Mind, our choices are most often reflective of our egocentric mindset.Though this is not always the case, this is how we end up with cases like that of George Floyd in Minnesota!

The Ego, as we've discussed in previous posts, is neither good nor bad; 'it just IS'! An integral & necessary part of our humanity, the Ego is that which allows us to function in this Life. With the personal Ego, we would not be able to choose for ourselves. This personal ability to choose, though, is where the problem manifests! We can choose to exercise our Power over other people, animals or plants, or we can choose to exercise that Power alongside of those others. We can live symbiotically with all life, or we can 'die by the sword'! When we decide to use our Power carelessly, or even evilly, that Power inevitably turns back on us & 'bites us in the ass', in a manner of speaking. However, when we live as Nature intended, in harmony with ALL Creation, Life not only flows much better, but we might even enjoy a longer Time in this physical realm!

Inevitably, this biology will, at some point, go the way of all things in the Great Circle of Life! Certain people would probably tell you differently, but 'this old body wasn't made to last forever'! Through our choices, though, or at least as far as it is up to us, we can either shorten or lengthen our Time in this Iteration. It is not totally up to us of course, but we can influence others in their personal choices, either negatively by exercising  Power over them, or in a positive way, by allowing them to exercise their personal power with, or alongside us. One cannot exercise Power over other unless one first takes their Power!

This is not to say, of course, that such a person no longer has any Power; they just don't realize, most of them, that their Power is innate, it goes Beyond the Person! The simple realization of this Power is, well, powerful. Understanding that we are More than the Person & so not allowing ourselves to be controlled by the Person; we can better enjoy Life with our Ego not driving, or pushing us to use our Power over others. Rather, we will be free to use our Power to complement the personal Power of others. Better still; Life flows better when we live it symbiotically, instead of trying to control what is beyond our control!

Namaste' & Blessed Be,
Charles Haddon Shank