The Pagan Path

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

Saturday, December 31, 2022

The Purpose-Driven Life

For the overwhelming majority of my adult life, particularly early on, I wandered more or less aimlessly, it would seem, with almost no discernible purpose. This, of course, is not to say that I indeed had no purpose: I just, at that point anyway, did not perceive it as such. Even after more than 50 trips around the sun, on this go-round anyway, I'm still not able to give much elucidation on the subject! Which brings up the question at hand: "Is it necessary to have a purpose in Life?" Another question that might well be asked is, "is 'purpose' simply a man-made construct, like Time?" 

According to Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary, a purpose is 'something set up as an object or end to be attained'. Now, not to be overly sarcastic, but if that doesn't say 'man-made': I don't know what does. Just because it IS man-made, however, does NOT mean that it's wrong, or even a bad idea; having purpose, or an end-goal is normally thought of as a good thing, right?! It IS a good thing to have purpose, or intentions for any good one does, or wishes to do, in this Life. On the other hand, though; it is NOT a good idea if one intends, selfishly, to do whatever she or he wishes, no matter the consequences to others. This is most often referred to as 'evil'. In other words, then, 'man-made' doesn't mean that we should disregard or flout something; 'Time' for instance. Time, yes, is merely a conception of humanity, but, as we live in a world full of humanity; "when in Rome.........", or something like that........... Purpose, on the other hand, being a simple conception as well, is a bit easier to dismiss, although maybe more as a noun than a verb. To not have a ( stated ) purpose in life is not the end of the world, although in the hustling, bustling busyness of today's world, some sort of purpose is a necessity if one wants to get anywhere in what some have called The Dream of the Planet. 

When a person is consumed by their Purpose, they are often referred to as being 'driven'. Now, again, in the Day & Age in which we live, it has become pretty much a necessity, not only to be able to state, or elucidate ones purpose, but to be able to focus on that end-goal until it is achieved; after that, of course, it is usually obligatory to move on to the next one. Again, too, this is not necessarily either good or bad, depending on the intentions of the person. 

Being 'driven' brings up questions as well: 'What are you driven by?" "Why are you 'driven' by it?" This is not to say either, that being 'driven' itself is necessarily a bad thing. One may feel 'driven' in order to take care of their wife, kids, etc., although, even there, we may come face to face with some sort of attachment issues. If one is 'driven', however, just to get ahead ( at ALL costs ), to 'keep up with the Joneses' or some other purely selfish reason, then this person may need to take a look at their life & realize that their issues are more than skin-deep. 

On the other hand, we must consider what it really means to be 'driven'! To be driven is to be controlled by, either the desire or perceived need to do whatever one can to achieve their end-goal. Humanly speaking, this isn't necessarily a bad thing; in fact, in this day & age, it is normally thought of as a good thing. However, as More than human, we cannot allow ourselves to be controlled by our lower emotions, such as need or desire, both of which can be defined, more or less, as 'lust'!

The issue at hand then, it would seem, is 'Control'! On the surface, control is a good thing, right?! "Control yourself!' is a big one. Being in control of your emotions ( holding it in? ) is normally thought of to be a good thing. "Get ahold of yourself, man" comes to mind. This is not to say that control is necessarily a bad thing either. Again, in this day & age especially, being in control of your lower emotions is a good idea. For instance, if one of these lower emotions prompts you to do something that is inadvisable, for whatever reason, it is probably best to rein in that lower emotion, whatever it is. On the other hand, though: "Religion," they say, "was invented to control the masses." Sometimes, it would seem, the masses MUST be controlled. The problem, though, is that the masses were never MEANT to be controlled; the masses, individually speaking, are meant to control themselves. Saying that "religion was invented to control the masses" usually means, not simply trying to keep the masses under control, or acting correctly, but propagating a particular way of acting, namely their own. This again, is not necessarily a bad thing, if it is a good religion, but too often, those in power use their power selfishly, to their own selfish ends, rather than for the good of all concerned. Unfortunately, in such cases, these abuses of power usually give the religion itself a bad name ( if it doesn't already have one ). On the other hand, if ones religion helps him or her to control their own urges, this is a good religion, though it be wrongly applied sometimes. In Essence, Self Control, not Organized Religion, is the Answer we seek!

To get back to our Purpose here, being Driven is not in itself a bad thing. The issue is what one is driven to do & why one is driven to do it. If, as in many cases, one is driven by the norms of society, then that one must examine their own heart, as to whether they're following their heart or simply obeying the dictates of Society. 

Again & finally, it is good to have purpose in your life. Is it necessary to have a definable purpose, a stated purpose? My readers must answer this question for themselves, but in my opinion, being able to 'state your purpose' is overrated. This may be semantics, but 'intention' is better than 'purpose'! My intention, for all of this thing we call Life, is to simply BE. "Is that the same as 'Purpose'?" Again; "You be the judge!" In my opinion though, 'intention' speaks more to our Will, our Power, whereas 'purpose' has more a connotation, at least in popular ( religious ) use of something coming from outside ourselves, as in 'God', 'Allah', etc. So, in conclusion; does it really matter if one cannot state what his or her purpose in life is? No, not really, though there is nothing wrong, either, with being able to state ones purpose. In my opinion, it is better to state ones intentions, but hey, maybe that's just me: I AM rather semantical after all!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles

Monday, December 19, 2022

21 Grams; the Aura of Divinity

 When Caycee woke up that morning so long ago, she intuitively knew that something had changed!

'No; that wasn't quite right"............... Nothing had changed, for she felt like it had been there all along, but overnight, a long night it seemed, her perception had been altered. Almost imperceptibly at first,  Caycee was beginning to see colors! "No, it wasn't like she had previously been like a deer in the headlights, seeing only the base lights, or even just the most basic spectrum"........... Caycee was starting to see a faint glow of colorful rays of light emanating, first, from those she was more or less familiar & even intimate with, then, as she became more accustomed to this strange new phenomenon, even from total strangers. "These 'total strangers', of course, were not strangers at all, at least not totally, as they were acquaintances from previous lives that she simply had not yet met in this life!"

The year was 2032; Caycee, along with her 'invisible friend', Ed, who had been a constant since as long as she could remember, was really only one among many who were beginning to notice these 'colors'. The Day had finally come, as had long been prophesied, that we would, not only see each other through the 5 senses, but would 'know' the other by the aura that emanated from them! Many of those who first began to witness this 'strange' phenomenon blindly took their physicians word for it, that they were simply "seeing things", that what they thought they were seeing was merely an optical illusion. "Some foreign object must have gotten in your eye & is obstructing your view", they were told. Some of these even took these doctor's recommendations & had lengthy, extensive & expensive surgery to 'correct' this issue. For these & others, it was as if they had returned to the Matrix; life became 'normal' again: no longer were they seeing their neighbor's moods, they just made the mistakes they had always made, saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, looking for love in all the wrong places & just generally making a mess of life!

The 'Change', for Caycee at least, had been a more or less gradual one. It wasn't quite as if she had simply woken up one day with a different perspective. Looking back on her 'normal' life, previous to The Big Change, Caycee had pretty much followed the crowd in the The Big Dream, the illusion of society. A nice big house with a white picket fence, two ( or more ) cars in the garage, 1.5 kids, a 9-5 that paid just enough to keep food on the table & the lights burning, a spouse that stoked the home fires & credit card debt up the wazoo ( whatever that is ). She had been there, done that & she was tired; tired of the rat-race, tired of 'normal' ( 'normal' was EXHAUSTING! )! So, when Don came along & showed her that there was a different, a better way of knowing, Caycee began to see things, well................differently!

Though the Change was itself gradual, Caycee immediately began to notice that things were not quite as they seemed! For instance, she had always accepted without question that 'normal' was the way things had always been, that it was normal to be selfish, that it was normal to own things. Our property consisted, not only of the land on which we lived, the house that we lived in, the vehicles we drove, but the animals we kept, as well: in some extreme cases, even our spouses were said to belong to us, if you can imagine! Thanks to the ministrations of this new friend, as well as myriad others, Caycee gained a whole new perspective on life: "we cannot & do not 'own' other individuals, including animals"; at most, we simply serve as stewards. When it comes to real estate, or land, we actually belong to It, rather than It to us. Our physical shells, anyway, consist of the Four Elements of our Mother Earth & upon expiration, will return to the Elements from which they came. Initially, of course, they will simply take the next turn in the Wheel of Life, providing food for the myriad of life-forms upon this Earth.

Caycee had been brought up, like so many others, in a religious setting, particularly in the Institution known as 'Church'. She knew then, about the spiritual aspect of life, of 'her', but she realized, thanks to Don & Others like him, that she didn't have to wait for the 'Afterlife' to enjoy Heaven on Earth. She could BE there Now! "It was her choice; always was, in fact!" She had always been taught that our choices determined whether we ended up in 'Heaven' or 'Hell' ( actually, the Church she was raised in taught that her fate had already been determined ), but now her eyes were open to the fact that in the dream of the planet, it was the normality of life itself that creates the 'hell' that so many spend an eternity in. On the other hand, strangely enough, even though they still, to some extent, blindly follow this broken dream, some manage to live in a 'heaven' of sorts, though they don't realize or acknowledge it.

So, to get to the point; Caycee KNEW that We were More than simple human beings: even the Institutional Church had taught Her that She had a soul. What it had failed to teach Her was that She WAS a Soul, that it was the Spirit within Her that defined Her, that made Her Who She was. The Husk that She wore, glorious as it was & integrally woven through with Her very Being, was simply a Vehicle for Her Spirit, her True Self. 

Knowing, as She did now, that Life would never be the same, Her Ego began to put in some major overtime: "How can I get the word out before this person or that passes away?" "How can I make them understand before it's too late?" "What can I DO?!" The Answer, with a little help from Her Friends, came just as quickly: "Let it be"! "We can only take care of what is our responsibility, the rest is up to them". They must make the choice.  This being the case, Caycee realized finally that there was really nothing she COULD do! She could only BE Herself & 'let the chips fall where they may', so to speak.

Much time had passed since that fateful Day. Caycee, once used to knowing others through her five senses, now knew Them more intimately through Their Aura & by the Energy They radiated. She knew without a word passing between Them how the Other was feeling & thus could more easily share in Their joys, or commiserate with Them in Their sorrows. As the phenomenon spread throughout the world, Those in the medical field were much quicker to appoint a more accurate diagnosis of Their patient's ailments. "Unfortunately yes, at this stage of evolution, there were still many who had not discovered Their Gift & so succumbed to the Dis-ease that plagues us all, in one way or another. For some too, it just came too late, sadly.

To say that Caycee saw things clearly now is a bit of an understatement. Not only did She see through the Eye of Her understanding; everywhere She looked, She saw all the colors of the rainbow, which, incidentally corresponded almost exactly with the seven chakras. Though at first this could be a bit uncomfortable, Caycee quickly became accustomed to the freedom brought about through this strange phenomena. With this new-found freedom, of course, came more responsibility. Because She knew immediately when the Other was being dishonest with Her ( "thanks, Ed!" ), that responsibility involved tactfully uncovering their dishonesty & facing Them with Her Truth. "As you can imagine, especially at first, things didn't always turn out well for Her!

More & more people were waking up to the glorious fact that We are More than just a bag of bones!  The Colors that Caycee had begun to see on that Day not so long ago, though it seemed like forever, were now open to the Eyes of so many Others! The Revolution had begun that day, the 21st of December, 2032. That Winter Solstice surely DID signal the coming of the Light!

As we approach the Winter Solstice of the year 2022, let us purpose in our hearts to open our Eye, as did Caycee, that we may become more in tune, not only with the Other, Who is actually Us in a different suit, but with our Mother Earth.

Namaste' & Blessed Be,

Sage Charles

Sunday, November 27, 2022

Joseph & the Tree of Life

Since Joseph had no attachments, his mother having passed away several years ago, he decided to do a bit of travel. Living on the Mountain-top near the northernmost peak of the Cradle of Civilization, it was only natural ( some might say 'coincidental' ) that Joseph decided to follow  'The Fertile Crescent' south, into what is now referred to as 'the Dark Continent'. The deeper into this strange new land he went, however, the more Joseph wanted to explore the wonders he bore witness to. Though this new land was similar in some aspects to the land of his nativity, it was also very different! As he traveled further south in this amazing landmass, Joseph encountered many wondrous sites, from the lush, verdant Valley of the Nile to the mountainous heights of what are now known as the Eastern Rift mountains, where he bore witness to a mountain much higher than any he had ever seen in his own country, as well as a body of water many times larger than the one his Grandfather had fished. 

Following the River, as his Mother had taught him, our intrepid Traveler began his descent from these withering heights & came into regions more like he was accustomed to, from lush fertile valleys to almost barren, but still beautiful, deserts. Joseph, as he traveled though jungle regions & open plains alike, began to appreciate the stories that had been passed down to him of his exalted Grandfather's own period of wilderness wanderings. Though his own country was not home to any jungle regions such as the ones he encountered here, Joseph was witness to many wonderful things in these densely wooded areas which were similar to the forests which he had explored in his youth, except that these areas were even more closely populated by trees & of course, being now well south of the equator, these regions were much warmer, with a much more diverse range of both flora & fauna. It was in these Jungles that Joseph experienced much the same as his Grandfather had in the wilderness of what is now known as Palestine!

The Trees, in their looming silence, spoke to Joseph in ways that no other Form of Life ever had. They taught him that, no matter what life throws at you, when you stand firm, even if it means bending & bowing with life's breezes, however great or small, you will end up the stronger for it. The Trees also taught Joseph that by simply growing where you're planted, through the Elements of Earth, Air, Water & Fire, One can become a mighty Forest, or Jungle, a veritable Tree of Life for the healing of the nations. With these & many other lessons, Joseph continued his Journey South, until at last he came to the End of his Journey, a small but significant baobab tree in a deserted region that would become known as the Limpopo Province of South Africa.

One might say that our intrepid Traveler was a long way from home, but as his exalted Grandfather had found, He WAS Home. No matter where he traveled, as long as he understood the Message of the Trees, He, like the mighty Tortoise, or Turtle, carried His Home with Him wherever He might go, or be. However, as the case may be, Joseph, like most human beings, longed for the land of His Nativity, the land with which He had, in His short life thus far, become most familiar & which He had great love for! Most of all, Joseph longed for the little cabin that His Grandfather had built for Him & His Mother, those many years ago!

Having come to the End of His Journey & knowing even then that His Journey had just begun, Joseph laid a peculiar blessing on this particular Tree, out of all others around, knowing that it would weather the storms of life for millenia to come! This particular Tree stands firm, even today, in the desert region that Joseph visited almost 2,000 years ago! It is a Testimony, as others like it around the Globe ( some have stood for even longer ), of the valuable lessons that Joseph garnered from the Trees all along His Journey.

After many Seasons, through highs & lows, snows & rains; Joseph returned at last to the Land of His Nativity! He had learned many things in His travels, not only about the diversity of Life Without, but of the Life Within. Many times we are, as Joseph was, faced with seemingly impassible mountains & deserts, by the wildness of Life, whether it be flora or fauna, but when we realize, as Joseph did, our awesome Oneness, even Wildness with ALL of It, then we will stand like those Trees. Joseph took many lessons to heart along His Journey South, but the greatest He learned from the Trees!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles

Sunday, November 20, 2022

The Boundaries of Love

"Wait, Wait, Wait a minute.......................'Love & Boundaries'? Do these terms really go together?!"

For readers of this blog, this may seem like territory we've explored previously; I may even be accused of sounding like a broken record, but, 'Unconditional Love': "Doesn't that sound kinda like 'Love Without Bounds'?" Well, Yes & No ( Yin & Yang? )! As in all of Life, Balance is of utmost importance! In order to be truly a manifestation of the Love We ARE, "Yes", the Love we show others must be without condition, but, in the sense ( humanly speaking ) that we must first love ourselves before we can love our neighbor, we have to set boundaries. If Life has taught us anything, it's that most ( not all ) people will walk all over us if we let them!

"Love", as I've written previously, "is a many splintered thing" ( my sarcastic take on the popular phrase, "Love is a many splendored thing!" ) This 'love' of which I speak is more closely related to 'lust', which is not necessarily a bad thing ( more on this later ) By "a many splintered thing": I'm referring to the fact that, if we're not careful, 'love' can bite us in the ass! Kinda like straddling the banister: it can be a fun ride, but if we're not careful, we might end up with a splinter in our butt, or worse! This is not to say that we should shy away from physical shows of affection, whether it be sexual in nature, or simply just that most important 'human contact', that which helps us to thrive. We were 'made' for this ( human contact ) & just like a plant, for instance, when we don't receive the necessary nutrients, we tend to fade away. Going for too long without the necessary nutrients, this physical body will go the way of the world, as it simply part of the great Circle of Life, like the plants & all the other animals! In words more plain, "this physical body will pass away, returning to the elements of which it is made!"

"As Above, so Below," in all of Life, "Balance is Key!" We must maintain a Strict Balance between loving others & caring for ourselves! In this sense then, if ONLY this sense, Love MEANS Boundaries! Setting Boundaries on our 'love' does not necessarily mean that we love some less than others ( though this is inevitable, humanly speaking ), it simply means that we have come to realize that "we can't pour water from an empty vessel", IE, if we don't ensure that we are gleaning the necessary nutrients for ourselves, we will be useless to anyone else. Getting to the Center of this post, however; when we realize our OWN Worth, that WE are the Fountain of Love & that any Love we give flows from Within, We realize that, in Reality, We do not need all the physical trappings in order to thrive: the Love Within us is More than enough & We are More than Worthy!

I've said it before & I'll say it again; "If we have the physical, but don't have the spiritual, the physical is worthless & if we have the spiritual, the physical is not necessary!" I realize that this may sound contrary to what I stated earlier, that "when we don't receive the necessary nutrients, we tend to fade away", but this is, in Essence, where we get into the nitty gritty, or the Heart of the Matter! "As Above, so below"; once We realize & accept that We are ( primarily ) spiritual beings having a human ( physical ) experience, once we transcend, or move beyond the attachments that naturally come with this human experience, even with the understanding mentioned previously, that "if we don't ensure that we are gleaning the necessary nutrients for ourselves, we will be useless to anyone else", it becomes clear that, not only can we glean these necessary nutrients from others; most importantly, we glean them from our OWN store, from our Divine Selves!

As Part & Parcel with the Source of All Life, call It 'God", 'the Universe", or just simply "Energy", We, even humanly speaking, have all we really need! Acknowledging that we are 'spiritual beings having a human experience' means accepting that experience for what it is ( call it 'Life' ). In this Flesh, this physical body, we experience things like loneliness, the longing to feel that human touch, etc., etc. I cannot deny the reality of feelings such as these, for in this human existence, they ARE a VERY real concern! However, relying on these feelings for the basis of our existence, In Essence, identifying with these feelings to the point that they become the Meaning of Life for us leads us to believe that without all these physical trappings, or attachments, we are nothing. In this human experience, we cannot escape these feelings. It is not even that we must endeavor to escape, or squelch them either, for there is nothing actually wrong with feelings; they are a necessary part of this human experience we call Life, but we must learn not to rely on our feelings ( I realize this goes against sayings like "go with your gut", etc. )! Feelings most often seem to flow as if with the wind, so anything based on feelings is likely to do the same!

Again though, Feelings are not necessarily a bad thing! If, for example, we get the feeling that the love ( energy ) we are sharing isn't being reciprocated ( returned in kind ), then we might make the choice to move on, to find somewhere ( someone? ) that we feel that love returned in kind, We may feel that our efforts aren't really appreciated, so we may choose to close that book & start a whole new chapter in our lives. Such feelings, even the choices we might make based on those feelings are not necessarily wrong, they just are ( "It is what it is" ). We must exercise extreme caution though, in basing our choices on our feelings, for more often than not, this leads to necessary heartache. Sometimes we must needs go through this experience, though it hurts like hell. Experience is usually the best teacher!

Our Feelings are an integral part of Us! Even as Divine Beings, our Feelings, that necessary aspect of our Humanity, ARE a manifestation of Who we are, not only as Human Beings, but as Divine Beings! One might say that we can't have one without the other ( let THAT sink in! ). Neither are Feelings 'a necessary evil'; again, for example, our 'gut feeling' may tell us to leave a toxic situation, but in the same vein, we might feel that, by staying, we can change, or heal the other person. In such a case, we must determine in ourselves whether these ( feelings ) are generated in our Higher ( spiritual ) or lower ( physical ) nature. By Higher, I refer to the Divine, The lower nature is that which is controlled by Lust, or the illusion of Want/Need! ( Remember, We HAVE everything we need, We ARE everything we really need! )

Being Human myself; I'll be the first to acknowledge that, "It ain't easy ( "bein' cheesy"; sorry, just HAD to throw that in there )". Having these Feelings really sucks sometimes! By denying those Feelings, for whatever reason, we may end up biting our own ass though, because, again, humanly speaking, when we disavow those feelings, thus allowing ourselves to 'bottle them up', sweeping them under the rug, so to speak, those Feelings WILL come back to haunt us, sooner or later & usually at the most inopportune moment! We ARE Mr. Murphy in that case, ie., our own worst enemy!

If, however, we can transmute/transform those Feelings/Energies through our Higher ( Divine ) Nature, we may begin to notice that it's not always about us! For instance, the love we give others not being reciprocated is not necessarily a reflection on us, ie., that they don't love us, but simply that they don't love themselves & thus don't really know HOW to love us. The other side of the coin is that we may feel unworthy because they & others have told us this all our lives: it doesn't mean that we ARE, just that we feel that way. ( This is why I don't rely on my feelings, humanly speaking ) On the other hand, again, we may come to trust our Feelings as they are transformed into what is often called that 'gut feeling', which is better known as 'Intuition'!

'Sure", you might be thinking, "Balance is a good thing, but It's also easier said than done!" Yes. Yes, It is! The Rewards however are worth it. Peace of Mind ( less Stress ), off the top of my head, is the foremost reason! Imagine living without the stress of "Why doesn't he/she love me?" "What can I do/not do to make him/her reciprocate my love?' ( nothing ) "What am I doing WRONG?" ( again, 'nothing', at least if you are acting from your Higher Nature ) Even, "What can I do ( to better myself, be a better lover, better wife/girlfriend, husband/boyfriend, etc. )?" Once we realize that we can only BE ourselves, we can only change our OWN actions, that WE are indeed responsible for OUR lives alone, than we WILL change our Course; our Lives will take on a more brilliant hue. We will be truly FREE!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles

Saturday, November 12, 2022

The 'Dark Knight' of the Soul & the Sounds of Creation

I've often said, concerning other matters maybe, though integrally related, "It's taken this long to get to where we are: it's going to take at least that long to get back to where we should be!" While on a nationalistic ( political ) level, there may seem to be some truth there, even some wisdom; this statement really doesn't ring all that true, especially on a personal level. Of course, for many, or most, it may actually take longer to sort through all the muck to figure out where we went wrong, or even if we DID go wrong! So many have been taught that living for ourselves is simply selfish, manipulating us to the point that we feel guilty for feeling good while others suffer. This is not to say that being empathetic is a bad thing ( it's not: it's actually very natural & laudable ), but being empathetic doesn't mean that we should take care of others to our own detriment!

I'm not much for New Year's resolutions ( I know, I know, it's coming up soon...............AGAIN ), but at the beginning of this year I decided that I would endeavor to remove the word 'should' from my vocabulary, or at least not to use it nearly as often. "I SHOULD do this, I SHOULDN'T do that, etc, etc"! I can't blame others, either, for making me feel guilty; it's my own choice, though that is the way I was taught. Still, for the most part ( here's where 'empathy' comes into play ), they were only teaching me what they knew, having been taught much the same. As Sean Connery said when the book fell on his head, "I can only blame my shelf!"

'The Dark Night of the Soul" is a phrase referring to a period that everyone, at some point in their lives & to whatever extent, goes through. Whether it's brought on by the death of a loved one, a divorce ( of whatever sort ), or the realization that things just aren't working out & that we need to make some major changes; it is a period, of varying length ( some might argue that it's lifelong ) where one is pretty much forced to do some major soul-searching! "Why do I feel this way?" "Is this REALLY how I feel, or is it a societal/cultural projection?" "What can I do/what do I NEED to do to get back to where I want to be?" These are questions, among others, that we might ask ourselves during these 'dark' times.

"As Above, so Below', it is during these times that we are led by the Spirit, whether we acknowledge It or not, to embark on our own individual journey of self-examination & introspection. The Universe DOES work in mysterious way, so inspiration could come from anywhere. We might find these bits & pieces helpful to our own situation, we might even find ourselves garnering Strength from un-looked-for places, people or things, but ultimately, the Strength we're looking for, the Strength we NEED must come, indeed can ONLY come from Within! 

Of needs it must be that this 'dark night' looks different for different people: for some, it may involve physical trauma, trauma which they themselves have either experienced or engendered ( sometimes both ) & because misery most often ( not always ) loves company, unfortunately, sometimes those who have been abused themselves become abusers, since that is what they know. With the correct reaction to feelings of empathy & often outside help or inspiration, those abused are able to turn their situation into a learning experience where they can thus help or inspire others.

Yet another type of trauma is that alluded to earlier, trauma to the fragile psyche, brought on by religious training! This type of trauma can actually be more deadly & longer lasting, with even more far-reaching implications. Of course, this sort of trauma is often directly & inextricably linked with the more physical side, as well! This sort of trauma is really of a more insidious nature, for, while they may be purporting to be all about love & good will, the doctrine & dogma they're spreading are actually full of hate & ill will, teaching separation, rather than inclusion. It is only through the relaxation of the Mind that we can find our way out of the darkness, for it is only through openness that we become aware that those parts even exist!

Once we become aware of our darkness ( not necessarily a bad thing ), we must not only accept that darkness for what it is, an integral part of our humanity; we must learn to use that darkness to fight our way back into the light! In the yin & yang of things, we, as human beings anyway, are comprised of both Light & Dark, what is often called Good & Evil. This is not to say that Good can only be Light or that Dark must needs be Evil, for it is always our free will choice as to whether we will be controlled ( by either side ) or whether we will control our emotions to do what we KNOW to be right & just & good, whether Dark or Light.

The battle between Good & Evil is thus one that begins & ends Within! We must decide, not so much whether we will allow our Dark or Light side to win, but whether we will allow ourselves to be controlled by that former trauma, of whatever shape, or whether we will control our own narrative! This may sound a little petty, but "YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!!" Ultimately, we must live our OWN lives, make our OWN choices, etc, etc. WE & ONLY WE are in control of our Story. Sure, we can be influenced, we may even be inspired by outside influences, for good or ill, but again, ultimately we must make that choice, the same choice that the biblical figure Cain was faced with, to control our emotions or be controlled by them: we all know how that ended!

"As Above, so Below", then; when we learn to use our trauma, in essence taking it as a lesson ( a hard one, for sure), our former trauma, though it will inevitably leave its scars, to whatever extent, can not only be healed; it can be used to help others heal their own trauma, or perhaps even to avoid trauma altogether! The Universe DOES work in mysterious ways & we may end up being one of those 'mysterious ways'!

But first, we must heal ourselves; as the old adage goes, "you can't pour water from a broken vessel!" Actually, that's not quite true, for though it is broken, it may be pieced back together, so technically, it's still broken, though it has been healed, or made whole: 'Broken' or 'Whole'; if we choose to use our trauma, to accept our Darkness, the Light in us may help others to recognize their own Darkness & so doing, to learn to accept & heal their own personal trauma!

Again, being an Empath needn't mean that we help others heal to our own detriment. Being an Empath simply means that while we may feel the emotions of others, even experiencing their trauma to some extent, maybe; it is our personal choice that decides how their personal trauma affects us. Just like our own personal trauma, as only we can determine whether to view it as a lesson or to flounder in it; by showing them how we took control of that trauma, maybe. just maybe, we can inspire them to take the reins of their trauma & to heal themselves!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles


Sunday, October 23, 2022

The Etymology of Witchcraft

'Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.' 
 Exodus 22:18 ( Authorized King James Version )
 
Witch trials were most frequent in England in the first half of the 17th-century. They reached their most intense phase during the English civil war of the 1640s and the Puritan era of the 1650s. This was a period of intense witch hunts, known for witch hunters such as Matthew Hopkins. - Wikipedia
 
Having fully now entered this Fall season, with its most popularly celebrated holiday, Halloween, looming on the horizon, what better time to rediscover what witches are & why they are not to be feared so much as they are worthy of a healthy respect, even [ 'gasp' ] our 'worship'! Now, before my readers remove my head from my shoulders, or burn me at the stake, I would remind you that, as I've noted previously, 'to worship' means 'to ascribe worth to'. ( In that sense, if that sense alone, it could be well said that we worship ourselves. ) You may ask why we should ascribe worth to 'witches'. Simply put, they are Guardians of the Earth & Her Creatures ( Mother Nature ). 'Hollywood Witches', as they're portrayed in movies & TV shows, on the other hand, are NOT so, but are simply the product of the imaginations of fearful & superstitious people. Fear, as is often the case, is a great motivator!

'Imagine, if you will, the world of 1611 Europe ( King James )'. The political fervor of the time, among other concerns, was a Europe embroiled in the infamous witch trials, AKA 'The Burning Times'. although, as this article maintains, witches may not have been the primary targets of these 'Dark' times. In today's understanding, witches & witchcraft bear the marks most notably. The purpose of this writing is to show how the modern ( religious? ) understanding, or 'misunderstanding', rather, of these two terms is based largely in the context of the times in which they were introduced in a negative light to society as a whole. 'Are witches necessarily wicked?' 'Is witchcraft necessarily evil?' The answer must be a resounding 'NO', although, admittedly, 'witches' CAN be what is often termed 'evil' & 'witchcraft' itself CAN be directed to selfish, or 'wicked' purposes!

What constitutes a 'witch' & what IS 'witchcraft'? Wiccans, though not every Wiccan is a witch & not every witch is a Wiccan, refer to witchcraft as 'The Craft of the Wise'. In this sense, then, Wiccans, in particular, those who actively practice witchcraft, could almost be described as Gnostics, as their 'Craft' is based in a sort of secret knowledge, or 'gnosis'. Interestingly, Strong's definition of a 'witch' is 'to whisper a spell, i.e. to inchant or practise magic:—sorcerer, (use) witch(-craft).' However, Gesenius' Hebrew Lexicon, about the same word, says it means 'to pray, to offer prayers or worship'. For this reason, if this reason alone, it should be duly noted that it depends on the individual practitioner, the one casting spells/praying, as to whether the resulting deeds should be classified as 'good' or 'evil'!

'Witchcraft', then, can be most simply described as what a 'witch' practices. Simple as it might sound; it's really not a simple proposition! Like any religious study, the study of witchcraft, in particular, Wicca, involves much study. This is where the word 'gnosis' comes in. One must know ( understand/retain ) much of what has been forgotten, in order to truly practice the Craft. 'Forgotten' is a convenient way of putting it, really; this knowledge, as well as the Ancient Religion from which it came, was forbidden, as Christianity made its inroads into Pagan Europe in the mid- & late years of the 1st & 2nd centuries, through the latter part of the 1st millennium. 

For far too long, the words 'witch' & 'witchcraft' have unwillingly borne ( suffered ) the stigma of 'evil'.  'As Above, so below', of course, it depends upon the individual practitioner, as to whether she or he can rightly be said to be 'evil' or 'wicked'. Witches, contrary to popular opinion, are not inherently either 'wicked' or 'evil'. Witchcraft, though not so much a religion, as a way of life, is simply a way to live in conjunction with Nature, employing the aid of our Mother Earth & Her creatures in doing so. Although it has been & still is misused by some for their own gain, not for the betterment of humanity & the preservation of our Mother Earth, witchcraft is an ancient practice, one that has stood the test of Time.

A Witch, again, contrary to popular opinion,  should not be epitomized by the Hollywood version that most of us are familiar with ( although the T.V. series, 'The Good Witch' comes closer than most ). Being One that has learned to work with the Forces of Nature, rather than against them, there are actually many more Witches out there than one realizes, most of whom would not acknowledge this fact & would likely vehemently deny it! 

Part of the stigma afforded Witches & Witchcraft is the notion that because they are Pagan, i.e, do not worship ( again, 'ascribe worth to' ) the Christian God, they somehow are in league with & in fact, worship the Devil, or 'Satan'. This could not be further from the truth, as, to my knowledge, no Pagan believes in 'Satan'! I acknowledge that there are 'Satanist' churches out there, but for the most part, that is neither here nor there, because, while they might practice rituals which would scare the hell out of most people, just like anyone else in this wide world, it is their actions which prove them either 'good', or 'evil'!

Much of our 'problem' here in the West, in particular the Christian West, is our misinterpretation, our misunderstanding of the Ancient Near Eastern text on which the Bible, in its many & varied versions, is based! Not to completely rehash what I have previously written, but when the text of the Greek & Hebrew Scriptures was written, the intended audience, the original audience would have been more familiar with the use of, among other things, the hyperbole & metaphor which is prevalent throughout. This is not to say, of course, that it is NOT true, just that our Western understanding is slightly different, in this respect at least, than what they would have understood in the Time & Culture to which it was originally delivered.

Witches should not be feared, though they should be respected! There are those who may call themselves witches, but practice their craft for merely selfish ends; even these command respect, for whether we agree or not, like it or not, there IS a kind of power in them, just as there is in all creatures. Knowledge is a funny thing; it can be used for 'good' or 'evil': again, it depends upon the practitioner. Again too, knowledge may be acquired for selfish reasons, merely for one's own benefit, or the scholar might intend for the whole of humanity to benefit from his or her knowledge. Knowledge is Power, if in that sense alone & therefore is inextricably linked to the Power which is inherent in us all. Knowing ourselves is simply the first step in the Craft of learning to work with the Forces of Nature rather than against them!

Most infamous, probably, in the American mindset, are the witch trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts. While there might have been some witches who received the punishment they were due, others were guilty of nothing more than using what Mother Nature provides for our several ailments; that & maybe spurning a certain brand of 'Christianity' that was being foisted upon them.  Some poor women might have even made the mistake of taking upon themselves what had been accepted as a man's role, 'God forbid'!

In benediction, as I close this short, but hopefully enlightening & thought-provoking post; I do not intend to sway my readers towards or away from any certain religion ( or lack thereof ); I simply intend to apprise you of the fact that Witches are not all that they have been made out to be. Just because one practices a different religion than you does not mean they are wrong; they are just different. Just because one knows how to work with the Forces of Nature does not mean they or 'evil' or wicked'; they are simply doing what should come naturally to all of us! They should not be feared as if they were doing something 'unnatural' or even 'supernatural!

Unfortunately, in this day & age, we have been taught to fear what we do not understand: I & others like me write that people may learn, through understanding, to respect those things we were taught to fear. May we learn this lesson well, not only for our own sakes, but for the good health of our long-suffering Mother Earth, who has been languishing at our hand for far too long!

Namaste' & Blessed Be

Sage Charles

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Dark Energy; the Shadow Side of Life

In this day & age, you might have noticed that certain words have evolved, with the times, so to speak. Take the word 'gay' for instance; back in the day, a 'gay' person was happy & carefree: nowadays, it can mean anything from 'stupid' to being a homosexual reference. Somewhat on the other end of the spectrum is the word 'judgement'. Mention being judged to most Christians, even many 'non-religious' people & almost immediately you'll send visions of 'hell-fire & brimstone' dancing through their heads. The word itself, of course, does not necessarily imply anything bad, or wrong; it simply means that a decision, or choice, has been made, for good or ill. 'Judgement', or 'judgment' has come to have a negative connotation! So we come to the word 'dark': thanks in large part to Christianity ( an umbrella term ), most people tend to think of 'evil' or 'nefarious' when this word is used. As the case may be though, the truth is that darkness is simply an area where the light is absent. As when one side of the Earth is in darkness while the other side enjoys the light, it is completely natural; 'cyclical'. Speaking of 'natural'; here is another word that has received 'bad press'! Thanks to the large-scale departure from so-called 'Christian ( puritanistic ) Values', this word is enjoying the positive vibes it has always generated! Anyway; returning to the Dark Side............

Most famously perhaps, quotes from the late-seventies movie 'Star Wars; A New Hope', like "Give yourself to the Dark Side. It is the only way you can save your friends. Yes, your thoughts betray you." have only served, to the religious mind anyway, the notion that dark=bad, or evil. This is not to say that those who open up to their dark side never do what others might call 'evil'; just that the dark, like the light, is part & parcel with our humanity. As the Ego, which is neither good nor bad, Light & Dark, Yin & Yang just ARE & based on our circumstantial choices, prove a necessary constituent to our survival. Our 'Dark Side' is that part of us that might go against what the religious establishment has taught us to stifle. It is often necessary, for our own good, or that of the Collective, to revert to the darker part of our humanity, to do something which institutional religion condemns, which might even go against the grain, personally speaking.

When, therefore, it comes to concepts such as 'Dark Energy'; we should note that this notion is based on, among others, the negative connotations outlined earlier. Energy is simply 'the ability to do'. It is also the building block of the Universe, both micro- & macro-cosmically; if the stars, moons & planets did not have their own energy; Life, especially as we know it, would not exist! If they did not revolve on their axis, if indeed they did not pursue a set course through the heavens, nothing would be as it is, if at all! Along the same lines, 'Dark Matter' is 'a hypothetical form of matter thought to account for approximately 85% of the matter in the universe.' In other words, it is dark simply because the light has not reached it. This could open a can of worms, but the dark side of the moon is dark only because it is in the shadows, much like the Earth in its rotation & orbit is dark on one side, while the other side is flooded with light. Balance of the two, Light & Dark, is necessary to our survival as a race.

The term 'Dark Energy' does indeed imply an imbalance, not only in the observed, but in the observer! In that sense, It is like a mirror. One of my favorite sayings of late is, "We see best in others what we despise in ourselves"! Not only is this true on the other end of the spectrum, it is something I continually remind myself of! 'Dark Energy', then, is not necessarily bad or evil; indeed, we needn't even perceive it as positive or negative, except maybe as a balancing agent. 

According to Google's Oxford Languages dictionary, Dark Energy is 'a theoretical repulsive force that counteracts gravity and causes the universe to expand at an accelerating rate.' In this sense ( macro-cosmic ), that would mean that it is a force that pushes, in human terms, against what constrains or confines us, helping us to reach our full potential. I personally do not believe the Universe is expanding, just that our understanding of It is. So, back to the microcosm ( Us ), our potential to BE is neither greater nor lesser than it ever has been; it's simply our understanding, or realization of it that is/has!

"Balance is Key!" This almost goes without saying ( my 'Dark Side' said I should say it anyway ), but balance is necessary to the survival of Life, not just on Earth, but in the Universe! Without the proper Balance, Life would cease to exist. From a previous post, "Too hot, we burn up; too cold, we freeze to death", etc. ( in other words) This could well open another proverbial 'can', but no Darkness, no Light: though it must be noted that Light can exist without Dark, it also must be noted that without the Dark, we would not recognize the Light! 

Not to get too scientific about it; Light, put very simply, is Energy that is traveling at such a speed ( vibration? ) that it becomes visible to the senses. On the other side of the coin, when Energy vibrates at a lesser frequency, It becomes Dark. When it is blocked by a certain object, such as the Earth or the Moon, it also becomes Dark, being stopped in Its tracks, so to speak; this is also called 'Shadow'.  Perception, in this sense, is Key as well, for a person in Asia is in the dark at the same time that a person in America is blinded by the light. In fact, two people in the same geographical area could be in either Dark or Light, depending on their situation. 

"Does Light exist without Dark?" Surely! "Does Dark exist without Light?" Just as surely. Speaking of a 'can of worms'; this kind of reasoning could lead to questions like, "Why are we ( humans ) here?" "If Light equals Divinity & Dark equals Humanity; why even evolve into ( create? ) Humanity?" Why indeed bring Humanity into the picture if all it does is block the Divine & create Shadows ( Dark )? 'As above, so below'; Balance is Key & the Key to Balance is Realization!

To reiterate; Realization that Imbalance is simply a Perception, strange as it may sound, is the Key to understanding Life! This is not to say, however, that Balance or Imbalance is simply a Perception; like many things, "It is what It is!" We ARE balanced; we are both Dark & Light, though, depending on our choices ( which is what it all comes down to ) we shine like the Sun, or we may end up hiding in the Shadows, like the Dark Side of the Moon. Either way, we should realize that we are Perfect! We might work on our Shadows & endeavor to shine brighter, but even in that, we are only moving in our personal orbit. We are not actually shining brighter; it is only that the other's perception of us has altered so that they receive the Light we've been shining all along!

The Conclusion of the Matter, then, is that we are here to Live! Yes, just as Light & Dark are two sides of the same coin, so Death is a part of Life. In the Great Circle of Life, we are born, we live for a time, then we die. Depending on the circumstances; we may be reborn, but then, after we live for a time, we die again. "Why?", you may ask; That, in a sense, may be called The Great Mystery! Are we here to glorify God, as the Christian would say, or are we here to embody the Love that we are? Whether one believes that we need to bring glory to some Creator or that we are the Masters of our own Destinies, the very Best we can do is to let our let Shine in the Dark!

Namaste' & Blessed Be

Sage Charles



Thursday, October 06, 2022

The Stars In Their Courses

From the moment, these many years ago, that I emerged from the Womb of my Thrice-Blessed Mother, I KNEW that I was Special, that I was meant for something More! Now, when I say, 'meant', I'm not being deterministic or fatalistic: I just knew that I wasn't your normal, average, everyday 'Joe'. At the time I was born, of course, the Roman Horde still occupied the land of my Nativity, although maybe not to the extent they did in my Grandfather's time  & of course, 20-odd years before my own parousia. As the case may be, My exalted Mother, who was not actually native to these shores, though she WAS Hebrew through & through, had herself returned to Israel about 8 years after the sack of Jerusalem. After her return from across the Sea, My Mother, Sarah, had tried to settle into life in little Nazareth & had succeeded for quite a few years. However, being who she was & bearing, to some extent, the continuing stigma that brought, She never quite made it past the fringes of Society. ( which was actually quite fine with her; she was never one for 'fitting in' anyway ) However, as tends to happen; when Sarah, much like Her Great-grandmother before Her, turned up with child, with no father in sight ( not even a suitor ), She was forced to flee to the mountains, living in caves for the first year or so, even after I was born. After several laborious & meagre years of living in caves, My Mother & I finally came upon a lonely house in need of occupation. It was little more than a hut really, but a it was a veritable palace for us, after living in caves for all those years. So now you know a little of My Genesis; when My exalted Mother passed from this Life, I had just reached my seventeenth year & so began My Story in earnest!

My name is Joseph. My Father, though He is not known as such, has been Present with Me all along! My Mother's Father, however, was Jesus of Nazareth, the same who was the Christ to the Jews, or more correctly, to the Hebrew people. Apparently, there is some discord pertaining to the fact that Jesus, in all His 33 or so years, had ever married, but I KNOW the Truth: I AM Living Proof!

When I embarked upon My Ministry in the hill country surrounding Nazareth, I was barely half past the accepted age for the priesthood ( not that I cared, or even WANTED to be a priest, anyway ), but even so, the overwhelming majority of those to whom I ministered accepted Me as that & More! As I traveled the vast desert regions, bringing the healing Message of Love to those who desperately needed it, I would retreat, every so often to my little hut that Grandfather built to rest My weary bones & renew My Spirit. As My humble abode was perched high in the mountains, in the clouds, so to speak; I would, before I retired to my bed, spend countless hours studying the Heavens. During the day, of course, I had My little garden to attend, which did very well, thanks to My Grandfather, Who in His Wisdom had built Our Hut very near a natural spring of water. At night though, the Mysteries of the Heavens opened their Pages to me & showed Me that, 'As Above, so Below'. I felt the Power of the Moon & Stars as I basked in their countless light! The Water, even, had a most profound effect on Me, for though My Ministry down Below taxed my Energies, almost it seemed to the breaking point sometimes, when I came to my My Mountain retreat, Above it All, so to speak, I found My Energies renewed & ready to burst forth again!

I had heard, countless times, from My Mother, the Story of My Grandfather's Nativity. In modern times, the Story has been recorded as three wise men, or Magi from the East ( although, as I heard it, there were MORE ) who followed a certain Star to the place where He lived. I learned, from My own time in study on the Mountain, that stars do indeed orbit the heavens. The Story that I had heard now came to Life for me, as I learned the Truth of the matter from the Heavens themselves!

After I had renewed Myself, Body & Soul, tended to My little Garden & set My House in order, I would return with My acquired knowledge & Rejuvenated Spirit to the wondering souls below, sharing My Knowledge & spreading Healing everywhere I went. A typical day for me involved much walking, for no donkey would bear me, as of yet; I would eat such food as came to My Hand, whether I was able to purchase it from the meagre offerings I received or from the kindness & generosity of those who benefited from My Ministry. For the length of time between My Retreats. I slept or rested wherever I could find a place to lay My Head. Most nights this was under the Moon & Stars, but when the weather was not conducive, I was forced, sometimes, to find shelter with the animals, although I usually had the choice presented to me of a bed, of straw, at least.  Depending on the season, of course, I would sometimes take advantage of these generous offers. Always, though, I would work to repay such kindness, rising with the break of day & helping with whatever chores needed done. Such was the Life I had chosen to honor My Mother & Grandfather!

In all My Wandering & Star-gazing; I had learned One important Truth: all are connected to, even dependent on the Other! 'As Above, so Below'; while each Star has its own course, its own Energy, It relies upon the Gravity engendered by the surrounding Stars, though they be light-years away, to stay in their courses. The Moon thusly affects the Earth & humanity itself, for while each of us has our own Energy, our own Orbit, so to speak, we are all affected, to whatever extent, by the Orbits, the Energies of those who surround us!

I had also learned that, to whatever extent, the Moon & Stars, although they do have have an effect on our lives here on Earth, do not determine our Destiny; WE do! By the choices we make, I preached, we determine the course our lives will take. Just as the Stars above & the Planets have their courses, they, through the influence of other heavenly bodies, may change their course, however slightly, so we too, even moreso in fact, have the Power to change our own courses!

Formerly,

Sage Charles

Friday, September 30, 2022

The Matter of Spirit, or, 'The Spirit of the Matter'

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin  

In the spirit of things, does matter really matter, or is it, after all, JUST a 'skinsuit', as some have termed it, 'a prison for the soul'? The author of the quote above assured us, along with what can be called Celtic Christianity, that Matter does indeed matter! Matter is intertwined with Spirit in this Journey we call Life; to say otherwise is to agree with 'escapism' which says, in other words, that we must strive to break free of the natural bonds that have ensnared us on this earthly plane of existence.  Underlying this escapist theology is the ridiculous notion that Nature Herself has been corrupted. Our only real Hope, according to this paradigm, is the salvation of our souls, which ensures that we'll receive a new body in the so-called 'Resurrection', an incorruptible body. In a purely scientific sense, "yes", Matter CAN be corrupted, for instance, certain elements can be added to an otherwise strong metal, such as steel, that make it brittle, more susceptible to corruption. In the same vein, when we ingest certain foods/drinks, our bodies tend to become more susceptible to corruption. It should not be said, however, that just because it is corruptible, it is something to be shunned, to escape from. It is, after all a necessary part of the human experience!

In the Eastern paradigm, at least in our Western understanding of it, the focus seems to be largely on transcending Matter. If we can simply ignore ( for lack of a better term ) the needs of our physical body, we can attain a greater spirituality. By then becoming more spiritual, we may achieve nirvana ( as the Buddhists term it ), thus negating human emotions or feelings such as suffering & desire. My Christian mother used to employ the phrase, "so heavenly minded, they're of no earthly good", in relation to her experience with certain Christians who seemed to be more concerned with saving souls then with redeeming matter. There is a kind of wisdom to be sought in leaving such thoughts & emotions as suffering & desire behind ( attachment is the issue here ) & though we should not ignore these feelings, neither should we allow ourselves to be captivated by them. Again, in the same vein, we need to exercise greater care in releasing these sort of toxic attachments, lest we are found to have 'thrown out the baby with the bathwater'!

"Balance", as in all of Life, "is key here!" The Western, Christian in particular, mindset that has underscored this debate leans most heavily, as we have noted, toward escaping this world of Matter, admittedly corruptible as it is. I say 'corruptible', not 'corrupted', for though it has, in some sense become corrupted; it is a corruption that is not so much in need of salvation as transmutation; in other words, we need to ( re ) turn it to good, redeeming its purpose, not flee from it, as if to escape it. If we can learn to use our body, as was intended, in the service of Matter, including all living things, from the lowest mineral to the highest sentient being, then we will have learned to balance our divine & human natures. Then we can begin to fulfill our Purpose, to show others the Way, that neither the spiritual or the natural is more important than the other, but both are necessary as constituent elements in this thing we call 'Life'!

Life, as we have explored before in these pages, means Balance! No Balance, no Life! The requirements for Life to exist can be very intricate, from microcosmic to macro-cosmic & vice versa; as it is said, "as above, so below", "as within, so without", etc. The perfect balance, for instance of light & dark; if the Earth, for example, was any closer to the Sun; we would simply burn to a crisp: on the other hand, if we were any farther away from Its warmth, Life would eventually cease to exist; it would be too cold. In the same vein, if the Earth did not rotate perfectly as it does, we would not have periods of light & dark; therefore we would not get the rest that is necessary to existence. There are many other such examples of the intricate balance necessary to life, but these will suffice for the purpose of this post!

"Matter matters!" To be quite succinct, "if It didn't, It wouldn't ( BE)!" Matter, as one can easily ascertain, is simply Energy. The Universe is made up of Energy that vibrates at certain frequencies, doing everything from giving mass to certain particles to enabling the planets & other heavenly bodies to defy Gravity! Again, we run into the property of Balance, because, speaking of Gravity; too much or too little causes issues & without the correct Balance, the planets would not be able to remain in their assigned orbits & the stars would fall from the skies! In the same vein, here on on Earth, we run into similar problems when it comes to Gravity. Too much or too little & we tend to fall apart! We might call this 'Vibrational Frequency',

"Love is what holds us together!" In some sense, it could be said that Love is that intangible force, like Gravity, that binds the Universe together! To bring It down to Earth, it is the choices we make, as individuals, whether of self-love or self-loathing that determine how well our physical bodies hold together: the same is true in a collective sense as well; that's why we see a world on the brink, it seems, of falling apart, or in colloquial terms, 'going to hell in a hand-basket'.

It is without doubt that there is Intelligence in the design of the Universe! Both micro-cosmically & macro-cosmically speaking, It is too perfectly ordered to simply have happened, by chance, so to speak. 'Chance' is a purely human convention! As part & parcel of this Intelligence, call it 'Energy' or what you will, we have the Power, indeed the Responsibility, to return Matter to the forefront of the Great Debate! We must use both the Spirit & Matter if we are to turn this world back around! If we, individually & collectively, are to survive this experience that we call Life, if we are to bring the Earth back from the Brink of Disaster, we must employ the Greatest Force humankind has ever known; Love of each other & love of the Earth! Both of these, by the way, stem from love of oneself.

"Are you saying that Gravity is Love?!! one might well ask. Well, yes; put simply, I guess that IS what I'm saying. From an article I wrote several years ago, I proffer this quote concerning Gravity; "Einstein, many years later, with his theory of General Relativity, figured that gravity, rather than being a Force of Nature, was instead a curvature of space-time! According to this very interesting ( mind-blowing ) article, 'it occurred to Einstein that the sensation of riding in an ascending elevator is similar to the sensation of gravity.' Shortly after, He came to understand that Gravity & acceleration were not just similar; they were the same!" According to this surprising, but natural conclusion; if, as I have posited, Love is Gravity & we are indeed Love in motion, or 'Energy in Motion', as a dear friend likes to put it, when we operate at a low frequency, the gravitational force holding us together falls apart! As we've seen, 'as goes the individual, so goes the collective', or, 'as above, so below'!

"Love matters!" In the same vein, then, "Matter is Love"! Love is what makes Matter what It is, for without Love, Matter would not exist. "Wow", you might be thinking, "That's a strong statement!" Yes, yes it is! The Intelligence that knitted these 'skinsuits' together is the same undeniable Force that holds the heavenly bodies in their particular & peculiar orbits. "What makes a heavenly body fall from the sky?" "Gravity", obviously, is the answer. Why would Gravity cause something to fall from the Sky, since Gravity is what keeps it up there in the first place? Well, just like when we were kids swinging a bucket of water around, as long as we kept up the motion, the water remained in the bucket, but as soon as we stopped, or even slowed the motion, depending on the position of the bucket, the water didn't stay where we wanted it very long! So it is with those heavenly bodies; when they stop moving in their assigned orbit, Gravity takes an adverse effect & they tend to come crashing down. So it is with our physical bodies; when our vibrational frequencies are lowered, our physicality is affected accordingly.

As "spiritual beings having a human experience", then we should know, that if we are to enjoy & fulfill whatever Purpose we might have incarnated on this Earth for, we must take especial care of these "skinsuits". More than that & contingent on that as well; we must take especial care of our Mother Earth! If only for this reason, "Matter", as  Chardin put it so eloquently & simply, "matters!" "Why?" you may ask. Because Life is Sacred!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles

 

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Triggered by Memories

"Some things are better left unsaid!" True enough & in the same vein, "Some things are better forgotten!" In this day & age, especially amongst the self-help gurus, self-care enthusiasts, etc., etc., the topic of figuring out what 'triggers' you & either distancing yourself from those 'triggers' or otherwise removing them from your life altogether has become of utmost importance. Here though, is where we run into the ever-present issue of, "Wherever you go, there you are!" In other words, "You can leave your problems behind, but you can't leave yourself behind!" In a certain sense, this gives new meaning to the sarcastic phrase, "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence". Maybe that's what it's always meant, metaphorically speaking!

"Memories!" Some say that they're what Life is made of. One hears a lot about making memories, especially when it comes to family & friends. Memories, in & of themselves, much like the Ego, are not a bad thing, neither good nor evil. We tend, often, to black out, to whatever extent, the memories of things that have either happened to us or things we've done that are 'bad', usually, something we don't like; pain, for instance, while on the other hand, keeping in mind the 'good' memories, those of things we've done or that happened to us that brought us pleasure. Again, this is not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing; it is simply the survival instinct that's been built into us as humans. Or is it? Have we been taught to suppress these emotions? To bury the bad ones & keep only the good ones! Maybe this is part of our age-old problem!

"Forgive & Forget!" Lately, I created a post on Facebook that began with the popular phrase, "Forgive, But Don't Forget!" A question that I posed in this short post was, "CAN we truly move on if we don't forget, forever keeping  in mind ( even WAY in the back ) the perceived harm that 'other' did us?" In other words, "Have we truly forgiven them if we don't forget the perceived harm they did us?" I realize this is a hard saying, but it IS worthy of acceptance! "Why?' you may ask! Well, not only is it harmful to our fragile psyche, our Ego, but it could be harmful ( often is ) devastating to the individual that delivered the final blow, the 'straw that broke the camel's back", so to speak. 'Who cares!" you might well respond. Thus we have the heart of the issue!

Yes; Caring often hurts! Also a popular phrase these days is, "I care too much". I myself have often lately gotten caught up in the fervor of the moment, saying things like, "I just don't care anymore!"Fortunately, I have a BFF that reminds me that I DO care, because, "you wouldn't say that if you didn't care!" If we truly care, the caring doesn't ever stop! "Wow", you might be thinking, "that's way harsh!" Yes, I'll readily admit, it often feels like, in order to care for ourselves, in order to progress in our own healing journey, we MUST stop caring for others. To an extent, this is true; going back to forgiveness, sometimes, we have to stop actively taking care of others in order to take care of ourselves. Caring, though NEVER ends! Like Love; if you truly love someone, that Love never ends, like Energy, it just transforms itself. If one truly cares about something or someone, that caring will never end; else it is just the Ego talking!

But, as usual, "I digress.................................."

Unless it's a 'bad' memory; it's usually hard to forget. Of course, if it's too 'bad', it's almost impossible. I don't mean to downplay the 'bad' things that have happened to any of my readers! I've heard some pretty horrific stories & I'm sure I haven't heard the half of it! Some people, to their credit, have surmounted all that happened to them & made a 'good' Life in spite of it, while others have allowed those 'bad' memories to twist their lives into something almost unrecognizable. Even though they may claim to have forgiven those who have hurt them ( often, just a bruised Ego ) & moved on, because they can't forget the perceived harm, they will always be triggered by those memories & will be forever hurting!

Avoiding what triggers us may seem like a 'good', even necessary thing. If we avoid what triggers us, then we won't be reminded of the painful ways in which we've been hurt, right? True enough, maybe, although, shit happens, but on the other hand, if we simply avoid what triggers us, we're gonna end up as hermits! As a wise man once said, "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind"! If however, we go Within, asking ourselves WHY this or that triggers us, then we can truly move past the issue & start to heal! Easier said than done, maybe, but it really IS that simple! The Ego is what says, "that person hurt me bad & maybe I can forgive them for what they did, but I'm not going to forget it, lest they have the chance to hurt me again". The Ego, which is part of what makes us Individuals, says "Because of the way that Person treated ME, they no longer deserve a place in my life". Thus, it becomes a battle of the Egos! Who wins? NO ONE!

Sometimes, in order for us to take care of ourselves, it seems that we MUST avoid what triggers us: this almost make some sort of sense. However, if we avoid the issue for too long, it only builds up inside us, because, when it comes down to it, WE are the real problem, the Heart of the Issue! Yes, what they did was hurtful, even harmful, but if we just avoid the issue, simply sweeping it under the carpet, sooner or later, it WILL come back to haunt us, with a fucking vengeance! It is OUR choice! How we respond to those triggers, or even preemptive to that, how we initially respond to those who hurt us, is up to US & us ALONE! Don't let anyone ever tell you that you didn't have a choice whether to hurt that person back, to respond in kind. That's simply THEIR Ego telling YOUR Ego what you should do. This is not to say that we should just allow a Person to continually hurt us again & again; there is such a thing as destructive behavior which we should not allow! Avoiding the issue, again, is not the answer. Facing our problems head on, beginning with OURSELVES is. If we can first change OUR attitude & how WE respond to their hurtful ways, then maybe we can change the outcome of the whole situation & rather than losing One who may have been a Friend, we not only gain a true Friend, but we learn something about OURSELVES along the way.

Finally, by realizing that things don't just happen TO us, but FOR us, things take on a whole new light! I may be stepping on some toes by saying that, especially for those who have been physically, emotionally, or mentally scarred by things that have happened to them in the past, so again, I don't mean to downplay their pain, but, "as above, so below"; by acting in Love rather than from Ego, we turn the tables, from what was meant to hurt, or harm us, into something from which we learn, something that helps us to remember that WE have the Power; it's up to US as to whether the Cycle of Violence continues, or whether the buck does indeed stop with us!

"Forget about it"! Again, "easier said than done", but it really is that simple. I realize that scars are always there, to whatever extent. However, if we can use those scars as learning tools, rather than letting them fester & haunt us for the rest of our Life; we'll be much better off. As they say, "No pain, no gain"! If we simply ignore the pain, hoping it will go away, avoiding the triggers, the triggers & the pain will ALWAYS be there in the back of our Mind, taunting us, haunting us, telling us that we ARE an island, that we ARE better off without the Other, because "People Suck'!

Namste' & Blessed Be, 

Sage Charles

Sunday, August 07, 2022

The Death of Hope: the Fateful Tale of Anastasia Zhizn

It is said that "Hope never dies": Before us lies a short tale of how, although Hope seemed to be lost, It can never, indeed, die!

Mikhail & Sasha had been told that they would never parent a child. When Sasha was 19, the year after she agreed to wed Mikhail, she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She barely survived the cancer, but in order to preserve her life, it had been necessary to remove almost every bit of her ovarian tissue. Both parties were devastated at first by the news, probably moreso Sasha, but Mikhail remained by her side through thick & thin, so as time went by, the wound began to heal, although the scar tissue would forever remain as a reminder. They had begun to abandon all hope of ever having a child of their own, when one day, Life gave them a Reminder of Who was really in charge!

After years of fitful depression, the couple had come to accept the fact, as they saw it, that Sasha would never carry a child of her own. Imagine their surprise when, one day, seemingly out of the blue, Sasha began to experience sickness in the mornings. Mikhail, at first, thought nothing of it, for since the doctor's diagnosis & the subsequent period of mourning, after which reality had slowly settled in, he had indeed abandoned all hope, though not his wife. Sasha, on the other hand, from the moment the pangs first set in, knew that something extraordinary was happening!

While, even after 6 months of continual proof that they were actually going to be parents, Mikhail still had trouble believing their good fortune, Sasha had already fully accepted this Gift from Life Itself. With a scant 3 months to go, things seemed to be going swimmingly for our hopeful parents. Regular visits to the doctor, who was as flabbergasted & honestly, still a bit skeptical, continued to show growth & a healthy baby girl. Yes, it was a baby girl that was expected, seemingly, beyond all hope!

As the expected delivery dated loomed ever nearer, Sasha & Mikhail's worst fears seemed to be coming true! The baby had turned & was in danger of presenting in the wrong position. Living in rural Russia, on the remote outskirts of St. Petersburg, they were several hours from the nearest hospital, but fortunately for them, there were several midwives in the area. One of these midwives was able to massage Sasha's extended abdomen & got the baby turned so that she would present correctly!

After the baby had been turned back, the delivery was at hand. When Anastasia emerged from the womb, the couple felt they couldn't have asked for a more beautiful child. Even better, she seemed as healthy as a horse. She didn't make much noise, as newborns usually do, but when when presented with her mother's swollen breasts, latched right on to a more than ready nipple. The fact that Anastasia had not cried so heartily when the cold air hit her face gave the doctor some cause for concern, though the midwife was not at all surprised. 

Fast forward several months; all was well, or so it seemed! The happy couple had been parents for three months & all was progressing as it should: Anastasia was continuing to feed well & had been steadily putting on weight. Sasha was beginning to feel the extra strain on her own body, due to the baby's need for nourishment. Try as she might, though, Sasha soon reached a plateau where the baby seemed unable to garner the necessary nutrients from her mother's slowly weakening body. Anastasia gradually began to show signs of undernourishment. Blame it on the debilitating cold, blame it on her mother's own weakened system; signs of the young child's former health were slowly but surely fading. 

In the end, even though it looked like one of those typical crib-deaths, it seemed that our little rising star had succumbed to a rare form of IDS. It was really no one's fault, though there was plenty of both guilt & blame that floated around for the next month or so. Mikhail & Sasha both felt the guilt the hardest, as is natural, although, rather than blaming the other, they harbored all or most of the blame for themselves. In time, they learned to forgive themselves & thus, each other; they returned to the complacency of married life & endeavored to be happy with what Fate had thrown them.

'Fate', however, was not done with Sasha & Mikhail yet. Though the Spirit of their first Child had not animated their Anastasia for much longer than a few months, She decided to return to this poor, hopeful family & thus, a bit more than a year later, Nadya, or 'Hope' was born anew! Nadya was truly a blessing to her parents & though they continued to live in the often cold & harsh climate of rural Russia, the Zhizn family, after all they had been through, finally knew the Truth of "Hope never dies"!

Namaste' & Blessed Be,

Sage Charles








Sunday, July 31, 2022

Spirituality: the Freedom to Be

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, [ and  ] to keep oneself unspotted from the world. 

James 1:27 ( NKJV ) 

I've a conundrum for my readers, one that has quite possibly been asked before. To lead into this query, I would ask you to remember that the genesis of this great 'Melting Pot', this illustrious nation in which we live, was a search, a yearning for religious freedom. All around the world, from time immemorial, really, wars have been fought & may be fought yet, for this very reason! In relation to what has transpired in our own country, though, here's the conundrum: so, if our ancestors came, mostly from British shores, but really from that whole region ( Europe ), so that they could find religious freedom, then why, on 'God's green earth', could we not extend the same consideration, for example, to that noble savage, the American Indian? Now, before you say something like, "DUH", I must remind my readers that, when I pose questions like this, I usually HAVE a ready answer. So here goes: it's probably no great surprise to most, if not all of you, but I'm pretty sure they believed that their religion was the only true religion, so since the British religion was too Catholic for their good, they simply wanted to escape the persecution that was rampant. Don't get me wrong though; I was brought up Christian as well, not Catholic, so I fully empathize with the position they were in & indeed, I'm grateful for the freedom they did win! In other words & to put it concisely, their concern was not so much freedom of religion as it was the freedom to practice THEIR religion!

Spirituality, according to Google, is defined as "the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things". As opposed to, say, Merriam-Webster's definition, which seems to go in circles, this definition is fairly satisfying! Spirituality is generally known to be in opposition to religion. Religion seems to come with a set of rules. For instance, in Christianity, the Ten Commandments are universally accepted as the ground rules. All religions have their 'holy books' which are usually studied, to whatever extent, to learn what we should or should not do. There ARE religions which focus more on the spiritual aspect of life ( strangely enough, mainly from the Far East ), but for the most part, the major religions of the world are focused on controlling the masses. Spirituality, on the other hand, which even I used to scoff at, has more of a focus on the inner being, which is often interchangeably call the spirit, or soul. The outer actions are of course of great importance, but it must recognized that it is the inner being which drives the outer. As has been mentioned before, in other posts; this is not to say necessarily that just because a person manifests in a way that is not good for all, they have an evil spirit, but that this person is operating almost solely from their Ego, or lower self, having forgotten Who they are, that they are More than the Person: indeed, they are a spiritual being having a human experience!

Contrary to most popular opinion, Jesus did not come to establish a new religion! Apparently, the religious leaders of His day thought so, because they had Him killed, but Jesus came to show us how we could become like Him. In fact, He told His disciples ( not just the Twelve ), "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater [ works ] than these he will do, because I go to My Father" ( John 14:12 ). Believe what you want, but Jesus didn't say, follow the Ten Commandments ( or the other 613 laws of the Jews ) & you will be like Me; He simply told them to believe that He was Who He said He was & in other words, they would become like Him, Sons of God! 

Though we've undoubtedly been down this road before; I should explain that Jesus was the Messiah to the Jews, or Hebrews. As such, He did not die for your sins or mine. The 'God' of which He was the Son was the God of the Hebrews, an aspect, yes, of the Divine Source of All, but the 'God' of the Bible is simply the Hebrew's perception of that Source. That said, Jesus was actually 'God' in a human suit, as We all are in Reality; it's just that We have forgotten Who We are & Where We came from. Spirituality helps us to remember that; at least, if we can get past our Ego. Religion, on the other hand, can only tell us what to do or what not to do.

The Ego is undoubtedly the greatest hurdle when it comes to realizing our own godhood. Particularly if we were brought up in any of the world's three major religions, we learned that God is out there somewhere, telling us, usually through a prophet/book, what we should or should not do. Spirituality, true spirituality helps us to remember that, in Essence, We are One with that same Entity we have been told is "somewhere out there"; in other words, that we must look outside of ourselves for our own salvation! Before anyone has a hissy-fit, I'm not speaking of biblical 'salvation' here ( that was for the Jews ); I'm referring to our own ability ( responsibility ) to make choices to either damn us or save us, humanly speaking of course ( our Spirit needs no salvation ). The Redemption of the Individual Soul might be another matter, though at the same time, it may be just what we've been talking about!

"What is the difference", one might well ask, "between the Spirit & the Individual Soul?" Well, I'm no expert, but right off the top of my head; I would say that here is where many of us get into trouble, by confusing the two. We are all Individuals ( that's where Humanity & the Ego come in ); that's what I refer to as the Soul. The Spirit, however is that part of us that is Divine, the Divinity, for example, that Jesus manifested as the Christ. The Soul is our link, humanly speaking, with Divinity, but our Spirit is Divinity. Like Jesus, then, once we realize the true nature of our Soul, we begin to communicate, through that Link, with the Universal Spirit, which IS One. Once that that Link is restored/redeemed, our choices will become increasingly better & easier, as we will be well on the way toward quieting the Ego!

I say. "quieting the Ego", because even though, as I said, "the Ego is our greatest hurdle", it is not, in itself the Enemy of the Spirit, or even of the Individual Soul. It is not even something that needs to be conquered, or brought under our control, though at times you may feel the need to control It. Here, in fact, is where we run into problems ( I speak from personal experience ); just as in much of Life, the harder we strive, the harder It fights back! Whereas, if we simply let It be, we tend to quiet ourselves along with our Ego. Humanly speaking, the Ego will always be with us, but once we learn to quiet It's nagging voice, that still small Voice known as Spirit comes through, clear as a bell!

Jesus WAS the Christ! He, a Man, discovered the Spirit Within & through that Spirit ( God ) became the Messiah of the Jews. In the sense that, through the biblical record, we can learn from His experiences how to recognize our own innate godhood, Jesus could well be hailed as our salvation as well, though much the same could be said of other Teachers/Masters who spread the same Message through other lands. Just as Jesus was the Christ to the Hebrews & Greeks, so others became the Buddha to those of the Far East. Even the Ancient Americans had their medicine men & shamans. The more modern Native American worships The Great Spirit. The point is, while we were taught, as Christians, Jews & Muslims that our 'God', our religion was the only Truth, every culture around the world had their own version, or perception of the Source of All Creation. Who are we to say that ours is right & theirs is wrong? "Faith", you say? Even the demons have faith...................

Namaste' & Blessed Be,

Sage Charles

Sunday, July 10, 2022

The Way of the Wounded Healer

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast [ our ] confession.  For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all [ points ] tempted as [ we are, yet ] without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. - Hebrews 4:14-16 ( NKJV )

First off, let's talk about the concept of 'sin'. Biblically speaking, it refers to 'missing the mark'. "What mark is that?" you ask; you be the judge! If you believe that the Hebrew & Greek Scriptures, as contained in the Bible ( "which version?" ) are immutably true & relevant for our day, then "the mark" refers to, first & foremost, the Ten Commandments. Jesus told His listeners, concerning the 'ten words', "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one [ point, ] he is guilty of all." To those, however, who do not follow these teachings, though they, like I do, see Universal Truths in the same Scriptures; the whole concept of sin & indeed, missing the mark is irrelevant. Without going into an exegesis of Jesus' words to the Hebrews, suffice it to say that, unless one claims to be a Hebrew, Jesus' words here do not imprison us in the least!

The quote above reads, without the bracketed words, "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast confession.  For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all tempted as without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need". A bit clearer, though it still mentions 'sin'. The point, though, is that Jesus, like every single one of us, went through the wringer; He WAS "tempted" for god's sake ( pun intended )! Like every Master in every Scripture around the world, though, He WAS a Healer, for He came to show us that we have the Power to heal OURSELVES! At another place in these same Scriptures, He Himself told His disciples ( this is a Universal Truth ); "he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater [ works ] than these he will do, because I go to My Father".  Jesus was able to empathize, just as we are, with those who were in need of healing, because He Himself had 'been there; done that'!

A good friend, a Brother really, recently broached the subject of why I had not been writing on certain subjects lately. My reply, in not so many words, was that I have moved on. Having out-grown Christianity, one might say, much of what I had previously attached much importance to now pales in comparison to what is before me! This is not to say that I dismiss this important step in my Journey ( "I most certainly do not!" ); it simply does not bear the relevance it used to. I told this Brother, in other words, that WE are what we've been looking for, that WE are the ones who must experience 'crucifixion' in order that we may realize Our own Power to heal. both ourselves & others. That's what Jesus, as all the Masters, came for!

Though different cultures all have different Scriptures, the only REAL difference IS the culture ( "Let THAT sink in!" )! "All religion is the same", some have said. This is true. One's religion, as I've said before, is belief in action. If one truly believes something, sooner or later, they will follow their words with deeds. This, one should note, is the proof of any religion. The pendulum, unfortunately, swings both ways with this axiom, because history has proven that there have been those who claim to believe certain things, whether it be theistically or otherwise, that have hypocritically proven the exact opposite, while on the other hand, there are those who have proven their intention to harm rather than heal. In both cases, the culprit is a misinterpretation, a misunderstanding of the text of any given Scripture!

In the midst of His own crucifixion, the Pharisees, significant of many or most 'religionists' today, told Jesus, in other words, "Physician, heal yourself"  ( Matthew 27:40 ). What they failed to realize was that Jesus WAS healing Himself. By allowing Himself to be crucified ( "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done" ), Jesus was taking the Path that we all must tread, healing Himself, symbolically dying to His Ego, His humanity, that which fears Death, that He might heal others, by teaching them to heal themselves. In the end, Jesus knew ( "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God" ) that if we are to be healed, we must heal ourselves. In the same vein, in order to help others heal, we must first crucify ourselves!

Now, Healing may may look different to different people, just as religion, even 'God', or the Source of All, looks different to different cultures. One man's healing, such as Jesus', might look like Death to those who don't understand. Our standing again, our 'resurrection' proves to those paying attention our Power to Heal, just as Jesus' proved that He was Who He said. In our own world, our Healing may look to others, even to to our own wounded Ego, like Death, or at least disintegration, but to those who know, who understand this Truth, it is glorious in its mortification, for We see the Light at the end of the proverbial tunnel & KNOW that it IS a train, the Train to Freedom!

Jesus Mastered His Fear! In the same manner, we must master our own Fears; the Fear that this will be the Death of us, indeed, the Fear that Death is the End! Death, in the sense of our crucifixion, of which Jesus' was symbolic, is simply the metaphorical death of our Ego, our humanity. It is not the End, though it is AN end ( goal ). In the process of dying to our Ego, we learn that we are More, so much More, in fact, than our Ego, our humanity & this part of us, the More that We ARE, can never die. Death is NOT the End; Death is a necessary step on the Pathway to Life!

Whether one follows the Western religions, or takes a more Eastern Path, it should be clear where the balance of Power resides. In the Native American religions, Nature itself holds the key to our healing. Given that we are One with Nature, one would be hard-pressed to disagree. The Eastern religions tend to look to the Heavens for our salvation. "As Above, so Below". though; the Masters of both the Far & Near East taught that 'Heaven' is Within us all. Jesus really taught nothing different from what the Buddha taught; the only difference was Culture! "An ye harm none, do what ye will" is not so different from "love your neighbor as yourself" ( yes, I omitted the first part of that 'verse'! ) The Western religions, like the Eastern, all have their gods & goddesses, all of which are different aspects of the surrounding cultural understanding of the Source of All Life & not the Source alone, but the Sustainer of that Life, for We ALL must realize that no man ( or woman ) is an island; we must rely on each other & Nature Herself for the sustenance of Life, at least, in a purely physical sense.

Being, however, that there is More ( 'SO much More" ) to Life than the merely physical aspects, Wounding, or metaphorical crucifixion is often a very necessary part of our Journey! In reality, the only wounds we receive are a damaged Ego. This may sound like a cliche', but no wound feels pleasant at first, but through hindsight, sooner or later, we come to realize that it was good that it happened the way it did & when it did. As a Christian & I still love this Universal Truth, my favorite, though cherry-picked, verse was Romans 8:28; "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to [ His ] purpose". For those whose 'crucifixion', whose Wounding carries a more physical meaning, as in the loss of a loved one, or some such, I do not mean to down-play your pain & suffering!

"That which does not kill us only makes us stronger!" In some form or another, we are all fairly familiar with this old axiom & while there is much truth to it, we must take great care that we do not allow our Ego to become the stronger! In order to become truly stronger through our Wounding, we must realize that we are More than our Wounding, More than merely physical beings that will inevitably suffer Death: "As Above, so Below"; Death is simply a gateway, a portal, if you will, to Life Itself!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles