"Can it really be that simple?"

Depending on who you ask, Ascension can really mess with your mind! To clarify, it's pretty much a given that trying to become familiar with your Inmost Self is going to blow your fucking mind. In fact, that's kinda the whole point. Our Mind, which is that integral part of us that's most closely related to our Ego, is what likes to tell Stories, Stories that aren't necessarily true, even though we tell ourselves they are. I'm not saying that either the Mind or the Ego are 'bad, or 'evil', just that, as with all things, they can be used for 'good', or 'evil'. Even what we intend for 'good' can often turn out to be 'evil'! It's all good though, because even the 'evil' that happens to us can be transmuted to 'good'.

There is a saying I've heard recently, "If it's complicated, it's Ego; Spirit is simple!" Several things: saying it's simple is NOT to say it's easy! It's a tough row to hoe & like I always say, "it's gonna hurt like hell!" Not that It truly hurts US, but that, as we tend to identify with our Ego ( at least, until we wake up/ascend ), It will wound our Ego to the very core until we realize we are NOT the Ego. Then & only then can we move forward. 

Sometimes we try too hard! Of course, that could just be MY Mind telling me that, but it resonates with my Spirit that by focusing our attention on waking up/ascension, our Ego tends to step in & say, "THIS is how we do it". Depending on our personality, then, we tend to look at others who are awakening/ascending & if they aren't following the same steps as we did ( not even in the same order, OMG! ), they're just not doing it right, nor for the right reasons! On that subject: this is not a judgement, but telling people how to wake up/ascend has become a lucrative business for some. This is NOT to say that they're charlatans, just out to make a quick buck off the weak-minded & unsuspecting, or that they shouldn't profit from their garnered knowledge, just that, "It's really NOT that complicated"!

Again though, saying "it's simple" is NOT saying "it's easy"! It's not going to be easy to look into the abyss that is our own soul & feeling it bore into our very...................soul. Things will come to the surface that we had almost forgotten were there. Things that, in our Mind, we had hidden so well that we thought they were gone for good, though every once in a while they would surface, but then, thanks to religion, we could always blame it on the Devil, right? ( a bit of sarcasm there ) This is most often called 'shadow work' & if you propose to ascend ( whatever that means to you ), you're going to have to face your 'demons'! Don't get me wrong though, 'shadow work' isn't all bad either. Just because it's likely gonna hurt like hell doesn't mean that only demons dwell in the abyss. That's where our True Self is hidden, the One that, for whatever reason, we've hidden away. We may have learned at an early age to keep our Light hidden because It hurt certain people's eyes, or because our particular Truth just wasn't acceptable in our culture.

Most people who know me, or at least know my human condition, know that I suffer from a genetic disease called ataxia. One reason that I talk so much about "trying too hard" is that I can personally attest to it, physically speaking anyway. I've learned two things from this disease: one is, "SLOW DOWN! I probably tell myself several times a day,`"Charles, slow the FUCK down!" Another is that I often try too hard: I find that if I don't focus my attention on the object of my affection so much, it often will come easier. This is probably because my body knows better what it needs than I do! There IS, I must admit, a seemingly fine line here, but usually I find that if I just go with the flow, there's a lot less complications! 

The Ego, which as I've noted before, is neither good nor bad ( "It just IS!" ) CAN pose a problem, specifically in this respect, because It informs our Mind that it can't be that simple. Going back to the whole business of profiting from helping other people wake up/ascend, the overwhelming majority of people who do so often spend a goodly amount of money themselves ( not to mention their time ) in learning how to do this so that they in turn can teach others how to properly do it.  Again, this is not to say that they have not awakened themselves or ascended, just that how they accomplished it won't necessarily work for everyone. Ask any elementary teacher how well the cookie-cutter approach works!

Call it Ascension, call It what you will, what it really comes down to is Choice! ( "Wow"; talk about simplifying things! ) No, I'm not talking about deciding whether to wear the red shirt or the blue one today, or really any choice involving the rational, or what we might be used to perceiving as the Conscious Mind. ( this is where "trying too hard" comes in ) This Choice will be made by our Higher Self ( even 'unconsciously' at first ), intuitively guiding our Conscious Mind to take the red pill as opposed to the blue one. 

Transmutation Itself is a Choice! That simple, "Yes", but NOT easy: we have to decide, or rather, let our Higher Self/Intuition decide whether to do this or that, to take one course of action as opposed to another, or even if we need to act at all. In our Mind, old programming might still come to surface with thoughts like, "well, what is THIS person going to think; what if THEY perceive it as 'bad'?!" Of course, the thing is, just because THEY might perceive it as 'bad' doesn't mean that it is or even that you shouldn't do it. No, this is where you listen to your heart & if your heart ( Higher Self/Intuition ) condemns you, then by all means, DON'T DO IT! But otherwise, if you're not hurting anyone, just bruising their Ego, then, by all means, DO IT; It's THAT simple!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles

Beyond the Binary

From 'The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition ( 1970-1979 )', a Physical Binary is "a binary star whose components are bound by mutual gravitational attraction and orbit a common center of mass".

From this ancient, ideologically biased definition, it should be fairly clear that the principle of "as above, so below" is in force here. This could well describe the attraction between two people, whether of opposite or same-sex. The "common center of mass", of course, would refer to the Spirit, or Source, of which we are all an integral part. As this article is intended to focus more on the "below" aspect, though: we will start there.  

According to this article from The National Center for Transgender Equality, "binary means "having two parts (male and female ). Therefore "nonbinary" is one term people use to describe genders that don't fall into one of these two categories, male or female".

This is not meant to inflame the whole Gender Debate either, but since you can't really go there without going there, here goes! The use of the word 'binary' in this debate might be perceived by some as being a stolen term. I have done this as well; as a Christian, I used the term 'qualitative' ( as opposed to 'quantitative' ) in describing the Kingdom of Heaven! 

The definition of 'binary' as posited above is not entirely accurate & could be perceived as somewhat ambiguous, but as I understand it, this mathematical term is used in this day & age to describe those who have accepted the roles society has prescribed concerning gender. "Nonbinary", then, helps us identify those who do not wish to conform to the roles that society has assigned to the different sexes. This is not to say that we should or should not conform to said roles: just in the manner of explaining my own ( personal ) understanding of the whole debate. 

Most, if not all available dictionaries agree, in other words, with Collins Dictionary that "gender is the state of being male or female in relation to the social and cultural roles that are considered appropriate for men and women". 'Gender', then, is not to be confused with 'sex', though it is similar. The 'sex' of a person is normally determined by their genitalia, or 'sex organs'. In essence, if a person has a penis & no womb, they are male, whereas, if they have a vagina, a womb & mammary glands that secrete 'milk', they are female. My readers may have heard, as I have, of those 'anomalies' that seem to have both a penis & a vagina, but I have NEVER heard of a male that bears a womb!

The debate, as I understand it though, is focused on assigned gender roles in society. Sex has naturally been brought into it though, because again, if you have a vagina, etc, rather than a penis, you are usually assigned the role in society that conforms to your sex. In many ways, the current popular movement could be described as a 'knee-jerk reaction', much like feminism. Basically, both are somewhat revolutionary, announcing that "we will not conform"! I applaud the sentiment, though the lengths to which some go saddens me; as in the case of those who choose to identify as 'nonbinary', most if not all of whom have, to whatever extent, chosen to suffer what is sometimes called 'gender reassignment surgery'. I'm not here to judge though; "just sayin'!"

Again; I DO applaud the sentiment & I'm NOT here to judge! No one should be forced to conform to a certain role just because they have certain body parts rather than others! "As above, so below"; if one has this ( body part ) ran than that ( body part ), they are, humanly speaking, that certain sex.Their gender, on the other hand, need not prescribe that because they have this rather than that, they should fill a certain role in society. Just because one is female does not mean, for instance, that she should basically stay at home, barefoot & pregnant ( a baby machine, in other words ). Just because one is male, on the other hand, does not automatically mean that he should be the ( sole? ) breadwinner. Again, this is not to say that one should not accept these roles; "the choice, as always, is yours & yours alone!"

Ultimately, though, the fact that we are NOT this body trumps all other arguments! I'm not saying that our body is totally separate from our Identity ( it IS, in fact, an integral part of Who We are ); just that it is simply the Vehicle in which We ( our Higher Selves ) have chosen to incarnate in this Time. It is when we identify with this Vehicle, however, that we run into trouble! Personally speaking, yes, we are ( normally ) male or female, so depending on the culture we live in, because of this fact, we may be assigned this role or that. However, the choice is up to us as to whether we wish to conform to the rules of our given culture. As any non-conformist will tell you though; there are consequences to our actions!

The problem, as this blogger sees it, with claiming to be 'nonbinary' is that it's based in the notion that we are our biological bodies. Although I may be opening a can of worms here, I propose that if we remember  we are, in Essence. neither male nor female, much of this difficulty will fade. On a personal note though, I feel that I have a female spirit. The question has been asked, "Do spirits have gender, or sex?" I personally feel that this explains so many things in my past life, but at the same time, I have all the male accoutrements. I do not plan to do anything drastic, such as surgery, but I feel more comfortable living a life of non-conformity, especially when it comes to gender roles. 

"I guess you could almost call ME 'nonbinary'! 

Back to the binary issue now; because in essence we are neither male nor female ( "we are NOT our biological bodies" ), we cannot technically be referred to as 'binary' in the first place! Or CAN we?! We ARE technically, as human beings, composed of two parts, body & soul, or spirit. The Soul, in my understanding, is actually the total being, both human & Divine, whereas the Spirit is that part of us that belongs to Source. The Source, of course, not being divided, can be defined as neither male nor female ( It just IS! ), but speaking of cans of worms, one might mention polarities here.............

We ALL have at least one thing in common; We all come from Source! The cool thing is that, unlike the Hope of Heaven that orthodox Christianity teaches, we don't have to wait for this biological body to perish before we return to Source. For one thing, We're already One with Source ( always have been, whether we realized it or not ) & for another, to return to Source in this lifetime, or any other, is simply to remember Who & What We are!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles

"Greater Works"; Grasping Infinity

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.

Jesus - John 4:12 ( NKJV )

For years I have puzzled over, not only what Jesus could have meant by these plain, but enigmatic words, but also how orthodoxy seems to have missed this simple truth. Now, I say "missed", but to be honest, there are probably more than a few extant theories that various theologians have postulated concerning what Jesus might have meant when He uttered these words. Right off the top of my head, from my own Christian upbringing/experience, one explanation, maybe the most ready one, might involve the phrase "already/not yet". In essence, Jesus would have been saying that, in some future Resurrection, His disciples would indeed do Greater Works than even He did. In this "already/not yet" scenario", it is because of His Spirit that we are able to do anything ( good ), but once our corrupt ( sinful ) human nature has been changed to an incorruptible one, then we will do those things He promised. However; I digress, because my purpose here is not to decry the orthodox ( Christian ) position so much as to uncover the Truth of this plain & simple statement.

With these words, was Jesus implying that what did during His earthly ministry was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the miraculous, or supernatural? It's hard for us, even as faithful Christians, to imagine a Time when we'll be able to heal with a touch or a Word, or to literally walk on water, much less to do greater miracles. That IS what He said though ( according to our garbled transliterations ), so it is doubtless what He meant. However, the question remains; "What Did He mean?!" Did Jesus actually mean to say that EVERYTHING He did was a mere pittance compared to what we ( His disciples ) would do? For that matter, can we say for sure that Jesus meant those words for US today, now in the 21st century, almost 2,000 years after He uttered them? By looking closer at the context of His Words, might we reach a better conclusion as to His intended meaning? It is entirely possible, in fact, very likely that Jesus made this promise to His 1st century disciples as well as those who would follow, including those in the 21st century & beyond, to Infinity!

"You still haven't answered the question!" you might be thinking! That's true, though I intend to pursue it's elusiveness a bit further.

First, let's suppose Jesus WAS speaking ONLY to those 1st century followers of His. If this were so, looking further into the context, including 'audience relevance' might indeed clear things up. For the sake of conjecture, what if He was prophesying of a future generation ( 21st century? ), in which, because of technology or whatever ( 'evolution' ?! ) humankind would be able to accomplish more astounding things than Jesus Himself?! A greater possibility though & a greater likelihood, is that Jesus uttered a Universal Truth here, One that spoke of the Potential within EVERY human being. Was Jesus speaking metaphorically here, referring not simply to the physical but to the more important metaphysical? The inner alchemy, which is necessary for any outward change to occur, might better serve as an explanation of Jesus' enigmatic words!

If indeed Jesus WAS speaking metaphorically ( which actually makes more sense ), then maybe, just maybe, He was pointing His disciples, indeed ALL of humanity to the fact that they would do as He had done, unlocking the Potential within themselves that would enable them to do, not only what He did, but even GREATER ( more miraculous )! At this juncture, my readers might be thinking, "Okay, so how DO we unlock this Potential? How can we EVER hope to get to the point where we'll do what Jesus did, much less Greater Works?!" Well, my friends, I'll tell you one thing for sure; it's not going to be easy & in fact, it's probably going to hurt like hell!

Again, you might be inclined to wonder, first, why I say "it's going to hurt like hell" & second, if indeed it IS going to hurt like hell, "why the hell would we even want to do it?" Well, to answer ( to the best of MY ability ) the former question: something I often say concerning how far we've fallen, both as individuals & as a nation; "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 ( "Back to the Garden", so to speak ). We have forgotten Who & What We are, having built so many layers over our True Identity, that not only will it take some time to strip away all those layers, it will be a painful process too. Secondly; a choice is set before you this day, my friend ( not to sound too ominous ); you can take the blue pill & go back to sheep, continuing your mind-numbingly painful existence, or you can take the red pill & wake up to the realization that it's not all about you & the 'Murican Dream, that we are here not just to wake up, but to help others wake up. '"Will it really be all that painful?" Hell yes! But it will be SO worth it!

Back now, to those troublesome words of Jesus; it almost goes without saying that every action we take, with the possible exception of pure animalistic ( instinctual ) behavior, begins in the Mind. We must determine a course of action, whether consciously or unconsciously, before our brain sends the necessary signals to the constituent elements, our hands & feet. Even still, these signals often tend to get fucked up! Once we remember Who We are though ( this would be another reason for 'Ascension', as some have called it), these signals, almost bypassing the brain, coming directly from our High, or Innermost Self are longer garbled; In Essence, "no more fucking up!" 

( This is also why Science & Technology can never be our Savior; They rely on the Mind/Brain! )

Although Jesus WAS simply the Jewish Messiah, as I've often posited, in this sense, He could be perceived as our Salvation! I say, "in this sense", because as I've also previously stated, Jesus came to show His people that they too could awaken the Potential Within & become Gods, doing what He did & More. As the Jewish Messiah, some might be tempted ( some have ) to say, "Jesus failed!" Did He though?! Yes, one might well say, there might not be a lot of available evidence that He did much waking up. This may seem to be the case, but then again, "what about thinking outside the Box ( or Book ) for a change?" No, there is not a lot of plain, in-your-face biblical evidence ( though it IS there if you care to open your Mind ), but what about places the biased transliterators chose not to go? For instance, "what do you think the chances are that the word of Jesus, if not Jesus Himself. might have traveled as far ( "from east to west" ) as  the Americas, India, China? The possibilities are Infinite!

In the Christian Mindset, which is what I was raised with, the very idea that we, as mere human beings, could do "greater works" than Jesus Himself is approaching blasphemy, playing with Fire, so to speak. Yet, that is exactly what we're doing, my friends; We ARE playing with Fire, the same Fire that Jesus played with! Like the fabled woman ( Matthew 9:18-26, Mark 5:22-43, Luke 8:41-56 ) that was healed by her faith, we too can heal ourselves & help our world heal by grasping Infinity!

Namaste' & Blessed Be

Sage Charles

To Stand Again; the Resurrection of the Christ

"She is risen"

Religiously speaking, the meaning of this short, somewhat enigmatic phrase is that, along with the orthodox understanding of "He is risen", referring to the Resurrection of Jesus, His Bride, the Church is risen as well. This is a bit of an ambiguous statement, being interpreted anywhere from the fulfilled ( preterist ) perspective to a future physical resurrection to somewhere in between ( though closer to the latter end of the spectrum ) which might be called the 'already/not yet' position. It is the former perspective which I adhered to in the last days of my Journey through Christianity. As far as that goes, I still believe that Jesus' own Resurrection ( anastasis ) was indicative of a far greater truth, that of the spiritual resurrection of those He came to atone for, His Jewish & Gentile brethren. Nowadays, my understanding is that Jesus came to show His People, Jew & Gentile, how they might themselves become One again ( At-one-ment ) with the Christ Within, the Potential that lies buried deep within every adult human being ( I say "adult", because It is much closer to the surface in children ). This phrase might also be understood as referring to the rise of the Divine Feminine, or in Essence the standing again in Power of the matriarchy as opposed to the patriarchy which has enjoyed the ascendancy for almost 2,000 years. More on this later...................

Known as 'Holy Week', this week includes, starting tomorrow, 'Ash Wednesday', 'Maundy Thursday' & 'Good Friday', all leading up to the traditional celebration of Easter on Sunday. This week also wraps up the Lenten Season, which began on February 22nd this year & ends on Thursday, May 6th.  As the Story goes, Jesus, who was set ( ready ) to celebrate the Jewish Passover with His disciple, instituted what is now known as 'The Lord's Supper', though it could be argued that He was the main meal! But all jokes aside, as we also know from the rest of the Story Jesus ended up dying on the Cross & rising again from the dead on 'the third day'.  Now, whether one chooses to posit their faith in this Story & view it as a factual account or simply perceives it as metaphorical of a greater spiritual truth, it should be crystal clear that this was no ordinary Man! Or WAS He?!

"As above, so below"; "Jesus came to show His People, Jew & Gentile, how they themselves might become One again with the Christ Within". Jesus WAS the Messiah to the Jews, yes & though many claim Him as THEIR Messiah today, including those who are neither Jew nor Gentile, He WAS a Man & thus was the Messiah to His People ( the Jews ) alone! Strangely enough, most, if not all orthodox Jews are still looking for THEIR Messiah! 

If one is a Bible-believing Christian, orthodox or not, they must exercise a great amount of faith to accept the literal account, whereas the metaphorical perspective opens up at least two possibilities. One is that the Story was indicative of our own spiritual Resurrection; the other is that the Story is cosmological, referring to the process that we go through when we crucify ourselves by realizing/awakening the Christ Potential within us. Call It 'Ascension', call it 'Kundalini Rising'; this process awakens the Goddess ( or 'God' ) Within by allowing the spinal fluid ( some say 'consciousness' ) to rise through the spinal column, by way of the chakras till it reaches the Crown Chakra, which is our link to Divinity. The crucifixion occurs after we have crossed the Bridge, somewhere between the Heart & Throat Chakras. In Essence, we begin to die to the lower, or animal nature & stand again in our Truth, that of our Higher, or Divine Nature!

Metaphorically speaking, we must die to our lower nature before we can realize our Divinity. Now, before we go too far down the rabbit hole, I'm not saying that we should literally 'kill' or even ignore our animal body by denying its 'needs', just that we should not allow our passions & desires to rule, or determine our actions. Rather than allowing mortal fear to lead us, we should lead the way with Love which stems from our Higher Nature, which IS Love Itself! 

To "stand again in our own truth" means that, once we have crossed the Bridge, with the Throat Chakra cleared, we begin to, not only realize, but to speak our truth, the Truth of Who We really are. Who we really are may not be fully evident to us or especially to those around us, but as the saying goes, "once you wake up, it's hard to go back to sheep". In Essence, once the Journey has begun, it's pretty much impossible to turn back. You might even say it's 'Unstoppable'!

I wish I could, but I cannot tell you how to begin your Journey! Everyone's Journey is going to look different, though there are many similarities. For instance, while the same steps, so to speak, must be taken, the order in which they occur & the intensity of their occurrence may differ, depending on factors such as childhood trauma & current environment.I can tell you that an important step on your Journey is the ability to meditate, which again, may look different to any number of people. Some prefer to take up the 'Om' position, while others are more comfortable just sitting in a chair with their hands in their lap. Closing the physical eyes is the general rule, as well as finding a place to meditate with as little distraction as possible, though I believe it's possible to meditate in the midst of all manner of distraction & with your eyes fully open!

For those who have begun their own personal Journey back to the Divine: I don't have to tell YOU that it's a veritable 'bed of roses', complete with ALL the thorns! It's a beautiful, though heart-wrenching Path, but once you've tasted the personal freedom this Path brings, you'll NEVER leave it! Now don't get me wrong; there WILL be times when you'll almost regret your decision to start on this Journey, but then...................you'll get over it!

Back to the Resurrection of the Christ now, most of you probably grew up with the Story that the Bible tells concerning the Man Jesus who become the Son of God by dying for the sins of His People & consequently rising from the dead. Many have faith in this Story & so, for them I believe, it is true! Now, I'm NOT saying that it IS true, or that because they believe the historical MAN Jesus paid for their sins on the Cross, that He did; just that this is THEIR truth, they rest in it. Some of my readers are probably aware that my dad recently passed away; he believed fervently in both the Resurrection & that Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, paid for his sins. I acknowledged at his passing that "he now rests in the arms of his Lord": I believe he did, though I daresay he now knows the Truth!

As a Christian & particularly as a 'preterist', I came to understand that the Greek & Hebrew Scriptures were written a long time ago to a people very far away from us ( though closer than you might think )! As such, the Bible that we read, in its many & varied transliterations, cannot, indeed MUST NOT be read as applying directly to us, though we might make application of many of the principles found therein. For the purposes of this post though, I wish to focus on the fact that the society which we claim, in fact, one might argue, civilization itself, derives from the patriarchal culture brought to the Middle East by the likes of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob. One might wonder though, if the writers of the Bible, in their zealous interpretation of the texts, didn't gloss over certain facts, biased as they were by their own patriarchy!

As a good Jew, Jesus WAS a Man like any other, though He WAS the Son of God! On this subject of subject there has been much discussion & disagreement over the 2,000 some years since He walked the earth; indeed, wars have been fought over it! Jesus WAS the Son of God, although even the Bible says as much of His disciples, of Whom my dad was an avid one. According to the Story, Jesus was both the Son of Man & the Son of God! Indeed, following the Story, He was crucified for this very reason, because as the religious rulers ofl His Day wondered, "How can a Man be God?" 

Jesus was God! No, He wasn't the 'God' they thought He was. He wasn't the petty, patriarchal 'God' they had grown accustomed to & had begun to emulate! Speaking of rabbit holes, I'll readily acknowledge that Jesus did have a few moments in which He exhibited Old Testament God qualities, like cleansing the Temple & later visiting the promised & well-deserved destruction on that same Temple. No, more than that, Jesus proved that a Man could be God, in Essence that he was both Human & Divine.

"She is risen" might mean something different for anybody who hears these words. To some, it might be as simple as a reference to the Church, even if it IS 'already/not yet', but to others it signals the rising again of the Divine Feminine, who for some 2,000 years the Patriarchy has tried to squelch. Jesus, according to most accounts had few female disciples, but the few that slipped through the cracks rank so highly in importance that they're well-nigh impossible to hide!

As We rise to the occasion, let's just hope that this time, the Divine Masculine will be satisfied to fight by Her side!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles