Lost in Metaphor; The X Factor

You may have heard it said that, from conception, all fetuses are female, at least, until the 'Y' chromosome is introduced. Assumably, according to this scientific 'fact', it is at this moment in Time that the male characteristics begin to form, most notably maybe, the penis. Don't get me wrong, I'm not ( necessarily ) disputing this 'fact', just reminding my readers that, unless we have studied or otherwise 'discovered' it for ourselves, we are consigned to taking 'their' word for it!

Personally speaking, that is, humanly speaking, even in the larger context, biologically speaking, there are two different sexes, male & female. As it was put several years ago in a previous post, these two sexes fit together 'like hand in glove'. One might even note that their sexual organs were perfectly mastered for procreation. Of course, for most humans, it is also very pleasurable, in the 'right' context, anyway! With the introduction of contraceptives, of varying sorts & effectiveness, the act of sexual intercourse has almost been rendered irresponsibly 'worry-free'. This is not to say, of course, that sexual intercourse should only be enjoyed for the purposes of procreation, as some have taught in the past, nor is it to say that anyone who engages in this practice, purely for the sake of enjoyment, is therefore acting irresponsibly. I'm merely pointing out that the primary, natural purpose ( for lack of a better word ) for these two organs, the penis & the vagina, along with the usual delivery system ( direct injection?) of the male's sperm to the female's egg, is the creation of a biological host body, which then begins the cycle all over again, in the great Circle of Life!

'Metaphor' can be loosely defined as 'truth told in a way that is not meant to be understood, or taken literally'. It can also be used as a form of symbolism, as in say, certain comic strips or cartoons. Speaking of 'a greater spiritual truth', metaphor can also be used to indicate a deeper meaning, as in statements like 'as above, so below' This statement does not literally mean that what transpires on earth mirrors or represents what is in the 'heavens' or the Universe, although it can most surely carry that intimation; rather, it refers more to the human condition & the undeniable fact that it all begins with the intentions, or thoughts. These intentions may even be unconscious, but as we awaken more & more to our true nature, as spiritual beings, they will manifest more & more in our conscious thoughts & actions.

Our actions betray our thoughts & our true intentions! Whether unconscious or not, whether we are willing to admit or not, our desires most often rule us, at least, humanly speaking. 'As above, so below'; it is in our DNA, so to speak, to use the tools that we have been equipped with naturally, for the purposes ( among others ) of procreation. So not only are we battling the Ego when we endeavor to abstain from sexual intercourse, we are also acting in a way that is contrary to our human nature! Certain religions have instilled in many of us from a fairly early age that it is wrong, or wicked to act on these natural desires prior to marriage ( ? ) & while there seems to be a certain wisdom here, such controlled behavior tends to lead to either sexual frustration or to a marriage based on sex. This is not to say that one cannot or should not exercise self-control in such a situation, just that when one is controlled by outside influences, it rarely, if ever, ends well!

To take literally what was given metaphorically is a big mistake & can lead to a 'world' of trouble! When we misunderstand, for instance, the saying 'as above, so below', we may end up believing that what goes on in this earthly realm perfectly, or literally mirrors what is in the 'heavenly' realm. Or, to bring it even closer, that our actions 'in the flesh', so to speak, mirror our spiritual condition ( ? ). This itself can lead to, as it is also a result of religious conditioning ( some may call it 'brainwashing' ).

The biological 'fact' that we were born into this biology with either a penis or a vagina does not, in itself, determine whether we are male or female! As 'spirit-beings having a physical experience', we are only sojourners in these host-bodies. When this life is over, we continue on for a time as pure spirit ( energy? ), then, when the time is right, we return to this realm to inhabit a different body ( sometimes, a TOTALLY different one! ). In certain circles, in fact largely, the notion of reincarnation has been 'poo-pooed', but when one wakes to the fact of our true nature, it makes all the sense in the 'world'!

In conclusion, then & 'the heart of the matter', so to speak; when we realize that while we may manifest a certain sex, or even gender in this life, that does not mean that we ARE ( defined by ) those characteristics ( penis or vagina - I've heard of people with both ). It simply means that this is the way we have chosen to manifest in this life. Now, before I get myself into too much 'hot water'; some of my readers may be thinking, 'he's opening the door for transgenderism & the like'! Well, maybe I am, maybe I'm not; YOU must judge for yourself, but you must also ask yourself this question; 'if we are More than JUST human beings, if we really ARE spirit-beings having a spiritual experience, as long as we aren't hurting anyone, does it really what gender ( if any ) we choose to manifest?'

Namaste' & Blessed Be!
Charles Haddon Shank

The Journey Revisited

'Life is a Journey, not a Destination!'

It's not about reaching a Goal, whether it be a 'pie-in-the-sky' dream, or some convoluted Hope of the 'Afterlife'! It's about Living & Loving. Some people are so focused on 'The End' that they forget to Live while they are Here, which admittedly, IS a relatively short period of Time. It should be acknowledged though, that there are those who, even with this Convoluted Hope, live consistently according to this Journey Motif. We are all, just as we are ALL the same Energy, on the same Journey, but just as we all are at different stages in our personal Journey, so we each manifest a seemingly different Energy, though it is simply a different level of Energy, a higher or lower Frequency, or Vibration, if you will.

My own personal Journey, especially of late, has been rather difficult, to say the least! So many adjustments are having to be made, so many changes are occurring to me, that sometimes I feel I'm going mad. No, it's not to the point ( yet ) where I'm involuntarily erupting into fits of maniacal laughter, but sometimes I sure feel like it! Life sure takes us on some interesting pathways! I say 'pathways', because, though Life has sure taken on a different sheen of late; it is not like I'm on a different Path: I have simply embarked upon a different pathway, a Higher Plane, if you will. In the Journey of Life we all have our own pathway, our own way to tread, but when it comes down to it, we're all on the same Journey!

Life is a 'funny' thing! The twists & turns It takes often point us in such a different direction from the pathway we thought were on that It almost seems completely foreign to us. My personal Path has taken such a turn. Things I only dreamed about are happening to me, even things that I never even thought of! ( Either that, or I simply would not allow myself to think that way ) It's not, 'as above, so below', that I'm on a different Path now, just that the Path I'm on looks much different than 'The Path' I was taught to follow. I have, in some sense, therefore, left 'the Faith', but I'm still firmly rooted on the Path that I entered upon those many years ago!

'The Journey' will take you where It will! Call It 'Fate', call It 'Predestination', call It what you will; 'Life finds a way', as a man once said. Human beings make choices, yes, even we, as our true selves, as one might say, 'individual spirit beings', Beings of Pure Light, have the ability to choose & so the different levels, the various frequencies we find each other in during whatever stage of the Journey, 'our Journey', that we currently find ourselves on. In the words of another very wise man, it is best to 'Let it be', though the context most definitely determines the personal meaning of his words. Choices must be made, for in the end, that's what It's all about, but call It what you will, Life Itself has a way of turning out as It will, no matter the individual choices that we as human beings make, for Life, contrary to popular opinion, is about More than this biology!

Being More than Human, we must realize that 'Life' IS More than this Biology! The phrase ( mantra, really! ); 'as above, so below' hits hard, for in acknowledging that 'Life is more than this Biology', we also admit that it is not just our personal choices that determine our Path ( our 'stage' of the Journey , not our 'Path', per se ). Life. not unlike the Dynamo of Life, IS the Path & though our choices may determine our course, It is what determines our Path, personally speaking. Life is what It is, so unless we can accept It for what It is, we will be hit with hardship upon hardship, stress upon stress!

'As above, so below'; our choices determine our pathway & 'yes', our pathway IS our own, but Life DOES find a way, so to speak; so though our Life is, in a sense determined by our choices, in the greatest sense & on the other hand, 'It is what It is'. Therefore, in some sense, one might note that It is give & take: we DO have a choice, 'free-will', per se, but ultimately, whether because we must factor in the nebulous choices of 'others' or what; 'Life', as they say, 'is what happens in between our choices'. Life, whatever your definition, DOES find a way, not so much in spite of your choices, as those who believe in 'Fate' might aver, but THROUGH our choices, one might well note!

'The Faith' is what I was raised in, but it is different for 'others'. Not everyone was raised in the same 'Faith' I was, nor indeed was everyone raised to have faith in anyone or anything but themselves! This is not to say, of course, that no one SHOULD have faith in anyone or anything in this Life, because to get ANYWHERE in this Life, one MUST exhibit SOME kind of Faith in 'others'; this is simply to say that while we must take great care WHO we exercise Faith in, in this biology, Life needs Faith in order to subsist or even exist!

'Faith', one might well say, 'is the Foundation of Life ( as we know It )'! Without Faith ( in others or ourselves ( mostly ourselves ) it is impossible to get anywhere in this Life! One must exercise some amount of Faith in 'others' in order for one's own personal plans to come to fruition & of course, Faith in oneself goes without saying, in this respect! In Essence, without Faith in our own several abilities, we would get absolutely nowhere in this thing we call 'Life'!

My personal Journey' 'as above, so below', has been full of twists & turns ( not unlike the proverbial rollercoaster )! Life is 'interesting' to say the least. There are 'ups' & there are 'downs' but that is all personally speaking; spiritually speaking, 'It's all good'! Not simply because everything that 'happens' to us is for our good ( which I STILL believe ), but because, spiritually speaking, we simply ARE; no matter what happens in this biology, to this physicality, WE will always BE, for, being More than Human, our Spirit, being One with the All, persists through & beyond this Biology!

Getting back to our Journey, for it IS OUR Journey, though we each must choose our own respective pathway, we must remember always that we are, each of us, on the same Path, though our frequency, or level of vibration & therefore our personal 'stage' is relatively different! Personally speaking, one might well say that we have chosen our own Path, but one might also wonder, 'has our Path not chosen us?!

Namaste' & Blessed Be,
Charles Haddon Shank

The Center of Knowledge; A Contemplation

Knowledge; 'It is what It is'! The question on the mind of this blogger is, 'What IS It?' Can Knowledge be simply be defined, like Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary does, as 'the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association', or is It, like us, More than what we 'see' on the surface? What if I told you that True Knowledge is gained, not by doing, but by BEing?! In that sense though, one might rightly note that True Knowledge is not gained, but, if you will, 'realized through revelation'. The difference, then, between 'simple' knowledge & True Knowledge is that one is grasped/gotten by the intellect & the other is understood by the Unconscious Mind, or Higher Self.

Humanly speaking, education IS of utmost importance! Without it, people would not get very far, if anywhere in this life. Or, is that simply what we've been taught for so long that we've accepted it 'lock, stock & barrel'? As proof of the 'fallen nature' of humanity, many or most Christians use the example that, 'a child does not have to be taught how to lie, how to act selfishly, etc', when, in actuality, they do! Education, or being taught, as we can all attest to, does not come through verbal means alone. Most often, we adopt the behaviors ( or not; it's ALWAYS a choice ) of those around us. Take, for instance, the proverbial selfishness of children; 'that's MY toy, YOU can't have it!' Does the child innately know that it is her or his toy, simply because she or he has it? Or was the child told, when presented with it, that it was hers or his, that it belonged to THEM?! Not that there is anything inherently wrong with 'ownership' ( ? ). Again, then, did the child selfishly wrest their toy away from the other ( child ) simply out of selfishness ( 'fallen nature' ), or because they observed the behavior of others, children & adults, with THEIR things? Fast-forward as the child matures & falls into the trap of lying ( or not ). If the child is surrounded by liars, he or she will the more easily pick up that pattern. Then again, if they think for themselves, she or he might decide that they don't want to be ensnared in that trap & choose the Truth, even if it hurts, which It most often does!

So we come to the 'Center'. What is meant by 'the Center of Knowledge'? It would only make sense that this refers to the origin of knowledge. In the mind of this blogger, though, that brings us back to the question, 'what IS knowledge?' Maybe that's the crux of the issue though; in our mind, we think we must accrue knowledge, While this is true on this material plane, 'as above, so below', is
'knowledge' simply a learned behavior, an acquired taste, if you will, or is there More to it?! Then again, is True Knowledge acquired, or is it realized? The Gap between the purely mental plane & the spiritual can only be bridged by quieting the mind, through meditation. Getting back to the 'Center', speaking of 'meditation'; centering oneself is well-spoken of as a meditational technique. To 'Center' oneself means just that; in terms of quieting the Mind, it means returning to, remembering where one comes from & who one is; that they are More than simply a human ( intellectual ) being, that, at the heart of it all, at the very core, they are a spiritual being having a physical experience!

At the Center of it all is US! In that sense, then, though what we call 'knowledge' on this physical plane most often comes to us from without, through experiential & environmental means, True Knowledge comes from Within, through our link with the Divine, of which WE are an integral part.  Although, one might well note, we are not Knowledge Itself, it is only through that link with the Divine that True Knowledge comes! It is at this point then, that we must ask ourselves the haunting question, which I've already intimated; 'if our 'knowledge' does not come from the Divine, is It True Knowledge?' In other words, 'can we truly say we 'know' something if it doesn't come from the very Center of our Being?' Put simply, human knowledge, or 'knowledge' as defined by most, if not all dictionaries, comes largely through through the experience of others, not through one's own experience, or link with the Divine. This is not to say that one cannot 'see' Truth through the experience of others, but if one would truly KNOW a thing, one must experience it themselves, through what is called 'the Third Eye' & the spiritual 'Center' of our Being.

As 'spiritual beings having a physical experience', then, though we must needs use our intellectual capacity to operate on this physical or 'material' plane, but when we fail to maintain, or acknowledge our link with the Divine, we are consigned to trusting the experience, or 'knowledge' of others. This is not to say, of course, that we cannot trust the experience of others ( ? ), in particular, on this physical plane, for how are we to say that their knowledge does not come from their own link with the Divine? On the other hand, simply trusting another's 'knowledge' falls into the category of 'blind faith': I'm pretty sure I don't need to tell my readers where THAT can lead!

The Truth often hurts, though not as much as the pain of believing a lie! While learning the Truth for ourselves, after being taught to believe the lie for so long, or simply leaning on someone else's experience, may indeed be itself a painful experience, in the 'end' it will bring us comfort, because we will not simply have acquired 'knowledge'; we will KNOW for certain, in the very Core, or Center of our Being, that a thing is so! It is said, humanly speaking, that 'Knowledge is Power'. True enough, one might note, but if it is not True ( Knowledge ), is it then truly Power, or is it simply Manipulation? 'As above, so below'; if One does not  acquire ( realize ) True Knowledge through their OWN link with Divinity, that one is relegated to believing, with 'blind faith' in whatever 'truth' another person may choose to 'reveal' to them. This is nothing but Manipulation!

The Truth, like Knowledge, like Divinity, for that matter, 'is what It is'; it does not change! Though, again, 'humanly speaking', we may each acquire our own individual truths, or 'knowledge', when that 'truth' or 'knowledge' comes through any other means than through our own experience, or link with Divinity, even & especially through 'blind faith', it must therefore be suspect. By 'suspect', I do not necessarily mean that it is not true, for again, 'It is what It is'!

We ARE 'the Center of Knowledge'! True Knowledge, 'as above, so below', is NOT gained or acquired, It is 'realized by revelation'. Through our link with Divinity, our Higher Self, if you will, we 'see' this Truth, this Knowledge, for what It is & thus claim it for ourselves, not as Power to Manipulate, but as Power to BE!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!
Charles Haddon ( Joy ) Shank

The End of Suffering

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, 

nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

Revelation 21:4 

When's the last time you heard these comforting, but generally misused & misunderstood words? As a 'Christian', I defended this realized hope almost to the death & while I know that I made no enemies over it ( my defense ), I'm pretty certain I didn't make any friends either! As a believer in Realized Eschatology, I adopted the position that the passage above referred to the 'end' of the Hebrew/Jewish paradigm. This is not to say, by any means, that there is no value in these words for today, just that the value popularly attached to them today by the majority of Christians requires quite a bit of textual wrangling!

For most people, Christian or not, it IS a pleasant notion to think that, at some point in Time, we will inhabit a new physicality free of all the pain & suffering that seems to be a part of our daily existence. Never to have to fear losing a loved one to the ravages of Time, much less dying yourself, is a very attractive idea to many, if not most people! Although misplaced, it IS a very valid idea. The crux of the 'matter', so to speak, is the nagging questions, 'who ARE we?' & 'why ARE we here?' The answer to the first question, of course, is pretty obvious, right? I am Charles Haddon Shank; you, reading this, are the person that was born, however long ago, to parents who themselves were born of various parentage. Well, on the surface, 'yes'; that's the obvious answer, but is that the 'reality'? Am I just Charles Haddon Shank? Are you simply the person that a name was attached to at birth? The obvious answer that I'm looking at here is 'no'! You may ask me to prove that. I was brought up to believe that we have an immortal soul that will continue to exist after this Life, either in a mythological 'Heaven' or 'Hell'. No longer do I BELIEVE we HAVE a soul; I KNOW that we ARE a Soul, in Essence, a spiritual being having a physical experience!

In ancient times, people understood more readily, moreso in the Eastern world maybe, that when an 'end' was in view, it referred more to a goal than the cessation of something, whether it be the end of an activity or the end of a life. Thus, the 'end' of this blogpost is not the last you'll read here, but the purpose in my writing, the goal I have in mind for making this 'apology'! Thus, the 'end' of suffering referred to here is not the cessation of suffering, for that is almost a constituent of Life; rather, it is the goal of suffering. 'What IS the goal of suffering?', one might well ask. 'Good question!' Most people who have examined this very pertinent question over the ages have agreed, for the greater part, that the goal of our suffering is anything from learning a necessary lesson ourselves to awakening empathy, either in ourselves or others, depending on who's currently suffering. Suffering, then, is not endless, not just that it doesn't last forever, but that it never occurs for no reason, no matter however irreasonable it may seem!

The 'end of suffering' then, does not & cannot refer to a pain-free existence, for as we've seen, humanly speaking anyway, pain is a constituent element to this Life! Pain is a signal, whether physical or emotional, that something is not as it should be. Not necessarily wrong, but not the optimal condition for our health, again, physically or emotionally speaking. Then again, the two can be, in fact, are very closely related. It has been proven, time & again, that emotional pain leads to physical pain! 'As above, so below' is a concept that may be applied here. Pain doesn't necessarily always begin with our emotions; sometimes physical pain is simply caused by something as simple as stubbing one's toe or turning one's ankle. Even in such cases though, the cause could well be linked to our subconscious desires & thus, to our emotions!

Emotions are a 'funny' thing! Whether perceived as 'positive' or 'negative', emotions, like the Ego, are neither 'good' nor 'bad'; they just ARE. How we respond to those emotions, however, is where the 'good' or 'bad' is perceived: in essence, either the positivity or negativity. Again, our reaction/response to what Life seems to haphazardly 'throw our way' determines, to some extent anyway, how our emotions are perceived. Sometimes we have no control over what 'happens' to us in the course of a lifetime, but we ALWAYS have a choice as to how we respond to the things that DO 'just happen'. Of course, our human need to control is part of the problem!

Suffering, whether emotional or physical, 'as above, so below', has many different causes, though we usually can only blame ourselves! Again, the 'heart of the issue' is in our chosen response to any given situation. The human condition lends to our emotional status, being part & parcel with it. Again, there is nothing wrong with having emotions  ( biologically speaking, they're built in ). There is nothing bad even, about BEING emotional ( again, humanly speaking, we ARE emotional creatures ). The problem, 'the heart of the issue', so to speak, surfaces when we allow our emotions to rule us, to determine how we are going to react to any given situation. Heading the obvious question off at the pass; 'yes, certain emotional responses can turn out okay, but even here we must be careful; we may respond in a positive manner out of a sort of emotional love, but the next moment in a negative manner, for our emotions often change like the weather!'

Nobody likes to suffer! Even though we know when we're deserving of our suffering, for whatever reason, we usually endeavor to alleviate, if not escape altogether, the rewards of our particular 'crime'. 'Many people', I should say, act thusly, but there are some who most willingly 'own up' to the perceived wrong they've done. Knowing that, to truly learn their lesson, the law of karma must & will be fulfilled, they willingly submit to said law & suffer the penalty of their particular crime. Suffering, however, is not always a punishment for one's own negative ( or positive ) actions; some people suffer for the actions of others, willingly even, in some cases!

Suffering, even when there is an 'end' in mind, even in sight, is not a very pleasant notion. However, it IS made somewhat easier when the 'end' IS in sight, for then, we can take comfort in the fact that we're not suffering for no good reason. We have better assurance that, not only is our suffering almost over; our goal is almost reached! These goals are not always 'selfish', either, for 'as above, so below', there are those who quite willingly suffer for the mistakes of others, so that others do not have to endure the consequences of their own actions. Though almost admirable, this is not the wisest course of action, in fact, it most often 'backfires' in the most horrible manner! When we suffer for the deeds of others, not only do we suffer needlessly, noble as we may think it sounds; we also deprive the wrong-doer of the lesson he or she may have stood to learn!

'Can we look forward to the cessation of suffering, as many, if not most people ( not just Christians ) are taught to look forward to?' 'SHOULD we focus on such a goal?!' Surprisingly, the answer to both questions is a resounding 'YES'! The answer here is in the affirmative because we can end our suffering in this life! 'What', some may ask, 'will you then kill yourself?!' This is why most people commit suicide, in the reckoning of this blogger; they don't see an 'end' to their suffering, except to 'end' their life. But there IS a better way! That Way is to make a choice, hard as it may seem. Funny as it might sound, suffering is a choice! 'Whoah', you might be thinking, 'this guy's really gone off the deep end!' But hear me out; I'm not referring simply to human suffering. In fact, I'm not really referring to human suffering, except as an effect of our spiritual condition. 'As above, so below'; we are spiritual beings having a physical experience, thus, if we choose, in our spirit, to suffer, this suffering will manifest in our flesh. If, on the other hand, we choose instead, not to allow ourselves to suffer, no matter what occurs to our flesh, we can remain untroubled, for we KNOW there is an 'end' to our pain, humanly speaking.    

'Should we then, focus on the 'end' of our pain & suffering?' Of course we should! We should realize that, not only is suffering a constituent element to the 'day-to-day', it is also a choice. Simple as it may sound, it is not an easy task. Like our Emotions, the Ego gets in the way, making us play the part of the Victim, or else making us react in a negative way, partaking in their karma, even creating our own. Like, yet unlike the misplaced hope referred to at the beginning of this post, we should endeavor, not to become emotionless, but to focus our attention on who we really are & why we're really here.  'Who we really are & why we're really here' are questions that I will leave my readers to answer!

Namaste' & Blessed Be, 
Charles Haddon Shank

'Train up a Child............'; The Rebirth of Bil Dona

As Apologies go, this is not the best I have ever heard, but then again, it's not the worst. This was related to me by Mr. Bil Dona & I have written it down here for the consideration of my readers, to the best of my abilities.

'I was brought up in a fairly strict Christian setting. My parents both had a somewhat baptistic background, thus having been raised themselves, to varying degrees, in Christian households. So, as the case may be, I was brought up to mind my 'P's & 'Q's, in a manner of speaking. As a child, though for the most part, I behaved as I was expected to, I harbored a very rebellious streak! Somewhere between the ages of 10 & 12 ( more toward the lower end of the spectrum, I think ), I experienced something that scared the 'hell' out of me', so to speak. Right then & there, I decided I didn't want that to happen to me, so I 'accepted Jesus as my personal Lord & Savior', just like I'd been taught. That 'event', if you would know, was a certain part of a film by a popular Christian evangelist, that involved the burning of witches, which, as I'd also been taught, were an abomination to the 'God' of the Bible, 'Yahweh Elohim' of the Hebrews. I barely missed being baptized in water ( dunked ) on the spot, as several of my brothers were being baptized into the Baptist 'faith' several days later: I had not quite made up my mind about that yet! Several years later, though I had narrowly escaped being 'whelmed' in the waters of baptism, I did receive 'baptism by sprinkling', at my father's behest.

As I grew in the 'faith', particularly as I neared the later teenage years, I began to question certain of the things I had been & was being taught! My rebellious streak was beginning to show, faintly at first, but growing bolder all the time! Several years later, when I finally screwed up the courage, 'with a little help from my friends', to 'strike out on my own', I made a small leap & more or less began to establish myself as a bit of a pariah. I may have been accepted as a 'Christian', but some of the questions I was posing & some of the ideas I was espousing were pretty 'heretical'! One thing led to another as my Journey continued & I strayed farther from the 'faith' I had been brought up in! I never left the 'Path' that my Journey had started me on, oh, so long ago, but it had begun to look a bit different than the one in which my parents had trained me.

With the passage of Time, Life itself began to show me that things were not always as they seemed, especially as I'd been taught to believe. Events began to 'happen' in the midst of my Journey that convinced me that my 'faith' didn't have the answers I needed. Not only the questions of Life on our good Mother Earth, but even theological questions like, 'who or what really IS 'up there'?'; 'IS there SOMEONE 'up there'?!' It occurred to me, for instance, that the 'God' of the Bible, though usually pretty patient with 'His' own, wasn't really fundamentally much different than the 'Allah' of Islam! Then there came the experiences with the Teaching of the Masters of the Far East; 'that was a real 'Eye' opener, let me tell you!' If people thought I was a heretic before....................

So, fast forward to the 'Now', as I sit here having coffee with a new, yet very old acquaintance, relating my previously untold Story ( thus far ); I have begun to explore the very thing which 'scared the hell out of me' in the first place'! Witches, I have learned, are not inherently 'evil', as I had been taught. Witchcraft was not 'of the devil' as our Bible clearly told us! Witches are simply Guardians of the Earth & their Purpose is simply to remind us who we are & where we came from. As more of a Way of Life, like, yet unlike Christianity, Witchcraft in general & Wicca in particular holds to no such dogma as the Big Three ( Judaism, Christianity & Islam ). They follow this 'creed' & this only, that 'an ye harm none, do what ye will'. Even according to the Bible, one might note, the Earth is our Mother! I myself began to realize this & other comforting Truth as my Journey continued to motivate me along the Path of Life. I had not strayed from the 'Path' in all my manifold & manifest ramblings, I had simply gone where it led me, instead of where everyone else around me seemed to believe it led!

Life is a 'funny' thing, I was quickly learning; It was not what It seemed! Truth had a way of revealing Itself, whether it came in a package from the Far East, or was bottled up in Western 'rigmarole'. I was taught that Life was made up solely of 'absolutes', or black & white, but I was beginning to see that there are as many shades of grey involved as there are different people. Whatever 'God' you pray to, even if it's simply your Higher Self, as long as you live your own life, not intruding on others or bringing harm to them, you ARE on the Path, no matter what you have been taught to believe!

Rebellious though I may be, my religious upbringing is not a cause of regret to me! If I had not been brought up to believe the way I had, in all probability, I would not be where I am right now. Where I AM is a good place, a Place of Peace, a 'place' where I am at peace with where I have been, where I am NOW & where I am headed. I have learned that I am like a turtle; I carry my Home with me. My new mantra, 'it is what it is', has made Life so much easier! Simply letting Life, like yourself, just BE has brought a much-needed freedom. When we go through Life not trying to be 'judge, jury & executioner' ( even if we leave the 'executioner' part up to 'the powers that be' ), we are freed up to focus more on our own part, our own responsibilities in Life; but I digress.........................

My Life is a blessed one! I have seen much in my relatively short Journey, much that others in my 'world' have refused to see & much I haven't seen that others in my ever-expanding 'world' have seen. I know that there is much more ( infinitely so ) for me to explore; 'the realms of possibility are endless'! One might note that I've come ( some would say 'strayed' ) a long way, but I realize that I've got a long way to go; you might even say 'I've only just begun'!'

So ended our conversation, as far as my failing memory serves me. Bil's Story is not so far from my own experience, nor, I imagine, some that might read this account. Though our personal Journey might not exactly match that herein, or even show much semblance at all, I can only imagine that most who peruse this account will find something here that resonates with their Spirit, the Divinity that rests Within each & every one of us!

Namaste' & Blessed Be,
Charles Haddon Shank

The Guardian

Rising majestically from the ashes, slowly flapping her great wings of fyre, Sa'phyna ascended into the air! Clouds filled the air around her, clouds of dust, steam & even some that were chock-full of moisture. The beating of her giant wings may have seemed to just stir things up, but they also had a calming effect. The flight she was now embarking on was one of Mercy, Truth & Love. Sa'phyna winged her way over the City below with a watchful eye. Things seemed quiet enough, but She knew, from Her own experience, the Storm brewing just beneath the relatively calm surface. Life, She had noticed, was often like that; things often appeared calm & peaceful, but more often than not, there was an active volcano ready to violently thrust its way skyward!

Her Journey, unbeknownst to Her for years, was one that had consumed Her entire Life, thus far! Sa'phyna knew that it was not over either, nor would be so anytime soon. Since her Rebirth, it seemed It had only just begun, She had been instilled with New Purpose, even a Second Chance, so to speak. She had begin a New Path, only it was not a new one. Neither was it necessarily a totally New Purpose; it was more like she had been rejuvenated for Her Purpose, Her Intentions, so now found She had more Freedom to fulfill those intentions.

Ashes still dripping from Her flaming pinions, Sa'phyna circled in the air above Her little town. She kept an Eye out for any form of trouble. As She soared over the City, She noticed the heaviness in the air; She could smell the Fear wafting up from below! Not only that, She could feel it with every fiber of her glowing Being! Although it didn't affect Her Flight or Purpose ( it only served to strengthen Her Intentions ), She was still somewhat sad, even incensed, by the feeling. Her New Life had not freed Her from these memories, these feelings, only filled her with Strength to face the Day. No more did She wallow in these feelings, allowing the ashes of Her storied past to keep Her down; now She soared above the clouds of Despair, enjoying the Freedom She'd always had, just never realized!

'Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose', Sa'phyna seemed to remember from long ago & far away. As Her Journey had progressed, She had begun to realize the true meaning behind those simple words. They meant that it is only without attachment that one is truly free! ( 'It should go without saying, of course, that 'without attachment' does not mean that one doesn't care for or about thing on this earthly plane!' ) Not that there's anything necessarily wrong with feeling a sort of attachment to things, persons or otherwise, She knew; that's a constituent element to this Life. No, the problem crops up when we become so attached that we begin to identify with the thing we're attached to, even if it's simply our own body, this mortal vehicle we have chosen to traverse our Path in!

With this Realization, Sa'phyna had learned, over Her relatively short life in this iteration, to soar above it all! To simply allow things to happen, without the unnecessary worry over whether this was wrong or that was right. To simply embrace Life for what it is, without reacting in judgement to what happened around Her in the natural course of things. She knew that what was important was Her own actions & that as long as those were in Order, She was Free to do what She knew to be right & good. Even though many around her were consumed by Guilt & Fear, Sa'phyna knew that, as long as She was attached to them, as She once had been, She could never truly enjoy Her Freedom.  No longer did She Fear, as She once had, what dreams may come!

With Her newfound Freedom flowing as the wind beneath Her wings, Sa'phyna, with Her Renewed Purpose, winged Her way over the quiet little town She had chosen. This was Her town, Her Charge. She would remain in this Life & fulfill Her Purpose in this Iteration! No More would She allow the Fear of Attachment to engulf Her; She was Free to pursue the Life & Charge she had given Herself!

The Rain, which had been waiting to fall from the clouds, had begun, almost unnoticed, to cleanse the landscape beneath Her! Sa'phyna experienced a feeling of Joy She had never previously known, though She had felt its vestiges! While the Cleansing Rain cleared the air of the Threatening Clouds, Sa'phyna shared with those below the Freedom that they too could enjoy, if only they freed themselves. 'If you want to be free, be free' were some refreshing words that flowed through Her ancient memory as well. A bit of Sadness remained, though, in Her experience, for Sa'phyna realized too, that though She & the Rain fulfilled their several Purpose, it was still up to the Individual to set Him or Herself Free! With this feeling of Joy, Sa'phyna continued to wing Her Flight, tirelessly & effortlessly, over Her Charge, knowing that all would be Well!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!
Charles Haddon Shank

Spirits of the Earth?

First of all, what do we mean by 'spirit'? Depending on the context, of course, it can be used in several different ways. One might use it in the sense of  'the spirit of a thing', often referring to the motivation of a person or group engaged in a certain activity. Then again, coming from a Christian perspective, it is used to refer to the third 'person' of the Trinity ('God-head' ). The Christian 'God' is 'Himself' a spirit/Spirit, according to the Bible. What one calls 'spirit', another may simply refer to as 'Energy'. 'What is the difference?', one might well ask. According to certain mages, 'everything is made up of Energy'. Then again, there are those that attach an individuality, or persona, to this Energy, calling them 'spirits', for good or evil. This is not to say that, as a Collective, 'made up of Energy', we, as human beings, don't wear masks, for we do; we each wear our individuality like a garment. All human beings ( animals too ) have their own unique ( individual ) personality, or spirit. This is how we operate in this biological world!

Most popularly attributed to Albert Einstein, the phrase, 'Everything is Energy', though it sounds fairly simple & straight-forward, is really a complex statement. 'If everything is energetic in its makeup, does that by extension mean that everything has an individual spirit?' Of course, such a question is based on the presupposition that the two words convey the same meaning. 'If 'Energy' is what motivates everything, why doesn't everyone have the same amount, or even the same sort of Energy? For that matter, why do some people have a different 'spirit' than others? At the heart of the matter, whether one refers to their 'God' as Spirit, or universally applies the term 'Energy', it should go without saying that Whatever/Whoever is 'behind the curtain', so to speak, 'It' is what motivates every individual, indeed, everything that grows!

It almost goes without saying, though it may have become lost in the translation, that Paganism, at its roots anyway, predates Christianity & both the other major world religions ( Islam & Judaism ) by thousands of years. Often equated with the term 'heathen', the term 'Pagan' is derived from the Latin 'paganus' & simply means 'country-dweller'. Pagan, as a religious descriptor, simply means, in the understanding of this blogger, that the practitioner follows the Old Ways, that is to say, the rituals of the pre-Christian world. Of course, we should take into account as well, that even after the 'birth' of Christianity, there were many who still practiced, in secret mostly, the 'rituals' they had been accustomed to for 'ages'. One the other hand, there are those as well who have rightly noted how many of those 'Pagan' practices, including rituals & symbolism, were integrated into, even at the heart of what became known as 'Christianity'!

Christianity, of course, is typically based on the life & teaching of Jesus, who was 'the Christ', or 'The Anointed One'', the Messiah of the Jews. Though again, much has been lost in the translation, Christianity has become almost synonymous with religious dogma that, unless you fully subscribe to, you cannot enter 'the Kingdom of Heaven'. In fact of the matter, unless you believe, if only in word, everything taught by this religion, you will almost certainly end up on the wrong side of Eternity! On the other hand, most who call themselves 'Pagan' have no such dogma. For the most part, they believe, as it should be, in 'live & let live', in essence, 'an ye harm none, do what ye will'. Even Christian teaching, aside from dogma, says not much if anything different.  Paganism, put simply, teaches that all life is sacred!

Unfortunately, Christianity, as a religion ( institutional or not ) has become more focused on believing this or that dogma ( this goes for the other major world religions as well ), while Paganism, in its 'umbrella' of religious purviews, is focused more on doing, whether it be as simple as picking up trash along the side of the road, or in living a life, as far as possible, in perfect union & communion with all of nature. This is not to say that belief is necessarily a bad thing ( 'we gotta start somewhere, right?' ), for, depending on what one truly believes; their beliefs will manifest in action. If, for instance, one truly believes 'an ye harm none...........................' , that one will live by those words, that belief. However, if one believes certain dogma & henceforth acts accordingly.....................

Paganism, as an 'umbrella' religion, is basically an earth-based ( rather than 'Heaven'-based ) way of Life. The notion that the earth, besides being sacred in & of Herself, holds all that is necessary for the continuation of Life is prevalent! The Wiccan Rede, as iterated earlier, 'an ye harm none, do what ye will' is a good representative statement for this religion! For the most part, if not in whole, Pagans are not taught to be judgemental of other religions! Sad to say, but of what other major world religion can we say this? Of course, whether because of conditioning or some other environmental factor, some people, no matter their chosen ( professed? ) religion, are just plain assholes. Only Perfect Love & Perfect Trust can change that. The Energy that we put into our religion, our daily practice, will return to us, sooner or later, in the same form that we 'sent' it!

Though we all, individually speaking anyway, are motivated by differing energies; at heart, there is but One Energy that moves us. The problem, if 'problem' you would call it, is that most people are so focused on these differing, individual energies, that they forget what motivates us all! Pure Love is what rests at the very center of our being! With the cares & worries of  'the everyday', though, many or most have forgotten this, forgotten who they really are. For the most part, with our forgetfulness, we have seemingly 'zeroed in', in our individuality, on what we THINK matters, totally bypassing what really matters, love for our neighbor. Then again, our 'neighbor' is not just the individual that lives in our 'world'; our 'neighbor' is really US!

'Energy'? 'Spirit'? As we've seen, both of these terms can be applied, in a fairly general way, both individually & Collectively. As a Collective, at the very core of our Being, Energy is in our DNA! 'Spirit', in some sense, can be closely related, although it should be noted that this is, in many ways, more of an individual term. Coming from a Christian background, of course, this blogger is very familiar with the term being applied biblically, as in 'the spirit will return to God who gave it' ( Ecclesiastes 12:7 ), or in reference to 'the Holy Spirit'. Individually speaking, then, we're all more or less familiar with the American Indian's reverence for 'the Great Spirit', with their fondness for 'spirit animals' & such. On the other hand though, 'the other side of the coin', so to speak, while some people obviously manifest different 'energies' than others, 'as above, so below', it is only because they have forgotten who they really are, for the same Energy is at the heart of all Creation!

In conclusion; 'it is, as always, a matter of Choice'! We are, in a biological sense, individuals with differing 'spirits', different 'energies'; there is no escaping that while we remain in this Biology. But this is where Choice comes into play. We can choose whether to manifest from the Universal 'Spirit', or 'Energy' that motivates all Life, or we can choose to manifest our own ( selfish? ) 'spirit', no matter the cost to our 'neighbor' & ultimately, to ourselves! The choice is yours, dear reader, so as always; 'Choose Wisely' & Namaste'!

Blessed Be,
Charles Haddon Shank

'Social Distancing'; What the Actual Hell!

Before  I begin my 'rant', I want to make two things absolutely clear; I realize that I'm not going to make any friends by writing this & I'm not at all advocating unsafe or unhealthy practices, 'social' or otherwise! That said; let's begin..................

This is NOT just about the 'coronavirus'! Let that sink in............................... There is more at stake here than mere longevity of human life. If my readers are wondering what the hell I mean by that; I will readily admit that much of what you're about to read ( if you so choose ) strays into that shady grey area often termed 'conspiracy theory'! It goes without saying that there IS something to this 'virus', though one might well wonder if it is worthy of the 'hype' surrounding it! Okay, so while there might be a bit more to it, scientifically speaking ( depending on who's speaking ), a 'coronavirus' is basically no different than 'the common cold' ( 'rhinovirus' ). 'Conspiracy theorists' have targeted, among other things, the advent of the formidable '5G' as one of the main causes behind, not just the spread of this 'novel' coronavirus, but the very genesis of the dis-ease itself! The statement has been made that this particular 'virus' was first 'hatched', then released by a 'bio-weapons facility' in Wuhan, China, whether in response to trade embargoes, or some such other terrorist plot. Though this may be a bit overmuch, one has to wonder if there isn't something to this 'theory; in which case, we should exercise greater care! However, as there is no actual 'proof' of this sinister plot, while we SHOULD exercise great care, neither should we give into 'the Fear Factor' like so much of our great nation ( in particular ) seems to have done!

This post is NOT about 'Covid-19'!  Whatever one may think about the novel coronavirus that is currently running its course through some parts of our world, as a wise man once said, 'there is nothing to fear but Fear itself'! This is not at all to say that there is no cause for concern here, for there is MUCH to be concerned about, least of all, the health hazards involved in mere exposure to this 'virus', especially for those with an already compromised immune system. To those with a healthy immune system, there is really no more to be concerned about, in my opinion, than the care one should exercise anyway, when dealing with such health issues!  'As above, so below'; the more important matter at hand is not the 'coronavirus' itself, but what it is doing to our world, or rather, the travesty that is being 'foisted' on our world through means of it! Simply by saying 'through means of it'; it should be clear that, 'conspiracy theory' be damned, there is more, much More, going on than what first meets the eye ( it does not take much to realize how adept the governments of this world are at 'sleight-of-hand' )! Given this somewhat alarming fact, should we then join the majority of our fellow citizens & continue to spread the Fear as if we are spreading the 'virus' itself; 'are we contributing to the cause of this dis-ease'?!'

'Dis-ease' ( most often without the 'dash' ) is popularly defined as, 'a disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant,'. Ultimately, it speaks of something that makes us, as a person, uneasy,' in essence, at 'dis-ease'! In that case, there is much in this world of ours, of daily occurrence, that puts us at 'dis-ease', or at least 'it should'!  Something that jumps to MY mind, humanly speaking, is of course, the abortion issue. This terrible issue happens to be the 'pet peeve' of many of our ( older ) generation, though it affects the younger 'generation' as well. Abortion, though, is not the main issue! Though it IS an important one, the main issue is one of 'the heart' ( 'from which come the issues of life' )! 'The Heart of the Issue' is where it all begins: when we have dis-ease in our 'hearts', it spreads like a virus to the rest of our body! By 'the heart', of course, I'm simply referring to the individual soul, that which, as human beings, makes us 'tick'. The True 'Heart' of the issue is that most people have forgotten who they really are! We are More than human beings; at our very Core, we are an inseparable part of the Collective Divine! Without getting into the cosmology of it all, we have, in the majority, forgotten that & so limited ourselves to simply being human, 'eating, sleeping & shitting'
( 'working' should be in there somewhere ) as the 'sheeple' we have been trained to be!

For 'sheeple', 'doing what we're told' is not even questionable! Oh sure, we 'LOVE' to complain about our misery, but when it comes down to it, 'that's just the way it is'; 'we can't change it, so why fight it?' Right? Wrong! Our first mistake, as individual souls ( human beings ), is forgetting that we ARE the Masters of our own  Destiny! As individuals, we ALWAYS have a Choice; 'Act or React'. We can either Act in Love, knowing who we are & where we're going, or we can React to the Fear, not knowing who we are, trusting to some benevolent ( or NOT ) Force outside of ourselves, leaving our Destiny & thus our overall health, in someone else's Hands. Now, before anyone has a 'hissy-fit', I'm not saying that to React to the Fear is in itself necessarily a bad thing; being assailed by Fear has become constituent ( though not necessary ) with being human! Again, we have a choice; 'HOW do we React to the Fear that assaults us on a daily basis ( especially in these turbulent times )?' We can choose to flounder in 'the Pit of Despair', giving in to the Fear, or we can choose to 'rise above it all', remembering Who we really are, that we are More than this Biology, More than Mere Humanity!

Being More than human means that 'we do NOT have to do what we're told!' ( 'shocking', I know, right?! ) 'SHOULD we do as we're told?' That depends on what we're told! Speaking from personal experience, even if we're told to do what is 'right & good', the tendency is often to do the exact opposite, though our natural inclination is to do what is 'right & good' ( I'm SUCH a rebel! )! However, if we're told to do something that we feel is wrong ( 'immoral' ), even if we're told it's for the 'right' reasons ( 'greater good', or some such bullshit ), we SHOULD NOT, DO NOT have to do it; 'as above, so below', there is ALWAYS a Choice!

At the risk of sounding negative, the dis-eaase which unnaturally resides within the human ( individual ) soul quickly spreads to the biological marvel they inhabit! Because we feel in our 'heart of hearts' that we are not doing what is 'right & good', because we have become 'sheeple', doing what we're told, rather than what we KNOW to be Just & True, we are thus conflicted, not only having forgotten WHO we are, but what IS Just & True! This 'dis-ease', or 'unease' can only be 'cured' by remembering Who we are & that What we are is Justice & Truth Itself! No vaccine will ever cure what ails us! It may for a time alleviate our symptoms, but it will NEVER bring us lasting peace from our dis-ease. No outside source, for that matter, can do so; as above, so below', the genesis of Truth is within, NOT without. Like any drug, what comes from outside ourselves only treats the symptoms; it cannot heal the disease; THAT comes from Within!

Namaste' & Blessed Be,
Charles Haddon Shank

The Fourth Horseman Rides Again; the Fear Factor

'Again; I am not a scientist!' The best or worst I, or any of us can do is to do our research, taking the word of those who are accredited scientists, or else, those we trust who have, in their turn, done their research. From what I have heard, this particular 'coronavirus' ( COVID-19 ) is a bit more insidious than the 'normal' flu virus we are used to. Without trying to get into all the intricacies of the virus, unless we are scientists ourselves, we seem to have no choice but to take 'their' word for it: either way, we have a choice, give into the Fear Factor, or not. We should take necessary precautions, yes, but 'shouldn't we be doing that anyway?' ( especially around this time of year )

'No, I'm NOT saying there is nothing to be concerned about', that if we can somehow get past the fear, it ( 'coronavirus' ) won't affect us - like as not, some who are now exhibiting flu-like symptoms are infected, if not with the 'terrifying' COVID-19, with some form of the coronavirus. Taking the necessary precautions, such as doing what we can to keep up our immune system, washing our hands as often as we feel is necessary & generally staying away from large crowds, especially if there is much coughing or sneezing & sniffling going on, are several ways to safe-guard against contracting  anything, much less the 'dreaded' coronavirus ( COVID-19 ). 'Should we be worried, though, about what may come?' 'If we worry about it, does that necessarily mean that we've given in to the 'Fear Factor'?' Well, actually, 'yes'! Worry causes stress & stress is one of the biggest causes, if not the biggest cause, of dis-ease! One doesn't have to be a scientist to know that stress weakens the immune system. It's been proven to cause heart conditions ( palpitations, etc. ) When we stress about certain factors, the factors themselves, real or imagined, tend to become a reality. This would explain much of what is going on in the world today!

'Fear or Faith', especially among Christians, has become somewhat of a catch-phrase. During times like this, in particular, the tendency is to Fear, whether it's the impending demise of our humanity or the unknown ( ? ). Faith ( whether in Someone or Something outside themselves to save/protect them, or in their own ability, as far as that goes, to protect/save themselves )  is not necessarily the opposite of Fear. Faith, at its most basic, is belief. If one believes that this or that 'God' will protect them, it can be rather comforting, but on the other hand, to have that same faith in one's own ability to protect themselves, while it can also bring a certain level of comfort, it can bring an almost overwhelming sense of responsibility as well!

In this day & age, particularly here in the good ole' U. S. of A., the majority of Americans don't seem to do very well with responsibility. Take the seat belt law, for instance, How much sense does it take to wear a seat-belt if you're traveling at 70mph at night through an area known to be populated by deer ( or other wildlife )? For that matter, how smart IS it to be traveling at 70mph through an area known to be populated by deer?! Speed limits themselves are another proposition. The list could go on, but the point IS, the reason we have such 'laws' is that so many have given up their responsibilities. With responsibility, of course, comes freedom, or rather, vice versa; so then, when responsibility is given over to someone else, the federal government, for instance, freedom naturally follows!

Coming full circle, so to speak, how much sense does it take to exercise the usual precautions? We should be washing our hands, keeping our immune system up, etc., etc. anyway, but especially during 'flu season'! Because of the carelessness of people ( AKA, 'irresponsibility' ), we have what we now see, not only throughout the 'civilized' world, but in our own country. Not only is the CDC telling us what we can/should or can't/shouldn't do, but some areas of our own country are seeing indications of martial law! Certain other countries are in even worse situations. Intercontinental traffic, to whatever extent, has pretty much been stalled & there has even been talk of closing borders. We're hearing of mandatory vaccinations & some businesses are being forced to close up shop. All because of irresponsibility: if people would simply exercise responsibility themselves ( which some do, to whatever extent ), we most likely wouldn't be seeing the federal government taking the measures they are, or even the spread of the 'coronavirus' itself!

As before, conspiracy theories abound as to how this virus 'escaped'! One such story is that it came from eating an incorrectly cooked bat ( ? ). One might hear phrases like 'biological warfare' being bandied around! However this viral outbreak came about; the actuality of it is that what is happening because of it & the natural Fear it engenders around the world has brought much of the business world to a veritable standstill. Though this might prove to be devastating to financial markets around the world ( it's already had quite an effect ), the overall effect that it will likely have on the world's economies, to say nothing of our own, could in fact be beneficial.

With quarantine, mandatory or not, families are almost being forced to interact with each other! Yes, Facebook feeds ( (Instagram, etc. ) are still being blown up - my own feed, for a while, was at least 90% taken up by some sort of 'coronavirus' news or joke - but many people are taking refuge, not in work, but in each other. The effects of this 'outbreak', depending on one's overall health, may be detrimental, especially to the elderly, but in spite of this unsettling fact, they may, in actuality, positively affect personal responsibility.

'As above, so below'; the heartening realization that we are More than simple human beings, itself will bring an amazing degree of Freedom! Although the effects this novel 'coronavirus' might have on our human biology are definitely a concern, the Fear of losing oneself is no longer there. Since we are not just biological machines, the very notion that any mere 'virus' could kill US is rendered ineffectual. WE cannot be affected by this, or any other 'virus'! All they can do is kill the body, they cannot kill the 'soul'!

Again, since WE are in this biology for a reason, let's take reasonable care of our biological vehicles. Whatever one may think of their reason for being here ( or not ), if we begin to exercise more responsibility for our own actions ( health, etc ), Freedom will surely follow. With Freedom comes Responsibility & so, with the exercise of Responsibility, comes Freedom. Freedom puts Fear out the window, so to speak & vice versa. When Fear is not present, Freedom flows!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!
Charles Haddon Shank

The Intentional Observer

Joe Smith was not your average..............well, 'Joe'! He had learned, in his relatively short life that to simply react to any given situation usually only made matters worse. By simply allowing other people to reap their own negative karma rather than trying to save them from themselves or worse yet, creating his own negative karma, Joe knew that it was best to just 'let it be'; to merely observe without judgement or even unnecessary concern; 'let the chips fall where they may', so to speak, allowing what he could not control to just 'happen' & focusing on what he could control. Joe had become what most people would call a 'nice guy'; so much so, in fact, that many perceived him to be quite naive, even 'simple',  As perceptions go, this was not a 'bad' one ( 'is there such a thing?'); Joe was arguably pretty 'simple'. Unlike the overwhelming majority of people in his little corner of paradise, Joe was learning that the more one simply allows life to 'happen' & to be what it is, not overly concerning ( worrying? ) oneself about whether this or that is 'wrong' or 'right', things seem to go a lot smoother with a lot less ( if any! ) stress!

Joe had a problem. Well, to be honest, most everybody else had a problem, but they tried like hell to make it Joe's problem! Since he had begun to simplify his life by one, not allowing things to get to him & two, by simply observing ( without judgement ) the actions of those around him, Joe had become somewhat of a pariah to certain people. Because he did not react to any given situation like THEY thought he should, Joe seemed to have become one of THOSE people, one who barely, if at all, registered on their collective radar. As it happened, Joe really didn't mind too much, as the energies of many of those 'certain' people did not match his own & quite frankly, bored the hell out of him!

It happened one day......................................Okay, this happened quite often; people seemed to enjoy getting in Joe's face. Before he learned not to instinctively act, to curb his Ego & to center himself before acting, Joe had been used to reacting to the actions of those around him, almost without thinking sometimes. After much 'trial & error', Joe realized that HE was the problem, not THEM. The more he reacted to their actions, which were often 'just' ( ? ) words, the more the perceived problem was exacerbated & more often than not, Joe ended up at ground level ( literally or figuratively ) looking up at both the sky & his 'accuser'! On this particular day, though, having figured at least this much out, Joe's 'accuser' had really backed him into a corner! Using Joe's 'simpleness', even accusing him of being a 'simpleton' ( or worse ) his accuser was not giving up so easily this time, determined to get a reaction out of him. As so often happened, when Joe simply responded with a smile & turned to walk away, he waited for the jolt from behind, which usually meant that his accused had fired off one last parting shot!

The shot that Joe had become so accustomed to never came. Joe never even turned around, in fact, he never even paused in his walking away, but he could feel the shift in energy behind him. This particular accuser had begun to understand as Joe was. Although this person still attempted to bother Joe every so often, they had begun to realize that, not only was Joe quickly losing interest, but it really wasn't as fun trying to get his goat as they had originally believed! As the days went by, this person made fewer & fewer attempts, till finally, Joe realized this 'energy had begun to change to the point where they could actually hold an intelligent conversation............................well, at least tolerate each other's company!

As Joe continued along his path, he began to notice that, strangely enough, it wasn't just this person or that one making fewer attempts to create problems for him! Of course, as he was figuring out ( he still had his 'issues' ), THEY weren't the ones creating the problems. The more he realized this & put that realization to the test, the more 'others' seemed to be realizing the same! Joe began to feel a calmness he had never known; not only was his life so much easier without the added stress of worrying about other people's actions, it would seem that he was spreading the joy!

The path that Joe had begun to ascend on WAS simple! Once he had learned that it was much better to observe without judgement, acting as he would without harming the other; Joe was able to live his life in relative peace. Oh, he still had his issues, don't get me wrong; 'every rose has its thorns', but overall, he was quickly learning that the more he practiced his new mantra, the more others were taking note & if not following suit, at least leaving him the fuck alone!

Joe was NOT a 'nice' guy! In fact, many people, meeting him for the first time thought him to be rather aloof, 'stand-offish', or even just plain 'a jerk'! Some even took his lack of pride, or Ego as something less than 'normal' ( whatever the hell that is! ), like he was a few sandwiches short of a picnic, so to speak. But those that knew him knew different! To know Joe was to love Him! He was not a saint ( whatever the hell that means! ), by any stretch of the imagination, but he knew enough not to respond in kind, unless it were kindness. Of course, he also knew enough not to count on that kindness, but he still practiced kindness wherever he went!

Getting to the moral of the Story, if Moral there be; be like Joe; 'spread that shit everywhere'! Even if you don't see an immediate return, keep at it! People may not, in fact, most likely WILL not, always return your kindness, but you WILL have planted a seed & with the right care, that seed will one day burst into new Life ( either that, or it will kill them )!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!
Charles Haddon Shank

The Fourth Horseman?

I hate politics! I'm referring, of course, to the corruptibility of politics & the way that they have, in modern times especially, become so tainted by selfishness & avarice. Politics is really not my cup of tea anyway, since government should be an individual thing, not one ( elite ) group of individuals telling another group ( usually larger ) how they should or should not act, how they may or may not live. To make matters worse, we have the Major News Media assaulting our eyes & ears on a daily basis, reinforcing the scare tactics used by the government of these United States to keep its citizens under their thumb. When I say 'scare tactics', I do not mean to discount or downplay the very real dangers involved in the ignorance or disobedience of whatever bullshit is going on currently. Speaking of the MNM, much or most of what we digest on the 'news' daily is likely blown out of proportion, though, as intimated, there is some amount of truth to it!

So we come to the latest threat, the dreaded 'coronavirus'! Again, this is not to say there is nothing to it, that it IS just a 'threat', so whether one believes the MNM or the 'real news' to be garnered from the internet, or whether one believes all the hype or not, it can't hurt to exercise great care when it comes to the possible contraction of it. According to this article, the common cold is fairly closely related to the coronavirus, both viruses affecting the upper respiratory system of mammals ( sometimes the gut ). Apparently, one could almost say that the common cold, or 'rhinovirus' falls under the umbrella of 'coronavirus', although the latter can lead to more serious illnesses such as SARS or MERS, for example. Some may find it interesting that this latest outbreak, simply called the 'Corona Virus' or even 'Kung Flu', originated in China, as did SARS. Interesting as well, to tie politics into the equation, is that the last number of 'outbreaks' seem to almost directly coincide with presidential elections of the past few decades!

So far, the most recent 'outbreaks' have apparently been devastating to some major financial markets & may even prove to be inFLUential in this years presidential election! In fact, there is a meme currently making its rounds on the internet right now which shows a direct correlation between the last number of presidential elections & the last number of 'outbreaks' that have gone viral.  Snopes.com says this is false & generally misleading; so it may be, but keep in mind that Snopes.com is known to be fairly liberal ( whatever the hell that means ) when it comes to politics, so one should take all this with a grain of salt. However one chooses to process this information ( fact or fiction? ); it should be clear as mud that something sinister is going on here! As suggested, some have perceived a conspiracy behind, especially the most recent 'outbreaks' & whether this is true or not, it IS rather interesting that these 'outbreaks' are not far ahead of the 'vaccine' to cure or even prevent them altogether!

Yes, you guessed it; personally speaking, I AM one of those 'anti-vac' guys!  My personal opinion, which I have been working on NOT voicing, is that vaccines, for the past several decades ( up to 6-8 ), are much, if not most of the problem. Since Big Pharma began to show its true colors, both regular medicine ( medications ) & vaccines have been proven to be as bad as, if not worse than, the disease itself! Okay, so that may be a bit harsh & maybe a bit mislead ( misinformed? ), but how many medications on the market today, whether advertised on TV or radio, show a list of side effect roughly twice as long ( or more ) as the proposed benefits?! Whether or not these 'outbreaks' are engineered or not, there is no doubt that they have become a very real, or at least 'perceived' threat & should be taken seriously, especially if one must deal with the general public on a daily basis. However, the fear generated by these threats need not be, being based in this physicality, or biology!

Yes, when one gets right down to it, the heart of the matter, so to speak, this IS about the fact that we are More than this biology, this physicality! WE should not live in fear of what may happen to this biological machine! 'As above, so below'; yes, we should take them seriously, taking such precautions as are feasible in order not to contract this or any disease, but we should not worry about them to the point of joining in mass hysteria. Yes, wash your hands as often as is necessary, exercise caution when in large groups ( especially in public places ) & over all, try to eat as healthy as you can & live as cleanly as possible, but, on the other hand, these are things we should be doing anyway, right?!

When I discount 'Big Pharma', I do not mean to imply that all the scientists, all the 'worker bees' are 'in on it'! Probably the majority of them have good intentions for what they're doing. Right or wrong, they're trying to do their job to the best of their ability & seriously wracking their brains to come up with a cure for the common cold, or even for the various forms of cancer out there. This is not either to say that the benefits to the various medications, yes, even vaccines do not sometimes outweigh the alternative, just that when it comes to the big, faceless corporations known as 'Big Pharma', the 'bottom line' seems to outweigh ( by far sometimes ) the search for a 'cure'. Again, though, since we ARE More than this biology, we should know & rest in the fact that it is not so much what we put into our bodies that brings either health or disease, but how healthy or diseased we are in our very soul!

The individual soul, or the heart of the matter, determines whether we, as human beings, will manifest our fear in the form of disease, or whether we will live fearlessly ( though we take necessary precautions ), manifesting the Health that we inherently are. By saying that we are Health Itself, I do not mean that, as human beings, we are inherently healthy ( though that could be argued ), for this biological machine is prone to much dis-ease, especially when we forget Who we are, or otherwise neglect our physical 'vehicle'. No, by referring to our inherent Health, I'm simply saying that, as More than this biology, Health comes, not from without, but ultimately, from Within!

So, while this most devastating version of the 'coronavirus' ( Covid-19? ) is definitely something to be aware of, personally speaking, it should not be causing the stir that it is. It is because of 'scare tactics that this 'virus' is having the effect it is. On the one hand, you have the U.S. government, the Chinese government & who knows who else spreading terror & misinformation through the news media. On the other hand, you have 'Big Pharma' & the CDC using their own tactics to convince everyone that they're going to die unless they do what they're told! Again, this is not to say that it's all just one big 'scare tactic' ( Fear Factor? ), for even if the numbers are grossly misrepresented; if one does not exercise a healthy amount of care, an upper respiratory problem could definitely turn out to be fatal!

Modern politics is a real 'shitshow'! It is a fact that if one has enough money, enough political 'clout', one can get away with murder ( there, I said it; 'Are you listening FBI/CIA?' )! In politics today, who you know will only get you so far. It seems that the more you know about this or that person, the more political 'clout' you have. Speaking of murder, a popular 'theory' is that none other than our own government, the government of these United States, conspired against its own citizenry in releasing this & worse into the environment so that it, as well as 'Big Pharma' could profit off of the devastation that would surely follow. No accusations to that end here, though it would not really surprise me one bit!

To end on a positive note: although we should not discount the very real threat of this latest 'outbreak' ( however the hell it happened ), neither should we loose our shit over it! 'It is what it is' & if we give in to the fear, we are only giving them what they want, in essence, bowing the knee to them. 'As above, so below'; true health comes from within, not without, so while these medications & vaccines may seem to have the desired effect, if our heart isn't in it, as soon as the medication/vaccine runs its course, 'guess what?' The best we can do to avoid contracting this latest virus is to take care of these earthly vehicles, in essence, staying away from certain people & situations we know to be bad for us & washing our hands when we feel the need, things we should be doing anyway!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!
Charles Haddon Shank

The Darkest Place

Joe's twin brother Duane had just departed this life. Needless to say, he felt like he had lost a necessary part of himself, a feeling made even stronger since they were twins. They had just celebrated their 18th birthday with a bash that would make any high school grad proud! Not only were they celebrating their relative adulthood, but this was their last 'hurrah'; they were celebrating their freedom: 'no more school, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks'. Well, till college anyway, but that would be more like one big, continuous party, right?! They were both headed back East to go to college at the university that the Griswold men had attended for the last 4  or 5 generations. Everything seemed to be on track for this big transition in both their lives, so when Duane, seemingly out of the blue, took his own life, the train was derailed & life would never be the same for Joe Griswold, to say nothing of the affect that it had on his family!.

The Griswolds were an old North-central New York family. Generations ago, somebody must have come into a fortune, or maybe they had brought it over from the Old World; nobody really knew for sure. Whatever the case, the Griswolds had never had to wonder where their next meal was coming from. In fact, they were without doubt one of the most affluent families in their part of the world! Coming from generations of religious leaders, Mr. & Mrs. Griswold no doubt had great expectations of their boys, even though neither Duane nor Joe ( who was technically a little over a minute & a half older ) really wanted to have anything to do with the family religion, if indeed, with any of the family's traditions. They weren't even all that excited about attending the Griswold alma mater in the Fall, except that they would be basically on their own, far away from the watchful eyes of Mom & Dad. Even so, there were still plenty of uncles & aunts in that corner of the world to keep them on the straight & narrow!

On their tenth birthday, Joe & Duane had received the startling news that the family was pulling up roots in their home-state & heading for the warmer climes of Southern California. The boys, though they seemed to enjoy the change of scenery at first, especially those scantily-clad women who seemed to positively litter the beaches, they quickly learned to resent having been uprooted from their relatively simple, though rigid, life back in New York. Joe had begun to follow in his father's footsteps & attended religious training in California, but Duane had shown his latent rebellion right off the bat, refusing to have anything to do with 'those hypocrites'! Duane had always been the more outspoken of the two, voicing his opinion wherever & to whomever he wanted. He still knew of course, to approach his parents with a modicum of respect, especially when it came to questions of religion! Joe was ready to follow in the Family footsteps & planned to take several seminary classes when he got there, but Duane had his own plans. He had a mind like a steel trap & planned to continue his education in Physics: someday, 'who knows?' Maybe the Griswolds would have an astro-physicist in their midst!

To be truthful, even though Duane had his 'head in the stars', in a manner of speaking, his ulterior motive was just to get away from his family. Uprooted from his familiar childhood in New York, he & his slightly older brother had been forced to leave their comfort zone & settle into an area with a much larger & more diverse population. The schools they attended in this 'new land' were a whole 'nother story! Though they still resented the fact that they had been brought so far from the rest of their friends & family, Joe & Duane had both adapted fairly quickly, as far as appearances go, to their new environs. In fact, both boys seemed to excel, despite their obvious distaste for some of their 'neighbors'. Both boys got into sports, something almost unheard of in the Griswold family tree, though Duane was, by far, the most active. Needless to say, by the time graduation came around, it seemed that Mom & Dad's worries were over, for both their boys seemed to have assimilated well, almost as expected, Duane with his sports endeavor & Joe with his religious studies. ( They still weren't real pleased with Duane's choices, but at least he was still with them! )

Unbeknowst to their parents, both boys, however, were struggling, Duane moreso than his brother! The twins had never been really happy with having been dragged all the way out here, all the way across the country, just as he was becoming accustomed to the slower way of life, readier access to Nature & all their childhood friends. On top of that, to make things worse, both Mom & Dad worked most every day, so the boys were forced to attend schools about ten or twenty times the size of the one they were used to, plus, they had to fend for themselves till Mom & Dad got home later in the afternoon or evening. As you can imagine, as they surpassed their early teen-age years, they somewhat enjoyed the bit of freedom afforded them, but even so, these were some of their darkest moments!

As Duane dealt with his demons & fought to escape from his prison, Joe had his own battles to fight! Both boys had chosen different courses, or paths, but to their parents, they seemed happy enough with their lot in life. Joe seemed to be following in the footsteps of generations of Griswold men before him & Duane, well at least he would be attending the family's alma mater! 

The closer both graduation & the promised freedom of their 18th birthday got, the worse things seemed to get for the twins ( the parents had no clue ). Drama at school was only intensifying, so that by the time these events rolled around, both boys were ready to pull their hair out. As usual, Mom & Dad had no clue as to what was brewing under the surface & getting ready to boil over, most of all with Duane. Even so, the twins were able to keep it together, at least on the surface, until the party!

The Party! The Day of the Party had arrived, bright & clear, with not a hint of the troubles that were roiling just beneath a calm enough surface. The sunny California weather belied the darkness that had begun to settle in both brothers.  Mom & Dad, in a special remittance for their high school buddies, had almost graciously bowed out for the evening, trusting their precious possessions to a bunch of high-schoolers! In after-thought, probably not the wisest choice, but then, at least several of their teachers were on the guest list. They'd be good chaperones, right?! Well, as the case may be, alcohol flowed in abundance & the upstairs bathroom saw more than a few white lines being cut. The drug of choice though, at least on the lower level of the house, was marijuana, although, closer studies later showed that there was a bit more to it than that!

Joe never visited the upstairs bathroom, but Duane, once he followed his favorite giggling cheerleader up that long staircase, was never seen alive again! Joe enjoyed himself that fateful evening, though he felt more than one twinge of guilt & that he should have followed his twin up the stairs that fateful night. Later, after the effects of the party had worn off, he would feel, in full effect, the impact of what their evening of  'freedom' would have on the rest of his life. He would go throughout his new life, castigating himself for his choices that day, but the death of his twin would serve as Joe's wake-up call!

Joe ended up attending that university 'Back East', but he quickly cut all the religious studies classes ( or at least, most of them ) from his schedule. His parents, of course, weren't pleased with his decision, but 'Hey!', his twin, his best friend, had been ripped from his side, in the prime of his life! Plus, they were so bowed with grief that they barely seemed to notice, anyway. As Joe continued his education, he began to understand that Duane had conquered hid demons & broken out of his prison in the only way he knew how. In the process, he had unwittingly freed his brother as well!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!
Charles Haddon Shank

Width of Vision; This Infinitely Unfolding Universe

'Are we consciously witnessing the expansion of our universe, or is the universe simply observing the expansion of our consciousness?'

As I've said often; I'm not a scientist! Sure, I took the required course in school, but 'mere books do not a scientist make'! Science, in my limited understanding, is the Study of Nature. A true Scientist, therefore, would be one who studies Nature, or natural phenomena. According to some scientists, the known universe is expanding exponentially. This Wikipedia article on the 'Expansion of the Universe' might prove to be some interesting reading on that account. Here is a rather interesting quote, however, should my readers choose not to read the entire article ( I wouldn't blame you, it's pretty long  & WAY over MY head ); 'Based on large quantities of experimental observation and theoretical work, the scientific consensus is that space itself is expanding, and that it expanded very rapidly within the first fraction of a second after the Big Bang. This kind of expansion is known as "metric expansion". In mathematics and physics, a "metric" means a measure of distance, and the term implies that the sense of distance within the universe is itself changing.' 'The sense of distance within the universe is itself changing' tells me that, physically speaking, it SEEMS to us that the universe is expanding! Does that mean that the universe is actually expanding, or is it simply our perception, our knowledge of how vast our universe is that is expanding, or becoming greater, wider, if you will?

One question that might stump the majority of scientists is, 'did our Universe really have a beginning, or has it always been, like say, the Christian 'God'? 'Big Bang Theory' aside, there is no real way to prove either for or against either proposition! We weren't there, so it is only by our study, our observation of what the current situation is, that we can theorize as to how this, that, or the other happened, why & to what extent. If our universe has always existed, have the objects within that 'space' always existed as well? If so, how do we fit in? If not, what was their beginning & for that matter, what was our beginning? Yes, I was brought up to believe that 'in the beginning, God created.............', but is it really that simple? When 'in the beginning' 'the heavens & the earth' were 'created', was the Universe pre-existent, or does the Bible simply not record the creation of the Universe? Maybe its writers were simply not concerned about the natural order of things, but only about telling their own (Hebrew ) Story!

If we posit that the Universe was/is pre-existent, we might actually be approaching what could almost be called an 'event horizon'. In a pre-existent universe, the nature of both it & us would then come into question. If the Universe did not have a beginning, what's to say that we did ( except for the Bible & certain other books/stories like it )? If we did not have a beginning, then, 'as above, so below', that brings our very nature into question! Who ARE we? WHAT are we? Are we really just, as a cursory & careless reading of the above mentioned text seems to tell us, flawed & fallen human beings with an innate proclivity to fail, or do what is perceived as wrong? My readers should know by now that we are More than that; we are part & parcel with 'God' Himself ( or 'Herself' )! No apologies, but that WAS a bit of a 'jab' at the simplistic way I was taught to believe. Our nature, not as mere human beings, but as spirit-beings having a human experience is Divine, un-created & therefore infinite. This biology, as we've seen, was not built to last forever, for Infiniity ( or 'Eternity'? )! Although 'this biology' most concerns our humanity, one should note that it is just as true for much of what we perceive in the Universe, stars, for example. Our Sun, one of many billions in our galaxy alone, according to modern Science, is itself winding down. The existence of 'Black Holes' bears witness itself to such. The explanation I recall from my schooling ( concerning Black Holes & their formation ) was that they were the result of a 'supernova', sometimes termed the 'death' of a star. Further reading will reveal that these stars do not actually die; they simply take another form. As Einstein once famously said, 'Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another.'

'As above, so below'. In much the same way then, though these biological machines, intricately woven as they are, will at some point wind down, sooner or later; we ourselves will never die, we will simply, as pure energy, pure spirit, if you will, simply assume a different form. Yes, one might note, the above statement almost surely assumes 'reincarnation', but, 'it is what it is'! In the cycle of existence, biologically speaking, there is 'birth, death & rebirth'. A bit simplistic maybe, as far as an explanation, because it's really not that simple ( or is it?! ), but we see this in all of Nature. After a forest fire, for example, we may note the 'death' of the grasses. It never fails though, depending on conditions, they always come back, usually sooner rather than later, greener than ever! In many other plants as well, we can observe this 'Cycle of Existence', also called 'The Circle of Life'. In actuality, both these phrases refer only to Biology & how it affects us in this physical experience; 'as above, so below', our true nature does not change, it simply takes on a new form.

'The first law of thermodynamics, also known as Law of Conservation of Energy, states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; energy can only be transferred or changed from one form to another.' Energy, therefore, just is! Like the 'God' of Christianity, from Energy came to be all that exists! As human beings, we may rightly say, 'I create this or that', but really, all we're doing is transmuting, sharing, the Energy that exists in us, that IS us & manifesting it in another form. In the case of procreation through sexual intercourse, we're using our Energy to produce a copy of our own chosen form, that of a human being.

The Universe itself, being made up of Energy, has Itself produced billions upon billions ( 'to infinity?' ) of stars. There are also many planets in countless galaxies in this Universe. 'Where did they all come from? How did they come to be?' Again; 'I'm not a scientist' ( by ANY stretch of the imagination ), so all I can really say is that although, biologically speaking, they did have a beginning, at least, to our perception & they will have an end, they are simply a manifestation of Energy. It's probably not that simple, in actuality, but they, like us, are the result of transmutation by an Intelligent Designer. No creation or cessation of existence, just a new or different form!

As this Universe, then, unfolds itself to the naked eye, so to speak, we should understand that, as Divine Beings made of the same Energy ( 'As above, so below' ), we understand that we are, in fact, mirror images of 'Her'! Just as 'She' is always active, keeping things in motion, so we too, as human beings, are forever on the move, spinning off new & different things, manifestations of the Energy that is us. It has been said, actually, that the human body, in all its intricacy, is really a microcosm of the Universe. So then, it should not be too hard to imagine that these biological machines, our human vehicles, have been designed by the same Intelligent Designer that formed all that exists in the macrocosm.

As we live out our lives in these biological machines, these physical vehicles, let us always be mindful that 'as above, so below', when we study the Universe & note that it seems to be expanding, it should be a sign to us that, while our consciousness of the infinite reaches of the Universe is expanding, our consciousness of who & what we are may be expanding as well! Although the tendency for those who are becoming, or have become aware is to focus on the heavenly reaches of their Divinity, we must remember that while we are Divine, we have chosen, like Jesus the King of the Jews, to forsake that Divinity for a Time & live our lives for the good of all. Our biological vehicles have their own hidden Divinity & if we allow them, will manifest that Divinity in the form we have chosen. To quote the Hebrew Scriptures, 'the heavens declare the glory of God' ( Psalm 19:1 ). No matter your preferred interpretation/understanding of this oft-quoted passage, it is one of many Universal Truths to be found therein & so begs the question; 'can we, in these physical vehicles, do any less?'

Namaste' & Blessed Be,
Charles Haddon Shank
.
.