This stupid, stupid war

Stupid people:

Backasswards logic: An illogical war must be continued because otherwise "we aren't supporting the troops"

Republican logic: We have to invade Iraq to kill the bad guys.

Democratic logic: We have to invade Afghanistan and Pakistan to kill the bad guys.

Pogo on Vietnam: "We have met the enemy, and it is us"

The people who start these wars aren't stupid, of course. We, on the other hand, might not know (for now) how to stop them. They want to make this planet into a permanent slave colony, and it's up to us, to, not be slaves.

Two geniuses, Aldous Huxley and George Orwell, had opposing dystopian views of the future. Huxley, that we would be so distracted by the pleasure principle, by drugs and sexuality that we wouldn't really care about the ways in which we were controlled. Orwell, that we would be manipulated into hating the other, and that we could controlled through pain, and deprivation, and psychological mind control, and the lack of love.

Both were right, of course. So we need to focus on our goals, and, to love one another. And we need to know, the wars are a result of the imbalance within our selves. Oh, I predicted this War, as those who've read the blog articles and previous writings know.

But my answer to it, my solution, is harder. You have to follow me, and then I will stop this insane war? No I won't. It will follow its course, as it follows what humanity has created, and, allowed to happen.

But I will still bring peace, and the peace inside me will spread around the world to those who believe, and, there will be miracles.

Mysticism, not Religion

Yggdrasil, the Tree that connects the Worlds

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:2

John 14:2 could be a religious text, but for me, it is a classic passage of mysticism, describing not only the place one goes to, but, also, the journey there.

My uncle was a wise man. He once said that Heaven and Hell existed here on earth. To a 10 year old, that was quite interesting. Then everything religion said could be seen in a new light, and our purpose should be not just to understand our relationship with God, but defining our relationship with all the worlds. And therefore, mysticism and spirituality would be the journey; and a philosophy, and not religion, would be the destination, for human beings to reach a true understanding of all that is, and could be.

In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil ("The Terrible One or Odin's Horse") also called the World Tree, is the giant ash tree that links and shelters all the worlds. Beneath the three roots the realms of Asgard, Jotunheim, and Niflheim are located. Three wells lie at its base: the Well of Wisdom (Mímisbrunnr), guarded by Mimir; the Well of Fate (Urdarbrunnr), guarded by the Norns; and the Hvergelmir (Roaring Kettle), the source of many rivers.

Four deer run across the branches of the tree and eat the buds; they represent the four winds. There are other inhabitants of the tree, such as the squirrel Ratatosk ("swift teeth"), a notorious gossip, and Vidofnir ("tree snake"), the golden cock that perches on the topmost bough. The roots are gnawed upon by Nidhogg and other serpents. On the day of Ragnarok, the fire giant Surt will set the tree on fire. These are wonderful pictures which I won't explain, because mysticism is supposed to evoke something inside each person, and the experience therefore, different, but important, for each. (I'm sorry, I know that's why people find descriptions of other people's spiritual experience so er, mystical, and hard to relate to sometimes)

And carrying the Tree of Life theme further, I would recommend "Understanding the Mysteries of Kabbalah" by Maggy Whitehouse, for more insight. That it links with hermeticism, alchemy, occultism, magic, and the visual symbolism of Tarot really appeals to me. That it acknowledges there are realities beyond ordinary human reality or the understanding of religion, I love that.

But it seeks also to help each person establish direct connection with God, as if that is the ultimate goal, and while important, that is not the only one.

Our definition of God, as religion goes, is based on a creator God, and our relationship with that unknowable being, whereas mysticism seeks more to understand the very nature of God, that very transcendent reality, and nothingness. Brahman, as opposed to Brahma. But, that is not all mysticism does. It seeks to understand ourselves, and our many possible futures. It seeks knowledge of the many worlds, and answers to the eternal questions.

Who are we? What is our purpose in life, and what happens to us when we are gone? Is this life real or illusion, and what are the stages of our evolution? What is the nature of the soul, or is that tied to our ego and personal experiences? What are the lessons we must learn, and why is there suffering? How can we heal ourselves, and many more.

In 'my father's house', there are many mansions, many realms, many loci of energy and the spaces in between. There is the place we go to when we die, and the choices for the future we must make decided. That Nature has a consciousness, we know.

And then again, the place that holds a special place in my heart is that of the native peoples:

1. Native people believe in a spiritual world that exists beyond the physical world that is reached through dreams, visions and ceremonies. They also believe in a single spiritual force.

2. The Ojibwe people believe in Kitche Manitou, an Algonkin term which means “The Great Spirit” or sometimes called the “Great Mystery”. Manitou means Spirit.

3. The Seneca believe in Orenda, a Haudenosaunee term which means “Spiritual Power” or energy. Orenda also means good energy, and Otgon means bad energy.

4. Both tribes believe in the meanings of spirit, energy, mystery and magic as it applies to daily life and nature.

5. However, the Ojibwe use prayers, vision quest and seeking guardian spirits, while the Seneca look for answers in the dream world and make masks as spiritual objects; see how this connects with the Tibetan Buddhism, Siberian and Amazonian shamanism, and Hawaiian Huna spiritual traditions?

The way to see the connections is also, a mystic one. Sometimes in meditation and prayer, sometimes through the hidden knowledge.

That the prophets were also mystics, I know. But the religions they taught also had hidden, inner meanings, which only the initiate could find. But then, religion is only a small part of that transcendent reality, like a rule book for children (Not that children, in many ways, are not closer to God, or wiser than adults)

Then there is the spiritual alchemy required for us to evolve, the mystic blending of forces which will one day lead to our spiritual transformation (hint: it requires a blending of male and female energies)

Is the Mayan calendar date of Dec. 21, 2012 when it will happen? No, because there are many dates and stages of learning, and for most, that will only come much later.

So what, then, is Mysticism? I have described many spiritual events in terms of a journey, of discovery, of a place. Mysticism is the journey that takes to the place of our birth, to where we always return.

Spiritual Children

There's a child who talks to trees

and feels their energy. Lately spirits have been talking to her, and she's frightened. She asked my daughter to help get rid of them. One spirit is friendly, and when they talk to him every thing's fine. The other one is more disturbed, and when they move into her 'territory' the wind blows. My daughter says it's spooky, but she's not really scared. Her friend is, though, and we may have to talk to her parents.

In 1848 there was an event that led to the development of modern day spiritualism. Three young sisters of the Fox family in the town of Hydesville, New York, started to communicate with the spirits of the dead. People came from all over to see tables and chairs lift off the floor, hear rapping noises and other phenomena.

http://www.pararesearchers.org/Psychic/fox/fox.html ; http://www.prairieghosts.com/foxsisters.html

They determined the spirit causing the events was a man who'd been murdered and buried in their cellar. No body was found, but in 1904 further excavation did in fact find a body in the cellar area. Newspapers reported the story widely; and as the craze swept America, sceptics and believers argued about the truth of spiritualism. Many people did in fact try to debunk them, but were never able to prove trickery. And many people who had lost family were heartened to believe they could contact the spirits of their loved ones.

Yet for all their wealth earned by their mediumship abilities the sisters descended into alcoholism and died penniless. In 1888 the most gifted of them, Maggie Fox, crippled by stress, even claimed to have made it all up, but later recanted her confession. The fact remains that the 19th century was a remarkable time with spiritual events taking place all over the world. Madame Blavatsky and the Theosophist movement, Arthur Conan Doyle's 'Cottingley Fairies' photos (later assumed to be faked) and the inexplicable levitation feats of Daniel Dunglass Holmes: http://www.occultcenter.com/2007/12/levitation/

A great deal of effort goes into trying to understand, perhaps even to rationalise these events. And my childhood was like that. I saw spirits, and sort of levitated (I jumped off a roof) and my childhood was spiritual. And I hope I can help my children to be spiritual.

But here's the thing: We're going through a tremendous time of change, and children are being affected by it. I'm concerned that parents might neither understand what's happening nor how to help them. I also am aware that there's a health factor involved. Due to environmental toxins and vaccines children are developing brain tumours that may cause hallucinations (I've treated many such children over the summer)

But: children need to learn to develop these special gifts they are born with, safely, they need to be nurtured, they need to know how to balance the spiritual realms with the material, and, they need to not be afraid of the unknown. They need a spiritual practice, be it meditation, or even esoteric training with a teacher, to keep the energies at arms length. But when balanced, these children are amazing!

I saw many gifted people lose their abilities over time or suppress them. I saw many people either medicated or turn to drugs and alcoholism. Is it a mental health issue or one of misunderstood spiritual ability and extreme emotional sensitivity?

I know only this: that there's a child who's afraid of what she sees, and hears. For her sake I will tell her parents, but hope she will also, never ever lose her very special gifts.

Money Money Money

For the love of money is the root of all evil:

1 Timothy 6:10

But

I'd

love

some,

please.

:)