A lot of talk has been given lately to the meaning of words. What is there definition? How are they used? In what context? Also, what words we can and cannot say, and their vibrational impact on us. Now, while this is all very nice, the ideas behind the words are not being lost in translation, they are being ignored or distorted because they do not fit within our own definition of what we want our reality to be. Let's take the words love and trust. The saying "perfect love and perfect trust" is only achievable if the individual can truly step outside of their own judgement and fear. Highly unlikely considering we are making statements of judgment all of the time and those are based on the fears that we have. When was the last time you looked at yourself and REALLY accepted who you are right now? No buts or exceptions. Or didn't judge the guy that cut you off on the way home?
Which brings us to love. People talk about love as if it is THE altruistic act and that is the first disconnect that I see. Love is not an act, it is a state of being. We feel a certain way and that encourages us to move in a direction depending on our fear level of rejection. We all hear the lines we tell ourselves to suppress our love, "I don't deserve it." "They're out of my league." "I'm not (insert word) enough." We are making exceptions because we are too afraid that we are not worthy. When we tell someone that we love them, for the most part we try believe what they are saying. I say try because we doubt. We worry about if we are to fat, smart, employed, do we contribute. In short, are we worthy. Of course we are, and without exception.
This brings up a good point. Love isn't a ultimate state of being where everything is "light and free." There are varying degrees based upon the perceptions we have. There is the love for "crazy" person because they are human. This does not mean that I want to hang out with them, but I can see the humanity that resides within them and love them because they are going through their journey as bet they can, and that is all we can really ask of anyone. There is the love we profess for our pets. The love we feel for children. These we express without serious expectation because we label them as "innocent." As time goes on, and we have interaction, that changes. As long as you don't poop on the floor or rip the furniture. As long as your room is clean and I can present you to society. As long as you live withing the boundaries that I impose. Then I will love you or love you more. So our love becomes conditional based on the willingness of the other to abide by our preconceived ideas of what is correct. We place expectations, or qualifiers, to ensure they are living up to our standards. Thereby placing value on the very thing that is beyond value. We place our fear before everything else.
When we speak of what love is, we speak of an idea of unity and acceptance, of the unconditional nature of love. We speak of it as a far off place that is only available to those that are "special" or have moved beyond earthly wants and desires. We speak of love as unattainable or, at the very least, extremely hard to achieve. The reality is we prevent ourselves from stepping into this realm. We diminish ourselves and in turn attempt to control those around us in order make ourselves more comfortable. Only by stepping outside of our fear can we see that it is an illusion instilled within us to conform to someone else's perception of correctness, and that we project these same illusions onto all that we come in contact with in order to do the same. When we are able to take ownership of our part in this relationship, we will see that we are unable to truly love another because we are unable to love ourselves. The expectations that we place, the ultimatums we offer, the correctness of action is nothing more than our fight against change and growth. It make us uncomfortable so we take the "easy" way out and hide within our fear.
Can we cast aside the illusion and see others as they are, spiritual beings confined by the physical bodies that link us to this reality? Each of us struggling with the fears and doubts that we have within us, while at the same time struggling with the fears and doubts which are being cast upon us. Each of us discovering on a path that is uniquely our own yet connected to everything that is. Can we see what makes us human and not just the human in front of us? Can we truly love?
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Th Activist
As i walk around the yard, having a smoke, thinking as i do, the people on the side of the road return to me. How many times have i driven by? how many times have i looked the other way? how many times have i feared what i would see?
why do i not see the person on the side of the road? are their cloths to dirty? do i not want to get involved? or am i afraid of seeing humanity in it rawest form? afraid of seeing hopelessness, the cold stare of neglect, of disillusionment, the loss of the spark we call hope?
At times like this, my heart reaches out and feels their need, their desperation. it reminds me of my own. the need to be heard. the need to make an impact. to make a difference, a real difference. it is what drives me to engage. to see the look in someones eyes when they understand what you see, and that you understand what they see, is profound. to see someone in their joy and pain, their elation and sorrow. to see someone when they are hiding the most important thing, being human.
can other people see me as what i am? can someone see else as they are? can people to see what i see? human. i think i need to make a sign and find a corner. this will be interesting.
why do i not see the person on the side of the road? are their cloths to dirty? do i not want to get involved? or am i afraid of seeing humanity in it rawest form? afraid of seeing hopelessness, the cold stare of neglect, of disillusionment, the loss of the spark we call hope?
At times like this, my heart reaches out and feels their need, their desperation. it reminds me of my own. the need to be heard. the need to make an impact. to make a difference, a real difference. it is what drives me to engage. to see the look in someones eyes when they understand what you see, and that you understand what they see, is profound. to see someone in their joy and pain, their elation and sorrow. to see someone when they are hiding the most important thing, being human.
can other people see me as what i am? can someone see else as they are? can people to see what i see? human. i think i need to make a sign and find a corner. this will be interesting.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
To shepherd or herd?
I was at a company recently for work and happened to pick of a copy of their newsletter. The main article was about leadership styles, specifically shepherding verse herding. The article was definitely written with a Christian background but was presented to be applicable to leadership across the board. It struck me because of a conversation I had about leadership as it pertains to our community.
In my conversation the discussion lead to styles of leadership that we see in the pagan community. There has been and still is a prevalence of "leaders" that hide behind the curtain of tradition. The introduction of new ideas and methods are tempered by the authority they assume is granted to them because they are "degree this" or "High Something or Other". The result is a stagnation of transformation of thought and idea into something new and innovative. The understanding that goes with practice is hoarded behind the veil of "this is secret, powerful stuff and you just can't be ready/trusted because you're not part of MY in crowd". Blah, blah, blah.
In the article they equated shepherding to guiding and herding to driving. This was of course used in the context of sheep but really implied "sheeple". The end result was that shepherds lead from the front and nurture their flock while herders direct from the rear and use fear to control their flock. The question that came to mind was, who's fear are they using?
Shepherding is the tending of the group. As a guide, the duty is to nurture and care for the well-being of the whole. As a protector, the duty is for the safety and well-being of the whole. To a true shepherd, the whole includes everything. The flock. The pasture. The pin. The feed. The prey. The predator. All of these provide valuable opportunities to teach. Each has it's own set of benefits and obstacles. All are important to the well-being of the whole. The shepherd will tend the flock and allow for exploration, understanding that an danger can be around the next hill. Near disaster is a powerful tool that can teach with the impact of a hammer without the catastrophic consequences. Knowing that line and when to push or pull when near is an acquired skill of a good shepherd.
Using fear to drive the flock is also a powerful tool and can teach with the power of an anvil. If used for the betterment of the whole it can strike at the core and strip away all illusion in an instant. The problem comes when the fear is that of the herder and is used to control the flock. The fears are transposed onto the flock without any understanding or awareness. The herder is fearful of possibilities and is unwilling to face the challenges. This ends with confusion and anxiety on the part of the whole. The fear festers and undermines the whole until eventually splintering happens. Sadly, this is a reoccurring theme in the pagan community, as well as many other communities.
We as a community need to overcome our own fears and put the betterment of the whole at the forefront. As leaders, we need to lead tend to our flocks. We need to be true shepherds, act accordingly, and remember that everything is community.
In my conversation the discussion lead to styles of leadership that we see in the pagan community. There has been and still is a prevalence of "leaders" that hide behind the curtain of tradition. The introduction of new ideas and methods are tempered by the authority they assume is granted to them because they are "degree this" or "High Something or Other". The result is a stagnation of transformation of thought and idea into something new and innovative. The understanding that goes with practice is hoarded behind the veil of "this is secret, powerful stuff and you just can't be ready/trusted because you're not part of MY in crowd". Blah, blah, blah.
In the article they equated shepherding to guiding and herding to driving. This was of course used in the context of sheep but really implied "sheeple". The end result was that shepherds lead from the front and nurture their flock while herders direct from the rear and use fear to control their flock. The question that came to mind was, who's fear are they using?
Shepherding is the tending of the group. As a guide, the duty is to nurture and care for the well-being of the whole. As a protector, the duty is for the safety and well-being of the whole. To a true shepherd, the whole includes everything. The flock. The pasture. The pin. The feed. The prey. The predator. All of these provide valuable opportunities to teach. Each has it's own set of benefits and obstacles. All are important to the well-being of the whole. The shepherd will tend the flock and allow for exploration, understanding that an danger can be around the next hill. Near disaster is a powerful tool that can teach with the impact of a hammer without the catastrophic consequences. Knowing that line and when to push or pull when near is an acquired skill of a good shepherd.
Using fear to drive the flock is also a powerful tool and can teach with the power of an anvil. If used for the betterment of the whole it can strike at the core and strip away all illusion in an instant. The problem comes when the fear is that of the herder and is used to control the flock. The fears are transposed onto the flock without any understanding or awareness. The herder is fearful of possibilities and is unwilling to face the challenges. This ends with confusion and anxiety on the part of the whole. The fear festers and undermines the whole until eventually splintering happens. Sadly, this is a reoccurring theme in the pagan community, as well as many other communities.
We as a community need to overcome our own fears and put the betterment of the whole at the forefront. As leaders, we need to lead tend to our flocks. We need to be true shepherds, act accordingly, and remember that everything is community.
Monday, May 16, 2011
An Alchemical View of "Adam and Eve"
I guess the coming Rapture has me thinking in the biblical direction lately. I was in a class this weekend that involved a lot of ancestor work. In the course of the class we touched on Christianity in respect to our ancestral powers, and the role of Satan in the garden of Eden came up. The topic came up again today at lunch with my wife.
I see the biblical Satan as a provider of choice. In the end all he really did was offer Eve a choice. He had an agenda of course, to get Eve to bite an apple from the Tree of Knowledge, which she did. The gods, being paranoid apparently, promptly kicked them out before the could get their hands on any other magic fruit. I guess you can't have just anyone becoming like the gods themselves.
I personally don't think Eve was deceived. I think she made a conscious choice to grow and become more than she was. And when she saw how cool it was having this new level of awareness, she got Adam in on it. This is the part of the story when my wife says "What if Satan chose Eve because she was the only one capable of making the choice?' At this point the conversation got really interesting.
If Eve is the only one of the two that is capable of make that choice, what makes her different? She was made from Adams rib, therefore being essentially the same as Adam. But Adam was made from the dirt. The creation process started from a different medium. One more primal, the other more complex. Adam would seem to be more of a base element. That totally made since to me because Adam represents the masculine aspect. The exterior influences and actions. While this is all great, we can't forget that balance is the goal.
Eve, being the feminine aspect, represents the interior influences and actions. The only choice that there was for Satan was Eve. She was the only one capable of inner change, because humanity was still in it's purest form of separation. She had to eat the apple and apply inner transformation. She had to get Adam to eat the apple so exterior transformation could happen. This way they could guide their own destiny and influence their surroundings to increase growth.
Women are so important because all awareness must come through them in some form. All life begins with the feminine. It is the essence of creation. But without Man, there would be no movement. There could be no change. They are interdependent and separate. They are entangled within the reality that we reside. Once again, all parties held up their part of the contract.
I see the biblical Satan as a provider of choice. In the end all he really did was offer Eve a choice. He had an agenda of course, to get Eve to bite an apple from the Tree of Knowledge, which she did. The gods, being paranoid apparently, promptly kicked them out before the could get their hands on any other magic fruit. I guess you can't have just anyone becoming like the gods themselves.
I personally don't think Eve was deceived. I think she made a conscious choice to grow and become more than she was. And when she saw how cool it was having this new level of awareness, she got Adam in on it. This is the part of the story when my wife says "What if Satan chose Eve because she was the only one capable of making the choice?' At this point the conversation got really interesting.
If Eve is the only one of the two that is capable of make that choice, what makes her different? She was made from Adams rib, therefore being essentially the same as Adam. But Adam was made from the dirt. The creation process started from a different medium. One more primal, the other more complex. Adam would seem to be more of a base element. That totally made since to me because Adam represents the masculine aspect. The exterior influences and actions. While this is all great, we can't forget that balance is the goal.
Eve, being the feminine aspect, represents the interior influences and actions. The only choice that there was for Satan was Eve. She was the only one capable of inner change, because humanity was still in it's purest form of separation. She had to eat the apple and apply inner transformation. She had to get Adam to eat the apple so exterior transformation could happen. This way they could guide their own destiny and influence their surroundings to increase growth.
Women are so important because all awareness must come through them in some form. All life begins with the feminine. It is the essence of creation. But without Man, there would be no movement. There could be no change. They are interdependent and separate. They are entangled within the reality that we reside. Once again, all parties held up their part of the contract.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
"Judas" by Lady Gaga
I was looking at the news and this video kept coming up. What caught my attention was that people are all up in arms about it. You know I just had to check that out. After the song was done, the lyrics, "Jesus is my virtue, Judas is the demon I cling to," stuck with me because we were talking about being impeccable in your word tonight. In typical fashion, I run with it.
The Placer of Burden. Imagine having to present someone with a passion of faith to help fulfill your passion of body. Imagine the weight that you would have to carry knowing that you would one day have to ask a friend to sacrifice all that they know to help you on your journey. And knowing that this would result in your transitioning from this plane of existence.
The Knowing Betrayer. Imagine choosing to be the ultimate traitor. Imagine the crisis that you would have to face knowing that you are the point from which another being will meet their end in such a dramatic fashion, and having only the solace of promise that everything will turn out as it should. Image accepting because of the unconditional love that you share.
By truly accepting the burden of choice, we become the catalyst of change. That choice can be difficult and painful. But, as a gift, it gives you a true understanding into a piece of self. When we step up to the challenges that are presented us, we learn more not only about ourselves, but we also are given the opportunity to learn about others. This gives us perspective of the larger picture that we would not other wise have. Without choice you stay as you are and growth stops. Without perspective, understanding never happens and awareness never gained.
Personally, it makes more sense to me that Jesus and Judas were in cahoots with each other.The anti-Christ betrayed Christ because he asked him to. And he did it because he loved him so much. I bet Mary was in on it too. Now imagine accepting that challenge.
The Placer of Burden. Imagine having to present someone with a passion of faith to help fulfill your passion of body. Imagine the weight that you would have to carry knowing that you would one day have to ask a friend to sacrifice all that they know to help you on your journey. And knowing that this would result in your transitioning from this plane of existence.
The Knowing Betrayer. Imagine choosing to be the ultimate traitor. Imagine the crisis that you would have to face knowing that you are the point from which another being will meet their end in such a dramatic fashion, and having only the solace of promise that everything will turn out as it should. Image accepting because of the unconditional love that you share.
By truly accepting the burden of choice, we become the catalyst of change. That choice can be difficult and painful. But, as a gift, it gives you a true understanding into a piece of self. When we step up to the challenges that are presented us, we learn more not only about ourselves, but we also are given the opportunity to learn about others. This gives us perspective of the larger picture that we would not other wise have. Without choice you stay as you are and growth stops. Without perspective, understanding never happens and awareness never gained.
Personally, it makes more sense to me that Jesus and Judas were in cahoots with each other.The anti-Christ betrayed Christ because he asked him to. And he did it because he loved him so much. I bet Mary was in on it too. Now imagine accepting that challenge.
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