30 posts tagged “discernment”

After having written a book and blogged for nearly four years now, and found myself now to be much preoccupied with the reality of living with the world in its present precarious state, I really wonder how much more I have to say here. At what point has one proved their thesis on a blog such as mine? The state of our world is nearly perfectly aligned with many ancient prophecies. It’s now a matter of living through the transitions as they come, and they are already present in various incarnations. 2012 doesn’t have to come and go to know we are in for some big changes.

Personally life has not gotten easier; I know many may feel the same way. Economic hardship has hit us all one way or another. It’s been useful to find so much support in terms of raising consciousness, because at the same time, the world is sure making it more challenging to overcome. At least we know we are not alone, and I have great appreciation for all the great thinkers and writers I have met online.

But the actual living through it, in a nutshell, is what Surfing the Tao is all about. Like I’ve said many times, if I had perfected the living of this philosophy myself, I wouldn’t be here anymore to write about it. I go through my own daily ups and downs, and am grateful for the support of friends and family - believe me. I couldn’t do it all without them. You know who you are.

I hate to admit that Twitter is about all I have time for these days – that 140 character limit makes it easy for me to get a few headlines and thoughts out, without the hours spent writing, editing, and searching links. Still, I go days without signing in even there. It’s unfortunate, I know. But there it is.

I am discovering what it means to grow vegetables in Hawaii and battle the bugs. And it’s hard to discover that some of your dear chickens are roosters, instead of the egg-layers you signed up for. It’s a learning curve, to be sure, and I’m grateful for the lessons – I also recognize these are important lessons that deserve my time right now, and along with all the other normal daily dilemmas, the schedule is simply overbooked.

The job situation is too much to even write about. It’s agonizing on so many levels, and not just for me, but for people close to me as well. Many of us are discovering how time seems much, much shorter than it used to; the days flash by and our creative projects languish. If there’s not a quickening currently afoot, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.

Meanwhile I am still somewhat languidly watching the headlines, and not being surprised at anything. We are living in the times I was warned about many times over. Behind the scenes, the p-t-b are busy. Frankly I’m even a little bored by it. Yes, our food is contaminated. Our drug and oil industries are corrupt. Politicians are not who they claim to be. Powerful control mechanisms, such as mind and weather control, are no longer only the realm of conspiracy theorists. Wars and catastrophic earth changes loom on the horizon. Bizarre synchronicities abound. The eschaton is being immanentized. Story at 11. Moving along.

I do sometimes have moments of panic, that I’m not being present enough for those who might need more support during these times. But that doesn’t mean the bad guys have won – far from it. The good guys have already won, but we need to live through it right now. In other words; once you’ve educated yourself on the Truth, step back, cease the panic, and take stock. Love is the only thing that will truly matter in the end. And – til I’m blue in the face – it’s all good.

I, as many others, have years of work behind me, a book even, so I’ve done my part, as best I could. Read my archives. And I’m not disappearing altogether. When more sh-t hits the fan I will be here to comment and advise; that is, if there still is an Internet at that point. But right now, I have to concentrate on my family, my livelihood, my own immediate reality. Perhaps it’s what we should all be doing right now. Get up from the computer, take a look around and wonder what you would do if the power went out – permanently. Even if it doesn’t, you would be well-prepared not only for emergencies, but in your own personal development and relationships. At some point we must all realize that the next step takes place within ourselves.

I have had my own set of personal warnings. How about you?

The Master does nothing, yet he leaves nothing undone.

-Tao Te Ching #38

“Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.” - Pablo Picasso

Much is being written about 2012 and what changes that year will bring. The Mayan calendar and various other religious and spiritual prophecies have seeped into popular culture to the extent that much of the world will be holding their breath on December 21, 2012 at 11:11 PM Universal Time, like Y2K to the umpteenth degree.

I have often been asked what I believe will happen on that day, if anything. The way I see it, it is already happening; we are already knee-deep in the preamble web of events, from which the tendrils of our future will be created. Whether as a result of ancient prophecies coming to pass, our having to finally take responsibility for the excesses of the past century, or simply the full-blown noospheric power of the expectations of millions of psyches, 2012 promises to be a banner year.

Whatever the cause, I must admit to a sense of further quickening. Terence McKenna is likely smiling knowingly from Somewhere, as the lines on the graph of his Timewave Zero theory march their way towards the 2012 zenith. I believe we are now witnessing the rapid spiraling of current crises and scenarios into some terrific opportunities for nefarious solutions by our world’s elite, not to mention the documented potential for spectacular destruction within our solar system. Whether these events will happen, much less converge exactly on that 12/21/12 date, or even within that year, I could not say for sure, but the timing is notable.

Frankly it’s coming so fast and furiously right now that I can barely keep up with it, as the same quickening seems to be happening in my own life, on smaller scale, in some kind of ironic, synchronistic testimony to the scalable unified field. I simply don’t have time to write about it as I would like, because I’m so busy living it. Perhaps we all are, in our own ways, navigating the Eschaton, whether we believe in it or not.

We are certainly being inundated with a constant banter, which perhaps attempts to instill fear, though ought to only keep us focused and alert. Economic crisis, world currency, new world order, world war, civil liberties, socialism, artificial intelligence, nonlethal weapons technology, seed banks, UFO disclosure, 2012 solar cycle, prophecies, earthquakes, volcanoes, sustainability, self-sufficiency, gardening, alternative energy, free energy, consciousness shift, revolution, evolution…truth does seem to be stranger than fiction these days.

Another resonant topic which continues to haunt me is Planet X or a binary star/sister sun theory, though I cannot provide substantial third-dimensional proof, enigmatic Vatican probes and Antarctic telescopes notwithstanding. The only shred of mainstream scientific evidence could be that our ‘global warming’ phenomenon seems to actually be happening across our solar system, not just on Earth. Polar ice continues to melt, but Jupiter’s great red storm is shrinking too. Still others say we are headed for another ice age. How about this radical take at Rense: Evidence of Solar Manipulation and Solar Changes?

What doesn’t seem to be up for debate is the fact that our Sun’s behavior can be worrisome. Many of the ancient prophecies seem to include mention of the Sun, and/or other planetary movements, such as the Mayan belief that the 2012 date indicated the end of the time of the Fourth Sun, and the beginning of the world of the Fifth Sun. In Revelation 6:12, the sun turned black after a great earthquake. Other ancient prophecies, including the Koran, the Norse Ragnarok, the Egyptian Ipuwer Papyrus, the Kolbrin Bible, North American Indian prophecy and many, many other books in the Bible warn of a future time of destruction during which the earth will burn and shake violently. I enumerated many of these in my book in the chapter, Destruction by Fire. I noted the strange recurrence of these similar warnings across time and culture. Here’s a good overview of the Mayan calendar and the solar cycles.

Strange ancient hieroglyphics, now discovered in widely diverse locations around the globe from Colorado to Yemen, Australia and South America, all seem to be referring to “some event, possibly related to the Sun, which was prophesied to change human civilization.”

Currently our Sun is in a period of extreme quiet, with the lowest sunspot activity in nearly a century of recording, the great calm before what is now expected to be a great solar storm in 2012, when the sun reaches the apex of its 11-year cycle. Due to the weakening magnetic fields around both Earth and the Sun, it is expected to be more ferocious than usual. A recent report on severe space weather and its potential economic and societal effects has been making its way into the mainstream media. One can now find various releasing hair-raising alerts in this regard, one after the other.

From the Telegraph: Scientists are expecting a more intense solar cycle this time around. Jimmy Raeder, a physicist with the University of New Hampshire, explained it is “because the Earth’s and the sun’s magnetic fields will be in sync at the cycle’s peak, expected in 2012, that will cause an influx of solar particles”.

From NASA: A Giant Breach in Earth’s Magnetic Field, “NASA’s five THEMIS spacecraft have discovered a breach in Earth’s magnetic field ten times larger than anything previously thought to exist.” At first scientists couldn’t even believe it. Themis is working to determine the severity of the expected upcoming solar storm,and the magnitude of effects it will have on our electronic grids and satellite systems.

In December of last year, from Fox News: Powerful Solar Storm Could Shut Down U.S. for Months. Another recent Fox News report with physicist Michio Kaku is frighteningly clear. WATCH IT. I am familiar with Dr. Kaku and his calm intelligence, and this seems almost outrageous coming from him. He claims he and his fellow scientists made a mistake, and that the 2012 solar cycle will be far more disastrous than previously imagined. Wow.

Here’s a real doozy of a doomsday scenario recently outlined by New Scientist: Space storm alert: 90 seconds from catastrophe. Or how about this from the Daily Mail, Solar storm could cause planetary disaster at any time, warn scientists. A Danish study has even concluded that the earth’s magnetic field is impacting our climate. All this, and CNN is still debunking 2012 as a meaningless popular culture meme? Well, which one is it??

Australia is adding a new magnetic field observatory to study the weakening field and hopefully gain warning of an imminent polar reversal. Meanwhile check Spaceweather.com for news and updates. NOAA provides current solar data, and here’s their solar activity monitor. Here is their space weather prediction center. And the seed banks continue to be made ready by 2011.

Here’s a YouTube video of Jay Weidner at the recent 2012 conference talking about the sun’s reduced heliosphere and an inundation of radiation from the center of the galaxy by 2012. The warnings, he explains, are important, but he also separates himself from the ‘gloom and doomers’ by expressing that this change could be seen as an opportunity, even if it was forced upon us.

I find myself agreeing with that. Using a pending Apocalypse as an opportunity is the essence of Surfing the Tao. Whether anything will happen in 2012 or not, current world events are forcing us to take a hard look at how we are choosing to live on this planet. There are of course many people who are too conditioned to the trees to even notice the forest, much less discern any correlations and make adequate preparations within themselves. But more people are growing vegetable gardens this year than ever, and companies are even running out of seeds. Murmurs of alternative energy solutions are louder than ever. Communities are turning inwards for solutions, as well we all should. Networks espousing such thoughtfulness, teamwork and sustainability are springing up everywhere. Whether it’s to prepare for the End of the World, or just the end of an unsustainable world of bad habits, it’s all good.

Many believe there will be a shift, whether wholly on this day or as a beginning on this date (or perhaps now already started, to be completed then) from the third to the fourth density; in other words some kind of shift in consciousness, or dimensions. Of this possibility I have also received a kind of inner confirmation, though it remains nebulous as to what, how, where, and when. People seem to have their own theories on that, to be sure. Love is key; true unselfish compassion is essential, and perhaps if we can cultivate that, the rest will come. Personally, I suggest the teachings of Jesus remain the best wisdom to follow in that department, whatever your religious or spiritual beliefs, if any.

Indeed we are very much affected by magnetic fields; would a significant change in the field give us just what we would need to reach Beyond what we think of as reality? A “perfect storm” indeed perhaps? Creation from destruction? I might like to posit one additional intuition here as well. I have always felt that this ’shift’ might also either require, or gain a significant boost, from some sort of technology, yet to be pinpointed. I’m not sure why I think that, or what it is, just the idea of some kind of portal, stargate or even shield has continued to nag at me. Call me crazy, but I think there are a lot of puzzle pieces still out there. Just take a look at the megaliths around the world. Seems a bit too contrived to be random. Anyway just a thought.

Whether events converge to create the perfect storm in 2012, or simply give us the perfect opportunity for a positive evolution, the best advice I can give is pay attention. Be prepared, but not fearful. Keep your ear to the ground, and use your inner discernment to find the thread of truth.

And love your neighbor. You might need him one of these days.

Prevent trouble before it arises.

Put things in order before they exist.

-Tao Te Ching #64

This is the final of three articles.

Last but certainly not least in this series is the long list of questionable practices undertaken by our pharmaceutical industry, and supported by our government. Now don’t get me wrong - certainly many medicines have been proven to be life-saving, and invaluable for people with serious conditions that become treatable with these medical innovations. I’m not here to argue that modern medicine is a complete flop by any means.

However many argue that doctors are often too quick to prescribe a drug before investigating other safer, alternative therapies such as nutrition and natural supplements. For example, behavioral problems and grades improved in schools that changed their menus to healthy foods. But these days, so many people, including children, are being prescribed drugs which later have been proven harmful to many people. Particularly of note here is the increasing rate at which doctors recommend pharmaceuticals for such symptoms as obesity, ADHD, ED, depression and fatigue. More studies certainly need to be done on the multitude of interactions between all the various toxins we face in our environment (see Part II of this series). Likely as not, they, as well as the quality of the foods we eat, could be affecting these types of conditions in the first place. In many cases, a pill is given to treat a symptom instead of truly rooting out the cause of the dis-ease. However, as also indicated by the previous article in this series, big pharma seems to be winning out over natural solutions.

When sanity and reason seem to have vanished, it begins to smell like…money. A friend told me recently about someone who was prescribed an antidepressant by a doctor and ended up sicker than before – and addicted. Later it became evident that the doctor had received compensation from the drug manufacturer to do so. After some investigation my friend learned that pharmaceutical companies regularly bribe doctors to prescribe their drugs. The more often doctors tout these often still-experimental wares to their unwitting patients, the more they get paid in kickbacks and what are called “spiffs”. The entire scenario is outrageous and criminal. The New York Times published an editorial about it in 2007 entitled, “Is Your Doctor Tied to Drug Makers?” And there is plenty more where that came from. Natural News has a page of articles on such bribery. It’s quite a rabbit hole.

Another subject to mention here is the entire vaccination controversy, which has reached a furor the past few years due to claims that vaccines which contain thimerosol, a mercury-based preservative, are causing autism and even death in a percentage of children. The war is still raging, and official studies so far claim there is no link, even though thousands of parents disagree.

I am aware that many people with autism, while perhaps different in various ways, carry their own brand of wisdom, ability, and genius, often with the capacity to contribute a lot to the world. I must also admit that the basic science behind vaccines changed the face of modern medicine and has saved untold millions of lives. However if a drug that is supposed to prevent future damage to an individual could be changing the personalities they were born with and causing an increase in medical costs and challenges for the families at home, then I begin to wonder. With all the knowledge and technology available today, I might imagine that someone could find a preservative that didn’t raise so many concerns. It arouses suspicion.

The vaccine controversy gets darker when one begins hearing of mandatory requirements, and no way to really know of any added “preservative”. In New Jersey, new laws requiring flu shots for children in day care have been met with protests from parents. Is this just the beginning? On that note, I found a startling article, Drugging America to death, about the true dark side of the pharmaceutical industry, including controls mandated during GW’s time which has made forced vaccinations and drugs a matter of national security,

From Wikipedia: “Oligarchy (Greek Ὀλιγαρχία, Oligarkhía) is a form of government where political power effectively rests with a small elite segment of society distinguished by royalty, wealth, family, military powers or occult spiritual hegemony. The word oligarchy is from the Greek words for “few” (ὀλίγος olígos) and “rule” (ἀρχή arkhē). Such states are often controlled by politically powerful families whose children are heavily conditioned and mentored to be heirs of the power of the oligarchy. This type of power by its very nature may not be exercised openly; the oligarchs preferring to remain “the power behind the throne“, exerting control through economic means. Oligarchies have been tyrannical throughout history, being completely reliant on public servitude to exist. Although Aristotle pioneered the use of the term as a synonym for rule by the rich, for which the exact term is plutocracy, oligarchy is not always a rule by wealth, as oligarchs can simply be a privileged group. Some city-states from Ancient Greece were oligarchies.”

There has been an enormous upsurge in the mainstream media of mention of a “New World Order”, which specific terminology has heretofore been the primary domain of conspiracy theorists. Just about every major world leader, past and present, and many of the corporate elite have spoken those words by now, including Time Magazine in a recent brazen title article. Their echoes resonate around the world, entraining ears not attuned to the double entendre.

I went to college in the ’80s and studied languages and international relations at a top university. I was not aware of any conspiranoid theories at the time and never questioned the intelligence of globalization. I was all for it.

I still am. There is no doubt that today’s technology gives the planet the opportunity to create a new order of cultural understanding and economic prosperity. However, now that I am aware of the ancient plots and potential misuses of this philosophy, I tread this ground more carefully. This new age also gives rise to global corporations that rape not just their home town, but rain forests and oceans across the planet. Globalization sounds good in theory, but in practice, it has been abused and led to the destruction of our environment as well as the growth of a bloated elite who care nothing for the common man or their local communities. I watch with trepidation for the totalitarian one world government waiting in the wings, for a natural catastrophe, Planet X, or UFO landing, to gather us into its scaly claws. It may even only take this current economic crisis.

Globalization, it its real and truest sense, must come from within. It must be the joining together of a multitude of small, successful and peaceful communities – it must be grassroots, not trickle-down. While a new world order might claim to be the answer to religious wars and economic disparity, it also still saves a place for the Oligarchy. They still make the rules - they make the products – they grow the food and say what fuel source powers our cars and homes. They say what form of ID we must show, they go to war, they make the weapons, they sell them to terrorists and teach them how to use them. We, the “public servitude”, still only just work for Them.

The military is still advancing new, even scarier technologies, the small organic farmer is facing more and more difficulty, and people are still warped by all kinds of toxins in the air, food, water, prescription drugs, and who knows what all else. I’d like to see free energy devices freed from black projects. I’d like to hear the new administration talk about subsidizing organic community gardens, not look the other way when Monsanto takes a small farmer to court because some evil suicide seeds got blown into the neighboring garden patch. I’d like to hear about HAARP’s destructive potential, and see it turned off. I’d like to see communities developing their own currencies, their own methods of feeding themselves, of producing energy and bartering.

We don’t have to lose our global community – we can keep the Internet, keep trading with each other, keep our arts and culture, keep in touch and continue to develop our global friendships. But we need to be locally self-sufficient. The bail-out needs to start at home, in our own backyards, literally. What crafts, products and specialties that are traded internationally, should not be basic necessities. Otherwise, if and when the system breaks down, it will indeed be global revolution and massive starvation. (Of course, some believe this is exactly what the Oligarchy has in mind, as they wait patiently in their underground bunkers for the masses of surface flesh to disintegrate.)

When I hear the new administration talking in these terms, I will drop my spoon and wipe the drool from my gaping jaw. As good as the new guy might sound right now, unless this very real and basic tenet of local sustainability is implemented, nothing will really change. A recent article by Chris Hedges at Truthdig quotes political philosopher Sheldon S. Wolin regarding our current situation, “The basic systems are going to stay in place; they are too powerful to be challenged.” Mr. Hedges’ article is entitled, It’s Not Going to Be OK, if that’s any indication.

Propping up the old paradigm will not work. Refueling the previous modus operandi will just result in another eventual crash. The entire system must be reconsidered.

The new administration is busy getting fitted with its shining armor, and to many, it’s sounding promising. Many appreciate seeing the elite get taken down a notch, myself included. Taking away the CEO’s outrageous benefit packages is news, to be sure. Witnessing the destruction of a large portion of the overblown wealthy lifestyle is somewhat entertaining. It is now quickly becoming shameful to have multiple houses, cars, boats, luxury vacations, etc., during the crisis. It’s reminiscent of a historical revolution against a decadent monarchy. Cut off their heads! It is being done, metaphorically and symbolically, for the benefit of the masses, who still have no cake to eat.

Having grown up and been brainwashed that capitalism and its associate “free democratic” government is the best way, along with the accompanying understanding that the alternative, communism, is anti-American, I watch all of this in wonder.

The average Joe may think it is more equitable that the wealth be more evenly distributed – where indeed is all that money going in these huge government bail-outs? Is this how true capitalism is supposed to work? If it’s not given the name “communism”, or its opposite, the equally despotic “fascism”, most people won’t realize what is really being done. Is the term “socialism” even acceptable to Americans? I can’t say for sure. But even in Europe, where socialism is often the standard, allowing governments to bail out bloated industry is being questioned.

In a simpler time, this crisis might have led to the creation of entirely new industries and modes of production and survival in a natural way, perhaps aligned with Mr. Smith’s notions of free market capitalism. If new energy sources and new ideas were allowed to flourish and not squelched by the domineering corporate tycoons, for example, there would be a new world order quite naturally and harmoniously, no oligarchy required.

But at this point, it can be argued that too many people would starve waiting for the revival to occur as a result of a healthy free market (which doesn’t really exist, anyway). As well, the oligarchy is not really going anywhere. This group is vague, unspecific, mostly unnamed, difficult to trace and avoids any official label. They will remain behind the scenes, perhaps with a smaller wealth (though probably not by much, compared to the rest of us), and forced to now be less ostentatious, at least for now. They will simply morph and adjust as need be. They know what is happening. They’ve likely been preparing and planning for it for awhile now. The new world order that is appearing is just the wolf changing costumes.

I yearn for abundance and prosperity for those who are suffering now. I’m not personally able to offer any alternative, here and now, in this fleshly incarnation, in this present time. You might be able to learn how to ascend this dimension. But until then, what to do about the misery so many people are experiencing? One can preach balance, and love and harmony, but before we get there, we all have to eat. And many of us are not.

Which brings to mind the term “useless eaters” so often quoted by the powers-that-be. In fact, on the heels of this economic “reorganization” is the increasing call to reduce the world’s population. So, again, average Joe thinks, yeah, this is a good idea. I agree to a certain extent – having 14 kids is irresponsible if you’re not living in the dark ages when most children died before age one, and people had to farm their own land to survive. In today’s developed world, it’s downright ridiculous.

I would like to see us all have the inner wisdom to come to these conclusions ourselves, so that we could self-regulate the hardship we are placing on our environment. But admittedly this will not happen overnight, if ever, at this point, at least in the present era, due to traditional mindsets and religious brainwashing. One the other hand, making it a matter of law reeks of totalitarianism. But barring any other alternative, it seems like the Oligarchy’s long-term love of eugenics is also becoming acceptable mainstream discussion.

We are coming near the end of a road. The old world order has been toppled, quite extravagantly and symbolically, since the taking down of the World Trade Center in 2001. Since then, we’ve experienced a very finely-crafted destruction of the remaining structures, culminating in the election of a leader who promises to guide us into a new age.

Like many others, I wait to see whether apocalyptic prophecies are about to be fulfilled, or whether a real, positive change is occurring, that will usher in a new prosperity in harmony with the planet, and with each other.

What do you think?

“If you want to be a great leader, you must learn to follow the Tao. Stop trying to control. Let go of fixed plans and concepts, and the world will govern itself.”

- Tao Te Ching #57

While I realize that Thanksgiving, along with many of our mandated holidays, may make some of us feel overwhelmed with the programming, it is still an opportunity to take a moment to express our gratitude for what blessings we have. No matter how bad things seem to be, we can usually find plenty of reasons to give thanks, like family, friends, pets, or even just a nice hot meal. And gratitude can be a very powerful force.

I don’t have to think very hard for one more thing to be thankful for this year. My husband was supposed to be working in Mumbai this week and staying at the Taj Mahal Hotel. The job got pushed. He’s here today with us puttering around as usual, occasionally stopping by my perch to gape at the carnage on CNN, and mutter some awe-filled comment about the workings of the Universe and dodging bullets.

Our hearts go out to those innocent victims of the attacks in India.

A very sober and appreciative Thanksgiving from us, to you.

[P.S.: Pay attention to increased international crying-out for a more organized and stronger global police force of some sort. This too is coming. Problem, reaction, solution.]