The 2019 Economist Magazine Cover 23 - Observation

Tripping...

2018!  The year of the coming of age! The portal to a new tomorrow.  In a world where everything seems to be up for grabs - no clear path to choose, just gray overtones of left-over social expectations that now seem so out of place.  People once lived in a "Bible belt" structured maze.  A place where the golden rule was just that.  Where it seemed that everyone was too polite to question the going norms and rules.  Those who did were quickly shunned.  But now - in todays fast flowing ebbing tide we see violent challenges to the status quo and to law and order.  Chaos rules supreme.  Even the leaders of the free world are awash in turning the tide in was never seen before.  Open rebellion to any straight and narrow ideals long respected as the "right way" to live have left the new up an coming genration floundering in the primordial haze - garbage heap.

We never realize what we had until it is gone!  Trying to find sense in the common things in life - these days - seems near impossible.  Like a torpedo with no destination programmed into the trajectory - today we see the self-destruct button being pushed by large groups in society giving us the never-ending opioid crisis of a civilization too free for its own good!  A no rules Sponge Bob Square Pants lagoon of farting creepers!  Life has become a cartoon of sorts.  Losing at life has become a fine art.  The homeless crisis takes millions of dollars to keep functioning, as sanctuary cities are filled to the brim with waste and filth no one can clean up.  Everywhere you look you see plastic strung up as tents for the endless misery that calls such filth "home".  No way out!  Beg - barrow - and steal... Stilll no way out!  J-O-B is the new four letter curse word.  Its much easier to stand in the rain on the corner hoping for a few bucks from a passer-by than to get off the addiction path and find some better way to live.  Still, no way out!

It can never be said that we haven't tried.  As a society we are always looking for some new way to spend our hard earned money.  Some new cause to get behind.  But the underlying problems still persist.  The solution to all this messy mess still seems to elude us.  The haves and the have-nots.  The rich get richer while the poor get poorer!  The cycle never stops.  But why is that?

Could it be that you and I are the problem and at the same time hold the key to open Heavens door?  Are we so blinded by our own self interests that we fail to comprehend the very answers we are looking for now?  Are we really rational thinkers?  Do we possess the true wisdom that must be applied to our world situation so that the changes we seek will come to us in our life-times? 

Time is running out!  We need to act now if we stand a chance of turning this ship around.  The rats are already jumping over-board!  We must act!  But how?  With what?

Devote one hour each day to the silence within your own space.  Step aside and let the world pass.  It is in that moment the assurance is known which brings all things to their intended purpose and transforms the world.  It is your faith!

Now!...

Now as then, when I write - I write as much for myself as for the reader who takes the time to ponder the words on the page.  I write with an urgency and a resolve which is seldom seen anymore.  I always ask myself how is one to find the true way if no one is there to teach the True Way.  Many false teachers are gone out into the world.  It is easy to spot most of them...Just follow the money!  But then, there are those teachers which are wolves dressed up in sheep's clothing!  The hidden agendas and twisted logic, masquerading as the genuine article of faith - creates the most difficult of circumstances and many are snared to their ultimate demise.

In acquiring  wisdom, the basic rules of thinking and pondering must be taken to heart in order to compare thought with thought and arrive at the correct destination.  It is often a thankless job which carries little monetary reward and often carries a heavy social price tag which ends in isolation and sadness.  

When we do take the time to turn around and see how far we have come in finding who we really are and connecting to those things that really matter like peace, joy and love - we can see in an instant that it was all worth it.  This thing called life.  To live in the light of true wisdom and to hold in our hearts the Love which no man can give but which all desire and can treasure - it is then all worth it!  The pain and the struggle is forgotten and the sweet joy of knowing that you have touched the face of God makes the journey worth it!   When we look to the sky and realize we are but a speck in time and yet able to experience the bliss of all the Universe wrapped up in a newborn baby's smile - we gain the strength to keep going and to reach for the highest realm; that of the Divine Mind.  The realization of True Zen - Awakened Reality, the Centered Life Essence flowing out of a knowing that, all things are possible to them that believe! 

The Zen Way...

The time has come!  Today is the Day!!  Time to get real!  It seems to me that the world has lost its mind!  The fake news - the fake people!  The whole idea of sanity is gone!  Opinions built on sensationalism and instant "likes" on social media are ruling the day!  What happened in the last few news cycles that caused us to get to where we are today?  Even the trusted established citadels of higher education and reasoned scientific learning seem to have lost their way.

Where did we go wrong?  Why are the talking heads wielding so much sway over the masses?  Truth no longer appears to be present in the streets!  Just more and more violence.  With each passing day the waves of complete stupidity wash over us at work and at home.  From the president to the school teacher - all sense of logic has evaporated into a mental haze which threatens to choke out any and all rational thought.  Even the religious pundits, which once held high the Spiritual Essence of Godliness, have been turned into demonic despots hell-bent on preaching a message lit from the hellish torch of the evil-one.  The darkness devoid of any real saving truth - is ruling the day!

Depressing to say the least!  We need new teachers.  A new guide.  A new map on which to chart a new and living way out of this dark world devoid of any real and true light.  We are at the crossroads.

"When the student is ready - The Master appears!"  Are you ready?   Are you willing to let go of all so called wisdom and knowledge which holds no real truth?  Are you ready to question the very foundations of what we once held as societies norms and basic rites of passage into our western world view?

To start over by discarding all preconceived notions and ideas is fundamental to creating a new world order which can stand the test of time. The basic building blocks must come from some place other than the limited psycho-babble we hear today.  We must go deep into the mire and muck in search of the gems of truth which surely are still there - hidden from the masses.  The pure gold must be heated in the fires of persecution and dissent until the dross is separated from the real unchanging Word of Life.  It is a quest which we all must endure alone.  It is a path which only we can decipher with the help of Spirit.  Faith in the Truth is the only way to begin the process of reconciliation to all that brings us to a true sense of integrity and purpose.  

The prize is not for the weak!  The quest for eternal life starts now.  Today if you will open your heart and will to know of the doctrine - you will be rewarded with the still small voice of reason which the Spirit expressly gives to all who wait in silence for it!

This is the Way of Zen! 

Diane Birch - Stand Under My Love (Acoustic)

ShoutOut!

Sleeping Beauty

 

 Ever feel like you were spinning your wheels faster and faster and yet getting further and further behind?  Science has shown that often when the mind is thinking and doing man tasks in a desperate attempt to gain some bigger goal and no time is given for pure "nothingness" - the brain actually slows to a crawl and we become immune to the trauma we are inflicting upon ourselves.  Yes! The mind needs time to unwind and rest in the "void" of no thinking.  It needs time to just float away and be in a state of pure relaxation.  To be whole and healthy the mind requires times where we are literally doing nothing.  Just being.  No rush no fuss.  Just aware of our surroundings and letting the big picture settle into our consciousness.

Inner peace comes through not doing.  It comes when we let go and let the unfolding of life take place without trying to guide it and fill it with stuff.  Doing is part of life.  But so is letting go.  Freedom to be ourselves in the midst of the storm.  In the eye - where all is calm.  We may be trying to go faster and faster, like the rabbit chasing the turtle.  However, our self awareness and bliss function best as we slow down and allow for thoughtful quiet spaces throughout our day.

Try it!  You might be pleasantly surprised ! 

Nothing But...

Somewhere in this world there is a God who dishes out talent like candy to certain people who in turn bring a spiritual Life-Essence to share with the rest of us...
Diane Birch is just such a person.  Her music makes you stop and listen.  It rocks you in a way that leaves you breathless - screaming  for more... It touches your heart in a way that is beyond words to describe!  I hope Diane continues to explore her gift and realizes that she is in a very special place in life.  A world made beautiful through musical genius and a connection to the Divine!,,,
Play On!...

Diane Birch - Truer Than Blue

Isn't She Lovely!

In every life there is a certain "wow!" factor.  Something that just jumps out at you and takes your breath away.  Sometimes it is obvious and sometimes subtle.  But if we take the time to look and ponder we will begin to feel and know what it is that keeps us coming back for more.

In this life we see what we want to see.  The beautiful and the ugly.  The sublime and the profound.  Sometimes we recoil in horror and sometimes from fear.  But always the chance is there that we will take in the moment and experience what it is that the moment has for us to experience.  Never be too quick to write off the book because of its cover. Take the time to understand the real essence behind every emotional outburst we feel.  Remember an open mind is a mind which can see beauty where others see only pain.  Take the time to observe and appreciate life's wrinkles and uneasy spaces.  If we do this, we will come away with a smile on our face and a song in our heart.

...That's the way love goes!

Choices...

Life! Life is about choices.  We first must think before we act.  The idea is fundamental to... life.  We say, "I wasn't thinking!", when we do something we wish we hadn't.  But that can't really be as it takes thought to produce actions.  The more a thought is repeated the deeper the reflex is made which causes the action to appear spontaneous.  Reflexes are actions which are caused by electrical connections which are sometimes involuntary muscle movements like a twitch.  But these actions can hardly be called meaningful acts resulting in anything resembling structured creative movement.  Thoughts must be involved if the end result of an action is to be recognized as structurally balanced and meaningful.

Life has a way of bringing us to our senses or our knees!  Given enough time we find ourselves wishing we had listened to the sound advice of a parent or friend.  We learn by making mistakes.  But we can also learn by choosing to choose!  Choosing things which can bring others happiness. Choosing to live our lives by the Golden Rule - Dealing with others as we wish they would deal with us.  Putting the other person first before our own desires and wants.  Seeking the high road instead of confrontation.  Knowing when to stand our ground and when to let go.  All choices.

In life we have all the time in the world to live.  But in living we must make instant choices for better or for worse.  It is a risk we must accept.  To be ignorant of this detail is to live a life of loss and despair.  A life filled with doom and gloom.  Nothing can take the place of thinking thoughts.  What thoughts a person thinks ends up shaping the person.  Life choices are sometimes small - sometimes profound.  In all situations we should stop and think.  Choose!  Create a sense of purpose!  Life is about choices... Choose carefully!

If you ask me…

“The wind blows where it wants and you hear the sound of it, but you know not where it comes from or where it goes…”

Somewhere in the deep recesses of the mind, the substance which makes faith a reality quietly waits. In a world where speculation and “anything goes” free thinking has been held up as intellectual science, and media pundits question the very fabric of what used to be considered sacred ground –

if you ask me, the fate of nations and the fate of all living things hang in the balance… The idea that all things are questionable and ultimately unknown, makes for some very interesting conclusions about life itself. Opinions about everything circulate through the air like the leaves of autumn falling to the ground; after a storm. Wisdom’s lore is lost on an age of personal enlightenment which in most instances has trumped all past belief systems. The ability to pontificate about the smallest insignificant data has become a high art form. What we once thought was untouchable has become fodder for the fires of cynics and theologians alike.

If you ask me – the light of truth no longer is reflected in the minds and hearts of societies leaders and socially acceptable belief systems. “Whatsoever things are true”… What once was thought of as true and right, no longer holds the same importance within the halls of higher education – be it private or public. Instead what we see is a modern day “textural criticism” which resembles the noodles in alphabet soup! Long gone is the notion that the truth is actually knowable. Long gone is the idea that rational people can have a faith which is built on solid, factual information. The world is awash in reality hysteria, while the floodwaters akin to the Great Deluge is drowning all attempts to bring the truth to the forefront of intellectual understanding. “Be still and know…” The simplest things in life can shed great light on our spiritual journey and life itself.

If you ask me – it all comes down to one irrefutable notion called love. When we stop to think about love – and we let go of all thoughts and all obstacles which we have placed in front of love – it is then and only then that life takes on a true sense of what it means to be alive. It is the path walked by all the past sages and masters in time. It is the one notion which brings all other ideas to the forefront. It is the wisdom which passes all understanding… “…And so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”