Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior

by Dan Millman

I saw the beginnings of time and space, when the Spirit became the "ten thousand things". The star forms, the planets, and the mountains, the seas, and the creatures great and small that spawned there.

But there were no humans. Before history, in a time of magic, when Mind allowed it, the legends were born. The animals evolved on earth, growing from all that preceded them. But no human souls existed on the planet.

I saw a vision of the ancient universe, where, within the curves of space, angelic souls played in realms of freedom and bliss. This memory, stored within the most ancient records of the psyche, became the archetype for that place we call heaven.

A wave of these souls came down to earth because they were curious about the material realm-about the animal forms, and about sexual-creative energy-about what it would be like in a body.

And so, they overshadowed the primitive forms of animals that roamed the earth, they entered, saw them through their eyes, felt through their skin, and experienced the material realm and life on earth.

I saw them, I felt them, as they grew ready to leave their animal host, and return to their Source. But these souls misjudged the magnetic attraction of the material realm, they became trapped, identified with the animal consciousness. Thus began a great adventure on this planet.

These soul energies, and their humanlike consciousness within the animals, impacted the DNA structure, causing immediate and radical evolutionary leaps. This was reveled to me in visions within the genetic spirals themselves.

The next generation of creatures provided the basis for the Greek myths-centaurs, mermaids, satyrs, and nymphs.  Half human, they were the source of human legends, the Olympian gods cohabiting with animals and humans.

The first wave had forgotten that they were of the Spirit, not the flesh.  They have become identified with their host. So a wave of missionary souls came down to rescue the first wave, to pull them out. But they, too, were trapped.

Time flashed by, centuries in an instant. A second wave was sent.  This time, only the most powerful souls made the attempt, very few escaped. They, too, remained, trapped by their own desire for power. They became the kings, the queens, the pharaohs, and the chiefs-the rulers of the lands of earth. Some were like King Arthur, others like Attila the Hun.

A third and final rescue mission was sent. These very special souls were the most courageous of all, the peaceful warrior souls, because they knew they weren’t coming back.  They knew they would be destined to live within a mortal body for eons. Suffering, losing loved ones, in mortal pain and fear, until all souls were free.

They were a volunteer mission, and they came to remind all others who they are. They include carpenters, students, doctors, artist, athletes, musicians, and ne`er-do-wells- geniuses and madmen, criminals and saints. Most have forgotten their mission, but an ember still glows within the hearts and memories of those who are destined to awaken to their heritage as the servants of humanity, and to awaken others.

These rescuers are not "better" souls, unless love makes them so. They may be lost, or found. But they are awakening, now. Hundreds of thousands of souls on the planet becoming a spiritual family.

Share what you know...

We are in a time when we must share what we know.  To hold what we know inside is a refusal to be of service to the one who gave us life.  Your intimacy with the Great Spirit is developed through maintaining your dialogue and your service to the Great Spirit.  Without that dialogue, there is no intimacy.  If you are to be an efficient messenger, you have got to pull yourself together, so that you sit in the center of your circle of truth and access the beauty that is all around you.  If you don't take that responsibility, then you are taking a chance of not learning what you came here to learn...

Rob always hits the nail square on the head...

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

Week beginning October 14

Copyright 2010 by Rob Brezsny

http://FreeWillAstrology.com

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): "The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease," said French philosopher Voltaire.  With this in mind, let's evaluate your current discomfort. From what I can tell, healing forces beyond your control and outside of your awareness are going to be working their mojo to chip away at your problem. But it will still be wise for you to occupy yourself in activities that you think will expedite the fix. Doing so will minimize your anxieties, allowing nature to do what it does best.

Pronoia Is a Dangerous Taboo ~Rob Brezsny

The book PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia is a conversation, not a dictation. It's an inquiry, not dogma.

We're explorers in search of the ever-evolving truth, not authorities proclaiming doctrine from on high. We refuse to be salespeople intent on getting you to be like us or buy our ideas. In fact, let's look at the downsides of the perspectives we celebrate.

The first thing you should consider before leaping into a relationship with pronoia is that it is utterly at odds with conventional wisdom. The 19th-century poet John Keats said that if something is not beautiful, it is probably not true. But the vast majority of modern storytellers -- journalists, filmmakers, novelists, talk-show hosts, and poets -- assert the opposite: If something is not ugly, it is probably not true.

In a world that equates pessimism with acumen and regards stories about things falling apart as having the highest entertainment value, pronoia is deviant. It is a taboo so taboo that it's not even recognized as a taboo.

The average American child sees 20,000 simulated murders before reaching age 18. This is considered normal. There are thousands of films, television shows, and electronic games that depict people doing terrible things to each other. If you read newspapers and news sites on the Internet, you have every right to believe that Bad Nasty Things compose 90 percent of the human experience. The authors of thousands of books published this year will hope to lure you in through the glamour of killing, addiction, self-hatred, sexual pathology, shame, betrayal, extortion, robbery, cancer, arson, and torture.

But you will be hard-pressed to find more than a few novels, films, news stories, and TV shows that dare to depict life as a gift whose purpose is to enrich the human soul.

If you cultivate an affinity for pronoia, people you respect may wonder if you have lost your way. You might appear to them as naive, eccentric, unrealistic, misguided, or even stupid. Your reputation could suffer and your social status could decline.

But that may be relatively easy to deal with compared to your struggle to create a new relationship with yourself. For starters, you will have to acknowledge that what you previously considered a strong-willed faculty -- the ability to discern the weakness in everything -- might actually be a mark of cowardice and laziness. Far from being evidence of your power and uniqueness, your drive to produce hard-edged opinions stoked by hostility is likely a sign that you've been brainwashed by the pedestrian influences of pop nihilism.

Before the onset of pronoia, you may feel fine about the fact that you generate much of your dynamic energy through anger, agitation, discomfort, and judgmental scorn. But once the pronoia kicks in, you'll naturally want more positive feelings to be your high-octane fuel. That will require extensive retraining. The work could be arduous, delicate, and time-consuming.

Are you truly ready to shed the values and self-images that keep you locked into alignment with the dying civilization? Will you have the stamina and inspiration necessary to dream up bigger, better, more original sins and wilder, wetter, more interesting problems? Do you realize how demanding it will be to turn yourself into a wildly disciplined, radically curious, fiercely tender, ironically sincere, ingeniously loving, aggressively sensitive, blasphemously reverent, lustfully compassionate master of rowdy bliss?

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Try saying this aloud: "I die daily." It's one of our favorite formulas for success. Is it right for you? Say it again, using a different tone of voice this time. "I die daily." Chant it in a fake foreign accent. Sing it to the tune of the nursery rhyme "Frere Jacques." Play with it in the voice of the cartoon character you loved best as a child. Repeat it 10 times, or try other vocal experiments. Then muse on the following questions.

What do you need to kill off in yourself in order to tune in to the beauty that's hidden from you? What worn-out shticks are blinding you to the blessings that life is conspiring to give you? Which of your acerbic theories may have been useful and even brilliant in the past but are now keeping you from becoming aware of the ever-fresh creation that unfolds before you?

"I die daily" means that it's not enough to terminate your stale mental habits just once. The price of admission into pronoia is a commitment to continual dying. You'll have to ask yourself rude questions and kick your own ass again and again. Today's versions of beauty, truth, love, goodness, justice, and liberation will pass away. To keep abreast of the latest developments -- to cultivate tomorrow's versions of pronoia -- you will have to immerse yourself regularly in the waters of chaos. Your relationship with pronoia will have to be a never-ending improvisation.

The dream of a steady-state utopia is anathema to Beauty and Truth Lab researchers. We're allergic to any paradise that resembles a spotless shopping mall within the walls of a gated community in heaven.

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Pronoia is fueled by a drive to cultivate happiness and a determination to practice an aggressive form of gratitude that systematically identifies the things that are working well. But it is not a soothing diversion meant for timid Pollyannas strung out on optimistic delusions. It's not a feel-good New Age fantasy used to deny the harsh facts about existence. Those of us who perceive the world pronoiacally refuse to be polite shills for sentimental hopefulness.

On the contrary, we build our optimism not through a repression of difficulty, but rather a vigorous engagement with it. We understand that the best way to attract blessings is to grapple with the knottiest enigmas.

Each fresh puzzle is a potential source of future bliss -- an exciting teaching that may usher us to our next breakthrough.

Do you want to be a pronoiac player? Blend anarchistic rebelliousness with open-hearted exuberance. Root your insurrectionary fervor in expansive joy instead of withering hatred. Enjoy saying "no!" but don't make it the wellspring of your vitality. Be fueled by blood-red yeses that rip against the grain of comfortable ugliness.

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"A Spell to Commit Pronoia," by psychotherapist Jennifer Welwood:

Willing to experience aloneness,
I discover connection everywhere;
Turning to face my fear,
I meet the warrior who lives within;
Opening to my loss,
I am given unimaginable gifts;
Surrendering into emptiness,
I find fullness without end.

Each condition I flee from pursues me.
Each condition I welcome transforms me
And becomes itself transformed
Into its radiant jewel-like essence.

I bow to the one who has made it so,
Who has crafted this Master Game;
To play it is pure delight,
To honor it is true devotion.


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HEALING SHOCKS

Rob Brezsny

Many of us are essentially asleep, even as we walk around in broad daylight. We're so focused on the restless narratives and repetitive fantasies unfurling in our heads that we only dimly perceive the larger
story raging in all of its chaotic beauty around us.

To have any hope of permanently breaking out of our fuzzy trance, we require regular shocks. A single jolt might cause us to briefly come to attention and see the miracle of creation for what it is, but once the red alert has passed, we relax back into our fixation on the dreamy tales our mind never stops telling us.

In the course of its conspiracy to shower us with blessings, life does its best to provide us with a steady flow of healing shocks. But because it tends to err on the side of tenderness, its prods may be too gentle,
allowing us to ignore them. Gradually, life will up the ante, trying to find the right mix of toughness and love, as it encourages us to WAKE UP!

But our addiction to the phantasmagoria is tenacious. The stream-of-conscious narratives and ever-bubbling fantasies, even when they're racked with torment and terror, are perversely entertaining. And so we may avoid responding to the kind shocks for so long that life finally has to resort to stronger medicine. Then we might get sick or lose our job or muck up our closest relationship.

It doesn't have to be that way . . . .

Reality

I have had a lot to ponder over the last week.  I have taken a step back to look at my current situation from an outside perspective.  I try to hard to live my life with honor and respect, but sometimes we all lose our way.  This means there is a lesson to be learned.  How we react in our times of anger, sadness and sorrow that proves our true character.  We must stand up and take responsibility for our own actions and choices.  We must face the music and at times it will be painful.

Fear is the path to the dark side.  Fear leads to anger.  Anger leads to hate.  Hate leads to suffering.   ~Yoda

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Elder's Meditation of the Day ~ September 1

"Everyone has a song. God gives us each a song. That's how we know who we are. Our song tells us who we are."

--Charlie Knight, UTE

As we start to walk the Red Road and as we develop ourselves as Warriors, a song will come to us. This song is given to each of us from the Great Spirit. Whenever we sing this song, we will receive courage and strength, not only for ourselves but if we sing this song for others, it will also help them. The song will give us power and make us feel really good. The song will make us see life in a sacred way. If you don't have your song yet, ask the Creator in prayer if He will give you your song. With the song comes a responsibility - the responsibility to act and conduct oneself as a Warrior according to your song.

Oh my Creator, let me live my song. Let my song honor Your way of life. Let me sing my song each day. At the end of today, let my song tell people who I am. I am a beautiful child of the Creator. 

Tree of Dreams ~ Discipline

Discipline is misunderstood in our world.  It is a process, not an end. We try to discipline our mind, our habits, our practice, but are you using a practice that belongs to you?  Symbolically speaking, you cannot always take a costume or tradition that is created by someone else  for their ceremonies and expect to put that costume or ritual on and experience the same sacredness that they had.  That is because it is not your costume.  You need to design your own.

Discipline is an awareness.  It is something you come to. It is like purpose - purpose that you discover in your life.  Purpose is not something that you make happen.  You cannot invent passion, but you can uncover it.

Societies today have taken over someone else's ceremonial  clothes. They learn from borrowed knowledge, not necessarily their own experience.  They are wearing someone else's costume.  It has been told to them that it is theirs, but it is not.  It doesn't fit them.  The energy of it is dead for them.  There is no power in trying to control yourself in a way that someone else did.  It may have worked for them, but it won't work for you.

Define your own sacred life.

We stand in the middle of the creek, not moving with the flow.  We stand and try to hold onto something, never moving.  So the water, the flow of energy, has to move around us.  We need to move with the water.  When we get scared, the current increases.  We want to control the current to suit our needs - make it comfortable for us.  It's all about control.  When you try to control and repress your feelings, your intuitions, your character to please someone else, it is a lie.  We all repress aspects of ourselves to fit in.

This is our sadness.  The entire human race is sad, and it is because we are repressing and controlling all sorts of thoughts and feelings.  We are trying to wear someone else's sacred costume.

As the creek flows, we follow.  We follow the knowledge.  It's not stasis, is it?

We are not the same, but we are one spirit, one light, one heart.

Tree of Dreams, Lynn V. Andrews

Breast Cancer Awareness

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Check out my Komen Race for the Cure team page!  I plan to start fundraising soon!

My Personal Page

Join team Hakuna MyTATA's today!

Mark your calendars, November 7th, let's Race for the Cure!

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Today, the Sun is trine Pluto, the lord of the underworld and a profound symbol for a journey that ends in transformation and deeper understanding. The Moon moves into Taurus, a grounded earth sign she truly loves. 

As the day progresses, she creates a beautiful pattern with power planet Pluto and the illuminating Sun, also in earth signs.

This is a very productive energy, so you won't want to waste your time on anything trivial. Think long-term, and apply yourself where your efforts will make the most difference in the long run. 

Elder's Meditation

"The devastated earth, the air, water, the extinct species of mankind, animalkind, and plantkind, the drugs, suicides, family separations - these are all the result of false ceremonies."

--Barney Bush, SHAWNEE

All life is a ceremony. Every act is a ceremony creating a result in our lives. Every ceremony we do always brings results to our lives. If we do bad medicine to others, we do bad medicine to ourselves. If we keep on doing bad ceremonies, we will eventually destroy ourselves. Any time we live our lives out of harmony, we are doing bad ceremonies. Any time we treat anything with disrespect whether it is another human being or a plant or an animal, we are performing bad ceremonies. These ceremonies not only have an effect on ourselves but will simultaneously affect everything. We need to use our power well, only do good ceremonies.

My Creator, teach me only good ceremonies. Teach me ceremonies that accomplish good for all the people. Good ceremonies cause good results. Teach me ceremonies that are helpful. 

Angelina Belle Peyton Eberly (July 2, 1798 – August 15, 1860) was an innkeeper and a hero of Austin, Texas in the Texas Archive War.

Angelina was born to John and Margaret (Hamilton) Peyton in Sumner County, Tennessee. In 1818 she married her first cousin, Jonathan C. Peyton, and moved with him to New Orleans, Louisiana. They opened an inn and tavern in San Felipe de Austin from 1825 until 1834, when Jonathan Peyton died. Angelina continued to operate the inn and tavern until the Texas Revolution, when the town was destroyed to prevent capture by Mexican forces.

In 1836 she met and married Captain Jacob Eberly, a widower.  They lived briefly in Bastrop, Texas and moved to Austin in 1839,  opening the Eberly House. On October 18, 1839, President Mirabeau B. Lamar and his cabinet dined in her tavern and his  successor, Sam Houston, resided at Eberly House rather than the  presidential mansion. Jacob Eberly died in 1841.

In December 1842, Houston ordered the secret removal of the  archives of the Republic to safekeeping in Washington-on-the-Brazos.  Mrs. Eberly, realizing that the symbols of national government were being removed from the city, fired a six-pound cannon into the General Land Office Building, arousing the town to what they considered theft. 

The ensuing conflict became known as the Archives War, which was won by the Austinites, preserving Austin as capital of Texas and keeper of the archives.

In April 1847 Angelina moved to Port Lavaca and operated Edward Clegg's Tavern House. The next year, she moved to Indianola and ran the American Hotel there until her death in 1860 at the age of 62.

She was buried in a cemetery outside Lavaca and left her $50,0000 estate to her grandson, Peyton Bell Lytle.  A statue of Angelina Eberly, created by Pat Oliphant, stands near the place where Eberly helped perserve Austin as Texas' capital city.

If you are paying attention, occasionally you will actually see the silver lining...

Sometimes, I have nothing to say...

Our strength can be built by believing in ourselves.  Have courage, faith, and endurance.  Close your eyes and see it, feel it, believe it.

Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none. ~William Shakespeare 

Bulletproof

Faith

Faith is interesting.  My son had been pondering life and made a statement this morning that was beautiful, "To be a fountain of happiness inside and out, to make others happy and to be content within yourself is a truly noble way to live."

I have faith that everything will be okay.  We all hit rough patches, but we get up and keep going.  No harm, no foul.  People may come and go in your life.  Hold no attachment.  Love everyone and realize some are meant to move on, let them go.  Look forward and if you look back, it's only to smile at what once was, no regrets.  Forward is the path.  Have faith.  We are all on our way to somewhere.

I am intrigued with the ebb and flow of life.  Our cycles of learning, loving and healing come and go.  Sometimes its not easy to get yourself back to a good place, where you should be.  It's like you stepped into  the quicksand of negativity and it's sucking you down, pulling you in.

This is when we must find a way to pull ourselves back out, clean ourselves off and find the light within.  Never give up, never surrender!  Onward through the Fog!  Be your own beacon!

My weekly horoscope from Rob Brezsny @ Free Will Astrology ~☆~ I ♥ Rob!!! ~☆~


What are you waiting for, my dear Virgo? Your future power spot has been exerting a strong pull on you. It has been calling for you to come and seize the clout you deserve. But you have not yet fully taken up the offer. As your designated nag and cheerleader, it is my sacred duty to wave a red flag in front of your gorgeous face and command you to pay attention. In my opinion, you need to drop what you're doing, race over to the zone of engagement, and pounce. You're more than ready to stake a claim to the increased authority you'll have a mandate to wield in the coming months. 

Saturn

Saturn, the planet of lessons and responsibility, turns direct today after being retrograde for several months. It's still in Virgo, but it will be there for only a few more weeks before entering Libra. Take advantage of this period by getting as much practical work done as you can. Finish projects, check items off your to-do list and tackle all those tasks that have been hanging around. Productive accomplishment is the best way to honor Saturn in Virgo.

When a very slow-moving planet like taskmaster Saturn turns direct, its impact is subtle yet profound. Accordingly, today is a turning point when our hard work from recent months begins to take shape in the outer world. The ambitious Capricorn Moon helps us to frame our goals in a practical manner. But we may look for a shortcut to circumnavigate our responsibilities as trickster Mercury forms an electric semisquare with unpredictable Uranus.

Slow-moving Saturn is finally reversing its backward motion and turning direct again. The last few months may have felt limiting and restrictive … but with Saturn going direct, it's time to get back in step with the beat and get out on the dance floor of life. Let's move forward into a month of good karma and positive energy!

New Moon in Taurus

As of today, the semester is officially over!  I have one more paper to submit by email, but classes are officially done.  Now to figure out if I am taking summer classes or if I am going to collapse and sleep for a week.  I loved today's horoscope!  The future is bright and beautiful and I am well on my way!

We can plant practical seeds of intention thanks to today's steadfast Taurus New Moon. This moon is particularly pleasant and effective for earthy, practical types. We won't likely waste time with unrealistic dreams now; instead we are interested in the ones that have a good chance of becoming real. 

For folks born under the zodiac signs Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn, the benefits of this seed time flow to you almost without effort. The energy is here for everyone's benefit, however. To take advantage, simply visualize what you most want to achieve in the coming year. The magnetic nature of Taurus will help bring it to you. 

Success won't be attained unless we are willing to do a decent amount of hard work. Fortunately, unrelenting determination can overcome nearly any obstacle as long as we choose our destinations wisely.

The Snail

Outside my bedroom window, there is a plant that has a rotating cycle of snails that come and go.  It is a communal place, especially when it is damp from rain or dew, where the snails gather.  A throng of snails, traveling up and down, back and forth with a seemed purpose, known only to them.  It got me curious about what snails represent.

Snail symbol means dealing with steady footing and stability. Snails carry their homes upon their backs which is symbolic of carrying our security in our hearts.  Security and happiness in this case, is an inside job.  Snails are psuedo pods, which actually means "false feet".

Foot snails are also symbols of slow but steady progress. Featured in the 9 of Pentacles, we understand that stability and success do not appear overnight. Rather, success usually comes at a snail's pace.

Blessings of the Sacred Springs Pow Wow

What a beautiful experience!

San Marcos held their first annual Blessing of the Sacred Springs at the Aquarena Springs Park.  This site will be returned to it's natural beauty, which is bittersweet for me.

The land deserves to be returned to it's sacred state, but I have very fond memories from childhood.  My parents honeymooned here.  I can't even begin to count the number of times growing up that we drove down to spend the entire day at Aquarena Springs.  As life would have it, on to the next phase...

Full Moon

Ancient wisdom says we feel the influence of the Full Moon three days before and after the actual event. If this is true, then we are definitely still in the window of yesterday's powerful lunation. Since Mercury was involved, our minds and imaginations are stimulated even more than usual. We can process and integrate this potent Full Moon experience today. We'll get extra help as the Moon makes several positive contacts with other planets.

Energy expanding

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Magic is around us.  Spirit is speaking.
The universe is calling...
Can you hear? Are you listening?
Pay attention.  Take Note.
Open your heart. Breathe deep.
Energy is expanding, shifting...time to get rolling.
Will you be ready?
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The other side

I think today, I have finally pushed through the latest chapter in my life.  I figured out a way to turn the page.  Some chapters are longer than others, some you review for way too long.  Turning the page is a beautiful thing.   It brings me back to a beautiful site I ran across many years ago.  It's one of my favorites.  Some people are confused when reading, but I believe everyone eventually comes to the point where they finally understand.

To respect the wishes of the site owner, I am not posting a link, but google The Great Illusion.  I dare you!

Seasons

I was thinking about the seasons the other day.  When I was young I loved Summer, it was my favorite.  Not only is my birthday at the end of August, but summer represented freedom.  Summer was a time when life was simple and free.  The only thing you worried about was being out of school and spending every waking moment swimming, running or playing.  Summer represented so many things that I held near and dear to my heart.

I spent many years working in the corporate rat race.  During this time, I never felt the true beauty of summer as when I was young.  I was so busy trying to get ahead and survive the race that I never took time to enjoy any of the seasons.

Now that I am 40 and had my midlife culture change I find that I love Spring.  All of the seasons hold beautiful moments, things you can cherish and enjoy.  You can see the beauty of nature at any moment of any day.  But spring currently holds my favor with its sleepy awakenings. Signs of life stirring and moving...buds opening, flowers, trees, plants of every kind emerging from their winter slumber to embrace the magic of the sun.

Spring has come again.  I am awakened to the possibilities the future holds.  I am a bud of spring, unfolding and reaching out, expanding to my greatest potential.

Note to self...

When you have been avoiding eating meat for many months, even if it's not a determined thing, you just haven't been eating much meat...it's not a good idea to over indulge on brisket...it's not a good idea at all!  The system isn't appreciative of such sudden changes!!!

King of Wands

I was told to expect the King of Wands, I ran across this artist with the most amazing illustration representing the King!

He holds his staff aloft, like a torch, a beacon of flame and light. Or perhaps he himself is that beacon, gleaming as he does with the fire that burns within his chest and as a searing crown upon his brow. He lifts the fiery torch up to illuminate the path and strides forward. The ground shifts, and the denizens of the woods step back. The trees part before him, lifting their branches to make way for his passage. The environment shifts to his will, and obeys his unspoken desires and commands.

The King of Wands is charismatic. The force of his charm is irresistible, such that the very world seems to mold to his desires and bow to his will. He is a source of inspiration, and bears his mantle of authority with an ease as if he were born to it. It is his natural element, burning bright within him – blazing in his blood, and in his voice, and searing all that his gaze touches.

He has the spirit of the lion within him. Proud and fierce, dominant, and unafraid to chase down that which he desires. He springs forth into action with the confidence, strength, and lithe grace of that great beast. He is bold and does not balk at taking chances, or striking out upon new risky paths.

Redemption

One way to redeem yourself in this life, find a way to be of service.  Serving others for the purpose of giving and not for self gratification is how to rid yourself of karma from this life or any others.  Do something for others in which you don't get paid or just want the attention.  Not only will you see a difference, you will begin to feel a difference in your life!

Karma of Meat

I remember how sad it felt to realize at six years old and out with family that the catfish swimming in the rock pond by where we waited for our table would soon become my dinner. I am not a vegetarian, but for many years I have danced with the moral issues of eating meat. Despite the reasons for vegetarianism, I think what we should be more concerned with where our meat comes from and what eating it is doing to us.

When we are in the grocery store, we don’t think about where the neat, clean package of meat comes from, we easily just slip it into our cart and never think twice. Most of us have heard of free-range chicken, but do we truly understand what is happening to the majority of the animals we eat?

The last 40 years have seen the principles of mass production introduced into the farmyard. In the name of efficiency, production systems have been devised that inflict unspeakable suffering on calves, pigs, chicken and turkeys throughout their short and miserable lives. People are becoming educated about the disgusting environment in Confined Animal Feeding Operations, also known as CAFOs. These factories are putting our health at serious risk with the issue of the recurrent use of antibiotics meant for human use in animal feed. Using antibiotics in this fashion endangers human health and puts the health of future generations at risk with the loss of effective antibiotics. Not only are we at risk, the workers in these operations are frequently in unhealthy environments filled with dust and ammonia and other pathogens, creating respiratory issues. These health concerns have been raised by the American Public Health Association, the American Medical Association, and other similar organizations.

CAFO operations significantly add to climate change. According to the United Nations’ study, “Livestock’s Long Shadow,” almost a third of climate-changing gases can be attributed to the way we raise livestock (Jacobson). They pollute our land, our water and our health. Rural sociologist Linda Lobao of Ohio State University concludes that CAFOs hurt communities and animals significantly (Andrews).

In his article, “Eating and the Culture of Death,” from the National Catholic Reporter, David Andrews contends,

The way we treat animals is of moral significance. In theological words used by Pope John Paul II, the institutionalized and industrialized mode of treating animals that ignores their being creatures of God can be considered “a structure of sin.” The factory farms are part of a culture of abuse, not a culture of life. The operators, workers, the environment and the animals are all abused. The problem is not just that of specific farms or the good intention of operators, the problem is the entire system. It is not sustainable. An adequate definition of sustainability includes the way animals are treated… I grew up in rural Massachusetts living close to animals. I helped feed and raise chickens for their eggs and meat. During my novitiate with the Holy Cross brothers, I worked closely with pigs and cattle. I learned how to slaughter and skin steers. I have looked food animals in the eyes and learned a certain sense of spiritual concern as I cared for the animals before they were consumed. There is a living sense of dying and rising, of the paschal mystery, in food animal farming. There comes an appreciation of animals as sentient beings. The distancing that accompanies mass production removes that sensitivity from human interaction. A focus on efficiency leads to desensitization. Violence replaces care. Suffering becomes justified on the basis of economic necessity. This becomes a fact of life, seldom acknowledged (4a-6a).

Michael Pollan provides a graphic description in his article, “Power Steer,” of his first-hand account of the conditions in which our beef is raised. The animals are injected with growth hormone, human antibiotics, fed animal proteins from other cows, chickens and pigs plus lots of cheap corn. Corn fed meat is less healthy to eat because it contains more saturated fat. Meat of grass-fed livestock not only has substantially less fat, the type of fat is much healthier plus it has more omega 3 fatty acids and beta-carotene.

Animal factory proponents say that CAFOS are the most cost-effective method in the world in producing meat, milk and eggs. They credit modern America for producing the cheapest food, which is true, but at what cost?

In India, traditional Hindus believe food is the body’s source of chemistry, and what we ingest affects our consciousness, emotions and experiential patters. They believe if one wants to live in higher consciousness, in peace and happiness and love for all creatures, then he cannot eat meat, fish, shellfish, fowl or eggs. It is said that in ancient India meat would be fed to the soldiers during military campaigns, especially before combat, to bring them into lower consciousness so that they would forget their religious values. They performed these deeds in the in fulfillment of a warrior’s way – with not the least restraint of conscience. In Hinduism Today’s article The Meat-Free Life they sum it up to these five reasons not to eat meat (34-39):

• Dharma. Vedic scripture proclaims that ahimsa, non-hurtfulness, is primary religious obligation in fulfillment of dharma, divine law.

• Karma. By involving oneself in the cycle of inflicting injury, pain and death, even indirectly, by eating other creatures, one must in the future experience in equal measure the suffering caused.

• Consciousness. By ingesting the grosser chemistries of animal foods, one introduces into the body and mind anger, jealousy, fear, anxiety, suspicion and a terrible fear of death, all of which are locked into the flesh of the butchered creatures.

• Health. Vegetarians are less susceptible to all the major diseases that afflict contemporary humanity. This they live longer, healthier, more productive lives. They have fewer physical complaints, less frequent visits to the doctor, fewer dental problems and smaller medical bills.

• Environment. In large measure, the escalating loss of species, destruction of ancient rain forests to create pasturelands for livestock, loss of topsoil and the consequent increase of water impurities and air pollution have all been traced to the single fact of meat in the human diet.

Even in India, they are seeing more people abandon the vegetarianism ways of their parents and grandparents to the new modern age of meat.

As early as 2030, according to the World Bank, the world will need to produce 50% more food than it does now, chiefly because as India and China get richer, its newly affluent population will be demanding meat instead of greens. For 60 years, food production has risen in line with global population growth, but that is coming to an end. We can no longer take our food supply for granted.

For the first time, we have a generation of children not expected to outlive their parents. No matter your point of view on eating meat, things need to change. Many in my neighborhood are growing food in their gardens, but this will only take us so far. It’s time for use to wake up and really see what is going into to the food we are eating. It is true now more than ever, we are what we eat!

Works Cited

Andrews, David. Eating and the Culture of Death. National Catholic Reporter 46.6 (2010): 4a-6a. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 26 Feb. 2010.

Jacobson, Michael F. Livestock's Long Shadow. Nutrition Action Health Letter 36.5 (2009): 2. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 19 Mar. 2010.

Kirby, David. Animal Factory. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2010 Print.

Pollan, Michael. Power Steer. New York Times, March 21, 2002.

"The Meat-Free Life." Hinduism Today. 29.1 (2007): 34-39. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 26 Feb. 2010.

Awakening

Without change, something sleeps inside use and rarely awakens...The Sleeper must awaken.  ~Dune 1984

An old friend from high school posted this on facebook this morning and it got me thinking.  We are all sleepwalking through life to some extent, so what will it take for us to wake up?



The current state of affairs in our country makes you feel like a rat in a maze, fighting for survival.  We get so wrapped up in survival we don't thrive.  We are too afraid to take chances or to try something different because we are insecure, feeling unstable in our futures.  So we follow the same path daily to feel safe.


Sometimes change is forced upon us without warning.  I think this happens when we are too afraid to change ourselves.  We must look deep within and wake up.
I believe people don't want to see the ugly truth of what we are becoming.  Our culture seems to put celebrity, money and power above all else.  We need to have a heart, be compassionate and value humanity.  We must wake up and get ourselves back on track.  It may be a battle you fight everyday, but it's worth it.  Be positive, smile at others, feel love in your heart for everyone.

When it comes down to it, we are all connected.  The anger, hate and judgement you feel for others is a mirror for how you feel about yourself.  Time to get yourself straight.  Take a long hard look at yourself.  Not the image you project, your facade you show to the world.  Dig deeper and go beyond, find the real you.  If you don't like it, change it.  Don't pretend and just shove it under the rug.  That only makes it harder, a growing problem you have to deal with eventually. You can't run forever.  Face the music and take a real look.  Only you can make changes in you.

Come now, time to wake up.

Ignatius

An interesting man and even more interesting the homeopathic remedy named after him...even more interesting that I run across him today in a Deen Koontz book!


Teach us...
To give and not to count the cost;
To fight and not to heed the wounds;
To toil and not seek for rest...


St. Ignatius Loyola

Ignatia is a homeopathic remedy that is derived from the bean of a small tree that is native to the Philippine Islands and China. The bean was named after St. Ignatius Loyola, a Spanish Jesuit who was responsible for bringing the beans to Europe from the Philippines in the seventeenth century. As a result, the beans are often called St. Ignatius beans. The missionaries were introduced to the beans by the locals, who wore the beans as amulets to prevent disease. The bean was then used as a treatment for gout, epilepsy, cholera, and asthma. 

Ignatia is one of the best remedies for conditions brought about by emotional upset such as grief, shock, jealousy, fear, anger, depression, embarrassment, fright, or ridicule. Homeopaths frequently recommend ignatia when the patient is suffering from romantic disappointment or the loss of a spouse, relative, friend, or pet. The remedy helps the patient bear the grief and suffering common to emotional upsets.