Falling Back, Bees Are Leaving Us Behind

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I remember taking in a sweet breath of life recently and couldn’t help but notice a bee entangled in a spider web.  Some moments later, I felt tangled up in blue as I observed the spider drinking in life by draining the bee’s righteous Chi.  Perhaps some folks would judge the spider as a killer and sentence him to a death sentence as well.  But Nature has Her own way and in this case and as I look back, this experience past was the death of all of us.  In fact, Autumn has arrived here in the Northern Hemisphere and the leaves greenery are waning, while the vibrant colors are waxing.  Masculine summer’s light is also waning, as we are naturally slowing down and welcoming the darkness of night rising.  Light and dark are in equal alignment with one another, reminding us that balancing our energies is natural, if not normal.  We all have masculine and feminine energies waxing and waning within our Beings, always in flux, whether realized or not.  Nothing against cosmetic surgery and performance enhancement drugs, but I wonder how costly these enterprises would be if human beings were supported and encouraged to naturally find comfort in our own skins?  Would it be so challenging to find that deep place of self-esteem that says to thyself, I’m OK.  Although watching a bee get whacked was unsettling in the sense that the bee was part of me, at the same time, I thanked the bee for bringing balance to the Force by offering itself to spider and sharing its consciousness with the rest of us.  Perhaps we won’t see any bees for a while, but we are still capable of ingesting their medicine by meditating on the sweetness of life.  Maybe burning a candle made of beeswax will rekindle their power and facilitate the cross-pollination process in raising the consciousness of the planet as we approach the Winter Solstice in December, the darkest day of the year.  What will happen at this significant time on Nature’s cycle? 

Does anyone in the participatory audience remember when Beatles founding father John Lennon sang the anthem Give Peace A Chance?  Well, as I reflect on the Autumn Equinox and Peace on Earth, let it begin with me.  And if you are reading, let it begin with you.  My soulful wife once gave me a card that reminded me that peace does not come from being in an environment of comfortable bliss surrounding me like a security blanket.  Rather, peace is found in the depths of a calm heart, even when chaos abounds.  For the record, I know some of you appreciate and enjoy the way this blog playfully weaves the spirited animal energy into the material realm, while conjuring up positive vibes that feel good.  If that is the case, then perhaps it conjures up empathy for the drug addict that tries to stay high all the time in the ether because hitting the ground is too painful and suffering, though inevitable, is avoided at all costs.  But a key dynamic in the spiritual path is that meditation shows us inconvenient truths about ourselves in that quiet space.  We have the potential to get to know ourselves on a deeper level and make friends with that.  However, I also recognize and appreciate that some readers, like the drug addict, do not like the smack down that they feel when this blog explores the harsh realities that are happening on our planet today.  While I appreciate this position, the mystic swims in the waters the addict drowns in.  This blog will continue to explore healing the polarity consciousness that currently divides us on Mother Earth and co-facilitate the transition into a New Age and Paradigm, where we celebrate the good times of Diversity within Unity.  Instead of God Bless America, we say God Bless The Planet and Universe throughout.  When I gaze on the lyrics of Genesis, it’s almost as if I can hear Peter Gabriel singing let us create humankind in our image.  Now I realize that everything should be taken with a grain of salt.  Moreover, a conservative interpretation of these lyrics, for those who like to take things literally, could be that we were genetically engineered by advanced beings from another planet.  Perhaps a more liberal perspective might view God as a transcendent Collective Energy that allows for the evolution of His-Her co-creation that illuminates as we wake up from our slumber, here on Mothership Earth.  Yes, there is a concrete sense of security in a dogmatic fixed idea of believing in a white man sitting up on a hierarchical throne with a gavel deciding who is permitted to join the Country Club and whom will be punished in a slow roast.  But Heaven and Hell are subjective inner states of consciousness that are reflected in our outer reality.  All we really have is right now, this precious moment that is always eternal.

As humans, when we get stuck in our fixed ideas and box ourselves in the ghettos of the mind with intellectual concepts and emotional reactions thereof, we tend to experience security in our consciousness that tastes like comfort food.  However, as we move onward in our collective assent, we expand and open up to the increasing spirited energies that are streaming in our planet right Tao.  Some folks will react to these energies unconsciously and that is their right.  Yes, there are more natural disasters, wars, poverty, famines and disconnection among the human factor with relation to Nature, though paradoxically more technologically connected.  But there is security in knowing that there is predictability in unpredictability.  If one way doesn’t work, another way will.  Together, we climb onward in surface and depth, one breath, one moment, one step at a time. 

Stay True,

Ari

With Squirrel Energy, We Playfully Get Down To Business Without Going Too Nuts

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I remember playing basketball and doing my job with a student this week, when he called out to me, “Ari look, a squirrel”.  Here in the Northern hemisphere, the seasonal transition into Fall is rapidly approaching us and we are venturing back to school, work and getting organized, while saying good-bye to summer.  Meditation on squirrel reminds us that our business can be our pleasure, if only we allow for it.  In a sense, this week’s blog was falling out in the doing, while leaving its passing behind.  And the doing becomes less robotic when we are truly present with what is and our busy doings become awakened and more about being.  Summer is waning and on this Equinox, light and dark will be in balance, if only briefly.  At this junction on Nature’s cycle, the Autumn Equinox is somewhat akin to the Spring Equinox, when masculine and feminine energies are also equal.  Right now, we are looking forward to the masculine-light waning and the dark night of feminine energies rising until their peak on the Winter Solstice on December 21, 2012, the first day of Winter.  Isn’t it synchronistic that squirrel medicine carries a 12 week cycle and the end of the Mayan Calendar is approximately that distance into the future?  Yes, we are living in exciting times on our planet today, but not without the labor pains associated with giving birth to a New Earth.  Squirrels are especially powerful medicine at this moment and when watching them being squirrely, we are reminded of their spirited teaches on being prepared, but hopefully without going too nuts in the process.  Does anyone else out there get a chuckle from watching our squirrel brothers and sisters bursting with nervous energy, scurrying around, while stashing their acorns and sometimes forgetting where they buried their treasures? 

I remember when “911” happened like it was yesterday.  In fact, I knew something like this event was coming–in the sense that I could feel it.  At the time, I was working at a group home for children in State custody that had been severely abused and neglected by their birth families and they were already at school.  A couple of my co-workers came in and asked if I knew what had happened and directed me to the TV in the living room.  Although I was only in my mid-twenties at the time, I had not lived a sheltered life and I understood what was going on in our world geopolitically.  I realized that many folks on the planet, including a growing number of  folks here in America, lived without a sense of security and experienced terrorism in their day-to-day lives.  Sadly, but understandably, terrorism seeks to disrupt the status quo and uses violence as a means to justify the end.  This crazy idea is similar to the fundamentalist belief in the maximum economic profit business model that wealthy nations use to exploit poor nations on our planet today.  But violence, although illegitimate and foolish, predictably begets more violence.  We reap what we sow.  Stockpiling weapons of mass destruction, which the United States continues to hoard more than any other nation, is asking for more of the same.  However, if we want to eliminate this clinically insane nightmare, then we need to start balancing cooperation with competition and clean up the resources that we share by co-creating win-win solutions, rather than adopting a quick fix, band-aid approach.  Isn’t it obvious that the old ways do not work any more?  As humans, we have historically been at our best when we are at our worst.  But the times, they are a changin’ and we need to get out on the forefront and proactively get in alignment with Nature to facilitate our transition into a New Age and Paradigm.  Can’t you hear the arrival of John Lennon’s energy saying, give peace a chance . . . that’s all we’re asking, is give it a chance . . . it’s never been done.

In welcoming squirrel’s spirited streams of energy, we remember how to balance letting go of our stockpiles that no longer serve us and tap into our reservoirs for a future rainy day.  Our spirited Nervous Woodland Creature friends are offering us powerful energies to release dysfunctional relationship patterns, fixed thought processes, programmed beliefs and objects that once brought security, but are no longer serving us–without going too nuts in the process!  This is somewhat akin to a toddler giving up his pacifier and learning to soothe himself, rather than relying on the object of his affection.  In our modern world of 10, 000 things, it might mean giving up some old clothes and giving them away to someone who really needs them more.  Systemically, perhaps this looks like giving up our addiction to foreign oil and replacing it with free energy for the entire planet by tapping into the Earth’s natural energy centers, as true wizard Nikola Tesla once envisioned.  Maybe that is too far-fetched for some, but burning less fossil fuels and finding more organic ways to cultivate energy that is cleaner for all of us is possible.  Bringing in the energy of squirrel is merely one source that is pollution free, particularly if worked in the positive.  For those at the top of the food chain, it might mean giving up tax breaks and sharing a bit more with the overwhelming majority–picturing buying us time and saving us money.  It might mean looking another sentient being in the eyes, perceiving the mirror and realizing that we are all cut from the same cloth.  In tapping into squirrel consciousness, we co-create a safe place for an untroubled heart and mind, where wisdom and caring are gathered and stored and anxious fears about the future magically disappear. 

Stay True,

Ari

Praying with Mantis and Gentle Meditations with Deer

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I remember an encounter I had recently, when I observed a teacher carrying a jar with a praying mantis to share with her students in their classroom.  I love when teachers use the natural world to tap into their students organic curiosity about the world around them and connect that to what they are learning in school.  Although resources in public education are limited, I just love witnessing some evidence of positive momentum in nurturing a sense of community and harmony in our schools.  In an urban Chicago school, a powerful mantra is built into their culture that says, “it’s OK to walk away.”  When meditating on praying mantis medicine, we hear the ring tone of stillness speaking to us.  I wonder how many internal martial arts and meditation students consume the energy of this curious insect?  When we allow ourselves to venture deeply into our souls through dreaming, positive thinking, being present and remembering to just breathe consciously, we allow ourselves to elevate our consciousness and move into to realms and open up to new possibilities.  This happens when we choose to see the silver lining and make only positive interpretations.  Easier said than done.  But deer can help us tap into a sense of wonder and curiosity, while gently luring us into new adventures.  Moreover, when chewing on deer’s spirited power, we become less jerky and more aware of our bodies informing us and listening to our gut, the seat of our instinctual selves.  Can’t you hear the earworm of Master Jedi Obi Wan Kenobi saying, you must feel the Force (Chi) around you?  There is an energy, a Kingdom of Heaven that is there for all of us to see, if only we take a moment to notice. 

Did anyone out there catch the wind blowing smoke of the Democratic National Convention recently?  In our business run society, does anyone notice that the political party that fronts itself a party that welcomes everyone, is bribed by the same largesses that it’s so-called villain on the other side of the aisle?  But the truth is that there are no enemies.  We are all part of the web of life, though we are diverse strands in the living web.  What we do to that web, we do to ourselves.  Is Coke or Pepsi Democrat or Republican?  If we are to move beyond political rhetoric and our attachments to our beliefs, then we will actualize a new vision of our nation, our Mother and the Universe throughout.  In this sphere, we will co-create a New World of Unity Consciousness and celebrate the good times of our diversity.  Until we disarm our internal weapons of mass destruction and let go of our attachments to feeling inferior and/or superior to another person, tribe, community, country, etc., we will remain caught up in the collective nightmare we have woven for ourselves.  Isn’t it obvious that the corporate media thrives off the blame game drama that unfolds in front of our eyes on the tele, while distracting us from the truth with their smokescreen?  What would happen if we took the profit out of campaigns and politicians had access to free air time–would they be as tempted lie, be fake and on the take?  I can’t think a more delicious feast that advocates for everyone in a new American Dream that offers a safety net for all Earth’s citizens.  One of the key points from the book entitled, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People talks about co-creating win-win solutions by finding a third and different way.  The dinosaurs in charge do not really want to scale back their old ways that are no longer working.  The Country Club on Capitol Hill that includes both Democrats and Republicans is a club that seeks to protect the opulent minority against the overwhelming majority.  Yes, the master illusionism cleverly use the dark side of social science to pull the wool over their audience.  But if you listen carefully to the eloquent speeches of moderate Republican, candidates of Wall Street like Bill Clinton and President Obama, you will clearly hear in their position a band-aid approach to maintain the status quo of our current global economy and tweaking of the current system.  All these guys are offering us are some cheap umbrellas for protection and shelter from the storm, if you will.  Regardless of which candidate wins, we all lose until we do something different that getting too swayed from the Middle Way and over-indulging in the dog and pony shows.  Indeed, membership has its privileges and many of the top dawgs simply don’t want to share those privileges with the rest of us.  

Here in the USA, most of our tax dollars go toward the Pentagon and fuel the military-industrial complex.  In our commercial driven culture, much of our economy is fueled by marketing.  What would happen if those resources were leveled and more equally spent on delivering quality education to nurture all our children’s creativity in the classroom of life?  I remember an old saying that goes something like, “fair is that everyone gets what they need, not what they want.”  Isn’t equal access to resources a fair shake?  Now I have heard some folks, particularly the educated business class, frown at leveling movements like Occupy Wall Street and criticize the sense of entitlement of youth culture, the poor and oppressed and those of us that fall through the cracks.  However, here in America, we like to point fingers and criticize without realizing that a mirror is being held up for us to see reflections of ourselves.  Is humanity evolving into our Higher Selves when we adopt devolution as a personal mantra to justify our economic success?  Instead of God Bless America, we adopt in our hearts God Bless humanity and all sentient beings.  Each one of us walks in the center of the Universe, while none of us are special, Chosen or saved.  We are all cut from the same cloth.  When we pray with Mantis and meditate on deer, we gently allow ourselves to remember stillness speaking to us and welcome new adventures.  This is merely one way to effectively transition into a New Age and Paradigm.

Stay True,

Ari

Hummingbird humming in our spirit-mind-body

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I remember when hummingbird spoke to me while sitting in the woods recently, taking in the wonder of the natural world around me.  However, the message didn’t arrive in English, there were no other humans present to judge that and I didn’t ask if my nervous woodland creature friends had any green cards.  Admittedly, I was almost fooled by my fleeting encounter with hummingbird, as some dragonflies flitted about that nearly cloaked hummingbird’s presence.  But I recognized a slight acoustical variation and felt the great power generated from its spirited wings moments prior to my eye-witness encounter.  And then a leave fell in front of me and I observed a slight tremor in the Force (Chi), if you will, by noticing a slight change in color–evidence that Autumn is on its way.  In fact, the Fall Equinox rapidly approaches us on September 22, 2012 here in the Northern hemisphere, on Classroom Mothership Earth.  Hummingbird reminds us to find joy within our Being, regardless of what trials and tribulations we have been through and whatever roadblocks we may encounter down the pike.  Given hummingbird’s ability to fly in all directions and stop on a dime by hovering in dead air, I wonder if Barry Sanders had a hummingbird as spirit guide?  When meditating on hummingbird, I am reminded of great Master teachers like Jesus and Buddha.  Have you heard that these God-realized humans lived with the spirited wisdom that while taking life too seriously is foolish, being naturally playful and child-like is best medicine.  When having an open, passive attitude toward life, we welcome an abundance of positive energy that is free and clean fuel for our collective soul.  When meditating on hummingbird medicine, we allow ourselves to consume the sweetness of life in a balanced way–a harmonic convergence spirit-mind-body, so to speak.  As humans, if we want to change our trajectory on our planet and the Universe, then we need to leave behind a cleaner Carbon Footprint that walks in alignment with Nature.

Has anyone out there ever heard the joke about when the Italians “discovered” America and one Native American looks to his friend and says, “there goes the neighborhood?”  Well, when I caught wind of some of the Republican National Convention, I couldn’t help but get swept off my feet by the whirlwind of pep rally energy.  Anyone duped by the political rhetoric of Republic ideology is lured into the conceptual framework of their platform–specifically the Ron Paul ring-tone of libertarian, rugged-individualism that plays on natural sentiments of the audience.  Admittedly, I was initially surprised that our current moderate Republican President, business candidate of Wall Street, was not featured in front of the podium.  Instead, we paid for the privilege to be propagandized by some rich guys, that were placed in front of our telescreens by some really rich guys that feed this corporate mob during the liberal pour of their dog and pony show.  But I can appreciate why right-wingers like Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan and master illusionist Carl Rove want to keep moderate Republicans like our current President out of the room, without a chance to defend himself in this ego-centered debate and charade.  Did anyone see Clint Eastwood steal the show with the empty chair?  True, Obama is still a mystery and it is normal to fear what you don’t understand.  But many of us are wise to their act.  Soon, we will see act two with the Democrats, but what we have here in the USA, is a one-headed, two-party system that is one step away from a dictatorship.  Even the pathetic Democratic party, that fronts itself as working toward its democratic principles, is fed by the same high octane Tea Party and deep pockets.  Doesn’t the film that is sold to us read like a parody of a fairy tale that you are embarrassed to read to your grandchildren?  Are we being fleeced and caught up in a golden straight jacket?  Here in Maine, governor Paul Le Page boasted like thieves after a looting, while being received by thunderous applause, he bragged about meetings held in secrecy to push forth an agenda that undermines worker’s rights, public education and welcomes more abundant pillaging of our Mother.  Personally, I feel an empathic compassion for Le Page, in the sense that he doesn’t see himself as a house slave that has forgotten his brothers and sisters in the field, while serving his master and overindulging in the excesses of Mansion on the Hill.  Who payin’ you?  Have folks forgotten that this country was built off the backs of free and indentured labor?  Would there be an American Dream, if it were not for the sacrifices of our Native American and African-American brothers and sisters and many other colorful folks?  And yet, when we gaze upon the chimes of freedom and see our friends in Congress, do we see equitable representation of their hard labor?  Is the Middle Class being fairly compensated for their hard work?

But I didn’t write this blog entry to change the world in one fell swoop.  Rather, in spite of the intentional boxes that are programmed into our collective psyches, perhaps we might allow ourselves to find a breath of fresh air in hummingbirds mantra that life is full of joy and re-program ourselves from inside out.  Are you allowing yourself to taste the sweet nectar of life, a moderate indulgence of sugar and the like?  True, most of us didn’t grow up in a Mayberry like fantasy, but we all have the power within to transcend the hypnotic trance suggested to us by the master illusionism that hides behind the curtain.  Remember the wise old saying, “the truth shall set you free?”  But don’t take my word for it–please consider testing out the power of hummingbird’s medicine yourself.  Maybe the next time you find yourself feeling swayed by a carefully crafted commercial, you will picture a hummingbird and start humming to yourself.  There is powerful energy in sound and humming is a natural way to energetically wash your spirit-mind-body and access inner joy immediately.  In this light, we peer into the realm of infinity and co-create a New Earth, one step, one breath and one moment at a time.

Stay True,

Ari

Beetle reminds us that all we need is Love

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During the week in review, I remember consuming a fresh breath of air, when a beetle landed on my shoulder and tickled my skin.  Subsequently, I found myself resurrecting an old earworm of the classic Beatles song and the great wisdom encapsulated within the spirit of the hard working-class punk band from Britain.  Given the current state of affairs and Anglophile politics on our planet today, I looked up at the sun and then took a moment to soak in a ray of meditation to light me up.  Following that, I felt the heat and familiar resurrection of the Incredible Hulk and Wolverine energy in me that my old self used to react to without reserve.  Today, unlike the Masters of War, I carry the intention of pulling from a repertoire of strategies to give peace a chance.  As we build a New Earth together, it begs the question, where are we on the Map of Consciousness today?  As Fall approaches in the Northern Hemisphere, are we leaving behind our grub stage and moving closer to taking flight as winged creatures?  As it stands, we are at the doorstep of a New Age and Paradigm.  Our old world is dying, while at the same time a New World is birthing.  If humanity has the evolutionary impulse to move forward, then we have a say in how we navigate this process.  And our survival depends on it.  And the rabbit in me reminds us that a carrot to look forward to pictures us consuming a slice of Heaven and digest it mystically well, while leaving our carbon footprint here on Earth.  Football season is leaping upon us and we need to stay on the hop, calm in the pocket like Tom Brady and get down to business without going too nuts in the process.  Besides, I checked in with my squirrel friends and I am glad to report that there are plenty of acorns to share and many blessings ahead as we harvest a Full Moon coming up at the end of the month–even if we forget where we buried our treasures.

I heard a great news story the other day–you know the kind of story with a positive vibe and a happy ending that tends not to get featured on the Corporate Media.  Anyway, one of my mates from the Clubhouse was out in his boat and saw some folks washed up on some rocks.  Not long thereafter, the proper authorities arrived and helped them on their way.  It was the right thing to do and our tax dollars at work.  Now many of you know I like to dream radically about a free for service economy, based on win-win politics, celebrating the good times of Diversity in Unity and birds of a feather flocking together.  However, the conservative in me appreciates a safety net that affords us taxation with representation.  Here in the USA, if our friends in Congress enjoy quality access to health care and liberal entitlements (largely funded by the shrinking Middle Class).  In the spirit of that, doesn’t it stand to reason that the overwhelming majority should too?  If we really want to stop the insanity on Mother Earth, then we need to stop legitimizing our rape of Her and a cease-fire of our aborting Her resources by the satanic worshiping of the devilishly fixed idea of maximum economic profit and worshiping the Almighty Dollar.  In Freeport, Maine, what could be more in alignment with Lucifer than Mitt Romney and his friends at Bain Capital locking their doors to keep folks at bay from demanding that their jobs stay in their hometown, rather than auctioning off a livable wage to greedily exploit workers elsewhere?  But in the spirit of Batman’s good friend commissioner Gordon, a good cop did his job and delivered their protest letter to the barking dawgs at the top of the food chain.  While it is true that the New Deal helped create a strong Middle Class in the USA, that same New Deal has been consistently beaten back by the master illusionism that spin corporate propaganda since before the movement was enacted as policy.  Isn’t it a game of charades when miserly right wingers criticize moderate Republicans like Bill Clinton and President Obama for speaking in populist rhetoric, through the intention of funneling some charity programs to the rascal multitude?  And what about the Underclass that exists in our world today?  Our leaders need to remember that the same systems that oppress, like the US Chamber of Commerce, can also liberate.  And it can happen on a dime, in much the same way that Barry Sanders used demonstrate on the cosmetic and performance-enhanced football field, by faking the socks off raging bulls three times his size.

As I look back on my encounter with beetle recently, I can’t help but hear the resurrection of Thomas Jefferson’s lyrics, “I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.”  Unlike Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, Thomas Jefferson was unsettled about owning human beings and profiting off their free labor.  And we need to remember that our friends at IBM literally made a killing by profiting off their profiling cards that allowed Nazi Germany to effectively execute their targeted genocide of Jews, gypsies, dissidents and gays.  Folks like Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan and others who want to beat back social democratic tendencies that seek to level the playing field on planet Earth, want to maintain the status quo of the “rule by few” mantra.  Moreover, the well-oiled and hidden agenda these folks want to push forward has fascist undertones to keep humanity enslaved.  How can these guys still be thirsty after a such a decadent Tea Party?  And our Country Club friends at the liberal elite want the same thing, but would rather keep us quiet by giving us fish, rather than empowering us to catch the fish ourselves.  The fish that drinks in an unlimited supply of water and is still remains thirsty is in desperate need of some serious professional counseling.

Stay True,

Ari

Spider, Creativity and Infinity in We

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I noticed some spiders recently and subsequently became entangled with a web of heartfelt thoughts about their significance in our lives at this junction on Nature’s cycle.  Spider represents Infinity, the realm of creation where infinite possibilities abound and Quantum realities arrive.  By simply visualizing and meditating on a figure 8, we welcome a practical strategy to weave the energy of creativity into our journey.  When co-creating life with spider in a balanced way, all directions are included.  When we get into touch with spider medicine, we get to know ourselves on a deeper level.  During this process, weaving magic into our lives becomes possible.  In the spirit of that, I like to dream big, where we all live in a free for service economy that celebrates Diversity in Unity, with equal access to resources that are safely cultivated and shared in a system that promotes authenticity and respect.  I wonder if Vanna White was pregnant with a spider totem, while spinning blocks on the classic TV show, Wheel of Fortune?

Speaking of spinning, churning and dream weaving nightmares, here in the Northern hemisphere we have a full moon arriving in late August, the fall equinox in late September, a presidential selection in the USA and the death of an age-old calendar in December, 2012.  A change in climate is in the air on the consciousness of the planet today.  While ongoing presidential candidate Lyndon LaRouche reminds us that President Obama is a fascist and modern-day Nero, it is also true that he is, like Bill Clinton, a moderate Republican and business candidate of Wall Street.  Putting Obama aside for a moment, the alternative rebel is a conservative business man who hides his taxes and hoards his riches in foreign off shore accounts.  Romney reminds us that like any good propagandist, you really have to have it deeply in your bones.  True, once the lies are parroted across the airwaves as if they are fact, then the herd mentality doesn’t skip a beat when hypnotically buying into the propaganda.  Apparently, Mr. Romney doesn’t think we humans are as deserving as his pampered ballet horse when it comes to health care and creature comforts.  For his running mate, our rebellious alternative candidate picked a Nazi like figure who fronts as a charming, down to earth fellow who tells it like it is–someone you might want to have a beer with.  But most folks have more in common with Obama’s politics than with the political platform of Romney, our friends in congress and the opulent minority.  Are folks aware that a vote for Mitt Romney is an unconscious vote against their own interests and a step away from the democratic (small d) process?  But ain’t that America, a land where we indulge in our arrogance, hubris and fixed ideas and intellectual concepts?  A real fair and balanced media would simply report that a Obama administration wants the USA to be a little less miserly in Her social democratic programs than She already is, paling in comparison to many other modern Western nations.  Obama merely wants a little less welfare to be exclusively funded into private mega corporations, wants the haves of society to pay their fair share and expand human factor programs like Medicare, Medicaid and affordable healthcare for all citizens.  For the record, don’t we all want less unwanted births?  In fact, having access to free health care actually reduces unwanted births and abortions.  Even many conservatives in Canada want to keep their health care.

In our modern Western world, particularly in the USA, many of us have become programmed robotic consumers that are toyed with like puppets by master illusionist like Carl Rove and company.  However, I dream of a free thinking population that values a win-win equilateral triangle, where our human family is in alignment with mind-body-spirit.  A practical solution to remedy this farce is to dream a new dream and let go of the cannibalistic nightmare that we consume today.  Daily meditation reminds us to become a watcher of ourselves, while carefully noticing our thoughts and feelings as they arrive in our consciousness.  By simply becoming aware of our breath, we return to the now and become more divinely human and present, while less robotic and scripted.  Try doing this right now and especially during the upcoming political pep rallies and see what happens.  Are you swayed by the boasting of thieves after a looting?  Just imagine what we could do with all the money that is wasted on the grandstanding that goes on during this election year.  Now folks, I get that a true free market economy is a bit of a pipe dream for folks.  In the spirit of that, is taxation with representation conservative enough for you?  And remember the classic Cat Stevens song, “where do the children play?” 

Stay True,

Ari

Clearing out the debris with Frog Medicine

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I remember playing football with my child out in the backyard recently.  We were having great fun when I was asked me to channel the my Howard Cosell energy.  Although kids today are too young to know who he was, my child likes when I broadcast his spirit.   Somewhere during our game, we noticed a frog hopping along in our field of vision.  Our amphibian friend signaled to us that it was time to transition, clean up and head inside for a change in climate.  After working up a sweat, isn’t it nice to cool down and wash away the grime and dirt?  Meditation on Frog is good medicine for purification, detoxifying and general mind-body-spirit cleansing while traveling here on Classroom Mothership Earth. 

For those of us that like to fly high and run with the wind, we need to remember where we are on the map of consciousness, keep a sense direction and also keep our feet on the ground, while here on Earth.  Before a boundary is pushed or dissolved, we need to learn where the edges and boarders areas are and show respect for them.  It is harder to be a kid and a parent today.  All children need safe, clear and firm limits set so that they are equipped to learn how to effectively navigate through life and eventually know how to self-govern themselves in developmentally appropriate ways, as maturation kicks in accordingly.  Nudging too much or being too permissive does not teach us moderation as a way of life.  Balance is key, which is why those of us in care-taking positions that like to nurture must remember self-care and water our own internal gardens, so that burnout, compassion fatigue and resentments do not build exponentially.  Many folks struggle with balancing freedom and responsiblity, particularly in the USA, because we do not launch our children well.  It is harder to set the big limits when we don’t set the small ones.  Given that mind-body indulgences have been pushed on us in our ego-gratification dominated cultural story, we have forgotten spirit as a key ingredient to our holistic program development, if you will.   

On the global weather front, we are bullied into buying into a mantra that tells us to forget that we are spiritual beings having human experiences.  Somewhere in Middle America, 165 workers are slated to lose their jobs because Mitt Romney and his friends at Bain Capital are planning on outsourcing these jobs somewhere else for cheap labor.  In suburban Dallas, Texas, $60 million was recently spent to build a state of the art High School football stadium in suburban Dallas, Texas.  As much as I love football, the cock in me roosts, “foul ball!”  What are we too chicken to level the playing field to subsidize equal access for all players?  In fact, I heard a police officer chime in class the other day that we should put prisoners to work.  Not a bad idea, but it might bring us closer to justifying hidden slavery, than moving toward true freedom.  Moreover, why not invest an ounce of prevention and a pound of cure by co-creating a system that infuses spiritual values that supports employee empowerment, safe working conditions and paying livable wages, if not envisioning a free for service economy?  Do our friends in Congress really need to be earmarking billions and billions of dollars toward weapons of mass destruction and garrisons around the planet to control the flow of oil?  Is it not a mixed message when we are regularly informed that we do not have enough money for the homeland security programs of education and healthcare for our children, but continue to invest liberally in violence and oppression? 

Former President Calvin Coolidge once said, “the business of America is business.”  In the spirit of that, many of us learned in kindergarten that it is good business to practice to sharing and cooperating with peers.  Or was that Sunday school?  As more of us get into alignment with the natural feeling that spirit wants to authentically express itself, without being held back, we awaken to the demand that our deeper souls are welcome here on Earth.  When this cadence is heard, we will see the mainstream celebration of diverse expressions of Great Spirit, while practicing the politics of oneness on our planet and Universe throughout.

Stay True,

Ari

Cardinal Virtues

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I remember visiting the river recently, watching cardinals flocking together and featuring quite an aerial show.  Cardinals are beautiful birds and their cycle of power is year-round.  When flying with the energy of cardinal, we see that everything we do in our lives is important and we renew our life force or chi, if you will.  I like to think of cardinal as program development for the self.  Given their rhythm of 12, cardinal foreshadows our consciousness to gaze onward, as the end of the Mayan calendar approaches us on the Winter Solstice, December 21, 2012.  A myriad of theories postulate why this date is significant to humanity and our home, Classroom Mothership Earth.  One thing is for certain–getting stuck in the mud with fear will not be helpful.  In fact, what we resist will persist.  So, what can we do about it to stay in the flow?  We humans must be prepared for ceremony, prayer, meditation and working proactively with the spirited energies that are visiting us now and will continue to intensify as this date approaches.  None of us know where we are going, not really.  However, staying open to the flow is good medicine and even modern science confirms the power of human beings gathering in ceremony, prayer, meditation and focusing on making positive interpretations about what we see in real-time.  Personally, I am looking forward to hosting another annual fire ritual with my mates from the Clubhouse around the Winter Solstice.

True, so much tyranny exists in our dying old world and that is not fair and balanced.  I once heard a wise psychologist define that fair is that everyone does not get what they want, but they get what they need.  Also, I remember an astute psychiatrist once define pathology as merely deeply ingrained behavioral patterns.  In the spirit of that, systemic change is needed on our planet today and our consciousness must evolve if we are to survive.  There is too much hate that divides us.  Yes, we are diverse expressions of Creator, but we also share in Unity as One.  When Chick-fil-A finances anti-gay groups that try to convert folks in therapy groups from gay to straight and advocate for the criminalization of homosexual behavior, this does not celebrate one human family.  But when the creators of the Muppets flew the coup of their financial backing of Chick-fil-A, that is a step toward Unity Consciousness.  However, when the NRA and our friends in Congress repealed laws that took Federal Assault Weapons off the streets back in 2004, their decision to do that played a role in helping make it more convenient for the terror that took place recently in an Aurora movie theater massacre.  As a citizen in the USA, what a complicated mixed-message it is to send that we could be punished for how we might be  naturally oriented, but we are normally allowed to buy military style weapons to use out on the street.  Alas, my heart-mind particularly remembers learning in my CPR training that 95% of accidents can be prevented.

While the political will would certainly help tip the Critical Mass to come about, every individual has the freedom to choose how he responds to what comes his way.  That being said, it would be a much more gentle world if the choice was to play in a clean park without having to worry about bullying gang activity, stray bullets and/or residual land mines.  What will happen in this year’s presidential selection?  Lyndon LaRouche has called president Obama a modern-day Nero and a fascist.  Putting Obama aside for a moment, the alternative candidate is a businessman who hides his tax returns and hoards money in offshore investments like the Cayman Islands, a Swiss bank and huge deductions for his ballet horse.  When enough of us calm the voice of the ego and instead heed the inner voice, we will hear the answer blowing in the wind.  Meditating on cardinal can help us become whistleblowers in life by adding color to it.  When we allow spirit to flow through our hearts and minds, we organically facilitate taking flight into a positive, peaceful transition into a New Earth.  

Stay True,

Ari

With Bat Medicine, The Dark Night Walks In Sunlight

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I remember when Mark Twain observed that “there is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress.”  Here on Classroom Mothership Earth, we are living in a land of chaos, confusion and tragedy.  If we look beneath the surface symptoms and acting out of our human family, we realize that our provocative behavior is clearly speaking to us.  In the USA, our friends in Congress are still balking at leveling the playing field that promotes more equal access to concrete services such as affordable health care and housing.  Further, a horrible massacre somewhere in Middle America took many innocent lives away from folks who merely thought they would escape for a spell by watching a film called the Dark Night Rising.  Front and center of our planet’s hot mess, is the Middle East, where a Perfect Storm is brewing in the land once called the Fertile Crescent and home of Abraham–paradoxically the father of the world’s three dominant religions.  Given all this shit hitting the fan, flying with bat is a good remedy for cross pollinating our transition into a New Age and Paradigm.  Alas, the Joker in me notices that this town needs an enema.

I know times are tough and the tides are changing.  And it is painful to watch folks make jokes out of anxiety with relation to tragedy.  However, without that roaring laughter, there would be no Tao.  So, why not stop the insanity by invoking the energy of bat to help us fly with our transitions during the process of becoming something new.  Moreover, bat can help us effectively navigate the darkness by facing our fears and laying to rest the death of the old self.  When we let go of who we were and accept what is, we then clear space for new energy to take flight into our being and prepare for changing tides.  With bat, we are equipped to spread our wings and fly onward in our soul’s infinite journey through birth, death and rebirth that is akin to the Buddhist idea of reincarnation.  As humans, we have not learned how to effectively emote.  Rather, we tend to react to the weather outside instead of mastering our own internal weather patterns.  In our outer directed culture, we have been well-trained to play the blame game and indulge in victim consciousness.  But remember that as participatory audience members in the theater of life, we are all mirrors for one another that reflect back aspects of our one  human family.  Sometimes, we like what we see and are attracted to that.  Other times, we do not like what we see and tend to react with an attitude of judgement and avoidance.  Or maybe we become a martyr and carry a heavy ego-centered burden. 

In our dying old world, we have trashed the beautiful park that was given to us by Creator.  As humans, the time is now to take responsibility for our creative selves and for our shared land that we live with.  The age of viewing ourselves as separate and disconnected from one another is disappearing into the dead of the night.  The New World will reveal itself when each individual sees the Light of Day in his consciousness.  This is what god-realized humans have modeled to us in our human history.  When enough of us reach this Critical Mass, we will come about by balancing our part Divine, part creature being into living authentically and respectfully with one another.  In the meanwhile, we humans really need to heal old wounds and learn new ways to live in harmony with one another, our planet and Universe throughout.  By listening to bat, we hear a callback that echoes a message that even in death, there is rebirth.

Stay True,

Ari