Tag Archives: Pentagon

Dreaming a New Dream with Groundhog

Posted on by under Uncategorized

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, it is a hump day of sorts.  In America we celebrate Groundhog Day, but its precursor is otherwise known as the Imbolc, the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox.  Many of us feel the cold wind whistling deeply in our bones and get uncomfortable with the deep silence reverberating within our souls.  But we also know that in stillness, there is a wisdom that speaks of an arriving light from the heart of darkness.  This is a time in Nature’s cycle when we are “pregnant with the seed of the sun.”  Groundhog is good medicine for waking us up to that.  With Groundhog as a guide, we understand death without dying and the metaphor of reincarnation.  Moreover, we are at a powerful time to rise above our egotism and heed the call of our soul’s purpose.  As spiritual beings having human experiences, our priority while traveling here is not merely to make money and become a celebrity.  It is only when we become identified with those goals, where the ego feeds on our Being like a psychic vampire.  Rather, our purpose is to wake up to the reality that we are one with All-That-Is.  We all have star-dust in us, are influenced by the energies of the planets, their moons and we all rock.  In that light, Groundhog helps us dig through the mysterious underground tunnels of our souls and bring back hidden treasures of the Dreamtime to seed into our material world.

In our digging, We The People are waking up to our soul’s prompting that America needs to model effective leadership by shifting Her values away from bottom line profits and violence.  Instead of liberally funding corporations and Pentagon pork projects, we shift our resources toward the health and safety of our global citizenry.  We are moving into a consciousness that is waking up to celebrating our Diversity in Unity.  In this process, we are co-creating a world where we are all entitled to knowing the power of Love and being treated with dignity and respect, regardless of how much material wealth we have accumulated or privilege we were born into.  But there is great resistance to the Climate Change we face.  Like anxious rabbits, our friends in Congress are fleeing from enacting effective legislation that will take military assault weapons off the shelves.  The more that we resist gun control, the more the movement will persist.  If we don’t proactively adopt some Common Sense discipline here, like a parent setting a limit with an acting out child with a toy, our right to bear arms will be taken away.  This is a paradox that the NRA and folks that pack heat because they can must understand.  There is a far greater and sustainable fire power in peaceful and non-violence strategies for societal change.  The violence is waking us up to that, as evidenced by the Peace Movement being larger than we have ever known.  But you probably won’t see that on the News tonight.  In Maine, there is a grassroots movement to stop Tar Sands oil from flowing through pre-existing refined oil pipelines.  Also, there is movement for ranked choice voting, or ‘run-off’ elections that will impact our legislature and Governor that represents the manifestation of spiritual values into politics.  But we must let go of our addiction to war as a way of life and let this die without killing ourselves.  We have a war on hunger, poverty, crime, obesity and drugs, etc.  Last time I checked, we are losing all of these wars.  As we have discussed, there is a way out of this insanity.  My mom didn’t whack herself because she wanted to die.  Rather, she took her life because she wanted to escape, avoid her pain and the dramatic, ego-centered suffering she attached to her pain.  Although there is Freewill, our actions have consequences.  In her case, she created much more pain and suffering, not less.  She has since walked into the Light, though it has taken hard work that was a missed opportunity for her to do while she was breathing.  How many folks could stand to tap into the energy of Groundhog?  How many premature deaths could be prevented and lives sustained with the help of Groundhog medicine?

When we keep Groundhog in our meditations, we are equipped to learn how to die without actually physically leaving Earth.  Groundhog has great power to guide us through the darkness, so that we see light at the end of the tunnel.  During this journey, there is a restful sleep during the dirge, a parallel process to the slower heartbeat deep within the Earth right now.  May Groundhog help you allow the light illuminate the shadows within your souls so that you see this reflection in your outer field of vision.

See you further on down the trails,

Ari

Studying Wolf’s Teachings

Posted on by under Uncategorized

I remember when Cat Stevens sang, “another Saturday night and I ain’t got nobody”.  A nice tune, but was he was tapping into the Moon-Dog of his soul when he penned the lyrics?  At the end of the day, it is our marriage to the Divine Light of our own souls that light our way.  Wolf’s spirited teachings guide us into the inner dens of our souls so that we will get to know ourselves on a deeper level.  Wolf offers us guidance regarding effectively using our instincts, intelligence and knowing when to be alone and when to be with family and community.  Given a Full Moon this Saturday night, it is a good time to meditate and journey with Wolf.  In this frigid cold front we are experiencing in Maine, it is difficult to imagine that the darkness is waning, while trotting toward the Chinese-Lunar New Year and Groundhog Day in February and the Spring Equinox in March.

During these shifting tides in our lives, we are asked to endure many hardships.  Right now, there is talk of yet another US war in Mali and a desire to expand the drone war without the consent of Congress or the American public.  Killer whales in the Pacific Northwest need more protection from the Endangered Species Act, not less.  Congress failed to re-authorize the Violence Against Women Act, while the Pentagon agreed to expand the use of women in the military.  In the Middle East, there is a non-violent Palestinian movement to put a cease-fire on land being taken by the Israeli Netanyahu government.  Even in a relatively free society like America, if a bank wants to take away your home or the government wants to put a highway in the middle of your town (that predictably dislocates your community and creates a ghetto), then they will.  Similarly, when my mom took her life 18 years ago, she pulled the rug out from under all of us who loved her.  In spite of all the traumatic exposure, the deep soul work is yielding a place of celebration, but without being as invested, regarding my relationship with her death.  I feel her spirit with me and keep her close to my heart every day.  There is an old picture of her in my sacred meditation space that I now look upon with a gentle gaze.  But arriving at this place has not been easy.  In fact, there has been much pain and suffering.  What is the difference?  Pain is an inevitable experience in life, while suffering is a choice.  We suffer when we attach dramatic stories to our pain.  And there is ego in that.  We begin to let go of suffering, when we start accepting our pain, while loosening the grip that our egos have on our Being.  This is somewhat akin to getting sick.  We have a choice to resist our illness or we can choose to accept and perhaps even embrace our illness as part of our holistic experience.  Yes, a part of me died when my mom left this plane, I crashed and burned on the inside and I still miss her today.  But as we have discussed, even in death there is re-birth.  Even physical death is merely a transition and what matters is how we navigate the Climate Change that we face. 

We are consciousness, rather than what consciousness has identified with.  Whatever labels we attach to ourselves is really the ego trying to strengthen itself and perpetuate its fragile existence.  But it is never enough, as the ego has an insatiable hunger.  Do you feel that your relationship would be just fine if your partner would just change?  Do you feel like you would be happy if certain things had gone differently in the past, or that the current situation was somehow different from how it is right now, or if you were relaxing in some future paradise?  Even folks in the spiritual community often fall prey to clever tricks played by the ego, by perceiving oneself as on a spiritual path, while constantly striving toward “getting it” or seeking Enlightenment.  In my own humility, I can related to that.  But digging deeper into the den teaches that it is in the waking up process that understands that in the surrender, letting go and embracing the unknowing, there is a form of security and protection in that.  During our awakening, we are clearing space for what lies ahead in our journey–our current lives, next incarnation and beyond.  We are capable of releasing spirit’s entanglement with form while we are still breathing.  May the energy of Wolf help guide your path and be a faithful, loyal and protective guardian.

See you further on down the trails,

Ari

Praying with Mantis and Gentle Meditations with Deer

Posted on by under Uncategorized

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

Managing the Dragon’s Fire Within

Posted on by under Uncategorized

I remember when a brotherly teammate once reminded me of my own oscillations between order and chaos.  Back in High School, we played sports together–riding the wave of a 12 year losing streak on the football field, but exchanging a textbook handoff and going undefeated for some years in track.  While some of us embrace our power, many of us fear it and subsequently choose to slay our internal dragon.  Sometimes, we do this by trying control everything in our lives, such as over indulging in work and practical matters.  Here on Channel Tao, I remember the power in staying light on the feet and adding color and magic to life, when watching dragonflies flitting about o’er grassy ball fields.  In fact, their aerial feats are somewhat akin to UFO and USO sightings that have dazzled scientists and the general public alike.  As I sit here submerged in my consciousness, I cool my own dragon fire when noticing our very own secret government’s role in liberally funneling taxpayer monies into the Pentagon, while cloaked under the auspices of “foreign technology” and “research and development”.  Why is it that senators and congressmen ignore the call to allow the government to “meddle” in our lives by providing single-payer healthcare to “promote the general welfare” of our citizenry?  What makes it the epitome of public enemy to ask for a more equitable structure, where the top dawg 1% pays their fair share and our taxes are more evenly distributed?  Isn’t it homeland security to level the playing field?  But if there is a bailout on Wall Street and/or a war to fuel, then the bailouts are arranged without Federal Reserve!

Long ago, legend teaches us that dragon, in his great power, was once wise and a master illusionist.  But he was tricked by coyote to prove his power by turning himself into a dragonfly.  Somewhat akin to a black sorcerer, or a gifted propagandist, dragon got caught up in his own facade by falling for coyote’s prank and subsequently lost his power.  I wonder if Bob Dylan channeled this story from the heavens when he transcribed and sang the lyrics, “the first one now will later be last”?  The truth is that we are all one.  When we step into the realm of Infinity, abundance awaits for everyone and we can all win.  Money is energy and merely depends on the value we attach to it.  And Great Spirit reminds us that it is wise to let go of our attachments.  Further, as spiritual beings having a human experiences, we are always going to flirt with our attachments because our Source is housed in a human shell with the desire to want more.  But do we allow ourselves to remember gratitude by staying calm in the pocket and cutting back to inner peace like Tom Brady and Barry Sanders, respectively?  When getting distracted from holographic messages from an iBot, negative thoughts, emotions, parenting and work to do and bills to pay–is it possible to remember that we are both part Divine and part creature, rather than getting lost in the robotic doings in this “world of 10,000” things?  As we transition into a Golden New Aquarian Age and Paradigm, the demonic shackles of ego will need to rest in peace, while our awareness rises in the spirit of celebrating the good times of Diversity in Unity in our Collective Consciousness.  Please use the energies of the Lunar Full Moon Eclipse on Monday, June 4 and the approaching Summer Solstice on June 19, 2012 to guide you in transforming your consciousness to take flight.  While there is truth in the saying that men are like the Sun and women are like the Moon, the reality is that we all have masculine and feminine energy oscillating within our Being.  Moreover, we need to remember that there exists a Divine Marriage between this Yin-Yang dance and that balance is key.  Energetically, this is a good time of year to manifest and transform our consciousness in our lives and say good-bye to devilish, fixed ideas that box us in. 

Readers, have you ever heard of the old saying, “you are what you eat?”  In the spirit of that, I like to embark on a cleanse every now and again, typically around the quarterly equinoxes and solstices here on Classroom Mothership Earth.  Given my experience, I wanted to share with you a four-day cleanse that I caught wind of by the great Seneca Tribe here in North America some years ago.  Each day is believed to clear different areas in the body.  The first day cleans out the colon.  On the second day, toxins, excess salts and calcium deposits are released.  On day three, mineral-rich fiber flows through your digestive track.  Finally, the blood, lymphatic system and other organs are nourished with minerals.  Remember to drink plenty of water every day, but accompany that with fruit only on day one, herbal teas only on day two, veggies only on day three and broth only on the final day.  This cleanse offers our human shell a meditation 101 opportunity to watch without judgement the thoughts and feelings that arrive in our consciousness and then let them gently pass with care.  Although this may seem daunting, I find this experience good for the souls personal empowerment.  On the personal weather front, have you put on too much weight or do you look like a scarecrow?  Have you tended to the changes you have wanted to make in your life?  Are you resisting change when it would be wise to do otherwise?  Do you remember wisdom in what we resist, persists?  As we become the change we want to see in the world, please remember that we are what we eat!   

Stay True,

Ari