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The Relevant, the Irreverent, and Places in Between

8/14/08

A change in perspective. I believe that oil, at least as the product that fuels vehicles, is on the way out. It will still be valuable for other uses like making plastics, but not for automobiles. Cars that run on alternate fuels already exist and will surely replace them. I know...I know... This is not news. But the options are here now (or for some options, almost here) and many are in production.

Anyway, in the 1980's, Public Radio tracked a solar powered car driving from South Florida to California. It made it, on sun power alone. After that, no one heard of it. Whether or not it's "disappearance" was a conspiracy or simply because the vehicle wasn't commercially viable, there's a new solar energy breakthrough from MIT that looks more than promising. For now, you can buy a "Solar Powered Electric Car Kit" (SPECK). Design-wise, they look like something out of the 19th Century and somehow Amish, but hey, they're green.

GM came out with the EV1 electric car in 1996, but they discontinued it in 1999. The company will be introducing the "Volt," a plug-in series-hybrid electric vehicle in a couple of years. More on point is Denmark: they are already building the infrastructure to charge pure electric cars (not plug-in hybrids) in every corner of the country. They project it will be complete by 2011.

Back in the USA, Tesla Motors has the 100% electric 2008 Tesla Roadster in production. Unlike the Solar Powered Electric Car Kit (SPECK), the Roadster looks exceptionally cool. A major difference between two autos (aside from looks and fuel) is price. The speck will set you back $5,500; The Roadster, $109,000. OK, then. Venturi, a company based in France, has a solar/electric hybrid.

Leave it to India to deliver the unexpected. India’s largest auto maker, Tata Motors, is set to start producing the world’s first commercial air-powered vehicle, The Air Car or MiniCAT. Read: An Air Car You Could See in 2009: ZPM’s 106 MPG Compressed-Air Hybrid (Actually, the French invented the air engine; India is producing it.)

Oh, and water powered vehicles. Denny Klein has done it. He travels 100 miles on four ounces of water. His company has contracts with a US car company and with the government.

All of these leave the biofuel, hydrogen, Compressed Natural Gas, steam, and gas/whatever hybrid solutions in the dust.

I'm sharing this not out of a love of cars, but because when I learned of all of these developments, it changed my perspective on the energy/oil "crisis." I see that oil companies are the one's in real crisis.


8/6/08

The most popular music download for July was Les Barricades Mystérieuses, by François Couperin; a lovely piece of music. You can download it here, or visit the Music room.

Also, check out the new videos at Visuals. They're towards the bottom: Fat Boy Slim's cool kitty cat music video and the eye-opening "Popcorn and Cells."


8/4/08

From an emotional/sentimental perception, the Buddhist idea that "all things must pass" has always been tough for me to deal with. Tonight though, I went and picked up my favorite glass. Made of thick, heavy, transparent orange glass, I've always liked its weight, grip, and odd color. I thought, "One day, you will be gone." After a moment, I smiled; I appreciated that glass more than I ever had before. You could say I loved it.

The passing of forms is certainly How It Is in the material universe. Once I accepted that, I found I appreciated everything more. Perceptually, life is at once more precious yet eternal. In addition, realizing that all forms arise and return to the same source has helped me not to fear the loss of things. Neither matter not energy can be destroyed. The same goes for life.


7/25/08

Here's a brief, personal political history:

As a kid, I leaned towards the Democrats, although I did not really like politics.

Later, I leaned to the Right (through the Clinton years). I voted for Bush.

When I heard that we were in for an "endless war," I know we were in for bad times, because if you read history, endless wars destroy countries. Wars are expensive. Endless wars are not sustainable: the country goes broke, and it loses its prominence in the world. I don't want that to happen here. This does not even take into account the massive suffering that they are responsible for.

So, after learning this, I learned to the Left. I was hopeful that the Democrats would stop the war, but they didn't. They let "the movement" down. There were only a handful of hopeful presidential candidates — one or two on each side — who were committed to stopping the war, but they didn't stand a chance of being nominated, much less being elected.

What were the other options? I have never agreed with the option of anarchy or totalitarianism. Both are extremes of the same political spectrum. At one end, anarchy ("total freedom") results in chaos; at the other end, totalitarianism ("total order") results in a form of slavery. So I was stuck. Plus, I have seen how supporting one side or the other intensely can create strife in my life.

This morning I woke up and realized that politically, there's no path for me. The US Constitution is one of the best governmental documents ever written, as was the Bill of Rights. This I believe in. However, I think the best thing I can do now is raise my own consciousness and not be sidetracked by partisanism.

Spiritually, when a person becomes more aware, that energy affects the entire human field of consciousness. It will raise it some, however little. This path has my vote.....

Onward and upward!


7/21/08

Two Approaches to Spirituality: What if they merge?

To become more God-like, Western religious traditions generally focus on refining the personality. The highest goal is to become a saint or saint-like (by imitating Jesus..."What would Jesus do?"), although Protestant sects tend to avoid that "saint" term (as it is Catholic in origin). Eastern traditions, on the other hand, focus more on becoming aware — watching the ego in action from a place of stillness — rather than disciplining the ego. Many masters can be gruff or even rude. It's as if they see the ego as, "it is what is," and practice living an aware, in the now, life instead. If you look at successful examples of Eastern and Western traditions, both can produce desirable results.

Intensive cross-fertilization of the these traditions began in 1960's, and today both Eastern and Western cultures have pretty much acclimated to — or at least are aware of — each other's ideas. I believe many of the spiritually inclined in both cultures are now actively integrating the best of each world. Eckhart Tolle's NYT's #1 Best Seller, A New Earth, is evidence of that. This new movement represents the New Spirituality: Not bound by dogma; aware; compassionate; following the direction of one's spirit.


7/7/08

3 THINGS TODAY (was "MANY THINGS TODAY," but I forget most of them....)

1. Wow, I love cool fireworks!

2. Most downloaded (free) music: "Crusin' " or visit the Music Section.

3. House pets are usually more conscious than their feral relatives (David Hawkins, "Truth vs. Falsehood"). For example, a dog in the street would be less aware than your pet doggie. This is because conscious manifests as an energy field, and these fields influence one another. That's why you can get a "contact high" by just hanging around with a real guru or saint. This made me wonder, "If viruses and bacteria [lowest consciousness of a life-form] infected a high human consciousness, it would be bumped up a notch in consciousness as well. Is it possible that if humanity as a whole leaps to a powerful new level in awareness, then those bugs would evolve to such an extent as to not infect us?" I write this and think, "Huh?"


6/26/08

Astrology note Plus: Saturn transits seem to kick in full-strength about one-half a degree after the exact transit point. For example, take a natal Sun at 15º 20' Leo. When transiting Saturn reaches around 15º 50' Leo (30' after exact), that's when you could feel the full energetic impact.

The energy that you feel in your body — whether from Saturn or any other source — radiates into the outer world and creates circumstances related to that energy. In this case, Saturn's restrictive energy can be felt as an energetic pressure (as opposed to an expansive [like Jupiter's] energy). As the transit was a conjunction to the Sun, the energy would most likely be directed to/from authority figures. One translation: your boss could really be on your case. And while the energy can be felt in every part of the body, as the Sun is related to the heart, the heart would tend to be the focal point.

When dealing with this or any other "negative" energy, it's helpful to not label it as "negative." Instead, just feel what it feels like. Don't resist it. "Resistance is futile." Awareness, rather than reaction, will reduce the bad karma that these energies have to potential to instigate.

You can even have a conversation with the energy. Ask it: What it want? What are you trying to tell me? How can I transcend this? How can I use this to evolve myself and the planetary consciousness?


6/17/08

As we dream through life, we may come to a point where we realize that waking up is a good thing to do — perhaps the only thing of real consequence. When we reach this point, it's like realizing you're in a dream and you want to wake up. In a night-time dream when this happens, you usually say in the dream, "This is a dream, I went to wake up" (if it's a bad dream). To wake up in the dream of life is to awaken to joy. Second call: Wake Up! The time is now!


6/16/08

Living a spiritual life can be tough, especially when life itself gets seemingly tough. You have to ask yourself, "Is this situation bad, or am I just giving too much importance to form." If you go with the latter option, you have to have faith in the universe, because "scary" situations demand to be taken seriously. The ego says, "Hey, my survival is at stake here."


6/3/08

Often, "coincidences" happen. For example, this morning I was saying goodbye to a friend. I said, "Smooth sailing, Captain." I've never used the word "captain" with him before. Before he hung up, he said, "By the way, I'm going to see a ship's captain right now. How strange that you said that."

Actually, this happens about every day for me. It's only strange if you don't believe that we live in a psychic world.


6/2/08

When things get too serious, it's no fun any more.


5/20/08

Here's a real nice music video: Michael Bublé - Everything


4/13/08

Here's a new tune called Dream Angus, a Scottish lullaby. Real nice. (Font is red.)


4/12/08

OK; You are God — infinite in knowing, infinite in love, infinite in peace, eternal in existence. So You decide to create a universe of form. But how do you hide from yourself, to make the game interesting? One way would be to create creatures with brains that function dualistically, so they cannot comprehend "infinite" and "eternal." You would be masked behind a Thought Stream. Of course, You would leave a back door — enlightenment — so there would always be a way out. And You might include evolution, so that as the dream wears on, eventually You would wake up.

As an infinite creator, you could always use your favorite Creation tool, infinite variation, to keep things interesting. And stunningly beautiful.


4/4/08

Two items today:

(1) One of the things God really loves is infinite variation. Just look at, well, anything. God the Artist is at play.

(2) More mundanely, the most popular music download for March was San-Chon, from the Sonic Rites Initiation series, Initiation II. You can download it here, or visit the Music room. Note: This is not a meditative piece; it's pretty — no very — intense.


3/21/08

"Sitting on a sofa on a Sunday afternoon.
Going to the candidate's debate.
Laugh about it, shout about it
When you've got to choose
Every way you look at this you lose."

    — from Mrs. Robinson, by Simon & Garfunkel

Yes, politics is often a downer and represents a certain level of consciousness, so I'll keep it brief. As a nation ruled by the War Party, the ideal candidates for them will be Hilary "Bush-Is-Too-Soft-On-Iran" Clinton vs. John "100-Years-Of-War" McCain. I wouldn't be surprised. I totally agree with the Dalai Lama who said "the concept of war has become anachronistic, an outmoded approach.... War should be relegated to the dustbin of history."

The only peace candidates were/are Democrats Dennis Kucinich (received the 2003 Gandhi Peace Award) and Senator Gravel (helped end the draft), and the Republican Ron Paul (non-interventionist blacked out by the corporate media). If you're interested in this kind of thing, visit Democrats and Republicans.


3/20/08

I've been to most brands of churches, temples, etc.. What I see is that religions are basically a form of brainwashing. I'm not debating whether the results are good or bad — each have their positive and negative aspects (although some seem more prone to help humanity than others). They use symbols, "tradition," and myths to create a "reality atmosphere." Believers are supposed to get with the program and assume that what is being presented is not just a picture of reality, but reality itself.,


3/7/08

The most popular MP3 download for February was Water Baby, a gentle piece describing a baby's life in the womb. It's not rock 'n roll. It's here, in the Galaxy section, marked with 5 gold stars. Like the rest of the music on that page, it's a free download.


2/7/08

Here is a very big place (everywhere); Now is a very long time (forever).


1/27/08

I've been slacking off the blog... December's uncontested download champ for music was Symphonies of the Planets II. January's winner is still up for grabs. Speaking music, who said Zappa couldn't write bee-bop? Well, probably no one said it. To hear a super bee-bop clip, visit the Music section and download Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulder.


12/24/07

HOLIDAY MESSAGE

I used to think that the Purpose of Life was whatever we came up with: To be rich, to follow Jesus, to be famous, to be a good person, to have a family, and so on. They all are valid. When you look beneath each of them, though, you find a common thread: they are all supposed to produce happiness.

From there, it's an easy step to understand that happiness is the underlying and fundamental purpose of life. To be fulfilled, then, requires us to put our purpose above all else. Money does not guarantee happiness. Neither does family, Jesus, or fame. Only happiness guarantees happiness. So, if happiness becomes our first priority, then we have the best chance to experience it.

Choose happiness!


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12/4/07

The most popular music download for November was Sonic Rites Initiation, Initiation III, Step 8. Click here to download (20,444 kb).


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12/3/07

There are two kinds of people in this world: the ones that give you enjoyment and the ones that don't. As humans, our basic reality is that we seek joy and happiness. Therefore, the former kind fulfills us. Enjoyment can be physical — a touch, how someone looks, the sound of his or her voice, the scent — anything sensual. Enjoyment can be emotional, mental, and spiritual as well.


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12/3/07

There two new videos in the Visual section, one about animal emotions, the other is a carton slide show about doggies.


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11/14/07

OK, there I was: content, eating a fried egg nestled between twin slices of Arnold's Health Nut Bread. Would I allow myself to simply enjoy it? Reading the label was promising enough: "All natural", "no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives," "no high fructose corn syrup," "no trans fats."

After scouring the ingredients list, I was almost — almost — satisfied, but . . . but . . . how about GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms)? Why, I thought, if they were listing such esoteric health information (like "No high fructose Corn syrup"), why not say "No GMOs"? I scanned the fine print. "Ah ha! A Consumer Relations Department phone number." Although I object to be labeled a "consumer" (in a state-capitalistic/consumer society, what else can expect, though), I dialed the number. After a computer voice advised me that they were going to record my call, I was connect to "Julie" (I think that was her name).

"Hi, this Judy. How can I help you today?"
"Hi, I was wondering, does your Health Nut bread contain any GMO's?" I asked.
"I don't know," she said, "but I can check for you and call you back."
"OK, that's great," I said.

I gave here my phone number and first name.

"Last name?" she asked.

I answered.

"Bar code on the package?" she asked.
"7341002565," I said.
"Your zip code?" she asked.
I gave it to her and asked, "Will you call me back today?"
"I'll try," she said.

About 15 minutes later I received a call from Maiers Bakery.

"Michael?" she asked.
"Yes," I said.

And then she read me, word for word, a corporate statement, tailored just for such a question. Apparently, Arnold uses only the most healthy ingredients, ingredients that most (if not all) world governments think are not only swell, but will not harm you. In this spirit, we do use GMOs in our corn, canola, and soy ingredients.

OK, good...a straight answer.

I picked up the package and went through the ingredient list....

Crushed Whole Wheat (in bold), etc., etc., soybean oil (GMO), etc., etc. . . . resistant tapioca starch (?) . . . soy flour ... corn flour ... OK.

"So, Health Nut bread has GMO's," I said, not happy because I somehow proved a point, but disappointed that I would have to find another brand of bread to eat. I liked this one.
"Yes," she said.

The end.


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11/2/07

For October's winner of the galactically prestigious Most Downloaded Piece of Music Award (MDPMA) goes (unexpectedly) to Descent into Matter. This piece describes in sound how it may be like for a soul to pass through the dimensional veil and enter into a fetus (to be born).


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10/26/07

Experience has conditioned most people to believe and expect that having good news delivered to them every day is not to be expected. I say, "Start expecting good news everyday, and that will certainly improve your chances of receiving it." I quoted myself.... sheesh.


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10/23/07

Wow. This month is flying by! Anyway...

The Universe is one, singular consciousness that transcends all forms. Science says there are 10 or so dimensions. My guess is that the highest dimension is that consciousness. In any event, here on Earth as humans, it looks as if there's not one consciousness, but billions of them. Whenever you communicate with someone else, you'll notice similarities and differences, but we are not identical in that.

Form is the container of the universal consciousness. Each form has it's own unique way to express that consciousness. And each species, depending on its development, has it's own level of awareness and ability to express it's divinity. It's light clear light shining through not just a glass ("human") prism and splitting into different colors, but through many other types of prisms ("crystal," say for cats) as well. Of course, this analogy is severely limited by the number of prism-type available as opposed to the number of different levels of awareness/species.


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10/12/07

Quote of the Month: "We spend our lives preparing for an argument we'll never have with a person we'll never meet whose opinions we could never change." Peter Mehlman in the Huffington Post, Oct. 11.


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10/8/07

During the last few months, many things have happened that seem "fated." Do you know what I mean? I moved from old relationships unexpectedly, found new ones equally unexpectedly, and have taken on new responsibilities (equally....). And I hear this from a lot of people. It's as if the earth is this giant chessboard, and someone somewhere is moving the pieces around.


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10/7/07

Last months most popular music download was Crystal Raindrops. Listen or download it here. It has the 5 gold stars rating. Also, check out Yoko Ono's IMAGINE PEACE on the front page here.


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9/21/07

It's good to be a healer — to relieve the pain or suffering of another. This could be through herbs or other forms of doctoring, through touch, or through using Truth. There are many ways to be a healer, all of them useful, perhaps holy. Healing the body, mind, emotions, and soul.

It's also good to know what we are as spirit. Spirit is, after all, pretty close to what our True Self is. "Know thyself." Some examples of spirit qualities are Divine Peace; Understanding, because I am everyone; Kindness. These qualities can reflect different levels of reality, and you can always add to the list or change the characteristics as the insights flow in.


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9/20/07

What is enlightenment? I think it's realizing and embodying who you really are — your spirit. What happens during socialization is that you compromise your true identity so that you can avoid punishment, fit in, or get approval (or whatever else it is we thing we need to survive here). In the process, we become lost, a stranger to ourselves.

Finding our way back home is simply (and I use the term loosely) remembering who we are. You can take this to a few levels. Buddhists say our true self is God, which is fine, although probably very difficult to embody. I think embodying one's spirit is enough, at least for a start. If a person embodies his or her spirit, then that guarantees happiness, and that's what everyone seeks anyway.


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9/9/07

"The wind did wind and wound round the wound."


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9/9/07

There's a new "Symbols" slide show (Vol. 1) in the Visuals section. It's a Flash presentation. I hope you enjoy it. Volume 2 will be there soon.


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9/8/07

I've had the opportunity to know some Born Again Christians. They seem to think that being Saved is like the Lotto, but with a twist. They think (or at least behave as if) that by just buying a ticket means that you win.


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8/26/07

If you want to love someone, try to make them happy.


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8/19/07

The Truth Shall Set You Free: I knew a woman whose theme was, "Nobody understands me." She'd say it all the time. I told her that maybe she doesn't express herself clearly enough. Maybe speaking up more would help. As time went on, though, I discovered what the real problem was: She was a habitual liar. She'd lie about anything, but her lies would always be convincing. If cornered, she would always come back later with a good reason why she lied.

Then one day, I caught her in a lie that she couldn't deny. She yelled, "Go to hell!" and then went on to blame me for making her "break her religion." What happened was that I confronted her with the truth and she wasn't used to that, so she exploded. Obviously, it wasn't me asking her the question that made her "break her religion," it was the fact that she lied, got caught, and had to face it (to herself). This showed me that the more a person lies, the less he or she will be understood. And while most people lie now and then, making a habit out of will destroy people's trust in you.


Check out the new ebook, the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). The technique has been around for awhile. If you haven't tried it, it may be worth it for you. It can be highly effective in curing many physio-emotional problems.


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8/18/07

Although I sometimes have energy in my body that makes me feel frightened and insecure, I realize that:

  • God loves me
  • I am an integral part of the universe
  • I belong
  • Everything is all right
  • I love and accept myself completely

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8/15/07

The Meaning and Purpose of Life:
These are the timeless questions that have nagged thoughtful people throughout our span here. Everyone must come to their own conclusions. Of course, some people are apparently content to live on the surface of things and never consider these questions, which ultimately is OK too. In any event, I've come to these conclusions.

Purpose and Meaning are tightly interwoven. They could be even the same thing, and I'll use the terms interchangeably here, although purpose could derive from meaning.

The purpose of life varies. Our beliefs determine our purpose. A Christian's purpose is to get to Heaven; a Buddhist's, to avoid rebirth. Humanitarians want justice for all. Imperialists want power and riches. Often, a person accepts the purpose of whatever "ism" he or she believes in, as most "isms" define the believer's purpose. While many "isms" have distinct goals, the underlying motive is often the same: to find happiness. In short, the Purpose of Life appears to be whatever you say it is. I doubt if there is an absolute answer.

My belief is that the purpose of life is to live: to experience life consciously.


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8/3/07

I've added a new music piece to the Music Section called "Pictures in a Waiting Room." It's a short, introspective piece. If you've ever sat in a waiting room for an appointment, maybe can relate to it. Also in Music, last month's Most Popular Download was "Crystal Raindrops" (marked by 5 stars, for easy location), one of my favorites too.

I've run across many people who are going through personal upheavals (including myself). I looks like some sort of cosmic reshuffling, as if fate is at work. The best strategy for dealing with this, I believe, is just to surrender to it.


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7/25/07

Human Spiritual Evolution: Can humanity advance? In his recent Rolling Stone interview, musical luminary Bob Dylan said that the human condition is what it is and always shall be. Christianity and most other religions believe this too. They await for The End for salvation. This static vision of humanity has deep roots, planted before Darwin's insight that forms evolve over time. Also, until recently a global vision of a human family hasn't been widely shared: it's been mostly about nations, races, and creeds, all of which have exclusive "them-us" natures.

There is a growing movement though that sees humanity as a dynamic entity, dynamic in the sense that it can evolve spiritually and physically. It doesn't take much of a leap of faith to see that forms evolve — and human beings are one of them — and that we are not at the end of the evolutionary line (unless we become extinct....)

Spiritually, individuals mature, so why can't the species as a whole? In history, the anti-war movement has never swelled to such great numbers. People are awakening to the idea that a good economy is neither capitalist nor socialist, but could be based on the principle of fulfilling everyone on as many levels as possible. A high "per capita income" is not the best economic goal; a holistic approach is better not only to fill people's needs, but to advance the race, as well.


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7/24/07

One way to determine the value of an idea, action, cause, or movement is to ask, "How does this help humanity? How does this harm humanity?" Often, the question is unconsciously framed as, "Is this good for me?" or "Is this good for my group?" and we act on that. This is normal human behavior. It will not, however, lead to evolutionary solutions, unless (by chance or design) "What's good for me" is good for humanity.

It could be argued that because I am part of the whole, if it's good for me, it's good for the whole. In the pure sense, that's true. However, some ideas about "what is good for me" are distorted. For example, in the 1990's, the notion that "Greed is good" became fashionable, especially by ambitious corporate types. When carried out to it's logical conclusion, though, that idea is divisive and destructive to the whole.


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7/23/07

Wow. From what I've gathered, many people are going through big-time changes — not necessarily pleasant, but probably for the better. It feels like a big shake up.

On another note, I think the purpose of being alive, at least the most fundamental reason, is to be aware that we are alive: not just the unconscious response, "Of course I'm alive,..." but rather experiencing life moment to moment. I think that the closer we are like this, the clearer our path becomes for our specific purpose of life. What are we here to do?


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7/11/07

Two things are worth mentioning — one personal, one philosophical.

On the personal level, my youngest daughter went to a "Beach Weekend" with a church group. She had just dumper her two-timing boyfriend. I couldn't object to her going, although she was socially vulnerable. When she came home, she was acting oddly. She said, "I'm really happy!," forcing it. I thought at first that she was saying that she had a great time at the beach. But there was more. She would tap her fingers together, roll her eyes, shoot glances at me.

With each gesture I would say, "I don't know what that means." And this kept up for a while. She had something to say, but she wasn't comfortable saying it. So I said, "Well, talk to me when you feel comfortable," and I went in and laid down to read.

She followed me in, sat down on the bed, and said, "I'm a Christian."

I said, "What?"

She repeated, "I'm a Christian."

I said, "Oh."

She proceeded to tell me how during the church meeting she "cried in public for the first time since I was four." She had a great emotional release. This, of course, is a good thing.

She said that she didn't believe "whales were the first creatures created," implying that she wasn't going to believe the illogical stuff of the Bible.

I said, "So, you're a rational Christian."

She thought about that for a moment and then said, "Yes, that sounds good."

She is happy for now though, and that's the important thing. She had wanted to put a "Darwin Fish" on her car. You know those fish symbols Christians stick on their cars; well, a Darwin Fish is one of those with little legs and feet. Today, I asked here if that was still going to happen. She changed the subject.

In the past, we would sit around the table for dinner, and her mom and sister would drop little ditties like, "It's wonderful to be saved," implying that my daughter and I weren't. We would glance at each other as if to say, "Sheesh, how condescending!" At those moments I would think that they should be saved from being saved. That's my ego at work, of course....


Where's the Free Will?

Free will can't effect the past; well, if it can, I don't know. I've tried a few "past changing techniques," but I'm not convinced.

Free Will can't effect the future. Why is that? Because the future never gets here. You go to bed at night and when you wake up, it's not the future; it's Now. So by default, Free Will doesn't effect the future, because the future doesn't exist. The past doesn't exist either, except as memory. ("Well, what about dinosaur bones?" We see them in the Now as well.) I guess the point is the familiar one: time-wise, only the Now exists.

So, that leaves only the question, "Do we have Free Will in the present?" The present "is what it is." As such, nothing can be done to change it. I mentioned this example before: Say the bath tub water is running. You want it not running. In that moment, it is running. Period. Free Will cannot change the moment. However, you can initiate a process to turn off the water. Every "Now" of the way, though, is fixed. I admit, dealing with this paradox is not intuitive, but the reasoning is sound.

Free Will is ideas that we act on. I imagine a better way to function — or more aligned with reality — is to be present and allow spirit to act through you.


The Lightlounge Most Popular Music Download last month was "Transmutation." Download or listen to a copy by clicking the title or visiting the "Music" section: Transmutation is easy to spot because five gold stars are lined up by it. I've also added a music review about the new CD eMotive. Find it in the Reviews section.