Monday, May 7, 2012
Understanding the difference between Republicans and Democrats
To use an analogy from slavery days: there were "good" masters who made sure their slaves got enough to eat and did not work them to death, and there were bad masters who said fuck em, but neither of them questioned the institution of slavery.
Today, the Democrats are the "good" corporate capitalist party who think the wage slaves should at least have some semblance of a decent life. The Republicans are the corporate capitalist party that says we shouldn't waste money on people who aren't rich, but both parties totally accept the idea of corporate capitalist plutocracy.
You can tell this right away by the fact that election day is held on a workday and is not a national holiday, which makes it a lot harder for working people to find the time to vote.
Given the current system, which gives third parties almost no chance, the Democrats are clearly the superior choice, but it still sucks.
Friday, May 4, 2012
My spiritual and religious beliefs
WARNING: there is no doubt that i will be revising and adding to this a lot. This is today's version
edited 5/6
I believe that:
* The whole universe is conscious and alive, and that we as human beings are part of this greater pattern, this Great Spirit, in the same way that every cell in our body is part of us. The scientific evidence can be found in quantum mechanics, specifically what is sometimes called "The Field". We truly are all one, all connected.
* We are usually not aware of this, especially in our everyday lives, at beta frequencies of brain waves. However, through various practices we can increasingly experience this, in what are called "mystical"experiences.
* I believe that regaining the consciousness of our true identity as a manifestation of the One is one of the main purposes for existence for everyone, along with the purpose of sharing love, which naturally comes about as the experience of connection with everyone and everything gradually occurs. I think that everyone alive would be best served by making their #1 goal in life to become the best person they can be, in whatever ways are meaningful for them, at whatever level of understanding they have of the concept of bettering themselves.
* I believe that learning to live in joy is one of the greatest lessons we are here to learn in life, that and becoming as conscious as we can, somatically, psychologically, psychically, spiritually.
This means that we have to really clean out our internal "garbage" of old wounds, negative programming and beliefs, and begin opening ourselves up to the light, allowing ourselves to receive whatever good the Universe has for us, which may be as simple as learning to just appreciate being alive. The old phrase, "attitude is everything", has a lot of truth to it. One can make the best of a bad situation or the worst of it, choosing bitterness and negativity, or trying at least not to make things worse by poisoning oneself with negativity of all sorts, maybe even trying to see the lessons the situation is there to teach, implying that everything has a reason
and i realize how much of a struggle many people's lives are, not trying to deny that.
* I believe that we reincarnate time and again for this purpose, just the way we go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning. We are spiritual beings having material experiences, not the reverse. We have specifically chosen where and when to incarnate, (time, parents, etc.) into the situation which is optimum for us to learn the lessons we came to work on in this life, albeit it sometimes seems like an extremely harsh school when one thinks of all the horrible things people have done to others. I want to make clear that we do NOT have to suffer to learn; i have read that one of the most important markers in a souls' evolution is when it becomes able to learn through joy, rather than suffering.
* I believe that there is some sort of Great Spirit, and various levels of spiritual beings, that love us and help us as much as we allow ourselves to receive. Put another way, i believe that God unconditionally loves us, never judges or condemns us, always tries to help us.
* I also believe that from time to time great spirits incarnate on Earth in the form of Jesus, Buddha, and probably others, and that many lesser teachers are always around to help us, sometimes not in obvious ways. The world is a one room schoolhouse which we are all in together for a higher purpose.
* I believe that most of our problems come from cutting ourselves off from the light and unconditional love the Universe has for us, usually because of a) self judgement and guilt, and b) anger at God, for all the suffering in the world, the Holocaust for example, and our own suffering.
* Even so, i believe that, by our very nature as small individuations of the Great Spirit, at bottom people are good, even though it can be pretty hard to tell that at times.
edited 5/6
I believe that:
* The whole universe is conscious and alive, and that we as human beings are part of this greater pattern, this Great Spirit, in the same way that every cell in our body is part of us. The scientific evidence can be found in quantum mechanics, specifically what is sometimes called "The Field". We truly are all one, all connected.
* We are usually not aware of this, especially in our everyday lives, at beta frequencies of brain waves. However, through various practices we can increasingly experience this, in what are called "mystical"experiences.
* I believe that regaining the consciousness of our true identity as a manifestation of the One is one of the main purposes for existence for everyone, along with the purpose of sharing love, which naturally comes about as the experience of connection with everyone and everything gradually occurs. I think that everyone alive would be best served by making their #1 goal in life to become the best person they can be, in whatever ways are meaningful for them, at whatever level of understanding they have of the concept of bettering themselves.
* I believe that learning to live in joy is one of the greatest lessons we are here to learn in life, that and becoming as conscious as we can, somatically, psychologically, psychically, spiritually.
This means that we have to really clean out our internal "garbage" of old wounds, negative programming and beliefs, and begin opening ourselves up to the light, allowing ourselves to receive whatever good the Universe has for us, which may be as simple as learning to just appreciate being alive. The old phrase, "attitude is everything", has a lot of truth to it. One can make the best of a bad situation or the worst of it, choosing bitterness and negativity, or trying at least not to make things worse by poisoning oneself with negativity of all sorts, maybe even trying to see the lessons the situation is there to teach, implying that everything has a reason
and i realize how much of a struggle many people's lives are, not trying to deny that.
* I believe that we reincarnate time and again for this purpose, just the way we go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning. We are spiritual beings having material experiences, not the reverse. We have specifically chosen where and when to incarnate, (time, parents, etc.) into the situation which is optimum for us to learn the lessons we came to work on in this life, albeit it sometimes seems like an extremely harsh school when one thinks of all the horrible things people have done to others. I want to make clear that we do NOT have to suffer to learn; i have read that one of the most important markers in a souls' evolution is when it becomes able to learn through joy, rather than suffering.
* I believe that there is some sort of Great Spirit, and various levels of spiritual beings, that love us and help us as much as we allow ourselves to receive. Put another way, i believe that God unconditionally loves us, never judges or condemns us, always tries to help us.
* I also believe that from time to time great spirits incarnate on Earth in the form of Jesus, Buddha, and probably others, and that many lesser teachers are always around to help us, sometimes not in obvious ways. The world is a one room schoolhouse which we are all in together for a higher purpose.
* I believe that most of our problems come from cutting ourselves off from the light and unconditional love the Universe has for us, usually because of a) self judgement and guilt, and b) anger at God, for all the suffering in the world, the Holocaust for example, and our own suffering.
* Even so, i believe that, by our very nature as small individuations of the Great Spirit, at bottom people are good, even though it can be pretty hard to tell that at times.
Friday, April 27, 2012
healthcare
Got an election flyer in the mail from someone against "Obamacare". Whether you are for or against,
Obamacare is not the issue. The real issue is, what kind of healthcare are we getting?
1) American medicine is a for profit industry. There was a chart making the rounds on Facebook showing how much the same services and procedures cost in different countries. America is by far the most expensive, in some cases 6x more expensive.
Overcharging is the simplest layer.
The incentives are to make as much money as possible, and this means
*emphasizing treatment rather than prevention
*suppressing or ignoring unprofitable treatments
*ignoring the nutritional, psychological and environmental causes of disease
i mean, think about it, is the incentive to come up with a cure for a disease that you take one time and costs $10, or subject you to a lot of expensive procedures and get you addicted to expensive drugs that treat the symptoms temporarily, and leave you needing more?
Anyone who researches this stuff can't help but come to the conclusion that it's a big scam.
2) Looking a little deeper, our society is a factory for disease. Poisons in the air, food, water, workplace, electromagnetic radiation from everything from cell phones to flourescent lights, and not just physical toxins, but tons of psychological stressors. It's a very stressful society to live in, even if you're "successful".
3) and now the ground floor: what kind of care are people taking care of themselves? Are they exercising, eating a good diet, doing de-stressing practices, in short are Americans taking responsibility for their own health, or are they living unhealthy lives and then going "Doctor, fix me".
These are the real issues.
Here's a link to an earlier blog post of mine on Western Medicine.
Obamacare is not the issue. The real issue is, what kind of healthcare are we getting?
Overcharging is the simplest layer.
The incentives are to make as much money as possible, and this means
*emphasizing treatment rather than prevention
*suppressing or ignoring unprofitable treatments
*ignoring the nutritional, psychological and environmental causes of disease
i mean, think about it, is the incentive to come up with a cure for a disease that you take one time and costs $10, or subject you to a lot of expensive procedures and get you addicted to expensive drugs that treat the symptoms temporarily, and leave you needing more?
Anyone who researches this stuff can't help but come to the conclusion that it's a big scam.
2) Looking a little deeper, our society is a factory for disease. Poisons in the air, food, water, workplace, electromagnetic radiation from everything from cell phones to flourescent lights, and not just physical toxins, but tons of psychological stressors. It's a very stressful society to live in, even if you're "successful".
3) and now the ground floor: what kind of care are people taking care of themselves? Are they exercising, eating a good diet, doing de-stressing practices, in short are Americans taking responsibility for their own health, or are they living unhealthy lives and then going "Doctor, fix me".
These are the real issues.
Here's a link to an earlier blog post of mine on Western Medicine.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Metaphysics, Materialism and left wing politics
Two of the main threads in my life are metaphysics, especially how it can be used for my personal and spiritual growth, and politics, which has so much to do with creating (or destroying) the environment i live in every day . I've spent a lot of time and energy trying to reconcile my understanding of how they relate, and at this point i want to put out a few ideas.
For the most part i agree with the views of the left, but the energy is often just so hard to take. Victimhood, anger, blame, judgement, arrogance, condescension, hostility, and don't think that i haven't expressed, often and vehemently, all these energies myself. If i was a right winger or a businessman, no way i'm listening to people who are attacking me.
My view is that all this is coming from fear. At least in my own case, that's what i find.
The question, is this productive or counter productive. To meekly lie down and get used for a doormat, fuck that. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, but ultimately, to squeak and to blame are different.
In my own personal growth work i have found that it is far more effective to focus on the positive results i do want than to endlessly fight against my flaws, to be positive, rather than negative against negativity, and that's getting results for me. I've been reading peace pilgrim's Steps toward inner peace, and i'm finding it inspiring. This is a woman who walked 25,000 miles in 28 years, starting when she was 45 years old, to deliver the message of Peace across america, and i believe that many of the seeds she sowed have bourne fruit.
It seems to me that those who have spiritual beliefs have greater power in the political arena, indeed in everything they do. Would Civil rights, or the abolition of slavery, or Gandhi have happened without this. It is so unfortunate that so many people have reacted to the problems with Christianity and it's hypocrisy and abuses that they have thrown the baby of spirituality out with the bathwater of the corrupt church, and yet, without a spiritual fountain of strength, people are often left feeling small and helpless against the large forces of selfishness and greedy exploitation shown by those in power, in contrast to the strength one draws from having a spiritual root for the power to flow into you.
Just to be clear, i'm talking of real spiritual grounding such as the Quakers or Gandhi had, not some empty lip service. This only comes from practice. Yes, there are plenty of people whose version of spirituality includes not getting their hands dirty with politics, but sooner or later everyone on the path will take what they have learned and apply it to the service of making the world a better place for everyone, not just themselves.
I really think that all of us who are against Corporate Personhood, against GMOs, against economic injustice, against environmental pollution and environmental racism, against repressive government surveillance, etc,----i think we need to start being for things, and most especially, our energy needs to shift from all the negativity to a more engaging view of those whose actions are creating problems as misguided, wounded and wrong, but not evil, not demonize them, nor hate them, and i think that true effectiveness comes from a spiritual perspective.
Somewhere it says "Hatred does not cease by hatred, but by love alone. This is an old law, ancient and inexhaustible". I'm starting to believe that applies just as much to politics as to personal relationships.
For the most part i agree with the views of the left, but the energy is often just so hard to take. Victimhood, anger, blame, judgement, arrogance, condescension, hostility, and don't think that i haven't expressed, often and vehemently, all these energies myself. If i was a right winger or a businessman, no way i'm listening to people who are attacking me.
My view is that all this is coming from fear. At least in my own case, that's what i find.
The question, is this productive or counter productive. To meekly lie down and get used for a doormat, fuck that. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, but ultimately, to squeak and to blame are different.
In my own personal growth work i have found that it is far more effective to focus on the positive results i do want than to endlessly fight against my flaws, to be positive, rather than negative against negativity, and that's getting results for me. I've been reading peace pilgrim's Steps toward inner peace, and i'm finding it inspiring. This is a woman who walked 25,000 miles in 28 years, starting when she was 45 years old, to deliver the message of Peace across america, and i believe that many of the seeds she sowed have bourne fruit.
It seems to me that those who have spiritual beliefs have greater power in the political arena, indeed in everything they do. Would Civil rights, or the abolition of slavery, or Gandhi have happened without this. It is so unfortunate that so many people have reacted to the problems with Christianity and it's hypocrisy and abuses that they have thrown the baby of spirituality out with the bathwater of the corrupt church, and yet, without a spiritual fountain of strength, people are often left feeling small and helpless against the large forces of selfishness and greedy exploitation shown by those in power, in contrast to the strength one draws from having a spiritual root for the power to flow into you.
Just to be clear, i'm talking of real spiritual grounding such as the Quakers or Gandhi had, not some empty lip service. This only comes from practice. Yes, there are plenty of people whose version of spirituality includes not getting their hands dirty with politics, but sooner or later everyone on the path will take what they have learned and apply it to the service of making the world a better place for everyone, not just themselves.
I really think that all of us who are against Corporate Personhood, against GMOs, against economic injustice, against environmental pollution and environmental racism, against repressive government surveillance, etc,----i think we need to start being for things, and most especially, our energy needs to shift from all the negativity to a more engaging view of those whose actions are creating problems as misguided, wounded and wrong, but not evil, not demonize them, nor hate them, and i think that true effectiveness comes from a spiritual perspective.
Somewhere it says "Hatred does not cease by hatred, but by love alone. This is an old law, ancient and inexhaustible". I'm starting to believe that applies just as much to politics as to personal relationships.
My ideas on Christianity and the Bible
The bibles i have seen are about 1300 pages.
Of these, about 130 pages are the four gospels directly about Jesus, about %10 of the total bible. If one takes a highlighter and highlights only the words of Jesus, they come to maybe 20-30 pages, or about %2 of the total words of the bible. I really don't understand why they call it Christianity when there is so little directly by Jesus and not much more directly about him.
The old testament is about 1000 pages, about %70 of the bible. When one takes a highlighter of a different color, and highlights all the times the angry Jehovah is pissed off and threatening punishment, there are a lot of instances, and if one goes through the new testament and highlights all the instances there where people are found wanting, there are a number of those.
On the other hand, if you take another highlighter and highlight those spots where god is happy and pleased with people, not so many. Try it, don't just take my word for it.
Statistically speaking, the main message of the Bible seems to be that people are bad and deserve to be punished, especially they are bad and deserve to be punished for not obeying the authority of the Lord.
And what terrible, disproportionate punishment;
to be sent to a torture chamber for all eternity, with no second chance
I simply cannot believe that a loving "Father" would do this. For me, on this rock alone, the whole thing founders, loses credibility.
My perception is that proslytizers often do a "bait and switch"; god loves you, but when you get a little farther into it, he'll send you to a torture chamber for all eternity if you don't obey him. I've read in a number of auto-biographies how children woke up with nightmares night after night after being scared by this horrible prospect.
Based on all the research i have done, my belief is that the bible was compiled by the Roman Empire as a way to instill the concept of obedience to authority on the most visceral, deep rooted level, using the horrible threats of eternal torture as a way to terrorize and coerce people into believing, with the carrot of heaven to entice people. Let's not forget that there were many, many manuscripts around at the time the bible was compiled. The bible is a collection of only a few of those manuscripts, chosen by men who had a purpose behind which teachings were chosen for inclusion and which were excluded. My belief is that, on the whole, the manuscripts chosen for inclusion gave the message of FEAR AND OBEY, while more spiritual teachings of love and compassion were, for the most part, excluded.
I have met very few people who i would consider Christians. Mostly i have met biblists who called themselves Christians, a name to which i think they have as much right as Ronald Reagan would have had to call himself a Marxist, which is the opposite of who he was. It often seems that people who start by talking about Christ ultimately worship a book, a book put together by men for their own purposes. I think that many of these people were so terrorized in childhood by the message that they would be tortured for all eternity, that they were coerced into accepting a text which, if titled more accurately, could be called People are Bad and You're Going to Be Punished Really Harshly.
I see this people are bad and deserve punishment attitude showing up in every political issue conservative christians get involved in; long prison sentences for often small offences, capital punishment, acceptance of torture as American policy, Wars, disdain for the poor and needy, etc. It's a very consistent logical consequence of the message which statistically predominates in the bible.
In summary, for the most part i find the bible a very brutal, harsh and unkind book, and yes, i have read large parts of it. Most of the pages i read were soaked in blood.
This is not to say that there aren't some good things in the bible, there are, some real spirituality did slip in. As far as Jesus goes, i hold with the Eastern traditions that revere him as one of the greatest teachers to walk the planet, just not the only one.
There are still some people who genuinely carry on in what seems to me the spirit of Christ, who think about what they read and pick the wheat from the chaff, and i'm all for that, for the spirit and teachings of an enlightened, loving Christ, instead of the image of an angry, punishing Jehovah so often presented as being Christianity.
Amen
Of these, about 130 pages are the four gospels directly about Jesus, about %10 of the total bible. If one takes a highlighter and highlights only the words of Jesus, they come to maybe 20-30 pages, or about %2 of the total words of the bible. I really don't understand why they call it Christianity when there is so little directly by Jesus and not much more directly about him.
The old testament is about 1000 pages, about %70 of the bible. When one takes a highlighter of a different color, and highlights all the times the angry Jehovah is pissed off and threatening punishment, there are a lot of instances, and if one goes through the new testament and highlights all the instances there where people are found wanting, there are a number of those.
On the other hand, if you take another highlighter and highlight those spots where god is happy and pleased with people, not so many. Try it, don't just take my word for it.
Statistically speaking, the main message of the Bible seems to be that people are bad and deserve to be punished, especially they are bad and deserve to be punished for not obeying the authority of the Lord.
And what terrible, disproportionate punishment;
to be sent to a torture chamber for all eternity, with no second chance
I simply cannot believe that a loving "Father" would do this. For me, on this rock alone, the whole thing founders, loses credibility.
My perception is that proslytizers often do a "bait and switch"; god loves you, but when you get a little farther into it, he'll send you to a torture chamber for all eternity if you don't obey him. I've read in a number of auto-biographies how children woke up with nightmares night after night after being scared by this horrible prospect.
Based on all the research i have done, my belief is that the bible was compiled by the Roman Empire as a way to instill the concept of obedience to authority on the most visceral, deep rooted level, using the horrible threats of eternal torture as a way to terrorize and coerce people into believing, with the carrot of heaven to entice people. Let's not forget that there were many, many manuscripts around at the time the bible was compiled. The bible is a collection of only a few of those manuscripts, chosen by men who had a purpose behind which teachings were chosen for inclusion and which were excluded. My belief is that, on the whole, the manuscripts chosen for inclusion gave the message of FEAR AND OBEY, while more spiritual teachings of love and compassion were, for the most part, excluded.
I have met very few people who i would consider Christians. Mostly i have met biblists who called themselves Christians, a name to which i think they have as much right as Ronald Reagan would have had to call himself a Marxist, which is the opposite of who he was. It often seems that people who start by talking about Christ ultimately worship a book, a book put together by men for their own purposes. I think that many of these people were so terrorized in childhood by the message that they would be tortured for all eternity, that they were coerced into accepting a text which, if titled more accurately, could be called People are Bad and You're Going to Be Punished Really Harshly.
I see this people are bad and deserve punishment attitude showing up in every political issue conservative christians get involved in; long prison sentences for often small offences, capital punishment, acceptance of torture as American policy, Wars, disdain for the poor and needy, etc. It's a very consistent logical consequence of the message which statistically predominates in the bible.
In summary, for the most part i find the bible a very brutal, harsh and unkind book, and yes, i have read large parts of it. Most of the pages i read were soaked in blood.
This is not to say that there aren't some good things in the bible, there are, some real spirituality did slip in. As far as Jesus goes, i hold with the Eastern traditions that revere him as one of the greatest teachers to walk the planet, just not the only one.
There are still some people who genuinely carry on in what seems to me the spirit of Christ, who think about what they read and pick the wheat from the chaff, and i'm all for that, for the spirit and teachings of an enlightened, loving Christ, instead of the image of an angry, punishing Jehovah so often presented as being Christianity.
Amen
New Poems, San Diego, Spring 2012
For a number of years I've been visiting San Diego several times a year to visit family, usually staying anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months each visit. With the wandering lifestyle which i have been living for years, i get to stay places as long as i want, and here in SD my friend Tom has been a saint about letting me stay in his guest room or back cabin.
I don't drive, so it's very difficult for me to get out to many places: SD is so spread out, and the bus system isn't so great on nights and weekends. This means that i spend a lot of time around the house drinking tea, doing practices and processing all the stuff that comes up whenever i see my mother.
These are the poems i have written so far on this visit, also wrote 6 songs, but that's another story.
be well,
jay dancing bear
Internal Weather
My heart is a locked box
Condensed Light
This too shall pass
Awakening
Internal Weather
Internal Weather
Mental, Emotional, Physical, Spiritual
The forecast early today is for:
obsessive, fearful thoughts
often focussing on politics and the Environment
often as a result of reading the news on the Internet
but sometimes more personal
resulting in
raging emotional storms
often invisible to others
resulting in
upset stomach, back trouble
headaches, general weakness
and other problems
Later today, expect periods of calm
resulting from practices such as
meditation, qigong, yoga, forgiveness, affirmations
resulting in remission of symptoms
until the next storm breaks out
all the while, the Spirit, the Higher Self
waits for the clouds to part long enough
for the sufferer to realize that
the sun is always shining
the earth just turns away sometimes
we make our own weather
-------
My Heart is a locked box
My heart is a locked box
a box to which only you hold the key
if only i knew who you were
I have never met you, and so
I wait aimlessly
only half believing that you will ever come
-------
Condensed Light
The higher frequencies are hard to handle
the clarity, the energy, the feelings of aliveness
You would think that i would spend as much time as possible in them, but they feel uncomfortable to this
deadened, slogged down, fear filled, shame filled, guilt filled
walking corpse, which needs to squash down any feelings of clarity
which might cause it to feel some very deep,
unpleasant layers of feeling
am i being overdramatic?
or just telling the truth
the real reason that
so many people seem to deaden themselves
by every means possible
anything to not feel
the unbearably painful feelings buried deep within
but
like a moth drawn to a flame
no matter how much we numb ourselves
we are always drawn by the light to rise again
to fly, to soar, to go deeper and deeper
into the kingdom of light which is inevitably pulling all of us
by the force of its' magnetism, and the fact that
we all are, in the final analysis,
nothing but
condensed light
-------------
This Too Shall Pass
Ultimately everything becomes a memory
a photo
a line in a journal
a frozen moment in time
a dimly remembered feeling
The river of time just keeps flowing on and on
today's dreams
tomorrow's achievements
the day after tomorrow's recollections
maybe even a mention in a history book
so here we are i am
it's so important what happens to me us
it really is
kept in the perspective of
this too shall pass
-----------------------------------
Awakening
Awakening from a long dark dream, a dream
that has lasted lifetimes, a dream
that started when i got so hurt that
i turned bitter, cynical
a dream where everything i saw
by "saw" i mean all the conceptions and
interpretations I held in my mind
of what i "saw" in the "world" in "people" was
filtered through a dark cloud of smoke
of disappointment
especially disappointment in myself, and, by extension
because people are people and i am a person
disappointment in others
a focus on the negative, the selfish, the cruel
who needs newspapers or the evening news
to present their distorted, slanted litany of war, murder and greed
when i was carrying my own filter
which even the Buddha would have trouble being seen through
if he were here in person, rather than some distant ideal
Awakening to find that
there is suffering, and
there is joy, and
i have a choice, and
it takes work, and
anyone can do it
even me
I don't drive, so it's very difficult for me to get out to many places: SD is so spread out, and the bus system isn't so great on nights and weekends. This means that i spend a lot of time around the house drinking tea, doing practices and processing all the stuff that comes up whenever i see my mother.
These are the poems i have written so far on this visit, also wrote 6 songs, but that's another story.
be well,
jay dancing bear
Internal Weather
My heart is a locked box
Condensed Light
This too shall pass
Awakening
Internal Weather
Internal Weather
Mental, Emotional, Physical, Spiritual
The forecast early today is for:
obsessive, fearful thoughts
often focussing on politics and the Environment
often as a result of reading the news on the Internet
but sometimes more personal
resulting in
raging emotional storms
often invisible to others
resulting in
upset stomach, back trouble
headaches, general weakness
and other problems
Later today, expect periods of calm
resulting from practices such as
meditation, qigong, yoga, forgiveness, affirmations
resulting in remission of symptoms
until the next storm breaks out
all the while, the Spirit, the Higher Self
waits for the clouds to part long enough
for the sufferer to realize that
the sun is always shining
the earth just turns away sometimes
we make our own weather
-------
My Heart is a locked box
My heart is a locked box
a box to which only you hold the key
if only i knew who you were
I have never met you, and so
I wait aimlessly
only half believing that you will ever come
-------
Condensed Light
The higher frequencies are hard to handle
the clarity, the energy, the feelings of aliveness
You would think that i would spend as much time as possible in them, but they feel uncomfortable to this
deadened, slogged down, fear filled, shame filled, guilt filled
walking corpse, which needs to squash down any feelings of clarity
which might cause it to feel some very deep,
unpleasant layers of feeling
am i being overdramatic?
or just telling the truth
the real reason that
so many people seem to deaden themselves
by every means possible
anything to not feel
the unbearably painful feelings buried deep within
but
like a moth drawn to a flame
no matter how much we numb ourselves
we are always drawn by the light to rise again
to fly, to soar, to go deeper and deeper
into the kingdom of light which is inevitably pulling all of us
by the force of its' magnetism, and the fact that
we all are, in the final analysis,
nothing but
condensed light
-------------
This Too Shall Pass
Ultimately everything becomes a memory
a photo
a line in a journal
a frozen moment in time
a dimly remembered feeling
The river of time just keeps flowing on and on
today's dreams
tomorrow's achievements
the day after tomorrow's recollections
maybe even a mention in a history book
so here we are i am
it's so important what happens to me us
it really is
kept in the perspective of
this too shall pass
-----------------------------------
Awakening
Awakening from a long dark dream, a dream
that has lasted lifetimes, a dream
that started when i got so hurt that
i turned bitter, cynical
a dream where everything i saw
by "saw" i mean all the conceptions and
interpretations I held in my mind
of what i "saw" in the "world" in "people" was
filtered through a dark cloud of smoke
of disappointment
especially disappointment in myself, and, by extension
because people are people and i am a person
disappointment in others
a focus on the negative, the selfish, the cruel
who needs newspapers or the evening news
to present their distorted, slanted litany of war, murder and greed
when i was carrying my own filter
which even the Buddha would have trouble being seen through
if he were here in person, rather than some distant ideal
Awakening to find that
there is suffering, and
there is joy, and
i have a choice, and
it takes work, and
anyone can do it
even me
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Label GMOs rap
I met a guy named Freedom at a health food store yesterday. He asked me to write a GMO song. What came out was a rap. Anybody who wants to use it in any way, go ahead, i don't need to get credited. Feel free to modify as needed
I AIN'T NO GUINEA PIG FOR GMO
Hell no/ i ain't no/ guinea pig for GMOs
Hell no/ they can't use me/ just to make their blood money
They'll sell me poison just to make a buck
When i get sick they don't give a fuck
They tell me that it's all been tested
Lying motherfuckers all ought to get arrested
Hell no/ i ain't no/ guinea pig for GMOs
Hell no/ they can't use me/ just to make their blood money
In Europe they won't eat that shit
Frankenfood's the name they give to it
They don't believe those corporate lies
It's time for Americans to get wise
Hell no/ i ain't no/ guinea pig for GMOs
Hell no/ they can't use me/ just to make their blood money
Americans can't trust no government agency
They work for the Man not for me
Big Business tells them what to do
Government agency just push it through
Hell no/ i ain't no/ guinea pig for GMOs
Hell no/ they can't use me/ just to make their blood money
They plant the seeds on Factory Farms
Seeds don't stay put they blow around
They fuck up the small farmer's crops
This shit ain't right it's gotta stop
Hell no/ i ain't no/ guinea pig for GMOs
Hell no/ they can't use me/ just to make their blood money
Monarch butterflies well they all are dying
Birds migrating gotta keep flying
All around the planet's hurting
This GMO shit just ain't working
Hell no/ i ain't no/ guinea pig for GMOs
Hell no/ they can't use me/ just to make their blood money
They always trying to sneak GMOs in
to every food we eat it's a sin
to put in GMOs that haven't been tested
enough to know if they should be ingested
Hell no/ i ain't no/ guinea pig for GMOs
Hell no/ they can't use me/ just to make their blood money
We say Label cause we got a right to know
what's in the food we eat Label GMOs
Label GMOs so we have a choice
Speak up loud use your voice
Hell no/ i ain't no/ guinea pig for GMOs
Hell no/ they can't use me/ just to make their blood money
So speak up loud let them hear your voice
label GMOs so we have a choice
or better yet ban GMOs altogether
don't eat that poison you'll feel better
Hell no/ i ain't no/ guinea pig for GMOs
Hell no/ they can't use me/ just to make their blood money
Hell no/ i ain't no/ guinea pig for GMOs
Hell no/ they can't use me/ just to make their blood money
I AIN'T NO GUINEA PIG FOR GMO
Hell no/ i ain't no/ guinea pig for GMOs
Hell no/ they can't use me/ just to make their blood money
They'll sell me poison just to make a buck
When i get sick they don't give a fuck
They tell me that it's all been tested
Lying motherfuckers all ought to get arrested
Hell no/ i ain't no/ guinea pig for GMOs
Hell no/ they can't use me/ just to make their blood money
In Europe they won't eat that shit
Frankenfood's the name they give to it
They don't believe those corporate lies
It's time for Americans to get wise
Hell no/ i ain't no/ guinea pig for GMOs
Hell no/ they can't use me/ just to make their blood money
Americans can't trust no government agency
They work for the Man not for me
Big Business tells them what to do
Government agency just push it through
Hell no/ i ain't no/ guinea pig for GMOs
Hell no/ they can't use me/ just to make their blood money
They plant the seeds on Factory Farms
Seeds don't stay put they blow around
They fuck up the small farmer's crops
This shit ain't right it's gotta stop
Hell no/ i ain't no/ guinea pig for GMOs
Hell no/ they can't use me/ just to make their blood money
Monarch butterflies well they all are dying
Birds migrating gotta keep flying
All around the planet's hurting
This GMO shit just ain't working
Hell no/ i ain't no/ guinea pig for GMOs
Hell no/ they can't use me/ just to make their blood money
They always trying to sneak GMOs in
to every food we eat it's a sin
to put in GMOs that haven't been tested
enough to know if they should be ingested
Hell no/ i ain't no/ guinea pig for GMOs
Hell no/ they can't use me/ just to make their blood money
We say Label cause we got a right to know
what's in the food we eat Label GMOs
Label GMOs so we have a choice
Speak up loud use your voice
Hell no/ i ain't no/ guinea pig for GMOs
Hell no/ they can't use me/ just to make their blood money
So speak up loud let them hear your voice
label GMOs so we have a choice
or better yet ban GMOs altogether
don't eat that poison you'll feel better
Hell no/ i ain't no/ guinea pig for GMOs
Hell no/ they can't use me/ just to make their blood money
Hell no/ i ain't no/ guinea pig for GMOs
Hell no/ they can't use me/ just to make their blood money
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Poems from last year
Limbo
And, What
Noisy
Two buck chuck (the poem)
Enlightenment can kiss my ass
Impermanence
Bar
----------------------
Limbo
6/14/11
Lying around
on the couch
on the bed
watching videos
reading books
thinking
writing in my journal
eating
shitting
eating more
shitting more
drinking tea
peeing a lot
walking the dog twice a day
Something is happening
inside
not sure what
Been a few days now
still food in the refrigerator, although
the ice cream and beer are gone
Feeling lonely for a woman
unlikely to meet any in the living room
unless i go online, and
that hasn't worked out so well up to now
so
limbo
halfway between what was and what will be
walking the dog
seems to be what the universe wants me to be doing right now
-------------------------------------
And, what?
7/24/11
And what, after all, is it all for?
Travelling, staying home
working, resting
loving, hating
tiring, fulfilling
The whirlwind of experience
For some the dronage of boring routine
How many years do we get?
60,70,80,90?
if we're lucky
and what, after all, is it all for?
Some teachings call it illusion
It all feels pretty real to
ME
the big, capital
ME
getting a little tired of that, too
I want to rest my head
on a soft pillow
sleep for a long time,
when i wake up
I want to be cleansed
purified of my mistakes
misguided patterns of thought
destructive negative emotions
harmful actions
and maybe then i'll be happy
I think of anattapindika, the hindu murderer
who killed 999 people
cut off their fingers, wore them on a garland around his neck
and then, one day, miraculously
had a change of heart, and
became a true saint
filled with love and compassion
for all beings
I'm not that bad, in this life
if he could do it
i can do it
you can do it
too
Amin
---------------------------------------
Noisy
8/14
Out in nature, beautiful day
it's really noisy out here, because
my mind
won't
fucking shut up
----------------------------------
Two Buck Chuck (the poem)
That fancy french wine you used to drink
tonight it's two buck chuck
Those pricey organic strawberries from Whole Foods
tonight Safeway got your business
not much of it
mostly cigarettes and chips
You used to ride in your beamer
now you ride the bus
not with your ex-girlfriend
who's moved on to one of your ex-friends
who still has his money
for now
It was all great while it lasted
high times, really high, most of the time
crash, oops
There are a few compensations
That girl last week, who fucked you
just to get close
to the scent of money and success
She was impressed by what you had had
even if you didn't have it anymore
you have a lot of company
maybe you could get together a band
"the ex-big men"
So, there you sit on the couch
drinking cheap wine
watching a video
eating shitty food
your saving grace, a lack of bitterness
a lack of blame
you have taken responsibility
for your own fuckups
you can still
laugh
especially at yourself
------------------------------------
Enlightenment can kiss my ass
if enlightenment means
no more beer, no more ballgames
no more girlfriends, no more fun
Enlightenment can kiss my ass
If enlightenment means
acting so fucking holy all the time
spouting pious bullshit
wearing the same fucking boring clothes every day
Enlightenment can kiss my ass
and if enlightenment means
that i have to deny my animal self, my human self, my worldly self
well, what's the fucking point of being here, anyway?
Now, if enlightenment means
a little more self control
more sense of peace
better relationships, maybe even
better sex, well
you're starting to get my attention
and if enlightenment means
that i see the highest good in everyone
see the light in every being and thing
that i know myself as eternal spirit
that i see the perfection in everything
even suffering and death, well
sign me up
Who the fuck knows what enlightenment is?
Most of the people talking about it don't know shit
except what they read in some books
or heard from somebody else who didn't know shit
who had no real experience of what they were talking about
Probably the people who really are enlightened are just enjoying it
and don't feel the need to bug or preach to everybody else
There are so many ways to run away from our problems
as far as i can tell
most of the people sitting on their zafus or
stretching on their yoga mats
are just running away from their problems
that's a whole lot better than running away to
drugs, alcohol, sex, tv, but
we're here for a reason
at a certain point, we have to stop running
re-engage with the world
take whatever we've learned on our mats
and just get on with it
Amin
----------------------------------
Impermanence
The house is being remodelled
there are no walls, no doors, barely a floor
Front yard, back yard, piles of rubble and dust
slowly polluting the earth
Cardboard boxes, paper shopping bags of stuff
sitting on the patio for six months
in sun and rain
plates, knives, forks, cups, spoons, pots, pans
and all the rest of the kitchen
amazingly,not totally ruined
they may sit out there another six months
Workmen come, workmen go
The work stops and starts
when the owner gets a little more cash
to do another piece of the work
it may never get finished, if he loses his job
One piece of calm in this storm
the little hut in the backyard
formerly storage/guest room, now
all that's left
of this formerly presentable property
Mid life crisis made visible
all the facades of a man's life
gone
unable to hide anymore what's really inside
what sick emotions, old wounds, old anger
maybe it's good to see the truth
not be able to bullshit yourself
and the rest of the world
anymore
or maybe there's no deep, great significance
just another construction project with unexpected complications
just another snapshot of America
lots of external activity and dust and pollution
not so much inner work
tax laws and bank loans that encourage
all this chasing of the tail, but
it's not even fun
even a dog, chasing it's own tail, knows it's a game
maybe this is all a game
maybe my third eye just isn't open enough to see it
what bullshit
----------------------------
Bar
I was in a bar last night
having coffee with a friend
we couldn't find a coffee shop
it was a nice bar
friendly bartendresses
I liked the decorations
not having been in a bar for a while
because i haven't been drinking much
I was amazed at all the tempting
pretty, multi-colored
differently shaped, endless array of bottles
all of which disguised the one key ingredient
al-cohol
with which i have no gripe
still, it was amazing to me, to see, this whole establishment, all based on
people's desire to loosen up and connect with others
with the help of a little lubrication
a little lubrication that, while it numbs the body
can put one in touch with one's feelings
which often don't get felt much
so, my friend and i had a good time
the end
And, What
Noisy
Two buck chuck (the poem)
Enlightenment can kiss my ass
Impermanence
Bar
----------------------
Limbo
6/14/11
Lying around
on the couch
on the bed
watching videos
reading books
thinking
writing in my journal
eating
shitting
eating more
shitting more
drinking tea
peeing a lot
walking the dog twice a day
Something is happening
inside
not sure what
Been a few days now
still food in the refrigerator, although
the ice cream and beer are gone
Feeling lonely for a woman
unlikely to meet any in the living room
unless i go online, and
that hasn't worked out so well up to now
so
limbo
halfway between what was and what will be
walking the dog
seems to be what the universe wants me to be doing right now
-------------------------------------
And, what?
7/24/11
And what, after all, is it all for?
Travelling, staying home
working, resting
loving, hating
tiring, fulfilling
The whirlwind of experience
For some the dronage of boring routine
How many years do we get?
60,70,80,90?
if we're lucky
and what, after all, is it all for?
Some teachings call it illusion
It all feels pretty real to
ME
the big, capital
ME
getting a little tired of that, too
I want to rest my head
on a soft pillow
sleep for a long time,
when i wake up
I want to be cleansed
purified of my mistakes
misguided patterns of thought
destructive negative emotions
harmful actions
and maybe then i'll be happy
I think of anattapindika, the hindu murderer
who killed 999 people
cut off their fingers, wore them on a garland around his neck
and then, one day, miraculously
had a change of heart, and
became a true saint
filled with love and compassion
for all beings
I'm not that bad, in this life
if he could do it
i can do it
you can do it
too
Amin
---------------------------------------
Noisy
8/14
Out in nature, beautiful day
it's really noisy out here, because
my mind
won't
fucking shut up
----------------------------------
Two Buck Chuck (the poem)
That fancy french wine you used to drink
tonight it's two buck chuck
Those pricey organic strawberries from Whole Foods
tonight Safeway got your business
not much of it
mostly cigarettes and chips
You used to ride in your beamer
now you ride the bus
not with your ex-girlfriend
who's moved on to one of your ex-friends
who still has his money
for now
It was all great while it lasted
high times, really high, most of the time
crash, oops
There are a few compensations
That girl last week, who fucked you
just to get close
to the scent of money and success
She was impressed by what you had had
even if you didn't have it anymore
you have a lot of company
maybe you could get together a band
"the ex-big men"
So, there you sit on the couch
drinking cheap wine
watching a video
eating shitty food
your saving grace, a lack of bitterness
a lack of blame
you have taken responsibility
for your own fuckups
you can still
laugh
especially at yourself
------------------------------------
Enlightenment can kiss my ass
if enlightenment means
no more beer, no more ballgames
no more girlfriends, no more fun
Enlightenment can kiss my ass
If enlightenment means
acting so fucking holy all the time
spouting pious bullshit
wearing the same fucking boring clothes every day
Enlightenment can kiss my ass
and if enlightenment means
that i have to deny my animal self, my human self, my worldly self
well, what's the fucking point of being here, anyway?
Now, if enlightenment means
a little more self control
more sense of peace
better relationships, maybe even
better sex, well
you're starting to get my attention
and if enlightenment means
that i see the highest good in everyone
see the light in every being and thing
that i know myself as eternal spirit
that i see the perfection in everything
even suffering and death, well
sign me up
Who the fuck knows what enlightenment is?
Most of the people talking about it don't know shit
except what they read in some books
or heard from somebody else who didn't know shit
who had no real experience of what they were talking about
Probably the people who really are enlightened are just enjoying it
and don't feel the need to bug or preach to everybody else
There are so many ways to run away from our problems
as far as i can tell
most of the people sitting on their zafus or
stretching on their yoga mats
are just running away from their problems
that's a whole lot better than running away to
drugs, alcohol, sex, tv, but
we're here for a reason
at a certain point, we have to stop running
re-engage with the world
take whatever we've learned on our mats
and just get on with it
Amin
----------------------------------
Impermanence
The house is being remodelled
there are no walls, no doors, barely a floor
Front yard, back yard, piles of rubble and dust
slowly polluting the earth
Cardboard boxes, paper shopping bags of stuff
sitting on the patio for six months
in sun and rain
plates, knives, forks, cups, spoons, pots, pans
and all the rest of the kitchen
amazingly,not totally ruined
they may sit out there another six months
Workmen come, workmen go
The work stops and starts
when the owner gets a little more cash
to do another piece of the work
it may never get finished, if he loses his job
One piece of calm in this storm
the little hut in the backyard
formerly storage/guest room, now
all that's left
of this formerly presentable property
Mid life crisis made visible
all the facades of a man's life
gone
unable to hide anymore what's really inside
what sick emotions, old wounds, old anger
maybe it's good to see the truth
not be able to bullshit yourself
and the rest of the world
anymore
or maybe there's no deep, great significance
just another construction project with unexpected complications
just another snapshot of America
lots of external activity and dust and pollution
not so much inner work
tax laws and bank loans that encourage
all this chasing of the tail, but
it's not even fun
even a dog, chasing it's own tail, knows it's a game
maybe this is all a game
maybe my third eye just isn't open enough to see it
what bullshit
----------------------------
Bar
I was in a bar last night
having coffee with a friend
we couldn't find a coffee shop
it was a nice bar
friendly bartendresses
I liked the decorations
not having been in a bar for a while
because i haven't been drinking much
I was amazed at all the tempting
pretty, multi-colored
differently shaped, endless array of bottles
all of which disguised the one key ingredient
al-cohol
with which i have no gripe
still, it was amazing to me, to see, this whole establishment, all based on
people's desire to loosen up and connect with others
with the help of a little lubrication
a little lubrication that, while it numbs the body
can put one in touch with one's feelings
which often don't get felt much
so, my friend and i had a good time
the end
2 new poems
Getting Drunk In The Morning
Getting drunk in the morning
just makes so much sense
you fall asleep in the early afternoon
wake up in the late afternoon
take a bath and
still have the evening ahead of you
-------------------------------------
So Fucking Spiritual
I am so fucking spiritual
I meditate, in lotus
read holy books
do yoga
I'm a vegetarian
look down on all the common people
whose lives are filled with fear and resentment
who are doing the best they can
working like dogs
while i look down on them
I am so fucking spiritual
Getting drunk in the morning
just makes so much sense
you fall asleep in the early afternoon
wake up in the late afternoon
take a bath and
still have the evening ahead of you
-------------------------------------
So Fucking Spiritual
I am so fucking spiritual
I meditate, in lotus
read holy books
do yoga
I'm a vegetarian
look down on all the common people
whose lives are filled with fear and resentment
who are doing the best they can
working like dogs
while i look down on them
I am so fucking spiritual
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