As the World Slips Away

With each passing day it seems my thoughts will one day become my undoing; decisive and calloused remarks that will either open the eyes of a few, or doom me to a lonely existence within my own world. No progress was ever made by pandering to the narrow perceptions of others, stroking another's ego, or avoiding conflict to escape inevitable persecution of your convictions. I'm growing tired and impatient as I watch the world crumble around me, and it's time I air my thoughts out. The world is quickly slipping from the grasp of the wise and valiant, and very quickly as many stand helplessly against tyranny that is growing day by day. Intermingled viewpoints, lack of knowledge, fear, justified faiths, personal convictions, independent agendas,cultural beliefs, and social behaviors intersect upon trillions of points of interaction among humans every second of the day; all of which continue upon infinite points of thought, emotions, and action. This mingling of endless energetic action among the people of the world results in a number of things; friction between opposing views, the attraction of similar or like minded views, positive or negative actions based on perceptions, and the ensuing thoughts derived from all of the former factors which become the ingredients comprising that spiritual landfill just beyond our perceptions; the astral plane. Here upon this plane, we scatter our mental “junk” about without ever knowing or understanding what we have done. Much like a saint sends up a prayer to be answered in days or even hours, so the hateful cynic or unbelieving skeptic casts their baneful ire into the aether only to be reflected back from the universe to the individual in the form of karma, a blessing, an answered prayer, or a completely horrible turn of events. Mix a sprinkle of doubt into a prayer of the faithful, and a bit of justified conviction on the part of the evil infidel, and we can see how even saint will never see a prayer answered and the most rotten people in the world seem to have a day full of blessings. It is through this simple understanding of universal laws of attraction and disharmony, the positive and negative, that many will often rationalize prayer and thought by saying “God answers prayer according to His will and in his own time”; we never once stop to think it was our own misguided will and thoughts that result in our own outcomes. We never stop to claim the fact that we ARE created in the image of the universal mind, or GOD. We ARE eternal, we CAN create our destinies, we CAN destroy our enemies, and we CAN define our futures through the power of a single, common thought with focused will. We may change our lives in this manner, and with enough people, linked in thought and conviction, the world would change over night. This is true magick, and the secret of the ancients. I often go on and on about where I had come from as a Christian, waving my banner of triumph proudly in the air like the child who jumped the fence in curiosity and made it to the other side safely, or the adventurous soul who crawled through a cave, and out the back side of the mountain having found treasures untold and an entirely undiscovered world. “I'm OK!” I've shouted over and over again. Yet, I hear the thoughts of many when they say “The devil has led you astray; I hope you find your way home again”. Some would call a prison home, it simply depends on one's perspective. Those social rejects and criminals who have spent life times in prison are said to become “institutionalized” over time, unable to leave the safety, structure, and confinement of a world they have grown accustomed to. Many will be released from their safe haven, only to purposely commit crimes in order to be returned to safety. The analogy to me is much like many who are warned against seeking greener pastures of knowledge, leaving the safety of the cross, or striking out on one's own in a seemingly humanistic endeavor against the “will of God”. An unfamiliar course is unveiled and for the first time your ship is left without the phantom you once perceived as the captain. You are now faced with a choice; to continue to let the illusion steer the helm, or grab it yourself and learn how to navigate the waters of the “abyss”. It never occurs to many who are content to stay within the confines of safe harbors that vast uncharted worlds lay just beyond the pass. Those worlds are the treasures of knowledge sought by the most ancient of sages, and shut up behind walls of lies and fear by those who seek to hoard such wisdom in lieu of control or profit. The world was once thought to be flat, and any other assumptions to the contrary I'm sure was met with penalties of heresy. The same goes for theories regarding the earth as the center of the solar system and that everything revolved around it, that matter could never change form, that man would never travel to space or to the depths of the sea, and that nothing beyond the sciences or philosophies of the 18th and 19th centuries could be discovered or proven; the lists are endless. And so, Christ will most assuredly return as presumed. Yet, Mithra, Osiris, Mohamed, Krishna, Baal, and countless others identical messiahs have yet to return, with many of their ancient cults and followers passing into oblivion; their forgotten stories becoming the religious fodder of the next new kingdom or empire. As a child I would willingly go against the wisdom of my parents to fulfill a selfish desire, for I thought I knew best. Upon reaping the consequences of my actions, my father would be quick to say “you should have known better”. In an attempt to expound upon such an analogy, I would say the same goes for much of Christianity. While many know their faith and dogma cannot possibly, rationally, or without exception account for the numerous mysteries confronting it, the faithful will heave themselves over cliffs and bridges to maintain the assurance that their soul will not be left behind when the roll is called “up yonder”, ignoring every conceivable possibility that there may lie just one answer to that one quandary outside of the Living Word. Finding a rational explanation to a question would certainly open the flood gates of doubt upon the seeker, and unleash torrents of the dark lord's demons into one's life. Shame on you. You have shackled yourself to the moorings of an empty faith, the pillars of doubt, and walls of complacency never to look upon the shores of mystery or knowledge. You can no longer fathom the idea that your own faith and religion bears the marks of ancient pagan lore; the Romans simply dressed it up a bit and gave Mithra a face lift. So for many I would say, “you should have known better.” Tea Partiers, gun hoarders, hillbillies, Republicans, wars on terror, rampant consumerism, capitalism, and the subduing of all Mother Nature's resources (because Christ will return before that last drop of oil is used), may all be traced back to the narrow minded, backward, anti “think for your self” propaganda of the American mainstream evangelical mindset. It is without a doubt, a cancerous disease that has led to the deception of the American people. Now, your civil liberties have been stripped, the homeless are growing in numbers, education is no longer a priority, and our society is being programmed to serve, obey, consume, and never utter a word of resistance. Its a trait derived straight from the patriarchal, monotheistic mindset of Christianity; never question, never doubt, never disobey, and never stray. You have become you own undoing, painting yourself into a corner. Do you wait for the rapture? Or engage the world as the creators you were endowed to be and seek the change you will and desire? I apologize. I should not direct my sarcasm at Christians in the way I do. My sarcasm is directed at the narrow minded views many hold, the dogmas of the faith, and the religious zealots who lack reason or intelligence; not at Christ. Christ, in every sense, was nearly comparable to a left handed, antinomian, rebellious mystic. He abhorred money, he disliked authority, he was against government, against the defilement of the temple, he fed the poor and chastised the rich, did without so others could have, admonished others to live simple lives, healed, and forgave the shortcomings of the lowly. These same things, most Christians will ignore, are often practiced by so called “witches” and heathens. Ive said it numerous times before; if your devil resembles everything else to you in this world outside of your dogmatic faith, then there is love, charity, hope, and kindness to be found in the adversary, for the evil world in which you reside is filled with evil people showing acts of love toward one another. Is not your God the epitome and essence of love? Then how is the adversary able to allow acts of love and kindness upon his domain of the earth? A Question you'll ponder for a while I'm sure. For the same reason you'll wonder how the adversary could also instigate war, hate, jealousy, and all other manner of sin if he could be capable of love too? Which leaves only one answer; our perceptions of what is good and what is evil have been misled, as well as out perceptions of God. Mankind is at the root of the evil in the world, for the same cause other humans are responsible for the good. It is a matter of control, understanding, wisdom, and peace within the mind, or the lack thereof. It is not a selfish act to think of one's self as independent, or capable of a thought contrary to biblical teaching. It is not even a humanistic characteristic, but a thought of becoming, growth, and ascension. Only when we question the established norms, and why those “norms” are placed about us do we begin to see the world of illusion crumble before our eyes, revealing a world we would otherwise remained ignorant of. You don't need the fears of committing a sin to keep you on the narrow path, only a moral compass. Even the heathen yogis and mystics of old walked a chaste and narrow path to higher awareness. Yours was never the first path to recognize the body as the temple, or that ethics and morals play heavily into ones decisions in life. Moral codes can be traced back to the first civilization and the Sumerian's, long before Christianity. It is perfectly conceivable to admonish a way of love and compassion as Christ did, without the interpolated stipulations and conditions of modern Christianity. Such conditions and dogmatic blinds were placed there so that you would only peer through them in curiosity, and do nothing more than ask forgiveness. Ripping the blinds from the window, opening it, and crawling through it is another matter entirely. There is no justifiable way to cling to such antiquated thinking,and embrace a broader view of the universe, or to begin to understand it, or even yourself in a way you would never have imagined; you're missing the greatest moment in time right now. While millions will interpret the awakening consciousness of humankind as the work of the devil to lead mankind astray, the mysteries of the universe will have slipped past you under the guise of evil. Cloaked in mystery and hidden well among the countless allegories of ancient wisdom, your rapture could very well amount to an alien abduction with people simply shifting vibrations at once and slipping into another universe, or the new kingdom on earth the result of a rebellious and fed up society against global corporate tyranny. The answers to your questions lie all about you; one must simply cast their fears aside and commit to a new course. The illusory captain has disappeared from the helm; will you grab the wheel and set a new heading?

Picking Up Strangers

I was awoken around 6 AM by the sound of a text message on my phone; it was my son telling me to be careful because everything was covered in a thin sheet of ice, including the back walkway. The dogs were already stirring, so I had no choice but to get up and take them outside. Walking down the third flight of stairs to the back door, I opened it to the darkness and the sound of freezing rain outside. As the dogs ran between my legs, I gingerly stepped over the back door mat, which usually soaks my bedroom slippers. Stepping over the mat I watched my 5 month old Boxer pup slide off the end of the walk into the muddy grass, as I did a half split on the ice myself upon planting my foot. What a nasty morning. The dogs finished quickly and we retreated back inside for dog treats, cereal, and a cup of java. My morning was all laid out; a bit of reading before 8 AM, a quick trip to the post office to mail some books, the bank, back home to can some excess deer meat for storage, and await the Steelers playoff game later. And yes, I’ve said my piece about professional sports and how it’s rigged, I simply don’t take to the social media sites with my on and off fan status any longer. I was pretty excited about the game though, and canning all afternoon. Lately I’ve been in dire need of different techniques to ground myself in this mundane world, one hobby being canning. I finished Adrian Cole’s “The Lucifer Experiment”, and discovered, much to my surprise, how well the story aligned with so many occult thoughts and ideas in my life at this moment. A mad scientist creates a machine, named LUCIFER that has the ability to read a subjects dreams and memories. The machine also allows numerous subjects to engage one another in a dream like landscape. The machine can also dredge up old skeletons, memories, and even nightmares. The unknown, the void, and references to an abyss were prevalent throughout the book. Using multiple subjects, Orwell (the mad man) was bent on establishing contact with “The Mind” of the universe, using the minds of the unknowing subjects to tap the knowledge of the universe; to become like God. Upon finishing the book, the Mind revealed It’s self as an indifferent force in the universe, and not an evil unknown as the subjects and hero had presumed. I was pleased to see it aligned with many of my recent thoughts, and even my book. Dressing and heading out the door for my errands, I gingerly maneuvered the icy sidewalk around the house to the truck, which itself had become encased in a cocoon of ice in the chilling rain. Allowing the heat to melt the ice on the windshield for a few minutes, I put the vehicle into 4 wheel drive, backed out, and headed up the street. Finding a few “slippy” spots (as Pittsburghers will say) along the neighborhood road, I made it to the stop sign at the top of the hill with ease. I would later hear that my neighbor was called to go into work but couldn’t make the hill and had to stay home. Thanks the gods for 4 wheel drive. Looking right I could see a few cars moving at a snail’s pace down the hill a few blocks away; the roads were really slick. With confidence in four new tires and all wheel drive I eased onto 885 and proceed into town. The two lane road wasn’t bad until I got to the entrance to the local junior college. Here, the road opens up into four lanes and I could see the evidence of churned up ice on the road from vehicles making turns at the red light; like slush rutted up in the middle of the lanes. The light turned red and I cautiously slowed to a stop, gazing at the next hill ahead of me as I waited on the light. The light turned green and I gently took off to ascend the next hill when I noticed two people walking toward me on the side of the road. Moving around 35 or 40 MPH, I moved far over into the center turn lane and slowed a bit in hopes I wouldn’t splash or spray them with my icy wash as I passed. The couple were bundled up and walking slowly back down the icy road toward the junior college, and they were wearing hospital scrubs, their thin jackets over their heads to shield their faces from the icy rain. “Certainly there can’t be any school today” I thought, assuming they might be students. And the hospital was near my house, yet another two miles up the road. They would certainly be frozen by the time they would have gotten there. I never pick up strangers anymore, and it had been a long time since I had. I had tried once to save a young girl stranded in the middle of the highway in my hometown, Plant City, Florida, as she walked down the middle of Interstate 4 with a horrific lightning storm quickly approaching. My daughter was with me so I knew I wouldn’t seem like a serial killer trying to pick up this young lady. She seemed no older than my daughter. I stopped, and began backing against the traffic to get her before the storm hit. She noticed me coming at her in reverse and quickly began running the opposite way, retreating to her broken vehicle. That was perhaps 6 or 7 years ago, and I hadn’t entertained the thought since. Passing the couple in the icy rain, something tugged at me and I slowed before the next light. “A ride to the college campus is only 10 minutes out of my morning” I thought, and it was indeed freezing outside. I quickly turned around in the road and head back to get them. Slowing in the middle lane and rolling my window down, I caught their sudden and surprised attention. “You guys need a ride?” I asked. “Oh my God would you?” the young girl said with a delighted expression. “WE just need to get to the college and to the bus stop. “Hop in I’ll take you down, it’s too cold to be out here walking around” She walked quickly walked across the road as her huge African friend followed. They climbed in, both giving a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Thank you! We just need to get to the bus stop. My friend here, Vince, got his car stuck on the ice and we had to leave it at a friend’s house” “You guys have school today?” I asked. “Oh no, we just left the hospital to go home, we work nights” she explained. “Then why go back to the college?” “That the closest bus stop; we can get a ride to Glassport from there.” “Oh, OK” I agreed, as we turned into the college. The road was much icier than the main road because of the lack of traffic. We rounded the bend and found the massive CCAC campus devoid of any life. Not a soul in sight and no buses either. Pulling up to the bus stop, and seeing a small building there to shield them from the rain, I felt better knowing I had gotten them this far. “When will your bus come?” I inquired. “Well, I’m not sure, we’ll have to wait on it I’m afraid. The last one was a few hours ago.” Feeling my heart sink, I couldn’t help but want to take them straight home; but I have also screwed myself by putting myself in such awkward positions. Just part of the lessons in life I had learned the hard way from simply being “too nice”. “Well, I have to run to the post office and bank. It may take thirty minutes or so, but I’ll run back by here on my way home. If your still here I’ll take you guys to home to Glassport.” I reassure them as they opened the doors and got out. “Thank You!” she said genuinely. “Yes, Thank you Sir” Vince said for the first time. They sat down on the bench in the overhang and I made my way back up the icy hill to the main road. As I rounded the corner there sat a metro bus, which had just turned into the college entrance and had done a u-turn. Sitting idly, the driver fumbling with his phone, I stopped and traversed the icy pavement to tell him about the kids I had just dropped off. “Hey there” he said politely. “ ‘Morning, I’m really glad to see you. I just dropped two kids off down the hill in front of the campus; they’re hoping to get a bus to Glassport. Any chance you’re going down there?” I asked with hopeful intent. His bright expression and inquisitive smile turned to a slight frown. “Sorry sir, I can’t. They just mad a public announcement on the radio about the roads. Local officials are telling everyone to stay home and they have cancelled some bus routes until later.” This explained the almost “ghost town” appearance of the neighborhood. Pittsburghers are pretty weather savvy, and are always prepared for the worst winter weather. It’s much easier to simply stay home, and they do. “I appreciate it bud, be safe then. Have a good day. Happy New Year” I said as I walked back to my XT. I did a u-turn over the divider strip at the red light and proceeded back down the hill to retrieve the two kids again. I pulled up to the bus stop, and they were gone. Then, I saw them huddled under an overhang much closer to the main entrance. Seeing me, they gingerly walked back up the icy walkway to the truck, holding each others arm to keep balance on the ice. “The bus isn’t coming guys” I said as I rolled the window down. “He’s sitting up at the light but won’t come down here. Looks like you’d be stuck here a while.” Climbing back in with a much more relieve expression on their faces, we headed back up the icy hill for the trek across the river, and over to Glassport; a mere 4 or five miles. We chatted and introduced ourselves properly (and even now I can’t remember the girl’s name. Vince was easy though; a rather large and built African young man, like a line backer). Crossing the slushy bridge over the Monongahela from Clariton, and turning left to Glassport, I dropped them off at two different intersections in town just blocks away. They both offered money and I refused; yet I saw the opportunity for a shameless book plug. “You wanna pay me back, just buy my book. It’s on Amazon” I said with a grin. “You’ll know it when you see it.” They had been eyeballing the pentagrams on my hands the entire ride, especially Vince. “Absolutley! We’ll check it out. There simply aren’t enough people like you in this world any more” they said as they each exited the truck. Feeling happy and relieved they were home safe, I made my way back over the Dravosburg Bridge to continue my errands. A long story I know. I had decided against sharing it because I felt a slight bit of guilt for doing so, as If I were patting myself on the back for some self serving purpose. This all happened Saturday morning, and I am just now writing it down a day later. Yet somehow there is a message in the story that begs to be told, even as I have become disenchanted and aggravated with the endless “look at me, look at me”, nosy, or competitive posts on Facebook. It has become a cancer and normal way of life for many. While I have cut my interaction back significantly, I have been guilty for my posts and rants none the less. Having finished my book which deals heavily in facing fears of the unknown and self transformation, and finishing “The Lucifer Experiment”, themes and ideas of how our choices affect the lives of others have been flowing through my mind in recent weeks. Theories and thoughts of how simple acts of kindness or hate constantly steer our paths and the paths of others in different directions; how we directly impact the lives of others and ourselves directly through daily thoughts, actions, and even words. I often think of the girl I tried to pick up that day in the middle of the interstate, as she ran the opposite direction. I could have persisted to gain her attention but simply felt that if she were that scared there was no use in trying. I will never know if she made it home safely. The same has happened with numerous occasions and people over the years. I still often wonder how their courses, as well as mine may have been altered for better of worse. The same for the two I picked up yesterday in the freezing rain. It’s not often in this day and age the circumstances allow for such a kind act. Acts of such kindness have resulted in the robbery, disappearance, and death of countless souls around the world, which is in it’s self is a lesson and essay for another time; at least as to why such things occur. Simply Google Neale Donald Walsch’s story of “The Little Soul and the Sun” (Can be found on numerous sites on the web) and you can gain enough perspective into the seemingly evil and counterproductive actions in our world, as well as those of selfless altruism. Such experiences on both ends of the spectrum are often simply well laid and predestined occurrences on the maps of our life’s journey. It is also why we often question the harsh moments in life without understanding why we must endure them. We would rather blame an external Bogeyman for the worst experiences, and give thanks to a humanized god for answered prayer, all the while never realizing we alone stand at the helm of our journeys. Again, a lesson for another time. So, I wanted to share that experience with everyone. It made my day knowing the two strangers I had met were home safe and warm. Having driven them safely across the river, I was confident they made it home in time to engage in actions that would have lasting and positive implications in their life’s journey. Had I simply continued on my way, the lasting ripples cast into the universe from that moment could have had life altering consequences as well; for the worse perhaps, especially in the icy weather— a slip on the ice, a broken leg, a sliding car out of control heading recklessly toward them. The possibilities are endless. I’m just glad I know I did the right thing.