for what it's worth

I wrote the following over a year ago and wasn’t quite ready to share it with anyone, it was just a spontaneous outpouring of thoughts and feelings about the state of the world. My thoughts and feelings have continued to develop surrounding this topic since writing this, but for whatever reason, (well I suppose it is all this attention to the collective debt) I am finally ready to share it...although maybe still a little apprehensive, as these issues are hypersensitive. This is basically about humanity’s issue of self worth and the collective need to realize our own inner power and resources. I hope you will find something of value to you here, but please don't mistake me for trying to force my own thoughts or values on anyone else, mainly it was written as an exploration of my own values. I wholeheartedly admit that much of this could seem hypocritical as I obviously still participate in much of the current system. But these are the questions I'm asking, mainly of myself, and I think that is the first step. These days I am trying really hard to stay away from putting all my eggs in one basket and 'believing' in any one thing, but I don't think you can go wrong with questioning everything, arriving at your own conclusions (for that moment) based on the truth within your heart, and attempting to live by that. Anyhow, here it is:

EVERYTHING is Energy. That is an indisputable, scientifically provable fact.  In this society, we use money as a symbol for our energy. We trade our energy for money through some form of effort. Then we trade the money for energy, such as food/calories. Whatever we give our money to grows.  It is like feeding a plant; fueling, giving energy to an idea, a business, etc.  This is basically the same thing as "voting with your money". So shouldn’t we be giving our energy (spending our money) on what we want to grow? We should be doing our research, paying attention to what practices go into the production of what we are energizing.  Because the truth of the matter is, if we disagree with how people/animals/the earth/our own bodies are being treated and affected by the production of some material, it WILL shrivel up and die if we don’t give our energy (money) to it. If we don’t water the plant, it dies, and the energy is released and goes elsewhere. On the same note, what we do think is honest, healthy and uplifting WILL flourish with the flow of our energy and intention. 

Of course, this should be examined even further. Why do we choose money to represent our energy? When you research the system of money, it really does appear to be close to the root of some very disparaging and horrific things in this world. It makes room for the greedy middle man. If you note the flow of the energy: 

Effort, that is, physical and/or mental work (energy) --> money (energy) -->sustenance (energy)-->repeat.

What happened, why can’t it just be: effort (energy) -->sustenance (energy) -->repeat ?

Things are clearly out of balance here. A very small minority is getting large amounts of energy (money) by literally having the idea to produce and allocate said money. And the rest of us are doing a whole lot of work for that money so that we can attempt to gain the energy back that it took to gain that money. No wonder we are so tired, we are working  our butts off for that money, and yet the money is decreasing in value, so our self worth is going down along with it.  How much do we value ourselves? Why are we letting someone else, whom we deem an authority on us, decide how much our time and energy is worth? Furthermore, why do we deem anyone outside of ourselves an authority?  Hey, I’m just asking questions here… If we were working for our own sustenance directly, rather than to sustain a system that rewards a minority, wouldn’t we feel a lot more fulfilled, inspired and energized? And when I’m speaking of sustenance I don’t just mean food, clothing and shelter, but what feeds our soul as well, whether that is music, art, science, philosophy, sport, whatever it is. Most of us don’t even have the time or strength to put energy into what makes us happy. What is the point of that? Why are we working so hard just to barely make enough money to give us the basic energy sustenance that we need? And not to mention the people who don’t have the opportunity or resources to even gain enough money to acquire the most basic material sustenance of food and thus don’t have the energy to put forth.

Additionally, look at our addictions:  to food, to alcohol, prescription drugs, illegal drugs, shopping, watching television, sex, etc. It is all to try to FILL us up. We feel void, we feel like we aren’t getting what we need. We feel empty, hungry, tired, uninspired. All symptoms that we aren’t getting enough what? Yes…ENERGY! It is inevitable that we need to expend energy to gain energy, but when we are expending our energy for a symbol or an energy replacement that has an arbitrary value, we aren’t getting what we are giving, some will get more, and most will get far far less.  

But we are not just giving away our energy for a return of a faux energy, we actually also give up our freedom of choice as well – because we must show up when someone else tells us to, no matter what our needs may be. Once again, whoever it is that has traded us our time and energy in turn for money is getting the real form of our energy, and what did they have to give in order to get the good stuff from us? Did they give us real energy in return? No they gave us energy replacement (money), which can change in value on a whim. That hardly seems fair. And you might argue that not everything in life is fair. But ask yourself, who decided that?

So the real issue is not actually money, the real underlying issue is our beliefs, which are symptomatically shown through our relationship to money and the people we give power to, that we allow to control the money/energy and thus, control us. It all starts with an honest look at ourselves and what we value. And as I’m sure you have noticed, I have A LOT of questions. Why do we need money? Who ‘owns’ the resources on this planet? What and who are we really working for? Who is the authority? Why are they the authority? And why do we want them to be the authority? Honestly, it appears that most of us don’t want to be an authority, because that would entail personal responsibility, so we place the power outside of ourselves and thus don’t have to look inward when things aren't going smoothly. We’re afraid of the decisions and we’re afraid of the really hard work. It is harder to choose to stop working for something you don’t believe in, and to work toward building something new, than to go along with a system that is already in place, (no matter if that system is working or not).

“Fear of fate is a very understandable phenomenon, for it is incalculable, immeasurable, full of unknown dangers. The perpetual hesitation of the neurotic to launch out into life is readily explained by this desire to stand aside so as not to get involved in the dangerous struggle for existence. But anyone who refuses to experience life must stifle his desire to live – in other words, he must commit partial suicide.” – Carl Jung

"The soft-minded man always fears change. He feels security in the status quo, and he has an almost morbid fear of the new. For him, the greatest pain is the pain of a new idea." - Martin Luther King

However, the real secret is that the hardest work brings the greatest achievements. We’ve always known the real secret, but we forget because it’s so simple that we take it for granted.  We squirm at the thought of facing our fears and going through pain, but if we could just muster up the courage to go through it, something really beautiful WILL happen. Transformation. Fulfillment.

“The greater the tension, the greater is the potential. Great energy springs from a correspondingly great tension between opposites.” – Carl Jung

How can we balance the energy? The first step is looking inward, at the "good" and the "bad", the positive and negative, being honest with yourself about your fears. 'Face your fears.' We have heard this so many times that it has almost become cliche. But it is a core truth. The way that we can grow stronger is by digging deep into the nitty-gritty. We can treat ourselves and our community just as we would a garden. Little by little we can grow what we believe in, and starve what we don’t support.   It’s all about you. It's all about me. It’s all about us. It’s about what we choose. With the direction of our personal energy, we create what we want to see. It doesn’t always happen immediately in this world, and it definitely doesn’t always happen easily, but effort will ALWAYS bear fruit eventually. All things require effort of some degree. It’s up to you, me, us to decide what kind of fruit we want to create…

 I’m dreaming of a world, where everyone is recognized for their talents, where everyone puts their energy and time into what inspires them, and we do it well. How beautiful would it be, to live in a place where everything was created to the full potential?  How nice for us all to live harmoniously together, exchanging our energy with each other honestly? Why do so many of us believe that a world like that is an impossibility? Where did we get that idea? Where do we get any of our ideas?

 “…people’s beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions about them were not worth a brass farthing.” – Mark Twain

"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense." Buddha

And then there is the most important question of all...If all the world is symbolic, ("as within, so without") what does the disharmony and energy squandering in the physical world around you represent within yourself? And by 'yourself', I mean 'myself'.

While I was working on this post, I discovered that my husband was leaving this comment at the very same time in a Reddit thread:

"...I give you this oft quoted, AND taken for granted, nugget from Einstein. 'We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.' Albert Einstein

I'm of the Carl Jung influenced persuasion that everything that happens in the outer reality is a direct result of our inner realities. (btw The idea holds up pretty well, when looking through the lens of quantum physics!) You don't have to look far (probably yourself) to find inner dischord among the populace. Until this is emphasized, all the voting, and politicking, and pointing fingers at others will be the equivalent of trying to wash a dirty window with an oily rag. Until WE ALL turn the attention within, THIS is what we are stuck with. The "State" is just a state of mind. A box that we need to start thinking outside of. Because, not only is this system not viable long term, it is spiraling into oblivion exponentially! ......Getting back to quantum physics, it has been widely demonstrated that, essentially, we are all intrinsically interconnected on an energetic level. If you really think about it, every time you help someone, you help yourself. But most importantly, every time you help yourself, you help the rest of us! From there, you could get into conversation on the collective sub-consciousness , and so on, and yadda yadda yadda. So as a step of change in the right direction (nothing is gonna get better over night) we need to shift our value system from one that is only of material wealth to one that recognizes more subtle forms of value. Subtle values which have shown to be absolutely vital to the harmony and order of the universe. Values like learning that the whole is greater than just the sum of its parts, how to learn, to share, to contribute, to love others, but most importantly to love yourself, and to learn to, AND how to, develop yourself (It will be different for each individual). For until each one of us realize that the only genuine sovereign authority is ourselves, there will always be problems with authority. And as long as we keep placing that authority outside ourselves, somebody will be there to usurp the role for us, and we will have nobody to blame but ourselves.." - MK

Guess it's the theme of the household :) 

Now I'm pondering: If TIME is MONEY, and MONEY is ENERGY, than TIME is ENERGY...? 

It goes even deeper when we realize that no one is truly 'outside' of our Self 

hand of healing

Just a little taste of what's been swirling around...

I've been planning on doing a very large post about all of the recent connections that have been coming together for me, blossoming from attention to Chiron - the astronomical comet/asteroid, the mythological wise, healing centaur, and the astrological wounded healer and unconventional force. But as the connections keep growing it has been quite the task! I hope to give a full update sometime soon, but for now will post another teaser collage. For a little bit o' background, I have written bits and pieces about this subject in these posts over at the MOG:
a new earth.
22's Day



Chiro- means "hand" and the Hebrew letter Yod means "hand" as well.

About 2 weeks ago at the book store I opened a book on symbolism and randomly happened to open to the page directly to the symbolism of the "hand". Then I noticed that the book was on the same shelf as the collection of PALMistry books and while paying for my goods at the register I noticed a book with the last name of PALMer. Then later that evening my husband read me this news story about a guy named Jonathan PALMer:

Way to face your fears, Palmer!

 So I got to thinking about Palms - and remembered that there is a Hebrew Letter that means "palm" or "grasping hand", the letter KAPH. This letter is associated with the Wheel of Fortune Card in the Tarot.

"The Egyptians made this letter like a bowl, and the palm of the hand, when cupped, likewise holds something. In the days when the Hebrew alphabet was formed, a bowl was made on a wheel, by the turning of the wheel. It was shaped by the palm of the hand, cupping itself as the wheel spun the clay. The letter has the same idea of spinning, or rotation, and the Law this letter stands for is ROTATION. Number 1 is the beginning of the whirling, and whirling is the basis of all physical manifestation. All forms are something which are spun and number 1 is the first stage of form." ~ The Rabbi's Tarot, Daphna Moore

In April, around the time that we first began to hear of a rise in tornadoes, I was having multiple synchronicities with words, all coming from the root vertere "to turn". I mentioned this in the comments of Alan's awesome big post at Look at All the Happy Creatures:

"..I was particularly blown away with the Taurus/Torus vortex connection as today I was analyzing another recent dream of mine from which I woke up thinking "The Fall of Man was a divorce." Not really that cryptic or anything considering the material we're used to diving into, but I decided to dig into the etymology of the words a bit this morning. "Divorce" being related to "diVERT" which has it's roots in the word vertere = to turn. Versus also comes from that word, or other words meaning "to beFALL", "what befalls one", fate/destiny. And actually just turn comes from tornos which is a lathe, tool for drawing circles. This was all significant to me because of some other things that have been leading me to turning and twisting lately (which, silly me, i hadn't even thought about in relation to the recent tornadoes). Later this afternoon I was talking with someone about the difference between introvert/extrovert and she started talking about the "vert" part and how it meant to turn, which was hilarious considering how i had spent my morning researching that very word! And now your post brings up vortex..." 

*I have written a little more about these connections in my part of the forthcoming Sync Book, due to be released this Fall. I am thrilled to be 1 of the 22 bloggers, writers and artists that are contributing thoughts on the mysterious and beautiful universe in The Sync Book. For more information, photos and updates, please visit and "like" the Facebook page!

the rainbow bridge

A peek down the rabbit hole:

I've got a lot of writing to do! Happy Easter - 'Tis the season for resurrecting!
(more here)

yod-eling to the firey break through / this little light of mine

*Updated 4/7/11

sWords, Knifes and Saws. 

 I have begun to have a greater appreciation for the connection between the fiery creative energy and nature's law of cutting/dividing.

The Hebrew letter Shin, (representing the element of Fire and Spirit and associated with the Judgment/Aeon card in the tarot) means 'tooth'. Teeth cut through things too! They are tools for cutting and chewing our food in preparation for the transformation of energy. (There are also teeth on a saw). 

Hmmm, perhaps this is one reason why in recent weeks the Red Key of the local Key Bank keeps catching my eye in various locations...

Red is the color often associated with fire, and also the color connected to the root chakra. 

A key is a tool for separating 2 parts that are locked together, much like a sword, and is symbolic of knowledge, mystery, initiation. 

 

Within the spelling of Shin (ShYN ) is the Yod which means hand, it is an instrument of creation and a flame from which all of the Hebrew letters are born. Yod also represents the sign of Virgo, which is traditionally ruled by MERCURY, and the Hermit card in the tarot.

The other letter within the spelling of Shin is Nun. Nun means fish and like fertilizer is both decay and growth. It symbolizes the sign of Scorpio, and the Death card in the tarot. 



So within the letter Shin, is the firey, creative spirit which burns to bring about transformation and growth!

The path of Shin on the Qabalistic Tree of Life connects Kingdom (which is representative of the condensed, earthy physical realm that we are familiar, much like the root chakra) to  Splendor (associated with Mercury/Hermes/Thoth). 

"'The Splendor of the Material World. Mercury acting through Fire, upon the Cosmic elements.' In other words this path serves to awaken the Intellectual center (Mercury) in the psyche (Cosmic elements) of the initiate using Yod energy."~

Self-Initiation Into the Golden Dawn Traditionby Chic Cicero and Sandra Tabatha Cicero

(*It seems fitting that MERCURY happens to be in the FIRE sign of Aries presently.)

The word Splendor means brilliance, bright and shining. It's interesting that the root of the word Black is also to burn, gleam, shine, flash. What burns (breaks earth down), is flashy and brilliant? Yes indeed, Fire! 

Thursday morning when I couldn't sleep I wrote down some thoughts: 
Nature creates by dividing. Things must be broken to pieces in order to put them together again in a new way. Our purpose is to create our self. If the point was to arrive at an end point, where we can experience total unity and bliss, free of hardship, than there would be no need to experience, change, evolve, create - for the peaceful loving union is already the primal nature of the universe/god/all/nothing. In order to experience all of the infinite possibilities and facets of our Self, our higher intelligence urges us to seek destruction so that we may have ingredients to play and build with.

On a personal level, what scorches you, beats you up, and breaks you down is most definitely what will lead you to growth, greater understanding, and fuel your creativity. Facing your fear and pain is your initiation, your ignition.

 Now I'm finding it interesting to read the first chapter of Genesis with a different view of the word 'saw', as a tool of dividing, which shows us how we see the world in parts rather than a whole. Also interesting is that the inverse of SAW is WAS. It gives new perspective to, "...and God saw that it was good."

spirit/nothing(God) divided(saw) that it could experience/unite/be(was) spirit/everything(good/god)

Just yesterday afternoon I read the following:

The Secret of the Shem-Ha-Mephorash

"God is.

Undivided God is pure potentiality

and realizes Nothing.

God can only realize Itself by becoming Many

and then experiencing all possibilities

through the adventures of Its many parts.

The ultimate purpose for My existence is to

exhaust My individual potentiality.

My Love for God and God's Love for Me springs from

the Great Secret we share.

The Secret is

God and I will achieve Supreme Enlightenment 

at the same moment." 

~ Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford (aka Lon Milo Duquette in his delightful work, The Chicken Qabalah)

"For I am divided for love's sake, for the chance of union. This is the creation of the world, that the pain of division is as nothing, and the joy of dissolution all." ~ Aiwass, The Book of the Law written by Aleister Crowley

 

I guess because of being inspired by these connections I have been singing "This Little Light of Mine" lately. Today I looked up the song lyrics to see if they are the same as I remember learning them in Sunday school as a 3 or 4 year old, and in the process was pointed to the clip of Christina Ricci singing the song in the movie Black Snake Moan:



And this prompted me to remember that in that film, Christina plays the character Rae (meaning, 'beam of light'), who is chained to a RADIATOR (fitting with the current radiation crisis happening after the recent devastating quake and tsunami in Japan) by a blues man named Lazarus (the well known name of the dead man brought back to life by Christ. Some have also made the comparison to the Egyptian deity Osiris).

 I think I shall have to watch that movie again...

 

"everything is hotter down south" 

serpent fire

*4/10/11 - Sometimes for fun I will click on "Next Blog" at the top of the blogger page. Today it brought me here with these appropriate images:

the world is your oyster

A brew of many previous posts, I am really feeling this within today ~

Your subconscious is not something that is hidden from you, and not something you only encounter in your sleeping dreams. Your subconscious is what you see reflected in the mirror and everything around you. The world you see is a manifestation of the ideas, thoughts, behaviors you have learned to know by heart, that which you enact and practice time and again until it is instinct, your belief of what is true. You have the power to create what you see by changing what is true to you, what YOU choose to tell your heart/mind...and that truth can be whatever you choose! It may just take some serious convincing. ;)

"Why then the world's mine Oyster, which I, with sword will open."   ~ Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor

From the Online Etymology Dictionary, Oyster: mid-14c., from O.Fr. oistre, from L. ostrea, pl. or fem. of ostreum "oyster," from Gk. ostreon, from PIE *ost- "bone" (see osseous). Related to Gk. ostrakon "hard shell" and to osteon "bone."

Oyster/Bone is the material, those ideas which have crystallized into form.

As explored in the bird is the word, sword = his word = truth.

The world is my oyster, my bone, the structures I have built with my beliefs - and with my own word, my own vibration, my own truth - I will open/unfold/expand/change/evolve/create. Within the oyster, is a womb of creation/a vulva turning, spiraling, rolling around the pearl of wisdom, knowledge, truth and beauty which I/you hold dear.

"Opening oysters requires skill. The preferred method is to use a special knife..."   ~ Wikipedia, Opening Oysters

  

We are already standing at the pearly gates of heaven.

time to rise and shine

                                        "We are the ones we've been waiting for." Hopi Elders

the biology of belief

Dr. Bruce Lipton discusses his work with cell biology and the subject of his book The Biology of Belief in the short and sweet videos below. Take your pick! They all pack a punch of empowering information about how genes don't control life as previously believed, but that in fact environment/thoughts/beliefs instruct the genes.  The power to heal is within all of us. Listening to his findings and thoughts is inspiring and shows how amazing we really are!




Listen here: This link is audio from an excellent interview that Bruce Lipton did with one of my favorite mind expanding sources Red Ice Creations Radio:

the heart of the matter

Wow... I am so glad I couldn't sleep this morning, otherwise I might not have stumbled upon this video of a presentation by Frank Chester! This is my introduction to his work and I am so excited to delve deeper into his findings. With his discovery of the 7 sided platonic solid and application of understanding of vortex energy he can back up the statement that the heart is not a pump, which leads to so many other fascinating implications! Some background on platonic solids probably helps to understand this presentation which are described briefly in the series Dimensions of which I have previously posted, or the book The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life Vol 1 by Drunvalo Melchizedek has a part dedicated to explaining these forms, and there are many other good sources as well (*such as the recommended videos by Boatloader in the comments below). Anyhow, the connections that Frank Chester has made with his creative mind are awe inspiring, and I highly recommend watching all 9 videos, by the last video your right and left brain will be singing together as you watch the scientific work merge with art, the mythology of the holy grail, and the philosophies of Rudolf Steiner, unfolding into the possibilities ahead of us and what ancient cultures were speaking of before us. His work is a scientific and creative affirmation of some of what I was feeling and contemplating in my previous post listen to your heart, although now I am inspired and full of so many more thoughts! If you don't want to watch the video, as admittedly it can be hard to follow at times, but you are interested in the information, you can also find a summary of Frank Chester's findings on his website (where the image used above can also be found).



At the time of my previous post I was struggling with the words to describe (and I suppose I still am) the connections between the heart, the whorling nature of the blood, and to both the physical and astrological Moon. The physical Moon being connected to the fluctuation of the tides as well as the menstrual cycle. Astrologically the Moon is the ruling planet of Cancer, which in turn presides over the body part of the chest/heart. In astrology, the Moon represents our subconsious, predisposition, instincts and intuition, based on what we have learned in the past from others and our experiences. Essentially the Moon represents what has shaped us and thus how we will instinctively react and manifest the world around us, as well as what we find makes us feel secure and safe. It is interesting to point out also, that in the Tarot the Chariot card is describing a vehicle, and it also happens to be associated with the Moon...in relation to the subject of reincarnation it kind of makes you think, huh? Which is a connection shown at the end of the video, with the image of the Egyptian art; the "bells" cascading down from the heavens. Additionally, when we are growing in our mother's womb, (motherhood and fertility also being associated with the Moon and the sign of Cancer) the first organ to form is the heart. It is all so amazing. And now, after watching Frank Chester's demonstration, the scope is widening...