Tag: materialism

And They Called His Name Immanuel by the Phoenix-Journal #02


Below is from pages 181-184 of the book And They Called His Name Immanuel by the Phoenix-Journal #02. It is Jesus, who also is known by Immanuel, Adoni, and Sananda speaking. Please understand that these literary works were written long before the political and social “correctness” of our time. Seek to understand the deeper meaning behind human dated language. It is not correct to impose on important past-written material the evolution of human language. If you stumble on the word “man” for example, rather than today’s comprehension of “humanity” or “person,” you will miss the point.

Also, And They Called His Name Immanuel by the Phoenix-Journal #02, states on the opening publication information page, that these texts are deliberately not protected by copyright to get the best possible dissemination. It is stated on page 6 that the words of the Phoenix Journals cannot be copyrighted since these books are compilations of information already available on Earth.

“I said it two thousand years ago and it has come to pass, I believe, that there would be many cults established in my name, but only for the purpose that man can be enslaved in his spirit thereby giving the cults great power over the people and the land, and over money. Therefore, I tell you that no cult is justified unless it solely recognizes The Creation as the HIGHEST.

“Therefore, in all the years there would be no cult which preached Truth, Knowledge, and Wisdom. But I further stated; this WILL happen in two times a thousand years when the time comes that my teaching will be preached anew, without being falsified. I foretold that until this time there would be so many false cults that they could not be counted. Further, they would be found on the blood of MEN, and on hatred one against another, greed, and power.

“But as they are established, they shall be destroyed again, for the Truth shall triumph. THERE IS NO UN-TRUTH (LIE) THAT SHALL NOT BE DENOUNCED AND THERE IS NOTHING HIDDEN THAT SHALL NOT BECOME EVIDENT.

“Men shall recognize what is in front of his face, and what is hidden from him will reveal itself to him when he searches for truth and the explanation of wisdom. But truth lies deeply in the Laws of The Creation, and there shall man seek it and find it. But he who seeks shall not stop seeking until he finds, and when he finds he will be deeply shaken and astonished, but then he will rule over the universe. For that man shall recognize that the kingdom is within himself and outside of himself.”

I, Linda Hourihan HHCP, interject here to point out the fourteen well-known cult markers for your consideration for yourself and others.

There is more than one cult present in the world today. All of them deny that they are a cult. There are fourteen tell-tale marks present in all cults. The following points out these life-altering pitfalls to watch out for.

All cults have similar characteristics. Here is a list of fourteen characteristics that help to define a cult:

“1. • The group displays excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to its leader, and (whether he is alive or dead) regards his belief system, ideology, and practices as the Truth, as law.

2. • Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished.

3. • Mind-altering practices (such as meditation, chanting, speaking in tongues, denunciation sessions, or debilitating work routines) are used in excess and serve to suppress doubts about the group and its leader(s).

4. • The leadership dictates, sometimes in great detail, how members should think, act, and feel (e.g., members must get permission to date, change jobs, or marry or leaders prescribe what to wear, where to live, whether to have children, how to discipline children, and so forth).

5. • The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s), and its members (e.g., the leader is considered the Messiah, a special being, an avatar or the group and/or the leader is on a special mission to save humanity).

6. • The group has a polarized, us-versus-them mentality, which may cause conflict with the wider society.

7. • The leader is not accountable to any authorities (unlike, for example, teachers, military commanders, or ministers, priests, monks, and rabbis of mainstream religious denominations).

8. • The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify whatever means it deems necessary. This may result in members participating in behaviors or activities they would have considered reprehensible or unethical before joining the group (e.g., lying to family or friends, or collecting money for bogus charities).

9. • The leadership induces feelings of shame and/or guilt in order to influence and control members. Often this is done through peer pressure and subtle forms of persuasion.

10. • Subservience to the leader or group requires members to cut ties with family and friends, and radically alter the personal goals and activities they had before joining the group.

11. • The group is preoccupied with bringing in new members.

12. • The group is preoccupied with making money. The group will disagree with this statement, but will be interested in you handing over your home and possessions at the end of your life.

13. • Members are expected to devote inordinate amounts of time to the group and group-related activities.

14. • Members are encouraged or required to live and/or socialize only with other group members.” Taken from the online article Characteristics of Cults,” by Janna Lalich and Michael Pantone.

Now back to the words of Immanuel:

“Man shall look up to the stars, for there rules majestic peace and sublimity. In unchangeable, timeless order, there takes place the infinite change through days and months and years, running into centuries, millennia and millions of years.

“Man may look down to Earth also, for there too is creative activity and timeless becoming, being and passing toward constantly new creating. Where nature is left to its own devices, there rules greatness, dignity and beauty, all in beautiful harmony.

“However, where traces of human order are active, there smallness, lack of dignity and lack of beauty testify to disharmony. But man who, with swollen chest, calls himself the crown of Creation does not recognize Creation, and makes people equal to it. But this man who tamed the fire and thinks to rule the Earth, will not go so very far. He will learn to contain the water and to run about in the air, but during that process he will forget to recognize The Creation above him and Its Laws. And thus, he will forget to seek the Truth and the Wisdom. He will also forget to live peacefully as man among men. His battle cry will be “the battle,” since he will want to conquer through violence. For when he thinks he has power in his hands, he uses this power to enslave and shed blood.

“He will speak of honor and freedom and of knowledge, but in reality, it is only hypocrisy, force, and false teachings. Thus, man will lose his face in the future, and wear an evil and false mask for appearance’s sake. And many will develop into beasts and spend their earthly days in ignorance. Man’s aim and thinking is geared only toward acquisition and power.

“With his mind, man will classify the things of this world to make them serve him, irrespective of the fact that by doing so, he destroys the Laws of Nature manifold. He will no longer believe in timeless Truths which are based upon the Laws of Nature. In his self-deception, human sciences will mean more to him than all the Laws of Nature and of The Creation. In his confusion man will believe in this miserable concept of life, which is produced by the false teachings of the cults and determined by human laws and changes in the structures of power in the various countries.

“Because man does not gain in knowledge of himself from the creative point of view, he will want to force his life with external means. He will delude his fellow man and the whole world with false means. Where there is some trust left, he will change it into distrust and untruths. He will get further and further away from the true life.

“THESE THINGS I GAVE VERBATIM TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO; HAS IT COME TO PASS?

“Man will also lose the basis of the oldest wisdom which says, ‘That for life man is the measure of all things, for after all he is part of The Creation – One with Creation. But the time will come for man that he has to turn about and get back to the timeless values of life. In the beginning only a few persons will know that man does not only live on earth, but that his spirit reaches into another world which cannot be comprehended with the ordinary senses.’”

I, Linda Hourihan, HHCP, invite all humanity to read all my books, but especially may latest book, TRANSITION INTO THE AGE OF AQUARIUS, subtitled AN ENLIGHTENING JOURNEY, coming out on or before April 1, 2025.

IN THEIR IMAGE AND LIKENESS, subtitled, UNIVERSAL WISDOM, 2024 International Impact Book Awards winner, also speaks to the knowledge spoken about in AND THEY CALLED HIS NAME IMMANUEL. This is Eternal Universal Life Force Energy animating the knowledge of which Jesus, Immanuel, Sananda, speaks.

This knowledge, which presently many people who call themselves “Christian,” do not want to hear, think about, or know, due to the exact indoctrinations that Jesus is teaching about in AND THEY CALLED HIS NAME IMMANUEL, as well as in the remaining 2 books that won that 2024 International Impact Book Awards recognition: MY RED BAG OF COURAGE, subtitled, SURVIVAL WISDOM, and NATURE SPIRIT WISDOM, subtitled, LIGHT WITHIN THE ANGEL, MINERAL, PLANT, AND ANIMAL KINGDOMS.

God Bless Everyone Everywhere

Materialism Reinforces Scarcity


The following is taken from the introduction to the Upanishad:

Materialism reinforces a “paradigm of scarcity”: there is not enough to go around, so we are doomed to fight one another for ever-diminishing resources. Spiritual economics begins not from assumed scarcity of matter but from the verifiable infinitude of consciousness.

“Think of this One original source,” Plotinus said, “as a spring, self-generating, feeding itself to the rivers and yet not used up by them, ever at rest.”

Or, as Gandi put it, “There is enough in the world for everyone’s need; there is not enough for everyone’s greed.”

The appearance of scarcity overcomes those for whom, as the Upanishad says, “the world without alone is real.”

There is no scarcity of love, respect, meaning – the resources of consciousness. Such is the timeless wisdom of the Upanishads.

This is taken from THE UPANISHADS, introduced and translated by Eknath Easwaran, a classic of Indian Spirituality.

Namaste

Jesus Studied The Katha Upanishads When He Was In India


The Katha Upanishad is born from the Sanskrit language, which was also known by Jesus. This writing is the legendary story of a little boy named Nachiketa, the son of Sage Vajasravasa, who sends his son to get his questions answered by Yama, who is the deity of death, since materialism, consumerism, and selfish gain meant nothing to his son. I found this conversation about the nature of humanity, the knowledge of the Self (called Atman, or the God within each individual), and how to be liberated, all written in prose, to be most enlightening.

Most historians place this writing to be in the first centuries BCE, which is obviously before the time of Christ walking among us in the person of Jesus of biblical fame.

Jesus not only studied, but was well versed in the Katha Upanishad, which asserts that the “Atman, (the Self) exists,” teaching all to “seek Self-knowledge, which is the Highest Bliss.” Nowhere in this writing do you read where every person is a sinner, not is every person born into Original Sin.

This flies in the face of Buddhism which asserts that our “Soul, Self does not exist.” My understanding from all the holistic health and Universal Life Church Seminary interfaith training also agrees that our human Soul/Spirit/Self (Atman) does, in fact, exist. I have read this ancient work, just as Jesus the Christ did, and teach what Jesus taught, that the Kingdom of God, this Soul/Spirit/Self (Atman), is WITHIN us, as Jesus told us all in Luke 17:20-21.

In the 17th century, the Katha Upanishad was translated into Persian, which was later translated into Latin and spread across Europe. Ralph Waldo Emerson credited Katha Upanishad for the central story at the end of his essay Immortality, as well as his poem “Brahma.”

Yoga also teaches that it is beneficial to meditate on the Self. No, this is not selfishness in its highest form. To take the time to get to know your true Self, is to ultimately reach the spiritual ecstasy of Saint Theresa, union with the Self (Atman), which recognizes the Divine Self WITHIN the Self, as Jesus taught. This is also what it means when I talk about your I AM Presence. It is part of human DNA but is not activated until you are consciously aware that it is part of you. But this requires that we take the time out of our seemingly very busy schedules to pray, meditate, and contemplate.

It also requires you to allow your mind to grasp the knowledge that has been kept from you by various religions with unholy purposes. Unless and until you allow yourself to learn about those missing 18 years of the life of Jesus, whom most religions stress as the way to salvation, you will miss the greater part of the teaching of Jesus Christ. Know there is more than Jesus taught than most of you have been led to believe.

Knowing more does not invalidate what you have already learned. Knowing more simply puts what you have learned thus far in perspective. It provides for deeper understanding. It provides you with those missing puzzle pieces of life and spirituality that may have evaded you in the process of living. You, too, can have the bliss of ecstasy just as Saint Theresa had in prayer and meditation, and that of Jesus Christ in his mountaintop transfiguration, transforming him multidimensionally into the greater awareness of who and what he truly is.

It is also important to exercise your free will, to shed what no longer serves your highest good, no matter who told you otherwise or threatens what they acknowledge as your “immortal Soul/Spirit.” While first grade knowledge is valuable for a young child, the continued knowledge of high school, college, and beyond does not invalidate that premier base from which you started on your educational quest.

Stature of the Ecstasy of Saint Theresa in pure bliss of the experience of the Divine Self WITHIN her Self, something we can all achieve by recognizing the I AM Presence WITHIN the Self. But this requires that we take the time out of our seemingly very busy schedules to pray, meditate, and contemplate.

तं दुर्दर्शं गूढमनुप्रविष्टं
गुहाहितं गह्वरेष्ठं पुराणम् ।
अध्यात्मयोगाधिगमेन देवं
मत्वा धीरो हर्षशोकौ जहाति ॥ १२ ॥		He (the Atman), difficult to be seen, full of mystery,
the Ancient, primaeval one, concealed deep within,
He who, by yoga means of meditation on his self, comprehends Atman within him as God,
He leaves joy and sorrow far behind.
—Katha Upanishad, 1.2.12[42][43]
Just as Jesus said in Luke 17:20-21. Look at the footnote in your bible at this verse and you will see originally the translation said WITHIN, not among, and is now being corrected to its original meaning, according to the Hebrew, Greek, English Interlinear Bible, as well as the newest King James verion.

Jesus learned that the Katha Upanishad teaches how to make humanity liberated and free from all indoctrination, which was also common in his time. This requires the same remedy today as it did back then, to pray, meditate, contemplate, and value Knowledge over Ignorance as the means to a blissful existence that goes beyond joy and sorrow of day-to-day trivialities. This is made possible through realization of the Self (Atman/Brahman/God), and also by chanting the Sacred Sound of “OM,” through which all Creation, including the angelic realm, as well as the animal, plant, and minerals kingdoms.

In the Katha Upanishad realization, Jesus often united with his Self, his Christ Presence, his I AM Presence. In the story of the body named Nachiketa being directed to speak with Yama, the god of death, to find out what is most important to living a pure life leading to ascension, Jesus learned from the writing not to fear anyone, nor anything, even death, since the true essence of humanity is Soul/Spirit/Self (Atman), which DOES NOT DIE. He taught all of us this teaching during his life.

The reality of the I AM Presence of each individual Self, connecting with the Source of the Christ, and fully coming to the realization of who and what we truly are, is part of what is taught in the upcoming 13D MDT Workshop on two back-to-back weekends: September 10-11 AND September 17-18, from 10 am to 6 pm each day. If you want to finally be free from the fear that binds you, this is the class for you. August 27 is the last day to register by emailing Lin Hourihan at linhourihan@yahoo.com, or by calling 413-245-0129. Lin is a teacher at the International School of Esoteric Sciences. For more details see: https://www.new-paradigm-mdt.org/teachers/lin-hourihan/.

A portion of the Katha Upanishad reads:

The seer (Atman, Self) is not born, nor does he die,
He does not originate from anybody, nor does he become anybody,
Eternal, ancient one, he remains eternal,
he is not killed, even though the body is killed.

If the killer thinks that he kills,
if the killed thinks that he is killed,
they do not understand;
for this one does not kill, nor is that one killed.

The Self (Atman), smaller than small, greater than great,
is hidden in the heart of each creature,
Free from avarice, free from grief, peaceful and content,
he sees the supreme glory of Atman.

— Katha Upanishad, 1.2.18-1.2.20

Notice that “the Katha Upanishad asserts that Atman-knowledge, or Self-realization, is not attained by instruction, not arguments nor reasoning from scriptures,” as Wikipedia acknowledges. “It is comprehended by your Self through prayer, meditation, and contemplation. This introspection is not attained by those who do not abstain from misconduct, nor those who are restless nor composed, and not by those whose mind is not calm and tranquil, but only those who live ethically, are composed, tranquil, internally peaceful, search within and examine their own nature.”

Namaste

Adult Answers for a Self-Sabotaged Society


We have managed to dumb-down the virtue-based building blocks of today’s society. We can see this in many areas first hand in every country across the globe. It is not only the students in our homes, schools, colleges, and employment who are affected. Over the past 30 years, these students have now grown up into adults. As a result, in many cases we have successfully substituted secular humanism for faith-based virtues in homes, schools, colleges and employment everywhere. By doing so, we have crippled the moral fiber of society, which continues into a downward spiral that affects all of us today. When we attempt to substitute God-given virtues with secular humanism, we begin cracking the firm foundation on which we are attempting to build.

Yes, this has been a problem since the beginning of our human existence. It begins by denying God, or at least excluding and relegating God in all or parts of life we decide to compartmentalize God, as if there were such a thing.

“For centuries, many have lived their lives (of work, study, business, research, social relationships, interests, etc.) in separation of the faith. As a consequence of this separation temporal realities have been adversely affected, existing, as it were, in the shadows on the fringes of the light of Revelation. Without this light many have come to consider the world as an end in itself, without any reference to God; therefore they have distorted the most elementary and basic truths,” wrote Francis Fernandez, in In Conversation with God, Vol. 2

Blessed Alvaro del Portillo, beatified on September 27, 2014 in Madrid, Spain, agreed in his Pastoral Letter dated December 25, 1985 when he added to the words of Fr. Fernandez, “In western countries, particularly, it becomes necessary to correct this separation because many generations which should belong to Christ and the Church are being lost in these years, and because, unhappily, from these places the harmful influences of a new paganism is being sent into the world. Thus, contemporary paganism, is characterized by the search for material well-being at any cost, and by the corresponding disregard – or to put it more accurately, fear, genuine terror – of anything that could cause suffering. With this outlook, words such as God, sin, Cross, mortification, eternal life – become incomprehensible to a great number of people, who are ignorant of their meaning and content. You have witnessed the incredible fact that many people began putting God in parenthesis, in some aspect of their professional lives. But then, as God demands, loves, and asks, they end up throwing Him out – like an intruder – from their civil laws and from the lives of the nations. With a ridiculous and presumptious pride they want to lift up in his place the poor human creature, who has lost his supernatural and human dignity, and has become reduced – it is no exaggeration, one can see it everywhere – to a stomach, sex and money.”

I remember the conversation I had one night some thirty years ago at the local high school during a meeting held for parents and teachers. I was speaking with a school official during the refreshments that followed the evening event. I was telling him what I was observing with my five children in the public school system, was teaching against what parents were teaching about ethics and morality. He was saying that the public school was not allowed to teach any particular belief system in the public school.

“We teach secular humanism,” he said.

“But secular humanism is a belief system,” I answered.

With the separation of church and state, it is understandable that public schools cannot teach one brand of religion in their schools. The frustrating thing parents must deal with in this situation, is that the schools, since they were not promoting a religion, but an alternative belief system, can teach against the very morals, ethics and character education parents teach at home, usurping the voices of the parents eight hours a day, five days a week. This is what happens when we so easily and neatly carve God out of our public and private existence, the existence created by God. We end up with secular humanism.

Secular humanism is a lifestance, or what Council for Secular Humanism founder Paul Kurtz has termed a eupraxsophy: a body of principles suitable for orienting a complete human life. As a secular lifestance, secular humanism incorporates the enlightenment principle of individualism, which celebrates emancipating the individual from traditional controls by family, church, and state, increasingly empowering each of us to set the terms of his or her own life.

A Secular Humanist believes in a consequential ethical system. This is nothing more and nothing less than cause and effect of actions and/or non-actions. Secular humanists hold that ethics is consequential, to be judged by results. This is in contrast to so-called command ethics, in which right and wrong are defined in advance and attributed to divine authority. “No god will save us,” declared Humanist Manifesto II (1973), “we must save ourselves.” Secular humanists seek to develop and improve their ethical principles by examining the results they yield in the lives of real men and women.

It is a sad state of affairs when we carve God out of our lives. So many people today see the direct results within all societies in the world of what happens when we diminish God, the Creator of All, to a fairy tale.

Human secularism leaves the children of 30 years ago, now adults, trying to fix real world dilemmas within their homes, neighborhoods, states and countries, trying to solve problems of war, conflict and social disease like COVID-19. Trying to solve problems without involving God (God forbid!) in every decision in all parts of life, is what is breaking the foundation of societies apart.

How does one teach our grown children, now indoctrinated in secular humanism, to believe in God, the very thing they were taught to shun for 12 grade-school years, plus an additional four or more years of college? To them, any and all religion was taught to be a farce, a laughable fairy tale. We see so many young adults in the world today aimlessly looking for answers, any and all answers that is, but not if they are God related.

I want them all to know there is more, much, much more than they have been indoctrinated to believe. They do not believe they have been indoctrinated. They think they have been freed. The truth is they have been bound up so tight that ridicule is the only answer that comes to their minds. If only all secular humanists would say a simple honest prayer, asking the God of all Creation – the God who Created the Big Bang (to their way of thinking) millions and millions of years ago, to enter their heart and show them the reality of God and the Trinity, which exists within all physical reality, so they could begin a new faith journey, with a deeper understanding of things they already know.

I encourage everyone, young and old alike, to at least try to open their minds (they think they are open minded!), to begin to pray. Invite God the Creator of the Universe (and all universes and galaxies, and science – which has become their god) to make His Presence known to them personally. God, the Father of All Creation, and Jesus Christ, God’s first Creation, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, will enter the heart and mind of all who pray in earnest.

It is not someone’s belief system that makes reality so; or makes reality what it is. How it is, is how it is. Some things are beyond our understanding, however reality is so, even if we do not understand it. God is God, even if we do not fully grasp every detail to every question we have. Not even everything in science has its fully comprehended understandings; those facts that were once expounded upon have changed with the light of new knowledge, for example, believing that the earth is flat.

The adult answer to our self-sabotaged society is to discover, learn and understand how matters of faith in God, the Father of all Creation, who is the Father of Jesus Christ, is ready, willing and able, to come into our lives and work with us, side by side with us, in enlightening our minds to solutions.

We have done many wonderful things in life. But I do notice how much more fulfilling and rewarding it is to work along side God, Jesus and Holy Spirit. We have spiritual tools at our disposal, if only we would use them. I know many of us use these tools, and have beautiful lives of faith. I am also noticing a world hurting by its own ignorance, self-induced problems made by our own making, fueled by greed and our out of control insane ego.

Virtues are the tools that can put us back on the road to living moral and ethical lives. Virtues are good habits, as mentioned in the previous post. Virtues are God-given. We can pray for more faith, hope and love. That is the best place to start.

God Bless

Do You Own Things Or Do Things Own You? Repost


change is goodPossessions are a 2 way street. We can own possessions, and they can own us. At first this is obvious. We have carefully and often painstakingly selected the things we have. We have chosen the things in our home, including our home, and things all around us, on purpose. These things serve a purpose, even if that purpose is to make us feel good by looking at the art of it, or feel good by being in and around these things. But when do things stop serving us, and we start serving things?

This is a good question to ask ourselves from time to time; because it is by the very nature of time that things begin to own us. It is almost as if our things begin to take a life of their own on, require cleaning or maintenance, and demand replenishing. Our things can even begin vying for our affection, and can consume our every thought, if we are not conscious of it. Things need protection. The more they shine, or grow in value, not only do we want them, so do others. Then we transform from taking care of our things, to safe guarding our things, which is an entirely different matter.

When we recognize that we are serving our things, more than they are serving us, we lose focus of what is really important in our lives. Why do we have the things we have? Do we want to keep up with the Jones’, peer pressure, or for appearances’ sake? Are we hoarders?

The remedy is simple. Like most problems of life, decision is the answer. Indecision is the complication. Decide to solve this problem, unless you like being a slave to your things.

Begin. Begin anywhere. Begin throwing away everything broken, or torn. Get a dumpster. If we didn’t wear it last year we won’t wear it this year. Give away everything that does not serve us. Donate to humanitarian causes to help the poor among us. Go through your things, again and again.

When we streamline our life, then things will not own us. Our homes will not own us. Debt will not own us.

Being debt free is freedom.

Being item free is freedom.

Being free is freedom.

When we are free, we can truly reassess what is important to us, without the clouded vision of false values.

If You Have …


you are blessed

Do You Own Things Or Do They Own You?


First we buy things. We buy them because we need, want, must have our house, furniture, clothes, cars, vacations, and50-things-money-cant-buy everything else in our lives. We acquire these things, usually with much consideration, forethought, careful financial planning; or not. Even when we try not to keep buying things, we still do. Have you ever asked yourself, do I own my things, or do they own me?

Am I a compulsive spender?

What void do spending sprees fill in me?

Have I ever thought of this before?

Have others told me this is a problem?

What can I throw away?

When was the last time I cleaned out things that no longer serve me?

Have I ever considered the possibility that the accumulation of things steals peace and creates chaos?

Have I ever entertained the idea of getting a dumpster to toss out everything that is needlessly taking up space in my house, cellar, attic, yard, or closet?

Have I felt good, with a sense of feeling “lighter” after a big cleaning project?

Can I donate my clothes to a charity, friends and family, or the homeless?

How many pairs of shirts, pants, dresses, suits, and clothes do I really need?

Have I considered repairing items as opposed to buying new items each time?

Have I ever thought of checking out the thrift stores first, before purchasing brand new items?

Am I a product of peer pressure in action, caring about what others think, do and say about my prestige, status, and outward appearance in every area of my life, from the house I live in to the clothes I wear and food I eat?

How much does it matter to me to go out on weekends, eat certain foods, go out drinking with friends and having parties?

How responsible am I in taking care of the things I buy?

Do I keep things in good working order, clean them, repair them, or replace them properly?

How much time to my things take up in my life, each day?

Have I ever tried to live with less than I have?

Have I crossed the line, starting out with me owning my things, then go to the other extreme, with my things: house, car, lifestyle, hobbies, work, owning me?

Do I ever regret a purchase after I have made it?

Do I get a “high” or “rush” of endorphins when I make a purchase?

Do I over-spend when I make purchases?

Do I go into a store with a list of exactly what I want?

Do I set a limit on how much I can spend?

Do I not care about how much I spend on things?

Why?

Do I have an emotional connection to money?

Do I get my self worth based on how much money I have?

Do I get my self worth based on how much money I do not have?

Money is merely a form of energy. Things in our life are only good if they help us more than they hurt us, or rob us of peace.

Have I ever tried to live without credit cards?

Have I considered the possibility that if I have credit cards with balances that keep increasing that I am over-spending?

What would my life be like if I paid cash for everything?

Do I have a savings account?

Am I responsible with money?

What can I do to get better at living within my means?

What expenses can I cut down on, or out altogether?

Am I at peace?

What is my plan?

Overeating ~ Heavy Drinking ~ Anxieties Of Life


Life distracts us with so many things. There is food, good times, parties, alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, A Little Stressedgood things as well as not so good things. Balance is the key to moderation, but balance and moderation are not what we are being advised against here.

We need to be careful about listening to our heart because our heart can turn traitor. The heart can be fickle, as if it is attention deficit from time to time, desiring and craving the very things that can hurt us. Without monitoring our hearts, we can get addicted to life and everything in it, good and not so good for our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health. When we misguidedly substitute people, places and things in place of balance in our life, we will find ourselves out of order.

Think of what it takes for us to face ourselves, honestly.

We know how human beings are prone to trapping each other: lying, cheating, stealing, manipulating, being addicted to drama and worry after worry, abusive and addictive behavior, and giving false witness and false testimony. Not only do others do these things to us, we also can be our own worst enemy.

We need to forgive, both others and ourselves. Before we can forgive others, we need to be honest with ourselves, and own up to what we have done and what we have failed to do. If we are still breathing air, we still have time  to forgive others and ourselves. That is the hardest part. As hard as we might find it to forgive others, some of us find it nearly impossible to forgive ourselves, as if we were created perfect to begin with.

None of us are perfect. We are human. We will make horrible mistakes. Tomorrow we will make more. The key to being honest with ourselves is to recognize that we are not perfect, admit our mistakes, and forgive ourselves, and oh yes, forgive others too.

Not only are we not perfect, but so often we tend to think others are not allowed to make mistakes either. We justify our feelings by not forgiving them in some warped sense of justice.

What will help?

If we live a more fully conscious life, aware of our thoughts, words and actions, it will be easier and more natural to pay closer attention to our hearts.

Do You Own Things Or Do Things Own You?


change is goodPossessions are a 2 way street. We can own possessions, and they can own us. At first this is obvious. We have carefully and often painstakingly selected the things we have. We have chosen the things in our home, including our home, and things all around us, on purpose. These things serve a purpose, even if that purpose is to make us feel good by looking at the art of it, or feel good by being in and around these things. But when do things stop serving us, and we start serving things?

This is a good question to ask ourselves from time to time; because it is by the very nature of time that things begin to own us. It is almost as if our things begin to take a life of their own on, require cleaning or maintenance, and demand replenishing. Our things can even begin vying for our affection, and can consume our every thought, if we are not conscious of it. Things need protection. The more they shine, or grow in value, not only do we want them, so do others. Then we transform from taking care of our things, to safe guarding our things, which is an entirely different matter.

When we recognize that we are serving our things, more than they are serving us, we lose focus of what is really important in our lives. Why do we have the things we have? Do we want to keep up with the Jones’, peer pressure, or for appearances’ sake? Are we hoarders?

The remedy is simple. Like most problems of life, decision is the answer. Indecision is the complication. Decide to solve this problem, unless you like being a slave to your things.

Begin. Begin anywhere. Begin throwing away everything broken, or torn. Get a dumpster. If we didn’t wear it last year we won’t wear it this year. Give away everything that does not serve us. Donate to humanitarian causes to help the poor among us. Go through your things, again and again.

When we streamline our life, then things will not own us. Our homes will not own us. Debt will not own us.

Being debt free is freedom.

Being item free is freedom.

Being free is freedom.

When we are free, we can truly reassess what is important to us, without the clouded vision of false values.

Krishnamurti on Nationalism


Nationalism always produces war, and the problem is not to be solved by bringing about further nationalism, which is only an avoidance of the fact

Humans all the same. Picture courtesy of J. Krishnamurti.
Humans all the same. Picture courtesy of J. Krishnamurti.
and an extension of the same poison, but by being free of nationalism, of the sense of belonging to a particular group, to a particular class of society.

The separate spirit of nationalism is spreading like fire all over the world. Patriotism is cultivated and cleverly exploited by those who are seeking further expansion, wider powers, greater enrichment; and each one of us takes part in this process, for we desire these things. Conquering other lands and other people provides new markets for goods as well as for political and religious ideologies.

Nationalism, the patriotic spirit, class and race consciousness, are all ways of the self, and therefore separate. After all, what is a nation but a group of individuals living together for economic and self-protective reasons? Out of fear and acquisitive self-defense arises the idea of “my country”, with its boundaries and tariff walls, rendering brotherhood and the unity of man impossible.

It is because we are nationalists, ready to defend our sovereign States, our beliefs and acquisitions, that we must be perpetually be armed. Property and ideas have become more important to us than human life, so there is constant antagonism and violence between ourselves and others. By maintaining the sovereignty of our country, we are destroying our sons; by worshiping the State, which is but a projection of ourselves, we are sacrificing our children to our own gratification. Nationalism and sovereign governments are the causes and instruments of war

_______J KRISHNAMURTY

Thank you J KRISHNAMURTY.

Namaste