by AlicetheCurious » Wed Oct 25, 2006 6:52 am
I don't know what to think about all these testimonials, any more than I know what's really behind Strieber's narratives or, for that matter, Carlos Castaneda's books, which I read many years ago.<br><br>They are so very outside my own experience and (no pun intended) alien to my world that I feel no jolt of recognition, no sense of connection and indeed, as I am now, I start to become bored half-way through the books, although I'll probably finish it as a matter of principle.<br><br>This is the complete opposite of how I felt when I read "The Alchemist" by Paulo Cuelho, a book that opened me right up; I resonated deeply to the theme that the universe is an infinite intelligence and we are no less a miraculous aspect of it.<br><br>I've had experiences that are beautiful and inexplicable in terms of our shared reality, but none that were frightening or ugly, since maybe some nightmares when I was a teenager. <br><br>On the contrary, the few times I've experienced weirdness and magic all seem to have been intended to reassure me, to make me feel safer, stronger, to educate me, or even to make me laugh. <br><br>Those rare glimpses I've personally had, of a greater 'reality', have convinced me that evil is not part of our heritage, but something we've made for ourselves, as a function of our free will and creative power.<br><br>If we are indeed made 'in God's image', then humanity has been given the awesome power to extrude reality the way a fruit tree produces fruit, according to the health and variety of the tree. With this enormous power comes even greater responsibility, but in our ignorance we curse the growing piles of diseased fruit rather than heal the trees (or protect the healthy ones from infection.)<br><br>Another conclusion I've come to, is that unfortunately, life is a team sport. Although we are all creators, no one of us is the Creator. All of us are changing the world, although most are not aware of that. Those who desire to consciously shape the world, for better or worse, need to bring others on board, to share their vision of what constitutes a 'better' reality.<br><br>Depending on his or her nature and the vision in question, these 'movers and shakers' use all kinds of tools to attract co-creators to their team. These tools form a spectrum that includes everything from inspiration, persuasion, truth and logic, to intimidation, fear-mongering, lies and terrorism.<br><br>Of course, as the saying goes, 'garbage in, garbage out'; or my personal motto: 'the means ARE the ends'.<br><br>So, in view of the apalling mess we've made of this world, the stinking, crawling cesspool of pain and despair to which we've consigned so many of our fellow travellers, what's a gal (or guy) to do?<br><br>Since we're quoting lyrics, how about "Clean Up Your Oww-own Back-Yard?" (Elvis) -- and when we're done with that, we can start on our front yard, and the inside of our houses too, not neglecting the attic and cellar.<br><br>But even before that, we have to learn to distinguish between what weakens us and what strengthens us, between poisons and food, between messy clutter and things that add beauty and function to our lives, between people who suck our energy and those who hold our bike steady until we learn to ride on our own.<br><br>In other words, reclaiming our world begins with reclaiming our inalienable right to make choices, and each person developing the habit of choosing to do the right thing for him or her self.<br><br>The great poet Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”<br><br>Being "yourself" may also include accepting that as beings we are not as limited as we're taught to think. The many examples of precognition, clairvoyance, even telekinesis may be evidence of just some of the skills and resources we have yet to recognize and draw upon.<br><br>Emerson also said something that eerily echoes Cuelho's message in 'The Alchemist': “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”<br><br>If your reality is infested with hags and demons and the like, I think that defending yourself from them is at best a bandaid solution.<br><br>Once again, Emerson has something to say about that: "What you are comes to you."<br><br>This does not mean that those who have demonic experiences are evil, but it just might mean that there is a festering or open wound somewhere in your being that needs to be cleaned and healed. Just as there are many good things in your life that may be reflecting healthy aspects of your being, those frightening things may simply be the equivalent of a strident alarm bell, warning you of an INNER danger that is not being addressed.<br><br>My two cents. <p></p><i></i>
