The Ashram

Yes. The Truth MUST Hurt.

2010-07-25T11:19:00.003-04:00

The following is a dialogue between...well, you'll figure it out. Names have been changed to save some shred of decency. The whole thing is in response to an article titled: "Senate Democrats Abandon Comprehensive Energy Bill--Senate Democrats are giving up on plans to pass an energy bill that caps emissions of carbon dioxide, saying Republicans refuse to support the measure."

Sleepwalker: FINALLY......good news! The only thing in this bill was cap and trade.....which means HIGHER energy costs for everyone! Just what we need right now....go hug a tree! ;-)

Conscious Human: I don't get it. You really believe it's ok to just let CO2 gasses continue at the pace they are?

Sleepwalker: Look @ all the polls, people want this admin. To focus on jobs and economic recovery. All this bill does is add MORE govt regulation into our lives. He is too busy suing everyone in the nation in order to boost his hopes for reelection, WHICH took a hit yesterday when more people want a no-name person over anybody but obama. I mean the man is runing neck and neck with sarah palin for 2012! Someone get a clue on Capitol Hill!
Secondly, The ozone has actually begun to repair itself, so stop with the excuses of the earth is falling apart. Science proved Al Gore was wrong many times over. The earth goes thru natural ebbs and flows of hot and cold.
Don't u people get sick of big govt telling you how to live your life and then turning around and make u pay for it as well???

Conscious Human: Polls-shmolls. I think it's a good thing "those" people aren't getting what they want. That would be truly disasterous for us all. I truly hope someone DOES get a clue so that Palin is not allowed to run in 2012. If that woman--and I really... don't think it's possible--wins...the world will end for many of us. Including you, Scott. But then, I have always been a fan of learning by example. And I think that people don't really learn until something aweful happens to them to shake them awake. If that's what it will take, then I guess she does serve some greater cosmic purpose after all. As for the Earth--your home--truly pay attention to science, and not the Christian-filled rhetoric of the GOP. They're the one's that have told you Gore isn't making sense. They're the ones that would have you believe "The Lord" will save the planet. Not so. WE have to become the saviors of the planet, and of ourselves. But again, I suppose we'll have to just wait for the ice caps to melt and the seas to rise and displace billions of people, and for grasslands to turn to deserts so that all the crops die and people in America start killing each other for food. Then we might say: Wow...they were right. Granted, that may not happen in our lifetimes, so we can just enjoy our lives as it is for the foreseeable future. I'm asking you to tap into your Higher self and think of future generations. THAT would be the right thing to do.

Sleepwalker: As for science, I studied weather for 5 yrs and understand more about this farce of global warming than the avg person. Al Gore just jumped on a bandwagon of misinterpretation and grossly false numbers in order to make a name for himself.
I'm just glad more and more people are starting to realize that govt and an "unlimited" amount of money is a very poor decision.

Sleepwalker Fan: I love your posts.

Sleepwalker: The truth can be painful sometimes.

Conscious Human #2--THE READ: Really?!?! You studied weather for 5 years AND you are simultaneously arguing that the Ozone layer repairing itself is proof that we don't need to address CO2's role in the process of global warming? I would love to know where you studied... “weather” and who your teachers were. Because if you really paid attention while you were in class, you weren’t being misinformed, or that wasn’t the particular question you missed on some exam due to a warped ideological slant, you would know that the ozone layer was being damaged by the excessive release of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) and other chemically similar entities into the atmosphere, NOT excessive CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels.

If you take a look at the list of chemical compounds that are/were depleting the ozone layer, you will note that CO2 is conspicuously absent at http://www.epa.gov/ozone/science/ods/classone.html. That’s because CO2 has no direct relationsh...ip to the depletion of the ozone layer. So to draw a parallel with CO2 gas NOT being addressed through the curbing of fossil fuels and the concomitant healing of the ozone layer is laughable at best. Let’s take a real look at why the ozone layer is healing. Meet the power of regulation. You know, that thingamajigger that Republicans so denounce whether beneficial or not. This isn’t to say that ALL regulation is good, just regulation that makes intellectual sense when we can’t count on our corporate counterparts to not be so blinded by the root of all evil, money, in order to do the right thing. Back in 1987, the Montreal Protocol (read regulation) was passed that set a timeline to eliminate ozone-depleting substances from being released into the atmosphere. For those of us that remember, you know that air-conditioning units replaced Freon with newer refrigerants and that aerosol generators like hairspray cans no longer released CFCs into the atmosphere by the early 90s, amongst other numerous resulting changes. Almost 20 years later, because science and the resulting regulation prevailed, the holes in the ozone layer have all but virtually disappeared. Let’s get this straight, the ozone holes were constantly growing due to excessive human-induced release of CFCs, then they severely curtailed CFCs and now they are healing. Hmmm, that constitutes a cause and effect relationship. That lets you know it is working to regulate it and that CFCs indeed were at least a bulk of the cause. Cause and effect relationships are the basis for a lot of science. This isn’t to say that the affected corporate entities did not fight tooth and nail against the Montreal Protocol by hiring all the lobbyists, talking heads, and other mouthpieces to take this regulation down by spreading lies and misinformation because it would cost them a little money up front. Awwww, the poor executives of such companies; you mean instead of 3 McMansions, a Ferrari and Lamborghini they might have to settle for just one Ferrari and a single McMansion? Bless their precious little hearts, the struggle of it all.

Now that we’ve clearly delineated the distinction between CO2 and CFCs, let’s talk about CO2. You can heal the ozone layer by eliminating CFCs all you want, but at the end of the day it would do nothing to address the problem of global war...ming as related to CO2 gas increases. That’s because global warming is a separate beast with a separate cause. Note how the prevailing, modern-day Republicanism has intentionally blurred this line to push an erroneous opinion that all their ditto heads so lovingly parrot without thinking about what they are saying. In fact, some are theorizing that by healing the ozone layer we may be expediting the process of global warming because there are no holes for the excess CO2 to escape, thereby trapping even more CO2 into our atmosphere. The primary contributor to CO2 gas increase is the burning of fossil fuels, NOT CFCs being released. We do it every time we crank up our cars, unfortunately. The CO2 is a combustion by-product of the gas being burned in the car’s internal combustion engine which has been in use since cars have been around. Yes, 100-plus years too fucking long! Until we wean ourselves off of fossil fuels, this excessive CO2 being released into the atmosphere will not stop! There are plenty of other, MUCH cleaner sources of fuel that money can be made off of. Yes, the almighty dollar$! The United Corporations of America, I meant the United States of America, should love that; gee, sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference. You have wind energy, solar energy, geothermal energy, hydropower, biofuels (no relation to fossil fuels), etc. In fact, if a land mass the size of New York was covered by one giant solar panel, we would have enough energy to power the entire planet with no harmful gasses being released! Of course, good luck finding that much real estate in our overpopulated planet, but the point is that through a combination of the aforementioned sources we could wean ourselves off fossil fuels.

But then again if you watch too much Faux News, I mean FOX news, and listen to other talking heads and mouthpieces of the Republican party I can totally understand the confusion. They love to have a confused public because it translates in...to votes for them especially when they combine target words and phrases like “higher energy costs” with scientific misinformation because that is easy enough to make sense for the vast majority of the population. In other words, Jill and Joe Plumber might not understand all that “sciencey” mumbo jumbo to spot a scientific error when they slap them in the face with it, but they know that if you scare them with their personal pocketbook then it must not be a good thing at all. Even if it makes scientific sense and in the long run it would actually save money when considering the entire picture. Not just the singular upfront expense but the overall net savings. Furthermore, can you really put a price tag on the environment? I don’t think so. But that type of thinking would be a challenge for Corporate Land wouldn’t it? It’s kind of like asking an insurance company the price of Jane Doe’s breast cancer treatment, you know the price of her life, when they just got through excising her from their plan for no reason so they can still afford to get into their luxurymobile and drive home to their palace in perfect health. Science, however, is not that easy for the vast majority of the public. The petroleum industry and their lobbyists, I mean the Republican Party officials, know that. So they love to blur those lines and instill within their ditto heads a sense of infallibility and excessive ego through false validation to make them not realize the error of their opinions being bandied about as scientific facts. Even when it requires them to admit that they were wrong as we all are at some point or another. That would require a humbling of one’s ego. As we can see from some of these posts, they’ve been very successful at this effort! This is not to say that the Republican Party might not have issues at which they have the better solution for, but that on this particular issue the Democrats are at least proposing a solution instead of laying back and doing nothing at all. We cannot depend on Corporateville to do the right thing because at the end of the day, Capitalism is based on how much money can be made. What we all know as the bottom line. So you can’t just deregulate to hell with the mantra of they will just charitably do the right thing and everyone will suddenly start singing Kumbaya in Smurfville. They’ve been given that opportunity too many times and royally squandered it. Let’s for once use our brains and learn from past experience, regardless of party affiliation. With capitalism, you have to fight money with money much as you do fire with fire. In other words, there has to be some financial disincentive to continue pursuing fossil fuels when there is money to be made on cleaner fuels with a little upfront expense that will eventually be recouped. Much as the initial expense on the infrastructure for obtaining fossil fuels was paid for by corporate greed. At least with cleaner fuels, the greed won’t result in fucking our environment up at the same time.

I get frustrated that mankind really hasn’t progressed much from the days of Galileo Galilei when he championed Copernicanism and was banned by the Inquisition (Catholic Church). As a result of these initially banned individuals we now kno...w things like the Sun, not the Earth, is the center of the Universe and that the Earth is round not flat. But if you polled the idiots from the dark ages they would be in overwhelming agreement that the Earth is not only flat but also the center of the Universe. It is proof that the forward, scientific progress of mankind does not rest on the vast majority, but rather on the coattails of a few individuals who are willing to challenge the status quo when they realize the truth; you know, the “painful” truth. Our founding fathers, such as Thomas Jefferson, knew this and tried to control it by separating Church and State. If the Catholic Church won that argument and it was never disproven, just imagine how screwed up things would be right now on our flat Earth that is the center of the universe. I guess we’d still be plucking babies from cabbage patches or waiting on storks to deliver them, finding pots of gold at the end of rainbows, and living in gingerbread houses too. Just remember that when unspoiled, undamaged, ruled by her own natural law, subject to her own natural will, and the great void from whence she sprang, the great Mother Earth took pleasure in creating and sustaining life in all its prolific diversity. But pillage and conquest by a plundering dominion, being raped of her resources, despoiled by unchecked pollution, and befouled by excess and corruption, her fecund ability to create and sustain could be undone. Though rendered sterile by this destructive subjugation, her great productive fertility exhausted, the final irony will still be hers. That’s right; she can totally take us down if we don’t respect the delicate balance and operate instead as one giant, self-serving ego. I wonder who will be laughing last in that case…

Sleepwalker: (silence)

Proof that truth, painful as it is, does not require a comeback.

The Big Gay Chip on My Shoulder

2009-05-29T15:01:00.002-04:00

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, Rob Thomas and Huffington Post! My god...why couldn't I have said it this way? No matter. You've said it with such class, and so little anger, I fear I'm not worthy to share the same senitments as you. Mainly because I'm prone to telling those who oppse gay marriage to eat their own shit, vomit it up, eat it again, then lower themselves slowly into a pool of magma until there's nothing left. Sigh... So glad to have your voice on our side.

--CG

"..."

Well shit.

I tried to copy the text to paste here for you, but you, dear reader, can just click on the title to be swept away to Rob's immaculate words of wisdom. God I heart him!

Helping Others Heal

2009-04-28T08:39:00.003-04:00

We've just begun the lunar month of Taurus, April 25-May 23. This month is commonly referred to, among kabbalists, as the month of healing. It offers us the ability to instigate the healing process. It seems pretty clear that, with the state of the world as it is, not to mention swine flu, this is the perfect time to tap into all the power we can to turn things around.

"When we pray for another person, we literally envelop him in our presence. We may have negativity of our own, but it may not be in the same area that has caused the judgment in the other person. So when we envelop another person through prayer or other spiritual work, their body is no longer open to negativity. That is the way we can protect people — and even change negative energy into positive energy.
"Whatever damage was drawing the negativity, it can no longer do so. As it is written, “When each one of us prays with our entire soul and with our whole body, through this we can protect another person” — because whatever opening there was for negativity, we cover it up.
"Of course, this doesn’t mean that someone will instantly be healed just because we have prayed for them once. The power of our prayer depends on where we ourselves may be, and we may have to pray for someone many, many times. But the important thing to realize is how, each time we pray, we are exerting an influence. We are having an effect."

To ignite the power of the healing name above, scan it from right to left. Keep in mind the following...

"1. Think about others.
Meditate on people who also need healing. As the energy of healing passes through us to assist others, we automatically receive the benefits ourselves. The more we share, the more we receive.

"2. Be accountable.
Without question, this is a difficult step to take. We must lose the victim mindset. We must realize it was something we did—in this life or a past life—that brought about illness. Immediate causes such as the foods we eat, or even our genetic makeup, are simply the weapons that inflict illness upon us. They are not the causes, they are the effects.

"Blaming someone or something absolves us from all personal responsibility. But when we accept responsibility—100 percent—then and only then will this divine tool rouse the Light of the Creator so we can be healed.

"MEDITATION--The power of this Name brings me the energy of healing at the deepest and most profound level of my being.
As I accept full responsibility for my present state and condition, I concentrate on others who also need healing."

L'Amour for L'Amour

2009-04-21T13:37:00.002-04:00

" ... an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth ... " - Exodus
As an alternative to the conventional interpretation of retributive justice, The Zohar teaches that this famous biblical line is instructing us how energy works, ie., what you give is what you get.
Today, give Light and you'll get Light. Or not. But know in advance that if you give pessimism, anger, hostility, and resentment, you're certainly not going to get love and laughter in return.
--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre

FUCK the right-wing, religious conservatives!

2009-04-16T12:35:00.003-04:00

KUDOS to NY Governor David Patterson for planning to legalize gay marriage in NY!

But, as usual...

"Sen. Ruben Diaz of the Bronx, an opponent of same-sex marriage, planned to meet with religious leaders to discuss how to block the bill.
Diaz, who is an evangelical pastor, said his meeting in the Bronx was to inform Hispanics, Catholics, evangelicals and others opposed to same-sex marriage of their options to prevent the bill's passage.
Diaz also said it is 'disrespectful' of Paterson to introduce the legislation in the same week that Catholics celebrated the installation of New York City Archbishop Timothy Dolan."

Diaz, you whiny-assed bitch. Sit the fuck down and shut the fuck up. Your time, and the time of your whole hate-filled crew, is over.

And here we go...

2009-04-15T16:23:00.009-04:00

As I suspected, the stupid-ass, god-fearing, gun-toting conservatives and Republicans are at it again. Isn't the rhetorical question here: What in hell's bells do you people think the government is here for? Do YOU want to get your fat asses out on the roads to build better infrastructure? Are YOU going to join coalitions to improve public schools, or start giving a damn about the environment that you shit and piss on--just like the rest of us? Do YOU want to chance that if you lose your job and don't have healthcare that when you go to the hospital you'll have to declare bankruptcy to pay your bills? Or not get treatment at all? I thought not. So, as I've said before to your kind:

SIT THE FUCK DOWN, SHUT THE FUCK UP, AND BE GOD DAMNED THANKFUL THAT SOMEONE WITH BRAINS IS IN OFFICE TO TRY TO FIX WHAT YOUR MOTHER FUCKING IDIOT PRESIDENT RUINED IN HIS TWO TERMS.

Just look at these American Idiots. Aside from their cascading ignorance of the whole agenda they're protesting, another thing I can't figure out is the pink coat on the guy in the last pic. I don't even have to say anything about the damn tea-bag hat...For god's sake, if you're going to protest, at least LOOK like you have some sense enough to dress yourself.

4/16/09

AND ANOTHER THING: The first Boston Tea Party was started because of "taxation without representation". We are not in the same situation now, you morons. God dammit. Son of a bitch. Jesus Christ hangin' on the cross...Pontius Pilot at the Last Supper. Sonofabitchgoddammit!

Don't Create what You Don't Want

2009-04-15T13:24:00.002-04:00

Looks like a contination from yesterday. Good stuff!

"If prayer is an intention that we announce to the universe in order to create a desired outcome, then our every thought is a prayer. This includes thoughts of worry as well as of hope. All thoughts are subtle creative energy. Some thoughts are more focused or repeated more often, gathering strength. Some are written down or spoken, giving them even greater power. Every thought we have is part of a process whereby we cocreate our experience and our reality with the universe. When we use our creative energy unconsciously, we create what is commonly known as self-fulfilling prophecy. In essence, when we worry, we are repeatedly praying and lending our energy to the creation of something we don’t want.
"The good news is that we can retrain our minds and thoughts to focus our energy on what we do desire to bring into our lives. Since most worry is repetitive, it will take more than one positive thought to counteract the energy we’ve created. The simplest antidote to worry is affirmations. When we hold these positive thoughts, repeat them often, speak them and write them and refer to them throughout our day, we are using focused energy to create positive results.
...
"A lot of times we have concerned loved ones that worry about us. When this happens they are also sending out a worry prayer to the world. A loving conversation letting them know what is happening is the easiest solution. Also, ask them to send you positive affirmations rather than worry about you. After all, worry doesn’t do them any good either. Explain to them that worry can actually be energetically harmful to you and that wishing good things for you is much more beneficial [and it feels better, too]."
--from DailyOM.com

Focus on the Good - Like Attracts Like

2009-04-14T09:11:00.002-04:00

Excellent example of how the law of attraction works, folks. Enjoy...

"Everything in the universe is made of energy. What differentiates one form of energy from another is the speed at which it vibrates. For example, light vibrates at a very high frequency, and something like a rock vibrates at a lower frequency but a frequency nonetheless. Human beings also vibrate at different frequencies. Our thoughts and feelings can determine the frequency at which we vibrate, and our vibration goes out into the world and attracts to us energy moving at a similar frequency. This is one of the ways that we create our own reality, which is why we can cause a positive shift in our lives by raising our vibration.
"We all know someone we think of as vibrant. Vibrant literally means “vibrating very rapidly.” The people who strike us as vibrant are vibrating at a high frequency, and they can inspire us as we work to raise our vibration. On the other hand, we all know people that are very negative or cynical. These people are vibrating at a lower frequency. They can also be an inspiration because they can show us where we don’t want to be vibrating and why. To discover where you are in terms of vibrancy, consider where you fall on a scale between the most pessimistic person you know and the most vibrant. This is not in order to pass judgment, but rather it is important to know where you are as you begin working to raise your frequency so that you can notice and appreciate your progress.
"There are many ways to raise your vibration, from working with affirmations to visualizing enlightened entities during meditation. One of the most practical ways to raise your vibration is to consciously choose where you focus your attention. To understand how powerful this is, take five minutes to describe something you love unreservedly—a person, a movie, an experience. When your five minutes are up, you will noticeably feel more positive and even lighter. If you want to keep raising your vibration, you might want to commit to spending five minutes every day focusing on the good in your life. As you do this, you will train yourself to be more awake and alive. Over time, you will experience a permanent shift in your vibrancy."
--from DailyOM.com

The Ripple Effect

2009-04-13T13:02:00.003-04:00

"In a world of six billion people, it’s easy to believe that the only way to initiate profound transformation is to take extreme action. Each of us, however, carries within us the capacity to change the world in small ways for better or worse. Everything we do and think affects the people in our lives, and their reactions in turn affect others. As the effect of a seemingly insignificant word passes from person to person, its impact grows and can become a source of great joy, inspiration, anxiety, or pain. Your thoughts and actions are like stones dropped into still waters, causing ripples to spread and expand as they move outward. The impact you have on the world is greater than you could ever imagine, and the choices you make can have far-reaching consequences. You can use the ripple effect to make a positive difference and spread waves of kindness that will wash over the world.
"Should the opportunity arise, the recipient of a good deed will likely feel compelled to do a good deed for someone else. Someone feeling the effects of negative energy will be more likely to pass on that negative energy. One act of charity, one thoughtful deed, or even one positive thought can pass from individual to individual, snowballing until it becomes a group movement or the ray of hope that saves someone’s life. Every transformation, just like every ripple, has a point of origin. You must believe in your ability to be that point of origin if you want to use the ripples you create to spread goodness. Consider the effect of your thoughts and actions, and try to act graciously as much as possible.
"A smile directed at a stranger, a compliment given to a friend, an attitude of laughter, or a thoughtful gesture can send ripples that spread among your loved ones and associates, out into your community, and finally throughout the world. You have the power to touch the lives of everyone you come into contact with and everyone those people come into contact with. The momentum of your influence will grow as your ripples moves onward and outward. One of those ripples could become a tidal wave of love and kindness."
--from DailyOM.com
(I am sure this wisdom will be thrown under a bus the next time some idiot conservative does something uber-stupid and needs crucifying, but for now, this is spot on. Keep fighting the good fight, everyone.)

Happy Crucifying!

2009-04-09T20:16:00.002-04:00

Notre Dame idiots--I got something to say to you...

2009-04-06T16:28:00.003-04:00

I was holding back out of my conscious desire not to be reactionary to your dumbass protests of President Obama coming to speak at your graduation. But I am choosing to take the low road now and tell you, in pure red-neck fashion:

YOU ACT SO GOD DAMN STUPID.

Sit the fuck down, shut the fuck up, and feel honored that you will be addressed personally by the man. I think I speak for many, many people--smart Catholics included--that your tired, mother-fucking conservative values are getting on the LAST nerves of everyone who has some fucking sense. You ungrateful bunch of whiny pussies. Go cling to your old rugged cross at home, but show some fucking respect to the man who is trying his damndest to undo the past eight years of dammage. I mean, really...FUCK YOU! Where, oh where, is the nearest lions den!

Codependent No More

2009-04-03T08:34:00.002-04:00

"Depression. Anger. Co-dependency. Jealousy. Addiction. Impatience.
Sound familiar? What do all of these things have in common? They're all forms of idol worshipping.
This week's Zohar portion refers to the dangers of idol worshipping. If you think it only refers to bowing down to ancient statues, think again. Anything that you allow to control you is considered by the Kabbalists to be idol worshipping.
The energy {with us this week} assists you in cleansing one form of idol worship -- approval-seeking.
What is approval-seeking? It's looking for someone else's energy to fill up your black holes. Rav Ashlag, founder of The Kabbalah Centre, said dependence on others' approval in order to feel good is the seed of uncertainty, depression, and sadness. Rav Ashlag also said that this need is an essential part of who we are, but the only way to truly fulfill it is to generate it from within.
Make no mistake, approval-seeking is the greatest drug ever invented. Looking for other people's energy to fill you up gives you a temporary high but a lasting crash. And for those of you who are thinking, "There really isn't one person in my life from whom I'm hooked on getting approval," chances are you're seeking approval from anyone and everyone.
The bottom line is this — the Light sees everything you do. You don't need the human mind to recognize your greatness. It's registered upstairs. If you are out there doing good, following your internal compass, then you are going to get good in return.
This week provides you with the perfect energy to begin recognizing just how much you might be depending on others' approval. Take this opportunity to practice stepping away from yourself and noticing how many actions and words you spend seeking others' validation. The moment you notice how much you rely on others for your own sense of self-worth is the moment you begin to have your own feelings of self-validation. "
--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre

Situation Shut Down

2009-03-25T13:02:00.003-04:00

"Thoughts do not originate from the physical matter of the brain. The brain is merely a radio that broadcasts thoughts to the rational mind.

So where does the actual broadcast come from?

Kabbalah teaches that there are two distinct sources — the Light force and the dark force. These are like two separate broadcasting stations, and they're on the air 24 hours a day.

Here's the real problem: the dark force of ego has control over the airwaves of our mind. 24/7, at full volume, negative and egocentric thoughts dominate our consciousness. This dark force is the source of all our fears and doubts. In comparison, thoughts that come to us from the Light are barely noticeable. It's only when we manage to tune out the signal transmitting from the dark force that we're able to hear the faint sounds of our own souls.

Recurrent thoughts include uncertainty, constant worrying, dread and excessive fear to the point where we become ridden with anxiety. Negative thoughts also include those terrible things that we think about other people when they aggravate us. Or those harsh judgments we wish upon others when we envy them.

Obsessive-compulsive behavior also begins with uncontrollable negative ideas. Shutting down our negative mental processes frees the mind and automatically curbs obsessive behavior.

A cold heart is an opening for an onslaught of harmful, unproductive thoughts. When our hearts become open and warm, we seal these openings once and for all.

This week, when obsessive thoughts invade, take your mind back by focusing on the 72 Name to the left. It is a divine signal blocker that shuts off destructive thoughts emanating from the ego. In the space that is then opened, a gentle radiance of spiritual Light will flood your heart and mind."

Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Center

You Be the Judge

2009-03-19T12:09:00.001-04:00

"I can sit here and give you every metaphysical reason in the book why not to judge. And yet, telling someone not to judge is like telling them not to breathe. You can only hold your breath in for so long.
"The key is to pay attention, to be aware of your judgements. Notice the reaction you are having towards the person. That's the key. Follow that feeling. It will lead to something you are not willing to confront. You might discover something new about yourself.
"Today, when you judge someone else, look at what it is your judging. It might be a mirror for you. What is it revealing to you?"
--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Center

The Case for Condoms in Africa

2009-03-19T09:17:00.004-04:00

It's like this: Seat belts may create a false sense of security, but few people argue the wisdom of wearing them. Until the current reality of meds availability shifts to a better one, it's the best shot for saving lives.

World's Shortest Fairy Tale

2009-03-18T16:50:00.002-04:00

Once upon a time, a guy asked a girl 'Will you marry me?' The girl said, 'NO!' And the guy lived happily ever after, and rode motorcycles, and went fishing, and hunting, and played golf a lot, and drank beer, and scotch, and left the toilet seat up, and farted whenever he wanted.
THE END

p.s. And turned gay.

Make Room

2009-03-16T12:52:00.002-04:00

"When we have absolutely no idea about what will happen next, we are in the perfect position for something good to happen. How else would you expect something greater than you if you knew it was coming? Today, make room for the unknown. That's where the magic happens."
--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre

Guess who!

2009-03-13T09:11:00.002-04:00

Funniest costume I've seen in a long damn time!

Exiled

2009-03-11T12:53:00.002-04:00

"One of the mysterious processes of spirituality is sometimes things get so dark we're required to become broken in order that we can completely let go of our old belief systems. Old vessels need to be traded in for new ones. This process is called 'exile' and it's the period before a huge revelation of Light. Today, don't fight what you are going through. Now is the time all your study and efforts are being put to the test."

--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre

A traveler's story.

2009-03-10T13:45:00.002-04:00

As Rav Aba sat by the gate of the city Lod, he saw a traveler standing near the edge of a cliff on the mountainside. The traveler must have been weary from the road, for as Rav Aba watched, he lay down and slept. While he was sleeping, a snake came toward him. Then a lizard suddenly appeared and killed the snake. When the traveler awoke, he saw the dead snake and stepped back from the cliff. Just then the cliff was torn from the mountainside and fell to the valley below, but the traveler was saved. If he had awakened a moment later, he would have fallen to his death.

Rav Aba approached the traveler and said: “What have you done that the Holy One, blessed be He, performed two miracles for you: saving you from the snake, and saving you from the falling cliff? For these events did not happen without a reason.”

The traveler replied, “In all my days, I forgave and made peace with any man who did evil by me. If I could not make peace with him, I did not sleep on my bed before forgiving him and all others who had aggrieved me, and I did not harbor hatred for any harm that had been done to me. Moreover, from that day on, I tried to do kindness by them.”

Regrets...I've had a few.

2009-03-09T14:28:00.002-04:00

"How many of us are stuck in ruts because we cling to past slights, traumas, missed opportunities, and betrayals? The best way to let go and move forward is to acknowledge and accept those negative things you did (or had done to you) as steps on the path that brought you to where you need to be today.

"Today, recall the pain of your past. Allow yourself to get to the point where you can accept that they were blessings; the perfect things that helped you build a new you. If you can release your grip on the anger, sadness, and regret, then it will be easier to spot the Light in the darkness."

--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Center

The Temple Inside

2009-03-04T16:36:00.002-05:00

"When you give with your whole heart, you are destined to get something in return. I know a lot of people get frustrated when they share and don't get anything out of it. The key is not expecting the return to come from the person to whom you gave.

Our five senses block us from seeing that it's the Light giving, not the other person. Meaning, when you are in a relationship, just focus on sharing and don't worry about how or when you will get yours because the real exchange isn't between you and the other, it's between you and the Creator. It doesn't make a difference if the energy comes from that person or from someone else. When you give with your whole heart, even if your judgment is you are not getting enough in return or the person isn't doing their part, as long as you stay focused on doing your part, the energy will come back. It has to because that is how the spiritual system is structured.

Obviously we cannot continually give to the same person who does nothing in return because we run the risk of giving them what kabbalists call, "bread of shame." But in the normal course of events, we can become better at not calculating every step of the way, and instead just going with it.

Kabbalistically, letting go of our desire for payback is like building a temple inside of us in which the Light can rest, thereby allowing us to tap into fulfillment and everything that is good. Conversely, when we look for what we can get in return, we build a place for chaos to rest. This becomes the source of all that wreaks havoc in our life.

This week, find the strength to do one-way sharing. Open your heart and give to others, without expecting a return."

--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Center

Quote of the year!

2009-03-03T19:20:00.003-05:00

So we had another god-damned right-wing stupid-ass christian protest in Raleigh today. Shitty christ-ies were out there screaming about their problems with gay marriage. Whiny-assed hateful mother fuckers...Anyway, the local paper was there to write it up, and there were MANY reader comments attached to the article, but the one I'll cite below just takes the friggin cake:

"I think we need to amend the constitution as follows: Religious people who discriminate against others because an invisible friend told them so will be sent to the nut house and have their crazy thoughts replaced with logical thinking."

HA-HA! THANK YOU!
(i attached the link for the article, just in case you want to read what those idiots had to say.)

Matching the Outside to the Inside

2009-02-27T14:44:00.002-05:00

"Are you involved in the kind of work and relationships that allow you to be who you really are? It is important to be your genuine self in every aspect of you life because matching your outsides with your insides is what gives you fulfillment. Today, take a few steps in the direction you want to go."

--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Center

You know, folks, what The Berg says here is nothing more than common sense. Or should be. But isn't it the case that we still need these kinds of reminders--almost daily--just to keep our focus? Regardless, have an excellent weekend.

WHAT THE MOTHER F*CK???

2009-02-26T12:52:00.002-05:00

The Enemy is Still Very Real.

2009-02-26T12:46:00.002-05:00

Take some time to read the linked article associated with this photo. To quote Willam Defoe in Mississippi Burning: "What's wrong with these people?"

Do you see?

2009-02-24T08:59:00.004-05:00

My train of thought is riding the tracks of perspective and perception right now, making me take a closer look at the people I have in my life so that I don't miss seeing them for who they really are. I invite you to do the same. Step back for a moment, clear your head, and allow yourself to really "see" those who are a constant part of your world for what they are. It'll do you good.

Speaking of lessons...

2009-02-23T12:23:00.001-05:00

Haven't You Learned Your Lesson Yet?

2009-02-23T11:32:00.003-05:00

"Your soul is on a multi-lifetime journey of correction. The difficult people you encounter are sent to help you complete this journey. Meaning, every difficult interaction is supposed to strengthen and teach you something. That annoying colleague you wish would be transferred? He's in your life for this purpose. That overbearing in-law you wish would move to another state? She's in your life for this purpose. Every single human who crosses your path, from your mom to your landlord, is here for this purpose of helping you learn and grow. Today, change the way you see the 'annoying people'. Instead of avoiding them, or hating them, ask, 'What are they teaching me?'

"Here is one more point that is perhaps the greatest incentive to own up to your reactions: The Light will continue sending you the same challenges until you've learned your lesson.The sooner you accept these situations, and get to the root of what they're about, the sooner the Light will stop sending you them. Tonight, before falling asleep, think about your interactions today and how they made you feel. Understand that the discomfort was the universe helping you learn your lesson. And, know that the universe will continue to give you that pain until you can look at it and accept that it's about your growth, not the other person or situation."
--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre

Serenity NOW! DAMMIT!

2009-02-19T16:54:00.003-05:00

"In our noisy world, we often find ourselves longing for peace and searching to find it somewhere else. While it’s true that there are places we can visit where we can experience peace, such as sacred sites or buildings, we do not need to wait until we get to one of these places to feel at peace. Instead, we can learn to locate the seed of peace inside ourselves and cultivate it so that it grows into a reliable source of serenity that we can always access, no matter where we are.
"We experience peace when we are in a state of mental calm and serenity. It might surprise you to notice how infrequently you allow yourself to be free from anxiety. Realizing this is the first step to inner peace. If you wait until all the details of your life are taken care of to allow yourself to experience peace, you will never feel peaceful because there is always something that your mind can grab onto to create anxiety. It is important to consciously set aside your worries and make time to cultivate inner peace.
"Ideally, you could schedule time each day to meditate on peace and experience what it feels like to be calm and serene. It takes practice to learn how to let go of your worries, so give yourself some time. Inhale deeply, and feel your worries dissolve with every exhale. Remind yourself that soon enough you will be able to take care of everything you need to, but right now you are taking a break. As the clutter of your thoughts and concerns clear away, you will start to feel more serene. Allow yourself to move deeper into this state with each inhale. Realize that you have the power to free yourself from anxiety simply by deciding to do so. The more you practice feeling peaceful, the easier it will be for you to feel at peace."
--DailyOM.com

As Blessed as You Want to Be.

2009-02-10T11:29:00.003-05:00

I absolutely DESPISE to hear someone say, "Have a blessed day!" It makes me feel like I'm far too close to yet another fundamentalist, who will undoubtedly start preaching and spouting biblical things, just to make themselves appear more holy or god-worthy. Even worse are those stupid bumper stickers or t-shirts that say: BLESSED. Do the stickees, or wearers, even know what it means to be blessed? I'm not sure, but I'm working on controlling my impulses to break out the flame thrower or hurl knives at them. What's my point here....
AH! Got it.
My point is, as I stated with the last post, that being blessed--let's say "prosperous", shall we?-- is a state of mind. You are either prosperous, or not, depending on the quality of your thoughts. It's just that simple. So why the hell don't we remember that and keep our thoughts only on the good stuff? I chalk it up to the fallacy of the human condition. But, at least we have the power of choice to make. Let's not waste it. Read on...and prosper.

"Our thoughts are not simply ethereal pieces of information that enter our minds and then disappear. The words and ideas that we think can shape our lives and drive us toward success and happiness or failure and distress. How you think and feel can have a profound effect on your ability to recognize opportunity, how well you perform, and the outcome of the goals that you’ve set for yourself. When you maintain an optimistic outlook and make an effort to harbor only positive thoughts, you begin to create the circumstances conducive to you achieving what you desire. You feel in control and few of life’s challenges seem truly overwhelming because it is in your nature to expect a positive conclusion. An optimistic mind is also an honest one. Staying positive does not mean that you ignore difficulties or disregard limitations. Instead, it means spending time focusing only on the thoughts that are conducive to your well-being and progress.
"Positive thinking dramatically increases your chances of success in any endeavor. When you’re sure that you are worthy and that achievement is within your grasp, you start to relax and look for solutions rather than dwelling on problems. You are more likely to imagine positive situations or outcomes and disregard the thoughts related to giving up, failure, or roadblocks. What the mind expects, it finds. If you anticipate joy, good health, happiness, and accomplishment, then you will experience each one. Thinking positively may sound like a simple shift in attention – and it is – but it is a mind-set that must be developed. Whenever a negative thought enters your mind, try immediately replacing it with a constructive or optimistic one. With persistence, you can condition your mind to judge fleeting, self-defeating thoughts as inconsequential and dismiss them.
"It is within your power to become as happy, content, or successful as you make up your mind to be. Staying positive may not have an immediate effect on your situation, but it will likely have a profound and instantaneous effect on your mood and the quality of your experiences. In order for positive thinking to change your life, it must become your predominant mind-set. Once you are committed to embracing positive thinking, you’ll start believing that everything that you want is within your grasp. "
--DailyOM.com

For Everyone. Because We've All Been Hurt.

2009-02-10T11:19:00.003-05:00

So, I'm on this kick right now of reinforcing my brain that I'm the one that creates my life. That I determine--either consciously or, worse, unconsciously--everthing that happens to me. Or DOESN'T happen. I recently posted a brief note about the importance of foregiveness, but I found this old DailyOM.com email this morning. It quietly asserted that it needed to be posted. And so I obey...

"When someone has hurt us, consciously or unconsciously, one of the most difficult things we have to face in resolving the situation is the act of forgiveness. Sometimes it feels like it's easier not to forgive and that the answer is to simply cut the person in question out of our lives. In some cases, ending the relationship may be the right thing to do, but even in that case, we will only be free if we have truly forgiven. If we harbor bitterness in our hearts against anyone, we only hurt ourselves because we are the ones harboring the bitterness. Choosing to forgive is choosing to alleviate ourselves of that burden, choosing to be free of the past, and choosing not to perceive ourselves as victims.

"One of the reasons that forgiveness can be so challenging is that we feel we are condoning the actions of the person who caused our suffering, but this is a misunderstanding of what is required. In order to forgive, we simply need to get to a place where we are ready to stop identifying ourselves with the suffering that was caused us. Forgiveness is something we do for ourselves, and our forgiveness of others is an extension of our readiness to let go of our own pain. Getting to this point begins with fully accepting what has happened. Through this acceptance, we allow ourselves to feel and process our emotions.

"It can be helpful to articulate our feelings in writing over a period of days or even weeks. As we allow ourselves to say what we need to say and ask for what we need to heal, we will find that this changes each day. It may be confusing, but it is a sign of progress. At times we may feel as if we are slogging uphill through dense mud and thick trees, getting nowhere. If we keep going, however, we will reach a summit and see clearly that we are finally free of the past. From here, we recognize that suffering comes from suffering, and compassion for those who have hurt us naturally arises, enhancing our new perspective."

(btw, the 72 Name above transmits Healing Light when scanned from right to left--healing for the soul, which naturally heals the body.)

You are what you speak.

2009-02-09T15:21:00.002-05:00

"The words we speak and think hold great sway over the kind of life that we create for ourselves. Many people live their lives plagued by negative thoughts and never even realize this. They tell themselves and others that they are doomed to fail, not good enough, or not worthy of love, yet they are amazed when their reality starts reflecting these words. Just as the subconscious mind accepts as truth the critical statements we tell ourselves, however, it is also equipped to instantly accept the veracity of our affirmations.

"Affirmations are statements chosen and spoken consciously. Once they enter our realm of consciousness, they also enter our subconscious mind where they have the power to change our lives. The affirmations you create should be specific, not too long, worded positively, formed in complete sentences, and spoken in the present tense as if what you are affirming is already true. It is a good idea to repeat your affirmations daily. You may want to tell yourself that you deserve to be happy or that you are in control of your destiny. Or, you may want to focus on a particular goal, such as attracting new friends. Rather than telling yourself you want to be well-liked, say, “I am well-liked.” Your subconscious mind will pick up on these positive messages, and you will begin to live your life as if what you are affirming already has happened. Soon, your reality will begin to reflect your affirmations. If you find that you are thwarting yourself with negative thinking, try repeating ! your affirmations several times a day. Write your affirmations down and say them aloud or in your mind. Allow your conviction to grow stronger each time you say your affirmations, and your negativity will be overridden by your motivation and positive thoughts.

"Affirmations are a powerful tool for creating our desired reality. We consciously and subconsciously invite opportunity into our lives when we say affirmations. Trust in the power of your affirmations, and you will very quickly create what you have already stated to be true. "
--DailyOM.com

Foregiveness

2009-02-09T09:53:00.000-05:00

"When we forgive, we can look at the person who hurt us from a whole new angle. Maybe this person is here to show us we are not open as we thought, maybe they are here to push us to go to a new level, maybe they are removing judgment from our life.

Whatever the reason, forgiveness brings empathy, it brings understanding, and it brings us out of the inner-dialogue of blame and regret.

Today, put the scales of justice away and say "shush!" to the vengeful voice in your mind. Just forgive. Because from a kabbalistic point of view, you can never know how the Light feels unless you know forgiveness."
--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre

How Do I Change?

2009-02-09T09:50:00.001-05:00

"Do you want to change? Really?

Ok. Here's a top secret Kabbalah secret. Do this and you will change whatever it is that needs improving. No more running to ask people what to do or reading the quick fix books or however else you're spinning your wheels while not changing. Here it is, one word that will change your take on change: disgust.

When you can get to the level where you are disgusted with the behavior, when you see how filthy it is making you and your soul, you'll no longer have to try to change. You just will.

Pick one thing you want to change. Mull it over. Take in the stench. And when you're disgusted, you know you're ready to change."
--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre

Please Don't Say You're Sorry

2009-01-28T09:25:00.001-05:00

Saying you’re sorry does not remove the other person’s pain. Apologizing does not prevent you from having the same reaction again under different circumstances a week or two later. To correct a pain you caused another, you must eradicate the trait inside yourself that caused you to react in the first place.
Today, work on eliminating one negative trait from your nature.

--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre

The Conversation: Weekly Kabbalah Tune Up, Jan 25-31

2009-01-27T10:22:00.002-05:00

The gift of this week is the ability to change the tone of our constant conversation we have with ourselves. It’s essential we have this awareness, for the kabbalists explain the most important focus is the mind. It controls everything. The quality of our thoughts determines the quality of our life.

Imagine hearing a good friend talk badly about himself. Or better yet, our child. When we hear our kids beating themselves up, naturally, we tell them how wonderful they are.

Do we do the same for ourselves?

This week the Light of the Creator is nudging us towards a finer awareness of how we talk to ourselves. Are we advocates or adversaries? Many of us are so accustomed to convincing ourselves we’re not enough, due to faulty childhood programming, or past lives, or what have you. But the next seven days, we want to convince ourselves that we are enough, that no mountain is too high to climb, no obstacle to great to overcome.

Before you leave this page and go back to the matters of the day, please remember to talk nicely to yourself, and to remind yourself, you are more than enough.

--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Center

(Repeat the Stuart Smalley mantra: I'm good enough, smart enough, and--dog-gonnit--people like me!)

Do it! But don't waste it!

2009-01-27T09:27:00.002-05:00

The body consciousness has an attribute of laziness, of keeping things to itself. That's why it requires so much effort to give of ourselves. And yet, we are not our body. The body is merely a vehicle for the soul.
We don't think we are the computer just because we use one, do we?
Take a few steps back today and ponder this. Notice how often your soul says "Yes, do it!" and your body says, "Ah, don't bother."
But, in your zest to push forward with your compulsions, be sure you're not wasting your energies. For example: Imagine an old lady on the corner of a busy intersection. A passerby attempts to help her cross the street. She politely refuses. He tries again. She still refuses, now somewhat annoyed at his insistence.
Why is she annoyed? Because she has no desire to cross the street. She’s merely standing at the intersection waiting for the bus to arrive.
Sometimes in our zeal to share, we end up forcing our kindness on people who don’t want it. For real sharing to take place, there must be a willing receiver, and an actual desire to take possession of the offering.
Pay attention to how you give today. Make sure there’s someone receiving on the other end.

--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre

I figured something out: It's totally ok to tell the ugly truth.

2009-01-27T08:49:00.004-05:00

A little while ago, I was feeling frustrated because it seemed, like the song said way back in '92, that "truth is out of style". And, as someone who is trying to be highly conscious of the signals I'm sending out into the universe, I had this idea that I wasn't allowed to discuss unpleasant truths because it was equal to propegating negativity, a practice I have vowed to whittle away at until I am no longer a contributor to darkness in this world.
But let me tell you something that my Drew helped me realize: telling the ugly truth--and, especially, revealing the darkness in our midst--is NOT the same thing as the simple spreading of rumor or telling lies just to cut someone down. It is my duty--EVERYONE'S DUTY--as a spiritual being to make a blatant, blinking, neon sign that points to the injustices and idiocies that are truly perpetuating the degredation of humanity. If I don't honor that power within me, then I'm not a very good Kabbalist because I've not lined up my own intentions with the intention of the greater good.
So, when you see a benign and gentle post on here that extolls the virtues of love, tolerance, and forgiveness, immediately followed by a rant so viscious it makes your eyes sting, know that it's not because I haven't taken my lithium for the day or that my red string fell off, but that it's the truth coming out--at least, what little part of it I can perceive in my tiny sphere of influence.
And, I realize that my truth is not the whole truth, so please add your own to mine if you see fit. Correct me and reveal more Light in the process. But for heaven's sake, and for the sake of the Earth, DON'T APLOGIZE for it.
In the words of Skinny Puppy: "Soft-spoken changes nothing."

-cg

The Upside of Irritation

2009-01-22T13:24:00.001-05:00

Alright. If I didn't get the point with the Berg's message before, I surely get it now. And it actually comes at another convenient, precarious moment. I've just been told by a good friend that Rush Limbaugh has openly declared that he hopes our new president fails. This post won't guarantee that I won't write to Rush and put a turd in the envelope, but it will guarantee that I won't shoot him. Be thankful, Mr. Limbaugh. Intervention came at the right time...

from DailyOM.com

"There are many stories of spiritual masters embracing the presence of an annoying student in their community. There is even one story that documents a teacher paying an irritating person to live among his students. From an everyday perspective, this is difficult to comprehend. We generally work hard to avoid people and things that we find annoying so they don’t bother us.

"From a deeper spiritual perspective, however, irritation can be an important teacher and indicator that we are making progress on our path. Being able to remain centered and awake even when we feel uncomfortable is much more impressive than doing so in an environment where everything is to our liking. No matter how good we are at controlling our circumstances, there will always be factors and people that we cannot control. How we respond to these experiences to a great degree determines the quality of our lives. The goal of spiritual development is not to learn to control our environment—which is more of an ego-driven desire. And while having some measure of control over our external reality is important, it is when we are confronted with a person or situation that irritates us and we can choose not to react that we know we have made progress spiritually. It is when we have mastered our internal reality that we will have become the masters of our lives.

"The more we try to eliminate annoyances, instead of learning to handle them gracefully, the further we get from developing the qualities that come with spiritual growth, such as patience, tolerance, and acceptance. It is often in the presence of people and experiences we find annoying that we have an opportunity to develop these qualities. Fortunately for most of us, our lives offer an abundance of opportunities to practice and cultivate these traits."

It certainly does!

Seeking Common Ground

2009-01-22T09:15:00.000-05:00

And so, after my tyrade yesterday, I found this in my mailbox. That Yehuda--how does he know?

"Two parties can have opposing opinions and conflicting viewpoints, and both be right.

Agitation occurs when one or both parties engaged in an argument respond reactively, intolerant to the other person's view. Spirituality aspires to a higher truth—the notion of unity, of sensitivity, of tolerance for those we disagree with.

Today, instead of focusing on being right, recognize this higher truth and seek common ground and unity with people."

--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre

W said WHAT???

2009-01-21T12:28:00.001-05:00

This is an article I found on Yahoo this morning. I've copied the whole thing here so that I can insert MY ALL-CAPS COMMENTARY where I deem appropriate. I'm sure there are millions of posts out there with the same sentiment, but I don't care. I'm adding my relieved voice to the masses.

"WACO, Texas – After an enthusiastic welcome from thousands of cheering Texans (WHO I WOULD CLEARLY HAVE NO USE FOR, OTHER THAN TRADE LABOR.) in two cities, George W. Bush spent his first night out of office at his Crawford ranch.

Before flying in a helicopter to his 1,600-acre ranch, (WHICH, I'M SURE, HE WAS HANDED BY SOMEONE ELSE WHO MAY HAVE ACTUALLY WORKED FOR IT--I SAY 'MAY HAVE' BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REPUBLICANS HERE.) the former president told about 3,000 well-wishers gathered at a Waco airfield Tuesday night that he was glad to be back in Texas. (WELL, THAT MAKES ABOUT 2.5 BILLION MORE OF US, G.)

"It is a great day because we got to come home once and for all," Bush, with former first lady Laura Bush at his side, said as the crowd cheered. (POOR LAURA. MAYBE NOW SHE CAN LIVE HER OWN LIFE.)

The supporters, bundled up against 40-degree temperatures, had waited on the tarmac for more than an hour. Many waved red, white and blue cardboard "W"s and small American flags.(HOW QUAINT AND DECIDEDLY HEARTLAND OF THEM.) Dozens of children sat on their parents' shoulders to get a glimpse of Bush, who shook some hands and chatted with some in the crowd after he spoke.

Bush said he was grateful for his friends in Texas (OH, I'LL JUST BET--THEY'RE THE ONLY ONES YOU SUCESSFULLY KEPT BRAINWASHED.) and for the opportunity to serve as president over the last eight years. (YOU DON'T EVEN DESERVE TO FEEL GRATEFUL FOR IT. YOU FUCKING STOLE IT, YOU SMUG PRICK.)

"I come home with my head held high," he said, adding that when he got to his Crawford ranch he would look in the mirror and "be proud of what I see."

(YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!! I HOPE YOUR HEAD IS HELD HIGH ENOUGH TO BE IN THE WAY OF A STRAY BULLETT FROM ONE OF THE POACHERS WANDERING AROUND ON YOUR FUCKING RANCH. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO BE PROUD OF, GEORGE. YOU VERY NEARLY RUINED OUR COUNTRY, AND NOW YOU WANT TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT? I WOULD DO NO LESS THAN PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE AND THEN SPIT IN THE HOLE I MADE IF I COULD MEET YOU. YES. HOLD YOUR HEAD HIGH. LET 'EM GET A GOOOOOOD SHOT. MOTHER FUCKER.)

After leaving Washington, D.C., earlier Tuesday, Bush arrived in Midland, where he grew up and where thousands held a send-off rally before his first inauguration. (THEY'RE IDIOTS. THEY'RE ALL IDIOTS THERE. THEY HAVE TO BE.)

In the hours leading up to his return Tuesday, excerpts of some of Bush's speeches played on a large TV screen, including remarks he made to Congress shortly after the 2001 terrorist attacks. (THAT'S RIGHT--TRY TO KEEP THE PUBLIC SNOWBALLED TO THIS DAY BY TELLING THEM THERE WAS A BIG-BAD THAT YOU CAME IN AND SAVED THEM FROM. GO EAT SHIT.)

One little boy waved a sign that read, "President Bush, thank you for keeping me safe" in multicolored lettering. (SEE? THEY START FEEDING THEM THE POISON AT BIRTH. THIS KID WILL BE A HAZARD TO THE FREE WORLD IF HIS PROGRAMMING ISN'T STOPPED SOON.)Others read: "Be Bold, Be Bush" and "43 is back." (WHAT? BE BOLD, BE BUSH? HOW ABOUT: BE DEAD, COULD YOU DIE NOW? LITTLE DO THEY KNOW THAT 43 IS HIS IQ.)

"The presidency was a joyous experience, but as great as it was, nothing compares with Texas at sunset," Bush told a crowd of about 25,000. (A JOYOUS EXPERIENCE! DID YOU THINK IT WAS A FUCKING PARTY? OH WAIT--YEAH,YOU DID.) "Tonight I have the privilege of saying six words that I have been waiting to say for a while: It is good to be home." (GOOD FOR YOU. NOW SIT DOWN AND SHUT THE FUCK UP. ONCE AND FOR ALL. GO ROT.)

Dudley Winn, a cotton farmer on the South Plains of West Texas, drove two hours from Lubbock to greet Bush on his first stop after leaving office.

"It's a special day but it's a sad day," Winn said. "He's done eight years of a job well done. He held our country together with the values we respect. He did the job we asked him to do. He kept our values safe." (UM, FOR THE RECORD--AND I FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT THIS, EVEN THOUGH I'VE NEVER MET YOUR COUNTRY ASS: NOT MY FUCKING VALUES. IF YOU THINK HE'S HELD THIS COUNTRY TOGETHER, THEN YOU'RE JUST AS STUPID AS HE IS AND YOU NEED TO ROT ON THAT RANCH WITH HIM. IT IS PRECISELY YOUR LINE OF VALUES THAT HAS CREATED THE SHITTY AMERICA YOU LIVE IN RIGHT NOW.)

Bush spoke about the challenges he had faced, saying that even during some of his most difficult days, he "was always optimistic about the future." (WELL I GUESS SO! YOU KNEW YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO BE ACCOUNTABLE! I FUCKING HATE YOU!!!)

He lauded those who helped throughout his presidency and defended decisions he said some thought unwise.

"I never took an opinion poll to tell me what to think," Bush said. (YOU SHOULD HAVE. YOU REALLY SHOULD HAVE. GOD...WHAT A SELF-RIGHTEOUS ASS!)

As Bush flew into Midland he wanted to see the gathering from the air. The jet carrying the Bushes and others flew low over downtown so that they could see Centennial Plaza before they landed. (WHERE WAS THE BAZOOKA OR GRENADE LAUNCHER? WHO THE FUCK FELL ASLEEP ON THE JOB? NO OFFENSE TO LAURA AND THE GIRLS--THEY'RE VICTIMS OF CIRCUMSTANCE, UNFORTUNATELY).

Bush said that while several former presidents told him they had felt bittersweet about leaving office, "For me, there's nothing to be bitter about. Today is something sweet." (AGAIN, NO SURPRISE YOU FEEL THIS WAY. YOU'RE JUST TOO DANG HAPPY THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO FACE YOUR SHIT ANY MORE, AREN'T YOU, G. I SAY YOU SHOULD BE FORCED INTO A COFFIN WITH IT AND BURIED ALIVE TO SUFFOCATE ON THE FUMES. DOES THAT SMELL SWEET TO YOU NOW?)

With Bush at the Midland rally were Karl Rove, former White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolton, Alberto Gonzales, the country's former attorney general and others from his administration. Bush plans to eventually settle in a north Dallas neighborhood. (NOTE TO SELF: DON'T GO NEAR DALLAS LEST TEMPTATION GET THE BETTER OF YOU--IT'S NOT WORTH THE JAIL TIME. OR IS IT...)

Jan Rhodes, a school teacher in Midland, was on hand when Bush left Midland eight years ago for his inauguration and was back Tuesday.

"We watched for eight years and we're proud of how he served us and how he represented Midland," she said. (STUPID. STUPID. STUPID.)

While Bush was born in New Haven, Conn., he spent his childhood in Midland. He returned there as an adult in the 1970s and met the future first lady, who grew up there.

He called meeting her "more meaningful" in his life than "any meeting in the Oval Office."

"She filled the White House with warmth and my life with joy," Bush said. "History will show that she was a fabulous first lady."
(I'LL SAY. SHE WAS THE ONLY ELEMENT OF GRACE TO YOUR WHOLE MONUMENTALLY EMBARASSING, ROMPER-ROOM TERM OF A PRESIDENCY. WITHOUT HER, I DOUBT YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO WIPE YOUR ASS WITHOUT STAINING YOUR HANDS. YOU SEEM TO HAVE LEARNED MANY A TRICK TO KEEP YOUR HANDS CLEAN OVER THE YEARS, G. WELL, FEEL PROUD ALL YOU WANT. YOU CAN RIDE ON YOUR GLIB CARPET AROUND TOWN, WAVING AT THE MINDLESS 3,000 OR SO WHO ARE GLAD TO HAVE YOU WITH THEM. THE FURTHER AWAY FROM WASHINGTON YOU ARE, THE BETTER. AND YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH MY WORDS ARE HARSH AND WOULD INDICATE THAT YOUR DEATH WOULD BE THE GREATEST LEGACY OF YOUR TIME, I ACTUALLY HOPE YOU LIVE TO SEE YOUR DISASTER MADE INTO SOMETHING GOOD, AND I HOPE YOU NEVER SLEEP A WINK AT NIGHT FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAYS BECAUSE YOU ARE EATEN ALIVE WITH THE GUILT AT THE HORRORS YOU'VE CREATED. YES, G, I WANT YOU TO LIVE AND SUFFER UNTIL THAT SAGGING SKIN SUIT YOU'RE IN TURNS INTO A PUDDLE OF TEXAS GOO. IS THIS SPIRITUAL AND KABBALISTIC OF ME? ABSOLUTELY NOT. IS IT EMPATHETIC, FORGIVING, AND FULL OF THE HUMAN COMPASSION I SO BOLDLY PROFESS TO OWN? HELL NO! THIS IS ME TELLING THAT SON OF A BITCH THAT I'M GLAD HIS DAYS IN OFFICE ARE OVER, AND THAT I HOPE I LIVE TO SEE HIS KARMA SMACK HIM FULL IN THE FACE, AND LEAVE HIM IN RUINS. GET THEE GONE, GEORGE. I WILL TRY TO FORGET WE KNEW YE.)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090121/ap_on_re_us/bush_texas_welcome

What the News Won't Say About Gaza

2009-01-14T13:22:00.000-05:00

WHOA!
Some pretty hefty words here, boys and girls. I will say that, while I do subscribe to the concept that we all create our own realities--and that our realities affect others' realities--I still have a hard time wrapping my head around it in absolute terms where violence and illness are concerned. But, if nothing else, this makes for some controversial food for thought. It comes to us courtesy of www.laitman.com...

A question I received: What do you think about the situation that is now unfolding in Gaza, from the standpoint of Kabbalah? What solution would you propose to the Israeli and Palestinian governments? Is it possible to justify the actions of these two governments seeing that the victims are innocent people, the elderly and children?

My Answer: On the level of this world, I suffer for both nations. However, there is a Biblical law that says: “He who raises a sword against you, let him die by the sword,” and, “He who rises to kill you, kill him first.” After many years of watching the civilian population of Israel being bombed, I don’t think there’s any alternative but to destroy the enemy – Hamas (but not the civilian Arabic population of Gaza). Hamas aspires to kill as many civilians as possible, and the fact that they are using their own people as a shield is no reason to sit and wait for them to destroy us. Let the population of Gaza rise up and deal with their own government, whose actions are forcing them into this catastrophe.

By the way, Israel regularly sends humanitarian aid to Gaza. The wounded civilians of Gaza are admitted to Israeli hospitals and treated free of charge. However, as for whether the humanitarian aid (hundreds of trucks a week) actually gets to the people – that is the UN’s job to monitor. These international organizations shouldn’t blame anyone but themselves for their indifference toward the hungry residents of Gaza!

And after all, wasn’t it the people living in Gaza who voted for Hamas to be their leader at the free elections? So indirectly, aren’t they also responsible for what is happening and are accomplices to some degree? “The people suffering are the civilians and the innocent children” - but they are suffering because of their own choice to have Hamas be their government! This is their fault, and today they are reaping the fruits. And by the way, most Arabic countries hate and fear Hamas: just look at their reactions to what is happening.

But this was just a commentary on the level of our world.

The situation according to Kabbalah: Kabbalah sees everything taking place in the world as the revelation of man’s evil nature, the recognition of this evil, the search for its correction, then its correction and the attainment of the goal of creation. All the conflicts throughout the entire human history gather together into one sensation of evil, and they must bring us to the feeling of, “That’s enough!” And this will take place in our time. The prophets wrote that the final clashes taking place in the world will be against Arab fundamentalism. For example:

The Book of Zohar (Vaira, 32): “In the future, the sons of Ishmael will ignite cruel wars in the world…”

The Book of Zohar (Devarim, 32): “The sons of Ishmael will take over the Holy Land, when it is empty for many years… They will create obstructions for the sons of Israel, who will be returning to their land…”

See the full article, with video, at:
http://www.laitman.com/2009/01/the-gaza-conflict-is-one-more-step-toward-revealing-mans-evil-nature/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=kabbalahinfo&utm_campaign=the-gaza-conflict-is-one-more-step-toward-revealing-mans-evil-nature

Diamonds in the Making

2009-01-13T18:10:00.001-05:00

"Diamonds are the crystalline form of carbon, transformed by extreme heat and pressure. The constant pressure of billions of years eventually transforms the worthless chunk of coal into a valuable precious stone.
Just like life.
"Overwhelming pressure can always be converted into opportunity. And it doesn't have to take billions of years. The moment we shift our consciousness and recognize the spiritual value concealed within our hardships, a sparkling, new diamond is formed.
What diamonds are in the making for you? Focus on one difficult situation today and allow yourself to see it as a gem in the making."

--Yehuda Berg, of The Kabbalah Centre

Stop creating the worst!

2009-01-09T10:19:00.001-05:00

"Anxiety fools us by creating an imaginary future that doesn't really exist.

For example, you might be anxious that flying will lead to a plane crash, so you avoid the thing you fear. Usually the bad thing hasn't actually happened to you, and probably never will. This can be true for anything from asking someone on a date, to speaking in public, to walking on a quiet street late at night.

What are you most anxious about today? Instead of imaging the worst case scenario, allow yourself the pleasure of imagine the best case scenario. Think how much you have to gain by thinking this way."
--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre

Don't want to disconnect...

2009-01-09T08:48:00.001-05:00

A SEPARATE REALITY-
Disconnecting from the Source

"We all experience periods where we feel separated from the loving ebb and flow of the universe. These times of feeling disconnected from the source may occur for many reasons, but self-sabotage is the most common cause for us choosing to cut ourselves off from the flow of the universe. We purposefully, though often unconsciously, cut ourselves off from this flow and from the embrace of humanity so we can avoid dealing with painful issues, shun the necessary steps for growth, or prevent the success that we are afraid of achieving from ever happening. When you choose to disconnect from the source, you block the flow of the universe’s energy from passing through you. You become like a sleepwalker who is not fully awake to life, and your hopes, plans, and dreams begin to appear as distant blurs on a faraway horizon. Universal support has never left you, but if you can remember that you became disconnected from source by choice, you can choose to reconnect.

"Reconnecting with the universe grounds you and is as easy as you making a concerted effort to become interested in the activities you love or responding to what nurtures or stimulates you. You may also want to make a list of the activities and kinds of experiences that touch your soul. Try to pinpoint the times when you have felt fully engaged and aware and ask yourself what you were doing. But one of the easiest ways to reconnect is simply by stating the intention of doing so.

"When you disconnect from the universe, your sense of purpose, creativity, and ability to be innovative are not as easy to access. You may also experience a deep and empty sense of longing or feel devoid of ideas or unworthy of love. It’s important, however, to recognize that being disconnected from the universe is never a permanent state, and it can be reversed any time you decide that you are ready to reconnect. When you are connected to the universe, all aspects of your being will feel alive as the flow of the universe pours through your being and into your life."
--DailyOM.com

Righting the Wrongs

2009-01-07T09:54:00.001-05:00

"We all have regrets about missed opportunities of saying something to a loved one, due to either an unwillingness to be uncomfortable, an aversion to rocking the boat, or good old-fashioned pride.

Go to some one you love very much - with whom you've had problems - and tell them you love them. Before you open up, consider these three conditions :

1. Completely love the person and feel as if you are them in the moment

2. Believe there's a chance the person will change from what you're saying

3. Put your agenda on hold. Cut the strings of expectation and anticipate nothing in return."
--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Center

It starts in your mind.

2009-01-07T09:52:00.001-05:00

"Kabbalah teaches us that nothing happens in the physical realm that does not first occur in the metaphysical world. Think of the spiritual world as a computer and the physical world as a printout. The real decisions are made at the software level.

Practically speaking, this means decisions are made in the spiritual world at the level of consciousness. The emotional and physical maladies therefore arise from that level too. So to address the weaknesses in our lives, we must go back to consciousness.

What's running through your mind? Are you addicted to optimism versus cynicism? Inject positivity into your thinking today and allow room for healing of all sorts to occur."
--Yehdua Berg of The Kabbalah Centre

What Happened? (We stopped sharing.)

2009-01-06T12:54:00.001-05:00

EXCELLENT article, also fro www.kabtoday.com. Continues the theme of Connecting the Dots...

Many of us are seeing our financial foundations crumble as the economic crisis continues. How did we get here, and where are we headed?

Most of us are experiencing a very difficult time. Our financial system is literally crumbling, and our personal assets are disappearing before our eyes.

The world’s leaders are really not sure what to do about it. It seems as if the whole foundation on which the world has stood has suddenly slipped away. People like you and me are shaking our heads asking, "What in the world happened?"

How did we get into a situation like this? How did gas get so expensive, not to mention food, health care, and everything else we depend on to survive? Is there any politician we can really trust? Should we or should we not be fighting the wars taking place all over the world? Is our government really one “of the people, by the people and for the people?”

The Bug in the Program

The wisdom of Kabbalah asserts that everything taking place in our world originates from the program under which we operate, a program that is very simple: How can we get the maximum amount of pleasure for the minimum amount of effort? It is the E=mc2 of everything we do, determining our thoughts, aspirations, priorities and goals.

But here is the “bug” in this program: it’s a never-ending loop. We keep searching for greater and better pleasures, but we are never satisfied, so we never stop searching. It’s as if we were running on an endless treadmill all our lives, hopelessly trying to satiate ourselves with more food, money, power, respect, knowledge, and whatever else we can find.

At this point, our world is moving so fast, we can’t keep up. Our houses and cars keep getting bigger and bigger. Vacations have to be farther from home and more exotic. Even doing something as simple as purchasing a bottle of barbeque sauce takes forever because there are so many choices! Ironically, most of our lives are spent taking care of our “stuff,” or chasing the next fleeting pleasure.

If we take these things into consideration, is it really surprising that CEOs of companies want more and more, even to the point that their greed takes the entire company down (and other companies along with it)? Should it be surprising that accounting firms tell lies because they do not want to lose the income from the big account? Or that our politicians are only concerned about their own precincts because they desire to be re-elected?

The Needed Shift in Human Consciousness

Kabbalah says that as long as we continue to live in a world where we consider only ourselves, this is as good as it gets. If we do not change, we will continue to experience war, greed, a failing economy, and other troubles that we see all around us.

Although we mostly tend to ignore it, the world around us is not a pretty sight. It is never comfortable to look at issues that are unpleasant, but this time, it is vitally necessary. Until we can clearly see what it is that’s not working, there is no way that we will be able to correct it.

Here is an illustration of how our world is presently functioning. Simply imagine your own body. Suppose your heart decided that it did not wish to share any blood with your kidneys, and your feet did not want your body standing on them. Suppose your lungs refused to share their oxygen. Obviously, your body would not last very long.

This is the way our world is functioning. It is polarized. Each country, as well as every individual, is concerned only with its own interests. Our states and cities only care about their own inhabitants. Our politicians care only about advancing their own agenda, as does the healthcare industry, Wall Street, and (as much as we don’t like to hear about it) each and every one of us.

Today, it is becoming evident that we have to start working together. However, it won’t happen by creating more and better social and commercial agreements with each other. Instead, we have to treat the root of the problem: change that selfish program inside us, driving us to think only about ourselves no matter what the cost to the entire system.

Living during these times requires an overall shift in our consciousness – from separated individuals to interconnected “cells” of one, mutual body. Kabbalah explains that one way or another, we will have to undergo this shift in human consciousness. However, instead of letting our present crises escalate and leave us with no other choice, we can implement this change willingly and pleasantly. And if we do so, the next time we ask, “What happened?” the world will look completely different.

Connecting the Dots (to generate Peace)

2009-01-06T12:42:00.003-05:00

Again, borrowed with gratitude from www.kabtoday.com

"Children play a game called “Connect the Dots,” sometimes called “Dot to Dot.” It is a kind of puzzle that contains a hidden picture. Drawn on paper with pencil, it begins with a sequence of numbered dots, letters or symbols. By drawing lines between the dots in numerical, alphabetical, or symbolic order, one completes the image that is prefigured in the puzzle.

Believe it or not, we are all involved in a global game of “Connect the Dots.” There is, if you will, a “dot” within each of us – an underlying desire to discover the meaning and purpose of our lives. Kabbalah calls this desire “the Point in the Heart.” And when that point awakens, we begin asking ourselves questions such as: “Why do I exist? Is there more to life than this? What is the purpose and meaning of it all?”

According to Kabbalah, the goal and purpose of life is really all about connecting those dots - connecting our common desires to discover the purpose of life, thus revealing the Big Picture. And just like a Connect the Dots picture puzzle, we are able to see the Big Picture only to the degree that we connect those dots.

Today, it is becoming increasingly apparent that all of us are globally interconnected. Our supermarkets offer foods from every corner of the world. Manufactured goods rely on components made wherever labor is cheapest. National economies are inextricably tied to commercial agreements between countries. Most of all, the internet realm has connected all of us beyond the boundaries of time and space.

Kabbalah explains that all of this reflects our movement toward our inner connection – that link through the Points in the Heart. The desire to discover the purpose of life, which we all share, is the very beginning of a fundamentally new sense and consciousness of global interconnection.

Developing this connection and seeing the Big Picture is something that will affect the whole of humanity, as well as every individual. It is how we can create a world where people live in peace and harmony, where each individual realizes the role intended for them in the thought of creation.

So how do we go about connecting those dots? We make the connections through our inner attitudes, unseen to the eye. Through all our personal experiences with people, events or circumstances that seem to occur at random, we cultivate a new sense of interconnection and reciprocity, as if we were the cells of a single organism.

Kabbalah gives us the method to defocus our current perception of separated individuals, and refocus it on a wholesome picture of interconnected beings. Instead of seeing a world of hostility and suffering, we will see one of mutual appreciation and joy.

As more and more people join in this endeavor, the picture will become clearer and clearer. Once we connect the dots and create that Big Picture, we will discover that it was really there all along."

The Secret to Happiness

2009-01-06T12:31:00.002-05:00

Borrowed graciously from Rabbi Michael Laitman's personal blog: www.laitman.com

"News Report (from Time Magazine): Harvard social scientist Dr. Nicholas Christakis and his political-science colleague James Fowler at the University of California at San Diego created a sensation with their announcement earlier this month of a 20-year study showing that emotions can pass among a network of people up to three degrees of separation away, so your joy may, to a larger extent than you realize, be determined by how cheerful your friends’ friends’ friends are, even if some of the people in this chain are total strangers to you.

In their most recent paper, published in the British Medical Journal, Christakis and Fowler explored the emotional state of nearly 5,000 people and the more than 50,000 social ties they shared. That led to their intriguing finding of just how contagious happiness can be: if a subject’s friend was happy, that subject was 15% more likely to be happy too; if that friend’s friend was happy, the original subject was 10% more likely to be so. Even if the subject’s friend’s friend’s friend–entirely unknown to the subject–was happy, the subject still got a 5.6% boost. The happiness chain also worked in the other direction, radiating from the subject out to her friends.

My Comment: And if we would mutually “infect” (energize) each other with happiness, everyone would be 100% happy. You may object, “But I don’t feel any happiness!” This is no excuse because even if you smile artificially, another person will perceive it as real, and will become happier, more joyful - and it will come back to you through someone else.

This is how beginner Kabbalists, who haven’t yet attained the greatness of the Creator, infect each other with the feeling of His greatness in order to artificially rise above egoism. While they still don’t have the quality of love for each other, they artificially cultivate love, they “play love,” and then it really emerges because their desire evokes the Light of Correction (Ohr Makif) from above.

Something similar happens in our world: a child who wants to be a grown-up, grows by imitating the grown-up. Unknowingly, the child attracts a higher energy upon himself. It is called “higher” because it comes from the child’s next degree of development, and it comes to the child because of his desire to reach it.

This is the only method to ascend from one degree to the next, both in our world and in the spiritual world. Even when we observe the dynamics of growth in vegetative and animate organisms, we witness the same principle: the negation of one’s current state and the desire for the next state become the driving force of change and growth. Hence, Kabbalah uses real forces of nature!"

And, just to touch on this last part, relative to the child growing into an adult, the point (made simple) is that to become like God, we must try to immitate God as much as we want to experience the expansion of our consciousness. Now, I realize we can only go so far with that in our limited physical form--and that we truly don't know all the facets of being The Creator--but the lesson is tied to the law of attraction: by behaving or thinking in God-like ways, we attract more God-like frequencies, or blessings, into our lives. But don't let it go to your head! Then you've got delusions of grandeur and other complexes to work out. Not pretty.

Weekly Kabbalah Tune-up: It's a Family Affair

2009-01-05T13:22:00.001-05:00

Well now I finally know why in hell I was placed with my family. And I am reminded of a line from the film Night Mother with Anne Bancroft and Sissy Spaceck. Anne says to Sissy: "They don't mean to be your family, Jessie, they just are!"

"A fter the dust has settled from the holiday dinners and family occasions, I thought it an appropriate time to offer a kabbalistic understanding of the nature of family.

Each of us comes into this world with a specific set of spiritual goals that must be achieved over the course of our lifetimes. These changes take place within the individual, but are not limited to the individual. Kabbalistically, children not only inherit our DNA, they also inherit a portion of our consciousness. In fact, DNA, molecules and atoms are all really different levels of consciousness.

Thus, each time a parent changes, changes are also taking place in their children. Likewise, when children embrace spirituality, beginning at the age of twelve and thirteen, any transformation they undergo will also influence their parents. A spiritual umbilical cord forever links parents, children and siblings.

When one boat rises, everyone experiences a bit of that new elevation; when one falls, everyone in the family sinks a little bit. The purpose of a family is to create an opportunity for constant interactions that allow us to discover those places within us where self-centered desire governs our behavior.

Family members have the annoying talent of triggering reactions within us, thereby giving us an opportunity not to react. Each time we forgo a selfish desire and choose selfless behavior - each time we choose our response instead of reacting - we make a change in our lives. And with each change, we receive a little more Light.

As we've seen, our efforts benefit our families as well, giving them additional strength to identify and transform their own selfishness. And as a family experiences the power of spiritual transformation and connects to the world of Light, those benefits extend to its friends, neighbors, and community.

As people throughout the world succeed in moving away from the dictates of the ego and toward selflessness, the entire planet is transformed into a paradise.

For the beginning of this new year, let us all realize that one great way to bring about peace on earth (and in our minds) is to be conscious and proactive at home. The more compassion and tolerance and self-awareness we show our family, the more we will see that reflected in the world at large.

Happy New Year to Everybody!

All the best,

Yehuda"
...Berg, of the Kabbalah Centre

Don't give up the ship!

2009-01-05T13:14:00.001-05:00

From Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre...

"Everything worthwhile is difficult. This little nugget of wisdom is not only common sense, but is explained beautifully by Rav Ashlag:
'And you should know that all possessions or attributes that can be generally included as Wisdom, Might and Richness, have to be achieved through effort. For a big possession you need to go through big sufferings and for a small possession you need to suffer little.'

Check in with yourself to find out just how hard you are willing to work to achieve your dreams. I can't tell you how many successful people told me their breakthroughs came the moment after they decided not to abandon ship, quit, forget it, change jobs or break up.

Never give up the ship!

The challenge is that we give in to pain. We can't endure and we submit to the feelings of worthlessness, doubt, hopelessness, and on and on and on. Today, I ask you to have patience - with yourself. Find a way to soothe yourself, to talk kindly to yourself, to tell yourself:

'I'll find a way.'"

Looking back: No pain, no gain.

2008-12-31T11:26:00.002-05:00

So, we're about to make that transition from '08 to '09. No doubt that there's not a one of us out there that isn't asking, Why in hell's bells did I have to go through that? I hope there's nobody who's asking that about the entire year, I was referring to those specific instances that really kicked us in the gut, the ones that pushed us to nearly breaking. As we get ready to release the past, let's not forget the lessons embedded in there. If we can learn from the pain, then we don't have to feel it again. In the words of Yehuda Berg:

"Kabbalah teaches that the pain we draw into our lives is the pain we need to help us grow.
Today, I ask you to recall a moment when someone really hurt you. I'm talking about a time in your life you wouldn't revisit if I paid you a million dollars. Remember exactly how you felt when the person hurt you.
"Dig deep and ask yourself why that person was in your life-movie in the first place. Why did you cast them in that role? There is now an opening in the universe for you to really get to the bottom of things and to have clarity on a truly painful part of your life."

Regardless of how you feel you need to reflect on the past year and make way for 2009, I wish for all of you--all of US--to have less pain, and more gain in the new year. It has been a pleasure getting to know you, and I truly appreciate your letting me share my thoughts and musings.

Blessings for a miraculous, Light-filled new year.

Richard

"Right of Conscience"? How 'bout "Legalizing Bullshit"!

2008-12-26T10:08:00.003-05:00

Rule Shields Health Workers Who Withhold Care Based on Beliefs
(Bush has done it again, folks. In his last-ditch, swan-song efforts to leave a deep, conservative scar on face of progress, he's passed new regulations that now make it ok for health care professionals to just say, "Fuck the hypocratic oath. I'm gonna treat those I think are worthy of care." I have never been pushed so close to the brink of plotting someone's death in my whole life.)

By Rob SteinWashington Post Staff Writer Friday, December 19, 2008; Page A10

The Bush administration yesterday granted sweeping new protections to health workers who refuse to provide care that violates their personal beliefs, setting off an intense battle over opponents' plans to try to repeal the measure.
Critics began consulting with the incoming Obama administration on strategies to reverse the regulation as quickly as possible while supporters started mobilizing to fight such efforts.
The far-reaching regulation cuts off federal funding for any state or local government, hospital, health plan, clinic or other entity that does not accommodate doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other employees who refuse to participate in care they find ethically, morally or religiously objectionable. It was sought by conservative groups, abortion opponents and others to safeguard workers from being fired, disciplined or penalized in other ways.
But women's health advocates, family planning proponents, abortion rights activists and some members of Congress condemned the regulation, saying it will be a major obstacle to providing many health services, including abortion, family planning, infertility treatment, and end-of-life care, as well as possibly a wide range of scientific research.
The 127-page rule, which was issued just in time to take effect in the 30 days before the change in administrations, is the latest that the administration is implementing before President Bush's term ends.
The "right of conscience" rule could become one of the first contentious tests for the Obama administration, which could seek to reverse the rule either by initiating a lengthy new rulemaking process or by supporting legislation already pending in Congress.
President-elect Barack Obama's transition team did not specifically address the rule yesterday, but spokesman Nick Shapiro issued a statement that said Obama "will review all eleventh-hour regulations and will address them once he is president." Obama criticized the regulation when it was proposed last summer.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) introduced a bill last month to repeal the rule, said: "We will not allow this rule to stand. It threatens the health and well-being of women and the rights of patients across the country." Similar legislation is pending in the House.
Donna Crane, policy director for NARAL Pro-Choice America, noted that Congress has a limited window to act. "Right now our efforts are focused on the executive branch."
The regulation's supporters, including some members of Congress, vowed to defend it.
"We will marshal a nonpartisan, grass-roots coalition to prevent any weakening of current conscience protections," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a socially conservative group that opposes abortion.
David Stevens of the Christian Medical Association said: "We will do all in our power to ensure that health-care professionals have the same civil rights enjoyed by all Americans. These regulations are needed, do not change the law but simply stop religious discrimination."
The rule comes at a time of increasingly frequent reports of conflicts between health-care workers and patients. Pharmacists have turned away women seeking birth control and morning-after emergency contraception pills. Fertility doctors have refused to help unmarried women and lesbians conceive by artificial insemination. Catholic hospitals refuse to provide the morning-after pill and to perform abortions and sterilizations.
Experts predict the issue could escalate sharply if a broad array of therapies becomes available using embryonic stem cells, which are controversial because they are obtained by destroying very early embryos. Obama is poised to lift the Bush administration's restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.
"Doctors and other health-care providers should not be forced to choose between good professional standing and violating their conscience," said Mike Leavitt, secretary of the Department Health and Human Services, which issued the regulation.
The rule, which will cost more than $44 million to implement, gives more than 584,000 health-care organizations until Oct. 1 to provide written certification of their compliance. Those that do not comply face having their funding cut off or being required to return funding they have received.
Officials at hospitals and clinics predicted the regulation will cause widespread disruptions, forcing family planning centers and fertility clinics, for example, to hire employees even if they oppose abortions or in vitro fertilization procedures that can destroy embryos.
"It is going to cause chaos among providers across the country," said Cecile Richards of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
The regulation could also make it difficult for states to enforce laws such as those requiring hospitals to offer rape victims the morning-after pill, experts said.
Because of such concerns, 28 senators, more than 110 House members and more than a dozen state attorneys general opposed the regulation, along with medical organizations including the American Medical Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Hospital Association.
The rule is supported by such groups as Concerned Women for America and the Catholic Health Association, which represents Catholic hospitals.
"We urge the incoming Congress and administration to honor this much-needed implementation of long-standing laws," said Deirdre A. McQuade of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. "Individuals and institutions committed to healing should not be required to take the very human life that they are dedicated to protecting."
The language of the rule stresses that it is designed to make sure federal laws on the books since the 1970s are enforced, and that nothing in the regulation will prevent an organization from providing any type of care.
Leavitt initially said the regulation was intended primarily to protect workers who object to abortion. The final rule, however, affects a far broader array of services, protecting workers who do not wish to dispense birth control pills, Plan B emergency contraceptives and other forms of contraception they consider equivalent to abortion, or to inform patients where they might obtain such care. The rule could also protect workers who object to certain types of end-of-life care or to withdrawing care, or even perhaps providing care to unmarried people or gay men and lesbians.
While primarily aimed at doctors and nurses, it offers protection to anyone with a "reasonable" connection to objectionable care -- including ultrasound technicians, nurses aides, secretaries and even janitors who might have to clean equipment used in procedures they deem objectionable.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/18/AR2008121801556.html?hpid=topnews

Cut the Strings

2008-12-26T09:10:00.001-05:00

"What is the secret to being a good friend, or parent, or lover? Being there.
'Give people breathing space. Listen to them and hear what they have to say. Respect everyone without focusing on and being influenced by their external appearance, and above all, make enough room in your heart where you can love someone without thinking about what you can get in return.' - The Rav
Today, find any strings attached in your care-taking and cut them! Just be there for somebody, unconditionally."

--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre

The Great Transformer

2008-12-26T08:57:00.002-05:00

Loving What You Hate
"Hatred can be irrational, and it has a greater impact on the individual who hates than the person or object being hated. Yet overcoming hatred is difficult because hatred reinforces itself and causes greater enmity to come into being. The most powerful tool one can use to combat hatred is love. Deciding to love what you hate, whether this is a person, situation, or a part of yourself, can create a profound change in your feelings and your experience. There is little room for anger, dislike, bitterness, or resentment when you are busy loving what you hate. The practice of loving what you hate can transform and shift your emotions from hatred to love, because there is no room for hatred in a space occupied by love.

" Granted, it is difficult to forgo judging someone, love your enemy, and seek the good in situations that seem orchestrated to cause you pain or anger. But in deciding to love what you hate, you become one less person adding negativity to the universe. On a simple level, loving what you hate can help you enjoy your life more. On a more complex level, loving what you hate sets you free because you disengage yourself from the hatred that can weigh down the soul. Responding with love to people radiating hatred transmutes their negative energy. You also empower yourself by not letting their negativity enter your personal space. Rather than lowering yourself to the level of their hatred, you give the other person an opportunity to rise above their feelings and meet you on the field of love.

" Gandhi once said, 'Be the change you want to see in the world.' Loving what you hate sends a positive, beautiful energy to people while spreading peace and harmony throughout the planet. Instead of reinforcing hatred, you become an advocate for love. Hatred responds to hate by causing anguish. But hatred responds to love by transforming into blissful peace."

--from DailyOM.com

But, in all seriousness, Happy Holidays to all.

2008-12-22T11:57:00.002-05:00

No one should suffah like we suffah!

2008-12-22T09:15:00.003-05:00

Ok, let me tell you this...

I now know what it feels like for a Jew (I hear a Madonna remix in there somewhere), at least at Christmas time, when all you want is a friggin box of Channukah candles and you think to yourself--well, I've seen these at Target, so I'll just run over to Target this afternoon to get a box and it'll all be ready for sundown and lighting the menorah. OH, if only it were that easy. 'Cause not all Target's have a Jew isle, or rather, a Jew "end cap" where you can find just a shmecken of Channukah stuff. You have to go to a Super or Greatlands Target, but they can't be a "low volume" Super or Greatlands Target--they gotta be the full-fledged thing. Now, how the f*ck do you pair up "Super" and "Greatlands" anything with "low volume"? Doesn't that imply contradiction from the outset? And, does "low volume" also mean "no Jews"?

So, I hit two Targets (no pun intended, but it worked) closest to my house yesterday with no luck. It was at the second location, when I decided to ask a helpful-looking lady stocking shelves, where I learned of the "low volume" qualifier. What. Ever.

Then, before I decided to drive to the furthest point out--where I had seen the candles before--I thought: There's a World Market right here (still at a close-to-home-spot). Surely they will have a big Channukah section, being a WORLD market and all. Not a damn candle or menorah in sight. And they didn't even have a section for the holiday. Just Christmas crap as far as the eye could see--although, some of it was quite lovely, I must admit.

And I stopped again and thought: Are there any stores in Raleighwood that cater to the Jewish community? I couldn't think of any. I felt, at that moment, that I was truly a little pseudo-Jew guppy in a sea of snapping Christian pirannah. I felt that Christmas had forced Christianity on me, along with everyone else, and that I should just accept that this is what I have to work with so get over it. But the other question was: Why should I have to look for specialty shops to begin with? Why wouldn't every Target have the Jew "end cap" on an isle somewhere. Or a FULL Jew isle, for that matter? Don't Jews--and Kabbalists--shop at Target, too? And [Not-so] World Market???

So, I just decided to take a deep breath and drive even further out, almost out of gas, to get my coveted and rare channukah candles. Sure enough, they were right on the Jew "end cap" where I'd seen them weeks before. And not much damage had been done to the "cap". It's as if there really weren't any Jews in town (although I knew there were because I overheard some lady talking to her friend at Home Goods--who actually puts up a nice little Jew curio display at the start of the season, with great candles, btw--about her daughter who was going over to their neighbors' to do "the Channukah thing" this year. "Aww, that's thoughtful of her.").

WHAT. EVER.

I tell ya. You try to avoid the Christmas madness by observing Channukah, and STILL you end up driving all the way to BFE--might as well have been Jerusalem--fighting with shoppers and bitchy drivers in parking lots for that perfect item you just have to have. DAMMIT! Where is the lesson in that? Clearly, I need to buy my candles early in the season when I see that nice Jew curio display at Home Goods.

I promise, I've moved on.

HAPPY CHANNUKAH!

The Golden Rule

2008-12-18T14:15:00.000-05:00

I realize we're already entrenched within the season of giving, mercy, and good will, but these came to me today and I can't ignore them for their timeliness and their similar theme. I wonder if Yehuda borrowed from DailyOM.com...Either way, excellent words to take with us as we also face the building tensions of this lovely little holiday time. But, is it really freezing cold in LA? I need to check the weather...

"It's raining here in Los Angeles. And it's freezing cold. I've been staring at this computer screen for 30 minutes not knowing what to write. I finally stood up to clear my head and I noticed a homeless man across the street seeking shelter under an awning. My heart broke for him, and is breaking still.
"For me, when I feel this sadness for the world, [and I feel it daily], it lights a fire under me to get the words out, to inspire people to transform, to help my students choose giving over greed, to touch as many souls as I can.
"We all have that God-given power. Let's use it today. Set aside a few minutes to meditate and send love into the world. The world turns [and burns] on a thought. Let's send some good ones out there that will help this man, and all the suffering people in the world."
--Yehuda Berg, The Kabbalah Centre

"All over the world, there exists a simple precept that, when followed, has the power to end conflict and banish strife. It is the Golden Rule, a key concept in many philosophies and spiritualities that admonishes us to “do unto others as we would have them do unto us.” Its meaning is clear: treat others only in ways that you would want to be treated. However, the golden rule is not always easy to follow. It can be a challenge to honor others as we wish to be honored. Yet, when we do so, we bestow a gift of loving kindness on our fellow human beings. And, in honoring others, we honor ourselves.
"It is as uncomplicated a tenet as one could wish for. When we live by it, harming another person becomes nearly impossible. The Golden Rule is rooted in pure empathy and does not compel us to perform any specific act. Rather, it gently guides us to never let our actions toward others be out of harmony with our own desires. The Golden Rule asks us to be aware of the effect our words and actions may have on another person and to imagine ourselves in their place. It calls on us to ask ourselves how we would feel if what we were about to do were directed toward us. And yet this rule invites us to do more than not harm others. It suggests that we look for opportunities to behave toward others in the same ways that we would want others to act toward us. Showing compassion, being considerate of others, caring for the less fortunate, and giving generously are what can result when you follow the Golden Rule.
"Adhering to the Golden Rule whenever possible can have a positive effect on the world around you because kindness begets kindness. In doing so, you generate a flow of positive energy that enfolds everyone you encounter in peace, goodwill, and harmony."
--DailyOM.com

Truth and Mercy

2008-12-15T15:37:00.003-05:00

Two elements we all innately carry within us, and which liberate us like nothing else...
Lets start with truth.
"Fear of speaking or hearing the truth is the biggest stumbling block we face in our desire to experience genuinely fulfilling, honest and loving relationships. When we hold something back, that something separates us from the other person. If we're not open to hearing the words of others without reacting or taking them personally, we have distanced ourselves from those individuals.
"It's always easier to tell people what they want to hear. It's often more comfortable to agree with someone, even if we disagree in our hearts. And since it can be equally frightening to confront painful truths about our own selves, our friends and family may feel compelled to tell us only what we want to hear.
"Today when you need to tell the truth, have the courage to open your heart as well as your mouth. And when you need to hear the truth, have the strength to open your ears and close your mouth."

NOW--to follow this prescription, the other, much needed element would be...you guessed it: mercy.
"The Kabbalists teach that the Light created our world with mercy. We would not live out the day without it.
The question is, do we extend it to others? Or better yet, do we extend it when it's difficult for us? When we are consistent in our love and mercy, thinking only of improving someone else's life, the Light will be there for us.
Today, put the brakes on the instinct to judge and criticize and separate. Someone else's life - and your own - depends on your ability to open your heart. "
--Yehuda Berg, The Kabbalah Centre

Quality vs. Quantity

2008-12-15T15:23:00.002-05:00

EXCELLENT post by DailyOM.com!

"We live in an age of quantity. The media shapes us with the notion that larger, faster, and more are often synonymous with better. We are told that we need to find more time, more possessions, and more love to be truly happy. A smaller quantity of anything that is high in quality will almost always be more satisfying. A single piece of our favorite chocolate or a thin spread of freshly made preserves can satisfy us more than a full bucket of a product that we aren’t very fond of. Similarly, one fulfilling experience can eclipse many empty moments strung together. It is not the quantity of time that matters, but the quality that you experience during each moment. Every minute is an opportunity to love yourself and others, develop confidence and self-respect, and exhibit courage.

"Ultimately, quality can make life sweeter. When you focus on quality, all your life experiences can be meaningful. A modest portion of good, healthy food can nourish and satisfy you on multiple levels and, when organically grown, nourish the earth as well. Likewise, a few hours of deep, restful slumber will leave you feeling more refreshed than a night’s worth of frequently interrupted sleep. A few minutes spent with a loved one catching up on the important details about family, work, or community can carry more meaning than two hours spent watching television together.

"Often, in the pursuit of quantity we cheat ourselves of quality. Then again, quantity also plays a significant role in our lives. Certain elements, such as hugs, kisses, abundance, and love, are best had in copious amounts that are high in quality. But faced with the choice between a single, heartfelt grin and a lifetime of empty smiles, most would, no doubt, choose the former. Ultimately, it is not how much you live or have or do but what you make of each moment that counts. "

Why we're not shown the future...

2008-12-12T08:40:00.002-05:00

This raises an interesting question, I think, which is: Would you like to always know the future, no matter what decisions you had to make? My first, reactionary response is "hell yes!" But, the author makes a good argument of how that would actually hinder our fulfillment. I don't know...there are plenty of times in my life when, looking back, I would have loved knowing the long-range outcome of my choices. I suppose it depends on how satisfied we are with our lives, eh? Thanks to DailyOM.com for this highly provocative post.

"Sometimes, we may find ourselves wishing we knew what our lives are going to look like or what gifts and challenges are going to be presented to us in the coming months or years. We may want to know if the relationship we’re in now will go the distance or if our goals will be realized. Perhaps we feel like we need help making a decision and we want to know which choice will work out best. We may consult psychics, tarot cards, our dreams, and many other sources in the hopes of finding out what the future holds. Usually, at most, we may catch glimpses. And even though we think we would like to know the whole story in all its details, the truth is that we would probably be overwhelmed and exhausted if we knew everything that is going to happen to us.

"Just think of your life as you’ve lived it up to this point. If you are like most of us, you have probably done more and faced more than you could have ever imagined. If someone had told you as a child of all the jobs and relationships you would experience, along with each one’s inherent ups and downs, you would have become overwhelmed. With your head full of information about the future, you would have had a very hard time experiencing your life in the present moment, which is where everything actually happens.

"In many ways, not knowing what the future has in store brings out in us the qualities we need to grow. For example, it would have been difficult to commit yourself to certain people or projects if you knew they wouldn’t ultimately work out. Yet, it was through your commitment to see them through that you experienced the lessons you needed to grow. Looking back on your life, you would likely be hard pressed to say that anything in your past should not have happened. In fact, your most challenging experiences with their inevitable lessons may have ultimately brought you the greatest rewards. Not knowing the future keeps us just where we need to be—fully committed and in the present moment. "

Do the Math

2008-12-12T08:28:00.001-05:00

"We start off every day with our Light and dark forces in perfect balance. 50/50. The Creator oversees the entire the process. Every time we give in to a reactive behavior, we tilt our scale down. Every time we accept an opportunity to help, to extend ourselves, to do something unexpected, we tilt it up. It's math.
Today, keep score with your feelings, thoughts and actions. It will help you to not just keep a healthy balance but to overcome darkness. Because sometimes things may look dark but in reality you are just one stretch away from being in the Light."
--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre

Don't worry, Santa is just fine.

2008-12-11T13:56:00.002-05:00

Owner of big cat who bit NJ Santa comes forward--HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, N.J.

Santa Claus won't need rabies shots after all.
It turns out that a large kitty that drew blood after biting a volunteer Santa Claus at a charity event in New Jersey had been properly vaccinated.
The cat's owner, Christine Haughey, came forward and produced vaccination records after learning that 47-year-old Jonathan Bebbington, the Santa, might have to receive the shots.
Bebbington says the cat bit his wrist and hand Sunday after becoming terrified because dogs were nearby at the Santa Paws photo event for an animal-rescue group.
The 25-year-old Haughey left after the attack.
Haughey tells WMGM-TV that her cat Benny is a mix between a house cat and a bobcat.
___
Information from: WMGM-TV, http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_fe_st/storytext/odd_santa_clawed/30211691/SIG=10mbl7pb0/*http://www.nbc40.net

Attitude of Gratitude

2008-12-11T12:56:00.003-05:00

The Law of Attraction in action, folks. In short, when we appreciate what we have, we get more of what we appreciate. Borrowed from DailyOM.com. Enjoy.

"...In our quest for happiness, we often focus on what we have not attained rather than all that we have right now. But happiness is an emotion that can only be experienced in the present. If we do not have the ability to be happy with the blessings we have in the here and now, nothing can make us happy in the future. Regardless of how many posessions we have or the level of comfort we attain, happiness is a state of being. It is a choice to be fully present and acknowledge all the good in your experience. As you walk through your life with gratitude today, you show others the path to true happiness.
"In modern society, we are so fortunate that we sometimes don’t know what to do with ourselves. We have the freedom of choice, time, and abundance, yet we may still feel limited. But we have the luxury to create our lives with our minds, and we do. Whatever we are experiencing right now is what we have created. If we aren’t enjoying what we’ve created, we have the freedom to change it. Change may not come easily, but sometimes we cannot appreciate something unless it requires work. So today, with gratitude as your guide, you can choose to enjoy what you’ve created and make your changes wisely."

Farewell to Arms

2008-12-11T08:49:00.001-05:00

Tough, TOUGH lesson to put into practice. But--and I'm speaking from personal experience here--if you will try hard to do it, it does work, and things do get better. I promise.

"What usually goes on when we feel wronged by someone? What is our thought process? We avoid them. Or we mentally investigate all of the ways they're wrong and we're right. Or we take our case to our friends and prove to them how correct we are. Or we experience self doubt, and think there must be something wrong with us. Or we plot some good old fashioned revenge.

When we're seeking to be on a higher spiritual level, when we're working to connect to and remain connected to the 99% as much as possible, we have to ask ourselves higher questions about this type of behavior. Our old methods for handling problems and situations, although habitually easy and seemingly correct from our old point of view, do not benefit anyone, especially ourselves.

Answers for any type of conflict can be found this week, including those that may have been waging for decades. We can find it through empathy.

When we find ourselves in conflict, let empathy be our default reaction. Let us ask what is going on with the person. Remember, we're all human and we all have difficult experiences. When we make the effort to shift the situation from one of confrontation or avoidance to coming from a place of genuine help, we experience a total shift in the forces at play in the situation.

Often times the people who appear to have the thickest skin, are the most sensitive, but we'll never get to see that side of them, never gain the insight we really need, if we don't create the opening in our thoughts.

This week, think of someone you have considered hostile to you, an enemy so to speak, and do the following: get inside their skin.

If it's your landlord calling for the rent, imagine being in her position and dealing with you. Simply [trying to feel her feelings] will put the right words in your mouth. The same goes for every possible interaction this week.

Erase yourself for a moment and ask the Light to show you what the other person sees, what she feels. This slight shift in seeing and sensing will have a wonderful impact.

Trust the process."
--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre

We are all mirrors of each other.

2008-12-10T13:55:00.000-05:00

This article comes from DailyOM.com, but it is a restatement of a fundamental kabbalistic concept: If you spot it, then you got it. I like this treatment of the thought very, very much...
" When we look at other people, we see many of their qualities in innumerable and seemingly random combinations. However, the qualities that we see in the people around us are directly related to the traits that exist in us. "Like attracts like" is one of the spiritual laws of the universe. We attract individuals into our lives that mirror who we are. Those you feel drawn to reflect your inner self back at you, and you act as a mirror for them. Simply put, when you look at others, you will likely see what exists in you. When you see beauty, divinity, sweetness, or light in the soul of another, you are seeing the goodness that resides in your soul. When you see traits in others that evoke feelings of anger, annoyance, or hatred, you may be seeing reflected back at you those parts of yourself that you have disowned or do not like.
"Because we are all mirrors for each other, looking at the people in your life can tell you a lot about yourself. Who you are can be laid bare to you through what you see in others. It is easy to see the traits you do not like in others. It is much more difficult to realize that you possess those same traits. Often, the habits, attitudes, and behaviors of others are closely linked to our unconscious and unresolved issues.
"When you come into contact with someone you admire, search your soul for similarly admirable traits. Likewise, when you meet someone exhibiting traits that you dislike, accept that you are looking at your reflection. Looking at yourself through your perception of others can be a humbling and eye-opening experience. You can also cultivate in you the traits and behaviors that you do like. Be loving and respectful to all people, and you will attract individuals that will love and respect you back. Nurture compassion and empathy and let the goodness you see in others be your mirror."

The Universe Inside

2008-12-10T08:33:00.001-05:00

"Dreams are vitally important to our existence. They're not just fantasies that are meant to entertain us as we live out our days monotonously. Rather they're our greatest potential whispering to us and motivating us to reveal that potential in the world.

Unfortunately, most of us abandon our dreams in childhood. Settling for what we think life is supposed to be, rather than what we dream it can be. We lose the enthusiasm and motivation for our greatest goals, and stop even daring ourselves to think of such things.

Today, remember this: everything starts with a thought. Allow yourself to cook up the infinite ways in which you can be happy and successful. Fantasize with the intent of activating these deep desires and allow these universal forces inside you to unfold."
--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre

What's REALLY Going On?

2008-12-08T09:48:00.002-05:00

"Many times in life we witness things that appear unfair. However, usually it’s just a test of our certainty. That’s why when we restrict jumping to conclusions - our entire outlook opens up. Today, when things go against your wishes, be humble for a minute. Assume you don’t really know what’s going on by virtue of the fact that you’re trapped within your five senses. Therefore it’s impossible to see the entire picture. Not only will you become much wiser, but the Light will inject you with the explanation of what you’ve just witnessed. That injection may happen on the spot, in five minutes, in five days, in five years. But rest assured it'll happen when it needs to happen. "
--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre

Merry Pagan Solstice of Peace and Light, God Dammit.

2008-12-05T12:26:00.008-05:00

Alright, look.

I know I am not the only one out here who has inherrent issues with all the inherrent hubbub of Christmas, so I'm going to share my thoughts on this little holiday season for anyone who's feeling guilty about having issues and wants to let go of that guilt and just have a great December no matter what you want to celebrate, and without feeling obligated to celebrate in someone else's belief system. Okay. Here we go...

Having declared to family and friends that I am no longer Christian, yet not exactly Jewish--I'm a Kabbalist, largely--I realize I've created a world of confusion for those who might not know what in hell's bells to wish me at this time of year. For the record, you can wish me anything in hell's bells you want. The consicousness behind your wish is what matters. Are you lying to me when you say, "Merry Christmas"? Do you really mean it? Do you really want me to have a merry old time? Cause if you don't, then I don't want to hear it cause I'll feel the dead-weight of it like a old rabbit-fur stole on my shoulders. One that smells like grandma's Icy-Hot.

You can also say "Happy Channukah", cause that's what I honor and celebrate, but let it be known that all Kabbalists do not. There are some Christian Kabbalists out there who do both-- with the going to Christian services, giving presents on 12/25, and lighting the menorah and all. And there are some Kabbalists who are so removed from all the traditions (to avoid feeling like they're "religious") that they celebrate in a truly spiritually inward fasion.

I am also responsive to "Happy Holidays!" It works no matter what anyone honors because it shows you've given thought to not presuming that people fall into one of the two camps of either Christians or Jews. It also includes Kwanza--which I don't know enough on so I can't talk about it, but "Happy Kwanza!" to those who give a damn.

But, let us not forget that some still pay homage to the winter solstice, the ORIGINAL holiday celebrated Pagan style at this time of year, complete with the yule tree--NOT a Christmas tree. For those who are slightly fuzzy on this, the short version of the story is that, WAY back in the day, the Christians were so offended by the Pagans minding their own business and celebrating the winter solstice that they decided they would just snuff it out by sticking Jesus's birthday (most likely in July or August, actually) in the month, thereby drawing attention away from Pagan tradition forever and ever, amen. Their little plan almost worked but, luckily, there were enough die-hard Pan-lovers out there who carried their secrets forward so we could all make the choice for ourselves how we'd like to honor the season.

Now, FOR THE RECORD, I think there is nothing wrong with celebrating Christmas IF it is observed as it was intended--to celebrate the manifestation of the Christian savior (that would be J.C.) on the planet and NOT to see how much money you can spend at the mall in the effort to prove your love for your family or whoever. There is my problem with the holiday because, as we've seen, the world-wide obsession with the perfect Christmas gift can lead to death in the isles.

Dear reader, are you also of the mindset to ask the question, "What happened to peace on Earth, good-will t'ward men?" Do you also wonder why it's just not enough for people to simply come together with good food and spirits, and to share stories of happy times or dreams of a bright future? Have you dropped out--or do you want to drop out--of the shopping madness altogether because you just refuse to feed the "Christmas Machine" any longer? Do you feel like trading gifts is just trading money? And, that if you don't get someone a "nice enough" gift, you've failed somehow? Especially when they make that face that belies how they really feel: they really don't want what you gave them?

If any of the above qualifiers fit you, I want you to know that IT. IS. O.K. I have freed myself of that idiocy and, even though it is tough to make that transition with a family that just cannot understand a Christmas without presents, I want you to know it can be done if you feel you need to. I gave up my belief that Jesus was my savior YEARS ago, but was still playing the presents game because I thought I just had to, that there was no way out. But, two years ago I started the process by telling my family that they should not buy me presents any longer because I wasn't going to buy any for them. Many didn't believe me and bought me presents and then, when I showed up empty handed--as I had promised, to just be with them and enjoy the time together--it was not pretty. Some are still bitter and I suppose they always will be. Not my problem, and I hope it won't be theirs forever, but it feels much better to deal with that than the obligation of buying presents for people I see once a year.

Now listen up again. I will state FOR THE RECORD that I see nothing wrong with gift giving. If I am fortunate enough to receive a gift, I say "thank you" and I mean it because I have come to learn that receiving someone's graciousness on any level is a great honor, and I have squelched the sense of guilt to return the gesture just because they initiated. If I feel inspired to give someone a gift, no matter what the season or occaision, it is because I want to provide an experience that will bring them joy and share in that joy with them. True sharing is vastly different from buying a present out of a sense of obligation, which taints the gift with negative energy and eventually taints the relationship of the giver and the receiver. In my opinion, this is what Christmas has devolved into largely--an obligation that just stresses people out to the point they cannot wait for it to be over. I ain't playin' that game no mo.

Since I don't want to feel that way about it, my idea of a holiday gift is my time, spent with good friends and family, sharing an experience that warms our souls and makes us appreciate that we have each other. Usually, some liquor and really fattening foods are involved--these usually lead to laughter and hugs and kisses (sometimes indigestion, but it's worth it). And, during the month of December, I put some extra umph! into it to honor the Light that is flowing down to us from The Creator.

That, dear reader, is what I am trying to cultivate for the rest of my days, and what I would love to see all of humanity embrace. I'm not giving up on that. I know I'm not alone in this, which is why I'm saying it today. There truly is something to the power of "Christmas Spirit", even if you don't like calling it that (and I don't), but you have to allow yourself to tap into it and let go of the trappings we fell into with the advancement of the commercial age.

This year, when I light my Channukah candles, decorate my yule tree (yes, there will be a tree in my house), and sip on my Kwanza coctails (to celebrate my inner blackness), I will ask that the same "Christmas Spirit" come down and kick the ass of the almighty retail establishment so that we will not forget that the real reason for the season is love.

God dammit.

Growing Pains

2008-12-05T12:19:00.001-05:00

"Life is about growth, which is wonderful, though not always easy. Indeed, many of life’s lessons can be painful or difficult. Yet, such challenges are often the ones that present the most opportunity for spiritual growth. Initiations for growth come in many forms. In fact, we can view every challenge in life as an opportunity to learn and grow. While these disruptions in life are not easy, they are necessary.

"The challenges the universe sends us can seem unbearable at times: a job we don’t want to spend another day at, a broken heart that feels as if it will never heal, or a long and painful illness. And then, there are the challenges that can be just as scary because we are being called to step up to the plate in ways that we may think we are not yet ready for: overcoming our fears in order to realize a lifelong dream, leaving behind a situation or people in our life that we may have outgrown, or moving across the world for our dream job or life partner.

"At such times, it can feel as if the world is testing us and that life is asking more of us than we think we can give. We may feel uncomfortable, frightened, and unsure of what to do. However, life isn’t so much going against us as it is encouraging us to grow. During these periods, we can grow stronger by putting one foot in front of the other, as we work through our challenges. We may be asked to let go of old safety measures, shift old patterns of behavior, or step into the abyss of the unknown. When we do rise to the occasion, we end up better off for having made that journey. Not only do we end up learning and growing, but we inevitably become more compassionate to the challenges of others and wiser in the ways of the world. Our faith in the universe also grows because, ultimately, we can’t help but realize how much we are supported and taken care of at all times. When we are in the midst of a growing period, it is not easy to see our reward, but it is there, waiting for us to grow big enough to reach it."

--from DailyOm.com

Crave Your Life

2008-12-05T09:15:00.003-05:00

"The Zohar teaches us desire is a vessel that holds the Light. The idea is [that] attaining blessings and good fortune is not enough to keep them. We must also maintain our desire for what we already have [by showing appreciation].
"Not always an easy thing to do seeing as how our habit is to focus on what we don't have.
Today, get in touch with the desire you first felt when you started studying Kabbalah, or dating your husband, or working at your dream job. Crave your life, [and you'll get more out of it]!"

--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Center

[with my edits]

In Awe of Beauty

2008-12-05T09:12:00.001-05:00

"Beauty speaks to us in soft whispers or bold declarations. She calls on us to gaze in awe at her splendor. We are enticed by beauty. We adore her, idolize her, and even court her. Beauty seduces all of our senses. Beauty’s seduction can be as obvious as the striking good looks of a man or woman or as subtle as the charms of a shaggy dog with loving brown eyes. We find beauty in the wonders of nature. Beauty offers us a symphony of colors with every sunrise and sunset and reveals to us her brash power through a storm at sea. Beauty teases us through the shy smile of a child and delights us via the brilliant flashes of fireworks. Beauty sometimes piques all of our senses at once, appealing to our taste buds, as well as our eyes and nose, when she appears in the form of a deliciously baked cake. Beauty calms us with floral scents and excites our aural lust through the passionate sounds made by an orchestra.

"Beauty can be cruel, and our pursuit of her can be in vain. We may go to the opera in anticipation of finding beauty there, and she may bore and disappoint us. Instead, beauty lavishes her attention on another suitor who may be more appreciative of her charms. Or, we may try to capture beauty’s essence in a photograph, painting, or sculpture, and still she is nowhere to be found. Beauty will forever inspire works of art, and she will always pose for her portrait, selecting the artist who is most worthy of her catching her likeness.

"Depending on our personal tastes, beauty can be found in every color, flavor, scent, and texture. She lives among the poor, as well as the rich, and appears in the faces of the young and the old. She is at home in the city, as well as the country, decorating skylines as well as landscapes. She is the ultimate shape shifter. Beauty is a weather beaten barn beloved by one person and an awesome testament of naval craftsmanship revered by another. Beauty knows no bounds, and we can find her everywhere. All we have to do is look for beauty, and she is there."

graciously stolen from DailyOM.com

now i want cake.

Wal-Mart worker dies after shoppers knock him down

2008-11-28T13:10:00.002-05:00

This level of human idiocy is precisely the reason I stopped celebrating X-mas. Read on and enjoy...

NEW YORK – A Wal-Mart worker was killed Friday after an "out of control" throng of shoppers eager for post-Thanksgiving bargains broke down the doors at a suburban store and knocked him to the ground, police said.

At least four other people, including a woman eight months pregnant, were taken to hospitals for observation or minor injuries, and the store in Valley Stream on Long Island closed for several hours before reopening.

Nassau police said about 2,000 people were gathered outside the store doors at the mall about 20 miles east of Manhattan. The impatient crowd knocked the man to the ground as he opened the doors, leaving a metal portion of the frame crumpled like an accordion.

"This crowd was out of control," said Nassau police spokesman Lt. Michael Fleming. He described the scene as "utter chaos."

Dozens of store employees trying to fight their way out to help the man were also getting trampled by the crowd, Fleming said. Witnesses said that even as the worker lay on the ground, shoppers streamed into the store, stepping over him.

Kimberly Cribbs, who witnessed the stampede, said shoppers were acting like "savages."

"When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling 'I've been on line since yesterday morning,'" she said. "They kept shopping."

The 34-year-old man was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 6 a.m., police said. The exact cause of death has not been determined, and the man's name was not released.

A 28-year-old pregnant woman was taken to a hospital, where she and the baby were reported to be OK, said police Sgt. Anthony Repalone. At least three other people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries.

Police said criminal charges were possible in the case, but Fleming said it would be difficult to identify individual shoppers. Authorities were reviewing surveillance video.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., based in Bentonville, Ark., called the incident a "tragic situation" and said the employee came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store.

"The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority," said Dan Fogleman, a company spokesman. "At this point, facts are still being assembled and we are working closely with the Nassau County Police as they investigate what occurred."

Shoppers around the country line up early outside stores on the day after Thanksgiving in the annual bargain-hunting ritual known as Black Friday. It got that name because it has historically been the day when stores broke into profitability for the full year.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081128/ap_on_re_us/wal_mart_death#full

Nothing is What it Seems...

2008-11-28T09:07:00.000-05:00

Monthly Kabbalah tune-up for Sagitarius: 11/28-12-27

Looking into the nighttime sky, we perceive Jupiter as the brightest planet because it is the largest. Yet despite its massive appearance and vivid colors, the greatest part of its mass is gas.

As Jupiter is the controlling planet of Sagittarius, which we have just entered, this teaches us a huge lesson, not only about those born under this sign but about all of us this month.

The lesson here is that people are not always what they appear to be.

If you know any Sagittarians, you'll usually find them charming, charismatic people. Fun to be around. But if you really get to know them, you'll often find that they are riddled with guilt and low self-image. The image they project and who they really are don't match up.

We all have a mask we put on that shows us as the person we wish we were. Just look at the people in your life. What do you really know about them, even the ones you are closest to? Do really know what makes them tick? Chances are, you know only what they let you see.

[Reminds me of a quote I read yesterday from the psychologist and philosopher, William James: "Whenever two people meet, there are really six people present. There is each man as he sees himself, each man as the other person sees him, and each man as he really is."

Kabbalah teaches when you are not honest with others - and not honest with yourself - you create separation. This goes against your mission here on earth, which is to become one again with other souls, just as you were in the Endless. This is why it feels so good to have a close friend or lover - because your soul craves this oneness.

And this is why when you share your pure thoughts and are willing to say the uncomfortable truths, you feel peaceful and grounded.

An important lesson to remember this month is that if you truly care about a person, you should do anything in your power to be open and honest with them. As the kabbalists say: Love without unity isn't love, and unity without love isn't unity.

Whereas some months we are at risk of building more interpersonal walls because of the energy, this month the universe is helping us destroy walls. So if you have the opportunity to be honest, don't miss it. If you are thinking of telling a lie to save someone's feelings - or to save face - ask yourself: "Who does this lie serve?"

This month is one of the most positive of the year. You don't have any aspect of conflict or pressure of the zodiac compelling you to be argumentative or reactive. It's a time of pure positivity. Take advantage of these moments and watch your relationships blossom.

-Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre
http://www.kabbalah.com/newsletters/2008_03sagittarius/english/?page=yehuda

Thou Shalt Give an Unbiased Review

2008-11-26T13:13:00.004-05:00

I just didn't know how I'd begin to talk about it, but now that I've had time to sit with my memories--and YouTube--I'm going to reveal my thoughts on Madonna's Sticky and Sweet Tour. I'll preface with things that I knew, or had thought about, going into it--some of which are my own creating (and therefore my own problem)--but mostly I'll just spout my opinion, for anyone who's seen the show wanted to share...

My overall feeling is that the show was worth my time and money, if nothing else but for that I'm a big fan (who would sacrifice my first born to her, were I to be a breeder) and enjoy her music and creative energy. And, my God, I was in the same room about 60 feet away. That was enough. The over-arching problem that I carried with me to the show is that I have just not been able to connect with the new album's songs very well. I've never liked rap, hip-hop or R&B (cause I'm just that white, apparently), and I was a bit skeptical when I had learned that Hard Candy was taking that route. But she, being the master marketer that she is, has turned out to be the best-selling American artist for world-wide album sales in 2008. So, in that regard, what the fuck do I know about what will sell? Good for you, Mo. You appealed to the right niche to stay on top, yet again. Even though I don't necessarily fit that niche, I can appreciate your target audience for album sales (but I want a better, more listenable album nex time, dammit).

Let's talk about the song choices for the show. No surprise that she wanted to showcase Hard Candy, and I do think she chose the best songs from the album for fun performances. Truth be told, I think "Candy Shop" is just a stupid song, but what better way to open the show titled Sticky and Sweet? It eased us into the journey with lots of technicolor splendor and the choreography was tight. "Beat Goes On" was a nice bleed in and, again, if you like the song, it is made doubly fabulous with the big, white, party-Rolls driving out on stage. I was actually impressed with that part. "Human Nature" bored the crap out of me. In fact, I really don't want to see Madonna stand there and play her electric guitar. Ever. Again. However, the nod to Brittany Spears in the video made sense with the song, so I got the message. But--OH. MY. GODDESS.--"Vogue" really got things going for me. The mash up with the bass line for "4 Minutes" is absolutely brilliant for a new feel. It was the first really great number of the show.

Second set: Our intro with the video interlude for "Die Another Day" was certainly high energy, and the images were compelling 'cause she looked gorge, but the mix TOTALLY blew chunks as unlistenable, and the whole boxing thing just fell flat on its face in the ring. I couldn't wait for it to be over. "Into the Groove" provided much welcome relief and great fun. I didn't think I'd like that number, but I truly enjoyed it for its color and light hearted feel. Then...ugh..."Heartbeat". One of my faves of the new album, but perhaps THE most missed-the-mark performance of the night. I was more interested in the image of the pulsing heart behind her than with her...whatever it was she was doing. I get that this is a hip-hop show, but damn, there seemed to be no real thought in this number at all. It was lazy, and the "choreography" didn't fit the feel of the song to me. Such a let down. On to "Borderline"--WASTE of that song by making it hard-rock. Didn't I say I never wanted to see her stand there and rock out again? Well, can't have everything I suppose. Then, "She's Not Me". I like this song, so I enjoyed it overall, especially her attacking the Madonna look-alikes that sprung up at the end of the catwalk and stripping them of their items like the famous cone bra, hot-pink Marilyn gloves, the "Virgin" veil. It worked, but I was kinda through with all the images of her past incarnations behind her. I mean, we've SEEN that before in past tours, but I understand why it was done...even if it was tired and gratuitous. At last, another show stopper--"Music". She hit the nail on the head and brought me back to life. Excellent mix, excellent images, excellent dancing. Period.

Set three, starting with the video interlude of "Rain/Here Comes the Rain Again". Hmmm...here's where Mo goes into her head a bit further than I can follow. It was pretty, I enjoyed hearing The Eurythmics, but I just didn't connect with it, or the long-haired pseudo-Japs that were skuttling around the edges of the stage. I will have to watch it a few more times to see if I missed anything obvious. Maybe I need to be high to understand it--like the up-side down "Paradise Not for Me" number in the Drowned World Tour. Not that I understand that part either. I think it's just Mo attempting to be asian-artsy. But it led nicely into "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You", which I think was beautifully, simply executed and sung, even with the annoying pseudo-Japs on the side. On we go into "Spanish Lesson". This song is better live than on the album, where it can annoy the living pee out of me in certain spots (but I secretly like it). The thing that took a moment to process were all the dancers in hooded, black robes--supposedly Spanish monks, I guess? I'm still confused about it, but I've made my peace with it and give her props for a less-irritating live version. "Miles Away" was great. Hands down one of the best performed songs of the night. She's so much better with an acoustic guitar in hand and a good melody to go with it. Even though she just stood there, I wasn't bored. Strange. But then...Ach! Hiemel! I knew it was coming but couldn't stop it, the whole gypsy thing with "La Isla/Lela Pala Tute" and Romanian folk song "Doli Doli". Barring the fact that she has this awesome love affair with "La Isla"--doing it in every show, basically--I'm just over this gypsy rendition. It is NOT attractive. And, "Doli Doli". Yawn. Now, much as I despised these numbers, my boy Drew clued me in on something that I would not allow myself to see, which is that her interpretation of these numbers--complete with all the dancers in native costume, singing together, and their doing shots together on stage--represents the communally binding power of music, particularly traditional music. So, I can accept the over-all feel and appreciate that. But I still hated the music. She DID redeem it all with an exceptionally moving version of "You Must Love Me" to close the set. It was the one time the gypsies did her right with their arrangement, and I could feel the song as she sang it. Her expression spoke as many volumes as the words, which was that she is tired, hurt, extremely thankful to be where she is, and still loves her fans.

Next moment of fabulousness: Set four kicks off with the video interlude of "Get Stupid" (about saving the planet). Fabulous, Fabulous, FABULOUS! This is as good as the "Sorry" interlude from the Confessions tour, musically, I think. I looked around and saw so many folks shakin' their asses to that groove, and I was right along with them, hands in the air. Steven Klein worked a wonder with that one, yet again. Tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock, right into "4 Minutes". I'm over this song, personally, but I think the production was top-notch with the rolling video screens and Justin's images nicely interjected. The REAL treat was next: "Like a Prayer". Holy mother of fuck-me-sideways--what a great number! Again, a great modern mash-up (with a song that escapes me), INCREDIBLE images (like the all-seeing eye) and spiritual messages, the energy was relentless from both the song and Mo. Her going down in the flames at the end was just over the top. I think I actually teared up. And the joy continued when she went straight into "Ray of Light" because she finally attempted to make it somewhat techno--which made it somewhat bearable with that damn electric guitar again (quit rockin' this song, girl!)--however, what did we get? The VERY SAME video screens from Confessions??? There wasn't even an attempt to change it up a little. Combine that insult with dancers who did nothing at all but squat there in motorcycle helmets, and I just had to close my eyes and enjoy the music in my head. But I really wanted to cry out in pain when (after a pleasant, but anti-climactic sing-along of "Express Yourself") it turned into--GAK!--ANOTHER metal moment with "Hung Up". Wanted to vomit, and may have just a little bit. She absolutely ruined the integrity of this song. I kept waiting for the end to come, because I knew we'd get a pretty good show-stopper with "Give it to Me". And we did. She closed the show right by taking us into the club zone, complete with lasers, screaming synths, high energy dance moves, and an appropriately abbreviated sing-along. However, some of those dance moves we've also seen before--like in the closing number ("Music") of Drowned World with the jumping up and down in a line and slapping the air with one hand. I forgave it because I guess I might run out of moves, too, after a while. But I wondered if she really thought we wouldn't notice the repeat...?

Ok. So I realize I've been harder than you might expect. Those who know me will probably be shocked that I was so brutal on some parts. But I feel what I feel. I remember a friend of mine watching Confessions with me when it first hit DVD. I hadn't seen the show live, and had been lamenting it, but he said, "I don't remember this show being this good while I was there--the DVD really brings it to life." I am hoping against all other hopes that the DVD of this tour will do the same thing. Cause it just isn't the same calibur of performances we got with Confessions. My God--could anything have topped that "Music-Inferno" number? Or the power of "Live to Tell"? I was really, really hoping she would try. I'm not sure she did, or that she succeeded in matching them, with the exceptions of "Vogue" and "Like a Prayer". Maybe.

What I think happened was 1) she picked a genre she should have left alone and 2) because it was so foreign to her, the natural creative juices just didn't flow well on this album. It all seemed so forced and contrived--even for her. 3) I think she's in so much turmoil over the divorce that we're not getting the truly in-charge Madonna we love to experience. She's hurting over it, whether she'll admit to it or not, and I think she's just doing whatever she can to get through this tour. I can respect that, since she is, after all, human. We've all been at points like that, and we've all flubbed it 'til we could crash. 4) I think she just "farted out" a tour, as Drew said. I honestly don't believe she even wanted to spend as much time and energy as she did with Confessions, and since she wasn't feeling fully inspired, she just threw enough stuff together to make it look like a spectacle. 5) Last, continued from that note, I think she was just filling her final obligations to Warner Records, and that the next incarnation we get, with Live Nation, will be what she really wants us to see and not just a tool to sell records. Drew noted that he cannot wait to experience the "revenge" album to come. And not that it will be a slap in Guy's face, but more of the I'm-still-the-baddest-bitch feel. "Just watch me burn!"

Bring the heat, girl. We're waiting.

Get up. It's time. Your life. Your world.

2008-11-21T19:31:00.002-05:00

Have an excellent weekend, everyone. I know I will.

There's poison in the medicine.

2008-11-21T08:43:00.001-05:00

Leftovers.

2008-11-19T16:20:00.002-05:00

Lord...I had forgotten about this drunken moment from Halloween. I was drunk on the streets of Raleigh, and I found this tragic little fairy--also quite drunk, clearly--waiting for her troops to come fly her away. Let this be an important message: Fairies don't let fairy's wear rainbow wigs.

Your Thoughts Become Things

2008-11-18T10:03:00.003-05:00

"When feelings of uncertainty cloud your mood, tingeing your expectations with anxiety, you may find yourself struggling between high hopes and doubtfulness. Remembering that you create both your experience and your reality with your thoughts may help you decide to banish all doubts. Keep your focus on the positive and move toward it with confidence. By doing this you focus all of your energy on only one outcome, feeding it with positivity while starving your worries. It is more fun to spend your time and energy enjoying hope than it is to wallow in worry anyway, so let yourself enjoy the possibilities.

"Sometimes we need to balance our expectations with trust in the workings of the universe. We know that the universe supports our thoughts and that it works to harmonize and balance everything for the greatest good. So while we keep our thoughts positive to give the universe direction to create form from energy, we also leave room for the universe’s wisdom. We must trust that there is a reason if things don’t look exactly as we’d hoped. Perhaps it is a matter of timing or of refining our thoughts, but it all works to the good. Remembering this helps us go with the flow of energy in our lives rather than fight against it, which makes life a much more pleasant journey. "

--From DailyOM.com

And so we marched!

2008-11-17T14:54:00.009-05:00

Saturday's protest of Propostion 8 in Raleigh-wood was excellent. I felt like one of the French, who'll protest in a heartbeat if they don't approve of something: "VA TE FAIRE FUTRE! VIVE LA GAY!"

Above is yours truly as the faux-jew, with my Drew and his Gatorgum-green banner.

Here's your host of Amen Praize Jesus!

Love this guy!

A better version of yourself

2008-11-15T08:22:00.002-05:00

"There are no accidents in life. Every person you meet, every word you overhear is part of some elaborate plan to help you elevate, to be better. Right now, at this moment, you have exactly the circumstances you need to transform your life to your next highest level.
With this thought in mind, look at the problems in your life today and discover how they can be a catalyst for you to think, act, and be better."

--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre

Absolute Certainty

2008-11-13T09:59:00.003-05:00

Alright. I lied.
I'm going to go on a bit more about Proposition 8, but not to bitch about it. Instead, I hope to inspire a greater flow of certainty that, with perseverance and solidarity, the gay and lesbian community can win our undebateable civil rights to freely marry, adopt children, care for our spouses in hospitals--everything that we see the straight world doing without question or second thought. Below is an excerpt from a DailyOM.com email I received today. I find it to be perfectly timed with our preparations for mass protest this Saturday. Undoubtedly, some of us will face retailation at our rallies, but the message below is clear: no one else really has power over us without our consent. So don't consent. Be certain that we are all truly equal, and that that truth will ultimately win.

"You may not know how to respond to people in authority, which could mean that you may act more passively... Perhaps you do not feel certain about yourself and your abilities and might be more inclined to bend to other peoples’ wishes. Boosting confidence in yourself...could help you react to people in power more positively. If you can allow yourself to see that everyone in this world is part of the same energy—meaning that everyone is equal in the eyes of the universe—you might be more able to recognize that while in theory someone else may have power over you, in reality, you are both one and the same within the realm of the universe. Once you understand that you are a valid and essential part of this world, you can develop greater confidence in yourself.
"No one ever has true control over you for you are in charge of your thoughts, emotions, and your self-concept. It is easy for many of us to put others on a pedestal and be intimidated either by their station in life or by their talents. If we can see that we also give as much to the world and that the power someone has over us is simply based on our mind’s reaction to it, we are more able to stand up for ourselves. Knowing that as a human you have unlimited potential will enable you to speak up for and have greater confidence in yourself."

Now. Let's all be strong for each other and make a miracle.
CG

Keep on Pushin!

2008-11-12T09:36:00.005-05:00

I realize there's much hubbub about protesting Prop8, so I won't dwell on it. But I will say that this is a perfect time to emulate the strategy of the right-wing nut-balls who seem to keep getting things passed in support of their hate-born, "morally-superior", Christian agenda: they don't give up.

Seriously. I've never encountered tenacity like that of a self-proclaimed Christian who believes they're doing their thing for the glory of God or Jesus, who they seem to think "needs" their defense on our Earthly plane. Whatever. The only crazier crazies that I know of are the Islamic militants, but even their actions pale in comparison to what was done during the Spanish Inquisition and "holy" crusades. All in the name of Jesus.

WHATEVER.

Anyway, I found an article this morning saying, basically, that Connecticut's Supreme Court will soon allow gay marriages, and not just civil unions: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081112/ap_on_re_us/gay_marriage

There's protests, of course, from the Christ-ies who don't like it:

"The Family Institute of Connecticut, a political action group that opposes gay marriage, condemned the high court's decision as undemocratic. Peter Wolfgang, the group's executive director, acknowledged banning gay marriage in Connecticut would be difficult but vowed not to give up. 'Unlike California, we did not have a remedy,' Wolfgang said. 'It must be overturned with patience, determination and fortitude.'

EXACTLY!

People, if we're going to get our civil rights on--things that are inherently not up for debate because they're OUR FUCKING RIGHTS--then we have to be just as tenacious and ferocious about it as the self-righteous pricks who think they're preserving something that belongs only to them (mother fuckers).

This Saturday, all over the country, there will be protests of Prop8. I urge everyone who reads this to consider finding one in your area and standing up for true equality. The kind of equality that Martin Luther King dreamed of. We almost had it on November 4th, and that dream is not dead. We have to fight to bring Light back to it, to give it life and keep it thriving.

Remember: Patience, determination, and fortitude will win this for us. Use those idiots' own weapons against them. Except the idiocy part. Leave that at home.

How we treat ourselves...

2008-11-11T13:28:00.001-05:00

"If we are going to have any shot at achieving the miracle of treating everyone we meet with at least a strain of human dignity, we've got to start by treating ourselves with human dignity.
After all, how we treat ourselves is how we treat others.
The month of Scorpio is the perfect time to be reminded of this. We tend to be extra hard on ourselves under the influence of this energy. But at the same time, there is always a little poison in the vaccine. Meaning, if we can learn to be nice to ourselves, even when we are in the throes of self-hatred, we can inoculate ourselves against that inner critic for the rest of the year.
There is an amazing story of the Baal Shem Tov, the great 18th century Kabbalist who was once traveling through a town in which he was introduced to a wealthy man. The man invited the great sage to stay with him during his visit.
When he arrived at the man's house, the Baal Shem Tov was very surprised to see that the man lived so modestly. Nowhere throughout his house was it evident that the man possessed great wealth. Even the meals he ate consisted of little more than dry bread and water.
The Baal Shem Tov stayed with him for several days and on the third day he woke up and began screaming at the man. "Who do you think you are? Where is all of your wealth? Why do you live like this? Why do you eat stones? Why do you think the Light gave you all of this wealth?"
To this the confused man replied, "Well I'm trying to live modestly. I don't want my ego..."
"Ego? What ego are you talking about," the great Kabbalist interjected. On and on the Baal Shem Tov went, giving him the business about his modesty.
After they departed one of the Kabbalist's students asked him, "Why did you do such a thing? He was trying to tell you he was working on shrinking his ego, working on improving himself."
"If he eats dry bread and water what do you think he's going to give the poor to eat? He's going to give them sticks and stones. If this is the way he treats himself, how is he going to treat others! If he has the means to do so he has to treat himself in a very good way. This way he can treat others in a very good way as well."
Be nice to yourself this week. You have so many gifts from the Creator that were given to you so you could share them with others. The more you are patient and tolerant of your shortcomings and failures, the more your gifts will come out.
And the more your gifts come out, the better you will feel."

--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre

Be Big.

2008-11-10T09:47:00.000-05:00

"We know it's within a person's nature to follow his habits and his friend's habits. Even in spiritual matters, where others gain strength, we gain strength and where others are weak, we too are weak.
The greatest difficulty in spiritual work is being strong where most people are negligent.
This doesn't mean drop all your negative friends and family. Because the truth is, we all have positive and negative inside. I know people like that, constantly dropping people, and in most cases they end up alone.
The point is, sometimes we need to be the ones who are strong in the midst of weakness. We need to set the example and to put out the positive, proactive thinking and behavior that will brings others up to a higher level. Do that today. Be big. Be positive. Be strong."
--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre

Change Leads to Change

2008-11-06T08:33:00.002-05:00

"If you want to accomplish the impossible, you need to constantly face the unknown. Change leads to change. Sometimes making those dramatic shifts is a bit overwhelming. We get paralyzed by fear and doubt. The way to get around that is to practice changing in little ways all the time. Change leads to change."

" Today, drive a different route to work. Order a different drink at Starbucks. Talk to new people. Go out of your normal ways. Because change leads to change."

--Yehuda Berg of The Kabbalah Centre

Talkin' 'Bout Love--Part 3

2008-11-04T18:08:00.006-05:00

"When you ask someone why he or she loves another person, nine times out of ten they will tell you how wonderful that other person makes them feel. They will tell you that the other person makes them feel secure and loved; the other person treats them with respect and kindness. The other person is loyal to them.

"According to Kabbalah that is not true love. The person is telling you all about what they are receiving--not what they are giving. Love means giving of yourself completely, sharing unconditionally without any concern for what you are receiving from the relationship. It's not about how the other person makes you feel but rather, it's about how you make the other person feel. Your care, concern, and love for the other person are unconditional. It is unqualified. There are no strings attached. There is not a trace of self-interest. With genuine love, the act of loving itself is the source of our pleasure.

"The vast majority of marriages, relationships, and partnerships are based upon need, not love...[But], when a person gives love without an inkling of self-interest, it penetrates to the core of another individual, beyond what we can imagine. It might happen in a brief encounter, yet it will last for eternity."

--Rav Paul Berg, from NANO: Technology of Mind Over Matter, pp 7-9

(Even though I do subscribe to this view of what love is, I must admit that I, personally, know of no living person who is able to live by this example 100% of the time. That doesn't mean I think we shouldn't try to, it just means that it's friggin hard. It's the ultimate test of going against our selfish natures.)

A brief note about the month of Scorpio...

2008-11-04T14:02:00.003-05:00

"Scorpio began last Thursday. Brace your selves. There's a powerful duality at play now. We will have extraordinary insight into our lives and make many spiritual breakthroughs.

Yet, at the same time there is the potential to be, well, not so nice.

You are likely to experience extreme emotions and see things in black and white, all or nothing. When you find your thoughts headed down this road, ask yourself "what is the Light showing me?"

Remember, it is never about the other person or situation, and always about you and your spiritual growth.

As I said, Scorpio offers us tremendous sensitivity and intuition. Converting our examinations of others into examinations of our own motives can tap us into a deeper river of insight.
Rest assured there will be many opportunities to tap into your spiritual bank account that you have set up during the past months of Virgo and Libra, as Scorpio is a pressurized month. The positive part of this pressure is the Light showing you what you need to change.

As you open to your intuitive voice, listen for messages about what isn't working in your life. Maybe it's a relationship you're stuck in or a job that isn't fulfilling you. Pay attention to areas of perpetual disappointment and ask for guidance.

All the best,
Yehuda Berg

(Meditation for the month--No Agenda): My motivation of self-interest, ulterior motives, and hidden agendas give way to pure acts of friendship, unconditional love, and giving. When I take myself out of the way, I create a space for true and loving friends, joy and fulfillment. "

Talkin' 'Bout Love--Part 2

2008-11-04T12:22:00.003-05:00

Now, how do we best manifest what we want in the physical world? We visualize and imagine ONLY what we want, and never what we don't want. This next segment, also from DailyOM.com, reinforces this concept--as does The Secret, or Kabbalah in general. The message is simple: A better life, one filled with love, starts within YOU.

"Confidence comes from believing you are valuable and worthy of achieving what you desire. That same belief attracts good to you, helping you reach the heights you seek. It all begins with the belief in yourself, your abilities, and your uniqueness. As you find that this is reflected and confirmed by the world around you, your confidence is fed, making it easier for you to reach your goals. We all create our experience from our beliefs, so when you believe the best about yourself today you create your best life.

"This is the law of attraction at work. We create what we believe and draw it to us at the same time. Whether we believe positive or negative things about ourselves, we will attract the situations that prove we are right. We don’t do this by comparing ourselves with others but by appreciating ourselves for what we are and by becoming all we can be. Our goal is to be our best self and share the gifts that are uniquely ours with the world. "

A final note to remember is that when we don't share exactly who we are with the rest of the world, we could very well find ourselves in situations we don't want or need, ie, crappy relationships, jobs, social scenes, you name it. Over time, concealing our true selves leads to what is commonly called "jaded"--when we disguise our feelings just to keep up appearances or keep the peace, and we tire of the same old dead-end results to the point of giving up. So, don't give up. Instead, give up the fear of being you.

Talkin' 'Bout Love--Part 1

2008-11-04T12:04:00.003-05:00

We're in the lunar month of Scoripo, folks, an emotionally charged and passionate time. No coincidence that election day falls in there. But I'm not going to talk about politics today, just elements of passion. The following is an excerpt from a DailyOm.com article I received--The Journey of Finding a Relationship. This advice may sound like common sense or fluff, but when it comes down to the basics, why should it be more difficult? It starts the ball rolling on this three-parter...

"Before we embark upon the journey of finding the relationship that is right for us, we may want to take the opportunity to refine our concept of who we are and our ideas of what we want from life. That way, we are clearer on the kind of person we want to attract into our lives. Part of the journey of finding a mate is learning how to become our own mate. When we can learn to meet our needs without relying on someone else to complete us, we don’t have to form relationships from the space of needing our emptiness to be filled. We can also discover our intrinsic value, separate from what someone else might be reflecting back to us. Getting to know who we are and learning to love ourselves creates a solid foundation of self that we can bring to any relationship.

"We are fortunate to live in a time when relationships can unfold at a pace that is right for us and take unique forms. Friendship, dating, open relationships, long term relationships, long distance relationships, or committed relationships — we are free to choose the kind of relationships that we want. If you want to be in relationship, but haven’t found the right one for you, remember that the universe works in perfect order and, therefore, right now your life is unfolding exactly as it is meant to be. Maybe all this time has been part of your preparation period for meeting your intended partner. Even the relationships in our lives that haven’t worked out as we had hoped serve us by teaching us to make better choices in our next relationships...[The best advice?] Follow your heart, listen to your inner voice, continue to become your own soul mate, and stay open to love."

Samhain...We Remember

2008-10-31T08:40:00.001-04:00

Samhain walks tonight, he rapps on every door.
With silent wings to block the light, he tallies up the score.
One soul here, three souls there--he'll feast until the dawn.
Give up your treats and hide your face, lest you become his pawn.
When morning comes--should you survive--stand full within the sun.
You've one more year to play your tricks, 'til Samhain night is come!

FINALLY! SOME LOGIC!

2008-10-30T16:40:00.004-04:00

Wow...
And LO--there was a response that made sense and gave hope that we are not fully surrounded by idiots...

"Hello everyone,
Just writing to let everyone know that I am a Christian that firmly believes in God and his teachings yet I am supporting Obama as president for many reasons a few of which I will go into.

"First, God was not a Democrat or a Republican and as such neither political party has ownership of him or the Christians that believe in him. For every fault that people find through the lenses of Christianity with the Democratic party (gay rights and abortion for example) there are just as many faults with the Republican party that are not very Christian either (looking out for just the wealthy and big businesses and hoping that their prosperity trickles down to the less fortunate and healthcare only for the lucky few with 40-some million left out currently in the United States for example). I can point to specific examples in the bible that run contrary to the corporate selfishness and greed that runs uncontrolled in the Republican party like Jesus feeding many people with just a few loaves of bread and fish that multiplied. Or how Jesus unconditionally healed Lazarus, a man less fortunate, while Republican politicians have been mostly against universal healthcare. Not very God-like huh? That's because it isn't. In God's eyes, I learned from going to church, no sin is bigger than the other. For this reason I have personally decided to let politics be politics and the politicians handle their job as politicians but for religion to be religion and let the preachers do their job to teach morality and other positive christian values. After all, on judgement day it won't be the President of the United States and God reviewing your life. It will be God only!

"Second, anytime a party uses a fear tactic to sway your opinion you have to wonder what agenda they are hiding from you. The last time the United States elected a president based on fear, think George Bush in 2004 manipulating the fear of terrorism to garner votes, we got one of the worst presidents in the history of the United States. Why? Well for those that have a 401K or any money in the stock market take a look at your most recent balance. Mine has personally plummeted 41% since the beginning of this year. Grocery prices have roughly doubled to tripled since the year 2000. Gas prices have reached heights of $4 per gallon since 2000. The average price of a gallon of gas on Clinton's last day in office was $1.25 per gallon!!! Meanwhile Exxon just announced that it posted the largest profit ever this most recent financial quarter!! Wages have actually decreased on average by $2,000 per person since Bush took office. When Clinton left, wages had risen on average by $7,000 per person during his 8 years in office and 25 million jobs were created. During Bush's 8 years, we've actually lost 5 million jobs instead of creating them. Not once has the Bush administration done anything that has been successful to stop this destruction of America regardless of whom was responsible for creating it and McCain voted with him 90% of the time to help get us here. I'm personally outraged that this has happened. All at our expense because we elected a party into office that really doesn't have your back even though they claim to and are even willing to use religion and other fear tactics to make you think they are. Take a look at the housing market and how horrible that situation is due to the capitalistic economic policies of deregulation so fondly promoted by the majority of Republicans in office. Some of you have already experienced losing equity line access in your house. Others can't sell their home for what it's worth. Still, others are forced into foreclosure due to job losses or the rapidly escalating costs of living and raises at work that don't keep pace. Do you really want to reward the same party with another 4 years after having failed so miserably on so many fronts based on fear? I don't. In the business world, if you have an employee that doesn't perform their job well what happens to them? That's right, they get fired and you give the other guy a chance if you expect to have a successful business. You are also willing to take some of the bad for a whole lot of good in return because nobody is perfect. I don't appreciate the insinuation that my support of him is tantamount to not being Christian, and that is exactly what this type of propaganda that's being spread around on the internet implies.

"Third, the republicans that have been running for office for the most part, not all of them, have been very slick about scaring people into voting for them so that we will not realize that their agenda actually caters to the rich and well-off and the big businesses. For the most part they expect that when the rich and the big businesses do well then they will drop a crumb or two for the middle class and the poor to scavenge for. Instead we've seen over the past 8 years that when the rich and the big businesses make more money they get greedy and they don't drop any crumbs for the poor or the middle class. It's a twice-failed economic policy called "trickle down economics" that does not work. McCain voted for 4 out of the 5 budgets that helped to shape "trickle-down economics" with Bush. This is not the first time it failed us. It happened during the first Bush's term back in 1992. He lost to Clinton that year due to these horrible economic policies. In the years that followed we saw the largest economic boom to occur in our lifetime thanks to Clinton's economic policies that acknowledged the poor and the middle class. Whether or not we love or hate Clinton, his economic legacy can't be argued with, especially compared to now. I had the fortune of going to college in the late 90's when my tuition and fees at a North Carolina State University were only $829 per semester. Groceries and gas were cheap too which helped a lot. If I had to pursue this American Dream right now in our current economic climate I'd have to quit college and start working without a college degree. This means that for a lot of people that are in similar shoes right now, the American Dream just died because they can't afford to go to college even with a full academic scholarship like I had. I thank God every day that I had the fortune of going to college at the time that I did because it allowed me to pursue that lifelong drea m successfully. Not being somebody that came from gobs of money I had to do a lot of hard work in the books and on the job to get to where I am. But that's the American Dream, that your hard work and sacrifice will pay off. We've seen college tuition and fees rise to astronomic heights in the past 8 years! How many people reading this e-mail either go to a state university or know someone who does that only pays $829 in tuition and fees like I did during the 90's? Probably nobody. So don't let fear tactics become the smoke and mirrors that hides the fact that a certain political party is really looking out for somebody that is NOT like yourself.

"Fourth I am supporting Obama for President because Palin is not intellectually qualified for the highest office in the land as we all had the opportunity to see with the infamous Katie Couric interview. She basically said that her foreign policy experience is that she can see Russia from Alaska. She consistently stumbled in her answer about the economy's condition. We've already had a president that wasn't intellectually capable of handling the highest office in the land the past 8 years, we certainly don't need that again. She wanted books removed from the library so that knowledge could be filtered. She wanted Polar Bears removed from the Endangered Species list so that they could be hunted when in fact they are endangered. She doesn't believe in Global Warming because she has rejected the scientific facts. May I ask when the last time North Carolina had a good snow in the winter? Now just think back to the 70s and the 80s when you could expect at least one good snow a winter in North Carolina. There's proof right in our own lifetime that Global Warming exists and it's not just cyclical either. For the first time ever in global history, the polar icecap melted this past summer. We need somebody in office with intellect and brains. Obama was a graduate from Harvard Law School and was in the top of his class and the President of the Harvard Law Review before he even started his career as a politician. If taking an IQ test was a preliminary to run for the president, I personally don't think Palin would be on the ticket if the requirements were to be of superior intelligence. At McCain's age of 72 there is a 33% percent chance that he could die before he reaches the age of 80. That's almost a coin toss of a chance that Palin could be President within 8 years. So for those that don't think Obama is ready, ask yourself is Palin ready on day one?

"Fifth, I am supporting Obama for President because his actual plans for the nation are the exact cure that we need for all of our economic and healthcare issues amongst many other problems we have now that didn't exist when Clinton left office. We are currently borrowing money from China to support the terrorists in the Middle East by buying their oil. We have to borrow this money because we are financially broke as a nation. This has put us in a position of compromise because now China, a communist nation, has say so over what we do since we owe them money. That's not a very comforting thought and the fact that the terrorists in the Middle East are stronger and richer now is not very comforting either. In fact, I feel less safe now even though we are fighting a war on terror as we speak. More people in the world hate us now more than ever thanks to George Bush and his fellow McCain that voted with him 90% of the time. Obama wants to end the senseless war in Iraq and stop spending 10 billion per month there and instead pursue Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan instead. Obama also wants to create 5 million jobs right here in America with green energy so we won't have to borrow from China to buy Middle Eastern oil. I have family members right now that have worked HARD their whole life, so that I could have a shot at the American Dream to obtain a college education and have a nice job with benefits, that do NOT have healthcare because their small business employer can't afford to offer health insurance as a benefit. Obama has a plan for them that won't break their bank account. McCain's $2500 tax cut will only pay a small part of the average $6,000 per year healthcare plan's actual cost. That leaves the average person $3500 per year to pay which works out to be almost $300 per month. For some people that's an entire pay check per month!!! This is not even c ounting the fact that the whole deductible with McCain's plan is going to be taxed. Right now the deductible is not taxed. I have a family member right now that does not go to the doctor until they get sick because they don't have health insurance even though they work and have worked their whole life. Obama's healthcare plan would offer help to her in much the same manner that Jesus would have helped the less fortunate become healed. I have a family member over the age of 60 that has worked hard her whole life for her kids to have a better life and Obama wants eliminate federal income tax for people over the age of 60 that make less than $50,000 per year so that their paychecks can stretch a bit further. Sound familiar, kind of like stretching the loaves of bread and fish out for the people? When we can start solving some of the major issues that affect almost everybody first, like healthcare and the economy, then we can start talking about the fringe issues that affect less than 5 to 10 percent of the population like gay rights and abortion rights. We are on our way to a 3rd world country economically and I don't want to see us go down like that.

"I hope I haven't offended anybody with this e-mail. It was not my intention to do so. But as a devout Christian raised as a Southern Baptist I hate to see a wedge being driven between the "believer's" and the "non-believer's" in the name of God. Jesus himself was never this divisive and he led by example not by force. We could all do ourselves a favor by being more like him in this regard. I am by no means perfect in this regard. I sometimes catch myself needlessly judging others. But I always try to remember that God loved everyone regardless of their sins. We will never get people into the Christian fold this way and we will only drive people away until we develop a more inclusive message to the general public that may have not had the fortune as we have had to be raised under the positive influence of the Holy Bible and it's teachings. If you are voting for McCain or Obama based strictly on the issues for you, then Kudos to you for doing your research! We all have the right to vote for whomever we choose based on the facts and the issues we face as Americans. Kudos again for just simply exercising your right to vote. There is nothing worse than people who do not vote but then sit back and complain about everything. But if you are voting based on fear or anything else that you heard that frightens you or seems distasteful in any way then there is some soul-searching that has to be done because more than likely you are allowing yourself to be unjustly manipulated. I have prayed about this election too and God always delivers so whomever winds up being elected is exactly whom we need as Americans. Sometimes, the negative outcome is exactly what God wanted for us to teach us what we need to learn from it. Sometimes, the positive outcome is exactly what he wanted for us so that we can be saved from impending peril. When I prayed about the election in 2000 and 2004 I got what I considered to be the negative outcome. Just look at where we were 8 years ago and where we are now with Bush as our incompetent leader. But I never lost faith in God because of it. I just realized that the lesson God wanted to impart is that Bush is whom we needed at the time to teach us why we should not elect a president based on fear. What I've been seeing in the polls is that this lesson has been taught to a majority of Americans. Despite all the fear-mongering that's going on in the ads and the smear campaigns, Obama has a solid lead in the polls and the electoral college because hope is winning out over fear. Take a look at the following website: www. pollster.com"

God Bless.

What truly scares the hell out of me.

2008-10-30T16:21:00.003-04:00

I got into a brief exchange of words today with someone who didn't like my associating republican values with conservative christian beliefs. He said, "What does being a christian have to do with anything? Why do left-wing liberals have to bring their personal beliefs into their arguments?"

WHAT!?!?!?!?!? I don't know if I can make my argument any better than by posting the dumb-ass email that found it's way to my mailbox today. THIS is the kind of shit that tells me there are WAY too many backwards thinking republicans still alive and well in this country, and that scares the living b'Jesus out of me. I've said it before: I got nothing against Jesus, it's the fucking right-wing, fear-obsessed, uneducated idiots running free among us that make me wonder if we have a chance at being a great nation ever again. Read on and laugh, cry, shiver, curse me, whatever you need to feel. I hope you'll see immediately what's wrong with American just based on this alone.

"From a Christian friend who loves this country as I (and you) do. So this is a prayer chain that needs to go around this country. Okay prayer warriors, here is your challenge: start those prayer chains.

"ALL CHRISTIANS SHOULD READ THIS ONE!!!From: ELIZABETH ROHN-NELSONSubject: Prayer can move mountains, why not Obama?
I felt dismayed recently when a family member of mine said to me with great resignation that Obama will take the presidency. These words came from someone who in the past has been a great prayer warrior. My question: What is happening? Why are we Christians settling and not issuing a battle cry, falling to our knees, taking our country back?

"We allow ourselves to be stripped of the right to pray at school functions and in school; we see the 10 commandments removed from government places and are told we cannot pray in school-- all the while providing public prayer places for Muslims. What in the world is going on and why are we being apathetic?Why aren't we praying? Our God is a mighty God who is waiting patiently for us to raise our voices to heaven to stop the tide of the anti-Christ actions in our world today.Now we find we have a charismatic candidate for president who does not respect our flag and refuses to wear one on his lapel except when it becomes politically expedient; whose own wife and pastor that he loves profess to have strong anti-white and anti-America feelings; whose voting record and clear stands in favor of final-term abortion and infanticide in the name of "women's rights" are shocking-- and we sit back and say 'It is a given; we can do nothing.'

"There has never been a time in 2000 years that we can do nothing, never a time that we must sit back and allow the evil in men's and women's hearts to take over our world. We should be very afraid, because our apathy is leading us to perdition. It is time for all Christian Americans to raise the battle cry and take our nation back. Maybe McCain on his own cannot defeat Obama, but our God can and He will if we take to our knees in prayer and raise a mighty cry to the heavens to 'Save us O Lord.' We have the power to change the course of this election and to keep a man as suspect as Barak Obama from leading our country to who knows where with his message of 'change' - a change which I fear will be away from our Christian ideals and away from Christ and further away from one nation under God.

"We are great at passing stories and pictures around the internet, but where are our prayers and prayer warriors praying to stop this tide of Barak Obama? God parted the red sea, God raised Jesus from the dead, and God can bring our country back to its Christian roots and stop the rise of Islam in our country. We can stop our country from being 'under Allah' (as much of Europe has already fallen victim to) but we must begin to pray, to pray as if our country and our lives depended on it-- because they do. We can stop all these atrocities against God's commands that have taken root in our country through something as simple as sincere prayer, a call to God to deliver us, to forgive us our sins of apathy, and to protect us from the evil that is upon us. (II Chronicles 7:14 "If My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land.")

"Okay prayer warriors, here is your challenge: start those prayer chains. Get the spiritual power working on our behalf and stop Barak Obama the proper way, by calling on our God to save us from the deception that charismatic preaching is using to lead us on the wrong path. Stop those who would take God out of our country and our government. Raise up good men to lead us and protect us.George Bush is being buffeted because he has fought a holy war against the evils that attack us and we should not be surprised because a prophet is not honored in his own country. But we should not rest on our laurels and allow ourselves to be taken further off the path of Christianity and to have God removed from our presence in our schools, courts, government and businesses. Invite God into the fray. Ask that His power rest upon us and give us the victory. Ask Him to raise up a mighty army to defend us and to protect our country as He did in days of old. Let us be victorious beginning NOW. The battle is His but we must call on Him without ceasing and unite our voices and hearts in prayer and fasting.

"Please pass this around to all people of prayer that you know and maybe, just maybe, a more eloquent person of prayer will write something better and more inspiring and even the rocks will shout that Jesus is Lord and our Mighty God is with us, bringing the victory for us and ultimately for Him.
'Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks inall circumstances, for this is God's will for you inChrist Jesus.' I Thes 5:16-18.... Continuous Prayer is the answer to this attack on the USA.... Please pray the Will of God will prevail through our continuous prayers to HIM...Remember Prayer Can... Move Mountains."

If that is true, then I will pray that a mountain drops on everyone who believes this is the answer to our problems.

One more day til...

2008-10-30T08:34:00.001-04:00

Got Costume?

2008-10-29T12:41:00.004-04:00

Next to McCain and Palin winning the election, this is the scariest damn thing I can imagine seeing in real life.

Michael, please be sure to put a mask on this season. There are children to think about. Oh, wait...you already do that.

Nevermind.

The Devil is alive!

2008-10-29T12:36:00.004-04:00

And, as has been suspected all along, lives in Madonna.

My word... I found this rather hilarious little ditty on newlinecreative.com, and I found it just too irresistable to pass up, since Halloween is right around the corner. Mo, you know I love you, but these people do have a point. This image is two year's old, but nothing has changed: It's time to eat something.

"London--A horrific vision of Satan himself has appeared in a not-so-surprising place - the grotesque back of ancient pop star, Madonna. We strongly urge readers to view the photo above in only short doses or your sex organs may shrivel up and fall off. However, if you do spend a few seconds looking at Madonna's hideous, pale nightmare of a back, you will begin to see the face of the dark lord himself, Satan. If you stare for a few minutes and don't see the face of Satan, that is probably because you have carved your eyes out with a pencil on your desk. Sorry."

Miami Night Life

2008-10-28T09:56:00.005-04:00

Me and Drew. Freak love is the best love.

Ian, the cheerleader. "Oh haaaalp! HAAAAALP!

Off to Miami!

2008-10-25T07:55:00.003-04:00

I am nobody's caged bird--AirTran, take me away!

Have a ROCKIN' weekend, everyone.