Surfing the Tao

Surfing the Tao.com

2007-04-30T14:39:00.000-08:00

Please follow me as I move my blog to my domain at www.surfingthetao.com.

Moving to WordPress.org

2007-04-16T14:44:00.000-08:00

More news on the blog front. I am in the midst of changing my domain, www.surfingthetao.com, to a WordPress site/blog. I'm still not sure if I'll keep this Blogspot or not - right now I have a lot of traffic here so I might continue posting here for awhile. If you are linked here or subscribed to this feed, consider switching over to www.surfingthetao.com. It's not pretty yet but I'm working on it!!

A Closer Look at the 2012 Phenomenon

2007-04-12T12:29:00.000-08:00

Aloha all, here's a link to my interview with Occult of Personality.

Hawaiian Bees are Missing Too

2007-04-10T18:48:00.000-08:00

Regarding my post yesterday on our neighborhood bees, I just spoke with my neighbor and got an update. Although the beehive in their yard is still buzzing away (behaving strangely, though, he said they are circling in unusual ways for some reason), they have 60 other hives up north on the island, and are confused as to why 20 of them are suddenly gone, just in the past couple of months. Nothing’s left, he said, no queen, nothing; just the cockroaches. He didn’t actually realize it was happening all over the world and I think he was a little stunned. He promises to talk to other island beekeepers to see if it’s happening to anyone else.

Scary.

Missing the Bees

2007-04-09T19:02:00.000-08:00

I live in Hawaii in a relatively rural place so we are used to seeing things like wild turkeys wandering around our neighborhood. Yesterday a wild goat scampered across the street in front of my car to join its family on the other side. The Big Island has wild pigs, cattle, goats, horses, mongoose, parrots and even donkeys. (Not to digress, but Hawaii even has its own Bigfoot myths – two of my family members have personal stories about that.) In suburban neighborhoods it’s not unusual for people to keep chickens or goats; the best eggs I ever had were from a friend’s backyard. In fact the people across the street from us keep a goat as a lawnmower and have a beehive.

They’ve given us some honey before; it’s wonderful. I used to have a patch of mint that flowered and the bees just took over my garden. One time a few months ago they swarmed, coming right up our driveway next to our porch. We all ran inside, including the dogs, at a loss as to what might have upset them.

In the evenings lately I’ve noticed there is always one lone and angry bee buzzing around our porch light rather frantically, as if it’s bound and determined to go somewhere. With all the talk about the bees disappearing lately, I always hope it will find its way home.

The bee apocalypse is hot news right now – truly a sign of the times. So far no one is sure what’s going on - a virus, genetically modified crops, insecticides or maybe the effect of an increase in UV radiation which bees use to navigate. People are quoting Einstein as having said, "If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man."

Next time I see my neighbor I will ask about the bees. It’s important to know if they are still around, and we would miss them very much indeed if they weren’t.

Blogging

2007-04-05T13:53:00.000-08:00

A little off the subject for me today, but my brain is full of RSS feeds and tagging and widgets. Blogging is a rapidly growing and changing world! At least for my generation – hey, I grew up with Pong, I have a lot to learn! As a self-published author I’ve done most of my marketing online so I’m constantly searching for more places to put my stuff. Thanks to my smart and wonderful stepdaughters, I’ve entered the world of blogging and social networking sites. It’s been a great way to keep myself involved in the topics that interest me, and to find other like-minded people. Here’s to all the people that work hard coming up with new gadgets, designs and ideas. I look forward to more.

However this rapid advancement can also mean that you can do something on one site that you can’t do yet on another. Frustration at Blogger led me to Wordpress and I’m happy to find some things are easier there; on the other hand, since I’m not into CSS yet (hey, I can find HTML code now and know where to put it, that’s saying a lot for me!) I went back and decided I liked some of the things about Blogger too. Maybe I’ll just keep them both for awhile and see which one works out to be better. I’m still learning and I like the different options and people on all of them. But between my pages on Blogger, Wordpress, Myspace, Zaadz, Vox, Tribe; even experimented with Freewebs just because I could; and now there’s stuff like tag clouds, del.icio.us, Digg it, Technorati, Open ID, and the various feed readers – as a neophyte it can be difficult to absorb it all. But – also a lot of fun. Here’s to surfing, dudes!

2012 Hype?

2007-03-30T16:02:00.000-08:00

USA Today recently published an article about the recent flurry of speculation surrounding December 21, 2012, which is the date the Mayan “Long Count” calendar is set to end. Many people believe it will be the ‘end of the world’, while others scoff at this notion. Some say it’s just the end of a cycle; others predict a change of consciousness, and see it as a positive change. Still others expect catastrophe. What’s interesting, notes USA Today, is that “Part of the 2012 mystique stems from the stars. On the winter solstice in 2012, the sun will be aligned with the center of the Milky Way for the first time in about 26,000 years. This means that ‘whatever energy typically streams to Earth from the center of the Milky Way will indeed be disrupted on 12/21/12 at 11:11 p.m. Universal Time,’ Joseph writes.” (Note the 11:11…) There are so many books and TV specials being created around 2012 one can hardly keep track. Even Hollywood is getting into the action; director Michael Bay is planning a film called "2012: The War for Souls", based on Whitley Strieber’s book.

One of the chapters my book discusses the strange reoccurrence of a ‘destruction by fire’ in many belief systems – it’s mentioned in more than a dozen books of the Bible, as well as in the Koran, the Zand i Vohuman Yasht (Zoroastrian scripture), The Final Signs of Qiyaamah, the Norse Ragnarok, the Srimad Bhagavatam, the Ipuwer Papyrus, and by other Native American and medieval prophets. An asteroid? Polar shift? The return of the 10^th planet, Nibiru? Misuse of HAARP? Or maybe the eruption of a super volcano, or a massive solar flare? Could it have something to do with this coming alignment? It should be noted that other prophets set the date for the ‘apocalypse’ around 2018 or 2019. Still others, such as Nostradamus, give us a few more thousand years.

It is widely known, at least amongst conspiracy theorists, that the government has long had several survival plans in the case of world catastrophe – called Alternatives I, II and III, developed by the secretive Jason Society which was formed by President Eisenhower in 1957. Do they know something we don’t know? Or are they just being prepared for anything?

I have no answers; just a great interest and wonderment at the idea of it all. I’m also careful not to blindly follow the crowd; I prefer to test it against my own spirit, which has clearly alerted me to some coming monumental change – and yet not panicked me, either. Whether natural or man-made, things certainly seem to be setting up for a fall, if you just read the headlines these days. I won’t be surprised if the end really does come in 2012 – spiritually I’m prepared for that. But I won’t be too surprised if nothing happens at all: if we’re too hyped up for 2012 and nothing happens, it could be a classic case of boy crying wolf. Something even bigger could be on the horizon, and we wouldn’t pay attention anymore.

Operation Northwoods

2007-03-05T18:07:00.000-08:00

Journalist James Bamford summarized Operation Northwoods in his April 24, 2001 book Body of Secrets thusly:

Operation Northwoods, which had the written approval of the Chairman and every member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called for innocent people to be shot on American streets; for boats carrying refugees fleeing Cuba to be sunk on the high seas; for a wave of violent terrorism to be launched in Washington, D.C., Miami, and elsewhere. People would be framed for bombings they did not commit; planes would be hijacked. Using phony evidence, all of it would be blamed on Castro, thus giving Lemnitzer and his cabal the excuse, as well as the public and international backing, they needed to launch their war.^[11]
(From Wikipedia, where you can find lots more info and links on Operation Northwoods. )

Dolphins in the Navy

2007-02-21T18:00:00.000-08:00

Since I live in Hawaii, news about dolphins always catches my eye. I’ve seen them many times here in the wild. Once I was alone meditating on the cliffs on the ocean at Honaunau, a sacred spot, when an entire pod swam up to the cliff shore directly underneath me. They looked up at me as if to say, hello, did you call? It was both exhilarating and eerie.

Last week I noticed the Navy released information about their program using dolphins and sea lions to patrol military bases. Trained Navy dolphins can drop a beacon if they detect a person in the water; they can also detect underwater mines. Dolphins were used for this in Iraq in 2003. They also patrolled the bay in San Diego during the Republican National Convention in 1996.

The U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program explains dolphins are useful for their echolocation, or biological sonar, which enables them to locate mines or other objects underwater. The Navy also lists a page of FAQs about their program, to explain questions such as why they use marine mammals (they also employ sea lions and whales), and whether they use them for offensive warfare. They claim they do not train them to attack, yet after Hurricane Katrina there were reports that three dozen U.S. military dolphins, which had been trained and fitted with toxic darts, had been washed away and were missing. They were supposedly accounted for soon after, and the Pentagon denied they were ever trained to attack. Perhaps the fear mongers and rumor mill at work; perhaps the truth is still secret.

The history of the use of marine mammals by the military can be found at PBS. Begun in 1960, the program was originally classified. Rumors still abound that dolphins were used to attack and kill enemy swimmers in Vietnam. By the 1990s, with the Cold War over, much (but not all) of the program was declassified and many of the dolphins were retired. Some still claim dolphins were used to attack and kill; many animal rights organizations object to their employment, and I found a petition online objecting to the Navy’s use of dolphins.

Many people believe dolphins are particularly special, beyond their incredible intelligence. I’ve seen many spiritual books and websites devoted to them. John Lilly was a scientist who was responsible for much of the early research involving dolphins and their means of communication, providing the basis for the movie “Day of the Dolphin” and the enactment of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. He also contributed to research involving psychology and human consciousness, including use of the isolation tank (forming the basis for the movie “Altered States”), and is often discussed alongside people like Aldous Huxley. His work was cited in an article by Steve Hammons, who also responded to the recent news about dolphins in the Navy. Hammons noted that the recently declassified information about Project Stargate includes a 1987 report called “A Remote Action Investigation with Marine Animals” regarding research conducted by SRI International into anomalous cognition. In other words, the Pentagon is looking into remote viewing, telepathy and other ESP phenomena relating to dolphins and our means to communicate with them.

The Perfect Wave

2007-01-21T18:09:00.000-08:00

Some of you might already know a little about me and how my life changed so drastically nearly eight years ago. Since then I’ve seen the world, and the Universe, with new eyes and an awakened soul, now charged with pointing out the strange and impractical as I’d never seen them before.

My book, Surfing the Tao: A Revolution of Free Will was published nearly three years ago now; sometimes I’m asked if I will write another, but so far every time I’ve tried to start, that same strange book keeps coming out of me again – nearly word for word, no matter how long I’ve put it aside and refused to look at it.

That is despite the news and recent events I could probably add, and of course three more years of continued research which I am still compulsively driven towards. In the end, the point remains the same and the mission goes on as before. In that sense nothing has changed.

It is a slow but powerful mission; some days seem stagnant, others surge with answers and further possibilities. I sometimes wonder; should I be doing more? But the answer is always the same: it has a life of its own now, and must be allowed to grow at its own rate.

Something like learning to surf, then waiting for the perfect wave. It’ll come eventually.

UFO sighting makes news in Chicago

2007-01-10T19:04:00.000-08:00

This past November airline personnel at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago reported sighting an unknown craft hovering in the area. The Chicago Tribune finally mentioned it on January 1, and then commented on it again the other day, after a flood of responses. I especially liked this one: "Hmm. Looks like we're being visited by advanced craft from other worlds, and not only is the U.S. government keen to cover up the details, so are many private corporations whose existence would be threatened by the free-energy technology that powers these vehicles." --Andrew Johnson, United Kingdom I always find it interesting when these things hit the mainstream news.

Ancient Ice Shelf Breaks Free from Canadian Arctic

2006-12-29T13:18:00.000-08:00

As an update to my last entry, today CNN reports that the 41-square mile Ayles Ice Shelf, one of the six major ice shelves which remain in Canada's arctic, broke off the coast about 16 months ago. According to scientists, this "disturning event" shows "we are crossing climate thresholds."

Island Disappears Beneath the Waves

2006-12-27T13:37:00.000-08:00

This week, an article in The Independent entitled “Disappearing world: Global warming claims tropical island” seems to confirm for the first time that an inhabited island has been officially washed off the face of the Earth by rising seas. “The obliteration of Lohachara island, in India's part of the Sundarbans where the Ganges and the Brahmaputra rivers empty into the Bay of Bengal, marks the moment when one of the most apocalyptic predictions of environmentalists and climate scientists has started coming true.” Refugees fled to neighbor islands which are doomed to similar fates; a total of 70,000 people will soon become homeless due to global warming.

The Independent also reported eight years ago when the first uninhabited islands, in the Pacific nation of Kiribati, “vanished beneath the waves.” One may remember when the tiny island nation of Tuvalu was evacuated in 2001. Another article from 2002, “Global Warming & Rising Oceans” by Florida State University oceanographer Jeffrey Chanton, Ph.D., explains that rising oceans are eroding coastal areas and submerging low-lying islands. He suggests the “near future could see millions of ‘climate refugees’”, and recommends alternative fuel sources to alleviate the problem. His references include great links to scientific studies, online maps of sea levels, and a personal carbon counter to estimate your own CO2 emissions.

By now most people have seen or at least heard about Al Gore’s movie An Inconvenient Truth, about global warming. What have we done to our planet, and can it be saved?

“The world is sacred. It can’t be improved. If you tamper with it, you’ll ruin it. If you treat it like an object, you’ll lose it.” –Tao Te Ching #29

Thanks to www.wanttoknow.info

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-24T18:51:00.000-08:00

Aloha and Mele Kalikimaka, warm Hawaiian wishes this Christmas! Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all.

Keith Olbermann

2006-12-20T16:47:00.000-08:00

Very brave commentary on the loss of civil liberties in our new age. If you haven't seen it yet check it out.

The Christmas Truce

2006-12-16T15:53:00.000-08:00

On Christmas in 1914, just a few months after the start of World War I, German and British troops along the Western Front held an unofficial cease-fire, meeting each other in No Man’s Land, exchanging gifts, burying their dead, singing Christmas songs and playing ball together. This incredibly moving story has inspired many articles, a song and a movie, Joyeux Noel, a French film nominated for Best Foreign Language film in the 78^th Academy awards. David G. Stratman wrote about it in his book, We Can Change the World. Here is an article from the London News in 1915, along with an illustration of the event.

Tom Morgan writes, “The image of opposing soldiers, shaking hands with each other on one day and then deliberately trying to kill each other the next, is a powerful one, and one which is part and parcel of remembrance of the Great War. It was, perhaps, a last example of open-handed chivalry before the squalor and horror of the next three years changed the old world for ever.” His site also includes remembrances from soldiers who were there.

As much as war is an obvious moneymaking racket for so many rich and powerful people, one cannot help but think, how much power is in the hands of those who do the actual fighting, and that the possibility of peace may be closer than we realize – all it would take is the softening of hearts.

“He who is centered in the Tao

can go where he wishes, without danger.

He perceives the universal harmony,

even amid great pain,

because he has found peace in his heart.” –Tao Te Ching, #35

Thanks to Wanttoknow.info.

Eat Your Apple Seeds

2006-12-08T18:08:00.000-08:00

"Everyone should know that most cancer research is largely a fraud…" - Linus Pauling PhD (1901-1994) Two times Nobel Prize winner.

Vitamin B17 (also called Amygdalin or Laetrile) is one of the most controversial substances in cancer research. It is a nitriloside, which occurs naturally in fruit seeds, some berries, flax, millet, and some beans, leaves, grasses and nuts. Touted as a cure for cancer several decades ago by Dr. Ernst T. Krebs, it has since been discredited by orthodox medicine as “quackery.” Respected researcher Dr. Kanematsu Sugiura was fired after refusing to publish false test results on Laetrile – he stood firm in his belief in it. One of the most famous proponents of B17 is G. Edward Griffin, whose book, video and articles attempt to explain what the fuss is all about.

These and other researchers contend that cancer is little more than a deficiency disease, much like scurvy or pellagra. In cultures that eat foods high in nitrilosides such as the Hunza or the Eskimo, cancer is unheard of. But today, our modern diets have all but eliminated this vital nutrient. The medical establishment, on the other hand, has worked hard to undermine confidence in this substance. Their “official” reason? Because it contains a molecule of cyanide. But Mr. Griffin’s video and many other articles and websites explain how the molecule is uniquely absorbed and used by the body: the only enzyme that can break it down exists only in a tumor cell, so in a sense it becomes a kind of “cancer smart-bomb,” and is neutralized in the body’s other healthy cells.

Of course many also contend that the pharmaceutical industry has a lot of financial incentive to ensure that vitamin B17 remains illegal and unacceptable by the medical establishment. Unable to patent a naturally occurring substance (and thereby in risk of losing a $200 billion a year industry), a war is being waged on the forefront of cancer research – each side supporting various studies on its effectiveness. In fact it is even illegal to sell Laetrile as a cure for cancer in the U.S. – and some have gone to jail for it. Despite this I found information online about proper dosages and “The Little Cyanide Cookbook” which explains how to prepare foods high in Vitamin B17. Foods containing B17 include berries, beans, nuts (especially the bitter almond), and various veggies – but the most is found in apricot seeds (the little seed found inside the pit) and apple seeds – in fact it’s said three apples a day, including the seeds, could prevent cancer.

What’s that old saying, an apple a day? Could be more important than we know.

"...when government officials spend money on weapons instead of cures;...all this is robbery and chaos. It is not in keeping with the Tao." -Tao Te Ching #53

Free Hugs

2006-12-06T00:21:00.000-08:00

A man in Sydney, Australia walks around a mall holding a “Free Hugs” sign…and what do you think happens? If you haven’t yet seen this three and a half minute YouTube video, now’s the time. I keep coming back to it because it’s so heartwarming, and the movement continues to grow. First released in September on YouTube, by November the video had over seven million views. The story is amazing, and there is more to it…Good Morning America aired it, and the man, calling himself “Juan Mann”, even recently appeared on Oprah. The Sydney Morning Herald covered it here. Here is another article about it – and here is the official website. Wikipedia has a great overview too, and links to much more about it. It started a worldwide movement…and Juan Mann isn’t the only hugger to face problems; in China huggers were thrown in jail!

Let’s all give someone a hug today and make the world a better place.

“The Master is available to all people and doesn’t reject anyone.” -Tao Te Ching #27

The Quickening

2006-11-14T20:01:00.000-08:00

“Practice not-doing,

And everything will fall into place.” Tao Te Ching, #3

As the world hums along on its ever-quickening pace I often wonder, is time speeding up, or is it just me? No one disagrees that just in the last century our world, its economy, populations, and technologies have advanced at an increasing rate. How often to we take time to stop and smell the roses anymore? Multi-tasking has now become routine and many see idle time as wasteful or unproductive. This value is a relic of the Protestant work ethic; some say it’s what has made our country unique. Certainly it has fueled our leadership in many scientific and technological fields, though the decline of moral values and the increase in violence and fraud – including war - seem to be the dark side of this obsessive-compulsive tendency.

James Gleick wrote a book called Faster in which he describes the accelerated pace of everyday experience over the course of the ‘manic’ 20^th century - from so-called ‘hurry sickness’ (waiting anxiety) to automatic appliances, express mail, speed-dialing, the internet, and a general increase in type-A personality flaws that cause people expect fast service and are rude or impatient when it’s not. Time is money, believes this over-worked society with busy schedules and demands for instant gratification. Our stress levels have increased to match this quickening pace and it’s making many of us sick. “Future shock” and “information fatigue syndrome” are two terms created to describe this phenomenon.

But is time actually speeding up? Most people will tell you, it only seems that way as you get older, as each increment of our lives become ever smaller parts of an increasing whole. An hour seemed like an eternity when we were five; at fifty, it seems to go by in a flash. Or maybe it’s what we’re doing with that hour; waiting for a bus can seem eternal, but while having fun with friends, time seems to fly. One is reminded of Einstein’s theory of relativity; time passes slower the faster you travel. It doesn’t matter much to those of us without the opportunity to swing through space at the speed of light; however, it is known that our solar system itself is traveling through the galaxy at dizzying speeds, and that the universe appears to be expanding at an accelerating rate. Could this be influencing our world in ways we’ve not yet imagined?

Terrence McKenna admits, “It has become a cliché of modern parlance and journalism that time is speeding up, that history is moving faster and faster.” He suggests “we have entirely misunderstood the character of time”, and believes we are “…on a collision course with a temporal vortex of some sort…wrapping ourselves around a cosmic endpoint of some sort.” Montalk suggests there is a shift from 3D to 4D in which “linear time is giving way to nonlinear time…with a shift in priorities, trivialities fade into a repeating background pattern while spiritual events (leaps in awareness and maturity) increase in their frequency and novelty, both of which lead to the perception that time is speeding up for different reasons.” Others such as 2012 Unlimited suggest humanity is going through a shift in consciousness and that time is actually speeding up as we enter a new era. Some like Gregg Braden believe the Schumann resonance (like the Earth’s heartbeat) is increasing in frequency, causing us to experience the equivalent of 16 hours in a day instead of 24. Skeptics debate this view. Interesting to note the earth’s rotation is actually slowing down, causing scientists to add an extra “leap” second to our atomic clocks last year.

In response to this increasingly complicated and hurried way of life, some are making an effort to slow down. Wikipedia has a page on the Slow Movement, an attempt to slow down the pace and savor the good things in life. Check out slowdownnow.org, funded by ‘the international institute of not doing much.” Or how about the Slow Society, created as an alternative to the short-sightedness of a fast-paced society. I appreciate the sentiments – but what a shame we need to be reminded. As for myself, I continue to struggle with the expectations of this frantic world. For the first time in my life, this past year or two, I’ve had the luxury of staying at home, and I never hear the end of the questions, “what are you doing with your time? what do you do all day? what do you do to keep busy?” As if sitting on my porch enjoying the Hawaiian sunset isn’t enough. It’s tough to Surf the Tao in today’s world – but at least I have the words of Lao Tzu to comfort me. True wisdom seems foolish, remember.

“Therefore the Master acts without doing anything.” - #2

11:11 Phenomenon

2006-11-10T16:08:00.000-08:00

“We work with being, but non-being is what we use.” –Tao Te Ching #11

As we approach 11/11, I want to mention the phenomenon surrounding those numbers. About two years ago I noticed that for some reason I always checked the time when it was exactly 11:11. When I mentioned it to my husband, he said the same thing had been happening to him. Soon after it escalated to include 1:11, 3:11, 9:11; nearly every time we looked at a clock, it was 11 minutes after the hour. Since we are both aware of numerological and other types of synchronicities, we knew it had some significance but couldn’t quite place it. Since then we’ve been hearing the same thing all over the place from all kinds of people.

Those who are into numerology and the symbols used in various secret societies probably already know about the strange reoccurrence of the number 11 in the events on September 11, 2001. You can find more about this online, here is one example.

Similar coincidences are found for the numbers 11.11. The WWI armistice was signed at 11:11 AM on 11/11/18. World War II ended on the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month. The Berlin Wall fell on 11/11/89. Supposedly the Mayan calendar end year 2012 is timed at 11:11 Universal time; the U.S. Navy lists the 2012 solstice for 12/21/12 at 11:11 Universal time. Yasser Arafat died on 11/11/04. JFK was assassinated on 11/22. Wikipedia lists the events, births, deaths, holidays and observances on this day. Interesting to note that 1.11111111 squared = 1.2345678987654321 and 111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321, like a count-up and count-down, or pyramid. I discuss the number 11 in my book Surfing the Tao, which was published before I started noticing the 11:11 phenomenon on clocks, because in my spirit I sensed it was important to have at least some awareness of how others think of and use numbers.

Note that the twin pillars are significant Masonic symbols. They are found in our dollar sign, along with an encircling serpent. According to their legends, sacred knowledge was inscribed upon two pillars called Boaz and Joachim, which were then lost in a great flood. Pythagoras and Hermes Trismegestus supposedly found them later and passed this wisdom on to others. Also it should be noted that the numbers 11, 22 and 33 are considered “master numbers” to occultists. Aleister Crowley revered the number 11 and considered it to be an object of magic, believing it was more powerful than the number 13, which to those ‘in the know’ is just a red herring in terms of power numbers.

The number 11 means different things to different people. It’s considered a ‘bad’ or ‘unlucky’ number to the Hebrews; for them ‘11’ stands for transgression of the law, rebellion, sin, war, sorcery and martyrdom. To others it represents the ‘Old World Order’ (thus the destruction of the twin towers to usher in the New World Order, so they say). According to numerologists, ‘11’ can mean anything from intuition, honesty, spirituality, light, gentleness, and insight to justice, karmic burden and growth in consciousness. Some say it stands for destruction, the battle between good and evil, or the birth of something new.

The 11:11 phenomenon can be found everywhere now – online there are many websites, forums, discussions, blogs and articles about it. There’s even a 4 minute video called “11:11 Wake Up” on Google. Renowned psychic Uri Geller noticed 11:11 too; he believes it is a “pre-encoded trigger placed into our cellular memory banks prior to our descent into matter which, when activated, signifies that our time of completion is near.” He says 11:11 is our wake-up call, and when it happens to reflect for a moment, look larger, ask for help or simply listen for a revelation. Geller asserts that 11.11 is “the bridge to our vitality and oneness. It is our pathway into the positive unknown and beyond.”

Solara says people notice these numbers more during times of “accelerated personal change”, as “a reminder of your true purpose here on Earth”; she also describes an 11:11 Doorway or Gateway, like a crack between two worlds linking two different spheres of energy. She says when you see them, know you are on the right track. 1111spiritguardians.com says the 11:11 reoccurrence is the work of “fun-loving Spirit Guardians, or Angels” to get our attention. Crystalinks says 11:11 can be seen as a key to unlock the subconscious mind, to remind us that we are spirits having a physical experience, rather than the other way around. Graham Tucker also wrote about 11:11, noting some crop circles with this design. Many more links to 11:11 synchronicities can be found here. I also found it interesting to look up 11:11 (Chapter 11, etc.) in different books of the Bible and other spiritual sources.

For me, numbers resonate in different ways, and in the grand scheme of the multi-dimensional universe we live in, I know enough to pay attention to them. 11:11 has happened to me so many times now I just laugh, and think of it as God winking at me. They are like messages from the Universe, little synchronicities and signs that at the very least, confirm for me that there is a much bigger, much more elaborate plan in the works than my puny mind can comprehend. What does it mean that so many people are experiencing the 11:11 phenomenon, I can’t be 100% sure; simply that those of us who do sit up and pay attention is what I believe is important at this point. “Wake up”, as the video warns. Perhaps it’s just another guidepost on our journey towards Surfing the Tao.

Scientists Create Cloak of Invisibility

2006-10-29T14:00:00.000-08:00

Another news item from Wanttoknow.info(for the full ABC news article click here): "Scientists are boldly going where only fiction has gone before to develop a Cloak of Invisibility. It isn't quite ready to hide a Romulan space ship from Capt. James T. Kirk or to disguise Harry Potter, but it is a significant start and could show the way to more sophisticated designs. In this first successful experiment, researchers from the United States and England were able to cloak a copper cylinder. It's like a mirage, where heat causes the bending of light rays and cloaks the road ahead behind an image of the sky. "We have built an artificial mirage that can hide something from would-be observers in any direction," said cloak designer David Schurig, a research associate in Duke University's electrical and computer engineering department. Cloaking used special materials to deflect radar or light or other waves around an object, like water flowing around a smooth rock in a stream. The new work points the way for an improvd version that could hide people and objects from visible light. Conceptually, the chance of adapting the concept to visible light is good, Schurig said in a telephone interview. But, he added, "From an engineering point of view it is very challenging." The cloaking of a cylinder from microwaves comes just five months after Schurig and colleagues published their theory that it should be possible. In an ideal situation, the cloak and the item it is hiding would be invisible. An observer would see whatever is beyond them, with no evidence the cloaked item exists.

Note: Remember that technologies developed in top-secret military, intelligence, and other government projects are generally at the very least 10 years in advance of anything being developed in the public domain."

Scientists teleport two different objects

2006-10-11T16:05:00.000-08:00

From WantToKnow.info: "Physicists in Denmark have teleported information from light to matter bringing quantum communication and computing closer to reality. Until now scientists have teleported similar objects such as light or single atoms over short distances from one spot to another in a split second. But Professor Eugene Polzik and his team at the Niels Bohr Institute at Copenhagen University in Denmark have made a breakthrough by using both light and matter. "It is one step further because for the first time it involves teleportation between light and matter, two different objects. One is the carrier of information and the other one is the storage medium," Polzik explained in an interview on Wednesday. The experiment involved for the first time a macroscopic atomic object containing thousands of billions of atoms. They...teleported the information a distance of half a meter but believe it can be extended further. "Teleportation between two singe atoms had been done two years ago by two teams, but this was done at a distance of a fraction of a millimeter," Polzik, of the Danish National Research Foundation Center for Quantum Optics, explained. "Our method allows teleportation to be taken over longer distances because it involves light as the carrier of entanglement." Quantum entanglement involves entwining two or more particles without physical contact." For the full article click here.

Discernment

2006-10-05T18:02:00.000-08:00

If you want to shrink something, you must first allow it to expand. If you want to get rid of something, you must first allow it to flourish. If you want to take something, you must first allow it to be given. This is called the subtle perception of the way things are. The soft overcomes the hard. The slow overcomes the fast. Let your workings remain a mystery. Just show people the results. Tao Te Ching #36 (trans. Stephen Mitchell)

RFID Chip in Passports

2006-09-26T13:12:00.000-08:00

From Want to Know.info: An article in the Washington Post reveals new plans to add RFID chips to our passports.

If you have a passport, now is the time to renew it -- even if it's not set to expire anytime soon. In many countries, including the United States, passports will soon be equipped with RFID chips. And you don't want one of these chips in your passport. RFID stands for "radio-frequency identification." Passports with RFID chips store an electronic copy of the passport information: your name, a digitized picture, etc. And in the future, the chip might store fingerprints or digital visas from various countries. By itself, this is no problem. But RFID chips don't have to be plugged in to a reader to operate. Like the chips used for automatic toll collection on roads or automatic fare collection on subways, these chips operate via proximity. The risk to you is the possibility of surreptitious access: Your passport information might be read without your knowledge or consent by a government trying to track your movements, a criminal trying tosteal your identity or someone just curious about your citizenship. Security mechanisms are also vulnerable, and several security researchers have already discovered flaws. One found that he could identify individual chips via unique characteristics of the radio transmissions. Another successfully cloned a chip. The Colorado passport office is already issuing RFID passports, and the State Department expects all U.S. passport offices to be doing so by the end of the year. Many other countries are in the process of changing over. So get a passport before it's too late.

How to Know?

2006-09-12T17:11:00.000-08:00

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." -Goethe

As came up in my last radio interview, there are quite a few different points of view regarding otherworldly or ‘non-human’ entities who have, are or will influence our world - angels, demons, aliens, ancient gods, ethereal masters, spirit guides and the like. Debate arises when one attempts to determine, are they good guys or not, and how do we know for sure? Early on in my blog I touched on this; Aliens: Gods or Demons? is one example, and True Masters is another angle, along with my article The Good Guys.

My mission is to attempt to help people find and use their own sense of discernment in these matters. It’s why I wrote my book. The truth is within us; in fact this is one way to tell if a guide is really a friend or not – they will tell you (if they tell you anything at all, for real good guys rarely interfere): the truth is within yourself. We just have to learn to access it. That’s what good guys like Jesus, Buddha, Lao Tzu, Krishnamurti, Ueshiba and others have tried to explain. It’s also why in my book I placed much of their wisdom next to topics like UFOs and secret societies; it’s a great way to learn how to think about such things. There is a Way to Know. The Chinese called this Way the Tao. It’s pulsing through you right now. Do you have the ears to hear?

“...Over twelve years ago, a group of individuals from several different worlds gathered at a discreet location in our solar system near earth for the purpose of observing the alien intervention that is occurring in our world. From their hidden vantage point, they were able to determine the identity, organization and intentions of those visiting our world and monitor the visitors’ activities. This group of observers call themselves the ‘Allies of Humanity.’” You can read their first book free online here (Thanks, Kingsley). Their message is to warn us that the various “alien visitors” to our world have not come to “promote the advancement of humanity or the spiritual education of humanity…As has occurred in your own world in your own history, the first to reach the new lands are the explorers and the conquerors. They do not come for altruistic reasons. They come seeking power, resources and dominion…The challenge is for humanity to understand who its allies really are and to be able to distinguish them from its potential adversaries.” According to the Allies, spiritually advanced races do not engage in regular space travel, commerce or interfere with other worlds - they prefer to remain unseen.

“They bad guys love to disguise themselves as the good guys,”- Surfing the Tao: A Revolution of Free Will. The Allies write, “The visitors will try and create the impression that they are ‘the allies of humanity.’ They will say they are here to save humanity from itself, that only they can offer the great hope that humanity cannot provide for itself, that only they can establish true order and harmony in the world. But this order and this harmony will be theirs, not yours. And the freedom that they promise will not be yours to enjoy.” These visitors seek to gain our “trust and… devotion,” telling people they’re here to “uplift humanity spiritually, to give humanity new hope, new blessings and new power…once this allegiance is established, it becomes increasingly difficult for people to discern what they know within themselves from what is being told to them. It is a very subtle but very pervasive form of persuasion and manipulation.” “Subtlety is the name of the game.”-Surfing the Tao.

So how do we know? The Allies claim not to want any relationship with our world, nor will they interfere on our behalf; rather they say they are only here to help us advance mentally and spiritually to the point where we can discern and act for ourselves before it’s too late. In contrast to the 'visitors', they “advocate a spirituality…not the spirituality that is governed by nations, government of political alliances, but a natural spirituality – the ability to know, to see and to act…In the Greater Community, spirituality is embodied in what we call Knowledge, Knowledge meaning the intelligence of Spirit and the movement of Spirit within you. This empowers you to know rather than only believe. This gives you immunity from persuasion and manipulation, for Knowledge cannot be manipulated by any worldly power or force…If you can respond to Knowledge and learn a Greater Community Way of Knowledge, you will be able to see these things for yourself. Then you will confirm our words rather than only believe them or deny them. The Creator is making this possible, for the Creator wills that humanity prepare for its future…Knowledge enables you to think in a number of ways, to act spontaneously, to perceive reality beyond the obvious and to experience the future and the past.”

Are these “Allies” good guys themselves? Look within yourself for answers. Dharmacist Edward Namerdy in his book Another Place in Space wisely suggests we “see what we believe,” rather than merely “believe what we see.” Lao Tzu said, “The Master observes the world but trusts his inner vision.” From Ueshiba, "On occasion the Voice of Peace resounds like thunder, jolting human beings out of their stupor." Bernard Bromage wrote, "The wise man is he whose ears are very attuned to the Divine Whisperer, and who, through all the delusions of a cheaper civilization, hears the Voice." And lastly, from Hosea 14:9,"Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them."

Another Radio Interview

2006-09-06T17:17:00.000-08:00

Aloha! Last night I participated in my second radio interview about my book, “Surfing the Tao: A Revolution of Free Will”, this time with Rob McConnell at his X-zone radio program. It was a pretty interesting experience, considering he didn’t read my book. I felt put on the spot at times but hey, that’s what you get when you write a controversial spiritual book like mine. After it was over I went through the angst of “I should have said” – though after listening to it again today I think it went about as well as it could.

To listen, click here and push the “Play Now” button to the right of my bio on the September 5th archive. My interview comes on about 2 hrs and 8 minutes into the program, and you can fast forward to that point, and through the commercials, either with the right-arrow or by dragging the ‘clip position’ ball to the right.

Celestial Secrets

2006-08-29T17:24:00.000-08:00

“A global array of inexplicable stone megaliths stands as a haunting reminder of a past long gone, of knowledge long forgotten…or is it?” – Surfing the Tao: A Revolution of Free Will

Alternative and free energy technology has been a favorite topic of mine since starting down this journey into the strange and unexplained. Much of my early research created an awareness of some kind of mysterious power source used in very ancient times, which could have been passed down to certain elite groups even today. I’ve found some tantalizing tidbits in various places – The Atlantis Blueprint by Colin Wilson and Rand Flem-Ath connects ancient sacred sites like the Great Pyramid and Stonehenge into a complex network centered around Giza as the prime meridian. In their model all of these ancient sites (including Rosslyn, Jerusalem, Babylon, Machu Picchu and many others discovered after their grid was determined) fit together in a neat geometrical grid around the planet.

Another researcher, Bruce Cathie, has written several books about a planetary energy grid. He discovered that these same ancient sites were located on points within this grid indicating specific connections to light, gravity and mass, “It appears as though Stonehenge was constructed to the universal geometric harmonics of light itself.” (p. 170, The Energy Grid) He believes they had specific functions connected to power production, communication, transportation, healing and perhaps other things as well, and questions why there is 'feverish, government-based' activity at these locations. Tesla himself knew his technologies needed to be located at specific points on the earth’s surface to work properly. Other sites which discuss ley lines, geodesic energies and the alignment of sacred sites can be found here.

Technologies such as HAARP, ELF, weather modification, electromagnetic and advanced psychotropic weaponry could be utilizing a global array which harnesses that same energy source used long ago by ancient cultures. And who knows what other advances are out there. Once can find rumors that the delta-shaped blimp, a possible source for many UFO sightings, is actually a military project which uses electrokinetic propulsion – resulting in a silent, floating ship. Also an alleged holographic technology can beam realistic images and audio anywhere.

Cathie believes the main reason much of this technology is being kept secret is because of the financial consequences should this knowledge be released. National security is at stake too – although it’s rumored that many other countries already have and are likely using these technologies. Right now the oil giants reap the most benefits of our out-dated energy systems, but this is likely to change. Tesla Motors recently announced the development of a powerful electric car which, though still expensive and in its early stages, could revolutionize our dependence on oil. Another researcher also recently came out with a controversial new energy discovery, now being hotly debated in the halls of science. And there are many others out there who understand the science behind alternative and free energy, and are working against great odds to get the truth out – not only about the technologies still beyond our reach, but about how keeping them secret creates the danger they could be used for the wrong reasons. It’s truly a brave new world, and we’d be better off knowing a little more about it – both for our own sake, and for the sake of our planet.

"A good scientist has freed himself of concepts and keeps his mind open to what is." - Lao Tzu

Surfing the Tao On the Radio

2006-08-10T21:22:00.000-08:00

Aloha! I did my first radio interview the other day about my book, "Surfing the Tao: A Revolution of Free Will." You can listen here or go to Contact Radio - The Sixth Sense and look for the archive dated 8/8/06 (NOT the evening one). "The Master travels all day without leaving home." - Lao Tzu

My Dad

2006-08-05T22:34:00.000-08:00

My Dad is so cool He reads my blogs Even though he can barely surf a dot.com or send an email He Surfs the Tao at my page

Kindness, love, compassion Quiet, thoughtful, intelligence

My Dad rules; We should all be more like him.

Who Killed the Electric Car?

2006-07-31T14:36:00.000-08:00

From www.WantToKnow.info: A poignant new documentary asks who killed GM's promising electric car project? A new documentary released June 28 in New York and Los Angeles, appropriately titled Who Killed The Electric Car? tries in Clue-like fashion to figure out why GM pulled the plug on its EV1 electric vehicle program, which by most accounts was approaching success when the first prototype was introduced in the mid-1990s. "It was a revolutionary, modern car, requiring no gas, no oil changes, no mufflers, and rare brake maintenance," according to a synopsis of the film. In the 1990s a strict clean-air mandate introduced in California that called for zero-emission vehicles was what led GM to introduce the EV1. Eventually that California mandate got watered down from "zero" to "low" emissions, and the automakers decided to literally blow up their EV programs. GM, which leased out the EV1 cars it produced, called them all back after California changed its policy. The cars were crushed and shredded. Who were the people leasing these vehicles? Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson and Ted Danson, among others, many of whom appear in the movie and talk favourably about their electric cars. If the implications of an advance means loss of future business to a paradigm, the key players of that paradigm will lobby to kill it. The paradigm? Big oil. Similarly, the auto industry has an interest in perpetuating the manufacture of vehicles that require routine, costly maintenance.

Note: For more information and showing times on the highly revealing Who Killed The Electric Car, visit www.whokilledtheelectriccar.com. For even deeper information www.WantToKnow.info/newenergysources

Mercury Retrograde

2006-07-23T12:55:00.000-08:00

Hello, readers and fellow bloggers. Usually I like to post little articles or info here but I’ve been busy and distracted lately, so I thought I’d write a short personal entry. We’ve had company this summer; it was nice to see everyone but it kind of zaps my otherwise ‘thoughtful’ energy. Also all kinds of weird things have been going on. Some friends have told me Mercury has been in retrograde since July 4 – I’m not huge into astrology and usually don’t follow these things, but I have to say things have been WEIRD – one thing after another. People getting strange illnesses, cars getting stolen, other various run-ins with traffic tickets and confrontations with authority, relationship weirdness and just basically bad vibes. As my husband puts it, there is a disturbance in the Force! Current events in the Middle East, the earthquake/tsunami, and the heat wave/power outages are just other examples of how things seem to swirl together to create a feeling of general unease.

I have been concentrating on staying centered and unaffected, but it’s not easy. Simple, maybe, but not easy. I’ve been trying to stay under the radar and not make any big movements or decisions, at least until Mercury does its thing, I think it’s until July 28. Again, not that I put all my faith there but hey, better safe than sorry. Maybe I'll be more inspired next month! Anyone else out there had a weird month?

“The Master observes the world but trusts his inner vision. He allows things to come and go. His heart is open as the sky.” –TTC #12

Rabindranath Tagore

2006-07-04T13:33:00.000-08:00

Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali poet, writer, educator and composer who lived from 1861 until 1941. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913 with his collection of poems, "Gitanjali". One of his songs is still the national anthem of India. He exchanged letters and ideas with many other influential people of his time, including Gandhi and Einstein. I would like to offer one of his letters here, written from his school in Shantiniketan, West Bengal, India on 26 October 1917, to his friend in England, artist William Rothenstein, for I believe it contains wisdom and relevance to today’s world.

My Dearest Friend,

It has given me a deep pleasure to know that my last three books you like. I had my fear that my American lectures, especially those about nationalism, might give offence to my readers in England. Possibly to some extent they have done so. But most of the reviews that I have seen in your papers are extremely mild. Some critics have taxed me with having misunderstood the meaning of the word ‘nation’. I suppose it is one of those words whose meaning is still in its process of formation. If you really mean by that word the peoples who have the consciousness of a common tradition and aspiration then why do you exclude us Bengalis from its category? For you are never tired of reminding us that we do not belong to a nation. When we try to understand you we find that our tradition and aspiration are of a different character from yours – it is more religious and social than political. Therefore it seems to me that the word nation in its meaning carries a special emphasis upon its political character. Politics becomes aggressively self-conscious when it sets itself in antagonism against other peoples, specially when it extends its dominion among alien races. This convulsive intensity of consciousness is productive of strength but not of health. The rapid growth of nationalism in Europe begins with her period of foreign exploration and exploitation. Its brilliance shines in contrast upon the dark background of the subjection of other peoples. Certainly it is based upon the idea of competition, conflict and conquest and not that of cooperation. The unselfish people have not completely lost their self, only the selfish ones put stronger emphasis upon it and thus have a special designation. And the people with an aggressively emphatic politics is a nation. The [professional man] has very often a special attitude of mind. There he feels an intense satisfaction if he can sell a lame horse at a price which is dear even for a sound one. Because in [his] profession [a] man has no other object before him but success. He may have an exalted standard of life in his private capacity and yet as a professional man his conduct may go entirely against that standard, without disturbing his appetite for dinner. Therefore it is not unusual to find rapacious landlords who are extravagant in their generosity. That grasping professional attitude of mind makes a nation of a people when it furiously pursues success and takes it to be a sign of sentimentalism to budge an inch from its reckless path of power at the dictates of humanity. What I have said in my lectures is that such an attitude of mind in a whole people of a country, such constant self-idolatry by all kinds of ritualism and human sacrifice must go against moral providence of the world ending at least in a catastrophe.

By some unexpected freak of fate I was caught in a dust storm of our politics. I have just come out of it nearly choked to death. I am more convinced than ever that a poet might do worse than write mere verses. Try to be true to yourself by all means but not to be truer which is a hollow temptation set in our path by moral teachers.

Give my love to [your] dear children and tell them not to grow too fast before I come to see them. Because that will be unfair to me who can only grow older without growing at all.

Ever yours

Rabindranath Tagore

Tao Te Ching

2006-07-01T11:46:00.000-08:00

If you want to be a great leader, You must learn to follow the Tao. Stop trying to control. Let go of fixed plans and concepts, And the world will govern itself.

The more prohibitions you have, The less virtuous people will be. The more weapons you have, The less secure people will be. The more subsidies you have, The less self-reliant people will be.

There fore the Master says: I let go of the law, And people become honest. I let go of economics, And people become prosperous. I let go of religion, And people become serene. I let go of all desire for the common good, And the good becomes common as grass. -#57

Lao Tzu says it so much better than I could. One imagines our world is too far gone now to try not-doing – and yet, we can all learn from this wisdom, and dream of a better world.

The Law of Attraction

2006-06-27T13:51:00.000-08:00

“The life force is all-pervasive and its strength boundless. The Art of Peace allows us to perceive and tap into that tremendous reserve of universal energy.” - Ueshiba, The Art of Peace

Today we find much discussion regarding the evolution of consciousness and the realization that we take part in the creation of our reality; books like The Tao of Physics and films such as What The Bleep Do We Know!? and The Secret track our coming of age on these topics. Modern day physicists, spiritualists and free thinkers are beginning to realize that truth lies somewhere between outdated concepts of ‘science’ and ‘religion.’ If we think, speak and visualize in positive ways, the law of attraction plays a role in amassing positive outcomes for our lives.

“Our world is made up of interlocking wavelengths of light. Matter is a matter of opinion. When you speak into this quantum void, you are creating your own reality whether you know it or not, constructing and deconstructing the ‘frozen music’ that makes up our reality.” – Surfing the Tao: A Revolution of Free Will

These ideas are not in fact ‘new’, but can be found within many of our world’s spiritual traditions. Each culture and era phrases it differently, but the importance of this spiritual law hasn’t changed.

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…” – Proverbs 23:7

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought.” – Buddha

Oftentimes people wonder about the difficulty of controlling one’s thoughts; or what one should be visualizing for themselves. The good news is, if we can find a grateful, loving and positive frame of mind, we can put these questions out to the Universe, and it will take care of the details for you. Some say “let go, let God” and this is a good way to put it.

“Peace originates with the flow of things – its heart is like the movement of the wind and waves. The Way is like the veins that circulate blood through our bodies, following the natural flow of the life force. If you are separated in the slightest from that divine essence, you are far off the path.” –The Art of Peace

Surfing the Tao refers to simply choosing love for the direction of your actions; allow the Tao (God, Brahman, the Force, the Great Spirit…whatever you call it) to flow through you, and hop on for the ride of your life. Truth is simple - Walk the Walk; Live the Way. Use various methods – you can use a long board or a short board, right-footed or left, but you’re still allowing the wave to carry you. I suggest this revolution of thought, of our free will, is radical and yet of utmost importance in today’s world. Learn to create a new reality in harmony with the Tao. Choose love and watch your life, and the world, transform.

“…There is evil and disorder in the world because people have forgotten that all things emanate from one source. Return to that source and leave behind all self-centered thoughts, petty desires, and anger.” –The Art of Peace

Live and Learn, or You Won't Live Long

2006-06-14T15:35:00.000-08:00

I’ll be honest, folks, there are days I just throw up my hands and think, there’s no use bothering anymore. It’s just impossible to open minds that are already set in their ways. I would put my life on the line for free speech and the right of the individual to their own opinions, but where’s the love? Can we disagree and still be civil to each other? Can we respect differing points of view and still be neighborly? Are we willing to learn from each other, to listen, or are we all just talking too loud to hear anyone else?

There are wars going on in every facet of our lives. Military wars with guns and killing are just part of it. There are wars of words here at home, and everywhere, so much so I sometimes wonder, am I the only person who read Machiavelli? Isn’t anyone else out there aware of the fact that while we set our jaws and spew hatred at each other, we are just falling into a trap? Liberals vs. conservatives, people of faith vs. atheists, pro-life vs. pro-choice, rich vs. poor, black vs. white, blue vs. yellow, McDonalds vs. Burger King…hello, people, we’re missing the point here. We’re over-complicating our lives, our society, and our world. We’re too busy arguing amongst ourselves to take a walk outside the box. I don’t care if you’re liberal, conservative, religious, spiritual, atheist, purple with blue lumps or have three arms…choosing to be loving, or at the very least, neighborly, would go a long way towards improving our society. Instead of so freely making assumptions, throwing labels and accusations around, and blaming each other for whatever, we’d be better off setting aside one day a week to really read and listen to others, and maybe keep our mouths shut for a moment while we do. That goes for everyone – politicians, talk show hosts, bloggers, teenagers, senior citizens, celebrities, pet owners, CEOs, homemakers – I don’t care who you are or what you believe, none of us knows everything, none of us is 100 per cent right – and none of us knows the whole truth. We could all benefit from a little continuing education.

Let’s find the love. Let’s find common ground. Let’s listen, learn and open our minds. Or is it already too late?

A real Jurassic park?

2006-06-11T20:17:00.000-08:00

From Free Press International

Surfing the Tao

2006-06-08T21:50:00.000-08:00

“Surfing the Tao” is a phrase created in an attempt to nutshell what could be the most important aspect of spiritual truth, or the Way of Life. A reader once sent me a great quote, “It is a lot like surfing... you catch a wave by being prepared, timing your move and having your board in position. Like surfing, you have some control, but the Flow has all the power.” Since I live in Hawaii the analogy seemed appropriate; and indeed there is a certain zen to the sport.

If you’re just hearing about “Surfing the Tao” here are a few bullet points. It’s not about any particular religion; it’s about how we choose to live each moment, although it does contain spiritual concepts from all corners of the world. We can argue endlessly about who is ‘right’ – but we could be just missing the point. Each person has their own path to walk, and we all find truth in our own ways. However, as our greatest sages have remarked, eventually our paths will all converge on the Great Path.

Our great spiritual teachers have all encouraged love in the search for enlightenment. Many have defined “God” (or Tao, Father, Force, Beloved, Brahman, Great Spirit; whatever) as that flowing consciousness of love, the goal being to become “one” with this Force. So the basic idea of “Surfing the Tao” is choosing love for direction of your actions. The truth is simple – not easy, but simple. Still your mind and instead listen to your spiritual nature, that which is connected to the Tao, the Force. Allow the Tao to flow through you, and hop on for the ride of your life. Use various methods – you can use a long board or a short board, right-footed or left, but you’re still allowing the wave to carry you.

Surfing is an individual sport, and Surfing the Tao is a silent, inner revolution of spirit. The outer world will not provide the whole answer. Truth is within you; amplify the Voice by tuning in to love. Then, one person at a time, we can change our reality to one of peace and harmony.

Save the Internet

2006-06-05T18:59:00.000-08:00

"Your ability to share and consume information online may soon be limited..." Check out Save the Internet for more info.

Vaccines, Mercury and Autism

2006-06-03T15:34:00.000-08:00

There are a number of recent articles and studies regarding the connection between immunizations given to children and autism, which is a developmental disability characterized by anti-social behavior and repetitive movements. The main culprits are thought to be thimerosal and other mercury-based preservatives contained in some vaccines, but also include formaldehyde, aluminum phosphate, antibiotics, phenols, aluminum salts, methanol, isopropyl, 2-pheozyethanol, live viruses and “a host of known components considered off-limits as trade secrets,” according to an article in the World Net Daily.

An article in The Hill on June 3, 2006 by Jeffrey Young reports that parents of autistic children are claiming a cover-up by the CDC on this link. The CDC responds on its website, “The weight of currently available scientific evidence does not support the hypothesis that vaccines cause autism. We recognize there is considerable public interest in this issue, and therefore support additional research regarding this hypothesis. CDC is committed to maintaining the safest, most effective vaccine supply in history.”

The National Institutes of Heath has quadrupled its financing for research into this question since 1997. But last year the top three public health agencies held a press conference in which they stated that there was no proven link between vaccines and autism. They maintain it’s more dangerous for children not to receive immunizations from diseases such as mumps, rubella and influenza. But many parents, as well as other researchers, are not convinced. There has been a reported 6000% to 13,000% increase in childhood autism since the 1990s, depending on the location. Before 1990, autism was rare, about one in every 10,000 children; now nearly one in every 150 children is being diagnosed, and this has prompted outrage and lawsuits in many communities. There is an outcry for more independent research, as many claim the government agencies are conspiring to “poison” our children with toxic levels of mercury and other chemicals.

Thimerosal was first introduced as a preservative in the 1930s by Eli Lilly. According to a study published in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons by Dr. Mark Geier, and David Geier, “U.S. infants are exposed to mercury levels [which] far exceed the EPA and FDA–established maximum permissible levels.” They note a strong epidemiological link between neurodevelopmental disorders and mercury exposure. But despite the outrage, it hasn’t been removed from many of the vaccines. Dr. Geier suggests that the rates of autism would decline so abruptly, the connection would become obvious and a deluge of lawsuits would follow. Several companies have even admitted the mercury levels contained within the vaccines are other than is what is stated on their labels – if this is truly the case who knows what else they’re putting in there without our knowledge.

The United States is not alone in the controversy. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who has written a book and many articles on the subject, stated, “six years ago, autism was unknown in China. We started giving them our vaccines in 1999. Today there’s 1.8 million cases of autism in China.” Australia has experienced a 276% jump in autism disorders. Russia banned thimerosal from children’s vaccines and their autism rates have remained unchanged. In the UK, where the mercury-based vaccine was introduced in 1989, the autism rate spiked from one in 2200 children in 1988 to one in 166 in 2001.

One anomaly exists within the Amish population, which doesn’t take vaccines. Their autism rates are almost non-existent, certainly nowhere near the epidemic 1 in 166 proportions indicated elsewhere.

At least this possible mercury-autism link is being discussed openly today in our major media. However, it remains that parents are often coerced into allowing their children to be vaccinated and not told of these possible complications. In Maryland, parents on welfare lose $25 per month per child without immunizations – even though they are not legally required. Many school systems do not allow unvaccinated children to attend, and physicians often refuse to treat a child without them.

One must consider that the pharmaceutical industry is a business. Is it possible such a business would make even more money should people get sick from their vaccines? Do we really trust them to be working for our best interests, rather than their own? Did you know that Bayer, the company which makes Cipro, the treatment for Anthrax, started out in Germany working for Hitler? These companies are capitalists, not philanthropists. One shudders to think of the day vaccinations are required by law. Until then Surf the Tao, live every moment in love - even if others aren’t.

An Inconvenient Truth

2006-05-30T16:29:00.000-08:00

Here's the trailer to Senator Gore's new documentary on global warming.

Weather Modification

2006-05-25T13:25:00.000-08:00

"Others [terrorists] are engaging even in an eco-type of terrorism whereby they can alter the climate, set off earthquakes, volcanoes remotely through the use of electromagnetic waves. So there are plenty of ingenious minds out there that are at work finding ways in which they can wreak terror upon other nations and it's real, and that's the reason why we have to intensify our [counterterrorism] efforts." -- Secretary of Defense William Cohen at the Conference on Terrorism, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and U.S. Strategy, University of Georgia, Athens, Apr. 28, 1997. SOURCE: DEFENCE LINK

Last year a Weather Modification bill was presented to Congress (March 3. 2005, S. 517, H. 2995) whose purpose is stated as, “It is the purpose of this Act to develop and implement a comprehensive and coordinated national weather modification policy and a national cooperative Federal and State program of weather modification research and development.”

The Weather Modification Organization, which supports this bill, was organized in 1950 “to cultivate a better understanding of weather modification techniques, impacts, and expectations among program sponsors, program operators, and the scientific community, and to promote ethical professional conduct and a free exchange of information. Weather modification can be both planned, as is the case in cloud seeding (cloud modification), or inadvertent, for example, when pollution affects visibility. Planned (deliberate) weather modification is also commonly known cloud seeding, cloud modification, and atmospheric water management.” This association’s stated goals are, “Promoting research, development and understanding of weather modification for beneficial uses.”

Other groups are protesting this bill, trying to stop experimental weather modification without agricultural and public oversight. Global Research reported that this bill is on the fast track, and that it, “would allow experimental weather modification by artificial methods and implement a national weather modification policy, [but] does not include agriculture or public oversight.”

Rosalind Peterson has worked as an agricultural technologist and for the USDA Farm Service. In 1995 she became a certified USDA Farm Service Agency Crop Loss Adjustor. She claims that this bill could adversely impact crops and water supplies, because “if the weather is changed in one state, region or county it may have severe consequences in another region, state or county.” Also, since most weather modification programs use chemicals released into the atmosphere the public could be subjected [to] increasingly toxic or unknown substances that could adversely impact agricultural crops and trees.” Chemtrails are now termed 'exotic weapons ' by the government. She notes that trimethyl aluminum and barium are just two of such chemicals used in recent atmospheric heating and testing programs, according to NASA. Further she writes, “the Alaska HAARP atmospheric heating program may have the capability of changing the jet stream which could also change our weather.” Rosalind Peterson can be contacted at info@californiaskywatch.com.

HAARP, or High Active Auroral Radio Program, is a series of transmitters of sufficient signal strength designed to turn the aurora borealis into a virtual antenna. Essentially it is a giant ionospheric heater, erected for a number of purposes. Publicly its goals are earth penetrating topography and deep sea communications. But its executive summary states, “In 2025 the U.S. aerospace forces can ‘own the weather’…weather-modification offers a dilemma not unlike the splitting of the atom…”

Scientific American also reported that HAARP influences the weather, and may have caused the Florida tornado outbreak in 2000.

An article on “Discovery News” reports that 2005 was a weird year for tornadoes. A NASA article wonders why when hurricanes are typically known to lack lightning, the record-setting hurricanes of 2005 (Rita, Katrina and Emily) had a lot of it.

A fantastic overview of weather modification and its consequences can be found Free Press International, including eye-opening video.

One needs only do a search on “weather modification weapons” to find dozens of sites discussing this horrifying topic. Do some research on scalar weapons for information on developments in this field. Tom Beardon is an expert in this field, and he states, “I guess the first thing to try to comprehend is that a "new" kind of electromagnetic (EM) wave has been discovered in the empty vacuum of space which, when engineered, can be an inexhaustible supply of energy in great magnitude at any place in the universe. The word "new" is in quotes because the discovery really goes back to Nikola Tesla and his discovery of what he called "radiant energy." It is also not "new" because the Russians (KGB) have been working on this technology for over 30 years and have weaponized these "new" longitudinal scalar waves to a great degree. These are the weapons Nikita Khrushchev spoke of in January, 1960.”

"By 1957-8 the Soviets had progressed to the point of a giant scalar EM accident in the Urals which exploded nearby atomic wastes, devastating the area. They had also progressed to development of great new superweapons using their new energetics - weapons to which Khrushchev referred in 1960 when he informed the Soviet Presidium of a new, fantastic weapon in development, a weapon so powerful that it could wipe out all life on earth if unrestrainedly employed.'" Tom Bearden After over 30 years of development, and extensive testing around the globe, these new scalar electromagnetic weapons are up and running and ready to go. Bearden, at his website Cheniere, dicusses the history of these new scalar electromagnetic weapons in his paper "Historical Background of Scalar EM Weapons."

Another very interesting article, entitled, “Weather Modification a Long-Established, Though Secretive, Reality” can be found here: argues, “the new legislation [is] not designed to foster pleasant or productive weather, but planned as tool of weaponized weather control, already well tested and in use since 1976. Amateur and hostile weather-makers alike likely to lose their technology to the military.”

Going back to Secretary Cohen’s remarks in 1997, perhaps we as a country might be well advised to take a closer look at what is really going on with our weather. Global warming? Or weather wars? The truth could be frightening, but increased awareness might help alleviate an even greater fear should the worst possible scenario arrive for you and your community in the future. Surf the Tao to a world of love, peace and harmony.

American Patriotism

2006-05-20T15:28:00.000-08:00

The Random House dictionary defines a patriot as one who “defends his or her country and its interests,” but it also regards a patriot as a “defender, esp. of individual rights, against presumed interference by the federal government.”

Our country today is troubled not only with another war abroad, but with a war of words at home. On one side are those who defend the present government without question. They are angered by those on the other side, who speak out against policies and decisions made by those in power today. Both sides claim patriotism, but to what? Could it be that our differing definitions of ‘patriotism’ could be undermining the stability of the very country we are all claim to be defending? Lao Tzu wrote in his Tao Te Ching, “When the country falls into chaos, patriotism is born.” Has it gotten that bad already?

The Revolutionary War was fought by so-called ‘patriots’ – those who sought freedom from a government they didn’t agree with. Did Britain consider them to be patriots? In a sense these ‘patriots’ were actually rebels, engaged in what they considered to be a righteous rebellion against tyranny. Adlai Stevenson said, “Do not... regard the critics as questionable patriots. What were Washington and Jefferson and Adams but profound critics of the colonial status quo?”

And what issues did our founding fathers have with this ‘tyrannical’ rule of the time? Our forefathers sought freedom from taxation without representation; they sought religious freedom; they sought freedom of speech and expression; they sought self-rule. The resulting Declaration of Independence and Constitution attempted to provide a satisfactory alternative to rule by monarchy.

Especially since 9/11, many argue that some of these freedoms have been curtailed, ironically by the USA Patriot Act, and other acts of government in which the general population had no say. Was it done, as they say, to protect our freedom? I suppose, as I believe Donald Rumsfeld once said, that we can have freedom or security, but not both. Of course now we are at war as well, and many cry out in against those who choose not to support our government in this effort, claiming such people are un-patriotic.

I support our troops without question. Those men and women didn’t start the war, they are just doing their duty, which happens to be following orders - many times to the death. I applaud these people for their fortitude and stamina in this seemingly unending war against terrorism. Regardless of the arguments some make about Iraq not having WMDs, or that Iraq didn’t destroy the WTC, or that war is a means to profit for the elite – these men and women in uniform aren’t to blame and should have our gratitude and respect.

But to call someone un-patriotic for questioning their government? Of course the government itself feels slighted, so as Henry Steele Commager said, “Men in authority will always think that criticism of their policies is dangerous. They will always equate their policies with patriotism, and find criticism subversive.” But going back again to the days of Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, certainly these men would support the right to speak out. They hoped the republic they created would provide a balance between the rulers and the ruled. They provided the right to free speech and to bear arms – not so people could run around yelling and killing each other, but so they could defend themselves from a dishonest government if need be. Certainly the citizenry will not always agree on whether this is the case - but don’t we have the right to disagree? Shouldn’t we at the very least respect each other’s opinion, and take the time to listen to each other? Isn’t that really what it means to be an American?

If you research famous quotes on patriotism the result is surprising. Those who refuse to question the policies of our government might be advised to reread a little history. It’s our job as patriots! I saw a bumper sticker once which said, “Sometimes a patriot needs to defend his country against its government.” And along those lines many famous people have spoken out over the years.

From Teddy Roosevelt, “To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.” (1918)

From Mark Twain: “The government is merely a servant -- merely a temporary servant; it cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what is wrong, and decide who is a patriot and who isn't. Its function is to obey orders, not originate them.”

From James Baldwin: “I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”

From Edward R. Murrow: “We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it.”

To be loyal to America doesn’t mean to sit back and allow one administration or another the power to make decisions without debate or dissent. To be a loyal American is to stand up for our original freedoms, to stand up as our forefathers did, as ‘rebellious patriots’, and fight for the rights that made our country great - particularly the right to disagree, without repercussion. This is the heart and soul of America, and when that is gone, then we become Americans in name only. Some argue, this has already happened, but as long as this article remains posted we still have a chance.

Someday soon, I fear, being an “American” could become a thing of the past, in name as well. As Ronald Reagan famously said in 1985, “I couldn't help but say to [Mr. Gorbachev], just think how easy his task and mine might be in these meetings that we held if suddenly there was a threat to this world from another planet. [We'd] find out once and for all that we really are all human beings here on this earth together.” If we are truly on the road to world government, as many believe, we as Americans will have a lot more to fight for someday. If our sovereignty is ever threatened, I can only hope that all Americans – those on both sides of the ‘patriot’ argument today – will come together to defend her from those who seek ultimate power. As Daniel Webster said in 1850, “I was born an American; I will live an American; I shall die an American!”

Al Gore on Saturday Night Live

2006-05-16T12:54:00.000-08:00

In case you missed it, here's a link to one of the funniest things I've seen yet...yes, it's really him!! (Click on the title above for the link.)

Free Press International

2006-05-13T13:07:00.000-08:00

Free Press International has some great video, pics, and info about some alternative subjects. Check out the video on Weather Control and Mind Control, and under "Breaking Video News" a whole bunch of other goodies. (click on the title above, or the link to your right.)

Beam Weapons

2006-05-08T16:30:00.000-08:00

Click on the title above for the MSNBC article. From www.WantToKnow.info: LOS ALAMOS, N.M. - There is a new breed of weaponry fast approaching. They are labeled "directed-energy weapons," and they may well signal a revolution in military hardware — perhaps more so than the atomic bomb. Directed-energy weapons take the form of lasers, high-powered microwaves and particle beams. Their adoption for ground, air, sea, and space warfare depends not only on using the electromagnetic spectrum, but also upon favorable political and budgetary wavelengths too. After more than two decades of research, the United States is on the verge of deploying a new generation of weapons that discharge beams of energy, such as the Airborne Laser and the Active Denial System, as well as the Tactical High Energy Laser, or THEL. Then there’s Active Denial Technology — a non-lethal way to use millimeter-wave electromagnetic energy to stop, deter and turn back an advancing adversary. This technology, supported by the U.S. Marines, uses a beam of millimeter waves to heat a foe’s skin, causing severe pain without damage, and making the adversary flee the scene. By tuning the resonance of a laser onto Earth’s ionosphere, you can create audible frequencies. Like some boom box in the sky, the laser-produced voice could bellow from above down to the target below: "Put down your weapons."

Tagore on Christ and Buddha

2006-05-03T20:27:00.000-08:00

I have been reading the letters of Rabindranath Tagore, the Bengali writer/poet most famous in the West for the Nobel Prize he won in 1913 for his collection of poems Gitanjali. In May, 1933, he wrote to Mahatma Gandhi, "...In every important act of his life Buddha preached limitless love for all creatures. Christ said 'Love thine enemies' and that teaching of his found its final expression in the words of forgiveness he uttered for those who killed him..." In 1937, E.J. Thompson was writing a book about Buddhism and commented to Tagore, "To me it is increasingly clear that what the world needs is to take both Buddha's and Christ's teaching - the pity and tenderness of Buddhism supplies what Christianity lacks, in a certain 'hard-boiledness' (perhaps the fault of Christian nations). The subtle and many-colored beauty of your own wonderful life interprets Buddhism as nothing else does, and I am glad that I have known you." Tagore replied in his letter of the same year, "....I agree with you that both Christ and Buddha embodied in their lives the only true principles that can work for men's common good; Buddha's insistence on the renunciation of greed creates the necessary condition of the mind in which the love of others ceases to conflict with one's own good. Do you know I have often felt that if we were not Hindus...I should like my people to be Christians? Indeed, it is a great pity that Europeans have come to us as imperialists rather than as Christians and so have deprived our people of their true contact with the religion of Jesus Christ...What a mental torture it is to know that men are capable of loving each other and adding to one another's joy, and yet would not!" (from Selected Letters of Rabindranath Tagore, Ed. Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson, Cambridge University Press, 1997)

Colbert Roasts Bush

2006-05-02T11:54:00.000-08:00

Stephen Colbert, host of Comedy Central's Colbert Report, spoke at a recent White House Correspondent's dinner. Here is the clip of his nervy speech, aired on C-Span, with Bush just a few feet away! (Click on the link above)

Monatomic Gold: The Philospher's Stone

2006-04-27T19:19:00.000-08:00

In his 2003 book Lost Secrets of the Ark of the Covenant, author Laurence Gardner explained the rediscovery of monatomic gold, which he claims could be the alchemical Philosopher’s Stone, used by the ancients to “feed their light bodies” – or travel to an “alternative dimensional state of being.”

PGMs, or platinum group metals, were first (re)discovered in the 19^th century. But when a wealthy cotton farmer named David Hudson discovered the mother lode on his property in Phoenix, Arizona in 1976, it revived an age-old mystery. Hudson was treating his soil with chemicals, and found that a certain mineral had the unusual ability to “flare up in a blaze of white light and totally disappear” when exposed to sunlight. During spectroscopic arcing, the application of intense electrical heat, part of the atom becomes white light – its weight seems to disappear, but actually it is just removed to an alternate non-physical dimension. It looks like a white powder, but behaves as a stone, is said to change colors, produce brilliant light and deadly rays.

Hudson patented his discovery as ORMEs – orbitally rearranged monatomic elements, in the late 1980s. (Note the 1991 Bruce Willis movie called Hudson Hawk, about a gold machine.) He also began contacting scientists who were researching a new fuel cell technology, and found they had been having problems with white light explosions. In their experiments, the metals seemed to fall to about half their weight, seeming to disappear from sight until cooled, when they would miraculously reappear. They had discovered superconductors. A superconductor contains a flowing ‘liquid’ light, like a plasma, with a null magnetic field. This meant they could levitate, and the magnetic field surrounding the superconductor is called a Meissner Field.

ORMEs are said to have extraordinary powers of levitation, transmutation, and teleportation. The Institute for Advanced Studies in Austin, Texas calls it ‘exotic matter’, capable of bending space-time. They theorized the material resonated into an alternative perceptual vision, another dimension of space-time, and could enable speed-of-light travel.

Science had officially rediscovered the Philosopher’s Stone. In ancient times, the method and manufacture was known only to metallurgical adepts of the Mystery schools. They knew this special ‘powder of projection’ could ‘transmute human ignorance into the spiritual gold of enlightenment.’ Indeed, application of these atoms to human DNA causes the DNA strand itself to become a superconductor. Several articles have been published suggesting its use to treat cancer. It is known that gold and platinum metals in their monatomic high-spin state can “activate the endocrinal glandular system in a way that heightens awareness, perception and aptitude to extraordinary levels.” It also caused those who ingested the material to glow, or shine. There are several mentions of glowing faces or countenances in the Bible.

In the Bible, the substance was known as showbread, the ‘bread of the Presence’, and manna (which means “What is this” for the question continually asked in amazement). The Pyramid Texts call it “mfkzt” or “white bread”, and it is depicted in various hieroglyphs and bas-reliefs as a conical white stone. Some believe it was contained in the Ark of the Covenant, thereby explaining the strange deadly rays said to emanate from it.

This Philosopher’s Stone, called firestone by the ancients and ORMEs by modern science, seems like a rock, looks like a powder and can be eaten like bread. In fact, today you can even buy it online. But though some attest to its healing qualities, I question whether it is necessary for our ascension to the higher realms, or whether it's just a way to artificially ascend without true love or faith. Is it a ‘fast food enlightenment’, a white bread of empty calories? Since this discovery, considerable sums of gold have suddenly been stockpiled, or disappeared into thin air. When the IMF announced the sale of large amounts of bullion, said to benefit poor, gold-producing nations, instead the plan devastated these fragile small economies. Somewhere, noted author Gardner, certain anonymous ‘buyers’ were able to amass huge amounts of gold at a bargain price. As Lao Tzu reminds us, “amass a store of gold and jade, and no one can protect it.” Now who do we know with a lot of money?

Free Will

2006-04-21T16:31:00.000-08:00

… the sages: Manage the work of detached actions Conduct the teaching of no words They work with myriad things but do not control They create but do not possess They act but do not presume They succeed but do not dwell on success It is because they do not dwell on success That it never goes away

TTC, Chapter 2, trans. Derek Lin

Free Will is a topic that has always fascinated me. Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_will for a lengthy definition and explanation of the many aspects and philosophies surrounding this issue. Determinism and incompatibilism, libertarianism and compatibilism, argue one way or the other whether free will truly exists, or whether it is an illusion.

Wikipedia states that the I Ching contains “A shifting flow of probabilities for futures,” and that, “Probabilities take the center of the stage away from things and people. A kind of "divine" volition sets the fundamental rules for the working out of probabilities in the universe, and human volitions are always a factor in the ways that humans can deal with the real world situations one encounters. If one's situation in life is surfing on a tsunami, one still has some range of choices even in that situation. One person might give up, and another person might choose to struggle and perhaps to survive. The Yi Jing mentality is much closer to the mentality of quantum physics than to that of classical physics, and also finds parallelism in voluntarist or Existentialist ideas of taking one's life as one's project.”

I myself tend to agree with the I Ching. I believe that our possible futures are constantly shifting, and that our decisions are based on our various backgrounds and psychologies. Whether Everything is predetermined is hard for me to say – it seems like if it were, life might seem fruitless – if it is, at least thinking we have a choice might be all we need. However, to control the Tao is not our job either – TTC#74, “Trying to control the future is like trying to take the master carpenter’s place.”

But I do believe that within the Flow of things, within the Tao, exists the choice that will ultimately lead to the most harmonious outcome. We work with knowledge of the Tao, allowing it to guide us, not being too attached to the desired outcome. Finding the most harmonious path and allowing it to guide, is what I call ‘Surfing the Tao’ – yet I concede that for many of us, making such choices may require a ‘revolution’ of our (perceived) free will, since it may be against popular notions of ambition and wealth.

Personality Types

2006-04-19T18:11:00.000-08:00

There is a discussion at the Tea House about personality types I found interesting. I tested out as an INFP, which is Introverted, iNtuitive, Feeling, Perceiving - as did many others there. I figure like is attracted to like. "Most people describe them as having an "otherworldly" quality. They are almost instinctively pulled toward the mystical and the spiritual, and they are intensely private, which gives them a dark, mysterious aura. INFPs think on an epic scale, particularly with regards to Good vs. Evil." If you want to take the free personality test, check out http://www.sixteenflavors.com/typetest.php or click on the link above. On a similar note (for all you geeks out there), find out which Star Wars character you are! I was Padme. Check out http://atta.sinfree.net/quiz.html.

Upanishads

2006-04-17T18:33:00.000-08:00

The Upanishads are a collection of Hindu spiritual treatises, written in Sanskrit from ancient oral transmissions. They are said to be spiritual interpretations of the Vedas, ancient Indo-Aryan religious literature, considered to be ‘revealed knowledge’ by Hindus (“Veda” means “knowledge”). It is believed that the oldest were written around 900 B.C., and the ‘modern’ around 350 B.C. They are said to represent for the Hindu what the New Testament is to the Christian.

While there are said to be hundreds of Upanishads, only about a dozen are considered primary to Hindu belief. The different sages who wrote, or transmitted, these teachings throughout time attempted to answer life’s greatest spiritual questions, including that of a “Reality beyond ordinary knowing.”

The Supreme Being is called Brahman, transcendent and infinite, the universal spirit or sum total of all that ever was, is, or will be. It is ‘Absolute Reality’, found within all things animate and inanimate. “He moves and he moves not. He is far, and he is near. He is within all, and he is outside all.” (Isa Upanishad)

The seeker finds Brahman, the peaceful Infinite, when he/she attains ‘liberation’ from the physical; from agitation of the outside world. That part of each individual which is connected to Brahman is called Atman, and one must simply ‘Know’ this connection for ultimate fulfillment.

I have found that much of the wisdom in the Upanishads resonates with a similar tone to that in the Tao Te Ching, in Buddha’s teachings and also in Jesus’ original teachings. “When the five senses and the mind are still, and reason itself rests in silence, then begins the Path supreme.” (Katha Upanishad) “Those who follow wisdom pass beyond and, on leaving this world, become immortal.” (Kena Upanishad) Also, “He is unknown to the learned and known to the simple.” (Kena Upanishad)

I Know I Don't Know

2006-04-12T21:14:00.000-08:00

Empty your mind of all thoughts. Let your heart be at peace. Watch the turmoil of beings, but contemplate their return.

Each separate being in the universe returns to the common source. Returning to the source is serenity.

If you don’t realize the source, you stumble in confusion and sorrow. When you realize where you come from, you naturally become tolerant, disinterested, amused, kindhearted as a grandmother, dignified as a king. Immersed in the wonder of the Tao, you can deal with whatever life brings you, and when death comes, you are ready. (Tao Te Ching, #16)

There are days when I wonder how we all get through it. As blessed as my life is, I still have moments when I wonder, why me? Today I opened the Tao Te Ching and this is the page that came up. It’s amazing how it speaks to me, each time telling me what I need to hear. I need to stop thinking so much and allow the Universe to show me the Way. I need to stop taking things so seriously and take a more lighthearted point of view. When I look out into the world and see so many people with much bigger problems than I have, I know I can handle my own load. Knowing that there is just a bigger Plan than I can comprehend, allows me to breathe a little easier. When I know that I don’t know, that’s when I begin to understand!

Loose Change

2006-04-07T21:51:00.000-08:00

The past few days I’ve been hearing about this 9/11 conspiracy video going around called “Loose Change” and finally watched it tonight. It seems to be stirring people up and certainly brings up a lot of questions, true or not. I read a bumper sticker recently that said something like, “A patriot will defend his country against his government.” I hope it will never get to that. To view the video go to http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8260059923762628848 or click on the link above.

There’s no doubt we are wise to review all information that crosses our path, and at the very least form our own opinions. Lao Tzu said, "The master observes the world, but trusts his inner vision."

Be the Magic

2006-04-06T13:24:00.000-08:00

The Master allows things to happen.

She shapes events as they come.

She steps out of the way

and lets the Tao speak for itself.

-Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, #45

Once upon a time there was a poor farmer in China who had a son, but no horse. One day a beautiful stallion appeared at his door. "Oh, good luck, good luck," said the villagers. "Good luck, bad luck, who knows," replied the farmer. One day his son rode the horse, fell off and broke his leg. "Oh, bad luck, bad luck," cried the villagers. "Good luck, bad luck, who knows," the farmer said. The next day the army rode through town, recruiting youths for a faraway war. They took many of the villages sons to the distress of their families, but passed over the farmer's son, because of his broken leg. "Oh, good luck, good luck," said the villagers. "Who knows," said the wise farmer.

Taoism is difficult to absorb for the modern, western mind because its tenets are so opposite to what we are taught in the world. Most of us are raised to be ambitious or aggressive about we want in life, and to react negatively when things don’t go ‘our’ way. Taoists believe in a more organic approach; to not label things or events as bad or good, but instead learn to use everything in a continual evolution. If we hold to tight to one aspiration, for example, we may be unable to recognize an even better opportunity when it comes along. Sometimes the best things that happen in life might have been called accidents or mistakes. It's like a silver lining approach to life - whatever happens can be good if we simply decide to perceive it that way. All events can be part of a process of growth and change.

When we attempt to force something out of life, or out of ourselves, we are, perhaps unknowingly, deciding to disregard that the Universe, the Tao, might have something better in store for us. In fact, many people even practice magic, attempting to reroute the powerful flow of the Tao for their own desires. Rather, Taoism teaches one to become at rest in the midst of this universal flow, finding gratitude for the now and allowing the future to take care of itself; allowing the great ‘magic’ of the universe to weave the ultimate web of life. It is much the same idea of living in faith, described in other religions. Many of our great sages attempted to explain this.

Trying to control the future

is like trying to take the master carpenter's place.

when you handle the master carpenter's tools

changes are that you'll cut your hand.

-Tao Te Ching, #74

This doesn't mean we have no say in our own lives. We are still responsible for making decisions and choices every day. But our free will is arguably limited if we are not aware of all our choices. Are we always clear on what we are choosing? Are we following our own selfish desires, to the detriment of other people and the world around us? Are we making the effort to find that stillness and peace within us, and seek the answers there first? Are we aware that this Way of life is truly is an "Art of Peace"?

Peace originates wth the flow of things - its heart is like the movement of the wind and waves. The Way is like the veins that circulate blood through our bodies, following the natural flow of the life force. If you are separated in the slightest from that divine essence, you are far off the path.

-Morihei Ueshiba, The Art of Peace

To Surf the Tao, this flow of all things, we must first become aware of the Surf in the first place. Becoming aware of the Spirit, that vibrating harmonic of life all around us and within us, is different for each person. There is a great flowing Source of energy just waiting for you to choose its Way of love, peace and harmony. When you are in this Flow, your life will naturally become one of prosperity and peace.

Remember, we are human beings, not human doings. I will allow Lao Tzu sum up, for he said it better than I ever could, “The Master doesn't seek fulfillment. Not seeking; not expecting, she is present and can welcome all things…The Master sees things are they are, without trying to control them. She lets them go their own way, and resides at the center of the circle…Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself?”

Profiting from Disaster

2006-04-04T12:36:00.000-08:00

Throughout our history there have always been those for whom war, disasters and the like have been a means to profit. World Wars I and II, as well as the multitude of post-1945 foreign wars, generated a substantial increase in U.S. corporate profits thanks to the increase in military and defense spending. The New York Times reported in 1940 that Standard Oil and other U.S.Japan) with oil and other technical information. companies were continuing to supply even Nazi Germany (and And, “beginning with 1965, the rapid Vietnam buildup of military contracts gave several years of extra life to the tired boom and raised it to new heights: This added stimulation was primarily for military reasons; its economic consequences were side-effects.” (Victor Perlo, “Economic Aspects of Military Spending”, in David Mermelstein: “The Economic Crisis Reader”, 1975)

When the Soviet Union collapsed, the U.S. emerged as the great world economic power. According to an article on http://abundance.org.uk/ (The Profits of Abundance and War, Part xi), “We are now witnessing the development of a war policy which appears to envisage war continuing for the foreseeable future, not just to boost America’s massive armaments corporations, but the economy as a whole.”

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and former Secretary of State George Schulz each hold millions of dollars worth of in shares of Gilead Sciences, the biotech company which owns the rights to Tamiflu. Fear of a pandemic of bird flu has sent their stocks soaring. (more at http://money.cnn.com/2005/10/31/news/newsmakers/fortune_rumsfeld/) Another company, Chiron Corp., was recently awarded a $62.5 million dollar contract by the Department of Health and Human Services to begin producing a similar vaccine. Of course we want to be prepared, but an article at www.WantToKnow.info notes, “Isn’t it interesting that over $60 million dollars has been “awarded for a vaccine against a bird flu that hasn’t even mutated yet?...How do we know these vaccines will work when it hasn’t even mutated?...the pharmaceutical industry…is raking in huge profits…”

Then of course there’s Exxon/Mobil, which announced yesterday it is now America’s largest corporation, surpassing even Wal-Mart. Interesting that their highest profits were recorded in the quarter following Hurricane Katrina. Of course they are a business, but wouldn’t it be nice if during times of human misery, profit might be considered secondary to relief?

Lao Tzu wrote, “Throw away industry and profit, and there won’t be any thieves.” (#19) “When a country is in harmony with the Tao, the factories make trucks and tractors. When a country goes counter to the Tao, warheads are stockpiled outside the cities.” (#46)

Creative Endeavors

2006-04-03T12:09:00.000-08:00

One of the ways I get into the 'Surfing' state of mind is through art. This is an oil painting I did for the cover of my book. These days I've been experimenting with watercolor pencils and pastels. I spent nearly ten years working in LA in the movie business building creatures, puppets and props, which taught me a lot about various mediums and materials. It was fun but exhausting...my life in Hawaii is now much more serene, but it takes some will power to get my creative juices flowing again.

When the student is ready, the Master appears.

2006-04-02T19:17:00.000-08:00

This saying has had profound meaning for me throughout my Journey. Looking back, I can see that the knowledge I sought rarely arrived before I was able to absorb it – and if it did, it reappeared again later so I could appreciate it with the right perspective. That goes for the people who arrived along my path too. When I was ready for the change a new person would bring, there they were. The better we get at Surfing the Tao, the easier it becomes to utilize this phenomenon. As another proverb so wisely states, "Teachers open the door, but you must enter yourself."

20/20 hindsight is truly valuable, for if we can see the wisdom of our seemingly happenchance pasts, we can understand that the future is bound to bring us what we need, when we need it. What can seem like bumps along the path are merely necessary meanderings. We will only understand why later. "When the Way comes to an end, then change - having changed, you pass through." (I Ching) This is a Way to Surf the Tao.

Krishnamurti

2006-04-01T12:19:00.000-08:00

“I maintain that Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect…” – Krishnamurti

The Theosophical Society (“TS”) was established in 1875 by Helena P. Blavatsky and others interested in the study and explanation of ‘mediumistic phenomena’. Blavatsky claimed to have studied with the 'Ascended Masters' in Tibet, and upon her return to New York City she supposedly engaged in various psychic feats such as channeling, levitation and clairvoyance. Many consider this to have been the first instance of the “New Age” spiritual movement, and its teachings, rituals and symbolism has been linked to the occult. Indeed Blavatsky equated Lucifer with Jesus Christ, writing “Lucifer is divine and terrestrial light…”, and was instrumental in forming the Lucifer Trust in 1920, now called the Lucis Trust, which still works today to carry out a Luciferian “master plan” for establishing a one world government under their “Lord of the World”. The Lucis Trust still has ‘consultative status’ with the United Nations, and carries influence with the world’s most powerful political and business leaders.

As a child, Krishnamurti was ‘discovered’ by leaders of the TS, as they believed he was to be the next ‘World Teacher” or Master of their system. According to Krishnamurti himself, he did indeed experience visions of the “Ascended Masters” and for a time accepted what he was taught in terms of the rituals and system of the Theosophists, as well as his future position as their next “World Teacher”.

However Krishnamurti took his own revelations to a higher level one day when he experienced a powerful vision of the truth, and soon after he left the TS against the wishes of its other members. He began to teach that, “No one can give you liberation, you have to find it within…” He no longer wanted to be part of any structured system, explaining instead that his “Beloved” could be found “in every animal, in every blade of grass, in every person who is suffering, in every individual.”

This caused great upheaval within the TS, as they were used to having someone tell them their Path, and had looked forward to being high-ranking disciples of this Teacher and the rituals that went along with it. Instead, Krishnamurti told them that “all ceremonies are unnecessary for spiritual growth,” and that it is better not to have mediators or gurus who could someday betray the Truth to them. From then on, Krishnamurti refused to be a part of any spiritual organization, recommending instead that people discover the Truth from within themselves.

In other words, Krishnamurti had learned to Surf the Tao. He realized that the ultimate Truths were not to be found in any outer organization, but within the hearts of people themselves, and that it was up to each person to discover this. We can indeed find truth of this “Beloved” in many books, but they are not necessary to our own paths towards enlightenment. Those with ulterior motives of power and control still try to use such truths for their own agendas, creating and maintaining strict ritualistic and ceremonial societies in an attempt to misguide and betray. But the true masters know that the real truths can only be found from within, as we learn to Surf the Tao.

As Krishnamurti told his former followers, “…You can form other organizations and expect someone else. With that I am not concerned, nor with creating new cages, new decorations for those cages. My only concern is to set me absolutely, unconditionally free.”

Quotes from Krishnamurti: The Years of Fulfillment by Mary Lutyens, Avon Books 1983.

Practicing Eternity

2006-03-29T19:35:00.000-08:00

“The Tao …is like the eternal void: filled with infinite possibilities.” – Tao Te Ching #4 Centuries ago everyone knew the world was flat, and that the Earth was the center of the Universe. The geocentric, or Earth-centered, view of Reality was the leading philosophical and religious belief during the Middle Ages, held since Aristotle. This view appealed to the human ego, as well as to the powerful religious leaders of the time eager to maintain their authority. Copernicus started no less than a scientific revolution when he suggested otherwise, and later scientists Bruno and Galileo would suffer greatly for it during the Inquisition. Why was the Church so intent on refuting evidence that our world, and our species, were not the center of God’s creation? Of course, because it would disrupt the vast power base they had so carefully constructed, with them in charge not only of the religious, cultural and legal framework of society, but over the concept of Reality itself. In order for them to retain their power, they had to convince the populace that their power and authority came from God Himself. To believe otherwise directly confronted their control over the western world at the time, and could be very dangerous. Surprisingly, in today’s ultra-modern, high-tech world, we find ourselves under similar illusions. Of course, we all know the world is round, and that it is just one of many planets, in one of many solar systems, in a vast and expanding universe. However, even though quantum physicists have known for decades that we live in merely one small slice of a much larger dimensional framework, the world at large is for the most part unwilling or unable to comprehend or accept what this revelation could mean to us. As Lao Tzu wrote, "true wisdom seems foolish." (#45) Such awareness would place us at an even smaller level of importance than we believed we held in medieval times. And human ego is still hard at work, convinced of our self-centered belief that this is the only world, the only Reality, that we can Know. Not to mention, the power and authority of our time has just as many reasons to keep us from knowing beyond or present reckoning of Reality as did the Church during the Inquisition. Our governments and corporations do not want us to acquire awareness outside of their established parameters. They have too much to lose. Our wise and ancient sages long ago attempted to open our eyes to a broader concept of Reality, and our true place within it, but their words mean little to today’s short attention spans, media conglomerates, personal gratification and insufferable egos. If we merely listened carefully to the words of Lao Tzu, Buddha or even Jesus, we might learn that what we term and define as conscious Reality is no more than the resonating ball of light and shade explanation set forth by famous scientists such as Einstein and Tesla. Lao Tzu wrote, "seeing into darkness is clarity." (#52) Whether explained through spiritual or scientific words, what’s important is the realization that things are not as they seem, and we might we wise to look beyond our physical senses for the ultimate definition of Reality. If we could set aside our egos, maybe we could live in harmony with each other and our world. "If you keep your mind from judging and aren't led by the senses, your heart will find peace." (#52) Imagine what an eye-opener it must have been to learn the Earth is round, instead of flat. Some people may have continued to scoff the idea regardless of scientific evidence. Today, even the well-educated scoff at the notion of a multitude of dimensional realities. And this is merely the tip of the iceberg. As a species, we cannot be said to know even one small percentage of what there is to Know. How can we argue which religion is right, or which government is best, if we are not even looking in the right places? Learn from the sages, or learn from the scientists. Understand the Tao, or the Unified Field. The real truth of our Reality is within us, within each and every person. We are part of It, and It is within us. Read between the lines, and Surf the Tao into a higher awareness of Reality, and a new world of peace. It’s up to you. "Of all discoveries and opinions, none may have exerted a greater effect on the human spirit than the doctrine of Copernicus. The world had scarcely become known as round and complete in itself when it was asked to waive the tremendous privilege of being the center of the universe. Never, perhaps, was a greater demand made on mankind - for by this admission so many things vanished in mist and smoke! What became of our Eden, our world of innocence, piety and poetry; the testimony of the senses; the conviction of a poetic - religious faith? No wonder his contemporaries did not wish to let all this go and offered every possible resistance to a doctrine which in its converts authorized and demanded a freedom of view and greatness of thought so far unknown, indeed not even dreamed of." -Goethe

The Tao of Buddha

2006-03-26T16:36:00.000-08:00

“Few cross over the river.

Most are stranded on this side.

On the riverbank they run up and down.

But the wise person, following the way,

Crosses over, beyond the reach of death…”

-Teachings of the Buddha (from the Dhammapada, trans. Thomas Byrom)

The Buddha was born a prince in ancient India, and raised in wealthy seclusion. He began to see the misery of much of the rest of the world as he grew older. He left home as a young man to seek the truth of what he found, hoping to find an end to the sorrows of human existence. He lived for awhile as an ascetic in the forests, but soon realized he had found no further wisdom in such a life. He one day realized that peace of mind and freedom of spirit could be found in a simple life of balance. He called his teachings the Dharma, or “Way”. (Remember that “Tao” is Chinese for “Way”.)

The word ‘Buddha’ means ‘one who is awake’. The Buddhist tradition attempts to teach the experience of ‘awakening to the truth of life’. They seek to liberate the body and the mind from the materialism of the world, offering instead a Middle Path of peace and balance.

Buddha’s words are in fact strikingly similar in spirit to those of Lao Tzu in the Tao Te Ching. Of course the religious practices that have developed down the ages took different angles. However, if we consider the original words passed down by these two sages, it begins to seem as if they were both talking about the same realizations – and indeed much the same Way to live.

Buddha said, “Live in joy, in love, even among those who hate.” (Dhammapada) Lao Tzu taught, “The master…is good to people who are good. She is also good to people who aren’t good. This is true goodness.” (Tao Te Ching)

Buddha taught, “Look within. Be still. Free from fear and attachment, Know the sweet joy of the way.” Lao Tzu may have had a different tone and spoke a completely different language, and yet the spirit of his words is familiar: “Since before time and space were, the Tao is. It is beyond ‘is’ and ‘is not’. How do I know this is true? I look inside myself and see...if you want to be given everything, give everything up.”

“The Master keeps her mind always at one with the Tao, that is what gives her her radiance…she doesn’t cling to ideas,” wrote Lao Tzu. “A mind unshaken when touched by the worldly states, sorrowless, stainless, and secure, this is the blessing supreme,” taught the Buddha.

Both also recognized the futility in the very act of trying to put the great truths into words. Lao Tzu commented, “The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.” In turn Buddha lamented, “Words! The Way is beyond language, for in it there is no yesterday, no tomorrow, no today.” (trans. Richard B. Clarke)

One cannot but help notice that the teachings are similar in tone to other great teachers of note, including some I have mentioned previously such as Ueshiba and Tagore. Once a student begins to truly internalize this higher awareness, they become aware of a ‘Way’ to live or to be, a simple, loving, unselfish and calm state of mind. They see the divine in the mundane, and allow the Way to spread before them, “If you want to accord with the Tao, just do your job, then let go,” wrote Lao Tzu. Or, as Buddha put it so beautifully, “To live in the Great Way is neither easy not difficult…Just let things be in their own way.”

The Tao of Physics

2006-03-22T14:54:00.000-08:00

If you haven’t yet read this book by Fritjof Capra, I highly recommend it. It was of great help to me when I began my Journey, since I come from an analytical and intellectual background, and had no idea what to do with a mystical experience such as I had. Physicists like Capra are attempting to point out similarities between new quantum discoveries and Eastern mysticism (Buddhism, Taoism and Hinduism), and it’s changing how we perceive our world. “The further we penetrate into the submicroscopic world, the more we shall realize how the modern physicist, like the Eastern mystic, has come to see the world as a system of inseparable, interacting and ever-moving components with the observer being an integral part of this system.” (p. 25)

Both new physics and mystical experiences are difficult to put into words – they are both full of paradox. Einstein wrote, “All my attempts to adapt the theoretical foundation of physics to this (new type of) knowledge failed completely. It was as if the ground had been pulled out from under one, with no firm foundation to be seen anywhere, upon which one could have built.” Capra wrote, “…discoveries of modern physics necessitated profound changes of concepts like space, time, matter, object, cause and effect…to change them felt something of a shock.” (p. 54)

The discovery that subatomic units were not solid objects sent a wave of disbelief through the scientific community. Further it was noted that the simple act of observation seemed to have an effect on them. They realized they could never predict atomic events with certainty. Thus, “Quantum theory has thus demolished the classical concepts of solid objects and of strictly deterministic laws of nature.” (p. 68) It seemed as if classical ideals of ‘reason’ were thrown out the window; as Capra quoted Chuang Tzu, “The most extensive knowledge does not necessarily know it; reasoning will not make men wise in it. The sages have decided against both these methods.” (p. 113)

Capra states that the mystic and physicist alike arrive at the same conclusion, “one starting from the inner realm, the other from the outer world…” (p. 305) He notes a further similarity, that both “their observations take place in realms which are inaccessible to the ordinary senses.” (p. 305)

For me, this book made the unreasonable reasonable, and the nonsensical sensible. It eased my aching analytical brain, and I was able to open myself to further ‘mystical’ experience – transforming my world and my life.

Rabindranath Tagore

2006-03-20T17:24:00.000-08:00

I have heard in my being the voice of Eternal Silence…’ -Tagore

Not many westerners know that Rabindranath Tagore, a great writer, musician and philosopher from Bengal, India, won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913 for his collection of poems, "Gitanjali". His extraordinary life began in 1861, and before it ended in 1941 he had been contemporary of Mahatma Gandhi, written about by Jawaharlal Nehru, W.B. Yeats, and Ezra Pound, and famously conversed with Albert Einstein about the nature of reality. He wrote over 2000 songs including India’s national anthem. He spoke often and loudly against the militant nationalism rising in his day, and in 1919 he repudiated his knighthood as a public gesture against violence.

Tagore was firmly for freedom - freedom of mind, freedom of education, freedom of belief, freedom of existence. Contrary to the educational establishment of his day, he founded a school, called the ‘Abode of Peace’, which eventually became an important center for culture, music, art, languages and even rural development. He was involved in what we now call ‘Third World Development,’ attempting to teach new farming techniques to his struggling nation. He resisted categorization based on race or economics, and believed in the unity of man and nature.

Though some of his work reflects the politics and struggles of his country, there is so much that relates purely to his spiritual being. His words reflect a deep wisdom and understanding of our reality, and man’s proper behavior within it. He rejected the common religious orthodoxy of his upbringing, instead creatively seeking the spirit behind it. His words bring to mind a startling awareness of this Tao, the compassion and openness necessary to perceive it, and the difficulty of explaining it to others.

“It is only the revelation of You as the Infinite that is endlessly new and eternally beautiful in us and that gives the only meaning to our self when we feel Your rhythmic throb as soul-life, the whole world in our own souls; then are we free. O Worker of the universe! Let the irresistible current of Your universal energy come like the impetuous south wind of spring; let it come rushing over the vast field of human life. Let our newly awakened powers cry out for unlimited fulfillment in leaf and flower and fruit.” -Tagore, from "The Heart of God"

Which Way Will You Walk

2006-03-18T16:46:00.000-08:00

While whirlwinds woo a wary world The way worn written warnings wait Which Way will you walk, will you wish When wisdom weighs the wrongs of woe Watch witch and wizard waging wars With weapons wreaking wrath and waste If wit is won with wretched wealth Would work and worry warrant worth? While woe works wonders waking will It’s wisdom whispers well within Which Way will you walk, will you wish The woeful witness wishes wise.

Genetically Modified World

2006-03-17T12:44:00.000-08:00

"When rich speculators prosper while farmer lose their land; when government officials spend money on weapons instead of cures; when the upper class is extravagant and irresponsible, while the poor have nowhere to turn - all this is robbery and chaos. It is not in keeping with the Tao." -Tao Te Ching, #53

Ministers are trying to scrap an international agreement banning the world's most controversial genetic modification of crops, grimly nicknamed "terminator technology", a move which threatens to increase hunger in the Third World. The Government is to push for terminator crops to be considered for approval on a "case-by-case basis" at two meetings this month; its position closely mirrors the stance of the United States and other GM [genetically modified organisms]-promoting countries. Terminator technology...would stop hundreds of millions of poor farmers from saving seeds from their crops for resowing for the following harvest, forcing them to buy new ones from biotech companies every year. The technique is officially known as genetic use restriction technology (Gurt), making crops produce sterile seeds. It could be applied to any crop, including maize and rice, widely grown in developing countries. The UK working group on teminator technology...says: "It could destroy traditional farming methods, damage farmers' livelihoods and threaten food security, particularly in developing countries." [Former UK Minister of Environment Michael] Meacher said: "For the first time in the history of the world, farmers would be stopped from using their own seeds."

Note: For more on this alarming development: http://www.WantToKnow.info/deception10pg

Awakening the Spirit

2006-03-16T20:26:00.000-08:00

The Master keeps her mind at one with the Tao; that is what gives her her radiance. The Tao is ungraspable. How can her mind be at one with it? Because she doesn’t cling to ideas. The Tao is dark and unfathomable. How can it make her radiant? Because she lets it. Since before time and space were, the Tao is. It is beyond is and is not. How do I know this is true? I look inside myself and see. (Tao Te Ching, #21)

To be 'one' with the Tao means to live with the awareness of this Flow, even if we may not understand it completely. We may still find ourselves faced with various daily fears and issues - but it is how we react to these troubles, which determines our progress along the spiritual path. We have a choice - we can either react along with our worldly programming, becoming hurt, angry, or fearful; or we can choose to react instead with calmness and kindness. This choice, an act of our free will, is the greatest power we have to overcome obstacles along our path. It is a step towards awakening our Spirits.

Surfing the Tao refers to an awareness of this 'Higher Power', or consciousness, without all the trappings, archaic ritual or questionable authority of a worldly religion. Our greatest sages all taught us that the truth is contained within us - all we need to do is be still long enough to find it. With stillness and love, we can awaken our spirits. The experience can be profound – or subtle. Often it can be both. The changes happen gradually at first, when the mind finally rests of chatter, and true breath takes hold. Breathing techniques, prayer, yoga, meditation and other tools are available to us which can help us along this path. But they are only a means to an end, not the end in and of themselves.

Find love within you and you have found the Tao. Behave peacefully amidst the chaos and you have found the Tao. Live in harmony with others, and with nature, and you have found the Tao. As you walk through each moment of your life in this way, your awareness of this higher power will grow and grow, until it is no longer difficult to be the eye of the storm. Surf the Tao to a higher consciousness, and watch your life, and the world, transform.

“It is a lot like surfing... you catch a wave by being prepared, timing your move and having your board in position. Like surfing, you have some control, but the Flow has all the power.”

Mind Control?

2006-03-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

“The more we do to you, the less you seem to believe it.” –Joseph Mengele Bruce Cathie is a former pilot who has written several books on field harmonics, including The Energy Grid (1990) and The Harmonic Conquest of Space (1998). He discovered a series of harmonic geometric equations which can cause reactions in space-time if put into practical application. He theorizes, as did Einstein and Tesla, that space-time manifests from the geometric harmonics of the wave motions of light, and stated, “we live in a reality of un-reality; all is an illusion, and the stuff that dreams are made of. Our physical world is nothing more than a resonating ball of light and shade.” Cathie also mathematically showed the harmonic links of the human body to its natural environment, and speculated that people are ‘tuned in’ to varying degrees. Of the four frequencies of our brain’s electromagnetic wave pattern (Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Theta), he found that the Alpha frequency (awake, and relaxed) produces waves around 10.6 Hz. The “Shumann Resonance” is the wave guide which channels extra low frequency (ELF) waves around the Earth, and the average frequency of these waves is 10.6Hz. In other words, people are like walking radio transmitters, tuned into the environment to an extent of which we are probably unaware. HAARP, the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program, is a series of transmitters designed to turn the aurora borealis into a virtual antenna. The public goals of this giant ionospheric heater are earth-penetrating topography and deep-sea communications. However, it uses ELF in the same frequency range as the human brain, and a supposed hidden agenda has been hotly debated. In the 1970s it was discovered that Russia had been bombarding the US with its ‘Woodpecker’ signal. Newsman David Brinkley said on the air on July 18, 1981, “As I say I find it hard to believe, it is crazy and none of us here knows what to make of it: the Russian government is known to be trying to change human behavior by external electronic influences. We do know that much. And we know that some kind of Russian transmitter is bombarding this country with extremely low frequency radio waves.” A 1982 US Air Force Review of Biotechnology stated, “…RFR [radio frequency radiation] experiments and the increasing understanding of the brain as an electrically-mediated organ suggests the serious probability that impressed electromagnetic fields can be disruptive to purposeful behavior and may be capable of directing and or interrogating such behavior…” And of course there’s MK Ultra, a covert CIA operation uncovered during the Kennedy administration, which investigated the possibilities of modifying an individual’s behavior by covert means. There is so much more information out there I will only say further, how odd it all is when you begin to research it. And how very important it is that we do. How else can we be sure we are even acting with our free will? A great synopsis of such information can be found at http://www.wanttoknow.info/mindcontrollers10pg

Ueshiba and The Art of Peace

2006-03-12T13:25:00.000-08:00

"One does not need buildings, money, power or status to practice the Art of Peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train." - Ueshiba, The Art of Peace

I didn’t find the Tao (or ‘God’, or the Force, whatever,) in church or a book. I found it in Kung Fu. It led me to discern this Source of energy from within myself. The earliest roots of Kung Fu come from Taoist monks, who thousands of years ago strived to keep the peace, not promote fights. They were the first to teach how to 'surf' this 'flow', dancing with the rhythm of the universe.

Kung Fu is an Art of Peace. The key to finding this Empty Force is maintaining a consciousness of love. I study Yee Chuan Tao Kung Fu, one of the last arts to have been passed down within a family. (check out www.yeechuantao.com.) However there is another teacher anyone can learn from - Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido. Aikido is extremely similar to Kung Fu, especially in its teachings of peace, and having only defensive moves.

Morihei Ueshiba lived from 1883 until 1969, and was known even into his old age for his ability to take down any opponent 'with a single finger.' But though he was undefeated, he detested violence, and taught Aikido as his 'Way' to peace. In my opinion his Art of Peace has become one of the few true manuals of the Way. It was compiled from a lifetime of his poems and sayings.

During his life Ueshiba experienced three powerful visions which transformed him. “…I felt transformed into a golden image, and my body seemed as light as a feather. All at once I understood the nature of creation: the Way of a Warrior is to manifest Divine Love, a spirit that embraces and nurtures all things…” (intro to the Art of Peace, compiled by John Stevens, Shambhala Publications, Boston, 1992.) He developed Aikido as a way to handle the aggression in the world, and believed that everyone, martial artist or not, could be a Warrior for Peace.

"Contemplate the workings of this world, listen to the words of the wise, and take all that is good as your own. With this as your base, open your own door to truth. Do not overlook the truth that is right before you. Study how water flows in a valley stream, smoothly and freely between the rocks. Also learn from holy books and wise people. Everything - even mountains, rivers, plants, and trees - should be your teacher." -Ueshiba

No Religion

2006-03-11T17:21:00.000-08:00

Religion is the creation of man. It is how people have defined and structured spirituality in our world. More often than not it has been established and even forced upon people as a means of power and control throughout time, and still today. Within such confines, people are generally not taught how to connect with the Spirit within themselves, rather they are given a set of beliefs, taught specific rituals and to heed a worldly ‘religious’ authority.

Some even say that secret spiritual information (or disinformation) has been passed down from generation to generation within various spiritual organizations, particularly so-called ‘mystery’ religions, placing certain people in positions of power and even subtly misguiding the populace towards false beliefs and priorities. They use metaphysical truth to their advantage, cleverly interlacing it with small lies no one might notice. Their love for ritual and control has established strange rites and rituals, not to mention politics, in nearly every religion. Even the ancient and adored texts have praise for the Tao intermixed with strange stories of alien gods, bent on doing their own will in our dimension.

There is not one religion on our Earth today that is pure to the Tao, our one 'God' of love. They blurred our understanding using semantics and misinterpretations, so even the very word “God” has become corrupt. This has led many to refuse to consider any spiritual or metaphysical truths whatsoever, thereby throwing the proverbial baby out with the bathwater.

Instead of arguing which religion is ‘right’ (or refusing the investigate them at all), learn the basic truths each has to offer, repeated over and over again by our greatest sages, like Jesus, Lao Tzu, and Buddha. Read their own words, not what others have written about them, or the worldly ‘religions’ created in their wake. Instead, follow their simple Way of life. Live each moment in love and with compassion for your neighbor. Seek a higher awareness within yourself; learn to Surf the Tao and help transform the world.

“Ritual is the husk of true faith, the beginning of chaos.” –Tao Te Ching, #38

Taoism, The Great Way of Life

2006-03-09T15:02:00.000-08:00

There was something formless and perfect

Before the universe was born.

It is serene. Empty.

Solitary. Unchanging.

Infinite. Eternally present.

It is the mother of the universe.

For lack of a better name,

I call it the Tao.

Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching #25

What is the "Tao"? It is a Chinese word which means "Way". Buddha also spoke of this One Way, and even Jesus said, "I am the Way..." I believe they were all referring to the Void, this great Everything; God, in the universal sense. Finding words to describe this Force is difficult. I recommend quantum physics as another avenue towards understanding (check out the book The Tao of Physics by Frijof Capra). I call this Way of Life "Surfing the Tao", and I use the wisdom from various sources to further the message.

“All things, material and spiritual, originate from one source and are related as if they were one family. The past, present, and future are all contained in the life force. The universe emerged and developed from one source, and we evolved through the optimal process of unification and harmonization.” -Ueshiba, The Art of Peace.

Simple realization of this Tao, or Way, can change ones perspective radically. Introspection and meditation can lead one to higher levels of awareness and understanding. One eventually realizes that it is the pursuit of the impersonal wherein realization of the Self arises: when one understands that All is One, and there is no Self - that is, that we are rather part of the Great Self - then our daily sufferings become perceptively smaller.

Emptiness here, Emptiness there,

But the infinite universe stands

Always before your eyes.

Infinitely large and infinitely small;

No difference, for definitions have vanished

And no boundaries are seen…

One thing, all things:

Move among and intermingling,

Without distinction.

To live in this realization

Is to be without anxiety about non-perfection.

-Buddha

Sounds like Lao Tzu, doesn't it? Buddha, like Lao Tzu, also suggests not to dislike the world of senses and ideas, but just to realize, with enlightenment there is no liking or disliking. Lao Tzu said, "the Master observes the world but trusts his inner vision. He allows things to come and go. His heart is open as the sky."

These masters taught us, that even though reality as we see it is an illusion, that to be a good and loving person within it is important. They teach compassion, harmony, peace, generosity and serenity. Buddha said, "To live in the Great Way is neither easy nor difficult, but those with limited views are fearful and irresolute; the faster they hurry, the slower they go, and attachment cannot be limited: even to be attached to the idea of enlightenment is to go astray. Just let things be in their own way and there will be neither coming nor going."

A Revolution of Free Will

2006-03-05T19:51:00.000-08:00

I am working hard to promote the message of love. The simple act of choosing love, with our free wills, can manifest a higher frequency of love, peace and harmony, perhaps someday changing us, and our world, for the better. Some can argue, how can we know we have free will; indeed it is a subject for philosophical debate. But in the end it doesn’t matter; within the illusion of our reality, we can still choose love. And because for some this simple act may be so contrary to the way we are taught to live in this selfish, consumer-driven society, I call it revolutionary. Forgive, turn the other cheek, and love your enemies. This seemingly impossible task will transform your life, your very consciousness and ability to perceive. This is what it truly means to ‘Surf the Tao’. To ride the wave, the swell of love, in each moment, and not be swayed by anything negative or attempt to reroute the ‘Flow’, is what it means to be ‘enlightened.’ Save yourself, and the world, by joining the silent, internal revolution of free will. What would our world be like? Choosing love sounds easy, But how many of us do it every moment? And if we all did, What would our world be like? We can’t control other people Just how we react to them The hardest thing we’ll ever do Is forgive someone who doesn’t deserve it. This doesn’t absolve their guilt… It just takes it out of our hands. And frees our minds and spirits For other things. To truly save our world We must all dig deep within ourselves The ultimate truths are not in a book They are asleep along with our spirits. We all create our own reality. We can either to choose to walk in love Or not. It’s too bad the simplest things Can also be the most difficult.

Why the Secrecy?

2006-03-05T12:59:00.000-08:00

“When the Mason learns that the Key to the warrior on the block is the proper allocation of the dynamo of living power, he has learned the Mystery of his Craft. The seething energies of Lucifer are in his hands and before he may step onward and upward, he must prove his ability to properly apply (this) energy.” –Manly P. Hall, The Lost Keys of Freemasonry David Spangler is a respected spiritualist who has been Director of Planetary Initiative at the United Nations. He wrote in his book Reflections on the Christ, “Lucifer, like Christ, stands at the door of man’s consciousness and knocks…He becomes the being who carriers that great treat, the ultimate treat, the light of wisdom.’ (p. 41) Whether you believe secret societies are involved in controlling our world, the above quotes should at the very least arouse some curiosity. Denial is not an intelligent approach to the subject. I suggest everyone should research the subject and at the very least come to their own well-informed conclusion. Some organizations to consider are the Freemasons, Skull and Bones, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, the Club of Rome, and the Bilderbergs. Other associate organizations are (or were) the Grand Orient Lodges, P2, the Black Nobility, the Illuminati, the Rosicrucians, the Knights Templar, and the Priory of Sion. Conspiracists argue that the main agenda of these organizations is an eventual global consolidation of power. Many of these groups are also said to be heavily involved in the religious and spiritual implications of this goal as well. Benito Mussolini said, "Fascism should more appropriately be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power.” And from Woodrow Wilson, “We are controlled by a small group of dominant men. The worst ruled and most completely controlled government in the civilized world. Some of the biggest men in the United States are afraid of somebody, are afraid of something. They know that there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so watchful, so interlocked, so complete, so pervasive, that they had better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it.” Arnsall Rothschild was famously quoted, “Let me issue and control a nation’s money and I care not who writes the laws.” Lao Tzu counters, "...The more rules and regulations, the more thieves and robbers...The world is ruled by letting things take their course. It cannot be ruled by interfering." Some links to articles on this subject are http://www.halifaxlive.com/content/view/412/32/, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4290944.stm, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3773019.stm,

The True Masters

2006-03-04T12:53:00.000-08:00

Discernment comes not from the mind, not from reading a book or following a set of rules or rituals, but through the spirit. Learning to Surf the Tao means acquiring the skill to bypass thought, and listen instead to the Voice within. Our sages, the true masters, attempted to teach this; though their words might be different, the essence is the same. “Be still, and know that I am God”(Psalms 46:10); “Look within. Be still. Free from fear and attachment, Know the sweet joy of the Way.” (Buddha); “When the five senses and the mind are still, and reason itself rests in silence, then begins the Path supreme.” (Katha Upanishad); “Empty your mind of all thoughts. Let your heart be at peace.” (Lao Tzu); “If your have not liked yourself to true emptiness, you will never understand The Art of Peace.” (Ueshiba). ‘Tao’ means ‘Way’, and it was originally meant to set forth a Way of Life, not as a ‘religion’ or sect. Buddha’s original teachings mirror this philosophy. Indeed the words of Jesus also point this Way, but in all of these cases their words were added to, and shaped around differing sects and worldly institutions of power and control. Instead, the Way is far simpler. Live in love, and follow its divine essence in every aspect of life. If you do, you can begin to Know for yourself, who the ‘good guys’ are. They teach this simple truth, despite the paradox of trying to put the Unknowable into words, for as Lao Tzu wrote, “The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.” The ancient masters were subtle, mysterious, profound, responsive. The depth of their knowledge is unfathomable. Because it is unfathomable, All we can do is describe their appearance. Watchful, like men crossing a winter stream. Alert, like men aware of danger. Courteous, like visiting guests. Yielding, like ice about to melt. Simple, like uncarved blocks of wood. Hollow, like caves. Opaque, like muddy pools. Who can wait quietly while the mud settles? Who can remain still until the moment of action? Observers of the Tao do not seek fulfillment. Not seeking fulfillment, they are not swayed by desire for change. (Tao Te Ching, verse 15, trans. Fia-fu Feng and Jane English, Vintage Books Edition, 1972.) For more on my website, check out http://www.surfingthetao.com/The_Good_Guys.htm

Aliens: Gods or Demons?

2006-02-28T14:08:00.000-08:00

In my book I discuss the alien phenomenon; that some kind of non-human visitors, custodians, or watchers, have been among us, perhaps for a very long time. Authors such as William Bramley (“The Gods of Eden”), Jim Marrs (“Alien Agenda”), David Icke (“Children of the Matrix”), Picknett & Prince (“The Stargate Conspiracy”), Whitley Streiber (“Communion”), and Erich von Daniken (“Chariot of the Gods”) suggest this is the case. They cite UFO sightings around the world, ‘abduction’ experiences, and secret government facilities and cover-ups. Strange evidence found in cave paintings, medieval art, the Nazca lines, and crop circles, as well as artifacts like the Dropa stones (found in China), the large stone spheres found in Central America, even megaliths like the pyramids and Stonehenge, leave us with an uneasy feeling that there is, or was, something going on we aren’t aware of. Authors Colin Wilson and Rand Flem-Ath in their book “The Atlantis Blueprint” point to evidence that these ancient megaliths are connected, arranged around the Earth along powerful geodesic ley lines, “critical points on the earth’s surface where the ancients could tap a universal energy flowing through the planet.” (p. xxiii)

Today many people believe these ‘aliens’ and/or ‘ancient gods’ are still around us, or perhaps on their way back to us; they work hard to spread awareness of these strange beings, believing that they are ‘good guys’ who want to help us rid ourselves of war and finally create a world of peace. Of course their very presence might stop religious divisiveness at once, as we would realize that these are the true ‘gods’ of our world; the New Age movement, well-intentioned as it may be, is full of this type of talk.

Unfortunately, as Picknett and Prince point out in “The Stargate Conspiracy”, these strange beings have a sinister past. They trace their communications to humans through occult organizations and suggest that, “The sugar coating of exciting ideas about returning ancient gods is designed to conceal a bitter pill indeed – which, in all innocence, millions seem happy to swallow.” Websites like www.theforbiddenknowledge.com, www.thejinn.net, http://www.mt.net/~watcher/, and http://www.alienresistance.org/ work hard to spread the idea that these are not good guys, regardless of their ‘message of peace’. Wolves must come in sheep’s clothing or we’d never pay them heed!

When you learn to Surf the Tao, these questions become easier to discern. ‘Bad guys’ don’t ride this wave – instead they create structure, rules and rituals, appeal to our pride and ego, and want to be worshiped. ‘Good guys’ don’t confuse or complicate the simple message of love, nor do they seek glory for themselves. It’s a subtle but important distinction. Next time I’ll talk more about the good guys.

The End of the World as We Knew It

2006-02-25T13:46:00.000-08:00

A friend sent me a link to a site with some interesting thoughts about the End Times. It discusses the Nazca lines, the pyramids, and the possibility that these sites, and others, may be trying to point out a link to a certain line-up of stars, and thereby a certain time in the future, when a great shift will occur. Certainly food for thought. However if you search, you will come across so much information that it can be difficult to sift through it all and find the truth. In my book, and on my website, I discuss the Last Days because I do sense some kind of massive change coming, but if we look for it only with our five physical senses we could be in danger of missing the signs. Surfing the Tao is about learning how to hear the 'Voice'; that great, all-knowing Force some call God, others the Tao. To do this we must quiet our minds and listen with our spirits. In doing this I have discerned the most important aspect of this terrifying notion of the End of Everything: practice love, every moment, of every day. Sounds simple, but it's really not. It may be the hardest thing you'll ever do. Because as I see it, it won't be the 'End of Everything', just a big change, and in this next place, love will be the deciding factor. Surf the Tao, and you won't need to worry about this at all. Those in the right state of consciousness, one of pure love, knowledge of God, the Tao, will see their world fade into a paradise. It's not going to be about what 'religion' you belong to, but whether you are living in spirit. http://survive2012.com/nazca_lines_4.php The End of the World as We Knew It The world we knew ended long ago. Didn’t we know a place of peace before? Perhaps it was only a dream. Our planet suffers now As a child left alone in the wilderness Ignorance leads to starvation. I cannot grieve for this doomed existence, Yet I will know the sound of its final demise. Not World War III. Not a giant asteroid. Not another ice age. Not the anti-Christ. Not the Battle of Armageddon. Not the slaying of the dragon. When every child’s tears turn to laughter. This is the beginning of the world as we knew it.

Fractal Art

2005-07-16T13:38:00.000-08:00

I learned about fractals while researching my book. Since then I found some great stuff online including how to design your own! "When mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot discovered a complicated new fractal set of equations in 1975, it led to a fundamental scientific re-categorizing of our reality. Suddenly there was order in chaos..he had discovered equations governing our reality...'clouds, coastlines, tree branches, commodity proces, word frequencies, turbulence in fluids, stars in the sky, a reputation, fame, the passage of history of itself...-all are fractal shapes.'" (Surfing the Tao, p.193) Awareness of fractals can open the mind to a new way to comprehend reality, an alternative to hierarchical and dualistic principles which presently govern our world. Not to mention they are fun, and can be truly beautiful!

Visit Surfing the Tao.com

2005-07-11T19:52:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Surfing the Tao. If you've read my website, you know that Angela V. Michaels is a pen name. The material in Surfing the Tao is much bigger than just one person - it's not about me, but about finding truth. I wrote the book and started the website, and now this blog, to discuss some controversial subjects along that path. If you are interested in spirituality, the paranormal, God, quantum physics, UFOs, global conspiracies, the battle of good and evil, and end-of-the-world scenarios, you're in the right place. Though my perspective may seem strange at first, I plan on elaborating on the plethora of information out there to state my case. Please feel free to comment and respond anywhere along the way.