Henry David Thoreau

1817-1862

Every human being, without exception, making one’s way through the initial stages of enlightenment, will begin to sense a certain antipathy with the ways of this materialistic world.

The distance will become palpable. The old allurements are now perceived as vulgarities, a dehumanizing sleep-walking. And there will be a rising up, from an uncharted center, of desire for authentic living.

This process of inner awakening, the soul coming of age, is presented to us in Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. His two year, two month seclusion in a modest cabin with pond became, for the Concord sage, a veritable small-and-quiet room of transformation.

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cherished notions of “motherhood and apple-pie” vary from culture to culture

Herodotus (writing circa 450 BC), in his treatise on the Greco-Persian wars, comments on “nomos,” the Greek word for “custom, convention, or law.”

He talks about the arbitrariness of “nomos,” of how people become accustomed to what they know and what they’re taught in a particular culture, religion, or society.

barbarity to one, the good life to another

In Greece, Herodotus says, “X” is considered a barbarity, something, according to his sensibilities, beyond the pale of what any person of even modicum advancement would tolerate. But, he asserts, in another society of the Near East, “X” is considered a normative expression of “nomos,” indeed, a reasonable, even honored, course of action, with the refusal of “X” deemed to be an atrocity and appallingly distasteful.

who wrote the html-code for your programming, what you believe

The great “father of history,” Herodotus, is correct, of course. That which the average person believes is simply a product of what Grandma said, the Nice Young Man at Church said, what teacher in third grade said. These early pedagogues “wrote the html code,” our cultural programming, for what would become our personal sense of propriety, of right and wrong. In popular parlance, we refer to this burdening weight of prejudicial assumption as our “baggage,” which is not easy to set aside.

READ MORE, as this inset-box is featured in the "Morality" and "Reason Behind The Reason" articles.

'God, I love those people'

My favorite scene in the whole Stargate series was Lya of "The Nox," like a Spirit Guide, coming to offer wisdom and protection.

Don't let the unsolved hairdos of The Nox fool you. Ultra-sophisticated, The Nox's schtick is to pose as primitive forest-dwellers...

But, in fact, they're one of the most advanced civilizations across the cosmos, with not only floating cities...

... but cloaked floating cities. Lya's pretty good at making a lot of things disappear -- weapons of soldiers, entire spaceships, turning people invisible and transporting them -- she's not that particular if duty calls. Well, she is, actually, as The Nox live by a strict code of nonviolence. When push-comes-to-shove, however, it's true they will help the "good guys," but, the annoying part is, they also help "the bad guys." The Nox refuse to become anyone's enemy.

Little wonder then that even the battle-hardened Col. Jack O'Neill found himself gushing before the high-order morality and sentience of The Nox: "God, I love those people!" 

The Nox offer us a compelling metaphor of how God deals with us.

READ MORE near the bottom of this page.

In 1787, a young Englishman, William Wilberforce, became aware of the atrocities of the African slave trade. So moved was he that, against all odds, against powerful political and economic interests, often working alone, he began to wage war on this barbarity. Very slowly, by inches, as prosecuting attorney for the truth, he would turn public opinion against the great inhumanism. Finally, after 46 years of crusade, during which he was constantly attacked, threatened, and vilified by the privileged "deep state," Parliament, reflecting the will of the people, set as law The Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 which abolished slavery throughout the British Empire. See Wilberforce’s inspiring story in the motion picture, Amazing Grace, and read more on the "Economics" page.

a mandated time to recall who we are and what's really important

Every day was as the one just spent. Every day he would sit on the shore of the island Ogygia, thinking of his wife Penelope, wishing to return home. Every day Odysseus mourned and wept for his lost love.

But Calypso had taken him prisoner and refused to grant him leave.

The Iliad, where Odysseus was introduced, it could be argued, is built around three Greek words which speak to a misconstruing of reality: (1) kleos, glory or fame, that is, one’s legacy and hope for immortality; (2) time, respect, honor, literally, “what people say about you”; and (3) menis, wrath, fury, rage.

When people invest themselves in, identify with, link their sense of self-worth to, what others think about them, they’re headed for a lot of unhappiness. Because when they don’t get the fame and the praise, the gold stars and the pats on the back, or when there’s no satisfaction in these, then the sense of futility sets in - the menis, the rage, the anger, is ignited toward those who, as the ego sees it, failed to “make me feel good about myself.”

READ MORE about the mandated solitude and introspection

the 'Absolute Sovereignty of a Human Being' principle:

we are not allowed to abrogate a sacred requirement toward self-determination  

the following is a quotation from Adrian Smith's new book, "A Prison For The Mind"

The central doctrine of [the English] constitution is known as “the legal sovereignty of Parliament.” This means that Parliament can legislate on any subject matter and having legislated, no court or other body can challenge the validity of that legislation… There are only a few things that Parliament cannot do. It may not bind its successors with such wording as “this Act shall be for all time to come.” Parliament must remain free to change its mind and Parliament may not abrogate its unique powers by giving them away to some other body. Parliament is omnipotent in all things, save the power to compromise its own omnipotence…

I have often thought that I would like to adopt a personal constitution on the UK model and make it my own operating system. We could call it the Absolute Sovereignty of a Human Being. We can have our opinions and convictions, but never bind yourself and always remain free to change your mind. You may not abrogate your unique responsibility [of final word on the course of your own life]…

READ MORE on the "Person" page

Dr. Tyler DeWitt, MIT science grad, one of the best teachers

Word Gems is my private collection of the best gold-nuggets I’ve discovered in all fields; it’s not for sale, but you can share it if you like.

It’s not easy to find something good, and not often am I tempted toward superlative in this search, but Tyler DeWitt is really something. His specialty is science (and a good bit of math, too). Just sample his couple hundred youtube videos and read the reviews, and you’ll see what I mean – many thousands of comments from grateful viewers who rate him to be the best teacher they’ve ever found.

How does he do it? Well, we can’t really “bottle and sell” the genius of a great teacher, but certain characteristics will soon meet you in his lectures:

1. He’s extremely knowledgeable regarding topics under review. Like all great speakers and writers, he has some worthwhile to say.

2. He’s humble, no ego, doesn’t talk down to you, and assumes no prior knowledge on the part of the listener.

3. He doesn’t waste your time by drawing and writing on the board but masterfully employs pre-arranged visual aids; this alone is wonderful.

4. He explains his terms, uses analogies, and offers examples.

5. His use of a split-screen, allowing us to see both the teacher and the material, makes it easy to listen.

A good teacher is a “gift from the gods” and will facilitate an expeditious assimilation of knowledge. After reviewing Tyler’s work, you might be led, as I was, to assert, “If I’d had you as a chem teacher in high school or college, my life could have unfolded differently.”

You can easily find Tyler DeWitt’s videos on youtube. No matter what your field of interest, he helps all of us envision what a good teacher looks like.

the endgame of all forms of fundamentalism is totalitarian control 

Editor's note:

Adrian's new book, "A Prison For The Mind," is available on Amazon. His assessment is correct: "the endgame of" all forms "of fundamentalism" is "totalitarian control."

Why is this so? The needy dysfunctional ego, in its writhings of "I am not enough," cannot help itself but to reach for greater heights of power and control.

See references to and examples of Adrian's writings on the Cultism, Ultimate Reality, Wedding Song: Foreword, Spirituality, Part III, and Perfect Mate: Foreword pages.

when the law and the facts do not support your case, then pound the table and vilify the opposing attorney

The following proverb, sometimes called “The Last Resort Rule,” was not taught in Civil Procedure class when I was in law school; however, some attorneys do report of professors who mentioned it.

There are different versions of the aphorism, but it goes something like this:

“If you have a case where the law is clearly on your side, but the facts and justice seem to be against you,” advised an old lawyer to a young attorney, “urge upon the jury the vast importance of sustaining the law."

"On the other hand," the old lawyer continued, "if the law is against you, or doubtful, and the facts show that your case is founded in justice, insist that justice be done though the heavens fall."

“But,” asked the young man, “how shall I manage a case where both the law and the facts are dead against me?”

“In that situation,” replied the old lawyer, “talk around it - and the worse it is, the harder you pound the table.”

Some variants of this sophistry conclude with, not just pounding the table but, attacking the opposing counsel, or yelling with outrage, or shouting at the jury.

It's all a cool calculation. In other words, when the law and the facts are not on your side – and if you lack any semblance of scruple -- you need to do something fast to divert attention from the poverty and lack of substance of your defense; you need to create a scene, manufacture some theatrical charade of moral outrage, produce your own little one-person “mob rule” incident in order to bully your way into a better tactical position – that is, if you want to have any chance of winning your case, and, again, if you lack any sense of moral rectitude and respect for the rule of law.

READ MORE on the "Clear Thinking" page

feelings of unforgiveness, long entrenched, forge steel bonds, become an unbreakable feedback-loop in the wearied mind, and cannot be dissolved with saccharine will-power, a gritting of the teeth ‘I forgive you’ – that won’t work, and will only make you feel more out-of-alignment with yourself

You can say the words “I forgive you” but you won’t feel the words to be true, and won’t truly want to, with mere good intentions and mental effort.

Injustices incurred a long time ago, especially during impressionable childhood, are the worst. These stalwarts have had a long time to build impenetrable concrete-bunkers in the head which defy one’s best efforts to disgorge them.

You can wallpaper-over the injury with repression and smiley-faced platitudes – for a time -- until the volcano comes, until the lid on the kettle can’t be held down any longer. But I will tell what needs to be done and is the only way to torch the roots of the malady.

READ MORE on the "forgiveness" page

globalism and socialism, the trojan horses of totalitarianism

In conversation with a childhood friend since first grade, regarding the current diseased political atmosphere in the country, I said that I’m a long-term optimist but a short-term pessimist. The totalitarians in our midst are becoming more rabid in their desperate efforts to save the deep-state, carefully nurtured in the shadows for many decades; however, there are still a great number of freedom-loving people to oppose them in their malfeasance.

But I am very troubled when I see what’s happening with our youth. Lacking a sense of the despotism of history, of how fragile is the delicate flower of civilization's rule-of-law and how easily we could slip into a new dark age, the callow young, especially, flirt with socialism and communism. They love to be gulled, think themselves far too clever, and are not yet experienced or wise enough to understand what’s wrong with “guaranteed income for all” and the like. They do not yet perceive – and probably won’t until it’s too late – that an elitist globalism and socialism are the Trojan horses, the poisoned candy, of totalitarianism.

Unless something changes, I told my old friend, the younger generation will soon be the majority and then, as the older ones die off, “they’ll be selling the farm for trinkets and beads,” a security-blanket of empty promises. And that will be the end of the freedom-loving American Experiment.

John Adams, our severe Founding Father, warned that no democracy, in the history of the world, has yet survived its unthinking, venal and purchasable, immoral populace. Democracies, he admonished, eventually commit suicide in a surfeit of hedonism - and we’re watching the action movie, with its predictable conclusion, right now.

READ MORE on the "Economics" page

the moment of becoming a sane, really free, human being

“I'm simply saying that there is a way to be sane. I'm saying that you can get rid of all this insanity created by the past in you. Just by being a simple witness of your thought processes. It is simply sitting silently, witnessing the thoughts, passing before you. Just witnessing, not interfering not even judging, because the moment you judge you have lost the pure witness. The moment you say ‘this is good, this is bad,’ you have already jumped onto the thought process. It takes a little time to create a gap between the witness and the mind. Once the gap is there, you are in for a great surprise, that you are not the mind, that you are the witness, a watcher. And this process of watching is the very alchemy of real religion. Because as you become more and more deeply rooted in witnessing, thoughts start disappearing. You are, but the mind is utterly empty. That’s the moment of enlightenment. That is the moment that you become for the first time an unconditioned, sane, really free human being.”

                                                                -- Osho

READ MORE on the new page, "Zen"

the last shall be first

In England, about two or three hundred years ago, there lived a scullery maid, a common servant, who worked and lived in a lord’s mansion. One day, as she was scrubbing the stone floor-tiles in the kitchen, she noticed an ant. Nothing unusual about this, but, on that day, her mind suddenly became fascinated with this little creature. What was it doing? Where did it live? How did it spend its life? Did it have a family? These questions invaded the solitude of her life.

This scullery maid had not been an intellectual person. To this point in her life, she had contented herself with the ordinary detritus of unsensational and illiberal existence. But she had one thing going for her: she possessed a soul “made in the image,” one with infinite riches within; and despite a thousand lackluster previous days, this would be the day when she came alive to a small patch of the universe around her.

Over the coming years, she would transform herself into a world authority on ants.

READ MORE on the "human potential" page

the sacred meaning of art

Most art today is not worthy of the term and does not reflect higher levels of awareness; instead, most art seems to reach for the sensational, the gaudy, the carnival, the meretricious. When we view it, there is no calling forth of hallowed wonderment from the depths of being.

In these works of so-called art there is nothing that leads us to higher ground or deeper perceptions, nothing that points us to the inner knowing, there is no “translucence,” no shining through, “of the eternal splendor of the One.” It’s a purely man-made contrivance devoid of co-creatorship with the divine...

READ MORE on the "Art" page

the education of a free man or woman 

Many years ago Mortimer Adler helped me to understand the meaning of the common term “liberal education.” “Liberal” in this context has nothing to do with political leanings but, in its classical sense, speaks to “liberty.”

A liberal education is one befitting a free man or woman. Slaves in ancient times were treated as chattel, as things, belonging to a master. Instruction for a slave was limited to training, the acquisition of skills in relation to tasks to be performed for the benefit of a master...

READ MORE on the "About" page

the translucence of the eternal splendor of the One and of Truth

In 1970 Nobel laureate Werner Heisenberg delivered an address entitled, “The Meaning of Beauty in the Exact Sciences.”

He drew distinction between two definitions of beauty put forth in history:

(1) the concept of beauty as harmonious relational symmetry, a pleasing unity of externals; but also, from Plotinus,

(2) “Beauty is the translucence, through material phenomena, of the eternal splendor of the One”; further, Heisenberg referenced two Latin mottos, “The simple is the seal of the true,” and “Beauty is the splendor of truth.”

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in the spirit world, the truth ‘is the only important thing, and the search after it is the principle and most fascinating occupation’

In his investigations of famous psychic-mediums, Michael Tymn reports that other-side entities were asked the question, why do spirit-persons sometimes produce “carnival” effects such as lights, object levitation, rappings and the like. The answer was given that “these are the means best adapted to reach the materialist,” but such sensationalism was grudgingly allowed and not of primary interest to those in the astral realms.

Rather, it is the intent of spirit persons “to convince the world of the existence of the invisible universe, in which and by which alone all things subsist… To the spirit world, Truth is an actual entity, and it is the only important thing, and the search after it is the principle and most fascinating occupation of spirits..."

READ MORE on the "human potenial, editor's essay" page

Chief Black Hawk warns us that the thrill of the buffalo hunt just isn’t the same in Summerland

Wikipedia: Chief “Black Hawk (1767 – 1838) was a … leader and warrior of the Sauk American Indian tribe… Although he had inherited an important historic sacred bundle from his father, he was not a hereditary civil chief. Black Hawk earned his status as a war chief … by his actions: leading raiding and war parties as a young man, and a band of Sauk warriors during the Black Hawk War of 1832 [at age 65].”

The following other-side testimony is from CD #8 of the Spirit-Guide Abu taped-lecture series.

I always like the way Chief Black Hawk makes entrance to the teaching sessions: "Greetings White brother and White sister." In his humble salutation, we are stung with remorse in realization of all that we lost by not honoring the rights of the Native Americans.

From time to time, Black Hawk made guest appearances in a forum led by Guide Abu. On one occasion he answered a question about how people live their daily lives in Summerland. He begins by referencing his own people:

hunt-shoot-kill buffalo, no use

Young brave [has] no desire to develop spiritual quality. Red man has habit on Earth to hunt and chase buffalo; to fight; to worship – in Earth way. Red man [crossing over to] spirit world, for a little while, has plenty buffalo, has plenty bow and arrow – buffalo fall dead, first shot. Very good hunter. Very pleased with self – for a while...

READ MORE in the "life 1-minute" essay

every obsession constitutes a refusal or inability to consciously address the pain in one’s deeper being

Every addiction, every fixation, every out-of-balance craving – whether it be drugs or alcohol, work or shopping, eating or indolence, religion or charitable works, sex or entertainment – becomes an avenue to cover up the pain in one’s hidden person. None of these palliatives reach to the core issue.

All such attractions, in the end, become fatal attractions. Not even the pursuit of aesthetics, of beauty, of the fine arts, will fill the hole in one’s heart. This is why historian Paul Johnson asserted that “art is not enough.” He was speaking of Hemingway, whose inner demons eventually led the great writer to suicide. Art is not enough because nothing is enough, there is no royal road to inner peace, other than accessing one’s true self.

And this is why apparent love relationships and marriages break down so quickly. In the aftermath, people might remain together but only in a dazed condition of “what happened to the thrilling love?” which, as the Beatles wrote and sang, “has a nasty habit of disappearing overnight.” John-and-Mary heady romance has no hope of surviving because they entered into their compact in order to neutralize the pain already existing in their lives. The relationship, fundamentally, did not cause the pain – although some relationships do a very good job in this area, too; but, instead, their union merely brought out the pain lurking below, temporarily anesthetized by the thrill of “getting married.”

Honestly and openly addressing the pain in one’s spirit is a major part of our task in this world. See more discussion in the “Surrender and Acceptance” article.

Weaponized Art: Part II 

30 Masterpieces Of The Ancient World

Professor Diana K. McDonald is an art historian on the faculty of Boston College. She has spent her life investigating primeval art – even from age 6, she jokes, with a trip to Mexico’s art treasures, courtesy of her parents. Dr. McDonald has critically examined ancient artwork in the museums and archeological sites of more than 40 countries.

In the following discussion, I offer my observations concerning the principle features of ancient art – what it meant to the people of long ago, its purpose, how it impacted the development of civilization, and its effect on the evolution of the human spirit.

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Editor's note: I've prepared a lengthy review of Harman and Rheingold's seminal creativity research:

"When Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel, he included both the major and minor prophets. They can be told apart because, though there are cherubim at the ears of all, only the major prophets are listening. Here, exactly stated, is the difference between genius and talent."

Isaiah listening

READ MORE at the "Editor's Essay on Creativity"

“Surrender and acceptance,” as the mystics and spiritual teachers use these terms, is not about passivity or weakness, not about giving up, giving in, or checking out. It’s about keeping one's mind and spirit unfettered and teachable. It’s about maintaining an “open channel” so that Universal Intelligence can lead and guide us into all truth.

"open a channel"

READ MORE under the new icon on the homepage, "Surrender & Acceptance"

from the book, “The Power Of Myth,”
a discussion with Dr. Joseph Campbell 

Campbell: There is a magnificent essay by Schopenhauer in which he asks, how is it that a human being can so participate in the peril or pain of another that, without thought, spontaneously, he sacrifices his own life to the other? How can it happen that what we normally think of as the first law of nature and self-preservation is suddenly dissolved?

READ MORE on the “service and philanthropy” page

on a risk-adjusted basis, Harry Browne's portfolio strategy might be the best – safest, an emphasis on capital preservation, yet with a long record of consistent, good returns

Word Gems is a collection of best discoveries, the gold-nuggets of my research of over 50 years. And here's my favorite all-weather investment strategy.

Harry Browne was one of the great financial advisors of the twentieth century. He created what he called his “permanent portfolio” which, in my opinion, offers the best prospect of meaningful, reliable returns, but with a focus on safety and capital preservation. It's designed to do well in good times and bad.

Most investment strategies are built on the principle, "buy something and pray it goes up." But this is different.

READ MORE on the "Wealth" page.

Vincent Van Gogh:
“When facing a flat landscape,
I see nothing but eternity.
Am I the only one to see it?”

Editor’s note: I have written another chapter for my new book.

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Editor's Essay: What Men Really Want

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
Dr. Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) and Dr. Cathy Muller (Keira Knightley)

Editor’s note: The great writers assert that a “story” is defined by some form of problem-cause-solution. But what will happen in Summerland, a perfect society, where there are no threats, no invasions, no wars, nothing to mar and jar? Will there still be such a thing as writing or storytelling?

Kairissi. We spoke of Jack and Cathy in “the 500” writing, but they can help us again to think about the author’s question.

Elenchus. In our world, people like Jack and Cathy work to thwart the efforts of those who would destroy civilization. But will Jack and Cathy be out of business in Summerland?

READ MORE on the "writing" page

Educational programs for children in Summerland reflect highest-level pedagogical philosophy, far superseding common fare of the Earth.

An elementary school teacher in Summerland designs a day’s lesson around a single blade of grass.

Why would a teacher do this? The answer relates to a “circle of learning,” a “circle of knowledge.” The origin of the word “encyclopedia” captures this sense. We can see the “circle” in this word. What does this mean? It means that all knowledge is connected, and a good teacher can use any point of knowledge – a blade of grass, for example – as a starting point which might lead to insights concerning, math, physics, chemistry, biology, literature, art, and anything else you might mention.

READ MORE on the "Summerland" page.

"Epicycles" of Darwinism
 

not everything that's logical or
mathematically consistent is true or accurately represents reality

The planets did not simply move flat-out ahead in their orbits around the Earth, Ptolemy postulated, but did loop-de-loops as they went along. These loopings, or epicycles, he suggested, were the cause of the "backwards motion” of the wanderers.

This solution satisfied nearly everyone. It worked. You could depend on it. It was now possible to make accurate predictions of the future positions of the planets. The mathematics all worked out wonderfully, which seemed to seal the authenticity.

There was one problem, however: none of it was true.

READ MORE on the "Evolution" page

The 500 Leslie Flint Tape-Recorded Messages from the Other Side

"I think I can safely say that I am the most tested medium this country has ever produced... I have been boxed up, tied up, sealed up, gagged, bound and held, and still the voices have come to speak their message of life eternal."  

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Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze, the famous “Hungry Eyes” dance scene

What a knockout was Jennifer in her sparkling, racing, swiveling silver heels! These photos cannot begin to serve justice to the exquisite choreography of this enchanted couple.

READ MORE on the "Joy" page

weaponized art

British historian Kenneth Clark's Civilisation is a survey of history by reviewing its art. In chapter seven he examines the “visual exuberance” of sixteenth century Papal Rome, “the most grandiose piece of town planning ever attempted.”

What happened? How did this imperialistic, swooningly sensuous art and architecture come to be?

The Protestant heretics of Northern Europe had called into question Rome’s authority. However, instead of negotiating with and meeting the dissidents half-way, the Church doubled down on its absolutist ways, a response history calls the Counter-Reformation.

In effect, the Church’s position became: “You say that we’ve lost the early spirit of Christianity, our humble beginnings, with too much emphasis on materialism? Well then, we’ll show you materialism, with a degree of ornateness and extravagance, never before seen in history. In this way, we'll reassert our power and authority in the world.”

“Everything” in Bernini’s Papal Rome, says Clark, “is calculated to overwhelm” and intimidate.

READ MORE on the "Art" page

Also see Bill Maher's interview with Latin scholar Father Reginald Foster at the Vatican.

If Jesus lived and taught among us today...

If Jesus lived and taught among us today, he would be branded as a rabid revolutionary, a threat to “good people” and stable society. He would be imprisoned, vilified, a target of fake-news; respectable leaders would line up to offer their outrage and speak against him; and if the paid-for mob got to him first, he would be bludgeoned to death in the streets.

But the greatest outcry of denunciation would come from elites within the Church. They would call him demon possessed, a castaway of God, a tool of Satan, as his teachings would contradict their “infallible doctrines.”

READ MORE at the bottom of the "Jesus" page

John-and-Mary romance as instinctual response

 Fiona Johnson, "The Girl In The Red Dress," The Matrix (1999)

Nikolaas "Niko" Tinbergen (1907 - 1988) was a Dutch biologist and is regarded as one of the founders of ethology, the study of animal behavior. His findings, much of which is reported in his seminal writing, “The Study of Instinct” (1951), would earn for him a Nobel Prize (1973).

A male English robin, in autonomic, stereotypical behavior, will ward off fellow males who venture into his territory. Tinbergen put this stimulus-response to the test by constructing two models: one was simply a tuft of feathers with a bright red stripe (on the left), with the other, a well-crafted and detailed robin but with no red breast (right). The territorial males ferociously attacked the nameless red tuft but gave a pass to the smart-looking mannequin robin.

READ MORE near the bottom of the "Desire" page

a new summary statement for the "reincarnation" article

Reincarnational doctrine, popular as it is, may be one of the greatest delusions in this world today. I devote a lengthy writing, carefully exploring its many erroneous facets, in 35 sub-articles.

The soul will “open its eyes” when it’s ready to, on its own timetable, and that's that. Its spiritual sightedness may come to the sinner before it comes to the saint.

And when it comes, ready or not, it will come in one blazing cosmic timeless moment of clarity.

READ MORE

“They laugh at me because I'm different. I laugh at them because they're all the same” – The Joker

Heath Ledger as the Joker in "The Dark Knight" (2008)

Most people we meet every day, those in an unenlightened state, offer a modicum of civility because they know what’s good for them. They don't want retaliation or judgment. But, what if they didn’t care what’s good for them?

Director Christopher Nolan’s Joker masterfully portrays the utter shamelessness, the horrific basement-level of consciousness.

You can’t buy off The Joker. You can't negotiate with this terrorist. You can’t reason with him, explaining that, if he does such and such it will be better for him. He doesn’t care what’s better for him.

READ MORE on the "Levels Of Consciousness" page 

"Why can’t I find my forever-soulmate?"

Many of the concepts introduced here on Word Gems are controversial, but none more so than that of finding true love.

People often feel that I am incorrect to say that true love is a most rare commodity in this world and virtually none has experienced the real thing.

READ MORE near the bottom of the "Marriage" page 

good advice from mom

John-boy: “I don’t have much to offer her.”

Olivia: "You have yourself to offer – and that’s considerable.”

Yes... considerable.

Somewhere in the archives of “The Waltons,” I recall a conversation between son and mother. He was interested in a girl of means. Having taken inventory of his worldly possessions, and coming up a dollar short in the audit, he lamented the fact to his first advisor. She gave him the right answer.

READ MORE on the "Marriage" page.

attenuated definitions of morality

Trevor "Viking" Calcote (Tom Bateman) and Nels Coxman (Liam Neeson) in “Cold Pursuit” (2019)

Trevor Calcote is just one of your average PTA dads whose 10 year-old son attends St. Philip’s Elementary; except for the detail that he’s a drug lord and kills people as easily as some might kill a beer. This is just his way, but Nels has a hard time accommodating it when the latter’s son is snuffed out by “Viking.”

Understandably leery of eventual bad press due to so many unfortunate incidents, Calcote magnanimously donates a few tens of thousands to his kid’s school for new computer equipment. He adds this investment to his balance sheet under the “good will” category.

Is Viking’s deed a moral action?

Well, certainly some good was done for the recipients in the computer lab. But, was it a moral action for the giver? Even the most insensate among us would likely see through the brutal drug lord’s attempt to buy favorable public opinion. From Calcote’s side of the ledger, he gets no credit for any good works here. This is just plain-vanilla Machiavellianism.

READ MORE on the "Morality" page 

can't get next to you, babe, can't get next to you...

The Temptations, the movie (1998)

Can't Get Next To You (1969 #1)

David: I...
Melvin: Can turn a grey sky blue, uh...
Melvin: I can make it rain,
Whenever I want it to, huh!
Paul: I can build a castle
From a single grain of sand
I can make a ship sail, huh,
On dry land
Dennis: But my life is incomplete
And I'm so blue...

 chick-a-boom, chick-a-boom, chick-a-boom, boom, boom

Editor’s note: Much is said about the almightiness of God. However, when it comes to dealing with mercurial humans, it’s best that we speak of Her powerlessness. It’s a self-imposed impotence; rather, the nature of the case demands it.

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Desire is the need to add something to yourself

an excerpt from Eckhart Tolle's book, "Stillness Speaks":

Most people’s lives are run by desire and fear.

Desire is the need to add something to yourself in order to be yourself more fully.

All fear is the fear of losing something and thereby become diminished and “be” less.

These two movements obscure the fact that “being” cannot be given or taken away. “Being” in its fullness is already within you. Now.

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reincarnation won't help you if you don't know who you are

an excerpt from Eckhart Tolle's book, "Stillness Speaks":

Reincarnation doesn't help you if [you] don't know who you are. All the misery on the planet arises due to a personalized sense of “me” or “us.”

That covers up the essence of who you are. When you’re unaware of that inner essence, in the end you always create misery. It’s as simple as that.

When you don’t know who you are you create a mind-made self as a substitute for your beautiful divine being and cling to that fearful and needy self. Protecting and enhancing that false sense of self then becomes your primary motivating force.

Editor’s note: Reincarnation won’t help you if you don’t know who you are, and, with vivifying “catch-22,” you won’t need reincarnation if you do know who you are.

The “fearful and needy self” looks for “more time” to complete its self-evaluated condition of “I am not enough.” But this assessment is illusion. We already have what we need.

However, this is the psychological driving force behind reincarnation’s appeal. People are looking for a way to complete themselves, enhance and add to themselves, and they feel that they need “more time” to do this.

everything in life takes time, except one thing, the only thing you really need

There’s a certain logic to this demand for more time. In all activities of life we need time – to read a book, to travel from A to B, to pull weeds in the garden. Everything takes times, and so, what could be more reasonable than to believe one’s bottomless pit of “fear and neediness” should not require thousands of extra lives upon the Earth as herculean effort toward bolstering “I am not enough”?

But this is wrong. If you know who you truly are, you don’t need reincarnation – if such were an option or possible – because the “true self” is part of Universal Consciousness which exists in a timeless dimension of the eternal now.

No time is required to access it, nor is time required to find your true self. It comes to us in one timeless moment of cosmic clarity.

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See my new article...

"How To Become A Good Writer"

Writing, properly framed, should be seen as part of the truth-seeking process. To say that someone is a “good writer,” without having something worthwhile to write, is like saying a carpenter is a “good nail-pounder” when the new house is uninspiring or defective. We don’t care if the nail-pounding or the writing is “good” if the content, the end-product, sucks. Above all, a good writer needs something important to say.

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John Wright, a retired fireman, electronically communicates with his departed Annie

Victor Zammit interviewed John Wright concerning his attempts to "speak" with his wife Annie who had crossed over to the other side.

READ MORE on the "Afterlife" page, item #29.

Brother John of Glastonbury: "Everything here is law-and-order; and yet one is hardly conscious of the order or the law. We are ruled, but are not conscious of the ruling." 

The 500 Leslie Flint "direct voice" tape-recordings include a testimony by Brother John of Glastonbury (1393-1464 CE), a former monk during his Earth-life.

The following is from the June 3, 1970 recording:

"Everything here is law-and-order; and yet one is hardly conscious of the order or the law. This may sound odd or strange but, what I’m trying to say is, though we are ruled, we are not conscious of the ruling, inasmuch as there is no one person who orders or instructs, in that sense… There are many souls who ‘organize,’ and yet the ‘organization' is such that it seems the most natural thing… There is nothing here that mars or jars. Everything here falls gently, peacefully, harmoniously, into place. It is as if you begin to see, gradually, the jig-saw puzzle of life coming into a clearer picture.”

Editor’s note: Brother John offers one of the very best short descriptions of the laissez-faire approach to regulation and government in Summerland. People follow their own inner passions and directives, their own Jeffersonian personalized “pursuit of happiness,” with very little external-authority guidance (unless they ask for advice from a Spirit Guide). And this is why it’s so important to cultivate one’s sense of the “true self.” And, concerning those who “organize,” see our friend Elizabeth Fry’s testimony.

READ MORE on the "Summerland" page.

Ken Burns’ Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery, the search for the fabled Northwest Passage, is one of my very favorite documentaries. It’s really thrilling, with the four dozen adventurers, to trudge up the Missouri, against the current, sometimes literally getting out and pulling the boats, all the way to Helena, Montana, where the great watery path finally divides itself into competing rivulets, revealing its origins in hidden mountain springs.

Along the way, the two famous captains encountered many Native American tribes. Some of these were the “bullies in the neighborhood,” brutalizing, grossly violating, and lording it over other tribes: not only were other men killed, with their scalps paraded as trophies, but women were stolen as prized plunder, now to live out their lives as non-entity sex-slaves and beasts of burden.

European slave-traders were aided and abetted by warlike African tribes, which possessed large numbers of Black African slaves, their own countrymen and women.

We don’t hear much about this from the vote-buying demagogues who want to portray slavery as an inherently White infraction. Do some research, for example, on the Imbangala or Nyamwezi African tribes who plundered their own racial brethren, enslaving them, and, at times, sold them for profit to the slave-trading Whites.

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there is no such thing as “past lives” but there are hundreds of millions of spirits roaming the planet in search of mortals to whom they might attach

The errors of reincarnational theory cannot be diffused without an understanding of the realm of dark spirits. Hundreds of millions of these confused and wicked entities, like voracious ants or wild dogs, ransack the planet, hoping to cause damage to the mortal inhabitants of Earth.

The new book “Field Guide” is a must-read for those desiring better explanations concerning some of life’s mysteries.

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"You can learn in one day here what it takes 10 or 12 years to learn on Earth."

Dr. Peebles, on the other side, speaking through trance-medium, Anna Wickland, offered this amazing statement! Imagine drinking in knowledge at such a rate! Think of the giant strides in personal development available to all!

READ MORE, the "Summerland 1-Minute Essay."

a tribute to David Kenyon Webster, a member of the famous Band Of Brothers

David Kenyon Webster
 

The Allied soldiers, transported in trucks, pass the vanquished Germans. Deeply moved by the futility of what he’s witnessing, Webster, a literature major from Harvard, stands to deliver a stinging oration to these members of the National Socialists Party:

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Editor's Essay

Evolution 

The Great Controversy of How
Life Emerged on Planet Earth

Dear Reader, this is a large project that’s been in the planning stages for a long time. I’ve finally begun to add the first sections, and will continue to do so over the next year or so. I invite you to have a look at what’s been done so far. It’s going to be a really important writing.

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a new summary statement for "The Wedding Song"

Near the bottom of the "verse four" page, I've added a new section with the caption, "Restatement: a summary of the essential message of The Wedding Song."

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the jungle always wins

In their massive “Story Of Civilization,” Will and Ariel Durant, observing the tiresome rise-and-fall of history’s human governments, societies, and cultures, comment, to the effect, that the jungle always wins.

A people might amass great scientific knowledge in astronomy and mathematics, might create grand and imposing architectural edifices, produce a veritable wonderland of philosophy, the fine arts, and jurisprudence, but, eventually, the jungle will have the last say and wins.

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swan rises in dazzling sunlight: becoming a better person

READ MORE: how to become a better person

The Great Psychologists Speak:

In Freud's "transference" we see the
needy inner-child of a grown person,
distorting the world to relieve his
helplessness and fears, seeing things as
he wishes them to be for his own safety.

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Adrian Smith, JD, has just completed the "foreword" to Soulmate, Myself: Part Three.

"Physicist David Bohm discovered that elementary particles remain forever united even though separated at the furthest reaches of the universe. Spin one particle, and its twin will respond, regardless of distance. Separation is an illusion of the explicate order, but unity is the underlying reality of the implicate order.

"In the underlying reality of the implicate order, the separation of two aspects of the same soul cannot be thwarted. Reunion with our soulmate cannot be prevented by time or circumstances. We will be drawn to our true love in this life or the next, 'not for a reason,' but by a mystical force akin to gravity or magnetism. Reunion will happen, must happen, when we are ready for it. That which is separated must eventually be re-united."

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Celine and Elvis sing, ‘why, oh why, can't my dream come true?’ - why is world peace so elusive?

Celine “travels back in time” to 1968, the year she was born, to sing “If I Can Dream” with Elvis – an amazing digital construction, and what a fantastic performance!

READ MORE and see the video.

Editor's note:

I wrote these articles in 2005, have retrieved them from the archives, and present them to you once more. It's all still valid. 

Editor's Essay: Part I: Yes, You Can Be Debt Free! How The Average American Family Can Wipe Out All of Their Debt - Credit Cards, Car Loans, and Home Mortgage - In Only 7 to 9 Years

Editor's Essay: Part II: Yes, You Can Save $1 Million! How The Average American Family Can Save $1 Million In Only 15 Years

a new topic-icon on the homepage:

Theory-of-Everything

The double-slit experiment, "impossible … to explain in any classical [Newtonian] way, [embodies] the heart of quantum mechanics. In reality, it contains the only mystery [of science]." Dr. Richard Feynman 1965 Nobel laureate in physics READ MORE

Editor's Essay: Ode To Billie Joe: What Did They Throw Off The Bridge?

a new topic-icon on the homepage -- Joy

“We cannot forget joy. No matter how deep our rage and pain.” Nalini Singh 

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new information on the subject of having children in Summerland

The Leslie Flint tape-recordings (below) provide new insight concerning the question of bearing children and having a real family on the other side. 

 and he's not even sorry

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a new topic-icon on the homepage -- Authority

 Oscar Wilde, The Soul of Man Under Socialism: “All authority is quite degrading. It degrades those who exercise it, and degrades those over whom it is exercised... People ... go through their lives in a sort of coarse comfort, like petted animals, without ever realising that they are probably thinking other people's thoughts, living by other people's standards, wearing practically what one may call other people's second-hand clothes, and never being themselves for a single moment.”

READ MORE at the Editor's 1-minute essay, "Authority"

Can two people, still in this world, communicate via their higher selves? Consider the case of Eddie Rickenbacker, World War I fighter pilot, who, while lost at sea, sent a message to his lover.

READ MORE of the astonishing Rickenbacker case