“I’m Fed Up, Too…”

[Roundel, Battle Ax, Pole Ax] (Photo credit: Library & Archives @ Royal Ontario Museum)

War is ugly.

You already knew that, of course – one of the more obvious comments that one could make. But, it used to be uglier.

I’m not referring to ten years ago, or even fifty – I’m referring to hundreds of years ago, in the medieval era. How was it uglier? Distance.

In the Medieval period, (with the exception of the trebuchet, or launching arrows from a distance), when armies met it was hand-to-hand. The soldier wasn’t shooting people from hundreds of yards away – he was hacking them with a sword or battle-axe as he looked at him. And it didn’t stop . . . for hours. Can you imagine? Swinging a heavy sword for hours, slipping and being splattered with unimaginable gore at every side, seeing the face of every one you struck down? It was glorious.

Yes, glorious – at least that’s what the writings of the period indicate. That’s just a reminder of how people can become completely oblivious to atrocity, to murder, to sights that no man or woman should ever have to witness, and to acts of such barbarity that  . . . well, in hindsight, we can only cringe at the unspeakable horrors that people of those days would gather to watch, and to not only watch, but to be participants.

“For God and King.” For King, yes . . for God, not hardly. “God,” He/She/It, has nothing to gain from such a thing. But it can feel good to us, nonetheless. The ego has found no better playground than the field of war. The elixir of power that comes with “winning” is strong, and delicious. Problem is, not much of that sweet nectar makes it down to the field, where exhausted combatants are slipping in the blood of their friends. No, the honey gets poured in the King’s chamber. The person on the field gets paid, and maybe some trinkets to display on his/her sleeve, and that is about it. Better than nothing, I suppose.

George McGovern, who passed away in the last day or so, was once quoted as saying:

“I’m fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in.”

Back when he was running for President, when I was much younger and a lot dumber, I detested George McGovern – probably because my parents did; I didn’t know squat about war or politics. Now, having been to war myself, I can say with certainty that “I’m fed up to the ears,” too.

No amount of killing will ever bring an end to killing. All it will do it what is has always done – wreck lives while enriching a few. Can’t we evolve? Isn’t it time?

Many Blessings To All…

Rising Hawk

“Absurd ‘Hair-Splitting’…”

Do you know what racism and prejudice really is? Not the technical definition that you might find in a dictionary, but what it REALLY is? The answer is really very simple: racism is when you don’t know someone personally.

More than likely, the reason that people don’t know the person that they are racist or prejudiced towards is because of some knuckle-dragging bullshit that their dear-departed granny, or uncle, or whoever, believed and told them was true.

Now, I know that I worded that in a harsh way, and folks can get mighty prickly when you speak ill of granny or the patriarchs and matriarchs of their family. But before you become indignant, read what I wrote a bit more carefully. I didn’t say that it was these people’s fault, per se, (In the “old days,”there was a lot less spiritual light shining in the human mind than today – we’ve evolved a little bit, anyway, I think). Nor did I say it was YOUR granny; she may have been a beautiful soul that loved all races, creeds and colors alike. That’s not, however, the world that they lived in.

Since I am offending folks, I’ll give you an example of the absurd, hair-splitting sort of reasoning that we use to determine who we will feel racist towards. This is an example that comes from my own family and friends, back in the 1970′s and 1980′s, that uses a very derogatory term that I do not use or condone. But it needs to be written so that its stupidity can be rooted out.

I heard it said, commonly, that there was a “difference between a nigger and a black person.” Yes,you read that correctly. Stupid and abhorrent. And do you know what the deciding factor was? A “black person” was a black-skinned individual that you actually KNEW, personally. He/She was a co-worker, or maybe your mechanic, or whatever, and since you took the time to get to know them, you figured out that they were alright. But not those other black people . . . you know, the ones you have never met in your life. Racists are experts about those people. Dumb-asses.

Yes, that’s an ugly example – one that would be true no matter what race, sexual-orientation, gender, etc. that you care to use.

HUMANS. That’s it. That’s ALL we are – all the same, just looking and thinking different. Every one of us merits love and compassion. And if you are biased against a person based on some superficiality, and you don’t even know them in any meaningful way, guess what – YOU are a racist. And that makes YOU part of the problem instead of the solution. You know, you don’t have to fire-bomb a mosque or something to be a racist. You can do it sitting on the couch, and the poison will be just as strong, entering and polluting the stream of the happy life that each of us wants. Am I judging those people? No. Do I hate them? No. I am simply asking them if they can give change a thought.

What’s this all about? Self-examination. Take a good, hard look at your life, and strive to eliminate this sort of thinking. It can be lurking in you, sort of hiding, and you may not be consciously aware of its presence. If it is there, find it, and kick it the hell out. It’s not paying any rent, and is eating up all the good stuff. Time for an eviction.

Many Blessings To All…

Rising Hawk

“Find Your Groove…”

yoga under sakura (Photo credit: soulfish)

Hilarity abounds.

I just finished watching a documentary from 2008, entitled, “Enlighten Up.” You may have seen it. It follows an un-employed journalist as he samples various sorts of Yoga, traveling around the world, starting in New York and ending up in India.

He isn’t religious, or even “spiritual” for the most part – he is doing it as an objective experiment, documenting what he feels, (or doesn’t feel), through the whole process. He isn’t “seeking” anything – he just wants to see what changes in his life from the practice.

The plethora of Yoga styles in the West was mind-numbing, and over half of the teachers couldn’t say when the practice they were teaching began, let alone any deeper significance. Even former pro wrestler “Diamond Dallas Page” had a Yoga program.

He was forced to quit wrestling due to a back injury, (as many in that field have), and the practice of physical Yoga returned a great deal flexibility to him. So, he began his own yoga studio. He doesn’t give a rat’s ass about any spiritual growth, and is quite pleased with the large number of big-breasted beauties who he can watch bending over in front of him.

In India, most of the serious leaders of Yoga that the documentary’s star encounters place little emphasis on the importance of the physical aspect of Yoga beyond its health benefits to the body. Instead, they speak of devotion, and knowing God better through Bhakti Yoga. The wisest ones tell him, “if you do not like a practice, don’t do it.” Pursue that which suits you – whatever brings you closer to God. Everything is perspective, and we are all different though we want the same thing – to be a better person. When he came back to America, he never practiced Yoga again. Different Strokes for Different folks.

Towards the end of the program, I microwaved a can of Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee Mini Ravioli, which I topped with some slices of American cheese and a lot of pepper. I paired this with a very expensive red wine from Virginia’s own Chateau O’Brien winery; because that’s how I roll . . . and it was good.

There is so much magic out there . . . find YOUR groove and roll with it.

Many blessings To All…

Rising Hawk

“A Great Privilege…”

Visualization of a DTI measurement of a human brain. Depicted are reconstructed fiber tracts that run through the mid-sagittal plane. Especially prominent are the U-shaped fibers that connect the two hemispheres through the corpus callosum (the fibers come out of the image plane and consequently bend towards the top) and the fiber tracts that descend toward the spine (blue, within the image plane) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It is impossible to know with certainty – absolutely IMPOSSIBLE.

Coming from me, on a blog that is titled “The Fortress of Potential,” in a place where I have consistently and steadfastly held up the idea that EVERYTHING is possible . . . well, that is a pretty heavy statement. What is it that is “impossible” to know?

It is impossible to know if “God,” by any conception under which we operate, exists. The important part here is how you interpret the idea of “knowing.” In this case, when I write “know,” I am referring to objective, quantitative, logical proofs. “God” CANNOT be proven – period. This sounds bad, but I don’t see it that way at all.

God, the energy of the Divine, the essence of that which is Supreme, is an experience. And an experience will always be subjective, unique to the individual who is having it. To me, there is no more exquisite example of grace, of the Source, than the fact that we are all given the privilege of coming to know that which is greater in a personal way. This is a theme that is now carrying into a third post. If you look at the two posts that have preceded this one, you’ll see the pattern.

Science, of course, spends time and money trying to prove or disprove “God.” I’m not sure what would be gained if they could. Nevertheless, science believes that it is much closer to DISPROVING God. They have poked around in the human brain, and figured out that a mild electrical charge here, or a poke there, can cause people to have “visions,” or to feel the presence of beings  that are perceived to be from some other plane of existence. So they are moving toward a theory that all of this stuff is hard-wired in various centers of the brain [i.e., WE create God. Hmmm...that would make us the "Creator." That's food for another time] What they can’t determine is what “vision” a person will have, or why/how these centers are stimulated when they aren’t doing the stimulating, or how it is that many times these prophetic sort of touches with God turn out to be true.

Taking it one step further, not only can God not be proven on a larger scale, YOU cannot prove YOUR God, either. Sure, you can preach it, try to convince others that your personal experience is an objective truth that applies to all, and be as stubborn and unyielding as you want about it, but that doesn’t change anything. Religions have been doing this for ages, and God’s name has been changed a million times. But, still, you can’t prove it objectively.

I’ll still be writing about what I have experienced, and I will still be encouraging readers to test what I have said for themselves – because that is what matters; discovering if an experience that someone else had can be duplicated and applied in your life. If you can’t, no harm, no foul. Keep walking and testing – your experience is waiting, and it will come.

There is only one thing that I believe applies to all: God cannot be proven, only experienced. And your experience can be completely different from someone else’s, and your experience can change – because the Source has every conceivable device in the universe to get your attention, and what is necessary for your evolution today may not be the same tomorrow. The supreme Guide KNOWS, so all that is left is for you is to come to know the guide.

When you touch that power – really connect – then your experience is your proof. At that point, religious debate ceases, doctrine falls away, and what science says about God doesn’t matter a whit. In the end, God is a lifeless, dead subject without the experience – the whole idea is just words on a page, like a dry textbook, if you haven’t experienced the subject first-hand.

Something to consider and to meditate on.

Many Blessings To All…

Rising Hawk

“Just Accept What I Did, And Move On…”

prison (Photo credit: ar.)

That’s what the man said.

He committed murder – gang related – and he made this statement from prison, where he is serving life without parole.

Prison, when faced with such a sentence, is just a warehouse where they keep you out-of-the-way until you die. No real efforts at rehabilitation, or getting to the root of why one acted in such a way as to end up in that position. Even the beds are like shelves – and you get put on one of those shelves like a can of beans until you hit your “expiration date.” So, when this man said he was going to “move on,” where exactly was he going to go? Well, it turns out that the prison in which he was incarcerated tried a program of Vipissana meditation, and he enrolled.

What is Vipissana meditation? It is actually a part of Buddhism, but no one has to talk about the Buddha to practice it. There are several things involved, but the overview is that you spend a LOT of time in complete silence paying attention to your breathing. Vipissana means, “to see things as they really are.” It sounds a lot easier than it is. So, using this practice, this man, who was a prisoner for life, ended up taking many long trips – INWARD.

There are tons of things to find when you go inward, in silence. In fact, the whole universe is in there, and you can, over time, experience it all without ever getting out of your seat. It set this man free.

Yes, he was still surrounded by prison walls, but the real prison . . . the real incarceration, his mind, was having its walls blown down.

Freedom isn’t about where your body resides, but the state in which you habitually find your thoughts. Every one of us who has no peace-of-mind is serving life without parole, even if we have the freedom and means to travel the world and purchase anything that we desire.

This, loosely, travels on the coattails of my previous post: http://risinghawk.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/starting-post/

Practice some purposeful silence. Sit still . . . see what is in there, down on the inside. LIFE is in there. ALL of it. Aren’t you even curious what that “all” might be?

Many Blessings To All…

Rising Hawk

 

“Your Fundamental Algorithm…”

The Art of Computer Programming, Volume 1: Fundamental Algorithms (Photo credit: mrbill)

So, here you are.

You took quite a tumble from the higher branches of your family tree, and it feels like you hit every branch on your bruising descent down to the forest floor. You probably did.

And every branch that bruised, scraped, and welted you as you fell imparted a little piece of a “code,” codes that combined to form a rather intricate program that took residence in your brain and began to run in a loop.

Your brain, an incredibly powerful processor, doesn’t give a tinker’s damn about the nature of the programming that it has received – it’s job is to execute…period. It holds no intrinsic ability to determine what is “positive” or what is “negative.” It begins blank, waiting for orders [I shall leave out any discussion of "karmic propensities" for some other time]. Does a chalkboard have a judgment as to what is written upon it? No, and neither does the mind. It will do what it is told or, if not told, it will make a program out of whatever it comes across…because that is what it does. Therefore this program, (since we lack any other frame of reference), becomes what we embrace as our “identity;” our “Fundamental Algorithm.” Now, back to the bottom of your tree.

So, there you sit, ready for school: a bit dazed perhaps, but a fully tenderized cut of beef. Which cut of beef you are was decided for you as you were being conditioned and tenderized by the limbs and branches that you crashed through on your way down from the nest; you had nothing to do with it. You were an innocent computer, grasping for input, and lots of people gave you some. Now, what does one see when one has reached the world at the bottom of the family tree? Paths.

Well-worn and wide paths, made so by the heavy footfalls of many of your family that came before. There are also dense woods and thickets around you. But, being young and inexperienced, you choose not to make a path through the tangle, and opt for the path of least resistance. This could lead to pleasantries, or to abominations, depending on the nature of the tree from which you obtained your roots. Who knows? There is only one thing that you can be certain of – if the path is already there, then it is the domain of someone else – not “yours.”

All of us, (or at least most of us), spend many years walking these paths that others have created. Maybe you’re a member of the Ku Klux Klan, because three generations of your “tree” have given you that program. Or maybe you are a healer, for the same reason, or a bricklayer, or any other identity that you can name. Fine. Your mind doesn’t care, just give it something to work with and it will run with it. BUT, you have a spirit within you, and it DOES have a preference. Enter the soul-searching of the “mid-life crisis.”

This doesn’t happen to everyone, (the whole “karma” thing again), but there comes a point when many realize that the path that they are on is not the path that they desire.

If we lived objectively, this situation, in and of itself, would not be a problem; we would simply un-sheath our machete and cut a new path. But we do not live objectively – our lives our subjective. Fears and doubts constrain us – phantoms and shadows of worst-case scenarios swirl through our minds. Having been “indoctrinated” from an early age, we often fail to realize that WE are the Creators of our lives. We see a separation between what we desire and where we are – when no separation exists. The chains that bind us are ponderous, and heavy, and seemingly unbreakable. But that, too, is an illusion.

Your mind, and the ideas of others, created these phantom chains. Using the same methods, you can train your mind to dissolve them. The only place that they have ever existed is within your mind, and that is where you will destroy them and obtain your freedom. Meditate upon this.

Only your mind can bind you, and only your mind can set you free. You are now the programmer, with full authority to crash your own hard-drive and start with a fresh program. It’s ALL potential. Do you have the courage?

Many Blessings To All…

Rising Hawk

“Something Is Rotten In Denmark…”

Understand The Chaos (Photo credit: yelowcap)

Have you ever heard that phrase?

I’m not certain of its origin, and haven’t taken the time to research it. But I know that it is now a cliché that means, essentially, that something that appears, superficially, to be wonderful, is really a facade that is masking a rotten core. I’m pretty sure that the people of Denmark probably don’t appreciate the usage, as they are no doubt a long way removed from the root of the phrase.

In any event, I am seeing it happen, from a distance, within a circle of people who I thought were close-knit. “Spiritual” people, no less, who outwardly proclaim the highest acceptance and all-encompassing love.

My intuition is strong, and I can read the signs like following a track through the woods. In this particular circle, there is a dark wind blowing, and the vessels are scattering; the unity of purpose that once was the cornerstone is dissolving. When this happens, it is usually the result of an ego position – a clash of personalities.

It doesn’t matter where this circle of people are, or what they represent, (or represented). The ONLY thing that matters is UNDERSTANDING.

People are different, and people change. But one thing that doesn’t change is the fact that people FEEL. And what they feel is very important. It doesn’t matter in the slightest if their feeling is “for” or “against” you – it is THEIR feeling, and very valid in their life and worldview. As a result of this, some may feel the sting of being “ostracized.” To this I say, “don’t bother.”

People’s feelings are their own, and have nothing to do with you – it is THEIR feelings. Why trouble yourself and spend time feeling bad about something that isn’t even yours? This sort of thing happens all of the time. It is a great opportunity for you if you feel that you are on the receiving end of such a thing. You can use it to advance spiritually by leaps and bounds by doing two simple things:

1. RESPECT the feelings of those that you feel are pushing you aside. Their feelings are real, and they are entitled to feel them, no matter what you may think of them.

2. Keep walking, with a smile. Your life is bigger than the machinations of other people’s egos and opinions. Keep walking, with love in your heart – no judgment. You remain in the position of power by doing so. As a dear friend of mine, (you know who you are, Rick), recently wrote, “Don’t push the river.” You don’t have to understand everything, just FLOW. If someone’s behavior is “rotten,” how is that your business? The universe will deal with that, in EXACTLY the way that is most appropriate. Walk away. There is no requirement for you to wallow with pigs just because you happen to be passing by. Keep moving . . . stay above it.

Many Blessings To All…

Rising Hawk

“The New Name…”

The Tao of Nature (Photo credit: Sanctu)

This blog has a new name – The Fortress of Potential.

I changed the name based on the revelation of the previous post, which led me to realize that everything I have written here is really an eclectic form of ministry, or more appropriately, an unassailable bastion, a fortress, of potential. .

Not a Christian ministry, or Buddhist, or Islamic, or Taoist, or Sufi, or specifically representing any other religion for that matter, but instead, holding a view that is expansive – one that embraces all that would live in peace and compassion, who seek success, and desire to enjoy more powerful experience of their spiritual, personal, professional, and universal world. Spiritual and personal growth is what matters to me, not the framework within which it comes. In that regard, every religion and path, (or no religion at all), is embraced if peace and compassion are its hallmarks.

I changed the look of the blog, too. It only seemed appropriate to do so since it is a “rebirth” of sorts, even though the content and overall purpose has not changed. And, I find that I am especially impressed and increasingly amazed at the power of sound and vibration to change and heal our world. It’s all about discovering the expansiveness of life; it is so much larger than our bodies and minds.

Anyway, feel free to share anything you read on this blog on Facebook or other social media, and I welcome all of your comments and input.

Many Blessings To All…

Rising Hawk

“A Square Hole…”

English: Cycle between autotrophs and heterotrophs. Autotrophs can use carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and water to form oxygen and complex organic compounds, mainly through the process of photosynthesis. All organisms can use such compounds to again form CO 2 and water through cellular respiration. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We only know one criteria, and we are convinced that it represents the only form that “life” can take.

That hardly surprises me, because we humans think that we are that smart. We look at other planets for evidence that it could sustain life: things like water, (or the appearance that there may have at one time been water); carbon, or carbon remnants, (a building block of everything that we have said is alive); temperatures that are within parameters that we could withstand, and an atmosphere with a suitable blend of oxygen and carbon-dioxide. In the end, if there are none of those things, we call it barren, uninhabited, lifeless, etc.. The truth is, we aren’t really looking for “life,” we’re looking for more stuff like us.

Just think about it. It wasn’t that long ago in the cosmic timeline that we didn’t even know we had a brain, let alone how it worked or what was necessary to keep us alive. And now, we have determined that we know what defines life itself. I can only imagine that, if the power that is responsible for everything has a sense of humor, He/She/It must be mystified at what a piece of work we are. Seriously, we can’t even measure, quantify or see the Spirit, the essence that supports these bodies, and yet we have defined life! Amazing.

“The stones will cry out.” That stays in my head ever since I wrote the blog by that title:

http://risinghawk.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/the-stones-will-cry-out/

Maybe, just maybe, we stumble over”life” all of the time, but don’t acknowledge it because it doesn’t fit into our square hole. That’s really all we’re doing – trying to fit everything that we find into our square hole, and if it doesn’t fit, we toss it aside – triangles, X’s, circles, whatever – if it isn’t a square, it isn’t life. Because we’re that smart. I think maybe we have forgotten from whence we came. Or, to put it in some good ole’, southern vernacular; we’ve “gotten above our raisin’.”

Life is bigger than “us.” Meditate on that for a while. The idea will expand your Spirit and your mind. Who knows what you will learn?

Many Blessings To All…

LOTD

“You Should Try This…”

mantra (Photo credit: debaird™)

Finally!

After over a month of no mantra practice, (due to a mala that resisted any and all mantras that I tried), I have the mantra. I must admit that a couple of times over the last few weeks I despaired of ever receiving it – dove into depression a few times, too, (though the lack of mantra was only part of the reasons behind those episodes).

Anyway, it is three stanzas of four-syllables each, and can be chanted aloud in a song-like fashion, or spoken silently just as effectively. I have no idea what it means. Somehow, it is a related to the “wind” of spirit. My intuition, which is all that I used to arrive at this mantra – finally – says that:

- The first line is the name of the Supreme, as personified in the body of the hawk, riding the wind.

- The second line in some way relates to the flutter of wings, or the babble of water over rock.

- The third line has something to do with a “Spirit Guide,” as well as a release of the energy of the mantra . . . it’s “putting forth,” so to speak.

Now that you know all of that, you are probably expecting to learn the mantra. Sorry, but it a very sacred and very specific mantra that is for my path only, (as far as I know right now, anyway). The, “You Should Try This” that I wrote about in the headline, was making the attempt to Intuit a language.

Man, my hat is off to the creators of languages! Try it.

Without references to any language, take a feeling, and attempt to Intuit what that feeling sounds like, and then make that sound into some approximation of a useable word. It might just have been the most difficult, gut and heart opening experience that I have ever had.

Is what you are feeling, or desire to create, a “harsh” or “soft” sound? What is the rhythm, or meter, of the phrase, and where do the accents go – at the front, middle, or end of the word? Or are there any accents? Is the energy right?You have only your intuition and your desired end to draw from.

In essence, I have written a new, foreign language – five words and twelve syllables of one anyway. Only time and use will refine and teach me the precise effects and definitions. This definitely ranks as one of the most enlightening and powerful sacred exercises I have ever attempted. Give it a try! Oh yeah, and like the sign says – “Don’t Forget to Breathe.”

Many Blessings To All…

LOTD