This month’s post is all about being your own counselor. In an age where almost everything you see or read is suspect, how are you supposed to know what truth is? The answer is that you can’t find truth outside yourself. You can find facts to bolster an opinion, but are these facts truth? If you are a Trump supporter you can find lots of facts to support your position. If you are a Trump hater you can do the same. All you’ve done is find structural elements to support your box of beliefs. That’s what people do these days: they find facts to support a belief or an opinion they feel comfortable with. Frankly, almost all of this is counterproductive because it leads to a hardening of attitudes. Then you get the current intolerant political atmosphere.
In my new book The Old Soul (coming in March),I describe an uplifted earth. Uplift is a term coined by the great SF writer David Brin. In Brin’s universe, space-faring races with high consciousness “seed” races who are just starting out. This seeding involves an enhancement, or uplift, of their DNA, which advances their biology and intelligence. In the book I take this a step further. The enhancement of DNA also contains an esoteric overlay; a template of God, or Spirit, that is laid on the DNA of the new race. The challenge for the Uplifted race is to find higher consciousness. The only way to do this is to get past materialist belief systems that only involve the body. Skepticism, a “prove it” mentality, over-intellectualizing, etc. are all dead ends because they look for truth “out there.”
The Uplift of humanity came from the stars; from a race with higher consciousness. Our 24 chromosome pairs became 23. This is explained as a genetic “accident,” but an evolutionary accident doesn’t create a successful new species whose population is now closing in on 8 billion. All hominidae on this planet have 24 chromosome pairs, not 23. So something cool happened to the human race a long time ago, and it wasn’t an accident. I prefer to think of it as divine intervention, and that that human DNA has a divine component. The Uplift is a kind of test: Can human beings find the God within? It’s a hard test because esoterics are not provable. At least not now. If you are interested in metaphysics you are often countered by people who say “prove it,” and you can’t. You are called a kook, a space cadet, or your writings are pronounced “pseudoscience.” (If you want a good laugh go to Wikipedia and look up “Epigenetics,” then go to the “Pseudoscience” section.) Look what happened to cell biologist Rupert Sheldrake, who has a PhD. His TED talk was banned because he had the audacity to suggest that science is dogmatic and that psychic phenomena like telepathy are not impossible.[1]
The test is hard. You know there’s something bigger than you but there’s no way to definitively show others. All you can do is write, blog, and make movies that suggest it.
How do you find higher consciousness? Well, that is the wrong question because it looks for a formula or a process or a system. None of that is going to get you to the promised land. The promised land is inside your uplifted DNA and it is activated by your intent.
Enhanced or uplifted DNA contains a multidimensional component that is a gateway to higher consciousness. This gateway is esoteric, not physical. By definition it is not common sense, it is in no way obvious, and it is not subject to scientific measurement (at this point). It will be rejected by science, medicine, political opinion, and mainstream media. It can’t be found by marshaling facts to support this opinion or that, no matter how enlightened that opinion is. On the other hand, materialists can’t prove to you that you’re wrong. It works both ways!
For me personally, it has been very helpful to inspect my box of beliefs. When I did that I wound up throwing most of them away. Opening up that box made me realize that I don’t have to have an opinion. On anything. In fact, it has been most helpful not to have too many beliefs. This frees me up to more easily change when circumstances change. I can more easily let go of anything I’m holding on to that makes me feel uncomfortable. As a result, I feel a lot quieter inside. The chatter of the mind has lessened considerably because I’m no longer trying to defend or support my beliefs.
“What’s your opinion on the Wall, Ken?”
“I don’t have one.”
“That’s stupid. [Argument for or against goes here: ‘A wall is needed to keep out criminals, drug dealers and human traffickers.’ ‘A wall is the last refuge of a dying society that is ready to collapse in on itself.’ Etc. , Etc., Etc.]
“All of these are great arguments,” I say. “There are lots of valid facts and opinions on this issue. My stance is that people will do what they want to do and are in a position to do. Whatever happens I’ll live with it.”
“If everyone was like you we’d have [fact or opinion on either side goes here].”
My opinion is that people should do what makes them happy. Now that I don’t have a box of beliefs rattling around in my consciousness, I feel a lot better about it.
“If everyone was like you nothing would get done. Without an opinion you are just an empty shell; a do-nothing waste of space.”
So be it. I’ll forego an opinion on the Wall, or Trump, or Ocasio-Cortez, or Jussie Smollett, or whatever the latest drama is out there promoted by a news media that seems to love chaos. I can tell when something has hit my box when I get angry at something I see or read. When that happens I understand that something has triggered my box and I try to look at what it was. Flow a little love at it. Then I calm down and get on with my (pointless, some would say) life.
I’ve come to realize that everything important comes from inside. The higher emotions and feelings are the rudders of my life now. Facts are useful when I’m writing something because it’s important to fact-check and not spread disinformation. It’s also important to keep informed on things. For instance, in Whole Foods magazine there’s a good article about how GMO foods are going to be labeled “bioenhanced.” That’s a good fact to know, but facts aren’t opinions. I have pretty much thrown out all of my opinions about stuff that isn’t factual, like whether Trump is a racist or a demigod, or whether Jussie Smollett staging a hate crime on himself makes him a bad person, or whether the Green New Deal is a bunch of crap.
Almost all of the “news” today is just opinion. (I have a subscription to the Washington Post. Almost every article in the Post email is an opinion piece.) It’s too hard to maintain my box and keep everything settled in there, so I decided to empty it out as much as I could.
There isn’t a formula for higher consciousness, or happiness. Hey, take all the courses and seminars you want if it floats your boat. Keep yourself informed; I do! But you aren’t going to find the answers you’re looking for unless you look inside. That’s what the masters and enlightened ones have been saying for thousands of years. They say this because they know about the Uplift of humanity, and that the gateway to higher consciousness lies within your own enhanced DNA.
No one can tell you how to do this. It’s the most personal, intimate thing you have: the relationship of you with you.
If you’re just a regular Joe like me, you have to practice this. I try to find a feeling of love and happiness and let that soak into the cells of my body and my consciousness. At the beginning of each day I try to place that feeling all along the time track. It’s easier for me because I’m mostly retired now. If you have kids and go to work every day, life can get frantic. But it helps if you can empty your box a little. Then when life rattles you, there’s less junk banging around in there. It’s less painful. You get triggered less. You feel a little quieter inside.
I’m pretty sure tolerance and compassion come when you can empty out your box of beliefs.
“I’m offended by ____” “How can anyone do something like that?” “Are you crazy to think that way?” “Have you heard the latest outrage about [fill in the blank]?” It just goes on and on, the stuff you object to, and then the way those objections make you feel.
“That’s stupid,” you say. “We have to stop criminals and human traffickers and other evil elements like [fill in the blank]. If you were in charge all that bad stuff would continue.”
Maybe. The good news: I’m not in charge. I don’t have an agenda. People in charge have agendas! They like “getting things done.” In order to get stuff done you need leaders and followers. You need people to believe in causes. The current political atmosphere demands that you choose sides, and then argue with the other side by finding facts to support your position. What would happen if people threw out all those beliefs and let other people get on with their lives? Maybe there would be less tension in society. Maybe people would find it safer to look inward and find the God within. Just sayin’.
My advice for those who want to stop others: try it and see where it gets you.
I find that listening to inspired people helps. My two favorites are Sadhguru and Kryon, but you may have your own personal favorites. I download or listen to a lecture every night before I go to bed, and afterward put good energies on my timeline for the following day. Then I go to sleep. When I wake up the next day I feel a little boost. I find that I have to practice this every day, week after week, month after month, because of my Irish temper and my Scottish and German stubbornness. But it gets better as time goes by.
Try it and see if it works for you. Get your box out and start inspecting those beliefs. Try not to have opinions about things. See what happens.
God bless!
Postscript – The Trickster
Joseph Campbell (and others) describe a trickster god, one whose purpose is to sow confusion. The Trickster is actually a teacher, and he is alive and well in society today.
One day the Trickster walked along the main road with a large, pointed hat that was white on one side and black on the other. Some of the villagers said, “Eshu is a good guy because he wears a white hat.” The other villagers disputed this. “Eshu is a demon because he wears a black hat.” The village started to debate this and tempers flared. The next day Eshu came walking toward the village from the opposite direction. Now those who had seen him as a good guy saw a black hat. Those who saw him as a demon saw the white hat.
Everyone was confused. Eshu said, “There is good and bad in all of us. Do not fight and argue, but seek wisdom.”
Our current society is just as confused as the villagers. We see disinformation everywhere, but this is a good thing, because it shows that the truth isn’t “out there.” The truth is inside. You are your own wisest counselor. Learn to trust the divine voice within you.
Postscript Two – The Kim-Trump Summit: The Duality on Full Display
President Trump arrives in Hanoi, North Vietnam, with crowds lining the streets, to talk peace with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. Meanwhile, Michael Cohen testifies before Congress and accuses the president of being a liar, a cheat, and a conman. While Trump is trying to negotiate the de-nuclearization of North Korea, the U.S. press (and Congress) is very excited about getting rid of Trump, and impeachment is in the air. It’s dark and light: the duality on full display in brilliant contrast.
I’d imagine that 90% of Americans don’t know that the Korean War has never ended. It has been ongoing for 70 years. U.S. troops still occupy a demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. North Korea has been a threat for nuclear war for 40 years. Although no agreement was signed at the Vietnam summit, further dialogue and communication at the highest levels was undertaken. The president – whatever you think of him – has mitigated the NK nuclear threat, and that’s a good thing.
1) Interesting fact: The North Korean embassy in Madrid, Spain, was broken into last Friday, just before the summit between Kim and Trump. Several unidentified men entered the North Korean embassy, bound and gagged staff, and stole documents and computers. The North Korean ambassador in Spain is Kim Hyok Chol, the person who prepared the summit between Trump and Kim Jong Un. He is a top Korean nuclear negotiator. Make of that what you will. (Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/02/27/mystery-intruders-break-north-korean-embassy-madrid-hold-staff/ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-22/north-korea-s-surprise-new-nuclear-envoy-key-to-trump-kim-talks). Afterward, Jim Acosta, the CNN reporter who has had many run-ins with Trump, gloated that the president was walking away empty-handed.
It’s duality time! (said to the tune of, “It’s Groundhog Day!”)
2) Do you remember the EMS broadcasts in Hawaii and Japan last year?
These texts appeared on cellphones, saying that a nuclear missile was on its way from NK to Hawaii. A similar text was sent in Japan. Was a nuclear missile really launched toward Hawaii? Was it launched by North Korea? What was the purpose of these messages? Why would anyone want to scare the crap out of millions of people if it wasn’t true? Was it sent by the dark or the light?
The Trickster is alive and well, but the light is winning. That’s why so much stuff is happening, and why there is so much chaos.
I remember vividly the War in Vietnam. The idea that an American president could travel to Hanoi for peace talks with North Korea is, frankly, astonishing. Younger readers will shrug their shoulders and say, “Who cares?” Well, we’ve come a long way to peace on earth. We’ve just begun, actually, because this planet has been dark for millennia. But it’s lighting up.
We are making tremendous progress. The chaos we see is what happens when light penetrates the darkness. The light is spotlighting the darkness in all of us. That’s why we’re taking one step backward for every two steps forward. President Trump is in the big spotlight. His bad points and his good points are all showing up. The same is happening to all of us.
The point is, there is dark and light in all of us. If you are looking for the good guys or bad guys in politics, you’ll never find them (yet). That is why it is so pointless to argue about it. I quoted Solzhenitsyn several posts ago: “If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?” Compassion and tolerance is the key. It’s important to recognize when something inspires you and when it makes you angry or puts you into fear. That’s what the inner voice is all about: transcending the duality.
The key is not to have opinions, but recognize facts. Be on the lookout for those who stimulate the emotion of hate and fear within you, no matter what side they are on. Recognize when you feel inspired by something, no matter what “side” the information is coming from. That is the God within you lighting up. The goal is peace, tolerance, and compassion.
[1] TED has since relented and you can find Sheldrake’s talk at https://blog.ted.com/the-debate-about-rupert-sheldrakes-talk/
However, TED says “TED’s scientific advisors...recommended that the talk should not be distributed without being framed with caution.”