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Spiegel Im Spiegel – Escape To A World of Peace

Spiegel Im Spiegel ——- Mirror In The Mirror

I enjoy music. Many different types of music. There is something about musical sounds that are able to reach deep within a person and precipitate various feelings and emotions. Feelings of exuberance. Feelings of peace. Feelings of sadness. Feelings of beauty. Feelings of nostalgia. Feelings of happiness. Feelings of introspection. Feelings of high energy.

In 2018, after I retired at the age of sixty-five from a job that I was employed in for twenty years, I took some time off before embarking on subsequent employment. It was a wonderful respite period. One of the various activities that I engaged in was “surfing You Tube”. I used time that I had never had before to explore different videos, lectures, documentaries and musical performances. One day I happened upon a video performance of a piano and cello piece composed by an Estonian composer named Avro Part The piece is called Spiegel Im Spiegel and it is approximately ten minutes long. I was absolutely transfixed by its minimalist exquisite beauty. Since that time I estimate that I have listened to Spiegel Im Spiegel over a thousand times. Each time I listen to the piece of transcendent music, it is as if I am hearing it for the first time. One post in a blog I came across featured a link to a performance of Spiegel Im Spiegel. The written body of the blog post was simply the words “This is so beautiful” repeated twenty four times in six columns of four. And yeah, it is.

Spiegel Im Spiegel is translated as ‘mirror in the mirror”. This refers to an infinity mirror which produces an infinity of images reflected by parallel plane mirrors. It was originally written for piano and violin. Subsequent adaptations have substituted the violin with cello, viola, clarinet, flute, oboe, bassoon and trombone. Since 1996, it has been incorporated into twenty-six films and seventeen television productions.

Avro Part was born in 1935 in Estonia which was subsequently swallowed up by the Soviet Union. He attended Talinn Music Conservatory. In 1968 he reached a turning point in his life. He renounced all his previous techniques and compositions. For the next eight years he composed very little. He spent a great deal of time in study and contemplation and emerged in 1976 inventing a new musical compositional style called tintinnabuli. which means “the ringing of bells”. Spiegel Im Spiegel was composed in 1978.

A Ten Minute Float To Another Dimension

The reason I love this musical composition is that it allows me on a daily basis to escape the harshness and dissonance of this world. The initial strains of the cello always tend to start sending me in spirit to a different dimension – a dimension of contemplative peace and serenity. The flow of the music allows me to float – it is almost like a hypnotic effect. All the different events of my life, past, present, future, successes, mistakes, flow by like a meandering river. It is the experience of listening to time flowing through music. I am gently lifted out of this dimension and transported to a more ethereal dimension. I am always thankful afterward for the magical journey.

The piece was originally written for piano and violin but has been adapted to many other instruments. My personal favorite is the piano and cello. There is something about the sound of the cello that resonates with me. I wish I knew how to play the cello. I have taught myself how to play two musical instruments but I will die without learning how to play the cello. It is a difficult instrument to learn. I can however, enjoy listening to it. In Spiegel Im Spiegel the cello part is the breath of life and the piano part is the heart beating peacefully.

I have boxes and boxes of photographs from when I was growing up and when my children were growing up. Between now and the time of my death, I am going to get three large heavy-duty poster boards. I will paste representative photos on the three boards. I have already told my children not to bother saying any words over my body. Just put my casket in the grave plot next to my mother and brother. At the funeral home, before heading out to the cemetery, just set up the three poster boards and spend two or three minutes with each one while playing a recording of Spiegel Im Spiegel. Spend the last ten minutes with my dead body floating down memory lane and remembering “the good times”.

A Partner In Your Manifesting Journey

One of the big difficulties in manifesting your reality through a deliberate focusing of your thoughts is being able to discipline your mind to relax and calm down. This is an obstacle that I and many others encounter when engaging in manifesting efforts. Think of a jar of spring water into which you put an amount of dirt. If you leave the jar alone, the dirt will eventually settle to the bottom and the water will be clear unless you keep shaking the jar which will “muddy up” the water. In manifesting, it is essential that you are in a relaxed mode when you go about implementing your mental demonstration. Let all the intrusive thoughts “settle to the bottom”. Spiegel Im Spiegel can be your partner in your manifesting journey. The transcendent sound of this beautiful music can help get you in a receptive mode for imaging your desire as your now reality.

Children are particularly receptive to the calming effect of this piece of music. There is a story that I came across of a baby in a hospital ICU that responded miraculously to the continuous sound of this music after her parents placed it by her bed. Healing through music. Feel free to use one of the many versions of Spiegel Im Spiegel that are available on the internet. Play it in the background to help you create magic in your own life through the power of Imagination.

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All You Really Ever Control for Sure Is YOU

Sorry Pete, But I Got To Do For Me And Mine

The comedy movie, “O Brother Where Art Thou”, is about the adventures of three escapees from a 1930’s Mississippi chain gang. The names of the escapees are Everett, Delmar and Pete. As they are being pursued by the authorities, they hide out in the barn of Pete’s cousin, Wash Hogwallop. In the middle of the night, they discover that the barn is surrounded by a heavily armed sheriff’s posse. When they look out from the barn loft, they see standing next to the sheriff, Pete’s cousin, who turned in Everett, Delmar and Pete for the bounty. Pete yells out from the barn “I’ll kill you Judas Iscariot Hogwallop”. Pete’s cousin replies, “Sorry Pete, I know we’re kin but they got this depression goin’ on and I got to do for me and mine.”

So let’s say, in a strictly figurative sense, that adverse circumstances have you trapped in the barn and you are surrounded by your pursuers. Where do you turn for help in your situation?

Do you turn to friends?

“Sorry Dude, I’d love to help you, I really would, but I got to do for me and mine”.

Do you turn to neighbors?

“I’m really sorry, but I got to do for me and mine. By the way, can I borrow your hedge clippers?”

Do you turn to fellow students at your school or co-employees at your place of work or members of your fraternal organization?

“Sorry, next time for sure, but today I got to do for me and mine”.

Do you turn to family (spouse, parents, children, uncles, aunts, grandparents, nephews, nieces, cousins)?

“Believe me, I would really, really, like to help, I know we’re kin but I got to do for me and mine”.

Well then, who does that leave you to turn to in your time of need?

The answer is Y-O-U. Everyone and everything that you experience in this lifetime is Y-O-U “pushed out”. Your entire life circumstances are merely a reflection in a mirror. How’s that for a radical concept. With the world in the current shape it is in however, as Marcellus said in Hamlet, “There is something rotten in the state of Denmark”. I believe that “more of the same old, same old” is just a recipe for failure.

You Are Continually Looking Into A Mirror

The world around you is a mirror, reflecting all that you are conscious of being. Refrain from trying to change your life circumstances “from the outside” since these circumstances are just a reflection of Y-O-U from the inside, your inner consciousness. This is kind of a bitter pill to swallow because it means that you have to take full responsibility for your reality. Changing your reality without changing your inner awareness is as futile as smashing a mirror in the hopes of changing your face. Leave the mirror alone. Focus on changing your face (your inner consciousness of yourself). You are all that you require to manifest your desired reality. The Kingdom of God is not up in the sky somewhere. It is within you. It is how God lovingly created you. All the outer circumstances of your daily life do not come from anywhere but you. If your desired reality is to come to fruition through the involvement of other people, we are all interconnected, the state of your inner consciousness will act as a magnet to lead the required person or persons to you. Just be aware of what’s going on around you, pay attention and stand in love by maintaining your deliberate focus on the I AM, Universal Love and Intelligence.

When you see something that you do not like or when something happens in your life that you did not expect or want, don’t fight against it. Refrain from getting angry with yourself or saying to yourself “Why did I bring this down on me”? This is not what is meant by taking full responsibility for your reality. The circumstances of your life are not always direct reflections of your inner assumptions. For example, losing your current living quarters doesn’t necessarily mean that within yourself you dwelled on losing your living quarters. It could be one of a number of things including being an opening event in a chain of events leading to the wonderful fulfillment of something that you truly desire. There may be many different factors involved so it is pointless to analyze it. Ask yourself – What core belief is this current circumstance representing to me? Then go about the business of changing that core belief (ie., from a fear of loss of something to a faith in yourself, living free of fear). What you call reality, is just a mirror, reflecting your consciousness, pushed out and solidified.

The Only Way Out Is By Going Within

The ancient maxim goes as follows, “As within, so without”. Solomon put it another way – “Keep your heart with diligence, for out of it are the issues of life”. Jesus Christ stated, “If you believe, you will receive”. A quote from Buddha is: “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thought. With our thoughts, we make our world”. And from the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, “If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment”.

Concentrate, concentrate, and oh yes, concentrate, only on those thoughts and feelings that confirm what you have deliberately imaged in your Imagination as your chosen now reality. The day that you begin consistently, faithfully doing this, is the day that you free yourself instead of resigning yourself to be a long-suffering slave to circumstances. Refuse to accept life on the basis of “the world without”. Assert the Supremacy of your Salvation Within, your Imagination. Find a way to do this and all things must go together for your good.

So how do you remove your focus off something negative that feels so real, you can see it, you can hear it, you can feel it, you can smell it. How? How do you take your focus off of you physical pain when you can feel it? How do you take you mind off of lack of money when the rent is due in three days and you ain’t got it. How do you take your mind off of your jerk of a boss after he acted like a total asshole. There are a number of different ways to do so. Search for the way that fits you best. If I can make a suggestion however, you may want to try this – say these words to yourself with as much feeling as you can possibly muster – “I AM experiencing what I have chosen for my reality through my God-given Imagination (insert here your chosen reality – for example “a peaceful, happy life with me having plenty of money for all my needs”). I AM refusing to respond to anything that impinges on my choice of reality. I AM maintaining my focus on my chosen reality and this brings me happiness. I AM grateful”. It takes the same amount of energy to image those things that make you happy than to image those things that make you angry or sad. It will be very difficult to do at first. It will be hard work. You may ultimately decide to give up. This is the raw truth of the matter. This is radical stuff. The word radical is defined as “a way of doing something very different from the usual way”. This is not “business as usual”. If you decide to stick with it however, it will ultimately become second nature to you. And your adverse situation will start moving away from you, sometimes with great speed, sometimes like the current of a slow moving river, but your situation will improve. It has to. It is immutable law – As within, so without. You will only succeed in changing the reflection in the mirror by changing what the mirror is reflecting. Don’t reach for the mirror, reach within yourself. If you are imaging a desire and then looking to the outside for confirmation, this is precisely what perpetuates your endless cycle of disappointment. Live in the end. Live your desire fulfilled. It will appear when you least expect it.

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Books And Me – Good Friends To The Very End

Faithful Lifelong Friends

Human friendships are fickle in nature. Someone who you may call a friend today, can be a “non-friend” tomorrow over some important or even trivial disagreement. Friends can move away. Friends can die. Friends can change in personality and slowly drift away. Friends can choose to abandon their friendship with you for “new and better” friends. Friends can make themselves scarce if you hit hard times. Friends can suddenly terminate your friendship if their spouse, signifigant other or other friends don’t like you. Friends come and go like the tides of the ocean. Human friendships are a tenuous affair affected by a wide array of variables and conditions.

On the other hand, a book is the quietist and most constant of friends. No matter what is transpiring in your life, no matter what you have done, no matter what you haven’t done, a book will never abandon you. A book does not judge while humans just can’t seem to get enough of judging one another. A book does not demand, overtly or covertly, that you be a certain way, or talk in a certain way or do something in a certain way or risk disapproval or loss of friendship. It is always there for you no matter what. A book will always generously provide you with learning, story-telling, adventure, mystery, laughter, pathos and ethos – whatever you choose. Certain books will prove to be less interesting to you than you thought they might be. Or perhaps you totally disagree with the premise of the book. The book will never “get mad at you” as a result. A book has no hidden agenda other than presenting the words, and ideas, and concepts that are on the pages of the books. The book allows you to receive and assimilate those words, ideas and concepts however you choose. A book is a faithful, lifelong friend.

If Henry Bemis Had Just Carried A Spare Pair

An absolute classic Twilight Zone episode, “Time Enough At Last” (aired November 1959), starred Burgess Meredith as the hounded bank teller and avid book lover, Henry Bemis. Wherever he turns, there is somebody preventing him from reading. One day, randomly entering the bank’s vault to read during his lunch break, a worldwide apocalyptic holocaust occurs. As Bemis exits the vault he finds the outside world in ruins and devoid of all humans. Bemis is subsequently overwhelmed at the reality of his isolation. As he about to commit suicide with a gun he has found, he sees a library that has mostly survived the blast. He spends the remainder of the day joyfully arranging the books in stacks for years of reading well into the future. Of course, this is Twilight Zone so you know there is going to be some kind of twist. Sure enough, on the library steps poor Henry stumbles. His thick glasses, without which everything is blurry to him, fall off and the lenses shatter. As he picks up his broken glasses, he is disconsolate, saying, “It’s not fair. I had time now. There was time enough at last.”

When I was a kid watching that episode, I felt sorry for Henry Bemis. I remember telling my Mom, “if he only had a spare pair of glasses with him, he wouldda been OK”. I never want to be caught in the predicament of Henry Bemis. I always carry a spare set of eyeglasses with me. If I am ever the lone survivor of a nuclear holocaust and am near an intact library, I’ll be all set (LOL). My son has a wonderful collection of over 2,000 books that he has collected over the past 20 years. It is my desire that at some point in what remains in my life, that I can spend an entire year, without any obligations or responsibilities, just reading…..reading as many of those books as I can each day. Just as it was with Henry Bemis, if I could not read, it would be a catastrophe of the highest order.

A Book Is A Portal To Another Dimension

In the 1955 movie, “Marty” starring Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair, there is a scene at the end of the movie where Borgnine’s character is hanging around a Bronx street corner early on a Sunday evening with three of his friends. This scene took place after Borgnine’s friends dissuaded him from going out on a second date with the character played by Betsy Blair. The intimation from his friends was that their friendship with Borgnine was in jeopardy if he continued to see Blair. As the four men are standing on the street corner, Marty is silent while the other three are trying to establish what they are going to do that evening. One says to the others, “Whadda you wanna do”? Another of the men says, “I dunno, whadda you wanna do?” A few suggestions are offered but there is no consensus. Finally, Borgnine’s character breaks his silence and says derisively to the other three, ” Whadda you wanna do? I dunno, whadda you wanna do? I must have been crazy to listen to you guys. I know what I wanna do. I’m going to call her up and hopefully she’ll want to go to the movies with me tonight.” Whereupon he departs for the nearest phone booth.

A book is a friend that allows you to do or go or experience or learn whatever you want. Your friend will always say, “OK, Let’s go”. Do you want to go back in time to a certain period in a certain locale? – “OK, Let’s go”. Do you want to introduce to your mind new concepts or ideas? – “OK, Let’s go”. Do you want to retrace your steps and review already introduced ideas and concepts? – “OK, Let’s go”. Do you want to be intrigued by a suspenseful mystery? – “OK, Let’s go”. Do you want to experience the sights and sounds and smells of a different land? – “OK, Let’s go”. Do you need a breather from everyday duties, obligations and responsibilities, to give your mind a rest and just escape for a bit from the world around you? – “OK, Let’s go”. Whatever it is that you want to do, your friend will never say, “Nah, I don’t want to do that”. Your friend will always say to you, “Sounds good, OK, Let’s go”. And unlike television, you will never get commercials.

When you read a book, you are traveling through a portal in your mind into another dimension. It is a lovely sensation. And last, but not least, you can find a book or books that will help you to travel to another dimension of reality and create a life you desire through the magic of manifestation. Scripture is as true as true ever gets when it states- Ask. Seek. Knock. Believe. Receive. Now if you will excuse me, I see an old friend beckoning me now from the bookcase.

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Your Silent Power – Focus On The Mystery of Centering

Stand Up Straight, Stop Slouching

At some point in your life, you may have been told by a parent, or a teacher, or a caregiver, or a grandparent or, well you get the idea, “stop slouching, stand up straight or “don’t slouch at the table” (dinner table) or something in that general vein. Or maybe while you were in line with siblings at an amusement park, you were told by the sibling in front of you, “stop leaning on me”, as your anticipation of getting on that ride almost magnetically pulled your body forward. You have an etheric body, a human energy field or aura, that surrounds your physical body. When you crave things too deeply, your etheric body leans forward toward others that you feel will help you get what your ego craves. This etheric leaning causes you detriment in two different ways. First, it annoys and repels whoever you are leaning towards, a person, the people in a business deal, the purchase of a new house, a new job, a relationship. Second, its trashes your own inner silent power, the power that gives you both incredible strength and peaceful serenity.

At some point in life everyone needs to ask for help when encountering a particular set of circumstances. There is a huge difference however between asking someone for help with something and constantly leaning on others to satisfy your perceived needs. Put forth effort to shape your thoughts, shape your feelings so that you do not require things from others. Yes, it takes work and discipline to shape your thoughts and feelings just as it takes work and discipline to take off that extra twenty pounds that is bogging you down. However, just as getting that twenty pounds off allows you to feel better, disciplining your thoughts and feelings will do likewise. People may not say it but they really do not like being leaned on by your etheric body. Learn to center yourself. Discipline yourself not to constantly lean toward the future but instead to center yourself in the eternal now of each new day. If you are not able to tell for sure if you are in fact leaning forward, keep this adage in mind, “When in doubt, lean out”.

Struggle: Action Laced With Negative Emotion

All people struggle with something or other during the course of their lives. You have. I have. Struggle can be defined as activity toward some type of achievement with said activity laced with negative emotion. Activity or effort with regard to achieving something is natural but the negative emotion is not. That something that ensures ultimate achievement of an undertaking is faith…….faith in the power of Universal Intelligence…….faith in your inner power emanating from the Kingdom of God within you. Not forcing, not pushing, not leaning, but calm action in the now in an organized and patient manner. You say you need $5,000 by next Friday? Well dear reader, fear and anger over the situation is a turning away from your inner silent power. Yes, a manifestation of that type is definitely a major undertaking. As such, it is imperative that you draw from your silent power to bring it forth. Stop, go within, be silent and listen. Just stop talking, whether it is on the outside or on the inside. Just shut up. Then just listen. Then, do what you naturally feel to be able to do in the time frame of now without leaning into the future. When you properly center yourself, when your etheric body is standing straight without leaning, you can most assuredly feel it in your solar plexus area, the third chakra. It is a feeling that is difficult to translate into the proper words. Rather than a wielding of power, when you are centered, you feel that just by being alive that you are expressing silent power, radiating out into all directions, like the rays of the sun. And yes, it is a beautiful, beautiful, transcendent feeling.

Tomorrow Never Comes…….Start Now

Does bringing forth your own inner silent power sound like something you would like to do? Does exuding a silent inner power that is there with you at all times, in all places, in all circumstances, seem like something that you would want for yourself? You may say to yourself, yes, I would really love to have that power in my life, I will get started looking into it tomorrow. NO, tomorrow never comes, get started now. When you get something started, momemtum kicks in and starts carrying you along like a log being carried by the current of a river. But where to start?

An excellent way or place to get started with the process of developing your inner silent power is simply to designate one room in your dwelling, or one area of your dwelling or your desk or work station at work or your car or a favorite plot of ground outside or whatever place you choose. Then begin the process by getting everything in order in your designated place. Make this space clean and as close as you can, pristene, until it resonates a beautiful energy and a perfect zen. If it is your car, get those three month old fries out from the crack in the front seat. If it is your bedroom, get those dirty socks from last year out from under the bed and into the laundry hamper. Go to your clean energy place each day to generate your silent power. Dwell on God. Dwell in the Kingdom of God. During this amount of time, everything else in this world in which you live is of no importance to you. You are free of anger. You are free of fear. You are free of grudges. You are free of regrets. You are free. Just stay within your inner power that comes from the Divine. Keep with it day after day after day. Gradually, the silent energy within becomes part and parcel of your daily life. You feel stronger because you are stronger. Your etheric body becomes lighter and whatever part of it carried darkness begins turning to light. Your life becomes a living, breathing expression of this inner silent power and a calm peace and serene strength courses through you as you live your life each day.

And if you really want to get yourself into the right frame of mind when you go to your special place, go to You Tube and listen to the fabulous jazz singer, Dianne Reeves, sing the song “Testify”.

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The Circumstances Of Your Life ……… The Why Of It

The Why Of It All

Many years ago I had a brief conversation with a man who ran a one man computer repair shop. I brought my laptop to him for repair. When I was picking up the repaired laptop, he went through in detail what he had done. I complimented him on his fine work and reasonable price. In a random joking manner, I complimented him on his honesty saying that it would bode well for him when he gets to heaven. The man looked at me with piercing eyes that silently revealed he had experienced both struggle and suffering. He replied with a straight face, “All I want when I get there is answers.” To that I replied, “Amen brother, amen.”

A Senseless World

So many things happen in your life, in the lives of your friends and loved ones, in the lives of strangers that you only read about, that just don’t make any sense. Why do good people suffer? Why do crappy people prosper? A wonderful person dies young. A miserable old crock lives on to be a hundred. Innocent kids born with challenging infirmities. Jerks who are not be sick a day in their lives. One child born into squalid conditions in an impoverished country. Another child born into a country of prosperity. I have no idea how you feel about these circumstances but it always leaves me with the question of “the why of it all”, with a hint of the scent of the absurdism of Albert Camus hanging in the background.

Thirty Seconds For Some Answers

It brings to mind a scene from a 1940’s film noir movie with the actor Robert Mitchum. He was portraying a hard boiled detective dealing with some nasty, backstabbing characters. At one point, Mitchum encounters one of these villainous characters and throws him against the wall in an alleyway. With gun in hand under the guy’s chin, he states with unequivocal firmness, “OK, you’ve got exactly thirty seconds to give me some answers.” After the guy says he doesn’t know anything, Mitchum cocks the hammer of the gun and replies “Twenty-five seconds”. (By the way Mitchum does get the answers he is looking for). Sometimes this is what I feel like doing to the keeper of the universal records when I see or read or hear about some injustice that angers me.

Many Possibilities

With regard to children born with infirmities, there are many possibilities but I want to make it crystal clear to you that I do not have the answers. I do know some things but I am most definitely not Mr. Knows-It-All. One possibility involves reincarnation. It has been postulated that these children pre-plan their infirmity along the lines of a scenario of voluntary reincarnation in order that they may teach, learn, experience, knowing that when their lifetime is over, they return to where they belong in the eternal world of Spirit without the burden of the infirmity. Another possibility is the ever present free will of mankind. Perhaps one or both of the parents harbor fears that are picked up on by the fetus affecting the development. Perhaps the man chooses to inflict violence on the mother, injuring the fetus. Perhaps the mother chooses to introduce a toxic substance to the womb. Perhaps a greedy and nefarious industrialist chooses to pollute the water source that affects pre-natal development of the fetus. Perhaps that child is foreordained to be an inspiration to other souls through the child’s divine handling of the infirmity. There are other possibilities as well. Until we finish this lifetime and resume interaction in the hereafter, we will really never know for sure the “why” of it all but that does not stop the search for answers while we are here. Training yourself to be fully present at all times in the here and now is the key to handling the “why’s” of life.

The Wild Man From Borneo

When I was a little kid back in the 1950’s, they still had small time traveling circuses that would set up their tents in the areas outside urban locales. These circuses not only had the “big top” tents but also had carnival like sideshows that people would visit before the main circus show. When I was five, one of these circuses came to my small town. My older brother and I were able to get free tickets to this circus. Mom gave us each a quarter for treats during the show. My brother and I were intrigued by a pre-event tented side show that featured “The Wild Man From Borneo”. On the side of the tent was painted a mural of a fearsome looking beast, half-man, half-animal. (Spoiler alert: The actual wild man looked nothing like the beast on the mural). Admission was twenty-five cents. My brother actually had the good fortune to find a quarter on the ground after we arrived at the circus site. He said we could use that quarter for popcorn during the circus show. As we were both curious about this wild man from Borneo, we decided to use the quarters that Mom gave us to see what it was all about. Being a little runt, I was kind of afraid it would get loose. My brother assured me however that they must keep him in a cage so we would be safe. Inside we went.

Just A Guy In A Costume

The wild man was a little scary to me but my brother was unimpressed. It looked like a man with all painted markings on his body, a necklace of animal teeth around his neck, wearing a loincloth and with fur on his arms and legs. The wild man was jumping and leaping all around his cage making all sorts of unintelligible sounds. He would look wildly all around him then jump around again in a random manner. My brother said, “Ahh it’s just a guy in a costume putting on a show.” I cautioned my brother not to say that too loud or the wild man would get angry with us. My brother just laughed. And just like that, after a few minutes, the carnival barker said the show was over as the next group was ready to come in. I never forgot however the image of the wild man jumping all around wildly from side to side inside the cage.

Thought + Feeling + Belief = Your Life

Just like “The Wild Man From Borneo” your own mind will jump around wildly just like him if you allow it. There is no other way around it – to receive your desires fulfilled in certainty, you have to do some work on focusing your thoughts. You have to discipline your mind to dwell on the thoughts that will lead to feelings that will lead to beliefs that will bring to you that which you earnestly desire. Direct your mind instead of allowing your mind to direct you. Your mind can be a useful tool or a tyrannical master. You will always be tempted to jump to a downward spiral by complaining about your current negative circumstances.

Your Imagination Does Not Care

Your imagination will bring you benefit or it will bring you detriment. It really does not care one way or the other. It is always your choice. Train your mind to bring you benefit! Why do you continue to dwell on the adverse circumstances of your current life? Your answer may be: “Because the circumstances of my current life are adverse Dipshit, that’s why. Just take a look at everything wrong going on around me.” This is precisely the time when you need to train your faith with an unwavering belief. It is hard. I know it’s hard. It’s hard for me also. I don’t always succeed but it is the way out of current troubles. It is your escape route. It is the way out of your problems no matter what they are or how many there are.

Worry Never Ever Helps

Worry is not a neutral feeling. It is destructive. It is toxic. Worry is dwelling on negative results occurring within a particular situation. Faith is your true power to break through any problem. Faith is the assurance of things unseen. Faith…..Assurance…..Unseen. Refuse to dwell for even a second on your current circumstances if what you see going on around you is not what you believe as your destined reality. Live in the end. It doesn’t matter if, like Wile E. Coyote, an Acme safe or piano falls on your head. If your feelings and your beliefs match up with your desired reality as being the “real deal” reality, if you remain ferociously loyal to the unseen reality no matter what happens, then the unseen reality will eventually become the seen reality and you will ultimately receive what you desire and more.

Conceive. Believe. Receive.

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Repentance – A New You in 2022

Repentance Does Not Equal Remorse

Throughout Christianity and the Bible you find the word “repentance”. What do you think when you hear the word repentance. Most people will say that it means to regret, to be remorseful. In fact, the Oxford Language dictionary presents a definition of repentance as “sincere regret or remorse”. This brings to mind a scene from an episode of the classic television comedy series, “The Office”. The episode is entitled “The Coup”. In this episode, the character Dwight Schrute attempts to steal the job of his boss, branch manager Michael Scott. He fails and unbeknown to Dwight, Michaels finds out about it. At first, Michael leads Dwight to believe that he has succeeded in supplanting him and that Dwight is the new branch manager. Michael then abruptly lets Dwight know that he knows all about Dwight’s attempted coup and betrayal and advises Dwight that he has completely failed. Shocked by this information, Dwight drops to his knees in abject remorse, hysterically crying and begging Michael for forgiveness. Dwight totally prostrates himself at Michael’s shoes, vowing never to betray him again and promising to do Michael’s laundry for a year. Ultimately Michael relents and offers reconciliation but takes up Dwight on his laundry offer. This is what many picture as repentance. Begging God for forgiveness and offering to do God’s laundry for a year. That is not repentance. Repentance is a radical change of your attitude.

A Radical Change In Your Perspective

Repentance – a radical change in your awareness. Radical as in right down to the very root of your being. Repentance has nothing to do with the breaking of any traditional moral code. You can endeavor to strictly keep all the moral codes of the world, imposed by all the priesthoods, encoded in all the religions of the world. It would mean nothing as far as what the scriptures teach about repentance. To repent is to radically change your attitude toward your life and circumstances. When you do that, your perspective changes. When that happens, your awareness of being changes. When that happens, it will inevitably be reflected in the circumstances of the external world around you.

In the New Testament, the word for repentance is taken from the Greek word metanoia. Literally metanoia translates to “change of mind”. It is not about regret or shame or guilt or walking over hot coals to do penance. Metanoia or repentance implies a conscious decision to face a new direction. Take this example of metanoia. When you stand with your back to a source of light, you cannot see the light. You are only aware of your shadow and a reality of darkness. By simply turning around and changing your point of view you no longer encounter darkness. Your awareness has changed. You are now aware of bathing in the radiance of the source of light.

Your Responsibility – God’s Gift

Repentance is both your responsibility as a child of God as well as a wonderful gift from God. You want things to change in your life? Are you currently sick and tired of the ways things are in your life? If so, then repent – totally change your view of the current picture of you “missing the mark”. Replace it with another view, a view of you “hitting the mark”. In your mind’s eye – in the fertile fields of your God-given Imagination – create. Create a scene just as if you were a movie director, but the movie was your reality, your life, not a movie. Create, then be the actor in that scene that portrays the rock solid reality of the fulfillment of your imagination dream creation. Feel it. Live in it. Be in it. It simply is. It really is real.Live in the end. Then stop. Surrender the deepest and most heartfelt thanks to God Almighty for the completion and fulfillment of your dream. In your heart, let loose and be like one of those blubbering contestants on a television game show when they realize they won the grand showcase prize. Let the course of events, timing, manner and methods be completely directed by God as to the details. The fulfillment is God’s gift to you as long as you do your part by fulfilling your responsibility of a radical change in your awareness. God’s methodologies, from the very depths of Universal Intelligence, are far beyond comprehension. Dismiss any thought or indwelling of circumstances that do not sync up with your vision. Have faith that your consciousness, your awareness of being, is now your true reality. You do not have to see it – You know it. Read carefully how Scripture defines faith: “Faith is the assurance of things not seen, the evidence of things hoped for.” The assurance of things not seen. Stop reading for a moment. Just ponder the richness and beauty of that wonderful definition.

Perhaps you are currently caught in a financial bind. Maybe you feel like your bills got you by the throat and are throttling you to death. Let me ask you this question – What would it be like to you, if in fact, right now, you had plenty of money for all your needs as well as the ability to help others. Would you hide this money from your creditors and those that you would help including yourself? On the contrary, you would happily pay all your bills, buy what you want to buy and help those that you wish to help. So where does this wonderful circumstance begin? In…..Your …..Imagination with your chosen state of awareness. Metanoia…..Repentance…..A Radical Change of Mind. Don’t wait until next week or next month or next year. Do it now.

A New You In 2022

Repentance is dwelling in Imagination. Imagination is Divine. When you dwell on the Divine, the realization then hits you that the Divine dwells within you. The Kingdom of God is within. Your Imagination creates your ultimate reality. Your complete faith in Universal Intelligence solidifies that reality in your external circumstances. Any current awareness that you stubbornly hold onto that you are “missing the mark” or “falling short” is sin. Repentance is turning away from sin. You turn from sin by assuming in your Imagination that you are “hitting the mark”, whatever you choose that mark to be.

Repentance is a radical change in your awareness of what is. The word radical has been defined as “very different from the usual”. Take this brand new year of 2022 and choose radical. Choose the gift of repentance. Right now is truly the time to break free from the sickening cycle of “I will never do it again” only to observe that in one day or one week or one month from today you are doing it again and right back on that frustrating hampster treadmill, right back to “the usual”.

Claim your desire. Change your attitude. Live your repentance. Manifest your desire. Be a living, breathing demonstration of the glory of God, the Eternal I AM.

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Jesus Christ Is King – Deliverer From Evil

Origin Of The Term – Jesus Christ is King

December 25 is almost upon us. Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Have you ever heard the phrase “Jesus Christ is King”? The message of Jesus Christ as King can be observed in several Bible verses. One is John 18:37 – ” Therefore Pilate said to him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘ You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.” Another is found in Revelation 19:11 where it is stated that the title given to Jesus Christ is “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”

Christ the King is frequently used as a name for churches, schools, seminaries, hospitals and religious institutions. There is even celebrated a Feast of Christ the King in the liturgical calendar. The feast is a relatively recent addition to the liturgical calendar instituted in 1925 for the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. Lutheran, Anglican, Moravian, Methodist, Nazarene, Reformed and United Protestant churches also celebrate the Feast of Christ the King.

My beliefs over the course of my life have always been grounded in the Christian faith. The phrase “Jesus Christ is King” is a phrase that I was familiar with but had never actually spoken. That abruptly changed some 25 years ago. At that time, the words “Jesus Christ is King” came forth without thinking from my mouth and from my soul. Those words provided me with a shield of protection against an approaching and ominous evil spiritual entity.

Dream Number One

I had been sprawled out on the living room sofa late at night watching college basketball on television. Using the remote, I remember turning off the tv. It was one of those situations where I was so very tired that I did not even feel like getting up. I just said to myself “I’m just gonna rest my eyes here for ten minutes and then I’ll head up to bed”. Of course, I promptly dozed off.

I rarely remember my dreams. The dream that I had that night however is burned into my memory. In my dream I was laying on the living room sofa where I had fallen asleep. Everything in the house was quiet. I was awake in my dream.

A Cold Chill Down My Spine

All at once I got an icy cold chill shooting down my spine, from neck to tail bone. I looked over to my right to the stairs that led to the second level of the house. My eyes saw a grey luminous mist. It had the general outline of a human being but without any real definition or features. You can call it a presence or an entity or an energy source or any of a dozen different things. Call it whatever you want. It was there and it was real. It was midway down the steps and was slowly heading toward me. The entity made no sound whatsoever. It moved without any movement of arms or legs.

Deep Doo-Doo

Whatever it was, it was pure malevolence in nature. I intuitively knew immediately that I was in deep doo-doo. I felt the essence of its total contempt for me. My body was literally frozen in fear. I could not physically move. I was paralyzed. It is difficult to imagine that something such a luminous mist can emit such an evil presence but I felt an intense hatred directed at me from the entity. I knew it was coming for me. Whatever its intent, it was not going to be anything good. I knew if it reached me it would have been bad for me. Very, very bad. Like maybe dying from a heart attack caused by terror.

Since I was frozen, I could not run away. It was a nightmare’s nightmare. I have actually had nightmares where aliens were chasing me. In these dreams I would have one close call after another (ala Indiana Jones). At some point in the dream I finally said “Alright, enough of this bullshit” and I actually woke up, thus escaping my dilemma.

No Escape Route

In this dream there was no such escape route. I was truly fucked. Then, as the malevolent being reached the next to last step at the bottom of the stairs, there came out of my heart and out of my mouth, from the depths of my soul, the words, “Jesus Christ is King”. I had no thoughts beforehand of saying it. I did not think “what should I do”. The phrase just came out of me and just barely at that. Even my vocal chords were partially frozen in fear. However feebly I whispered the words “Jesus….. Christ….. is….. King”, I spoke them with conviction..

At the sound of those words, the evil presence stopped in its tracks. Then, in a more pronounced manner I immediately followed up with the same spoken phrase, “Jesus Christ is King”. This caused the entity to shrink backward and begin to lose presence. Without even thinking, I immediately followed up with a third even more forceful, almost shouting “Jesus Christ is King” intuitively knowing that I was in possession of the kryptonite of the malevolent entity. After the third pronouncement, it vacated the scene and was gone.

Dream And Reality – There Was No Difference

At the same moment that the malevolent force departed, I opened my eyes and immediately woke up from my “dream”. It hit me at once however that I was in the exact same position on the living room couch as I was in my dream. I was wearing the exact same clothes and everything in the living room was in the exact same place as in the dream. Even the light from the street lamp outside shining through the living room window was exactly the same as in the dream. I was somewhat shaken by the experience and turned on a living room lamp and walked to the adjacent kitchen to get a glass of water.

As I passed the stairs, I just stopped for a moment and stared at the spot where “it” was. I sat on the couch for about fifteen minutes pondering what I had just experienced. Then I prayed a succinct “Thank you Lord” before going up to bed. My conclusion was quite simple yet profound – the dream was no dream. It was as real as real ever gets.

Dream Number Two

Flash forward some twenty years later to 2016. I was now living in a different house. It was a one story house. I slept in one bedroom. My son slept in the second bedroom. I always left a small 40 watt lamp on in the living room at night. I slept with my bedroom door open. The door led to a hallway which led to the bathroom. I knew that at some point during the night that tag team duo of prostate and bladder would be sending me to the bathroom at least once, maybe twice. In those intervening 20 years, I never forgot my encounter with the unseen malevolent energy. I kept a crucifix on the wall above my bed that had been in my mother’s bedroom when she was alive. I figured it couldn’t hurt to have it there if a vampire decided to show up one night.

Anyway, it’s the middle of the night and I am in bed. I look over to the bedroom doorway. Standing there is the very same evil entity that I encountered 20 years ago. The same grey luminescence You may wonder how I could possibly know that to be a fact. I can only tell you that I knew. I just knew. It was an intuitive knowing. I have no idea how I was able to know, but I knew.

The Second Time – A Different Response

This time however, I reacted differently than my first encounter some twenty years prior. As before, it seemed to be just standing there, observing me with hatred and contempt. I sensed that it was about to head toward me as I lay in my bed. This time however, my response was different. I was not frozen with fear. I just said out loud, “Oh it’s you again.” Then I followed that up with the same phrase that I had used twenty years before, “Jesus Christ is King.” At the sound of those words, the entity froze. I followed up with a second “Jesus Christ is King”. At that second salvo, it started backing away. I could sense it was losing energy. One more time I repeated loudly, “Jesus Christ is King”. With that final pronouncement, the malevolent entity departed – poof- gone. The difference this time was that I knew right from the start that the power of Jesus Christ would protect me.

A Peaceful Sleep – Free of Fear

I was aware of the pure essence of malevolence of the being. However this time I did not fear. In fact, in this second dream, after the departure of the entity, I said aloud to myself, “And that takes care of that”. I turned on my side, back to the hallway and went back to sleep. And then I opened my eyes and woke up. Everything around me in my bedroom was exactly the same as the dream. The bed, my position on the bed, the bedsheet and blanket, my bed clothes, the wall hangings, the bureau, the light from the living room lamp, the quiet of the house. This time however I understood. My shield of protection “Jesus Christ is King” was something that the evil presence could not overcome. I then said, “Thank you Lord, now I’m goin’ back to sleep” and proceeded to do just that.

To anyone reading this – Merry Christmas to you and a Very Happy New Year!

Conceive. Believe. Receive.

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The Timeless Yin and Yang of Winter

The Eternal Change of Seasons

The winter solstice is almost upon us, arriving on December 21. This is officially the shortest day and longest night of the year. It traditionally marks the beginning of the three month period known as the winter season. Not until late March will the tulips and daffodils start making their appearance, thus signalling the end of “Old Man Winter”. The period of daylight immediately after the winter solstice is a little bit longer every successive day until June. The winter solstice is actually marked by different festivals and celebrations in many cultures around the world. It has been called “The Death of the Sun (shortest day) – The Rebirth of the Sun” (all days onward until June will be longer each day). Yin and Yang.

A lot of people, probably a majority of people, dislike winter, for the cold and ice and a variety of other reasons. I just read where Phoenix, Arizona topped the country in population growth for the fifth year in a row. They’re all flocking to the desert heat. No matter how cold or snowy it might get in winter however, or how much I enjoy the luscious warmth of shelter when I get in out of the cold, I know that even though I am cussing him out when I am shoveling away nine inches of snow from the sidewalk, I would truly miss Old Man Winter if somehow Mother Nature decided to send him away. Even though autumn has always been my favorite, I have always enjoyed the variety of the change of the seasons. I have relished living in a part of the country where all four seasons have equal turns, a full three months, at “displaying their wares”. Then, so as to allow you to experience the variety of Mother Nature, weather-wise, the next season makes its appearance right on time and takes its turn in the spotlight.

Taking The Good Along With The Bad

The Chinese philosophical concept of yin and yang describes how opposite forces of nature may actually be both interconnected and interdependent. The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus wrote, “By cosmic rule, as day yields night, so summer winter, war peace, plenty famine. All things change. Fire penetrates the lump of myrrh until the joining bodies die and rise again in smoke called incense.” Another reference to the yin and yang comes from from The Emerald Tablet, ” That which is above is from that which is below and that which is below is from that which is above.”

While people generally disparage winter as something that you have to just “get through” until spring arrives (unless you choose to fly down to your beach house in Florida LOL), the facets of winter actually have a positive aspect which is interconnected and interdependent with a negative aspect. Let’s take probably the number one thing that people dislike about winter…..the cold and snow. The biting wind on your cheeks. The ice on the roads and sidewalks. The inability to engage in outdoor activities. The shoveling of snow from sidewalks and driveways. Without the cold and snow of winter however there would be no pure crystalline beauty of evergreens laden with snow. There would be no sleighs coming down the sides of hills or snowmen or snowball fights. There would be the absence of the exquisite beauty of a single unique snowflake. Without the cold and winter winds that drive people inside, there would be no solitudinous peacefulness outside during a frigid night. You would be robbed of the enhanced enjoyment of a steaming mug of coffee or hot chocolate inside a cozy, warm room as you savor a good book. Sitting with your spouse by the fireplace with a crackling fire is a unique treat in the winter that during the summer would just be an exercise in excess perspiration and discomfort. Without the cold of winter those amazingly irritating houseflies and annoying blood-sucking mosquitoes would be hanging around all year long. A blast of heat which might be cursed in summer is blessed in winter. There is always the yin and yang of winter.

A Golden Opportunity

Things slow down in winter. You can spend your time on things that may get squeezed out during spring, summer and autumn, You can be active in a different kind of way, preparing your stage so to speak for your grand performance during the warmer weather months that are up ahead. While you are inside during the winter, you can use that opportunity to get rid of junk that you do not need – junk in the attic, junk in the basement, and even more importantly, junk in your mind, in your thoughts and in your beliefs – junk that is weighing you down in life big time and keeping you from fulfilling your true potential, the true you, the real you.

While you are taking a three month break from the frenetic comings and goings of the outside activities of the other three seasons, you can use winter time to go inside…..inside of you, inside deep to the core of your being in order to make inner adjustments and improvements. Winter, day by day, will relentlessly yield longer and longer periods of daylight during every twenty four hour cycle until the culmination of the longest day of sunlight at the time of the summer solstice in June. You can grow your inner self relentlessly day by day throughout the winter through your disciplined free will choice of daily thoughts, daily feelings, daily words, daily actions and daily beliefs. Those five things really, really, really make all the difference in you successfully manifesting the beautiful life that you came here to live. As Hamlet says in Act II of Shakespeare’s famous play, “for there is nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” And that is where it all starts. Your choice of thoughts generate your words, generate your feelings, generate your actions and ultimately generate your beliefs. And thus, the tenor and substance of your entire existence is formed by your free will choice of thoughts, feelings, words, actions and beliefs. In the book of Deuteronomy scripture states, ” …,,I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life…: ” It is your choice. That is how our Creator made us. Choose wisely my friend. Choose life.

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Read Now – Urgent Message – Enough Already With The Bull Manure

Mr. Holzmeier

Back when I was in high school, in what seems to be a couple of centuries ago and at the same time, just last month, one semester our regular algebra teacher was out on a three month leave of absence. We received a substitute teacher to fill in while our regular teacher was away. Into the classroom came a distinguished, very Germanic looking grey-haired gentleman with a hefty build by the name of Mr. Holzmeier. He sort of resembled General Von Hindenburg without the facial hair and with eyeglasses and regular combed hair. We subsequently discovered that he was Swiss in origin. His initial demeanor on day one certainly pointed to the Swiss reputation for efficiency in operations and directness as he took fifteen minutes emphasizing, in his Germanic accent, the need for punctuality and explaining that lateness to class would not be tolerated and would affect a student’s grades. As time went on however, we found that Mr. Holzmeier was actually a pretty nice fellow. He had a bit of a temper though and a few of the students always enjoyed trying to get him worked up about something or other. I remember that when a student would say something that he did not agree with, he would say quite loudly “Bull Manure”. The Swiss reputation for courtesy did not allow him to say Bull Shit. For example, one day a student starting telling Mr. Holzmeier that Switzerland was a wealthy country only because of the fact that their banks hoarded ill-gotten gains from all over the world in secret numbered bank accounts. “Bull Manure” bellowed a red faced Mr. Holzmeier and he spent the last twenty minutes of classtime explaining all the positive facets of Switzerland.

Good For Crops, Bad For You

Well, composted bovine manure may be great to fertilize a farmer’s crops or Mrs. Mulligan’s vegetable garden but bullshit is deadly when you feed it to yourself. Of course, I mean in a figurative sense only, in the hundred and one ways you bullshit yourself in your thoughts, words and actions on a regular basis. When you are not true to yourself, your train goes off the tracks and ultimately leads to negative consequences for you.

The term bullshit came into popular usage only in the last one hundred years. It is a near synonym of the euphenism horsehit but while you don’t horsehit someone, you can bullshit them. Thus, bullshit is a verb as well as a noun. When you hear the word bullshit, certain things might come to mind – used car salesmen, most politicians, bernie madoff, russian bots, a guy desperate to get laid, a gal desperate to get married, any corporate voice mail that states, “your call is important to us”, and any corporate sign or notice that has the words “to better serve you”.

You live in an era of unprecedented bullshit. George Carlin once proposed that there were three kinds of troublesome people, those who are: (1) fucking stupid, (2) fucking nuts or (3) full of bullshit. Bullshit is most assuredly detrimental to you, whether you are a willing receiver or an active deceiver. And yet, you do it over and over again, in both big things as well as little things. Here are some of the standard bullshit lines:

“It’s not my fault”

“I’m just too tired”

“I’m bored. I need motivation”

I’m gonna get around to it”

“I learned my lesson this time”

“How was I supposed to know”

“I can’t help it. It’s just the way I am”

“If it wasn’t for _____________, I would have done it”

“If it wasn’t for _____________, I wouldn’t have done it”

“He (or she) made me do it”

“The dog ate my homework”

And so on, ad nauseum.

There’s Only One Best Time……….That’s Right Now

Circumstances Do Not Matter…….Only State of Being Matters. Stop the Bull Manure already. Just Stop it. Stop. Face the truth. Successfully deal with the truth by maintaining a state of being, an awareness of consciousness that yields only benefit to you. Stop the bullshit that it’s this one’s fault or that one’s fault. Stop the bullshit that you could have done it if you only had……….. Stop the bullshit that being where you are, being with who you are, being in the job you’re in, being saddled with the responsibilities you have, being given the sex or the skin or the family you have keeps you from achieving your true purpose here on earth. We are all children of God. We are here to bring glory to our Creator by manifesting wonderful and beautiful things, whatever they may be. We are not here to engage in stupid bullshit. There is only one best time to start walking on the road of conscious manifestation and that is right now, right where you are.

Of course, everyone has bullshit themselves at one time or another. I certainly know that I have. It sucks the energy right out of you and causes you to waste your precious life. Yes, I said precious because that is what your existence is. Wherever you are on your journey, there is still time to just stop bullshitting yourself and start living your remaining lifetime in the manner that you originally intended when you first arrived here in this world. What happened to all the people who listened to bernie madoff’s bullshit? They lost their life savings. What happens to you when you listen to your mental bullshit? You lose your true life.

You are the carpenter of the house called “your life”. You have been given the building material called Imagination. You have been given the building tools called your chosen thoughts, feelings and beliefs. They will allow you to build your own unique custom house, board by board, brick by brick. Refuse to allow bullshit to hold you back. You deserve to have a beautiful life through the process of conscious manifestation. You’ve tried the way of bullshitting yourself. How has that worked out for you? Now try the other way. You will find that endeavoring to live bullshit-free lifts you into a majestic dimension of existence that you never thought was even possible.

Bullshitting yourself is toxic. Be honest with yourself. Set yourself free.

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The Grim Reaper – What’s With This Guy Anyway ?

The Old Saying Is Wrong

There is an old saying that goes, “Nothing in life is certain except death and taxes.” Wrong. We have all heard about the “sharpies” that use loopholes to get out of paying taxes. The twenty-five richest Americans (think billionaires, not millionaires) paid little or no federal income taxes, according to a report recently released by the non-profit news organization ProPublica. Not surprising. One thing that these Richie Rich’s (and their accountants and tax lawyers and financial advisors) cannot weasel out of however is death. At some point they will most assuredly die as everybody in the world is destined to die (except maybe Nosferatu and Queen Elizabeth II).

What’s with this Grim Reaper guy anyway? I am sure you have seen pictures of him, he of the skeleton, the black hooded robe, the long handled scythe. Sometimes he even hauls around an oversized hourglass. At the time of your death he will be standing there in the shadows waiting for you. As sure as the sun is in the sky and the ground is beneath your feet, at the appointed hour, he is there with that pointed skeleton finger signaling you to come with him. His other hand has that ever present scythe as a silent intimidator for you to dispense with any thought of making a plea for just five more minutes of life. No snooze alarm is allowed by Mr. Reaper. I mean the guy is a great employee. He never takes a day off. He can’t be bribed or persuaded. He handles both peak and off-peak hours with the same efficiency. He just relentlessly does his thing with complete equanimity.

I am reminded of that scene from the Mel Brooks comedy movie, “History of The World, Part I”. Before the Inquisition musical number, this robed monk guy comes out and announces the arrival of Torquemada (pronounced Tor-kah-mah-da), the Grand Inquisitor. The monk shouts, “Torquemada – Do not implore him for compassion. Torquemada – Do not beg for forgiveness. Torquemada – Do not ask him for mercy. Let’s face it folks, you can’t “talk him outta” anything.” And so it is with the Grim Reaper. After your last breath of life, when he appears, its game up, party’s over, time to move on to what’s next.

Gilgamesh and Methuselah Tried

In Mesopatamian legend, the epic of Gilgamesh describes the saga of Gilgamesh, son of a human king and a goddess. He tried through a series of adventures to obtain immortality but ultimately failed in his quest. At the end of the saga, Gilgamesh returns home and happily accepts his life as a mortal man.

Many Americans are not as mellow about the inevitability of death as Gilgamesh. The fear of death is so common that it has spurred many university research projects and intrigued both atheist scholars as well as religious teachers. Nowadays there is even a field of study called thanatology, which studies how humans react to death. According to a research study published in 2017 by Chapman University out of Orange, California, over 20 percent of Americans are afraid of dying. There is even a documented phobia called thanatophobia that is an intense fear of death that comes to consume someone’s thoughts and affects their daily actions.

We also have the story of Methuselah from the book of Genesis. He is recorded as living for 969 years. In fact, many of the pre-Flood patriarchs lived over 900 years – Seth, Enosh, Cainan, Jared, Methuselah and Noah. During the thousand years after the Great Flood, the Bible records a downward spiral of lifespans. Abraham lived to be 175 and Moses, who lived an extra long life for his time, 120. The transitory nature of our lives is described in Psalms 90:10: “The days of our lives are seventy years, and if by reason of strength are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow, for it is soon cut off and we fly away.”

Living Your Life Times Four

OK, as soon as you come out of the womb, the clock starts ticking. The Grim Reaper dutifully writes down your name in his appointment planner. You have been presented with a mind-boggling power of being able to create your life reality through the magic of your God-given manifestation abilities. For crying out loud, use them why don’t you. Here are four tenets, four ideas, that can and that will (if you choose to run with them) manifest for yourself a life of beauty and joy:

(1) Treat Every Day As Precious. Every hour, every breath, is an hour, and a breath where you can use what you have, where you are without interference from that Grim Reaper guy. Every day is your chance to create. Every breath you take means your presence is still pulsating here and as such, you can cause beauty and wonder and magic to manifest around you. When I wake up each day and plot out what I want to achieve that day, I keep this acronym in mind – Edisal. It stands for “every day is a lifetime”.

(2) Live Fully Now. Let your chosen awareness of being at this moment be your entire existence. The past is gone. It no longers exists. If you want to do revision a la Neville Goddard, then do it in a manner that yields benefit – benefit to you and benefit to everyone around you. Refrain from rehearsing and rehashing old mistakes, failures, hurts, grudges and grievances. It just doesn’t work. It’s a dead end. You only wind up anchoring them around your neck. The future is only a dimension of multitudinous possibilities. It is a mist. It has not arrived yet. The future is totally dependent on your “now” awareness of being, your current state of consciousness.

(3) Live With Special Knowledge. Know what it is that you were born to do with your life and then do it, dammit. “Gonna get around to it someday” or “I can’t because…..” is just another way of saying “I am powerless” and that is not true. You have power that you never even dreamed of, but, you, and only you, can set this power into motion. That is what free will is all about.

(4) Live The Very Best That You Know How. Choose a lifestyle that edges continually toward a “no stone left unturned” philosophy. There comes to mind a story I came across in my reading of a guy who finished dead last in a marathon race and ultimately had to crawl on his hands and knees across the finish line, long after everyone else had finished. He was a winner. Put everything that you have to give on the table of the feast of life. Then you can say to the Grim Reaper when he comes for you – Hey Grim my man, what’s up (giving him a high five). I gave it everything I had. I’ve done my thing here in this world. Now lead me on to what’s next. I’m ready.