Good news for Everyone – June 2013 Astrological Outlook

Start lining up your ducks, wish on shooting stars, make a habit of buying a weekly lottery ticket while also reaching for that dream job you’ve always wanted  because according to Carl, you just might get it. It looks like June 2013 is going to signal a period of upswing for just about everyone and I mean everyone.

Enjoy!

The poet, the visionary and the conspiracy theorist

The Sleeping Giant, Thunder Bay, Ontario

This is such awesome news that it’s yet another small but definitive sign that the sleeping giant is starting to wake up…

Alice Walker

Pulitzer-Prize winning author, poet and activist Alice Walker has come out in support of the works of David Icke.

It happened while she was on the air on BBC radio where she was asked which book she would take with her if stranded on an island. She cited Icke’s “Human Race, Get Off your Knees” …and of course the mainstream media have started going apeshit over this. Big surprise. You can listen to the interview here, she mentions Icke at 42:40

Ickey – One of the few real badasses in the world who truly doesn’t give a flying fuck about what anyone thinks of him.

This is a bit of a big deal and let me explain why.

Walker’s book “The Color Purple” which was directed by no less than the king of Hollywood, Steven Spielberg and won Whoopi Goldberg an Oscar, put Walker on the mainstream radar screen. However, for decades prior to the film and book, Walker had been (and continues to be) a vocal civil rights activist.

One of her professors back at Spellman College, was anarchist historian Howard Zinn and it was precisely because of Zinn’s advice Walker returned to the South to become more involved in the civil rights movement in the 1960s. She met Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. She met Malcolm X (in fact in a post on her website she compared Icke to Malcolm X and mused what a fascinating meeting it would be if the two had ever met. That would have been indeed awesome.)

For someone *that* prominent and with that kind of a public profile to come out in support of a researcher who is as maligned and marginalised as Icke, is indeed noteworthy and a sign of the changing times. I mean let’s face it, David has turned out to be correct on the whole English-establishment paedophile scandal which he had been talking about for over 20 years and now because of the Jimmy Savile situation, has rocked the British Establishment to its core and continues to do so. He was dismissed a loon but the whole Savile-gate thing has forced people to examine his work with  a new perspective.

Jimmy Savile = Freakin’ pervert extraordinaire

 People love to diss Icke all the time. They jump on him about “that reptilian thing” or the fact that they think he’s anti-semitic, without ever taking the time out to either read his books of watch his videos in full.

The “anti-Semitism” is actually about a very particular group of Zionists, which Icke calls the Rothschilds Zionists and has nothing to do with normal Jews at all. In fact, Icke posits that most Jews are getting shafted as well by these power-hungry ruthless types. “That reptilian thing” pre-dates Icke by thousands of years, he’s just the first one to bring it into mainstream attention. I’ve posted that the essence of demons in Christian cosmology is indeed reptilian but now I’ve discovered another interesting tidbit.

In the case of an asshole like Dick Cheney, I can believe it…

The mystical English poet and engraver William Blake was an influential visionary. Considered one of the best poets in the English language (a 2002 BBC poll placed him at number 38 for the Top 100 Britons of All Time), Blake was an early champion of feminism (being friends with the likes of Mary Wollstonecraft) an anti-monarchist (he fully supported the French and American revolutions), to just call Blake a poet does no justice to the body of his work. He had inspired generations after him  including the likes of Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan and Jim Morrison.

William Blake

What caught my attention was the fact that he had the “second sight” and saw the unseen from a very early age.

From Wikipedia:

From a young age, William Blake claimed to have seen visions. The first may have occurred as early as the age of four when, according to one anecdote, the young artist “saw God” when God “put his head to the window”, causing Blake to break into screaming. At the age of eight or ten in Peckham Rye, London, Blake claimed to have seen “a tree filled with angels, bright angelic wings bespangling every bough like stars.” According to Blake’s Victorian biographer Gilchrist, he returned home and reported the vision and only escaped being thrashed by his father for telling a lie through the intervention of his mother. Though all evidence suggests that his parents were largely supportive, his mother seems to have been especially so, and several of Blake’s early drawings and poems decorated the walls of her chamber. On another occasion, Blake watched haymakers at work, and thought he saw angelic figures walking among them.

Blake claimed to experience visions throughout his life. They were often associated with beautiful religious themes and imagery, and may have inspired him further with spiritual works and pursuits. Certainly, religious concepts and imagery figure centrally in Blake’s works. God and Christianity constituted the intellectual centre of his writings, from which he drew inspiration. Blake believed he was personally instructed and encouraged by Archangels to create his artistic works, which he claimed were actively read and enjoyed by the same Archangels

Anyone with even a basic understanding of symbolism can take one look at his work and see that Blake was, in all likelihood, inspired from something beyond this earth…

“The Ancient of Days”

“The Whirlwind of Lovers”

Illustration to Dante’s Divine Comedy

“Sata Amor Adao Eva”

This is the painting which, I think, gives Icke’s ideas some further credence…

Does THIS look like a ghost to you????

It’s Blake’s “Ghost of a Flea”.

Again from Wikipedia:

in 1790, “Blake, for the only time in his life, saw a ghost… Standing one evening at his garden-door in Lambeth, and chancing to look up, he saw a horrible grim figure, ‘scaly, speckled, very awful,’ stalking downstairs towards him. More frightened than ever before or after, he took to his heels, and ran out of the house.”…Blake often said that he was joined by invisible sitters as he drew them, including, he claimed, a number of angels, Voltaire, Moses and the Flea, who told him that “fleas were inhabited by the souls of such men as were by nature blood thirsty to excess.”…Fleas are often associated with uncleanliness and degradation; in this work, the artist sought to magnify a flea into “a monstrous creature whose bloodthirsty instinct was imprinted on every detail of its appearance, with ‘burning eyes which long for moisture’, and a ‘face worthy of a murderer’.”…The muscular and nude Flea is depicted using its jutting tongue to gorge on a bowl of blood. Part human, part vampire and part reptile, the beast strides from right to left between heavy and richly patterned curtains. In his left hand he holds an acorn and in his right a thorn, both items drawn from the tradition of fairy iconography.His massive neck is similar to that of a bull, and holds a disproportionately small head, marked by glaring eyes and open jaws, and a venomous slithering tongue.

I’ll leave it to you guys to do the math…

Spiritual trendiness

Joseph Campbell

“When you find an author who really grabs you, read everything he has done. Don’t say, ‘Oh, I want to know what So-and-so did’ — and don’t bother at all with the best-seller list. Just read what this one author has to give you. And then you can go read what he had read. And the world opens up in a way that is consistent with a certain point of view. But when you go from one author to another, you may be able to tell us the date when each wrote such and such a poem — but he hasn’t said anything to you.”
- Joseph Campbell

Shrine of Rumi, Konya, Turkey. The turquoise-tiled minaret shows where Rumi is buried.

Rumi’s grave (May eternal peace be upon him)

I remember while in Turkey, taking a long weekend off of work to journey to Konya to watch the Whirling Dervishes, the mystical Islamic Sufi order established by Jalaluddin Rumi (or Mevlana as he is known by in Turkey), dance the Sema dance and to visit Rumi’s grave. I’m sure you’ve seen in either in ads or commercials or documentaries.

To outsiders who don’t know any better, it just looks like a group of men in long flowing white skirts and jackets, wearing fez hats, twirling around in circles. The Sema, in fact has a deeper symbolism. The circles they dance in represents the Circle of Life. Birth, death and rebirth. Fall, winter, spring and summer. The blood in our bodies being pumped out by the heart to only return back to the heart. The examples are infinite. It induces a trance-like state for the dancer which is supposed to help them meet with That, like ayahuasca might for some or peyote for others.

Mevlana was actually born in present-day Afghanistan, wrote all his poetry in the Persian language and is buried in present-day Turkey.

Back them, Rumi was not the spiritual superstar that New Agers and certain yoga instructors these days love to quote. In fact even 10 years ago, I’m sure if you even mentioned Rumi to those who were knee-deep in Deepak Chopra-speak or Wayne Dyer-speak, they wouldn’t even know who or what you were talking about. It’s interesting to watch because since the Rumi train seems to be slowing down now, I’ve noticed that the Deepak/Dyer crowd have now jumped on another mystical Islamic, Persian poet, namely Hafiz. (I’m betting after they get sick of or run out of the Persian poets, they’ll return to the Russians like Alexander Blok, and Pushkin and then heaven forbid, the old Europeans mystics like William Blake, W.B Yeats, Goethe, Meister Eckhart and Emanuel Swedenborg. It’s always about finding a “new” bottle for old wine.)

When western yoga instructors “discover” Emanuel Swedenborg, will that lead to a revival of interest in Christian mysticism? Your guess is as good as mine…

Truth be told, I find the sudden interest in Islamic mysticism by some Westerners and bubble-headed yoga instructors who are normally Conservative, Republican, right-wing and very anti-Arab or anti-Muslim, strange to put it mildly. True, the poetry of Rumi and Hafiz have inspired wonderment across centuries. If you have even the smallest spiritual inclination in you, you can’t help but be touched by their words. But before Rumi, it was the Khalil Gibran train. Before Gibran, it was Marianne Williamson and Neale Donald Walsch. It’s this constant hopping around because it’s a trend, without any real study or serious reflection on the works of these past masters and then passing it off as “This makes me look serious” which I take issue with.

if you want to be trendy with what you wear and what you eat, fine. But don’t expect anyone to take you seriously if you do it with your spirituality.

And this brings me back to Campbell’s quote above. I have to agree with Campbell 150% on this one. It is best to find someone whose words ring so deeply and so true for you that you will need to read up on all their works to process and internalize their ideas and sentiments properly. That’s when you start to “get” them properly. One spiritual master whose words have consistently resonated deeply with me, as I have posted many times here is Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov.

It was Neem Karoli Baba who gave him the name “Omraam” and it was Nityananda who explained that Aivanhov was an incarnation of Vedic sage from the Solar Age and in fact had come back to bring back the Solar teachings. Apparently he also met the legendary Babaji in the Himalayas as well but he refused to talk about it.

Like all seekers at the beginning of their road, I did my fair share of hopping as well. Not because a certain writer was the flavour of the month but because I was searching. I read George Gurdjieff, Rudolph Steiner, tried Jiddu Krishnamurti and Theosophy in earnest but none of it seemed to “stick” for lack of a better word. But with Aivanhov, it was like remembering a deeply treasured memory which had been forgotten and a flood of light breaking through a door. I’ve been reading Aivanhov since at least 1996 and have never looked back.
In fact here’s a photo of my Aivanhov bookshelf;

Like I posted recently, these days it’s also Alan Watts which is speaking to me (thank God for YouTube!). While I don’t see myself going to Japan to study Zen in all seriousness with a proper Zen master ( and I’m not even sure if the monasteries there even accept women!), Watts, like Aivanhov, was/is able to synthesize the Perennial teachings along with recent scientific findings and present it with their own flair and in such a way the modern reader/listener can connect instantly.

That is a rare talent and not one which New Age hucksters can ever master convincingly.

The Power of Touch and the Touch of Power

The recent news about hot yoga shyster Bikram Choudhury being accused of rape has been generating a lot of discussion online and off about the whole nature of power within the context of guru/student dynamics as well as male/female dynamics.

It got me thinking about the most primary of relationships which we all experience, that we have with the opposite sex (I don’t mean to exclude transgendered persons from this discussion, I’m just writing out of my own experience so apologies in advance if anyone may take offence). In my case, it’s not really about Dad, or brother or uncle or Grandpa. It’s mostly the kind when sexual dynamics and chemistry come into play.

George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones definitely had serious chemistry going on in “Intolerable Cruelty”

 I’m writing this from the perspective of a heterosexual female, so bear with me a second for anyone who does not belong to that same group. Call me sensitive but there is a major difference in the way a man touches you which, if you’re alert can tell you almost everything you need to know about him and what he wants out of you, what he really feels about you, what he really thinks about you. It’s hard to describe but a whole host of elements come into play when a man touches you, how quickly he tries to touch you and where, how much pressure he exerts when he does touch you, how lightly, how fervently, how calmly, how warmly, how suddenly, how hard or how soft. Maybe I’m some kind of freak but I’ve been able to read exactly what was going on just by the way a guy touched me. It doesn’t even have to be in a romantic context like in a kiss or embrace. It could be even in a handshake or the way he hands me half his sandwich.

Sometimes less is a lot more…

 I remember meeting with someone, we had not seen each other in a few years and we went out for dinner a few times to catch up, the chemistry was still there but long story short, it was an impossible situation. I remember saying goodbye to him and he suddenly grabbed my shoulder. It was too abrupt, too sudden and he was digging into my skin too hard. I did not detect any softness, any patience in that touch. I wiggled myself out of his grip but then I realized all too clearly that I was nothing but a diversion for him. I also picked up almost instantaneously that if we were to become lovers, he would be a very selfish one. That’s when I lost all interest and realized it was a dead-end. I have since heard that he has gotten married and he cheats on his wife regularly now. Not surprised.

I remember another time when someone else lightly kissed my forehead. In that second, I could have been knocked over by a feather. It wasn’t just chemistry but there was a gentle sincerity and respect there which in itself is insanely attractive. Things didn’t work out, we were and are too different and have different dreams but I have nothing but good things to say about him, he’s a really good guy and I’m sure he’ll make the right girl very, very happy one day.

Now in the context of yoga, some of the yoga asanas can be sexual.

You’re spread out wide open, legs open, legs in the air

You’re open.

Wide legged forward bend

You’re vulnerable.

Yoganidrasna pose

A good instructor’s touch is hardly felt, they’ll usually always ask for permission to adjust you properly, they respect your boundaries and in this case your boundaries involve your own body. A bad instructor will not respect your boundaries and in the case of the more lecherous instructors I’ve observed, will be all over girls while “adjusting”. All it takes is a few classes and you’ll pick up what’s going on if you’re alert.

Yoga instructor in film “Couple’s retreat” – a bad example of adjusting.

 Now, I don’t want to make the victims of shady gurus and shady yoga instructors out to be in the wrong, and say that they should have known better and walked away earlier and bypassed the abuse. That’s like saying that women who are victims of domestic violence should have known better before getting involved with such-and-such jerk. But the promises of romantic love and fulfillment can often be as alluring as the promises of spiritual gifts and abilities and in that respect, they may not be all that different from each other.

Some gurus promise initiation or revelations of spiritual secrets and abilities if “you just listen to everything I say and do as I say.” For someone who doesn’t know any better, the glamour of spiritual specialness or of attaining what Alan Watts called “psychic technologies” (i.e bilocation, telekinesis, Enlightenment, levitation, mind-reading etc.) is too irresistable an offer to pass up.

Real spiritual initiation usually involves handing down teachings after years of study or being a student. It should NOT make you feel uncomfortable, or cornered.

Likewise some potential romantic partners may allure you with dreams of butterflies in your stomach, a  few sessions of hot, sweaty, toe-curling sex, maybe even happily ever after just as long as you follow what I call “The Script”. The Script can change from year to year, maybe it might mean sex on the first date but no later than the third. It might mean observing the highly changeable rites of courtship and following the ground rules which society at large has decided on. It might mean following the advice as featured in this month’s issue of Cosmopolitan or Details magazine.

I hate this magazine.

Both prey on the fears and on what’s lacking in one’s life and that if this one thing is not lacking anymore, we will be happy. I personally think it’s even more basic than that, it’s really about Power. That by attaining these things, we become more powerful and in control and here I have to agree with Watts completely, that power in that sense is really not something you want, especially the kind of power which involves controlling other people. When we can control other people, we basically want them to be like wooden dolls in a scenario or dream of our choosing. What makes life interesting is that wildcard factor, when we let go of that control and let things happen as they may. When people talk back to us, when last-minute changes happen.

Being in power over ourselves is OK.

Being in power over others is not.

Oh, how the mighty fall…

No, Bikram, you’re NOT sexy.

Breaking news, but it looks like Bikram Choudhury, the founder and “creator” of the hot yoga craze has now been accused of rape from two different Jane Does. You can read all the ugly details over at YogaDork or at the source itself at Courthouse News Service. I warn you, it’s an uncomfortable read because if what is claimed is true, then it really shows up what a real misogynist Bikram really is.

Some choice quotes from the testimony:

Doe No. 2 claims the grueling schedule was designed to “break down her body, will and spirit,” and brainwash her with Choudhury’s “vision and teachings.” She describes Choudhury as a combustible tyrant who orders students during classes to remain mute, and treat him “with unquestioning obedience.”
“Students are also often required to attend evening lectures, where defendant Choudhury rants on subjects including his negative views on certain races; negative views on homosexuality; the moral lassitude of Americans; his guru; his views on sex, marriage, and relationships; and whatever else he should care to talk about,” the complaint states.
Some students are pushed so hard they faint, vomit, urinate on themselves, or suffer heat strokes and seizures, Doe says in the complaint.

It gets worse…a lot worse…

“Defendant Bikram Choudhury pulled her pants down and forced her onto the bed. Plaintiff Jane Doe No.2 could not stop crying and kept begging him over and over to stop. He forced his unprotected penis in her vagina. Within moments it was over. The only thing defendant Bikram Choudhury said was, ‘How many times did you come?’ Plaintiff Jane Doe No.2 was in pain, in shock and could not speak. Defendant Bikram Choudhury then ordered plaintiff to watch him until he fell asleep,” according to the complaint.
Doe adds: “The next day during lecture, defendant Bikram Choudhury made offensive sexual comments to the whole class. It was demoralizing and humiliating. He told the plaintiff and rest of the class that when he first moved to the U.S. women raped him all the time and taught him how to have sex. Defendant Bikram Choudhury said he would have sex marathons. Then he started talking about women’s bodies and how he liked ‘pussy’ without hair on it. Defendant Bikram Choudhury said, ‘I can’t stand fat unattractive women.’ As he spoke, his voice was becoming more and more intense and his language more vulgar.’”

I feel terrible for what those two women must have have gone through in order to summon up the courage to come forward and go ahead and make this public. Having worked with victims of violent crime as a former spiritual care-giver, this is something not to take lightly particularly from the victims’ point of view. Most cases of rape go unreported because the victims (usually women) are often terrified of reprisals or of having to face the perpetrator in court and relive the painful experience. This is often compounded by the fact that the police and the judicial system are often very clinical in their approach. They’re not exactly known for their warm, fuzzy feelings, caring and nurturing when people have gone through hell.

From Rainn.org

This culture of abuse between student and “guru” in the yoga world keeps happening over and over again. My own personal take is that a big part of the problem lies within the yoga community itself. If people just withheld their dollars, many of these outfits would go under overnight. I mean when YogaDork posted the news earlier today on their FaceBook page, some of the comments underneath included the likes of:

“Two sides to every story..”
“There are 3 sides to every story…yours, theirs, and the whole damn truth. Don’t judge.”
” It’s really too bad that people are willing to destroy the man before they know the whole picture. I say he’s innocent until proven guilty.”

And to that I say:

Don’t judge?
Especially when 2 different women and a third back in March have all come forward on Bikram’s sexual harassment/abuse?

Sarah Baughn accused Bikram of sexual assault this past March.

This is what drives me nuts about the yoga community at times, it would seem in the drive to be “spiritual” or “enlightened” some people’s brains have been reduced to mush since they live in fear or being labelled “judgemental” like that’s tantamount to being labelled a child abuser. The problem is due to this fear of being labelled judgemental, they often allow some of their own moral compasses to slide and not necessarily in the correct direction.

Take this comment for instance from the same aforementioned FaceBook thread:

“I don’t even care. I will continue to go to my Bikram studio and do the yoga that works for me and that has changed my entire life for the better. I don’t need to agree with the supposed “founder” to get the benefits from my yoga studio. I love my teachers and do not feel any of the corruption that I read about Bikram. I feel love, compassion, and true caring. Bikram is not the one who has changed my life…my studio and instructors are. I take solace in the fact that I don’t actually give any money to him but instead get paid to do laundry AND free yoga.” (it got 28″Likes”)

What this poster fails to see, no doubt, in her blind drive for “love, compassion and true caring” and “free yoga” is that she’s certainly not showing any love, compassion and true caring whatsoever to the victims here of what is essentially a criminal and violent act and instead by continuing to frequent Bikram studios, has sided with the guilty party and is helping to augment the name, the brand and the organization.

Bikram logo.

I understand that there is something called moral relativism. What may be right for one person can be completely wrong for someone else given the context, life circumstance etc. However, I do think at some point a line has to be drawn in the sand particularly when abuse and violence come into play. And rape is violence, no matter how you cut it.
That’s just, plain unacceptable.

A Real Spiritual Warrior has taken his fight to the next level

Stuart Wilde

Sept. 24 1946 ~ May 1, 2013

It is with deep, deep sadness that I just found out that spiritual teacher, writer, shaman and all around bon vivante Stuart Wilde has crossed over to continue his fight against the ghouls in the Aluna World as he called it.

I check his website everyday so I couldn’t understand why nothing had been updated since May 1st and its only after I checked out Zen Haven’s site that I found out that Stuie suffered a massive heart attack on May 1st during a scenic drive in his beloved Ireland and has left this side of the realm and has taken his fight against the Dark Side to the next level.

I’ve always heard that the good go first and this regretfully proves it. I know Stuart read my blog sometimes and I often got a lot of my ideas from reading his. His contribution, his words, his encouragement to those just starting on their spiritual journey were incalculable. I will miss him and his gentle humor greatly. I think he will be one of the fiercest warriors on the other side. If he can fight there, then we can all hold our end of the deal and fight here.

This complete repost from Lala Rukh on Zen Haven’s website says it all and expresses my sentiments exactly.

Below that, I have re-posted Augureye Express’s post

Godspeed Stuie!

——————————————————————————————

“If You Can’t Handle Your Own Death, This Life Will Torment You” (SW)

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Lala RukhAuthor: Lala Rukh

Two years ago with these words my life began and so did my love affair with Stuart Wilde. I’ve lived on the fringes as far as memory serves me, I travelled far and wide and often on a road less travelled, lived in different countries, fit in nowhere, stranger among my own family and friends, tormented by fear and alienation and emptiness.

I struggled, rebelled and was desperate to find meaning to all this, my own alienation and the cruelty in the world around me. I read the works of countless new age gurus, religions and was often disgusted by their spiritual elitism and night after night of praying to the ‘deaf gods’ I finally stumbled upon the teachings of Stuart Wilde.

Every day first thing in the morning as a humble disciple I was on stuartwilde.com; hungry for his wisdom, his teachings, his humor and his insights. Even if you are “thick as two planks”, his style of teaching will smack you in the head and make you realize that you possess far more power than you ever realized, the silent power.

“Happiness is relative. The further you get away from your relatives, the happier you are!”

He taught me observation is power and judgment is weakness. He taught me to laugh at myself and be proud of being dysfunctional and liberate from negative thoughts emotions and the daily grind. He taught me there’s light and dark in everyone and that free will is dangerous.

“Learn to trust feelings as they come from inner knowledge.” Finally I realized that even though I was born on the wrong planet, I was lucky to have found a true mentor and guide.

“Refuse to be scared in this life time”

His humor uplifted me on my darkest days.

“Imagine you’re on a plane that’s going to crash, What’s the worst thing that can happen? If you’re in economy, you’ll instantly be upgraded to first class, then you’ll die… Goood! Now you’re liberated”

I was especially touched by his genuine love for his readers, his free gifts to his faithful A-List members, like the St. John Worts seeds, prayer cards, horse stickers, prayers and recordings.

His untimely death has left a massive void, I regret that I never met  Mr Wilde or had the privilege to shake his hands and to tell him how much his teachings and writings saved and helped me. I’m comforted that he will always be around through his timeless teachings.

Rest in Peace Mr Wilde “Let me pray for your protection from afar”

Sincerely,

Lala Rukh
A Warrior and A Fringe Dweller

———————————————————————————————-

Stuart Wilde ~ A Warrior Crosses Over

Stuart Wilde

Sept. 24 1946 ~ May 1, 2013

Although we never met, your energy and spirit have been a constant part of my spiritual path for many years, and will continue to do so regardless of whatever realm you may reside in.  Back when I was struggling to understand my place in this world, your light showed me that it’s OK to be a fringe dweller; and that we don’t always get to know the answers we seek.

They say that when the student is ready the master will appear, and that is just how you came into my life with such observations as, “If you cannot say it in 25 words or less, it’s not the God Force.“  Although I gained great knowledge from the various books I encountered before yours, You were the first one to show me how to incorporate that wisdom in my everyday life…the way of the shaman.

Each time my spiritual progress brought me to unexplored territory; there you were showing me the lay of the land, and the way of things from that point on.  You were my trail blazer, my deep recon warrior scout.  Because you knew the way, having been there ahead of me; I knew I would be OK out there on the fringes, just so long as I could see and feel your light.

At one time I think I had the complete set of your little wisdom pocket books, Infinite Self, Silent Power, Miracles, and all the others: but they each traveled onward with other fringe dwellers seeking their way; it’s what I think you intended for them…not to be mute wisdom collecting dust up on some shelf.  You taught me that what other people think of me is none of my business, and that the universe doesn’t count how many times we fall down…only the times we rise up and have another go at it.  From you I learned my true power, and how to deal with psychic attacks from the dark brothers in dark robes.  Warrior, path finder, light house, teacher and healer; you journeyed around the wheel of life, always in service to others.

They say that nobody ever really dies so long as they live on in the memories of those they touched.  But you see Stu, I don’t consider you as having died, it’s too soon, the grief too much to bear at times, so I’m telling myself you just went on ahead to scout the undiscovered country for me, and I know that no matter how dark the coming days may be, your light will never fade from my heart, and never fail to guide me on my way home.

“Spirituality is the act of becoming more normal

and eventually disappearing completely.”

  ~Stuart Wilde~

Travel well my Brother, shine on….

“The light at the end of tunnel was just fine and dandy,

 it was the tunnel at the end of the light that bothered me.”

 ~Stuart Wilde~

“I traveled three million miles to sixty two countries, 
I found a sweetness there. 
I left before my luck changed.” 
~Stuart Wilde~

A song for Stuart

“The trick to money is having some. If you raise your energy people will be pulled to you, when they show up, bill ‘em.”
 ~Stuart Wilde~

Life on earth: “Lovely place, shame about the people!”
~Stuart Wilde~

“Nurturing a ‘nostalgia for eternity’ redeems your soul for it carries you silently towards the light even in the darkest times.”

~Stuart Wilde~

“Before I was born one of the Beings asked me how did I feel about coming back to the earth plane? I replied, 
“I didn’t mind as long as I had a womb with a view.”

              ~Stuart Wilde~

* * * * * * * * *

“I tried to tell people the truth about life, their shadow, dimensions, the ghouls and the inner worlds, it was a disaster, they got uptight and attacked me, so I got Khris Krepcik at thehoodedsage.com
to tell them instead. “Genius move Stuie.”

~Stuart Wilde~

~Some of Stuart’s Wisdom~

http://www.stuartwilde.com/2013/05/at-the-window-of-tomorrow/

http://www.stuartwilde.com/2013/04/what-if-peace-breaks-out/

http://www.stuartwilde.com/2013/04/armageddon-wars-in-the-inner-worlds/

http://www.stuartwilde.com/2013/04/how-the-matrix-is-dying/

http://zen-haven.com/the-two-evolutions/

http://www.stuartwilde.com/2012/10/protection-2/

http://www.stuartwilde.com/audio/meditation/avalon-protection-prayer/http://www.stuartwilde.com/2013/03/the-subhuman-evolutions/

http://www.stuartwilde.com/sw-products/warriors-prayer-card/http://zen-haven.com/how-does-it-all-end-sw/

Yoga with Alan Watts

Apologies Shifters for not posting very much these last few weeks.

3 weeks ago we had a surprise snowstorm of 10cm and now we’re having +27 °C  (81 degrees for the Americans), weather and constant sunshine comparable to July’s weather. Montrealers are outside everyday in force, myself included. It was a long, hard, cold winter and this balmy spring leaves little inclination to stay indoors and write very much.

The riverfront bikepath a stone’s throw away from my neighborhood.

I’m very lucky in that I live in an amazing neighborhood of Montreal which is literally steps away from the riverside. This affords me to see ducks, Canada geese, beavers, foxes, muskrats, turtles and snakes while I either walk or jog along the river banks among the weeping willows and tall grasses.

Path along the riverside

Because of the insane weather we’ve been having, I’ve started to do my yoga practice outside in the morning as the sun rises.

No, that’s not me, and that’s not my park but you get the idea.

…but more like here. (photo from Walking Turcot Yards)

Normally I do my practice in silence. I’m not one for flashy props and special effects which is why I don’t get the whole acro-yoga, trance-dance yoga and aerial yoga craze which I see everywhere these days. I’m sure they have their benefits… but it seems more like gymnastics and acrobatics than yoga per se.

Is this really yoga? I dunno…

Anyway, I’ve started doing my practice outdoors and have started to do them while listening to the talks of the late, great Zen master and teacher Alan Watts and the combination of the two just seems to click for me. It may not for others, but I just found my equivalent of wild strawberries and fresh cream.

Watts, for those of you who have never heard of him or know very little about him, was a weird and wonderful spiritual teacher who made Zen Buddhism accessible to all.

Alan Watts

Friends with the likes of Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell, Watts did much of his teaching in the San Francisco area back in the 1950′s,60′s and early 70′s and spent much time with alternative thinkers especially at his Sausalito houseboat and cabin home in the delightfully named Druid Heights near Mount Tamalpais, over on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County.

Give a listen to any of Watts talks on YouTube (they number in the hundreds now) and you’ll quickly realize that Zen wasn’t the only thing which Watts tackled. His talks weave religious history, concepts from Hinduism and Taoism, philosophy, the nature of consciousness and humor effortlessly. Watts died quite young in middle age, unfortunately his womanizing and hard-drinking finally caught up to him.

What I think stands out about Watts, like Joseph Campbell, is that he’s a real teacher. They’ll never tell you what to do in your life. In fact, they’re against that sort of thing on principle, unlike way too many “gurus” and “spiritual seers” I’ve either met or read about in the whole New Age/spirituality racket who are only too eager to exert control or show off their influence. Rather, they’ll help you remember what you’re really all about and leave the trail of cosmic breadcrumbs so that you can guide yourself out of the woods on your own. That’s the way it should be.

Here’s a fun piece of Watts work, interpreted by the creators of “South Park”.
You don’t need to do yoga to get Watts either.
Enjoy.

May 2013 Astrological Outlook

From Carl Boudreau’s YouTube channel:

May 2013 will be suffused with a revolutionary impulse, a desire to completely remake the world, at the top and at the grassroots level. The impulse will alost surely give rise to dysfunctional and antisocial behavior, but it will also bring profound and substantive discussions among decision-makers and trend-setters. Deep reforms are inevitable. Guess which one will dominate the headlines. However, it is a disquieting vibe and will probably only increase overall levels of stress and unrest.

 

9 reasons why the current yoga scene can be likened to Gwyneth Paltrow (Take a freakin’ chill-pill, this is a Rant)

You know how there are some celebrities we just love to hate?

Not because we’re all envious or anything, we hate them because it’s fun! They’re either so obnoxious, self-involved or nonsensical that they invite disdain and derision because of the things they say and do.

Case in point: Gwyneth Paltrow.

Gwynnie-poo (from people.com)

I don’t know what it is about her that brings out the inner bitch of just about every gal I know. I don’t think it’s because she’s thin, rich, white and blonde and married to a rock star. I could describe Charlize Theron (or Kate Hudson) in the same way, but Charlize has a bit of an edge to her which I think makes her cool.

Another classic Hollywood blonde: Charlize Theron

Charlize also comes from a bit of a dodgy family background which makes her a badass for having survived it and coming out ahead.

Gwynnie-poo on the other hand has had a silver spoon firmly ensconced between the cheeks of her “butt of a 22 year old stripper” (her words not mine) and everything given to her on a silver platter from Day 1.
I also think Charlize is much prettier that Gwynnie-poo.  In fact, I think there are many other high-profile acting sisters in the same age group who are prettier, full of more substance AND smarter than Gwynnie-poo and deserve more screen time than her.

(Gents: this is the one and only time I’m going to post girly photos here for your viewing pleasure. Ladies: My point is that beauty can show up in equal amounts of brains AND comes in all colors )

Like Monica Bellucci,

Italian beauty Monica Bellucci, with classical features and the figure of a Roman goddess, Monica is not only beautiful but smart as well. Did you know she studied law at the University of Perugia before going into modelling?

Salma Hayek,

Salma Hayek is of Spanish and Lebanese descent, and fluent in Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese and English

Thandie Newton,

Thandie Newton read Anthropology at Cambridge

Rosamund Pike,

Statuesque blonde bombshell with the complexion of an English Rose, Rosamund Pike studied English lit at Oxford.

Lisa Ray,

Half Bengali-half Polish Canadian actress Lisa Ray academically excelled in high school and finished 5 years of high school in 4.

Sophie Marceau,

Classic French beauty, former Bond girl Sophie Marceau is not only an actress, but she produces, directs and also is an author.

Ludivine Sagnier,

French actress Ludivine Sagnier, usually plays sexpots, but she had enough brains to stay away from the Hollywood machine.

Eva Green,

Another French actress and Bond Girl Eva Green has features which belong on an ancient Roman coin or Greek statue. She hates shopping and has also nixed Hollywood.

Mylène Jampanoï,

Another bi-racial beauty, half French, half Chinese actress Mylène Jampanoï

And as for figures, while I agree clothes do hang very well on Gwynnie, she’s really nothing more than a clothes hanger…

Gwynnie wearing a Tom Ford creation at the Oscars in 2012 and trying to channel Grace Kelly.

…I still don’t think that kind of slenderness defined by the fashion world is very attractive.

Rather,  IMHO, women should strive to *BE*, first and foremost, HEALTHY and STRONG, say like the Brazilian National Women’s Olympic beach volleyball team for instance..

That’s the way to do it Ladies! Maria Antonelli and Talita Rocha looking strong, healthy and feminine, curves, muscles and all.

…but I’m getting off-track here so on with the list….

1) The yoga scene is usually all about being thin, white and privileged.
Yoga: While things are slowly changing and awareness is definitely increasing, classes like queer yoga or curvy yoga are now popping up in many cities and there are now amazing Facebook groups as well as many great yoga blogs which are discussing these issues head-on, all of which are about making yoga more accessible to all, there is still unfortunately a long way to go. Average mean income of most yoga practitioners is around $75 000/year, far above the national average income level with many practitioners who are college educated with post-graduate degrees. Many of the younger girls I’ve come across could give a rat’s ass about the spiritual aspects or deeper health benefits of yoga but instead just want to get really lean and thin, mostly to get a boyfriend or a husband. Many instructors and studios are still failing to make visible, sexual and economic minorities and women with larger body-types welcome in the studio.

Gwynnie-poo: Gwyneth Paltrow is the walking definition of thin, white and privileged. Born into Hollywood royalty, her father was a TV producer of shows like “St. Elsewhere”, her mother is of Philadelphia Main Line stock and a thespian in her own right.  Gwynnie’s bi-coastal upbringing included Thanksgivings which were usually spent with the likes of Steven Spielberg in the Hamptons, going to the elitist Spence School of NYC and spending summers in Spain. She spends 14 hours a week working out with sketchy celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson and unabashedly boasts about using nothing less that $60 olive oil. There is nothing normal, accessible or grounded about her at all which normal, working women can ever relate to.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s at-home private studio. She had a separate building built just to work out.

2) The yoga scene is full of instructors who sprout one thing on the mat yet live a totally different reality off the mat and somehow make the whole thing OK.
Yoga: Ubiquitous yogilebrity Elena Brower, a well-known instructor from the Anusara “tradition” admits that she smokes. This is after her going on ad nauseum about the beauty of yoga, about the beauty of a breath, about the beauty of health, blah, blah, blah.

Gwynnie-poo: Gwynnie waxes lyrical constantly about the importance of her workout, her instructor, her diet  and buying the most expensive food possible. In fact her latest cookbook, ” It’s All Good: Delicious, Easy Recipes that Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great” is all about eating a vegan, low-carb, gluten-free lactose-intolerant diet. No coffee, dairy, alcohol, sugar, shellfish, potatoes, tomatoes, bell pepper, eggplant, corn, wheat, meat, soy or anything processed.  And how French Fries nearly killed her. Then she dropped a bomb last week when she admitted that she looks forward to her weekly Saturday night cigarette. Um…Gwynnie, do you understand why that would make some people upset?

You’re a real role model, Gwynnie!

3) The yoga scene and living the “yoga lifestyle” can be expensive
Yoga: Like I mentioned earlier, yoga caters to mostly those people who are affluent. Yoga studio unlimited memberships are about $1200 per year in my city. Lululemon pants run at about $90 each. Designer mats can be as high as $100. And then you have to factor in the seasonal cleanses, the retreats to exotic locations like Bali or Tulum ($4000), the Vitamix blender for your juices and smoothies ($750), the regular colonics ($80 a poop), the membership in CSA farms ($250 /12 weeks) and the time itself to daily practice. It adds up quickly. It’s cheaper to become a Jain monk and get the same results.

Gwynnie-poo: One only has to visit Gwyneth’s “lifestyle” blog and online magazine “Goop” and read a couple of articles particularly about what to buy, what to eat and where to visit to realize that this is a magazine which should only be in private circulation among other Hollywood actresses, billionaire heiresses and vulgar wives of Russian oligarchs since they are the only ones who will EVER be able to afford this “lifestyle”.

Gwynnie’s gourmet kitchen at her new $10 million dollar digs in L.A

4) The yoga scene can be out of touch from reality (borderline delusional actually)
Yoga: No, I can’t eat kale everyday and I don’t want to. I especially can’t afford to shell out 5 times the going rate of “normal” kale for kale that’s been grown biodynamically on fertile volcanic soil in Hawaii which has then been blessed by a shaman under a full moon which is then supposed to give me more ‘healing” nutrients. I can’t and I won’t so kindly fuck off.

Gwynnie-poo: The latest edition of Goop! included Spring 2013 fashion “essentials” which comes out to a whopping $450 000. Almost half a mill, folks. That’s just clothes. For one person. For one season. Seriously. With that kind of cash, you can dress practically everyone in Mozambique and Bangladesh. Combined. For life. For real.

Gwynnie’s everyday punk look (from goop.com)

5) The yoga scene can sometimes espouse a strange diet.
Yoga: A quote from Chris Rock,

“We got so much food in America we’re allergic to food. Allergic to food! Hungry people ain’t allergic to shit. You think anyone in Rwanda’s got a fucking lactose intolerance?!”

Let me expand this to ask why is it that EVERYONE in the yoga scene nowadays seems to be lactose-intolerant, gluten intolerant, with allergies to wheat, rice, sugar, honey, coffee, dairy, alcohol, shellfish, potatoes, tomatoes, bell pepper, eggplant, corn, meat, soy, nuts, grass, trees, air and sunshine?  While I agree having serious allergies is no laughing matter and following a vegetarian diet because of  strict ethical, moral and religious reasons because it’s a part of your being is admirable, I wonder how many people are making up their allergies or becoming vegans because it’s the cool thing to do? What you decide to put into your stomach is your own business and responsibility but personally,  I have to side with global bad-assed foodie Anthony Bourdain , that it is a construct coming out of too much affluence and predicated largely by rich, white kids who want to come across as doing something fashionable because being vegan is now fashionable “Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans … are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit. They make for bad travelers and bad guests. The notion that before you even set out to go to Thailand, you say, ‘I’m not interested,’ or you’re unwilling to try things that people take so personally and are so proud of and so generous with, I don’t understand that, and I think it’s rude. You’re at Grandma’s house, you eat what Grandma serves you. I don’t have any understanding of it. Being a vegan is a first-world phenomenon, completely self-indulgent.”

Anthony Bourdain, a real global foodie citizen

Gwynnie-poo: Tinseltown blogger Perez Hilton summed it up best:

While we’re all for healthy children, we’re not so sure if leaving them hungry is the best thing! What kind of childhood is that?? Gwyneth Paltrow’s diet is SO STRICT that she admits sometimes her family is left hungry by her restrictions! BOOO! In her new cookbook called It’s All Good, all is most definitely not good, and she details the food she doesn’t let her kids have, like grains:

“Every single nutritionist, doctor and health-conscious person I have ever come across . . . seems to concur that [gluten] is tough on the system and many of us are at best intolerant of it and at worst allergic to it.”

We’re not so sure about that. We’ve written countless times on how a gluten-free diet is only really good for those who have celiac’s disease, otherwise you could be doing more harm than good! Then, she admits, the diet is not satisfying to her family:

“Sometimes when my family is not eating pasta, bread or processed grains like white rice, we’re left with that specific hunger that comes with avoiding carbs.”

That’s such a bummer. We have to be honest here. We’ve always been under the impression that moderation is key, so we’re okay with limiting the amount of processed and carb intake, but we also realize that kids need to be kids — which most definitely includes the happiness of treats from time to time, and to not have to go through childhood hungry! Being extreme with your kids is not how you get well-rounded and happy children!

Gwynnie’s new book.
(Photo: Raphael Brion/Eater)

6) The yoga scene can be pretentious
Yoga: Chanting for 45 minutes then pranayama work for another 30 minutes then 1 hour yoga practice and then posting all about it as your Facebook status. Sure. Whatever. Knock yourself out, Buddy.

Gwynnie-poo: Just go check out Goop!. No. Like seriously. Better yet, read the post when Gwyneth talks about meditation and though she doesn’t know how to do it, but because it’s “brilliant”, so it’s time she took it up.

You can do it Gwynnie! Just make sure you don’t get your Jimmy Choo’s wet while you get into the water.

7) The yoga scene is full of instructors dispensing medical diagnoses, half of whom have never even taken an anatomy course
Yoga: “Can’t do balancing handstands because of tight shoulders or triangle pose because of a slipped disk? Do more yoga! It solves everything “—> something I once heard a yoga instructor who shall remain nameless say after class one day.

Gwynnie-poo: In the intro. of her new book, Gwyneth describes an incident where she self-diagnosed herself as having a stroke in 2011, after having lunch in her London home’s garden. As it turns out, she was having a migraine headache and a panic attack AT THE SAME TIME. Here’s what she said about it:
“One sunny afternoon in London, in the spring of 2011, I thought — without sounding overly dramatic — that I was going to die. I had just served lunch in the garden at home . . . I had a vague feeling that I was going to faint, and I wasn’t forming thoughts correctly. I got a searing pain in my head, I couldn’t speak, and I felt as if I couldn’t breathe. I thought I was having a stroke.”

Gwynnie after she fainted, lounging on the divan…(Photo: Vanity Fair)

8) The yoga scene wants to come across as “hardcore” or “badassed”…but isn’t.
Yoga: Sadie Nardini. Nuff said.
Gwynnie-poo: A nine-course tasting menu is NOT “punk rock”.

Both of you seriously need to get a clue.

9) The yoga scene can get “old” very quickly.
Yoga: How much Krisha Das do I need to listen to, bushels of kale I have to eat, and conversations I need to have with people who do nothing but navel-gaze before I become a “yogi”? Is there a support group for recovering vegans? Recovering Yogi’s website shows that I’m far from the only one harboring these thoughts.

Gwynnie-poo: Gwyneth, do you realize that you’re one of the most disliked Hollywood stars in the world? Do you realize that being everywhere, doing everything and bragging about it all to the entire world endears you to no one? Stop being so obnoxious and start being a little more humble, take it down a notch and take a back-seat sometime. It’ll do wonders for your image. And your “heart condition” too…

An experiment in Earth Healing

This enchanting house is located on an island called Elliðaey near Vestmannaeyjar, a small archipelago off the south coast of Iceland. In 2000 the house was given to singer, Bjork from her motherland as a “Thank You” for putting Iceland on the international map.

I have seen signs. The end of the world as we know it has begun. Don’t panic. It might look terrifying on the surface, but inside every human being is a choice to act out of fear or love. Earth is calling. God is calling. Sky is calling. Creation is calling. Wake up. Wake up now. Generate the capacity for love, for compassion in your heart. Now is the time to yield to the call of growth, to the call of action. You, you are the change makers. Sleepers of all ages, wake up. Wake up now.

- Poem by Icelandic Parliamentarian and WikiLeaks representative, Birgitta Jónsdóttir, on “Democracy Now!” (at 14:58)

Like I posted in one of my very first blog-posts  Iceland is indeed proving itself to be a high-frequency consciousness country over and over again. This is a country that had the foresight to jail their bankers who created the financial meltdown of 2008, then forgave every one of their debt. The result that they are now one of the most financially robust economies in the world. More recently, Iceland has decided to push legislation against internet pornography because of the damaging effects it has on women in the industry as well as the scarring if little-understood effects it has on children who are exposed to this material before they are ready to handle it.

Then I watched the recent interview with   Birgitta Jónsdóttir on “Democracy Now!” linked above and I thought to myself “*THIS* is the kind of politician we need everywhere folks. Now.”

Birgitta Jónsdóttir – Class Act

Can you ever imagine you local politician ever writing something like her poem and then reading it out loud in front of a political prisoner’s jail? None around my neck of the woods, that’s for sure…One of the things I’ve always admired about the Nordic and Scandinavian countries is this very pragmatic outlook they have on things. They don’t give a rat’s ass about politics or stepping on some billionaire or politician’s toes but rather ask “Does this work?” and if it does, employ it and get rid of whatever doesn’t.

Did you know that Iceland grow their own bananas in their greenhouses because it’s cheaper to do so than to import them from overseas? Also the fact that the island is volcanic and geothermally active ensures they have all the cheap heat they need. (Do you see any agro-business or oil companies having a fit now?)

 A few weeks ago Waking Times posted a very interesting article on “How We Create Reality”. Normally, I have a hard time digesting magical thinking and can’t tolerate stuff like “The Secret” or books like those by Og Mandino.

No. Just no.

However this article was a little different in that it addressed how to actually negate poor self-image and also the fact that what other people think of us does end up affecting us, which is why it’s important to drop those frenemies and surround yourself with people who really do have your best interests at heart, an important point which many of these New Age pot boilers fail to mention.

Gwynnie-poo and Madonna, classic frenemies, any wonder why they don’t hang together anymore?

I then thought about  Birgitta’s  poem and what effect , if any, there could be if indeed many people, instead of focusing on complicated systems and complicated daydream scenarios or visions lasting 20 minutes, instead repeatedly focused on one simple image, like the article suggests.

Would it really change anything?

So Shifters, here’s a simple experiment for you, should you want to join in (if you don’t, that’s cool too).

Here’s an innocent image below, all it is a vision of a Tibetan Mandala. Specifically, the Mandala of Auspicious Beginnings . In Mahayana Buddhism, the ideal is the Bodhisattva, one who has taken the vow to become a Buddha, an enlightened one. The maṇḍala, a symbol of the universe in Buddhist cultures, depicts the three great Bodhisattvas who represent the power, wisdom, and compassion of the Buddhas. This maṇḍala was  to invoke the blessings of the Bodhisattvas.
Don’t think about how-tos, wherefores, whys or what-ifs  or any of the rest. Just commit the image to memory and remember it as vividly as you can and remember it several times a day, even for a second or two.  Share it with as many people as you want.

It’s just an experiment, let’s just see where this goes, shall we ?