Pearls Before Whine

“Every pearl has its oyster.” - Randall Jarrell



I don’t believe in coincidence. I’ve gotten myself into quite a few prolonged conversations on that point; but the fact remains, for myself, there is only synchronicity and wisdom hidden amongst the layers of daily experience. It’s only up to us to look for them.



Maybe it’s all just loony-bin material. But I can’t speak for the skeptical side of this tendency. I can only wonder at the lack of imagination, the lack of desire for discernment and greater truths; the lack of stunned amazement of life and its diversity. I also wonder at the admirable height of arrogance that makes one believe the only reality is the one we can see. It’s not about right or wrong; to me, it’s just a decision one makes. True or not, I believe one can either choose to pay attention and look for opportunities towards growth and wisdom, or settle into the mindset that it’s all random, and solely based on our own intellectual or emotional chemical synapses, thereby perhaps missing messages and pathways that might otherwise speak to us on levels of consciousness untried.



That said, it’s not always easy to discern one’s own particular path. There are a multitude of subtle layers to this sensibility, and it’s takes practice to recognize them. The world and all its daemons continues to tempt one into false promises, illusions and mixed messages. So it’s not always immediately apparent, of course, where one is headed or exactly how things will play out. That’s why in Surfing the Tao one must rely on the strength and power of the wave to carry us over. There’s a certain amount of trust involved; at least we know we have the wave to ride. Unlike true ocean waves, the Tao is always perfectly available and present.



My own path has recently led me across literally heaps and heaps of pearls. Pearls of every shape, color and variety. Huge black Tahitian pearls; strands and strands of them. Perfectly round ones, and astonishing circled and baroque ones. Gorgeous white, gold, silver and pink South Sea pearls, bigger than gum balls, which virtually emit their own light. Miles and miles of freshwater pearls, from the tiniest to the largest they come, in nearly every shade of the rainbow. Mabe pearls. Blister pearls. Teardrop pearls, coin pearls, petal pearls, tile pearls and keshi pearls. I’ve learned to string them, pushing tiny knots of thread tightly between each precious gem for safety, with your choice of clasp.



The irony is, I’ve never been much of a jewelry person myself. My husband laughs because he says I am the only wife who says, please don’t buy me any more jewelry. It’s too expensive, and I won’t wear it. The only exceptions are pieces my own father has lovingly and expertly crafted over the years – and my wedding ring of course, though there are no big diamonds on my fingers. I also have one particular amulet I can’t live without so no matter how dressed up I get, it stays around my neck. I don’t care much about fashion, to the amusement of my mom and stepdaughters. I’m more a creature of habit. So it’s particularly noteworthy when these luminescent, dazzling orbs begin to enter my consciousness so fully, so unexpectedly.



Pearls are found in nearly every religious tradition, with many various symbologies and parables. The “pearl of great price” was a metaphor used by Jesus to describe the Kingdom of Heaven. Bits of wisdom are inevitably referred to as “pearls.” We are reminded not to “cast pearls before swine.” There are the Pearly Gates. Also the Hymn of the Pearl. Pearls are often mentioned in the Koran. Hindus relate to the Nine Pearls. New Age and metaphysical references are many and varied. I was tickled to find out the largest pearl in the world is claimed to be the Pearl of Lao Tzu, which comes replete with its own legend and controversy.



The spiritual significance of this opportunity that fell out of the sky recently is not lost on me. The very reason I am swimming in pearls is because of necessity, a situation I know many share during these unusually challenging economic times. And of course such situations also often bring emotional turmoil; such is the way of the fallible human spirit, unless already greatly trained against outside tension. But I realize, through this perhaps ponderously obvious example which has been laid in my path, that I must allow the relatively tiny irritants to enter in, so that with love, I may also build up the layers and layers of lustrous nacre to protect against future challenges. As in the case of so many delicate sea pearls, with their giant Maxima shells the size of dinner plates, many baby pearls are lost. It may take several tries to get a good one, and it’s why they are so rare and highly valued. But eventually, after several years of persistence, the perfect, glistening sphere is born.



“Errors, like straws, upon the surface flow; he who would search for pearls must dive below. “ -John Dryden

Surfing Quetzalcoatl

Journalist Daniel Pinchbeck, self-proclaimed cynic and son of Beatnik parents, transversed the realms of the psychic and the psychedelic, as well as his own personal drama, to bring us his version of the Eschaton in his book 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl. His scholarly prose is punctuated with radical, apocalyptic refrains which underscore his own revelations as to the immanent arrival of something both terrifying and wonderful. If he is correct, our near future contains the potential for both catastrophe and conscious enlightenment, a view I happen to share to some extent.



Whether this transformation will occur in one simultaneous event on December 21, 2012 remains to be seen. However Mr. Pinchbeck threw himself to the wolves in this book, revealing not just his own relationship issues, self-doubt and twisted shamanic journeys, but a full-on prophetic experience of Quetzalcoatl himself and a vision of our future perhaps only a very small handful of people are willing to consider.



He calls this book an “extravagant thought experiment”, explaining his dual lines of investigation from philosophical groundwork to his own “process of discovery”, which led us from psychedelic trips all over the world, to crop circles, alien abduction, occult manifestations, time vs. consciousness theory, global environmental and economic collapse, and back to his own frustrating and comparatively two-dimensional Manhattan habitat. Through these various means, he points out our general unwillingness as a species, in these post-modern times, to recognize the ever-increasing void of spiritual awareness; our cultural blinders have rendered us more or less incapable of recognizing the signs of our own imminent demise, which come to us through journeys into a level of consciousness few seem prepared to take.



While his writings and experiences differ greatly in style, organization, and attitude, I found the skeletal framework somehow reminiscent of my own, as if there were some great field of knowledge to be tapped into whose messages are passed on through one’s own particular experience, research, circumstances, filters, lexicon, allegory, etc. – the flesh, as it were. Granted, the subject matter stems from the same genre, though our intentions are arguably dissimilar; however I couldn’t help but notice how much of this work resonated with my own in Surfing the Tao. After much agonizing over whether to share what I found to be synchronous lines of thought, I have decided to note some here humbly, knowing my own self-published, obscure volume will likely only make it into a handful of minds. I ask the reader not to misinterpret the following as any folly of ego; I recognize my own small work can never be compared to Pinchbeck’s literary talent, however critiqued he may be. I do this only in the spirit of noticing how similarly the Tao can touch the thought patterns of an open mind and heart, and that the synchronicity of it all could raise a few eyebrows as to what may or may not be truer than we realize…



DP: “Throughout my early life and into my thirties, I lacked a metaphysical view of any sort.” (p. 19) AVM: “For the first thirty-odd years of my life, I wandered in ignorance.” (p. vii)



DP: “…I concluded, sadly, that our current civilization is not a machine built to last. (p.8) AVM: “As time and technology progresses, general knowledge is actually regressing…A system based on money instead of love will eventually falter.” (p.7)



DP: “…the modern materialist sees myth as antiquated and simpleminded – at best, metaphoric or symbolic.” (pp. 9-11) AVM: “..we have been taught to think of the ‘gods’ as mythological or symbolic…”(p. 31)



DP: “…a text can only act as a scaffolding of concepts, a ladder for others to climb.” (p. 15) AVM: ““Though some texts can be used to help guide us, no one ever entered the actual ascended state through the pages of a book.” (p. 210)



DP: “Real knowledge of what I am saying must be earned, and lived, by each individual, in his or her own way.” (p. 15) AVM: “This is a highly personal experience…little things will pop up in everyday life that will start to ‘prove’ it to each person in their own way.” (p. 14)



DP: “Few of us have time to make our own investigation of such abstruse realms as psychic research – and why would be bother, when our ‘experts’ assure us they have the situation wrapped up?” (p. 38) AVM: “…those who control the leading educational and intellectual institutions of our day have settled on the general public view of non-supernatural evolution…Many would rather accept the lives they have been taught…and not bother with anything more.” (p. 5)



DP: “…modern physicists…were surprised…[to find] that matter was largely composed of empty space. At this quantum level, physicists discovered that their attempts to measure the phenomena they were studying affected that phenomena…” (p. 47-8) AVM: “…inside an atom, there really isn’t any substance at all; just tiny sparks of energy…physicists are surprised to discover you can’t measure sub-atomic activity without influencing it.” (p. 15)



DP: “I found that attuning myself to synchronicities…required the development of a kind of intuitive skill…some of these synchronicities involved conjunctions between personal episodes and world events that seemed to me both numinous and inexplicable.” (p. 55) AVM: “My life became filled with so many bizarre synchronicities and small daily miracles that few people would even believe them.” (p. vii)



DP: “It is only as a fully self-reflective individual consciousness that one can make the choice, out of free will, to reconcile with the Divine, through sacrifice, or supercession, of the ego.” (p. 117) AVM: “Choose love: use your free will to seek His will, and soon it will coincide with your own and your life will be truly blessed.” (p. 20)



DP: “In the popular culture of our secular age, the gods, demigods, fairies and gnomes of the old mythic realm have returned as extraterrestrials.” (p. 121) AVM: “Author John A. Keel wrote in his work Operation Trojan horse, “The UFO manifestations seem to be, by and large merely minor variations of the age-old demonological phenomenon.” (p. 50)



DP: “According to this hypothesis, Christ ‘redeems’ us only when we follow his lead. We still have to save our own souls.” (p. 117) AVM: “It is a bit of a paradox – we must first save ourselves, by refusing to be fearful, and maintaining a positive state of mind.” (p. 199)



DP: “Our conventional notion of history, like our conventional understanding of space and time, supports a linear, evolutionary and causally deterministic view of events.” (p. 189) AVM: “Most people alive today probably think our world is just the result of natural evolution…” (p. 1)



DP: “As represented in the Tai Chi symbol, one pole does not negate its antipode, but reflects and includes it.” (p.209) AVM: “Yin and yang are not opposites – yinyang is the essence of the oneness of all things.” (p. 28)



DP: “The superstrings, quantum jumps, and wormholes through space-time described by contemporary physicists might prove the basis for shamanic techniques of visiting other realms…” (p. 245) AVM: “The passageways between [black and/or white holes] are referred to as wormholes, gateways through space/time…This concept mirrors our ancients’ views about our reality [re. origins of ‘the gods’.]” (p.42)



DP: “’EVERYTHING IS SAFE IN GOD’S HANDS.’ This telegraphed answer [to a question regarding the fate of humanity] was startling – and reassuring…It has liberated me from fear and anxiety.” (p. 259) AVM: “God’s plan is great but complicated…only know that He loves us and everything will be ok in the end…Stop worrying…never give in to fear.” (pp. 250-1)



DP: “As it says in the Tao Te Ching, ‘Non-Tao is short-lived.” (p. 375) AVM: “’That which goes against the Tao comes to an early end.’ - Lao Tzu” (p. 14)



DP: “Such a shift would not be the ‘end of the world,’ but the end of a world, and the opening of the next.” (p. 15) AVM: “Far from being the end of everything, this event could trigger our ascension into a higher realm…” (p. 249)



But whereas many of my own thoughts seem mirrored in his book, I found it interesting how his own particular circumstances, and journey towards this consciousness, manifested in such different ways. While I’m no stranger to psychedelics and have indeed had some prophetic experiences thereby, my most profound revelations were actually not drug-induced but rather brought about during moments of startling clarity during deep meditation. What truth I believe I stumbled upon comes from within; our own atoms already contain the necessary ingredients for wisdom, transcendence and enlightenment. Mr. Pinchbeck does not hesitate to tell of his terrifying psychedelic foray into the realm of the trickster daimon and the occult; he does indeed admit the inherent dangers therein, “The initial visions had been seductively Luciferic.” (p. 72) While he does admit the inherent dangers of the “daimonic reality”, I might suggest the best protection there, as anywhere, is love. And love is something he seems to have struggled with, on a personal level, throughout – though he does recognize the necessity and power of positive thinking, something he was not afraid to comment on during a recent and much-discussed argument with Whitley Strieber on his radio show.



But he is on a very different journey than I am; for many, psychedelics offer a way to, in Pinchbeck’s own words, ‘break open the head’ in a way they might not otherwise be able to, in a world that seeks to keep this kind of knowledge hidden. Certainly one cannot help but be mystified by the profound and strikingly similar types of inferences made by the likes of McKenna, Burroughs, Narby, Pinchbeck himself and others in these altered states. To seek knowledge of another realm, consciousness or dimension, you have to somehow travel there.



Towards the end, Pinchbeck shares the transmission he received from Quetzalcoatl. I read it umpteen times, my sense of discernment on high alert, as if searching for a way to Know…I am left with the overwhelming sense that he did intuit truth and wisdom, the sort of truth one gleans from Knowing with the Spirit; in the intellectual world, nothing like this could ever be proven. I suffer the same dilemma. Somehow I find solace knowing that if these revelations indicate mental illness according to western psychiatric theory, at least I would be in good company in the psych ward. So, knowing how difficult it is to write about these things in a secular materialist culture, he does win my respect and admiration for even coming out with this material. As I said before – the wolves are eager to tear it apart, and he has laid bare his jugular, “Even if it required isolation from the mainstream, I preferred to sacrifice my beliefs and preconceptions, along with the comforts and status they afforded, rather than cling to a set of inherited values that I increasingly suspected to be false.” (p. 40) At the risk of repeating myself, again I find evidence that our many diverse paths have the potential to converge onto the Great Path – that singular Truth of Being which seems to so deftly escape our waking consciousness.



2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl was published in hardback in 2006 and paperback in 2007. Mr. Pinchbeck can be found online at Breaking Open the Head, Reality Sandwich, Whole Life Times, featured in a video at Postmodern Times, his Amazon blog and MySpace among others.

The Tao of Where

On any journey of self-discovery and seeking the unknowable, one cannot help but notice the inextricable and inevitable influence of place upon progress-to-date – until, of course, one reaches the place of no-place.



Though my own metaphysical journey started in Los Angeles, it quickly became clear that at least for me, further advancement wasn’t going to be easy there; I had to get out. Not to mention that I had, during this initiatory period, stepped foot on this island for the first time and was simply changed forever. Frankly I couldn’t get back here fast enough.



Certain places on the globe seem to resonate with different people for whatever reason; one friend is currently finding solace in the Southwest, another longs for home in Switzerland while away on business, while yet another perhaps more gypsy soul is currently in debate with this particular crazy rock. The ancients knew certain locations resonated with specific planetary energies, and built their monuments/observatories accordingly to harness or intensify the power – for what uses, I might suppose were many.



In terms of spiritual development, paying attention is the key. A place can teach, if we allow it to. I can speak from experience about the Big Island; its energy is palpable, electric, shocking, penetrating and alive. It’s like the Great Pyramid of the Pacific. If tuned to its particular radiance, it tends to force a certain coming-to-terms with elements of oneself in clear and often disturbing reflection, far more rapidly than might normally occur in life somewhere else. Perhaps it’s the seemingly concentrated mega-supernaturality of the place, all confined here on a relatively small patch of land out in the middle of thousands of miles of ocean; I don’t really know what makes this place so magical and transformative. But you can either face yourself, and perhaps some difficult challenges, or you can run away. Trust me; plenty of people choose the latter.



This place isn’t for everyone, and I image it’s the same for all the islands. It’s not a little ironic that “Lost” is filmed in Hawaii – because it’s easy to get lost here, trapped in a kind of psychical warfare with Self in which intriguing clues to endless puzzles dot the landscape of existence, with no escape. This is a unique place which at first seems to be a refuge, where a calm, slow-paced way of life accented by warm weather, beaches and aloha beckons; but a violent and molten core suggests a more turbulent spiritual undercurrent. After about two years, more or less, newcomers are either fully absorbed in the trials by fire and subsequent honing of their character, or are in the process of being expelled. Residents know, the island seems to pick and choose who stays here, simply spitting out the rest. One either resonates with this place, or not – and the ‘nots’ often get a solid kick in the rear on the way out.



In the six years I’ve been here, I can attest to the transformation that has occurred within me – and is still taking place. It hasn’t all been plumeria blossoms and coconuts. I’m stronger, calmer, wiser, but not before some difficult experiences; I exorcised not a few demons, walked the coals, and witnessed the same in loved ones around me who came here. This island, as I’m sure other places too, will heal you, strengthen you and teach you – if you pay attention and let go of your expectations. If you force your own ego upon it and refuse to listen, this island will shake you, rattle you, and even burn you or swallow you whole.



It’s as if this haunted isle is a microcosm of the Tao; within it - for some - are all the tools necessary for transformation of spirit and character, in loudly resonating abundance. Wrong choices exist glaringly alongside the right ones; not necessarily good or bad, as all things become part of one’s conscious development. But certainly they depend on one’s level of awareness and participation; there are plenty of lost souls wandering around out here too, as in any place. Personally I feel blessed to have been led somewhere I could move through my own journey at what seems to be an accelerated pace – where every step rings clearly, announcing itself, sometimes painful, sometimes joyous – and the in-between, no-man’s time can be an intense paradox of aware not-knowing. In another place, perhaps these signposts might have gone unnoticed under the thundering din of a materialistic, overcrowded, overbuilt and neon-lit now. In another place, perhaps my own tuning fork might have been out of phase.



Certainly Surfing the Tao is a Way of many diverse paths, and the point of it all is to find the essence of one’s own experience – discovering Self, discovering the Tao, and the links therein; discovering the Way of Life and love as it unfolds in an increasingly chaotic world. Every place and person will be its own, and these paths will all someday converge on the Great Path, within the spirits and hearts of those willing few. I can only suggest that place can play a far more important role in our journey than we may realize. Pay attention and the Tao will lead.

The Paradigm Police

“They definitely do not want us to learn to Surf the Tao, for then we would no longer be victims to their abuse.” - Surfing the Tao: A Revolution of Free Will

My husband, who is a bit older than I am, commented this morning that if someone went to sleep in 1950 and woke up today, they'd think the world had gone frigging insane. I suppose you could say that about any stretch of time in history, but as I pondered his frustration I realized in this case, he really could be correct.

Since most of us haven't been asleep for decades, we generally absorb the changes and news as they come without too much trouble. The paradigm shift happens slowly, so that most people don't really notice it's happening until they look back and remember what used to be. Certainly there are major events that shift the paradigm rapidly and radically, like 9/11, and can be a bit more difficult to adjust to. But just consider news from the past few years – genetically modified foods, millions dying from hunger and poverty while a few elite get even richer, transhumanism, a military that admits testing on its own citizens and is creating new weaponry that threatens the brain wave patterns of entire populations, robot wars, weather modification, nanotechnology and implanted control chips, pharmaceuticals, wars over oil, disappearing children, genocides, economic collapse...the horrors seem to grow by the day and few seem to notice. We flip the channel from the daily body count to tabloid news without blinking. It's not as much that we've grown numb to these things as much as this has simply become our paradigm.

It got me daydreaming about what our 'paradigm' was truly meant to be like, and maybe could have been, if we really did live in conscious rhythm with the harmony or harmonics of the universe – if we really did Surf the Tao, so to speak.

It also made me realize that it's quite possible, in fact in my personal opinion it's quite evident, that our paradigm has been under attack for quite awhile. It's as if we are tired and want to go to sleep, but there's someone constantly poking at us and making noise and stuff. Or perhaps the opposite; we are trying to wake up from a nightmare but someone keeps drugging us. Either way it's very annoying.

I suppose you could argue about the nature of human existence, as many have and continue to do of course, but all I can do is give my opinion as gleaned from my own inner Surfing revelations. Humans are uniquely capable of an intense, conscious and compassionate loving nature. Those out there without this consciousness are either 1) not human or B) devoid of spirit.

The not human thing is particularly difficult for many people. I don't really go there on this blog very much, yet I do touch on it quite a bit in my book. It's radical and still outside our mainstream paradigm; yet I feel we are in the process of conditioning by the Paradigm Police in preparation for this next radical shift (science fiction as entertainment, UFO videos whether real or hoaxed, more and more people 'channeling' one or another type of being, certain 'disclosure projects', etc). In my opinion the evidence is quite strong that are other, non-human, highly evolved, sentient beings involved in our global affairs, directly with our heads of state or business, and/or from extradimensional realms into our own consciousness.

Whether they come from outer space, cloud nine or even the inner earth is irrelevant. What matters is what they are telling us. Because as every good Trekkie know, the #1 Prime Directive is don't interfere with a more primitive civilization. Period. If they are, they're either pushing their own selfish agendas, or claiming that they are attempting to 'save us' from such interference. I am leery of both; I see it much like our own political scene, in which it seems like there are two sides but in reality there is only one puppet master manipulating us into the position he wants. Again, within my own spirit, I have the sense that very few, if any, of 'them', are Surfing the Tao. The real good guys know the truth about our present reality; it is illusory and impermanent anyway. It's not really the job of any enlightened being to tell us directly what to do or how to think, aside from love. They never tell you what to do or where to go. They are the very opposite of the Paradigm Police. They want us to sense and follow the Great Rhythm from within our own hearts. It's like the old saying; give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach him to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime. That's why those who insinuate themselves upon us for their own gain are the most insidious of all. They are interfering with the very Rhythm of the Tao itself, instead forcing their own agenda-laden paradigm upon a naïve and unwitting population.

As for B) devoid of spirit; well, talk about unwitting. It's pretty obvious most people live today without any spiritual awareness at all, thanks to the Paradigm Police and their swanky, third-dimensional stage set up by our world's elite, who profit from our ignorance and resultant powerlessness. Of course there are many varieties of spirituality out there today and many conscious, loving souls who work hard to stay above water in a material world flooded with distractions and physical stimuli. And yet, for the most part, our world's spiritual paths have long been infiltrated; they are sterile, third-dimensional, close-minded, traditional, political, hierarchical, cultural and habit-based practices that in most cases leave the real spirit generally uninvolved. It leaves that empty place within ourselves open to harassment from other sources. If we don't even realize or believe we have spirits, they are in danger of being usurped for other agendas. Nature abhors a vacuum. That's where the nasty side of human behavior comes from; without conscious love, people are susceptible to cruel, criminal behavior – as well as simple blind acceptance of the status quo. Lack of spiritual awareness leaves one open to interference from the Paradigm Police. It keeps us from two very important realizations: that our world has become completely ridiculous, and that we have the power to do something about it.

Looking back throughout history one sees evidence that there has always been those who attempt to harness and control and mindsets of the people of the time. Most have done this through politics, war, culture, etc – though some have tried to teach us otherwise, i.e. Jesus, Buddha and others. Unfortunately even their messages have been turned upside down by the powers-that-be. Ours is a winding road replete with detours, roadblocks and misleading signs; and yet, if we truly stop and listen to our Higher Selves, we will realize the Way is not Out There, it is Within Us. This truly would be a revolution of free will. If just one person at a time were to wake up and take away the power of the Paradigm Police our world would begin to shift, perhaps upwards to a place we have yet to imagine.

“If powerful men and women could remain centered in the Tao, all things would be in harmony. The world would become a paradise. All people would be at peace, and the law would be written in their hearts.” - Tao Te Ching #32

A Short Mantra

As I gather research for my upcoming posts, I thought I’d share a short meditation I use quite often to remind myself of what’s really important.

Repeat three times:


I am love, I am peace, I am harmony.

Love I am, peace I am, harmony I am.


Take a deep breath, exhale slowly and go give someone a hug!

“If you want to know me, look inside your heart.” -Tao Te Ching #70

Aloha

07/07/07

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Eso-researchers may be aware of the so-called “Master Numbers” – 11, 22, 33, etc. Certain numbers, sets of numbers and dates have special meaning to occultists, astrologers and numerologists. 9/11 was full of such synchronicities. Many also attribute symbolic significance to the terrorist attack in London on July 7, 2005 - which incidentally killed 52 people and injured 700. Remember, numerology adds digits together to find a single digit outcome, except in the case of the Master Numbers. Thus July 25 would also be a 7-7-7 this year, and that is the date of the day out of time for those who know about the 13 moon calendar. July 7 is the 188th day of the year, with 177 days remaining.

On July 7 in history, the Battle of Hubbardton began in Vermont in 1777. United States begins its first military draft in 1863. President William McKinley annexed Hawaii as a territory in 1898. Construction commenced on the Hoover Dam on this date in 1930. In Roswell, New Mexico in 1947, an alleged ‘flying disc’ crashed and was recovered by the Air Force. In 1954, Elvis Presley made his radio debut. President Eisenhower signed the Alaska statehood bill in 1954, and President Reagan nominated Judge Sandra Day O’Connor to the Supreme Court in 1981. In 1985, German tennis star Boris Becker won Wimbledon at the age of 17 years, 7 months. Lt. Col. Oliver North began his public testimony at the Iran-Contra hearing in 1987. Famous birthdays include composer Gustav Mahler in 1860, baseball star Satchel Paige in 1906, science fiction writer Robert Heinlein in 1907, designer Pierre Cardin in 1922, and Beatle Ringo Starr in 1940. Deaths include Pope Benedict XI in 1304, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1930, former Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones in 1969, actress Veronica Lake in 1973, and Pink Floyd musician Syd Barrett in 2006.

For some Christians, triple sevens (777) “numerically symbolize Yahweh, the Father of Yeshua the Messiah” – though interestingly, some debate this. There is a Christian call to prayer today. There's even a minister (jokingly) suggesting the Rapture will happen today. These numbers figure prominently in the Kabbalah as well. 777 and other Qabalistic writings is a collection of papers written by Aleister Crowley. Not surprising, there is also talk of a harmonic shift today. A yoga instructor in Los Angeles is offering a gong meditation course tonight at 7 PM; he says, “The numerology on this day, 7-7-07, is phenomenal. Seven represents the aura. Three sevens equals 21 (2+1=3). Three represents the positive mind. Add the 7PM hour and you have 4 (the heart) sevens which equals 28 (2+8=10).”

Because so many people consider seven to be a lucky number, and it also happens to fall on a Saturday this year, many people have planned their weddings for this date. Las Vegas will certainly be busy this weekend. The new 7 wonders of the world will be announced today in Portugal. The Live Earth benefit concerts are today. The “Drop sneakers, not bombs” campaign to benefit Invisible Children launches today. Also, YouTubers may know about the meetings today in NYC in Washington Square Park under the arch, in Berlin at the Brandenburg Gate, and perhaps in Miami and Australia too; check this out for more.

Interesting that Earth is at its aphelion at exactly 00 hrs UT; also, near-Earth object 2006 JY26 makes its fly-by today. NASA had planned on sending their new Dawn spacecraft into space today, ostensibly to explore two newly-discovered dwarf planets, Ceres, to which it expects to arrive in 2011, and Vesta, in 2015. It has since been delayed a few days. Some believe NASA missions, among other things, are sometimes synchronized with Masonic symbolism. Who knows what else they will see out there; perhaps Eris, which some believe is Planet X? Here is a list of astronomic events for July 7 through history; here and here is more about the number seven.

Those who might have been wary of 6/6/6 last year, or don't consider seven to be 'lucky' either, may wait for 8/8/8 and 9/9/9 coming up soon.

Deep Integration: the coming North American Union

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From The Plan to Disappear Canada by Murray Dobbin, “If the machinations going on in this country regarding so-called "deep integration" were instead a communist conspiracy to take over the country (you will, of course, have to try hard to imagine this) the news media would be blaring the story.
Pundits would pontificate, editorialists would erupt, security forces would be unleashed.
Instead, a virtual conspiracy to make the country disappear through assimilation into the U.S. gets barely a mention.
But news of the scheme -- formally called the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) -- is finally breaking out of the secret chambers of the ruling elite and the federal government. This is both good news and bad. It's good that ordinary citizens are finally getting a glimpse of the betrayal of their country. The news is bad because it reflects just how much of this scheme is already being implemented. “
Mr. Dobbin goes on to summarize the main points of the arrangements in the works. Our government claims the agreement is still ‘informal’ (White House spokesman Tony Snow called the NAU a ’myth’), but others insist it was signed without our approval on March 23, 2005 in Waco, Texas by President George W. Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin and Mexican President Vicente Fox. From Robert Pastor at the CFR, “The main recommendation of the Task Force is the creation, by 2010 at the latest, of a North American security and economic community whose boundaries will be defined by a common external tariff and an outer security perimeter". Indeed, over 300 agencies are already ‘harmonizing’ regulations of such things as energy, taxes, tariffs, and pesticides, many of which were originally part of NAFTA and are now being ‘fast-tracked’ by the SPP initiative. Even a trilateral open skies initiative has been discussed. (Incidentally, the US and the EU are also ‘harmonizing’ regulations.) Security concerns have always topped the list of justifications for integration. At least one NAFTA superhighway is also in the works (with new RFID tracking technology), even though fourteen states have petitioned Congress to abandon the SPP.
Secretive summits have been held as critics declare an elitist corporate agenda works out the details of their scheme away from prying eyes. Indeed they may have good reason: outspoken critics include Lou Dobbs, Rep. Ron Paul, Rep. Virgil Good (R-Va), and Connie Fogal of the Canadian Action Party, and there are plans to protest the next meeting of the SPP on August 21-22nd in Montebello, Quebec. Opponents from both Canada and the US are up in arms over the potential loss of sovereignty. Others go further, claiming the plans are an act of treason or sedition. At least two other recent acts, the National Defense Authorization Act of 2007(NDAA), which gives the President dictatorial powers in the case of ‘public emergency’, and the Military Commissions Act which suspended habeas corpus in 2006, have been linked to the plans by some opponents. For more information, here is a timeline of the events leading up to deep integration, those organizations working to support the plan, and those fighting against it. Pierre Hillard also provides a substantial overview, as does Dr. Jerome R. Corsi in his book, The Late Great USA.
Proponents insist there are no plans to undermine the US Constitution or create a unified currency, but others maintain these issues will likely be addressed eventually, and probably already have been behind closed doors. Immigration will certainly play a major role in the decision-making process; some wonder if the issue is being used as a diversion, or a “mechanism for achieving the globalists’ NAU goal”. From WorldNetDaily.com, “WASHINGTON -- The controversial 'Secure Borders, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Reform Act of 2007,' which would grant millions of illegal aliens the right to stay in the U.S. under certain conditions, contains provisions for the acceleration of the Security and Prosperity Partnership, a plan for North American economic and defense integration, WND has learned." Attaching such an emotional and controversial issue to the globalization agenda is a cleverly sinister way to achieve their eventual goals of a New World Order.
“When the will to power is in charge, the higher the ideals, the lower the results.” –Tao Te Ching #58

Kilauea Volcano Update

A few days ago the area surrounding our volcano here on the Big Island, Kilauea, experienced a sudden and unusual flurry of small earthquakes. Yesterday our local newspaper, West Hawaii Today, reported on the front page that the lava had actually stopped flowing out of the Pu’u O’o vent. This is noteworthy because it has been erupting constantly since 1983; Kilauea is considered to be one of the most active volcanoes on earth. New fissures have appeared in the past day or two, and some rare plants and animals are in danger in some areas. However this startling change is good news for our leeward side of the island (except of course for some disappointed tourists): without the ensuing vog, our skies will be clearer and cleaner than they have been for 25 years, at least for a little while.
Several other volcanoes have been active the past week or so as well. In New Guinea, explosions from Rabaul rocked the surrounding areas as ash plumes rose 8900 feet. In Ecuador, both Tungurahua and Reventador experienced lahars and ash plumes this week. Ditto for Kliuchevskoi, Shiveluch and Karymysky in Russia, and Ubinas in Peru. Mt. St. Helens continued to grow its lava-dome.
There is definitely an ongoing debate as to whether volcanic activity has been increasing the past few decades. Skeptics insist any increase is due to better scientific observation. However, it might be interesting to consider any connection between global warming, solar activity and volcanic activity. I found one site which considered the relationship between such earth changes and Chandler’s Wobble. And of course, as always, there’s Planet X to consider.
In other perhaps not unrelated news, a lake suddenly disappeared in Chile recently, baffling scientists.

Supernatural Hawaii

[Inspired by Aura at Encounters with the Unexplained]
[for hyperlinks see original article at www.surfingthetao.com]

Hawaii is a gorgeous place to live, most would agree. The weather is unbeatable, the people are full of aloha and the beach is always close by. I suppose some might say it has its downsides too – things tend to be more expensive, and it always takes longer to get things done because most people would rather be playing than working.

Whether Hawaii’s legendary creepiness is a downside or not depends on your point of view, but unless you live here you might not be aware of all the strangeness that goes on – and the blithe, casual way people live with the phenomena. It’s just part of life here, given the diversity of cultural influences regarding the spirit world and its pervasiveness in everyday existence.

The first experience I had was talking to the rocks. It might sound strange but since then I’ve heard such stories from many, many people here. Pele, the volcano goddess, has created a virtual army of bizarre lava rock formations that often seem to contain faces and shapes, and in the right state of consciousness you can hear them whisper their wisdom. What they told me was scarier than hearing their voices: they have been here for a very, very long time, waiting; but that time is now short. Later I picked up the great book Obake File: Ghostly Encounters in Supernatural Hawaii and a shiver went down my spine when I read the chapter on the rocks. Witnesses account that giant rocks, said by local shaman to contain demigods, have gotten up and moved on their own. Supposedly the great god Kane lived in a famous rock in Pearl Harbor until the day the monarchy was overthrown by the US government on January 17, 1893, when it abruptly disappeared.

We get spirits, too; a lot of them. All locals know about the Nightmarchers, and if your house is located on one of their ancient trails, you’re in for some trouble. I’ve heard people tell about seeing an army of ancient Hawaiian apparitions marching through their living room on a full moon. Rumor has it people have actually had houses moved out of these paths. Whenever anyone builds a house or starts a business they always have it blessed in Hawaiian – whoever you are, spiritual or not, this is simply the way it’s done. Don’t tempt the local spirits – trust me. We have to periodically cleanse and bless our own home – not that they’re evil, but they do seem to grow in numbers and they eventually start to irritate my husband, who can see them much better than I can. They try to hide in the mirrors but we’re hip to that trick.

The most astounding experience however has been the fairy lights. I’ve read similar accounts of people seeing strange colored globes of light flitting around various places, all over the world, in fact. There are certain places in Hawaii they simply abound, especially during a full moon for some reason. Initially they like to pretend they are emergency trucks in the distance – until you realize 1) there is no road out there or 2) they suddenly all spin into a circle and blink in patterns. The locals call them ’akualele’, or fireballs. My husband has had many, many very close encounters with them, and is convinced they are conscious in some sense. They have come within 10 to 15 feet of him, and he describes them as, “spheres about the size of basketballs with spun glass inside (angel air, like for Christmas), all lit up but changing colors rapidly, red, green, blue, orange, yellow, purple.” He said when he laughs, they light up brighter and bounce up and down a little as if they’re imitating him. The most incredible story involves an outing at one of these more remote places with our teen-aged nephew, who had gone hiking away a few miles and as it got dark my husband began to worry when he didn’t return to his calls. He began to yell louder and louder, when he saw one of the lights speed off away from him. Our nephew returned later to say one of the fireballs had screeched up right next to him whereby he heard his uncle’s voice loud and clear, calling for him, at which time he turned around and headed back the approximately two miles he had walked. The light they emit is strange, and when photographed one can see the different light spectrum. Though difficult to capture and then interpret, see my Flickr link for a few shots they managed to get. My own spirit tells me they are just curious thought forms; some kind of earth spirit or perhaps they are peering at us through vast distances of time, space or dimension.

Since moving here six years ago I’ve fallen in love with this place, this island, this Hawai’i. Its beauty and energy both bring me solace and nurture my inspiration. If you are in Hawaii or ever plan to visit, take some time for a supernatural tour of its legends and mysteries. You won’t be disappointed.

Cosmic Perturber?

[to read this post with all the MANY hyperlinks please go to www.surfingthetao.com]

Does our sun have a sister star? In his 2005 book Lost Star of Myth and Time, author and amateur archaeo-astronomer Walter Cruttenden pushed the envelope of accepted astronomy when he theorized that our own Earth is part of a binary star system. Cruttenden’s video based on that book, The Great Year, narrated by James Earl Jones, is an excellent summation of this theory. As Executive Director of the Binary Research Institute, Cruttenden continues to research “evidence of astronomical cycles of time known to cultures throughout the ancient world. It is Cruttenden’s belief that the myth and stories depicting a repeating cycle of Golden Ages and Dark Ages may have a basis in fact, due to the alternating stellar forces that affect Earth as our solar system moves in a 24,000-year binary (dual star) orbit.”

The Great Year references the 24,000-26,000 year cycle of time during which our solar system completes its precession through the equinoxes. Generally considered to be more important to astrologers than astronomers, there is evidence that many ancient cultures were aware of precession – which suggests that not only is civilization is far older than is now accepted, but that awareness of this cycle may be more relevant than we presently understand. According to Cruttenden, we are mid-way along in the cycle, apsis having been around 500 A.D. and periapsis not expected until 12,500 A.D. He suggests our very consciousness is affected by where we are along the path, “Both the ascending and descending cycle are made of four “ages” analogous to the four seasons: the two poles are the dark age or winter of man, called the iron age by the Greeks and Kali yuga by the Indians; and the age of enlightenment or summer of man, called the Golden age or Satya yuga...”

Cruttenden theorizes that this vast cosmic cyclical dance between our sun and its supposed sister, a distant and probably very dim brown dwarf, is what actually causes the precession of the equinoxes and our elliptical amble around the heavens. I found it most interesting that the math surrounding our planetary wobble can be explained and simplified if a sister star is part of the equation. A similar theory has been suggested by Richard A. Muller; this binary sister is also known as Nemesis or the Death Star, whose cycle of destruction is counted in the millions of years.

When I considered a theory about a rogue member of our solar system, the first thought I had was about Planet X. Could this sister star be Zecharia Sitchin’s Nibiru? Sitchin talks in terms of a 3600-3700 year cycle for Nibiru, however, which is at odds with the 24,000-26,000 precession (the natural harmonic ideal from quantum math is 25,920 years); also according to Cruttenden this sister star is about as far away as it can get at the moment. One researcher, Burak Eldem, wrote a book 2012: Appointment with Marduk in which he suggests the orbital cycle of Planet X (“Marduk”) is actually 3661 years and that it’s scheduled return date is indeed 2012. According to Eldem and Wikipedia, “3,661 is one-seventh of 25,627, which he believes is the total time span of "Five World Ages" according to the Mayan Long Count Calendar. The last orbital passage of Marduk, he adds, was in 1649 BC and caused great catastrophes on earth, including the Thera eruption. Sitchin has recently put forth his own date in the year 2085 for the next passage of Nibiru, but the date most talked about is 2012, which marks the end of the Maya calendar.”

In my recent post on 2012 I cited a USA Today article which stated, “On the winter solstice in 2012, the sun will be aligned with the center of the Milky Way for the first time in about 26,000 years. This means that ‘whatever energy typically streams to Earth from the center of the Milky Way will indeed be disrupted on 12/21/12 at 11:11 p.m. Universal Time,’[journalist Lawrence] Joseph writes.” Some believe this shift will affect our consciousness. For example, researcher David Wilcock remarks that at the end of each 25,920 year cycle there is a frequency or energetic shift, “the Earth and Solar System’s position relative to the Galactic Center has a penultimate effect upon the hyperdimensional physics of its systems. When we conjoin with the Galactic Center, a flood of energy is received – energy that fundamentally changes the vibratory rate of all bodies of matter in its vicinity.” He posits this would cause our consciousness to vibrate from the third dimension to the fourth.

Rumors swirl that the Vatican has a secret space probe called “Siloe” (which by the way is the name of a pool outside Jerusalem where Jesus gave a blind man his sight) used to monitor anomalous celestial bodies approaching the solar system via a secret telescope in Alaska. Researcher Cristoforo Barbaro claims a Vatican secret service insider gave him video of a rapidly approaching body, presumably this “Planet X”. Another rumor suggest that technologies such as chemtrails and HAARP could interfere with our ability to raise our consciousnesses, as the Powers-That-Be are perfectly aware of what’s coming and don’t want to lose their cattle; but this is another post. Still others claim global warming, the increase in frequency of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, and the sensation of ‘quickening’, including the debated increase in the Shumann resonance, is actually due to the approach of this rogue body.

The synchronicity found in all of these tidbits is startling, however there are still questions. If Cruttenden and others place us barely out of the ‘dark ages’ of the Kali yuga, or even still in it, how is it that yet others claim this amazing transformation is just around the corner? I’m also curious about any relationship between Planet X and a potential sister star; not only does the math work out, but it seems that binary star systems are actually quite common Out There. It’s hard to know for sure what is really going on – but rumors of Vatican involvement raise my eyebrows, as does the evidence of cyclical catastrophes from archeological records. There is enough to warrant further investigation; I feel there are some important puzzle pieces still missing. Everyone has their own interpretation – one would be hard pressed to read even just all the books out there on Planet X. We must listen to our spirits and pay attention when truth rings its bell, but also not panic or rush to judgment.