Category Archives: fresh start

Pause & Pivot

Today, Friday, June 14th of the year 2024, my early morning process of Pause and Pivot spoke to me in a way that, upon reflection, was speaking to you as well.

For that reason, I’m sharing the outcome with you here.

I came across concept of “pause and pivot,” by the way, in an uncharacteristically small, concise and immediately useful little book, The Art of Contemplation: Gentle Path to Wholeness and Prosperity.

Its amazon book description sums the concept up well:

An exquisite gem of a book, this deceptively simple technique of contemplation can be learned in a single day, and yet it will change your life forever. Taking us through the three levels of contemplation – pausing, pivoting and merging, Richard Rudd invites us to hone the art of contemplation in our everyday lives, to gain insight into any issue or problem, to heal deep-seated trauma and ultimately to find peace and clarity.

In my own case, morning contemplation begins with consulting the Book of Change.

This morning, after lighting a white candle, I paused and then wrote at the top of a new page in my journal:

BHF. OA & MDF. I’m out of sorts. Can’t breathe deeply. Fragmented. Scattered. Without clear direction. Please advise what to be aware of NOW. With humble thanks, Amen.

The answer to this query was Hexagram 48 with changing lines in the fifth and sixth places, resulting in (yet again, from a new direction) the frequently received outcome of Hexagram 18: FRESH START.

In the Common Sense Book of Change, Hexagram 48 looks like this:

In several versions of the I Ching, Hexagram 48 is translated as The Well, referring to the traditional center of rural communities where all gather to meet their basic survival need for water.

In poetic terms, the Well represents our universal, endless and unlimited connection with infinite Source. The vitality of all races represented by water is associated with the basic life force, the chi exchanged, whether knowingly or unknowingly, by every living being on the planet with every in- and out-breath.

To my mind, this reading spoke to my unasked question — a deep frustration. The excruciating conflict between Israel and Iranian surrogates, including Hamas, feels to my heart like two sides of the same coin warring with each other.

The exclusion of patriots Steve Bannon and Alex Jones from the camp of another patriot, RFK Jr,. over apparently superficial personality differences, seems equally unnatural and short-sighted.

What my despairing heart wanted to know was, “What, if anything, could induce humanity to wake up? To end the mutually self-destructive dynamics of judgmental conflict — “othering.”

The I Ching answer’s was this. It will happen when we finally learn to see deeper than cultural identifications, remember and respect our common origin, which the mindful are made aware of with every breath they take.

In my own scattered case, I was being called back to the basics which sustain me. Stop. Pause and pivot away from culturally conditioned pessimism, the grinding sense of the futility of any effort. Return back to the basics. Breathe. Deeply.

But the changing lines directed me to continue further.

The changing line in the fifth place reads, “If you refuse to serve others, your gifts are wasted.”

Ouch! Caught in the act.

I’ve been flirting with undermining ideas about both the futility and risks of writing. Who am I to openly confront the forces which drive the deep state and its globalist objectives — depopulation and subjugation?

Would this not just expose me to the same destructive tactics which frontline patriots endure? Or to simply being ignored. Ridiculed. Relegated to oblivion.

The advice of this line, which heeded, changes to Hexagram 46, PROMOTION. The method and result of accepting responsibility to dedicate my gifts, however modest, to serving humanity are described as: Quiet, persistent self–discipline wins the confidence of others.

Moving on, the changing line in the top, sixth place reflects the opposite side of the coin. It reinforces the value of committing to service, regardless of the consequences.

It reads, “Sharing your gifts will bring blessings and prosperity to many.”

Sigh. Back to the drawing board.

I could speculate on the levels and layers of possible potential. But will let this line speak for itself, sparking imagination about the waves generated by the butterfly effect even one person’s commitment to service sets in motion. And by extension, the combined effect generated by each one of the rest of us as well.

When its advice is heed, this line changes to Hexagram 57, GENTLENESS.

Ah. Coincidentally, The Art of Contemplation is described as the GENTLE path to wholeness and prosperity.

Hexagram 57 reads in part: As the wind moves clouds, shapes mountains, and stirs the trees, so Gentleness has a powerful influence. Quiet, steady gradual actions win respect and cooperation. Avoid noisy conflict.

There it is again. Quiet persistent action seems key.

The combined outcome, Hexagram18, FRESH START, suggests the hopeful potential of returning to universal awareness of humanity’s original origins in Source, releasing short-sighted rationalizations for refusing to serve the whole, and instead dedicating one’s life to that goal.

It offers the hope of a fresh start, first for individuals. Then for the civilization. And, ultimately, for human survival.

I would be remiss were I not to mention that Fresh Start is the subject of the concluding chapter of The Quantum Solution. Chapter Five, It’s Time for a Fresh Start is still writing itself as information new to me comes to attention.

But in the meantime, you’re welcome to pause, pivot and take a look, if you’re so inclined.

Quantum Solutions

The following is an excerpt from Chapter Five of The Quantum Solution.

Now is the time to make a Fresh Start. We can stop the repeating cycles of destruction, yo-yoing back and forth in duality, in the left-hand, negative mode. We can spin history right, in the positive, creative mode.  

The immigrant invasion is a consequence of extreme imbalance. “Every extreme invites the opposite which restores balance.” Westerners have a long history of invading nations abroad, exporting violence for profit. It has inevitably come home to roost. Karma. 

We have attracted what we are as a mirror to make us aware of our mistakes by experiencing first hand what we’ve done to others. The beneficial response is to shift away from the imperialist paradigm – change from an aggressive, domination and control mind-set, and improve our actions going forward. It’s the only logical way to get better results.  

Americans urgently need to stop the downward spiraling cycle that threatens human survival. We are the descendants and beneficiaries of an invasion, stealing the continent from Native Americans, infecting them with deadly diseases to which they had no immunity. But they themselves were not innocents. Our invasion was a mirror to them. Two sides of a coin, engaged in a repetition of endless cycles of change.   

As Einstein told us, a problem (in this case, immigrant invasion) cannot be solved at the same level at which it originated. Resolution requires shifting gears to a higher octave, seeing things new. Rather than (at least exclusively) combating this invasion at the literal level of symptoms, the positive solution begins with recognizing the deeper cause: operating on an incomplete, false paradigm generating imbalance from the level of energy dynamics.   

How do we slice the pie? See things new? Start with changing our perceptions of who the enemy is and where the real danger lies. It is in the false empirical science either/or paradigm that sets people at each others’ throats, that justifies violence, death and destruction in order to profit from it.   

For starters, a Quantum Solution begins with modifying the idea that massive deportations are a primary solution. For example, let RFK Jr.s idea of rehab communities, rethought and expanded, become a means of assimilating a healthy number of immigrants who have been here longest, allowing them to live with and be socialized by Americans in cooperative, nature-connected communities.  

In any case, it’s imperative to turn the reactive, fear- and anger-driven dynamic around, to outmaneuver far-left democrats and globalists who would exploit this emergency to empower themselves at the expense of the middle class. The Quantum Solution is to change/transform/transmute the danger inherent in immigrant influence which politicians assume they can wield to their benefit. And make sure they can’t!!     

The Quantum Solution is not to take their bait. Don’t be distracted by fear, anger, hatred. Recognize what the left hand is doing — churning chaos to rationalize the imposition of a nefarious militaristic one world order agenda. If we panic, allow ourselves to be suckered into another J6-like “insurrection,” even actual civil war, it gives globalists a pretext for draconian retaliation.   

Instead, recognize that they’re fostering a danger which we can turn into an opportunity. They’ve made it absolutely necessary to overcome fear of the unfamiliar (a shift to the Quantum Paradigm) by dread of something even worse. They’ve made the real solution imperative, obliging Americans (and the world) to shift to this genuinely inclusive paradigm.   

The Quantum Solution to the presence of thousands of illegal immigrants who’ve infiltrated the country is to speak to the basic universal impulse on all sides for a better life. Most immigrants don’t want to be parasites. They certainly don’t want to be puppets. They want dignity. Self-respect. They want to grow, learn, improve and prosper. . . just like everyone else!! 

Outsmart the cartels and politicians who are operating on a destructive paradigm of conflict and exploitation. Because humans will instinctively gravitate towards the inner, timeless truths we all share in common. Find a way to mobilize this to our advantage to defeat the globalists, cartels and self-serving politicians – the real enemies, both here and abroad.   

The Quantum Solution is to make it obvious to illegals where their advantage lies. Make it clear that they have more in common with humane patriots of goodwill than with cynical, exploitative cartels and leftist politicians. Also make it clear to patriots that they have more in common with aspiring immigrants who believe in the American dream than with the current government that’s behind this invasion to begin with!  

The Quantum Solution is to accept immigrants wisely, with the offer to genuinely assimilate them. Empower them by getting them onto the land and into good jobs. This invasion will reshape the population, but in the long run, if we are smart (prudent), not in the way that globalists expect. Use their strategy of invasion against them. If we do this right –wisely and humanely, globalists are done.   

It begins with shifting to the higher level of mercy. Wisdom. Forgiveness and compassion for all concerned. No guilt. No retaliation. No reparations for the sins of our fathers. None of that helps, because time doesn’t go backward. The only choice is to move forwards. Stop repeating the same old mistakes.  

Even if not all of us are prepared to shift overnight to the higher octave, it begins with at least recognizing that there is a higher octave and aspiring to shift there. It begins by following leaders who speak from that level, represent it, lead us towards it by creating policies that offer alternative, positive healing responses towards danger. It starts by becoming aware that that’s where we want to go, who we want to be. That’s our future hope: committing to our potential to get there.  

Conversely, to continue reacting at the level of external symptoms, to go after illegal immigrants and punish them, would be like a dog running in circles, chasing its tail. 

It’s a no win, futile exercise in stupidity. Tragic futility. “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”  

If government leftists are hiding these immigrants, mucking up the etheric atmosphere with fear, anger and resistance – if we fail to recognize the lessons long overdue to be learned, are blind to the opportunity to grow, but instead react emotionally to the situation as a terrible, frightening, life-threatening danger to be combated, then the old either/or conflict paradigm would be magnified and prevail.   

Tucker Carlson is correct that we first have to shine a light on what’s literally going on. See facts without filters for what they are. “You can’t leave a place you’ve never been.”  

BUT THEN, second – look for the option of a better response. Shine the light of quantum intelligence on the facts. See the potentials for positive change. Decide on how we can best turn negative dynamics around, reverse them. Harness energy dynamics to a larger, positive end.  

Democrats have made the fatal mistake of assuming that immigrants will remain perpetually on the dole, obligated to depend upon endless welfare to survive. They assume immigrants will remain helpless and can be manipulated into becoming a dependable voting force they can exploit to keep themselves in power.   

But what if we outsmart the leftists? Offer immigrants something far more valuable than a welfare state? Give them the opportunity to become independent, to pay their way, no longer be dependent on welfare. Instead, respect their intrinsic humanity and potential to be creative and productive. Win their hearts and minds, rather than exploiting them as if they were only sub-human pawns.  

The Quantum Solution is to regard immigrants as souls with the same aspirations as every other soul. The majority of them want to be self-standing, autonomous, self-respecting, contributing members of the collective whole. Most did not come here with the intention of being a curse on the country. The vast majority didn’t come here to destroy it. They came to benefit from it, become an assimilated, integral part of it. Immigrants are not only running away from something, but towards something, in the hope of a better future.  

It’s a mistake to focus exclusively on the threat and react against hapless illegals who’ve been caught up in the wave of history. Most are not fully conscious. Only a handful intentionally mean harm. The majority can go either way, depending on what influences are brought to bear upon them, either positive or negative, leading them either towards hope and gratitude or pushing them into anger, despair — violence. The game’s not over yet. The story’s ending is far from decided.  

The Quantum Solution is to change perceptions of the situation and its potentials. Rather than perceive only threat, look for creative challenges. What can we do, humanely, intelligently? If the way of life that we knew is forever gone, so be it. Water over the dam. Done deal. So choose to focus on what way of life will emerge and how to evolve in a creative, transformative way that results in the nation becoming even better than before.  

The Quantum Solution is to recognize the opportunities hidden within this very real danger. For example, use this situation as an opportunity to mobilize a return to the land, reversing the globalist agenda of pushing Americans off their land, instead cramming citizens and illegals alike into overcrowded cities.  

The Quantum Solution to take the high road. Be creative, positive and life-affirming. Choose that which accomplishes the opposite of the destructive, dehumanizing globalist depopulation agenda. “Resist not evil, but persist in the good” by recognizing the humanness in everyone and speaking to that. Win over illegals who aspire or are on the fence by speaking to their essential humanity. Never allow conflict to accelerate and amplify.   

Yes, it’s a war, but at least we can intelligently define its parameters and choose our weapons. There’s a different way to win this war, not by destroying perceived enemies, but by assimilating them. Raising them up. Winning them over to our side, to join our ranks, become part of our army.  

The Quantum Solution is to be discerning. Be merciful as much as possible, but also, when required, just.  Use the quantum Life Wheel as a diagnostic tool to 1) discern between those whose attitudes are sincere versus those whose intentions are dangerous and should be deported, as well as 2) an educational tool, teaching all sides how to ask, “Where am I Now?” Then, “Where do I want to be?” And, “What action steps will it take to get from here to there?”  

* * * * *  

But the present time has the potential for a Fresh Start across the board. The Quantum Solution is to shift gears, relate to people on all sides of this issue at the level of their hearts and minds, rather than escalating the problem by fighting fire with fire on the physical plane.  

Illegals, whatever their history, are human beings. However deeply asleep (as many of us are), they remain made in the image of God. Education is both the problem and the potential solution.   

Muslims, for example, have been educated to believe that deceiving and conquering infidels (anyone not of their religion) is required of them. Such behavior is not only acceptable. It’s holy.  

On the flip side of the same coin, the elite class of Americans have been educated to believe they are superior and above other nations, having a privileged status which excuses exploiting resources (at home and abroad) to maintain that exclusive superiority. 

Ignorant of the Law of Karma, globalists assume they can get away with murder — even genocide, as if they were exempt from the consequences of their actions. But the law operates the same, whether recognized or not. Payback is already on the way.

It’s false, obsolete beliefs on all sides which education must change. For example, the trade-off for immigrants being respected and humanely assimilated in the U.S. is that they in return demonstrate sincere respect for the innate divinity of citizens in their new land — a recognition of the humanity we all share in common.  

Further, to stop the repeating cycles of invasions once and for all, we need to rethink governance and the professions (science, education, healthcare and law) across the board, upgrading them to align with the holistic Quantum Paradigm.

It’s Time for a Fresh Start

Here’s a section — full of food for thought — lifted from the 2014 Rethinking Survival. Ten years later, the same hold true.

In a less wordy way, updated to reflect the times, the concept of a fresh start repeats in as concluding chapter of the 2024 The Quantum Solution.

We’re in a Terrible Mess

During high school years, I shared the following lines written for Miss Elson’s senior year English class with my younger brother, David.

Somewhere, Somehow,

Something Is terribly wrong.

Where to look? What to fight?”

Marginally impressed, he predicted that I’d end up like the closet poet Emily Dickinson.

Echoing the sentiment that the country is in deep trouble, in Common Sense, Glenn Beck details the mess we’re in:

America has been slowly pulled off the course charted for us in Philadelphia more than two centuries ago. Through legitimate “emergencies” involving war, terror, and economic crises, politicians on both sides have gathered illegitimate new powers — playing on our fears and desire for security and economic stability — at the expense of our freedoms . . .

Making the same point I made much earlier, Beck holds:

I humbly suggest that our government is once again out of step with the Laws of Nature. The government by, of, and for the people has been turned on its head. It is now a government by the government, of the government, and for the government, the people be damned. [emphasis added.]

Beck gets the basic Law of Karma: Actions have consequences. However he lacks an in-depth understanding of the dynamic laws of nature. And he needs a functional paradigm to put us (not just the U.S.) right-side up again. He challenges Americans to stretch outside their comfort level. But this requires expanding the array of tools in our repair kit for achieving positive ends.

Correctly, Beck recommends that we “declare the causes that unite us.” But while I look to the Quantum Paradigm for that foundation, he outlines Nine Principles which only add to the mess. His openly emotional biases are a disservice to his undeniably good intentions.

It’s important to clarify the points of agreement and difference here. I’ve used the Common Sense concept in my own work for more than thirty years. Especially because he’s become the spokesman for America’s ideals and best hopes, it’s important that I clarify my position.

We do have universal causes that unite us, but not the ones Beck lists. I’ve limited myself here to answering the first five of his Nine Principles:

1. “America is good.”

This generalization is full of assumptions. It’s too simplistic to be useful. America is not a static or uniform entity. The nation has evolved over time. Its components are mixed. We can love our homeland without having illusions about its unqualified “goodness.” Beck’s tacit premise, that he can single out one (superior) country to the exclusion of others alienates other nations. He’s slicing the pie the wrong way. Everyone everywhere is sometimes and in some ways “good,” in others not. In addition, time doesn’t go backwards. Beck’s sentimental attachment to America’s past is unwise. It’s a disservice to the immediate cause of human survival.

2. “I believe in God and He is the Center of my life.”

Sincere truth seekers everywhere hold a variety of beliefs. Not all assign either a name or gender to the Creator. Further, the nucleus of our lives remains the same, whether we acknowledge it or not. Agnostics who say they have no experience upon which to base religious beliefs can still be truth seekers. They’re often decent human beings doing their best as they understand it. Though they see things differently, atheists also thirst after truth and have been known to return full circle.

3. “I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.”

Fine. But using what methods? The Quantum Paradigm approach, “Be aware of what you are doing and why,” is an excellent start.

4. “The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.”

This is a mish-mash of culturally-conditioned assumptions. First and foremost, individual conscience that depends on the Universal Center is sacred — not family. An either-or choice between biological family and governments — as if either were “the ultimate authority” — is unacceptable. Otherwise, where do those raised as orphans or whose experiences of family were damaging and degrading look for authority? What about celibate adults or those who choose not to marry? Do they matter in Beck’s worldview? In practice, his grounds for common cause are painfully exclusionary. Further, families change over time (as those who’ve been widowed or married more than once are keenly aware). It’s the silent source which is constant.

5. “If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.”

This feels good, but it’s way too general. What law — the laws of man, of Nature or Nature’s God? This seems to refer to human law. But considering how laws are made today and by whom, that’s dicey. Consider the evolving, punitive tax code, for example. What about the fact that laws are so numerous that you can’t do anything without violating one law or another? And what about our elective, highly politicized justice system? Principle Five is wishful thinking. It doesn’t match actual experience. Perhaps if Beck thought in terms of the three-tiered wheel, this would be better phrased. Certainly God’s justice is impartial and karmic consequences return to everyone across the board. But that’s a different subject.

So how have we gotten so far away from common sense? In large part, it’s due to the intentional strategy of polarization. The diversionary tactic of bad-faith bad guys is to confuse people with an overwhelming number of phony half-truths. We’re forced to choose between false, equally unacceptable either-or options. The noisy, superficial clash between apparent opposites bombards our senses through the daily news: Republicans versus Democrats. Conservative libertarians versus liberal progressives. Christians versus Jews versus Muslims. Atheists versus theists. Optimists versus pessimists.

Then there’s the straw dragon strategy. Virulent atheism is a product. It’s accomplished by setting up an illusory bogeyman in order to shoot it down. This is the inherent danger of claiming “divine right” for kings, emperors or tzars.

Associating kings (or communist leaders, for that matter) with omniscience leads to an opposite and equal mistake. Disillusionment with individual rulers is mistakenly transferred onto authority in general, whether organized religions or governments. Bouncing off of one problem, we’re pushed into even worse ones.

To repeat, this misses the point. In Quantum Paradigm context, what authorities do or don’t do is irrelevant to the creator’s existence. Human misbehavior has no direct bearing on timeless truth.

Dispensing with an entire belief system indiscriminately — emotionally, bitterly — is like shooting oneself in foot to get rid of a blister. We’re rarely taught the skills to discriminate between distortions — abusive misrepresentations — and enduring, substantive value. The extreme position of “all or nothing” is dramatic but self-defeating.

Another “alien invader” strategy is to blame human suffering on God. In the face of tragedy, people are tricked into believing that God has abandoned them entirely. Numerous popular songs plead with the Creator: “Can you hear me?” To ask is to admit we’ve forgotten about God. Of course the Creator is intimately aware of creation. Better questions would be, “Are we quiet enough to hear? Are we really listening?”

A great deal of the mess comes from the lack of a complete, correct and positive Quantum Paradigm. There are different levels of knowing. It’s essential to keep them prioritized. Con-fusing sub-rational with super-rational ways of knowing is a major mistake. It’s an alien sleight-of-hand to lump these extremes together and write them off them as “irrational.”

More of the mess is due to failing to adhere to a common center which serves as the fulcrum between see-sawing extremes. Here the law, “The larger the front, the larger the back,” comes into play.

For example, extreme rationality generates opposite and equally irrational results. Barring sub- and super-rational alike, atheists who claim to hold the rational high ground can be extraordinary irrational. They come across as angry, rude, intolerant and demeaning.

Journalist Peter Hitchens describes ironic inconsistencies in the wake of the Russian revolution. As a journalist, he observed that what claimed to be an egalitarian society was in practice highly stratified and unequal. Extreme corruption enriched a handful of vastly wealthy elites at the expense of the masses who lived in miserable poverty.

Peter’s brother, atheism apologist Christopher Hitchens, who claimed that religion spoils everything, called for a “new” enlightenment. This is nonsense. Light was, is, and always will be light. Reason is necessary, but not in itself sufficient. It’s not all there is. It occupies a middle ground, serving to link the material plane with the center.

Reason is not qualified to enter into super-rational realms. It cannot be appropriately used to critique what’s beyond it. But it can play an important part. At its best, used with Sherlock-like skill, it’s indispensable for detecting and foiling the schemes of alien enemies.

Once reason clarifies how we’ve gotten into such a mess — exposing the hostile aliens’ rules and methods — it’s important to move on to the next question. What are we going to do about it? How can using the Quantum Paradigm of Change protect us from the effects of alien schemes and lead to positive solutions?

Fresh Start

After facing up to the inescapable proof everywhere around us that our language and idea pools have been corrupted, what do we do about it? Extreme radical measures call for opposite and equal survival responses. Scrap everything. Back to the drawing board. Clear the decks. Empty the overflowing in-baskets and clutter on the mental desktop.

Religious leaders have abused the teachings, so atheists have been conned into rejecting the fundamentals of the timeless, perennial philosophy altogether. Human authorities have violated their responsibilities, so reactionaries have been conned into making the mistake of rejecting all authority on every level.

Let’s face it. Religious and secular institutions inevitably degenerate. They accumulate baggage over time and drift away from founders’ visions.

So from time to time in the repeating cycles of history, it becomes urgently necessary to sort out what’s worth holding on to and what not. Do a thorough cultural house cleaning. Right now, people everywhere are overdue for a major rethinking of their paradigms.

Start with the premise that we’ve been brainwashed. We’re ensnared in contradictory myths and misconceptions. So approach the work with humility and extreme caution. Accept the possibility that everything you thought you knew is wrong.

Initiate OPERATION RESCUE. One individual at a time, take back our most precious asset: our minds. Like tenacious truth-miners, sift through the mud to separate out nuggets of pure gold. Hold fast to truth. Fearlessly put the rest behind.

Go back to the drawing board. Wipe the slate clean. Start over with a fresh, unmarked deck. Rethink organizations by the standard of the Positive Paradigm. Start with the smallest unit of organization — yourself. Work with what’s possible. Be assured that every little bit helps. “One grain of rice can tip the scales.”

If this seems daunting, remember, the stakes. They couldn’t be higher: the survival versus extinction of all you love. Each contribution affects the whole. Everyone matters. As Einstein warned in “Ensuring the Future of Mankind”. . . “Each one of us would be at fault if the goal were not reached in time. There is the danger that everyone waits idly for others to act in his stead.”10

Remember the scare of thermonuclear war, Einstein’s worst nightmare. In 1962, Kennedy and Khrushchev engaged in a personal ego contest, going toe-to-toe during the Cuban missile crisis. It threatened Soviets and Americans with mutual annihilation. Only at the last hour did they relent.

We have Khrushchev’s personal letter to Kennedy:

Only lunatics or suicides, who themselves want to perish and to destroy the whole world before they die, could do this. . . . If you have not lost your self-control, and sensibly conceive what this might lead to, then, Mr. President, we and you ought not to pull on the ends of the rope in which you have tied the knot of war, because the more the two of us pull, the tighter the knot will be tied. And a moment may come when the knot will be tied so tight that even he who tied it will not have the strength to untie it. . .

Lest history repeat itself, let us urge world leaders not to replay this potentially deadly sword-rattling scenario.

Here are recommended positive attitudes for approaching Operation RESCUE:

1. Gird personal determination to win the inner war that matters most. Put pride and old attachments aside. Let the consequences of failing to rescue your mind along with the rewards for doing it motivate persistence.

2. Take nothing for granted. Appreciate what you have while you still have it. Remember: it took only nine seconds for one lunatic to blow John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s head away. It changed the world as his family and the world knew it. Two bullets was all it took to extinguish our best hope for the future of democracy and world peace.

3. Proceed with equal parts courage and trust. Revisit the basic, important life questions carefully. Scrap the old answers. Shed the emotional baggage and prejudices we all carry from personal experience.

Be willing to look at the world and how one fits into it with fresh eyes. Attachments to familiar beliefs as well as obligations to teachers and family are irrelevant to the TRUTH. So are old animosities. Trust that if old answers were correct and personal loyalties valid, they’ll withstand the test of time.

4. Focus on the values everyone everywhere undeniably have in common. Following Einstein’s example, learn how to “think like a genius:”

The scientist or the artist takes two facts or experiences which we separate; he finds in them a likeness which had not been seen before: and he creates a unity by showing the likeness. . . . All science is the search for unity in hidden likenesses.

Begin with respect humanity’s underlying similarities. Let them be our cause for ensuring human survival. Regardless of national origin or racial background, we’re all endowed with native intelligence and the capacity to reason.

Barring unnatural distortions, we’re born with the capacity to love life and cherish family. Most people, most of the time, have an innate capacity for compassion, a thirst for truth and profound desire for personal freedom. We also enjoy a good laugh.

On the cellular level, we’re products of the same DNA pool. Scientists say that all humans trace back to a mere handful of ancestors. It’s testimony to the human intellect to have discovered the DNA code. It serves as a reminder of the wondrous workings of an intelligent Creator. For how could such an extraordinarily intricate, miraculous pattern (much less its reproductive process) be sheer coincidence? How merciful, that we have been allowed this insight into the workings of intelligent design.

It would be a tragedy for us to forget our common blessings, their single source and the preciousness of life. They should unite everyone everywhere against the destructive schemes of genocidal aliens invaders.

5. Focus on TRUTH. Give it the benefit of the doubt. If familiar expressions don’t work for you, dig deeper. Or try a better approach. But cleave to the life-sustaining essence which sincere practitioners of every faith have held in common from time immemorial. Communicate from that center. And build community from there.

Just as each atom has only one nucleus, in Quantum Paradigm context there’s only one core at the center of creation. Logically, over time and in every circumstance, inspired teachings partake of it. If you delve deep enough into the teachings with a sincere heart, you’ll find the same universal source. Since the center is timeless, its TRUTH has always existed and always will.

There is great power in TRUTH. There’s great power in inspired scriptures to move and instruct us in our ways. This includes the venerable I Ching. The Book of Change instills in the receptive observer a profound understanding of human nature and relationships, the better to lead effectively.

Likewise, the complete and accurate Quantum Paradigm of Change has the power to serve as a road map. Use it as a guide for anticipating and overcoming troubles. Let it serve as a link to TRUTH.

Heavy duty bad guys will do whatever it takes to cut humans off from the source of their power. They block inner awareness any way they can. People conned by alien invaders into denying their origins have been castrated, disinherited — cut off from natural power. They’ve been left helpless.

So be determined to take your power back. This is the deepest meaning of “power to the people.” It’s the foundation of genuine democracy. Never, ever be conned into abandoning the inner source of strength. It’s our hope of ultimate survival.

Don’t waste precious time and energy quarreling about whose version of TRUTH is best. Life is too short and precarious. Urge leaders to stop squandering natural resources to add man-made disasters to the roster of survival-threatening perils. Call on them to stop squabbling over the ego-illusion of world-dominance. It’s the height of human folly.

Countless natural disasters are hovering on the edges of history. Indifferent to our insignificant concerns, they’re poised to wipe humans off the face of the Earth. Violent hurricanes and floods, volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis, comet strikes and increasingly intense sun flares are pending.

Future generations depend on each of us to transcend our petty animal nature. They demand that we draw upon the inexhaustible resource of inner strength to keep the wheel of life together for their sake.

In times of great calamities and sorrow, the truly great in spirit will rise to meet whatever challenges may come, sustained by the eternal center within.

6. Don’t get hung up on language. Don’t be confused by misdirecting spin. Stick to the facts. Don’t let double-speaking truth-twisters insult your intelligence. If you allow them to play on your worst fears, they’ll manipulate you into becoming your own worst enemy. Have a standard for knowing who’s who. If you refuse to be fooled by name-calling, empty labels can’t stick. Know friends from enemies by the fruits of their labors. Not by their whitewash excuses.

Don’t let baggage-burdened labels deter you from knowing what you know. “A rose by any other name still smells as sweet.” On the other hand, noone has a monopoly on the Truth. Don’t let anyone drive you off of “their” turf. Nor do you have to pay dues to partake of truth.

It’s no accident that Jon Huntsman, Jr., the son of a visionary father described above is now serving as point man for a group called “No Labels.” This organization would benefit by working from the deeper perspective the Quantum Paradigm has to offer. However, they are definitely moving us in a positive direction. Here’s how their vision and purpose is described on the website, NoLabels.org:

No Labels is a growing citizens’ movement of Democrats, Republicans and independents dedicated to promoting a new politics of problem solving . . . We welcome people left, right and everything in between as long as they are willing to collaborate with one another to seek a shared success for America. This new attitude is what No Labels is all about.

In this spirit, take back the TRUTH. Find common language that works for everyone. So what if false teachers corrupt the teachings? So what if politicians turn timeless truth upside down? Even if horrible things have been done in its name, that’s all the more reason to get back to the original unchanging basics.

For example, one term atheists might relate to is “Universal Mind.” I’m partial to the term “Creator.” Others choose to call the unnameable source of life the Tao, the Great Father, Holy Spirit, the Buddha or Allah. But author U.S. Anderson used “Universal Mind” interchangeably with “God.”

Perhaps atheists squeamish about the name God, who defend reason as their means for accessing TRUTH, would resonate with the concept of a Universal Mind. The awesomely powerful human intellect is its miniature and mirror. This is, in fact, an accurate representation of the TRUTH.

7. The Danger. Don’t let alien agents define who you are. For example, in the November 2013 issue of Esquire Magazine,14 an was article on “The New American Center.” The web posting put forth a definition of “center” diametrically opposed to the common sense center described here. On the basis of 2,410 registered voters surveyed, researchers generalized that American voters have been shifting on the ideological spectrum. They no longer have a comfortable political home or a champion. Of respondents, 49 percent agreed with the assumption-laden statement, “I never put faith in politicians of either party because they always end up disappointing me.” An additional 25 percent indicated that they were neutral.

This new center is said to agree that those in dire need should receive assistance, but would really prefer that government leave the rest of us alone. Researchers say that the new center wants government to spend less and go easy on regulation,. But they’re okay with raising taxes on the rich and on polluters. The new center “has had it with the rest of the world.” In particular, it doesn’t want American using its resources to fix things overseas when we have problems at home.

Researchers conclude: The center is up for grabs. More than one in three of the new center don’t “feel” that anybody in Washington represents them. They are, therefore, “waiting to be found.” Those on the Left are somewhat confident that someone in Washington expresses their viewpoints. But more than half of the “Righteous Right” feel that no one speaks for them. This conclusion is, apparently, an open invitation to political chameleons. It tells them how to paint themselves to please this new center, the better to “grab” their votes.

I’m deeply skeptical of such studies. My graduate school experience with research scientists wasn’t impressive. In that case as in this, the questions themselves were skewed. The way they were framed prevented accurate answers. Here, participant selection also supports predrawn conclusions. The opinions of those who opt not to vote are excluded. And as in my own experience, the conclusions not only appear to be foreknown. They seem intended to serve ends of political masters.

The dangers of media-influenced opinion polls, the precursor of media-selected politicians, cannot be underestimated. Who after all, funds and for all practical purposes owns the media, if not the likes of George Soros, the puppet master himself?

Regardless of what the agendas for redefining the Center might be, my first remedy is to take back the meaning of “Center.” Let it be defined by common sense in Positive Paradigm context, not by paid political researchers. The hub at the center of life’s wheel can’t be equated with a political center. Quite the opposite. Remember the Karate Kid? Pick one side of the road or the other. Good or evil. Truth or spin. As Mr. Miagi warned, middle-of-the-roaders get “squished like grape.”

8. The Opportunity. Inherent in endings are opportunities for new beginnings. “After degeneration reaches critical mass, regeneration follows.”

For one thing, no matter how extreme the danger, we’re never alone. This is so on both physical and metaphysical levels. Just as alien invaders are infiltrating society, there are conscientious souls who know very well what they are up to. They’re penetrating enemy ranks to reroute their plans. They’re also courageously calling public attention to blatant nonsense.

For example, follow Dr. Timothy Daughtry and colleagues at concordbridgeconsulting.com. He’s captured the dynamic of deceptive messaging perfectly: “Whatever you intend, say the opposite.” Here’s a sample from “Liberals Love It When We Fight:”

Helplessness, and not hope, is the left’s real message. . . the uniform message from liberal politicians to minority Americans is that the system is stacked against them, and that their only hope is through electing liberal politicians — not through personal effort. 

So, trust that people of conscience are embedded in the right places to say and do the right things at the right time. Just as invaders’ agents work to undermine humanity, modern-day sages are tenaciously working to expose and defeat their schemes. That’s why it’s imperative to cut across false boundaries.

Connect with like-minded boundary-spanners wherever they are to be found. If they’re true to the common sense voice of conscience, they’re humanity’s best hope. Heed them. Remember JFK’s vision:

I look forward to a great future for America — a future in which our country will match its military strength with our moral restraint, its wealth with our wisdom, its power with our purposes. I look forward to an America which will not be afraid of grace and beauty, which will reward achievement in business or statecraft, which commands respect through out the world not only for its strength, but for its civilization as well.

In this message, John Fitzgerald Kennedy left behind unfinished work and with it the key to a fresh start. We now have the opportunity to complete what his started. Here’s the vision he intended to make real.

With the tool of the Quantum Paradigm of Change now in hand, we have the opportunity to universalize his vision. Let us urge all nations to balance strength with restraint, wealth with wisdom, and power with positive purpose.

Kennedy’s death was a comma, not a period. The ideas he expressed in the speech meant to be delivered on the evening of November 22, 1963, the date of his assassination, can still be realized. Parallel to Einstein’s unfinished quest for the Unified Theory, the time is right to pick up Kennedy’s fallen flag and move forward using the Positive Paradigm as the basis of a common leadership initiative:

. . . our duty as a Party is not to our Party alone, but to the nation, and indeed, to all mankind. Our duty is not merely the preservation of political power but the preservation of peace and freedom. . . So let us not be petty when our cause is so great.

Fifty years later, as he foresaw, not just one nation’s future is at stake. It’s an “all or nothing” challenge. So let’s call on our leaders to something truly extraordinary:

Forsake the conflict-driven quest for personal political power. Put it at the service of an even more powerful and truly worthy goal: human survival. Partnership in a leadership initiative to fulfill JFK’s vision.

But don’t just sit back, waiting for politicians to wake up. Follow Einstein’s advice. Don’t build another human institution, a conglomeration of internally conflicted governments.

Instead, build an international intentional community of like minds. The internet gives opportunities for connecting across limiting, artificial boundaries that Einstein would never have dreamed possible.

Bloggers, do your best. Put the pressure of public opinion behind a tidal wave of appeals to nation- and opinion-shapers.

The Only Way Out Is Through – IC – 123120

On December 30th, year-of-our-Lord 2020, I listened to WarRoom Pandemic host Stephen K. Bannon and guest Roger Kimball opine on the late Andrew Breitbart’s words: “Culture is downstream from politics.”

WOW. I must differ.

They may be correct – as far as it goes. But, importantly, there’s more. Interacting culture and politics both vary with the flux and flow of events on the ephemeral surface of the Life Wheel. Together, they’re offshoots of something deeper – a fundamental paradigm.

Deeper still, archetypal ideas emanate from the Center of the Life Wheel. They depend on the silent Source from which ideas arise and civilizations then follow.

It’s a jigsaw puzzle of interlocking wheels-within-wheels, with a center piece that holds the entire picture together.

Steve introduced Roger as (among others things) President of Encounter Books, publisher of books on immanent threats throughout the world. Again, there’s more.

The greatest threat – the one which drives economic/political conflict – is the limited, fragmenting, nihilistic paradigm of empirical science. So long as the underlying paradigm is corrupt and corrupting, operating invisible and uncorrected, efforts to improve matters on the surface are futile.

Yes, in the case of America, restoring fidelity to the Constitution and rule of human law is NECESSARY. But it’s not sufficient. Deeper still, we have to restore a living, breathing understanding of Natural Law and, deeper still of Divine Law. After all, the Founders saw human law in the context of the laws of nature and nature’s God.

As an unfortunate fact of history, wisdom traditions, both East and West, are subject to entropy. Over time, the religious institutions of Judaeo-Christian culture – however noble at the core – have been infiltrated and egregiously abused to political ends.

For example, Elsworth Carlson, a family friend and my professor of Asian history at Oberlin College, wrote about his experience as a missionary in Shansi, China. Stranded there during War II, he came to appreciate the nobility of their culture. The one-sided attitude of his peers appalled him. They assumed Western culture was the only correct one. They therefore had a duty to impose it on a distant land which they neither understood nor appreciated.

No wonder Westerners were hated by the ruling classes. They despised not so much the culture, mind you, but the heavy-handed, violent way in which it was superimposed on countries across the globe. Today, from some combination of pride and revenge, Asian political leaders are following historical example, intent on turning the tables.

Fortunately, political-cultural warfare is superficial. Deeper than deep, people worldwide are waking up to the values they share in common – freedom, love of life, of family, of God. And that is bringing the best of us together. A shared, complete and correct paradigm will speed the process of cooperative agreements.

In Rethinking Survival, I quoted comparative religion legend Joseph Campbell:

We don’t have a mythology for people recognizing the humanity of a person on the other side of the hemisphere. I’ve often wondered if some of the notions coming out of quantum physics, quantum interconnectedness, don’t express that.

The Quantum Paradigm answers that call. It is:

. . . an inclusive reality map, one people worldwide can easily comprehend and agree upon. It is equally compatible with scriptures and science, bridging the gap between them. It fulfills Einstein’s intuited search for the Unified Field Theory, picturing how all parts of creation are related, interwoven and interdependent.

Truth by definition is universal — eternally One and the same. All wisdom traditions are cultural expressions of the same, eternal Core, whether you call it Creator, Source, God, Great Father, Tao, Allah. . . or nothing at all.

Cultures are “great” to the extent they’re in alignment with the Center, the Source of greatness. Its expressions differ over time and by place. Their limitations are a function of (perhaps) inevitable corruption.

Fortunately, 2021 is offering humanity the opportunity to go deeper than surface differences. Today’s Fresh Start I Ching reading is perfectly timed for the New Year. It’s the beginning of the great Reset foreseen by those who watch the heavens (a term which the dark side can’t get away with co-opting in a futile attempt to bend the positive arc of history).

So. Yes, We’re in for a global Reset. It won’t happen overnight. Or in month. Or even year. A generation is more like it. But it starts NOW, with each of us, one person at a time, and from the inside out. The energies of the times are changing. We are becoming more aware. Not just of the political-cultural scene, but of the inner landscape which drives it.

The year 2021 promises to be rough, though different from 2020. The process of exposing the corruption of the old order will continue. But the clash between paradigms will intensify, imposing new hardships. Positive change doesn’t come easy. As Kuhn wrote in his classic work on paradigm shifts, entrenched power-holders with vested interests in obsolete ways will fight change however they can.

In particular, January of 2021 promises to be fraught with geographical and political events of explosive intensity. A heads up: astrological markings of January 20th, inauguration day, are strikingly similar to the date of the catastrophic 1916 San Francisco earthquake.

In sum, the year-of-our-Lord 2021 promises to be a roller-coaster ride. So buckle up. There’s no turning back. The only way out is through.

Take comfort in this. Come what may, those supported by wisdom traditions will meet our new set of challenges with the Phoenix Response, dying to be reborn better than before in the same lifetime.

We’re not taught to look to the Book of Change, the compendium of Natural Law, for answers. That’s why I’ve brought the book to you. Through the end of 2020, bi-weekly posts were intended make what was once unfamiliar now familiar.

TRAVEL is the initial answer to the question, “What should we be aware of on New Year’s Eve as we enter 2021?” It reads:

When you have outgrown a situation, it is time to TRAVEL on. Staying longer would prevent attainment of important goals. Commitments made now probably would not work out. In dealing with strangers exercise careful self-control. Talk little. Listen much. Learn from everyone who has information to share. Avoid dangerous exposure.

Most of us are glad to be done with a painfully challenging year. No looking back. However, it will be important to stay on high alert. More challenges lie ahead.

* * *

Advice of the fourth line reads, “Enjoy the process of growing day by day. Don’t rush.”

The future promises to be full of surprising twists and turns. Rather than try to second guess, don’t get ahead of yourself. Make the best of each day as it comes. Remain flexible.

When this advice is heeded the line changes to Stillness:

Peace within and harmony without come from STILLNESS. When immediate answers to important questions cannot be found, sometimes keeping still is the best way out. Burning desires produce chaotic thinking. This only clouds the issue and makes life painful. Meditation is a valuable method for finding stillness. Avoid useless activity.

During times of conflict and tension, inner balance must be restored with periods of quiet self-care. Conserve energy. Maintain inner focus and mental clarity. Don’t be distracted from purpose.

* * *

Advice of line five reads, “In a new situation, find the right way to make introductions.”

As we continue to forward into unknown territory, it’s important to continuously assess the situation and adjust quickly. Remember General Flynn’s comments. The Founders knew this country was an experiment. Of necessity, it must evolve. So keep an open mind. Look for new ways to accomplish worthy goals.

When this advice is heeded, it changes to Retreat:

RETREAT from negative forces which will begin to arise. Withdraw gracefully if possible. By doing this you can avoid embarrassment and thus pave the way for a safe and easy return when the time is right. Make careful arrangements to protect yourself from harm. Avoid becoming caught in hopeless situations.

Again, explosive events and hardships lie ahead. To the extent possible, stay out of harms way. Don’t provoke danger unnecessarily. Don’t engage in losing battles.

* * *

Following the advice of the original reading (avoid dangerous exposure) along with the advice of both changing lines (avoid useless activity; don’t get caught in hopeless situations) leads to the final, composite result — a Fresh Start. It reads:

Even when it seems that all has been spoiled, it is possible to make a FRESH START. Be willing to face your faults. Find out how to correct them. The situation will gradually improve if you are sincere and work hard. Be sure you know what you want. Avoid delay.

This final reading of 2020 reinforces the earlier theme of correcting mistakes and at-one-ment. No one said it would be easy. But keep the faith. It’s worth it.

Collected posts will be published as The Lessons of 2020: Using the Wisdom of CHANGE to Build a Better Future. Look for it on amazon in January of 2021.

If you’d like a copy of the Common Sense Book of Change, or extras to give others, click here.

To order Two Sides of a Coin: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change, click here.

Okay, then. That’s all for now. Take care, all.