Category Archives: Survival

Levels of Support

Heads up!!

This is the most important blog I’ve ever posted.

I know you’re busy, and time is precious. But this is a must read.

To start, I’ll briefly state my point straight up, then support the premise by telling you how I arrived there. To conclude, coming full circle, I’ll restate the basic premise in full.

Thanks for staying with me.

Here goes.

Premise: Across the board, expert observers agree that the next few years will be ones of massive global change, experienced by many as painfully challenging. Those most likely to survive intact, perhaps even thrive, will be those equipped with an overview that provides awareness of both purpose and hope. That overview is embodied in The Quantum Paradigm.

The springboard to this post was a revisiting my well-worn copy of Inna Segal’s seminal and highly influential book, first published in 2010, The Secret Language of Your Body.

In part, the book description reads, “By encouraging you to connect with your innate healing intelligence and calling on your body’s built-in ability to heal itself, Inna gently guides you on a journey of life-changing transformation and empowerment . . .”

In his forward, Dr. Bernie Siegel writes, “The Secret Language of Your Body unveils the secrets to understanding the messages of your body, revealing the underlying causes of symptoms and medical conditions, and offers processes for healing.”

N.B. Perhaps because English isn’t Inna’s native language, her word choices can be hard to follow. Repeatedly, I’d search the index for important terms, only to find them missing. Over time, I recognized that she chooses different words express what I was looking for. It was my job to make the connections.

For example, I wrote into the index with a question mark the absent terms resistance and terror. I later placed a note next to these question marks indicating that both words are included under the umbrella descriptor of fear.

Similarly, I scratched my head and added a question mark next to her repeated use of the word honor, but followed up with a note that her intended meaning seemed closer to what I’d call reputation.

Be that as it may, in my reading, I noticed a repeating theme. Lack of social/emotional support is associated with a broad spectrum of illnesses, including depression, impotence, diabetes, hip arthritis, and osteoporosis, as well as both liver and heart failure.

In the healing remedy section called Process to Enhance Healthy Emotions, I find this:

Support. Say, “Divine Healing Intelligence [I substitute True Self, Inner Being, I AM Source], please encircle me with your ray of gentle, supportive, and uplifting gold light. Infuse me with compassion, understanding, kindness and wisdom. Help me to become considerate, thoughtful, and forgiving. Transform any jealousy I feel into encouragement and happiness for other people’s good fortune. As I become thankful for my own and other people’s fortuity, reward me with magnificent, abundant surprises. Thank you.”

Inna continues:

“Focus your attention on how you can support and encourage others to be their best. Concentrate on being happy for other people’s success The happier you can be about someone doing well, the more likely you will open the gateway for your own good fortune . . .”

However, in her description of Support, I found there to be more than just a linguistic difference. It’s conceptual. And worth addressing here to emphasize.

Which isn’t to say there isn’t merit in what she recommends. The spirit of cooperation (in survivalist parlance, mutual assistance), is a defining cornerstone of the emerging Aquarian age mentality.

However, when crunch time comes, it’s not enough. It’s other- and outward-oriented. And on the surface of the Quantum Life Wheel, the familiar supports we take for granted will inevitably fail us. Nor should we be surprised, expecting more than what’s realistically possible.

For on the surface, m=mass outer level of Quantum Life Wheel, support from others is necessarily transitory — ephemeral. Governments can’t be depended upon. Economies crash. Natural disasters proliferate. Social orders break down.

Employers exploit us. Colleagues and even friends sometimes betray us. Children leave home. Parents don’t live forever. Spouses divorce us or die. Experts and even spiritual authorities are exposed for having antisocial agendas and dark secrets.

Turning inwards to draw upon the strength, courage and fortitude accessed at the middle, e=energy level of the Quantum Life Wheel is a major step in the right direction. Think in terms of true grit, self-love or self-care.

Deeper still, those attuned to the quantum field, whether through meditation or other means, encounter the realm of angels, ascended masters and non-physical guides, far more powerful, benevolent and dependable than most human supporters.

But ultimately, to survive, we must each traverse further yet, to access the silent, non-dual Central core — the Source of stability which never changes. In the end, personal and collective survival depends upon Divine Connection.

And the blessing in disguise granted by dangerously hard times is that we’re forced to draw upon the distant memory of our inner strengths and that too-often-neglected Center Core to survive. Even though the prevailing empirical science paradigm disallows their existence, they remain unchanged as the very bedrock of our beings.

Now, coming full circle. Why am I so certain that this is the most important blog I’ve written to date? I’ll expand on the original premise to explain.

To remind you: Across the board, expert observers agree that the next few years will be ones of massive global change, experienced by many as painfully challenging. Those most likely to survive intact, perhaps even thrive, will be those equipped with an overview that provides awareness of both purpose and hope. That overview is embodied in The Quantum Paradigm.

In this post, I return to the premise of Rethinking Survival, as stated by Einstein. Ironically, he already had his intuited unified field (quantum) theory, but for lack of yoga training missed it. He observed:

Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison [of illusory separation] by widening our circle of compassion, to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. . . We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive.

The Quantum Paradigm offers us exactly that: the substantially new manner of thinking upon which human survival will depend.

Astrologers, psychics and those who channel angelic and extra-dimensional beings all agree upon their assessment of our rapidly changing times. It’s foreseen that there will be extraordinary upheavals in every aspect of our lives. Shocks. Surprises. By the end of these events, Planet Earth will be unrecognizable compared to what it is now, for better or worse . . . depending on how humanity navigates these challenges.

And shifting away from the hollow shell of the current empirical science paradigm to this complete and correct model of quantum reality is what will give humanity the wherewithal to meet impending challenges and surmount them . . . magnificently. Miraculously.

Because, for the first time, across the board, humanity will have an accurate vision of its full potentials, as well as permission to access and actively express them. This paradigm shift will give the actual means to become the sovereign beings we say we are, but earlier had no breadth of self-awareness to make real.

And so it is.

Perspective

RFK Jr. uncharacteristically writes Donald Trump off with a simplistic put-down.

“He’s a bully. I don’t like bullies.”

But in this extraordinarily dangerous world, don’t results matter as much, if not more, than personality?

For example, this bully stood up to China to protect American trade interests. To protect the southern border by enforcing the “Remain in Mexico” agreement. This bully had what it takes to stand up to Putin, keeping aggression at bay. To quell the North Korean nuclear threat. And to sponsor the historic Abraham Accords.

Trump grieves that if the 2020 election he tirelessly campaigned to win had returned him (fairly) to the White House, the slaughter of an entire generation of Ukrainian youth would never have happened. Nor would have the deaths on both sides of the bloody Israel-Hamas conflict.

Giving credit where it’s due, isn’t that a valid point worth considering?

If I wanted to quibble at the level of personality, I could say, just as unfairly, that I don’t like lawyers. They twist the facts and abuse the language, denigrating opponents for the sake of argument.

But to be fair, keeping things in perspective, as a lawyer, RFK Jr. put a significant dent in corporate environmental abuses by exposing them and winning justice for victims in court.

Keeping things in perspective, both candidates dearly love America. Both have put their patriotism to the test, placing their lives and sacred honor on the line to battle the globalist agenda. Both have been subjected to massive unjust retaliation for so doing. Aren’t they brothers, fighting for a single cause?

Nevertheless, taking a cheap shot at Trump, RFK Jr. faults him for failing to deliver on his promise to clean out of the DC swamp. But for the grace of God, good Sir, there go you. That swamp is far more deep, dangerous and pervasive than anyone from the outside looking in can fathom.

As a matter of fact, it’s a miracle that Trump, a grave threat to that swamp, survived countless unreported assassination attempts during his presidency — not to mention the reported ones that came much too close. As a very cheap shot, good Sir, that’s a better track record than your uncle and father achieved.

Of this I am sure. Both candidates, each in their own way, believe deeply in God. And both feel called to serve their beloved country. No one could otherwise find the sustaining grit, courage and determination to embark on such a challenging course. Why are they not aligned on the same side as mutually supportive allies? Wouldn’t that better serve the nation’s interests?

This I pray. That the two, from the profound stillness of their deepest hearts, find a way to reconcile their differences. May they be shown a cooperative, creative, unique and powerful way to transcend the limiting, either/or rules of the “politics as usual” game.

May they be inspired to unite in common purpose to synergistically achieve together something far greater that either could accomplish alone.

And may their followers respect and support their common sense decision to hang together, rather than be hung out to dry separately by the globalists both of them oppose.

At the end of the day, I dearly hope that deeper brotherhood wins the day, overshadowing personality differences and political ambitions. There’s too much at stake to be small-minded, to lose perspective, and forget the larger picture.

There’s plenty of work to go around and valid responsible roles for each of them to play in service of the same cause: survival of this nation. Of humanity.

A Call to Positive Action

Malcolm Gladwell, author of David and Goliath, also wrote The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. In the language of Einstein’s atomic physics, the tipping point is called critical mass. In the world of ideas, it’s the trigger point of a paradigm shift. Gladwell describes it as magic:

The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. . . A precisely targeted push can cause a fashion trend, the popularity of a new product, or a drop in the crime rate.

His book identifies the catalysts which precipitate a tipping point. Psychological studies are analyzed to name the key elements of social change. At the right time, a handful of people with the right idea and the right messaging can make huge waves.

With three key ingredients in place, what seems to happen spontaneously, almost mysteriously, can be deliberately replicated.

That’s where you, the reader, come in. Three special kinds of people are necessary to precipitate a paradigm shift. Gladwell profiles the personality types whose combined effort makes the difference. He calls them mavens, salesmen, and connectors.

Mavens are the experts who know their subject in-depth and in great detail. They delight in sharing their knowledge to help others. They have no agenda other than to be of service, so people trust their information. In this case, the information being shared is the perennial philosophy embodied in the Quantum Paradigm. It radiates from the center of the quantum Life Wheel.

Salesmen have a knack for tapping into what the public wants. They’re keenly perceptive about human nature and are therefore persuasive in getting others to buy what they have for sale. Salesmen are in touch with the e=energy middle level of the quantum Life Wheel. They connect with human motivations to energize basic hopes (namely, for survival) and fears (of extinction).

Connectors take joy in building extended networks of acquaintances. They’re the matchmakers who introduce friends to other friends. They’re the doers who spin the Life Wheel round at the m=mass surface of the rim. In this case, they have the potential to spread the Quantum Paradigm message worldwide to everyone with the common sense to hear.

Put these three special kinds of people together and there’s magic in the making. The levels of creation can be linked and unified. A powerful idea presented persuasively to the public and carried around the globe by word-of-mouth can travel faster than a speeding bullet.

Rethinking Survival, as well as its next generation, The Quantum Solution, is the work of a maven. I’ve spent a lifetime refining these ideas. I’ve worked diligently to express them in a simple, clear and hopefully entertaining way. I take delight in the possible good that could come from sharing them.

But, true to life, there’s always a down side. The lifestyle optimal for writing such a book disqualifies me from wearing the hats of either a connector or a salesman. My strength in one context is a weakness in another. I’m a deeply private person.

Knowing my limitations, I’m calling on the strengths of my readers to balance out my weak spots. I’m not independently wealthy. I have no support network of family, friends, agents and publicists. I need you to ACT as salesmen and connectors on behalf of the Quantum Paradigm.

Together, we can work miracles.

Here’s the tipping point idea from Lao Tze’s perspective:

Passage 78

Nothing under heaven is as soft, receptive or pliant as water; but when massed, nothing withstands its tidal wave impact. As water penetrates and dissolves the hard, erodes and absorbs the rigid, those who yield and encompass their foes prevail long after evil doers have disappeared.

Like water, the sage absorbs the world’s suffering, endures its hardships, and responsive to the times, becomes the catalyst of collective action. So it is that the low and high trade places, and the forceful lose their influence; this is known by many, but practiced by few.

This passage applies to promoting the Quantum Paradigm idea in the following way. A solitary writer is like a single drop of water in the ocean. But an idea whose time has come, when spread by word-of-mouth and owned by the masses, can take on the force of a social tsunami.

I have no political clout or social standing. But I’ve allowed nothing to discourage me in my determination to be a catalyst of collective positive action. I’ve experienced my share of hardships. I identify with the world’s suffering. So I trust that, having done my best, it will be enough.

As the next generation of Rethinking Survival, The Quantum Solution will survive by surfing the tidal waves of Titanic times. Because there is a mighty zeitgeist stirring the air. Its force is obliging everyone on the planet to make critical choices. Its power is driving us to take action.

It’s a question of which worldview will prevail. Everyone must choose. (Failing to choose consciously is also a choice.)

Do we cling to dysfunctional paradigms that have brought us to the brink of Titanic disaster? Or do we opt for Einstein’s new way of thinking?

Do we choose to be, or not to be? To survive or perish from the face of the earth, that is the question.

If you’re ready and willing to tip the balance in favor of human survival, BE PART OF THE SOLUTION. SPREAD THE WORD.

Urge everyone you know who stands to benefit from Rethinking Survival to read it and then act on it. Do so with passionate conviction. Now! Fill the all-important roles of salesmen and connectors.

If you know any of the current authors I’ve quoted, tell them — as well as their families, friends and co-workers — that they’re mentioned here.

Most especially, contact Tony Robbins along with all of his fans and friends. If you know people involved social change movements, tell them The Quantum Solution is a MUST!

If you think the leaders you know could do much better, urge them to read The Quantum Solution and act on it. Tell them it’s a matter of survival, theirs as well as yours.

If you agree with bloggers who complain that government policies are pushing Americans to a tipping point, let’s turn looming catastrophe into a blessing in disguise. Find positive ways to use danger as the catalyst of a Quantum Paradigm shift.

If you know anyone troubled by thoughts of death, dying or suicide, give them a copy. The same goes for anyone with a history of abuse, victims and predators alike.

Let your creative artist and musicians friends know this is a book for them. Tell your yoga friends they’ll want to read it.

If your friends loved Joseph Campbell’s work on comparative religions, let them know The Quantum Solution completes what he started. If you know any Einstein fans, ditto.

If you adored John F. Kennedy and welcome the hope of seeing his world vision fulfilled, pass the book along for his sake.

Tell your survivalist friends and acquaintances to read The Quantum Solution; it will give them a new way to think about survival.

Tell all the school teachers in your circle to teach the Quantum Paradigm in the classroom. Inform every librarian you know that this book belongs in their collection.

Use your imagination. Who else needs to read The Quantum Solution? Include them!

Join in Operation Rescue. Be a founding member of the Fresh Start Movement.

Send emails. Give copies. Talk to friends at work, at school, and over meals. Call radio hosts. Contact book reviewers, or write a review yourself. Act as an advocate.

Be part of the push which tips the balance. Put your weight however you can behind the Quantum Paradigm shift. No matter how small the effort, every little bit helps.

May the Force be with you

now and into the future.

An Extraordinary Opportunity

In duality, as a Law of Nature, hidden within every danger is an opposite and equal opportunity. In today’s intensely dangerous times, if only we can see and reach out to catch it, at the center of the ferris wheel ups and downs of current events rests the prize of an extraordinary opportunity.

This came to me today (Friday, October 20, 2022) as a special message for our Chinese friends, who’ve shared with the world the treasure of the preeminent I Ching, The Book of Change.

It came about as the result of making a personal query. I’ve been coughing up karmic hairballs to release and heal for a few weeks now. This morning (one can hope), had to be the climax and finish of that process.

I tell you about it because I recognize that my personal experience parallels the collective one. My individual process of releasing karmic cycles in order to make a clean fresh start could well serve as a catalyst for a larger-scale healing of long-held grudges between China and the Western world.

The personal story involves the suicide of my cardiologist father, William Kirby West, in which opioid addiction played a part. In dream state this morning, I became aware that an ancient repeating cycle of karma was involved. I was at risk of playing it out once again. But this time, by recognizing the potential danger, I had the opportunity to break the cycle. Release it. Let it go and be healed forever.

What then flashed in mind was the parallel between my risk and a news clip I’d seen the day before. It featured a collage of the faces of thousands of Americans who’d died of fentanyl overdoses. It filled a full wall, representing not only their loss, but the ripple effect of suffering experienced by their families and friends.

Connecting the dots still further, I recognized that the U.S. border crisis that’s flooding the country with fentanyl imported from China is part of their revenge, tit for tat, for what had been done to them during the Opium wars. In an earlier century, European pirates and profiteers caused a demoralizing plague of addictions in China. Holding this grudge, they’re revisiting that plague on Westerners now. Round and round the cycle of retaliation, revenge and pay-back goes.

But it’s time to STOP it. Now. We have an extraordinary opportunity to recognize the repeating pattern and heal this suicidal no-win dynamic NOW.

In the 3D materialistic paradigm of competition, conquest and control, Chinese overlords imagined that their land was the center of the world. Their pride was bruised beyond measure when that bubble of illusory superiority burst. They’re challenging the U.S. as if to grab back their perceived rightful place in the world as its central dominant “force.”

But in 5D quantum reality, this is tragic nonsense. Control is a non-issue. Only God, Source, Tao, the Creator (however you choose to name it) – certainly no race, no nation, no gender, no religion — is at the Center of the ferris wheel of life:

In the Unified Field Theory, encompassed in the archetypal Life Wheel, we have a complete and accurate reality map that supports universal change from the inside out. In shifting to this Quantum Paradigm world view, we have the extraordinary opportunity to finally, at last, come to understand and live by the awareness that everyone, everywhere is made in the image of Creator, endowed with the same creative potentials.

It’s time to give up the addiction to power, dominance and control. To forgive mistakes made in ignorance. To let go of an unfortunate past in order to focus on the extraordinary opportunity to heal and make manifest the potentials of a brilliant, hopeful future.

We have nothing of true value to lose, and everything to gain. Time is precious. Human survival is in the balance. Let’s go for it NOW!

Patricia West is author of The Common Sense Book of Change and Two Sides of a Coin: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change. She’s currently working on The Phoenix Response: Dying To Be Reborn – in the Same Lifetime.

FROM a BETTER PARADIGM to BETTER LEADERSHIP & a BETTER FUTURE

Two radically different voices came to my attention today, in combination heralding the hope that perhaps the times — just maybe – are finally ready for a paradigm shift which could ensure human survival.

The Quantum Paradigm of which I speak is, of course, the subject of Rethinking Survival. It’s the Unified Field Theory which Einstein intuited and actually had, but, sadly, for lack of yoga background, missed. Embodied in the archetypal Life Wheel which spontaneously appears throughout time, throughout all civilizations, it looks like this:

This Unified Field Theory pictures a reality where all parts of creation are interwoven and interdependent. As such, this inclusive reality map is one which everyone everywhere can relate to and agree upon. It is equally compatible with scriptures and science, bridging the gap between them.

This elegantly simple yet complete reality map meets the Occam’s Razor standard: maximum inclusiveness with greatest brevity.

Working with the Quantum Paradigm empowers the “substantially new manner of thinking,” which, Einstein said, is necessary “if mankind is to survive.”

As I wrote earlier:

Those who succeed in linking the levels of experience are genius-leaders in whatever fields they choose to engage. They’re the fortunate ones who’ve acquired the inner wealth necessary to both hear the inner voice of conscience and act on the guidance they receive.

Ultimately, survivors who prevail in dangerous times aren’t those with the most material wealth, possessions or political power. They’re the ones who’ve successfully navigated the middle realm, reached the far shore of enlightenment and returned to the surface with their new information intact.

This complete and accurate paradigm will replace the fractured, materialistic paradigm of empirical science which rules out the existence of everything but the outer, m=mass level of human experience.

Empirical science, with disastrous consequences, banned the inner levels of e=energy (emotion) and c=light (intuition) from conscious awareness. In the extreme, it cut humanity off from awareness of the common core which all share in common, call it God, Source, Creator, Tao, or Conscience, as you will.

Earlier, I wrote:

I’ve become certain that the worldwide leadership deficit (and related budget deficits) is explained by an underlying knowledge deficit. For lack of a complete and correct life map – paradigm, if you will — people everywhere remain bewildered as to how and why, even with the best of intentions, so much continues to go so horribly wrong.

To the extent that the inner levels of energy, intuition and conscience are blind spots in the way people think, leaders are left powerless to move beyond the surface level of experience. The realms of light and conscience which rest on the far side of the dynamic energy level, remain inaccessible.

Just as the Titanic’s designers failed to recognize the ship’s fatal flaw, today’s religious and political leaders, acting on misinformation, are steering the planet ever closer to the brink of destruction. The Quantum Paradigm offers a way to rethink our collective future, shift away from the current collision course towards disaster and ensure human survival.

Now, today’s first voice of hope for a better future is that of man of Japanese American descent. Robert Kiyosaki is author of the popular Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and more recently, Capitalist Manifesto. In an interview where he Makes Bold Predictions about the Economy, Kiyosaki connects the dots between useless “education,” dangerously weak leadership, and increasingly hard times. We need better leaders, he insists.

On the premise that better education is key to reversing the current downward cycle, he’s written books on how the economy really works. [Keep the pristine definition of the word in mind. “To educate” means to “lead from darkness to light.” Note that “LEAD,” the essence of leadership, is inherent in that definition.] I would add, we also need to restore the wisdom of the I Ching, the Book of Change to the curriculum, as the compendium of Natural Law — the way the world really works.

The blessing in disguise, according to Kiyosaki, is that danger creates opportunity. To survive, people must stretch and improve to meet the challenges they face. He gives the example of being a war zone pilot. His life expectancy was thirty days. “The more dangerous the mission, the better you’ve got to be.” [I would add, and the more accurate and complete the map you’re flying from.]

Today’s second voice of hope for a better future is that of a woman of French descent. Elana Danaan is author of A Gift from the Stars, and more recently The Seeders. She underscores the importance of actively taking personal self-responsibility, rather than passively waiting to be rescued by saviors. She writes:

Humanity must take responsibility for itself or Humanity can never grow. . . Humanity must not miss the opportunity to rise up and loudly proclaim, “I do not consent [to tyranny].”

She continues:

The time to kneel is over. It is time to stand up, humans of Earth. It is time to embrace who you truly are. And you are quite exceptional!

To which I would concur. In fact, the Life Wheel — the quantum paradigm of a better future — gives credence to the biblical vision of humans as made in the image of God, whole and complete. It is time to remember who, in potential, we truly are. It is our responsibility – by command – to be perfect, like the Father.

Why This, Why Me, and Why NOW?

Much to my surprise, The Way of the Sage went its own way.

Much of what I originally intended to say was left unsaid.

For example, I planned to follow through on my earlier invitation to Sage Robbins.

In an Open Letter to Tony Robbins, I observed that the not-coincidental pun on his wife’s name nominates her as the logical and ideal person to try out and report back to him on the validity and benefits associated with this ancient, tried and true, universal method of decision-making – the book accurately described The Ultimate Personal Survival Guide.

I intended to tell her that the Common Sense Book of Change is intentionally free of the usual elitist and gender assumptions (“the superior man”). No one is excluded from the opportunity to be truly noble, genuinely wise.

I wanted to tell her that this small book makes timeless wisdom available to truth seekers — whomever, wherever — free of distortions. There’s no overlay of cultural bias. For this ancient wisdom treasure is, in its essence, timeless. Universal.

I intended to appeal to her natural, maternal instinct to educate and protect our children, now and into the future. I would have invited her to join me in giving this small book to the world as living proof that women too have the potential to become peaceful warriors as well as sages.

But, as I said, The Way of the Sage took a detour. Immediately after publishing it, however, I became aware that it was just the first installment.

Overnight, I received the content of a second installment. Again, it didn’t include the originally outlined facts and details. Instead, something else, equally unexpected, emerged.

This time, I was called to explain these Three Whys.

Why this subject?
Why me? Why am I the right person to address it? And,
Why this subject and me NOW?

The Three Why’s aren’t necessarily separate. They blend and interact. But I’ll do my best, as briefly as possible, to sort it out for you.

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WHY THIS?

As stated earlier:

What I’ve been given in trust to share with the world is a re-vision of timeless wisdom, clear and simple in form, suited to the needs of the times.

The form is two-part, consisting of a mutually reinforcing map and a manual. One is an overview, a snapshot of quantum reality. The other, with good reason, has been called The Ultimate Personal Survival Guide.

For many reasons, some explained below, the future ahead is going to be majorly unfamiliar. However positive pending changes will ultimately prove to be, at the onset they’ll be perceived by most to be fearful and threatening.

In that context, the Sage’s Way of Wisdom – embodied in the combo of the Quantum Paradigm Life Wheel and the Book of Change, are going to be the resources we can turn to and depend upon. They’ll guide those open to change, helping them travel safely through the challenges of a global shift, one day and one situation at a time, so they don’t crash and burn, don’t fall victim to cultural shock.

These wisdom tools offer the option to see changing times as the rare and precious opportunity they are to practice the Phoenix Response to change: to die to the old not through suicide, but in order to be reborn into something new and better in the same lifetime.

In combination, this map and manual hold the answers to humanity’s collective prayers for:

Truth.
Freedom, first within, then without.
Peace, first within, then without.
Harmony and health.
Loving, supportive relationships at home, in the community, and in the world.
An end to confusion, conflict and corruption.
An understanding of how the world really works.
A return to simplicity and goodness.

And there’s more. So much more. Even the legendary Confucius, accomplished as he was, wished for an additional 75 years of life in order to study and increase his understanding of this endlessly profound science.

Among many other things, the I Ching works like a cosmic clock. It forewarns of danger and nurtures the inner strength to cope with and outlast inevitable shocks and adversity.

Supporting commentary could easily be supplied, but this short post isn’t the place. For now, Trust me. It’s true. It’s all true.

As for the complimentary Quantum Life Wheel, although apparently simple, it satisfies the inclusive standard of Occam’s Razor. The implications of its embodied Unified Field Theory are universal. Its applications are endless. Here’s just one suggestive example:

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WHY ME?

Long story short, my life has been a wandering path that has, over time, seeming miraculously, as if all were preordained, given me access to the broad range of information that had to be integrated. I’ve been uniquely called to collect the mosaic pieces of various wisdom traditions and intuitively known how they fit together, forming the unified picture presented here.

Again, this isn’t the place to go into scholarly detail. For now, please trust me.

But why the physical me? So many reasons, it couldn’t have been anyone else. It’s not just my name which, like Sage’s, nominates me for the role. It had to be West. I’ve been cautioned not to lose myself in eastern traditions, but rather to serve as a bridge, to integrate them into western civilization. Life has fashioned me into An Instrument of Light.

And it had to be my gender. Women are the ones for whom the system works least. They’re the ones most qualified to address its blind spots and serve as change agents — of necessity, to be “the early adaptive.” More importantly, my gentle yin nature — my persona – speaks to the crying need to restore respect for the receptive, nurturing yin qualities of human nature, lacking which our civilization has degenerated into its current condition of critical mass.

As for scholarly qualifications, I spoke to this in The Qualification That Matters.

On the one hand, does it really matter who the messenger is? It’s the message that counts. If the truth of what I say resonates and the results work for you, the message speaks for itself. It stands on its own merit.

On the other hand, if you really believe that the messenger matters, then truth be told, the best of what I know comes from personal experience.

Which isn’t to say I haven’t paid my dues. I’ve earned the traditional academic credentials to string behind my name. (B.A. in history and philosophy from Oberlin College. M.A. in English and Ph.D.in Educational Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.)

But in this light, they don’t much matter. In fact, most of what I learned in schools later had to be unlearned.

The qualification that genuinely matters here is that I have a good teacher. A really, really good teacher. And that we have your best interests at heart.

The one we called Old Avatar was a uniquely advanced soul. Lao Tze best describes his vast, but subtle influence. “The presence of true masters is only suspected.” His Universal Mind permeates the quantum field. Those open to his magic respond and all is done. Truth seekers automatically tune in to him, broadcasting from the far side — Tony Robbins included.

Tony Robbins and I are connected through OA. It works both ways. I was attracted to Tony’s Awaken the Giant Within. This website was, in fact, inspired by his challenge. Conversely, much of what Tony teaches reflects how well he’s tuned into OA. For example, OA’s MPI (Motive-Purpose-Intent) standard permeates his work.

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WHY NOW?

Long story short, astrologically, the times are ripe and ready. Without going into technical detail, suffice it to say that planet Earth is approaching a time of massive change. Where before, things weren’t possible, they’re quickly becoming inevitable.

As described in Wheels Within Wheels, we’re in the midst of an extraordinarily rare triple conjunction that last occurred 2,300 years ago. It was marked by the massive economic and cultural shifts that followed from the conquests of Alexander the Great. It’s that huge.

We’re at critical mass. I, along with others born for such a time as this (including General Michael Flynn and Patrick Byrne), are doing our best to avert a destructive civil war intentionally being provoked by dark side minions. Were they to prevail, it would take civilization back to the dark ages.

This escalating tension is scheduled to be kinetic, escalating all the way up to the November 2024 election.

Using this foresight in combination with wisdom tools, we can steer our planning and behavior. We have the ability, potential, opportunity — actually a divine calling — to collectively tip the balance in favor of world peace.

Let’s choose life. Let’s choose the Way of the Sage: respecting all of life and practicing peace, first within, then without.

So much to say. So little time. So little space.

But for now, until the next time, be well. All best.

Patricia West is author of The Common Sense Book of Change and Two Sides of a Coin: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change. She’s currently working on The Quantum Solution: What the Ancient’s Knew About Our POTENTIAL Future.

The Pinnacle of Peace – IC – 122820

In the wake of Christmas 2020, approaching a New Year, with civil war brewing in the midst of an unprecedented constitutional crisis, I listened for a second time to the second part of Jan Jekielek’s Epoch Times interview with Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. It’s called Will the American Republic Survive?

I urge you to listen to and carefully ponder General Flynn’s comments on the future of this country. He’s a truly honorable man of wisdom, uncommon good sense, and integrity. Here’s a direct quote, transcribed from the beginning:

What we have to understand in this country is, that this country is an experiment. Empires come and go. Nation-states fail. Are we still growing as the beacon of hope for the rest of the world? I still believe that in my heart.

But I know that there is a dimension of our experiment that is sort of in our face right now. . . We the people — the American public — have to decide what is it that they want. Because we will not last forever.

General Flynn elaborated on the degeneration of the three branches of government that each treated him with “brutal” injustice. Here, I couldn’t resist typing in a comment:

Keep perspective, Gen. Flynn. Remember the work of Kuhn on Paradigm Shifts. The dying order sees you [along with our President] — the voices of the future — as an existential threat to their survival. Temporary “power holders” with vested interest in the past historically resist change with all their might. The extent of their brutality towards you is exactly in proportion to the greatness of your light shining to expose their darkness.

Now, why is it called a paradigm shift? Technically it’s not a shift to something new. Actually, it’s a return to the perennial philosophy which wisdom traditions East and West share in common.

The honorable General is in synch with that wisdom. As he says, having read enough history, he recognizes that there are repeating cycles of history. He also recognizes the existence of levels of law and the importance of their being in alignment. The shift he represents is a return from out-of-alignment, secular fragmentation back to one of Unity. It looks like this:

General Flynn also speaks of the danger to the Republic when “so-called leaders” act as if they were above human law. He anticipates a higher accounting for those who aren’t held accountable in human law courts. Lawless officials, driven by ambition and selfish self-interests rather than being motivated by service, act as if the pinnacle of achievement were a matter of ephemeral control and dominance on the surface of the Life Wheel.

Here’s a picture worth of a book of words to show you what I mean:

For lack of space, I offer you a few bullet points. Each qualifies General Flynn’s observations:

Asked what might steer us in the direction of preserving the Republic, he emphasizes the importance of upgrading education, especially in civics and history. I would add, of paradigms. I would also restore the pristine definition of education, which means to lead from darkness to light.
Across the centuries, limited leaders repeatedly fall into the same mistake: a false paradigm which assumes that the pinnacle of power resides in a human hierarchy with a few leaders at the top, the majority beneath them at the bottom base. To correct this mistake, we need a complete and accurate paradigm, common to all, not reserved exclusively to hermits living in monastaries, caves or mountain tops.
The General speaks of the Bible as being foundational to the Constitution and written into America’s very DNA. I would add that 8,000 plus years of I Ching wisdom is written into the DNA of China’s culture. Just as some would rip ancestral wisdom out of America’s DNA, some have sought to rip the wisdom out of China’s DNA. It needs similar restoration. Were each culture to restore its own traditions and honor the underlying, universal truth shared in common, everyone worldwide would benefit.
General Flynn says All this town [DC] has done is get us and keep us in wars. He asks, What’s the aberration. Is peace the aberration or is war the aberration? In response, here are two suggestive paragraphs from Rethinking Peace:

In I Ching context, peace is an inward state of calm that manifests as outward poise. External conditions will always be in flux. Therefore, looking for peace in the world is an exercise in futility. Internal states, however, are subject to self-governance. . . .

The sage takes responsibility for attaining inner peace. Inner quiet begets the attitude of confidence, which in turn generates acts of compassion, courage and generosity. World organizations which would impose military peace upon warring nations comprised of individuals each at war internally have no hope of success.

Respecting the constitutional crisis at hand, I defer to The Laws of Change published by Jack Balkin, a Yale professor of constitutional law. Striking relevance to immediate concerns will be self-evident.

BREAKTHROUGH is the initial answer to the question, “What should we be aware of today at the current stage of the ongoing constitutional crisis?”

Balkin calls the hexagram Biting Through. Keywords he lists include: Reform, Acting decisively, Administering punishments, and Doing justice. He comments:

The obstruction represents an obstruction to harmony or unity, and a corresponding need for justice or reform. Faced with obstruction, we must proceed with energy and clarity to remedy the problem immediately.

He continues:

This is not a time to be meek and pliant. Attack the problem with energy and determination. If you do not act quickly and decisively, the problems will not go away, and it may only become worse. Nevertheless, this does not mean that you should be reckless. Prompt and efficient action is necessary, but your action should be based on clear thinking rather than emotion. And it should be the result of careful planning rather than blind instinct. The best approach now is one that is firm but reasonable, fair but resolute.

* * *

After evolving through permutations of the third and fourth lines, the final outcome is SHADOW. Balkin calls this hexagram Darkening of the Light. Key words include Eclipse, Brilliance injured, Censorship, Keeping a low profile, and Hiding your feelings. He comments:

Here an inferior person is in control. An upright minister must keep in the background and hide his brilliance during a time of darkness and adversity.

He continues:

Hostile circumstances require you to accept the situation outwardly for the time being. But you must never surrender. Hold fast to your enduring values and to your ultimate goals. Remember who you are and what you stand for. . .

When the sun descends below the horizon, is does not disappear forever. It merely goes into hiding for a time. Anyone who thinks that the sun will never rise again has lost touch with reality. The same is true in your situation. Things will eventually improve.

Deceptive, censoring, complicit corporate media giants notwithstanding, it’s not over.

Keep to the Core to Keep It Together – IC – 111620

My relationship with DANGER, today’s unchanging I Ching reading, goes way back. It’s close and familiar.

Here’s one example. Whenever I asked for advice about a former roommate (cruel “Kas”), the book was strangely consistent. Whatever the immediate situation, the lines changed to produce the same outcome: DANGER.

Yes. However physically attractive, she was, beyond a doubt, damaged, self-serving and deeply dangerous.

In Kas, life gifted me with a powerful teacher. To keep my sanity, I was forced to find words for the unspeakably crazy things she did. I had to admit that her cruelty got to me and find out why. In the process, I discovered how to protect myself, both inside and out.

An early article I found listed ways to recognize a narcissist. It said, If your person demonstrates eight or more of twelve listed behaviors, you’re in deep trouble. Kas demonstrated all twelve. Danger!

Making matters worse, her cohorts were narcissists too. One was overt – the abrasive, vulgar and bold-faced type. The other was covert — the sneaky, snake-in-the-grass, two-faced kind.

In combination, I learned from direct experience how energy vampires operate to paralyze and drain their intended victims.

But I also found out I’m not alone. In fact, a psychiatrist who specializes in this disorder warns that the plague of narcissism has grown to pandemic proportions. (An interesting parallel, don’t you think?)

Here’s what I learned about their communication style. The signature of rampant narcissism is COGNITIVE DISSONANCE. Narcissists present a false front to the world. But their Life Wheels are fractured. They’re frauds, and self-deceived ones at that.

Inside, they’re sniveling. insecure cowards driven by demon-spawned negative emotions: fear, anger, hatred, greed, and lust. The Bible-quoting jerks who made my life miserable operated absent any hint of connection with conscience.

From first-hand experience, I can tell you this:

And here are the survival lessons they taught me. At root, these decisions are simply common sense.

Now, why is it important for me to share this with you?

Because the dynamic of DANGER isn’t just about me.

It’s about you, as well as the rest of us.

As a Law of Nature, what I learned up close and personal, the painfully hard way, translates true to form on every increasingly larger scale of magnitude. Because I recognize the dynamics of danger operating on the micro level, I easily recognize them writ large on today’s political canvas.

The reason for detailing the dangers of narcissism is that the same remedies and protections that worked for me at the personal level will work, not only for anyone else in similar trouble, but also for business organizations, government agencies and even whole nations plagued by the worldwide pandemic of narcissism.

Put plain and simple, the solution is this. Let each one of us hold fast to the unifying central core of the Life Wheel, whether you choose to call it God, Source, Conscience, the Creator, Allah, or Nothing at all. It keeps all levels of the Unified Field together – the Light of intuition, Energy of action, and Mass of tangible, measurable results.

The slang advice, “Keep it together” sums the solution up perfectly. When things seem to be falling apart, it’s exactly the time when we most urgently need to keep it together.

When dark, painful emotions tear us apart, it’s the time to take a deep breath, stand back, and keep calm distance.
When friendships, families and organizations seem to be unraveling, it’s time to demonstrate the wisdom to keep them together.
When liars, cheaters and thugs seem to be tearing nations apart, let those with cool heads keep their states together by focusing on the core values humanity share in common, the ones which which transcend time, space. . . and even politics.

NB: For the record, narcissists of every stripe have tried to diminish President Trump by projecting onto him all their own faults. Again, the MAGA-millions who sense and return his love aren’t fooled. The rest of us shouldn’t be either. Though some find his style abrasive, he keeps his promises. His words and actions match. He’s consistent across the board. He’s not the one with a problem. It’s the feeble-minded, fork-tongued, zombie-like pretender along with his handlers and those they’ve fooled who are in deep dark trouble.

We’re not trained to look to the Book of Change for answers to our deepest questions. That’s why I’ve chosen to bring the book to you in this series of blogs. Through the end of 2020, they serve as an introduction, to make what was once unfamiliar now familiar.

DANGER is the single answer to today’s question, “What should we be aware of now?” The Common Sense Book of Change version reads:

DANGER is the true test of character. Be as careful of negative emotions which cloud inner clarity as you are of external dangers. Face all challenges with fearless grace. Hold fast to the goals and ideas which guide you. Act according to what you know to be right. Avoid cowardice.

It took me a while to recognize that the greatest danger is the risk of giving in to negative emotions. In the end, it doesn’t matter if other people’s negativity is infectious. Or if economic losses and/or political events are upsetting. Of if. . . you name it.

Ultimately, as Viktor Frankl demonstrated, even in a halocaust world, the option to respond wisely and responsibly remains open. Holding fast to core values — love of life and faith in God — is the enduring anchor which keeps us as individuals and as nations together.

Because the U.S. is in the constitutional crisis of its lifetime, I look to the version of the I Ching published by a Yale Professor of Constitutional Law. Jack Balkin lists these descriptors of DANGER.

He observes:

When faced with danger from without, one can escape unharmed if one maintains an attitude of devotion. To survive through a period of danger, one must preserve faith in one’s self and in the possibility that one will get through.

The Book of Change teaches that even in the times of greatest distress one must never lose hope that one can still turn circumstances to one’s advantage. One must have faith of ultimate success. It is only through having such faith the one can have a chance at ultimate success.

To despair is to fall into the abyss. . . . one must follow one’s heart to ride out a time of danger. To lose heart during such a time means that one does not hold one’s self together. This leads to danger.

In sum, Balkin’s advice confirms mine: Right now we must keep to core to keep it together.

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. Talk with you again soon. Take care, all.

Don’t Be Fooled! – IC – 110920

In duality, every coin has two sides. If you haven’t learned how to harness this dynamic, it can get you into deep, dark trouble. Today’s I Ching reading shows how to change the conflict of this uncertain time into an opportunity.

As a Law of Nature, Whatever has a front has a back. An axiom of the Law is, The larger the front, the larger the back.

The scary tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde captures this simple fact. In duality, rarely if ever is anything on the surface actually what it seems to be.

This is why sages recommend the middle path of balance and moderation. This isn’t milk-toast timidity. It’s wisdom dressed up as street-smarts. They know that every extreme changes into its opposite – an unwelcome outcome best anticipated and avoided.

The two-sides rule explains how con artists get away with deception. Anyone who can’t see through appearances is easy prey. In fact, I recently heard a commentator say politicians depend on P.T. Barnum’s law: “There’s a sucker born every minute.”

That’s why I’ve made it my life work to mainstream wisdom tools which help people think more clearly, see more deeply into the nature of things. We need to raise a generation that can’t be fooled. Human survival may well depend on it.

Proof is in the consequences of today’s wisdom-deficit. In 2020’s year of extremes, waves of backlash have swollen to tsunami proportions. When opposing factions are at each other’s throats, each undoing whatever the other proposes, it’s nearly impossible to steer a steady course.

The yo-yo effect of extremes is the stuff of Greek tragedy, where the hero’s greatest strength is the cause of his downfall. Flash forward. In 2020, President Trump’s outspoken, confident personality has a predictable downside.

It’s hard for folks like my friend Alice to identify with a winner’s outlook. She’s been trained by both church and state to be passive, polite, and (frankly) hypocritical. She’s been taught that wearing a mask (now, ironically, literally) is what it takes to be “good.” She’s been rewarded for owning the mask of conformity.

So, how dare anyone break the unspoken rules by being candid and upfront? Truthful. It’s “bad.” That makes the President a bad person.

Fortunately, many see deeper than surface appearances. President’s Trump’s faith in God and in himself strikes a resonant cord with “we the people.” We sense and return the towering, lion-hearted love which energizes and empowers him.

Deeper than economic policies and peace initiatives, what moves us is his unashamed devotion to purpose. In his presence, we feel energized and encouraged. Hopeful. He supports us in our love of God and country.

Here’s the secret sauce of his success. He’s speaks to the hunger Marisa Peer has so brilliant diagnosed. This world-famous therapist of the rich and famous has put her finger on (and quickly heals) the root of every addiction and ailment.

Every dysfunction starts with the painful feeling of being “not enough.” Church and state have hammered the lie of not-enoughness into our psyches. It keeps us in our place, submissive and easily controlled. (David Icke has a bit to say on the subject!)

The President has picked up that gauntlet and thrown it in the face of the ruling elite that would enslave us. He’s telling downtrodden deplorables we are OKAY. We are enough. In fact, we can and should be GREAT.

We love that message. And we love him for being its messenger.

On the flip side, how can the public possibly relate to a decrepit, deeply corrupted candidate? Do they, like Alice, feel sorry for him? Do they sympathize with having to live behind a mask? Do they identify with his resentment against “smart guys,” feel the pain of being the slowest – but nicest — kid in the class?

Revenge also plays a part. Remember the Eddie Murphy movie, Trading Places? It’s being playing out in politics. Those who choose to see themselves as disenfranchised salivate at the opportunity to symbolically own a failing, old white guy. Use him as a front for their agenda before replacing him entirely? It’s a BLM wet dream.

In this scenario, there’s no compassion. No forgiveness or unity. The oppressed are simply grasping at the opportunity to revere roles, become the oppressors.

N.B. For those who believe it’s too late, the game’s over, nothing and no one can change – that a drab, dark future lies ahead, cast in stone — think again. Here’s what Lao Tze has to say about pessimism:

All that being said, the following I Ching reading offers a way out of madness.

We’re not trained to come to the Book of Change for answers to our deepest questions. That’s why I’ve chosen to bring the book to you. Through the end of 2020, these bi-weekly blogs are intended to make what was unfamiliar now familiar.

CONFLICT was the initial answer to October 9th’s question, “What do we need to be aware of NOW?” It reads:

CONFLICT develops when one refuses to see the view-point of others. The way out is to be open to others and willing to meet them half-way. Pushing a disagreement to open conflict would result in separation. This would bring unfortunate results.

In the extreme, there’s potential for civil war. It’s not the wise option.

Advice of the bottom line reads, “Don’t let misunderstandings continue. Make peace with your friends quickly.”

It is a grave mistake for Americans who share much in common to divide as a result of closed-mindedness fueled by incendiary media hype. Better is to remember the love, return to what’s basic.

This advice being heeded, the line changes to:

In stressful situations, your CONDUCT will determine the outcome of your efforts. Do not let negative or unpleasant people affect your own balance. Respond to the demands of others according to the quality of their motives rather than acting impulsively. Play by the rules of the game. Avoid becoming emotional.

Look and think deep. Be part of the solution. Don’t act in ways that make the problem worse.

Advice of the second line reads, “Retreat and regroup. Your opponent is too strong for you.”

At this point, resolution of post-election conflict rests in the hands of political professionals, their lawyers, the courts and just maybe, a handful of honest journalists. In the short-term, it’s best for the rest of us to conserve our energy, preserve our sanity, and pray for the best.

This advice heeded, the second line changes to Standstill:

When opposing forces draw apart, activity comes to a STANDSTILL. Lack of understanding results in mistrust and refusal to cooperate. When weak leaders prevent necessary cooperation, it is best to withdraw from the situation and wait for the times to change. Direct your attention toward inward growth.

When confusion and misunderstandings prevail, don’t react emotionally. Bide your time. Keep your powder dry.

Combining the changing lines results in this final outcome:

Cultivate CLARITY. Listen to the pure and childlike voice of your inner being. Even if this results in new and unexpected experiences, you will benefit. Take joy in being true to your Self. Modified by consideration for others, this will give you creative abilities. Avoid fearful attachment to the familiar.

This says in another way what I concluded in Listen To Your Heart:

The year 2020 has been harsh. Tough. Painful. No doubt. The possibility of emerging stronger and more peaceful than before is its hidden gift.

Add inspired creativity to the list of 2020’s hidden blessings.

Also include the clarity of knowing you are already, inherently enough. You were born that way. Never, ever allow anyone to fool you into believing otherwise.

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.

To order You Are Already ENOUGH! How Would Your Life CHANGE If You Really Believed It?, click here.

Okay, then. That’s all for now. Talk with you again soon. Take care, all.

What Happened to Unity? – IC – 102920

After weeks of silence, I just had a call from “Alice.” A pleasant surprise. She lives deep in the pure-land boonies. In her neck of the woods, internet connection is – at best — intermittent.

We were cut off four times before giving up.

Though we don’t always see eye-to-eye, she’s one of my soul family:

Alice groused over the poor connection: “We pay much higher taxes out here. But we don’t get the same internet service you do in town. It’s not fair!”

What can I say? That it’s part of the UN plan? As a matter of fact, their 2030 goal is to drive people off the land. Everyone’s being crowded into densely packed cities where they can be tightly monitored and controlled by . . . .

I thought, but didn’t say, “Honey, there’s method to the madness of your high taxes and zero service. They’re meant to force your out of your home.” The big picture isn’t her subject. She resists what’s unfamiliar. So I let it pass.

The conversation turned to the election. She’s adamant it makes no difference who’s elected. Nothing will change, either way. There, I couldn’t disagree more.

She mistrusts the President because he’s uneducated. Huh? Street-smarts don’t count? Lack of higher degrees could well be an asset. On my part, much of what was learned at university later had to be unlearned.

Alice says she’ll depend on SCIENCE to decide. ARG!! The empirical science paradigm is exactly what’s blinding the world to the inner dynamics of what going on!!!

How can there be effective communication, internally much less between friends, when your operating paradigm rules out two-thirds of existence?

How can there be unity or comm-unity when the very paradigm that would support them is disallowed?

The biased, censored “news” that filters through shows us only what’s going on at surface level: political claims and counter-claims.

The incomplete, misleading paradigm of empirical science leaves us vulnerable to propaganda. Without wisdom tools to guide us — help us see through through the maze of misinformation — we’re easy prey.

God and the good angels are broadcasting loud and clear. But it’s hard to through. The message is being jammed, the signal blocked.

I asked what Alice meant by science. It boiled down to self-interest. What’s in it for me? Whose personality is relatable.

I urged her, before deciding, to pray. I meant, “Be still. Listen to your heart.” But she misunderstood. “The clergy are just as bad,” she countered. True, though sadly, not to the point.

But she doesn’t have time for my posts. Right now she’s too busy. Looks forward to reading later, when things quiet down.

Honey, your later isn’t going to happen.

Today’s reading speaks equally to me, to Alice, and the rest of us.

Two components of Back To What’s Basic reappear here. Today’s reading begins where that one ended, with FAMILY. DEVELOPMENT returns, again from a changing line.

It bears repeating:

Inside the FAMILY one learns to play out given roles. This makes later success in roles on the job and in the larger community possible. Clearly defined relationships make communication easy. Respectful cooperation with others earns trust and acceptance from the human family. Avoid roles not suited to your nature.

Without a complete, accurate paradigm, the family unit (along with its benefits) is collateral damage. No wonder BLM calls for its destruction. That would serve UN goals just fine. But it would end all hope of human survival — life on planet Earth as we know it.

With intriguing symmetry, the bottom and top lines of Family both change. The bottom line is associated with the root chakra, the foundation of physical form. The top line is associated with the crown chakra, the human link with divine guidance.

The bottom line advises, “Clear rules and guidelines should be established from the beginning.”

My take: The foundations of a positive future must be based on a complete and accurate paradigm where all levels are included, aligned, harmonized and prioritized. The family unit (the basic building block of society) depends on this bedrock.

With the foundation established, the line changes:

Completion is the result of gradual, step-by-step DEVELOPMENT. A calm attitude and gentle actions will bring steady progress leading to success. The only way to establish yourself now is to let things develop naturally. Giving in to strong feelings and acting on impulse would defeat your purpose. Avoid hesitation. Avoid haste.

Establishing a viable foundation is just the beginning. Thought requires action. Beliefs have to integrated into daily life and expressed consistently in all we do.

Next, we shift attention to the top line. It advises, “Rise above worldly concerns. Create good work of lasting value.” There’s more than immediate personal self-interest involved. The future is at stake.

This heeded, the first word of the bottom line’s change, “Completion,” comes to fruition. The top line changes to:

Perfected actions reach COMPLETION. From this balance, however, new elements spring forth which create future imbalance. In this way, the cycles of nature are continued. This is not cause for sadness. Perfection lies in the whole life process, not in the beauty of a single peak moment. Avoid rigid attachment.

Just as the American revolution could not freeze the Founder’s values forever in our hearts, the faith and freedom they fought for cannot be taken for granted. They must be earned and redefined by each generation.

Accepting the responsibility to reinvent and revitalize our heritage, the combined outcome is:

Look within yourself for the cause of RESISTANCE from others. If you are closed, they will not cooperate. The situation will open up when your mind becomes open. Seek the company of people who can help you overcome mental blocks. Do not blame others for your problems.

Resistance occurs on every level of the Life Wheel. Physical tension. Political subversion. Emotional shut down. Mental denial. As a major 2020 theme, it appeared earlier. It comes back later.

Understandably, among us mere mortals, resistance to perceived threats is virtually universal. Sanctions against truth-bearers are horrific. (Ask Plato. Christ.) Though, on the other hand, it’s said that speaking and living truth has its rewards.

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. Talk with you again soon. Take care, all.

Rethinking SURVIVAL

Today’s post is written with a wink and a nod towards the venerable Bruce Lipton, who confirmed through science what the ancients earlier believed about our eternal spirit.

I’m winking because I totally empathize with the frustration you experienced, being ahead of your times, virtually unheard for decades. The good news is, however long it took, the public is finally getting there.

Being in my 74^th year, I too have waited a long time, the patient custodian of work with the potential to alter the outcomes of our extreme times. This work augments yours.

I’m nodding towards you here, thinking perhaps getting your attention could make a difference in whether this vitally important work finally sees the light of day.

The stakes could not be higher, so here’s my best shot. But not to worry. I’ll keep it simple and interesting, so the taste of this sample leaves you wanting more.

My point has three parts:

Part One describes your discovery and how it validates ancient wisdom – in particular, Lao Tze.
Part Two looks forward towards the work I could bring to the table. It complements both empirical science and ancient wisdom – in particular, the Life Wheel which embodies Einstein’s Unified Field Theory. (Yes, though unawares, he had, in fact, received it.)
Part Three looks at apparently contradictory definitions of “survival.” I place them in the context of the Life Wheel, the better to confirm that part of us which never dies, and, further, to suggest how best to use that knowledge to regenerate ourselves and in the process, create a better future.

Part One. Here, in your own words, transcribed from a 2015 Youtube video, “A Message of Love,” is the story of your transformational discovery:

The most profound teachers I ever sat before . . . were so magnificent that I can’t fully put [their lessons] into words. Who were those teachers? They were the cells that I was working on in a petri dish. Talking to them. Watching them, day-by-day. Seeing how they lived. And then opening to the message.

That message?

They showed me from my point of view and my reference to life, that there was something called “spirituality” that I didn’t know existed. . . . And the moment I saw the mechanics of how a signal from the universe comes into my body-suit, my virtual reality suit. . . There was this instant of recognition. I said, “Oh my God! I can’t die!”

The result:

It was an OWNING of spirit. . . And the moment I owned it, a weight I never even knew I was carrying around . . . whoosh . . . disappeared. Because I became free for the first time to recognize I’m here for something other than my [mundane] life. I’m going to own who I AM. I’m a spirit that has come to this planet to experience and to create and to manifest heaven on earth.. . It’s an understanding that it’s all driven by love.

Now, in the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tze repeatedly confirms what you experienced as our inherent immortality. For example, Passage 16 describes the creative process:

Conscious life continues on, rooted in a reality larger than a single lifetime. Passage 54 tells us:

Passage 33 urges us to be steadfast in our experience of eternal life:

Even further, when meditators intentionally pierce the veil of illusion, traveling back through and beyond time and space, they are, as Dr. Joe Dispenza puts it, “reborn in the same life time.”

Or, in your words:

I now have two lives. I have previous learning life. Struggle, anger, control, trying to fix everything. And I have post experience. A calmness. An understanding that it’s all driven by love. Even if other people can’t see through their filters of criticism, they’re still driven by love. Every one of you is a piece of all that IS. Every one of you!

The first Passage from my version, Two Sides of a Coin, gives words to the way ancients experienced travel beyond time:

Part Two. Now, how do we identify and connect with that unchanging source, the “unified center achieved in stillness” of which Lao Tze speaks? Where is it located? Within us? Outside and all around us? Both?

To quote myself:

In working with wisdom traditions, I’ve become certain that each is striving to express a particular aspect of a single, unnameable Truth. Further, each is a mosaic piece of a larger picture. When the pieces are put together, the sum is greater than its parts.

The Positive Paradigm of Change adapted from the Life Wheel is that larger picture. It draws from wisdom traditions, both East and West. It is consistent with biblical teachings and the essence of I Ching philosophy. It is yoga-compatible. In addition, it’s equally compatible with modern science.

In Rethinking Survival, the Positive Paradigm of Change is described as:

. . . . a new, 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.

Working with the Positive Paradigm empowers the “substantially new manner of thinking,” which, Einstein said, is necessary “if mankind is to survive.”

It looks like this:

The Positive Paradigm wheels-within-wheels model consists of concentric circles around a common center. It places the three variables of Albert Einstein’s famous formula, e = mc² (energy, mass and light) in a two-directional, infinite continuum.

This Synthesis Wheel mirrors the microcosmic structure of atoms as well as the macrocosmic structure of planetary systems. On the largest scale of magnitude, it reflects the in- and out-breaths of perpetually expanding and contracting universes.

This familiar structure repeats smallest to largest in the patterns of nature, from snow flakes and intricate flowers to spiders’ webs and sea shells. Similar patterns repeat worldwide in the art of every culture — including the prayer wheels of Native Americans, the colored sand mandalas of Tibetan Buddhists, the stained glass windows of European cathedrals and the intricate geometrical patterns covering Muslim mosques. They offer proof of the universal awareness of a central inner reality, of an inner structure common to all humanity, and to a continuity of experience deeper than individual lives or transitory cultures.

Elsewhere, I’ve described its value thusly:

This Wheel of Change is a paradigm, meaning a worldview. It offers a positive alternative to the prevailing, dysfunctional paradigms which cause so much misery. It is an inclusive reality map that accords with the way life truly is, showing the full spectrum of human potentials. It explains how the world works, how the individual fits into it, and what is required to truly survive.

Unlike exclusively materialistic, atheistic, hedonist or religionist paradigms, all levels of experience are present, and in balanced, aligned relationship with each other. Nothing is missing. Nothing is out of place.

This paradigm pictures an elegantly simple yet complete reality map that meets the standard of Occam’s razor: maximum inclusiveness with greatest simplicity.

I explain the levels, with this caveat:

Yoga scriptures correlate the three levels of the Wheel with three different states of consciousness. Most of us experience the states of waking, sleep and dreamless sleep separately. However, it is possible to experience the entire continuum simultaneously while remaining fully conscious.

In the terms of modern brain science, this is accomplished by not only integrating functions of the right and left hemispheres of the brain, but by simultaneously coordinating the full span of vibrational brain wave frequencies from fastest (beta) to slowest (delta). The fully enlightened sage’s experience of linking the levels is called “turyia.” In that state, a highly accomplished being is said to be “here and there at the same time.”

The concentric circles aren’t literally separate and discrete. Rather, they are a continuum along the infinite spectrum of creation. Within each layer are numerous distinctions verified only by direct experience. For the sake of the following discussion, however, the three levels are described as if discrete, starting from the surface of the Wheel and moving inwards.

And with that said, here are the three states:

m = mass. The outer rim of the circle is the realm of the material, manifested world of creation. This level is the abode of empirical science which measures tangible, measurable things. It is the plane of duality, the fluctuating ebb and flow of mortal life, the ups and downs of daily experience.

It is the realm into which public school education too often squeezes and flattens children. This is the level of which Einstein said, “The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.”

Those focused excessively here are unduly attached to material possessions as well as to money, social status and institutional power. Here appearances are more important than substance. Saving face replaces authentic virtue.

Paradoxically, out of balance, abundance on the material plane seems to foster an insatiable sense of lack. Limited connection with the center breeds insecurities and greed. The infinite variations on the same eternal forms are misconstrued as grounds for cultural conflict and competition for illusory supremacy.

When people live primarily on the surface, with the middle (primarily “unconscious”) level clogged and in conflict, systems break down. Attempting to fix problems caused by this inner turmoil at the superficial level can not achieve any lasting, qualitative improvement.

e = energy. Much ignorance, misinformation and confusion surrounds the energy level of the Wheel. The state of chaos into which the world has degenerated attests to this deficiency, as well as the urgent need to correct it.

The middle level is the domain of Natural Law mapped in the Chinese I Ching, the Book of Change. These changes are the energetic underpinnings of the dynamic, physical world, experienced as the recurring cycles of seasonal change, as well as humans cycles of birth, growth, decay, death and rebirth.

The middle layer is the realm of less tangible but still measurable states of energy, including electricity. More subtly, it is the chi, ki or prana described in Asian traditions as the life force which animates all living beings. In Greek and Christian contexts it correlates with the breath, the psyche.

These subtle energies influence internal [most often ‘unconscious’] psychological states and drive external human behavior, which in turn affects social relationships. A clear understanding of these dynamics is essential to personal survival.

Now, as you’ll recall, I earlier asked, “How do we identify and connect with that unchanging source, the “unified center achieved in stillness” of which Lao Tze speaks? Where is it located?”

The answer rests deep within the levels of “Light” and “Source of Light” at the central hub of the Wheel:

c = light. The hub of the wheel, the Source of Light, is innermost state of being. It is silent yet fertile, that from which all forms emanate and to which all return. It is the alpha and omega, the ultimate and exclusive source of infinite light and power.

Merging with this all-encompassing source of consciousness is what scriptures refer to, quite literally, as “enlightenment.”

The deepest center is the original seed of life from which creative solutions and new beginnings emerge in answer to the prayers and sincere efforts of those who hear and do. It’s the unfailing source, deeper than ephemeral fears, which gives survivors the inner strength to withstand the sudden shocks and catastrophic changes of Titanic times.

The experience of light is described with worlds like inspiration, intuition or guidance.

Unlike the levels of mass and energy, which can be described at length from experience, the center of light is best honored in silence. Or at least as few words as possible.

Here’s just one example of the myriad ways the Life Wheel is adapted to picture deep understanding. It plugs Passage One into the levels of the Wheel, depicting Lao Tze’s travel away from previous life learning – struggle, anger and control on the outer rim of the Life Wheel – towards the innermost, post-experience of supreme calm.

Inward-pointing arrows trace the path of release; outward-pointing arrows point towards physical manifestation. In the words of the biblical God of Moses, this repetitive, full-circle dynamic is spoken as a command: “Return unto me and I return unto you.”

Way cool, huh!

Part Three. At the outset, I promised to look at apparently contradictory definitions of “survival” by placing them in Life Wheel context. Briefly, it’s important to rescue the word from the negative context of stress. Survival emotions are counterproductive. However, survival also means to continue to exist through dangerous situations, to live when death seemed imminent. It can be associated with being alive and enduring. Viable ancient customs and beliefs, for example, are said to survive through the ages.

The ongoing concern of this website, RethinkingSurvival.com is based on this premise:

Human survival, Einstein warned us, can no longer be taken for granted. Tipping the scales of history in favor of survival depends on freeing ourselves from the mental prison of limited, delusional thinking.

Again, quoting myself:

Chances of success in life are slim to none without an accurate reality map. It’s imperative to have a complete picture of your potentials along with a correct understanding of the world around you, and what’s required to survive in that world. Basing decisions on a worldview that’s distorted, incomplete or otherwise out of synch with the way things really are seriously diminishes chances of survival. In times as dangerous as these, it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re operating on complete and correct information.

To the point, just briefly, I’ll introduce the Fifth Axiom derived from the Positive Paradigm. “History Is Neither Progressive or Linear, Nor can Human Survival Be Taken for Granted.”

The final Corollary E: An apparent death sentence makes time remaining all the more precious. In biblical terms, awareness of impending disaster is motive and opportunity to repent (meaning to change one’s heart and ways), and to atone (meaning to realign – be ‘at one’ – with the center), using the gift of whatever time is left gratefully, wisely and well.

Some will actually defy medical/historical prognosis and survive to carry on, whether it be here, in other dimensions or even different universes. (Science fiction fans of TV’s two-hearted, regenerating time traveler Dr. Who are well-acquainted with these possibilities.)

CONCLUSION

Bruce, your time has arrived. You get to travel the world, sharing your insights. I’d love to do the same. But mine has yet to come. The I Ching, the super-ancient foundation of Lao Tze’s wisdom, has yet to be reintroduced, refurbished, for survivors who urgently need access to the cosmic clock. Its 64 hexagrams (does that non-coincidental number make you think of DNA?! ), and each of the six-level AC-DC, binary-digital constructs are a short-hand representing the dynamic interactions amongst the six primary energy centers. . . tons of information is stored here like buried treasure to be recovered through diligent re-search. (Understatement.)

But, just maybe, my reaching out to a fellow early-adaptive thinker might change that. After all, within the quantum field of God, all things are possible!

N.B. I’ve already written a post for your compadre, Gregg Braden. On the drawing board is another, on Creativity and Genius, favorite words of another amigo, Joe Dispenza. So is a final one, The Universal Pattern.

Stay Alert To Cosmic Patterns

Ripples in Time

“Be here and now.” This is the yogi’s mantra.

“Be still and know I Am God.” This is the Bible’s instruction.

In the Secret Universal Mind Meditation, Kelley Howell intones, “I am one with God. I am one with God’s plan.”

What do seers attuned to the Universal Mind tell us about that plan for the future?

Dr. Joe Dispenza and Gregg Braden describe this as a time of extremes. Dr. Joe understands that there’s some chaos coming. Gregg goes further. He says, not only do world teachings concur in predicting an end to the world as we know it. But further, the world leaders he speaks with consistently express surprise at how quickly this change is coming upon us.

The spiritual brothers agree that cultivating inner wholeness and resilience is the best possible way to prepare for future challenges.

Both are intentionally building an international community of like-minded souls, people committed to overcoming their personal pasts and the “old” paradigm of separation and competition. In so doing, one person at a time, their students are beginning to manifest at home and at work the “new” paradigm of unity and cooperation.

Now, that’s all well and good. It’s very important. As far as it goes.

But they’re leap-frogging over the chaos part.

Once we achieve that inner wholeness, see beyond the veil, as Dr. Joe puts it, how can each of know where we are in time, what to do NOW, and how to prepare for the “unknown” bearing down upon us?

Those who are called to serve operate on a finely tuned sense of timing, as if they have an inner radar attuned to the future. As earlier written:

Some people experience this inner knowing as a sense of personal destiny or keen sensitivity to the zeitgeist direction of the times.

Faith guides our feet, not only towards good fortune, but away from danger. For example. in the New Testament, Joseph, husband of Mary and protector of Jesus, accepted the mother and her child on faith.

And when King Herod, intent on killing new born males to thwart the prophecy of his downfall, Joseph “knew” it was time to escape from Jerusalem to save the infant’s life. He also knew when danger had passed, and it was time to return the boy to his homeland.

When you want to know what time it is now, and what to do, working with a wisdom tool like the Book of Change is an invaluable help. For, Among other things, the I Ching works like a cosmic clock, telling us the time.

For ordinary mortals (like me), who aren’t always fully present and clear, the discipline of settling down the physical body and quieting the mind is a great help. Then, the practice of carefully defining the immediate situation leads to the formulation of coherent questions. In this higher, open and receptive state of mind, magic can happen. You bridge the gap between now and the future. It’s experienced as a synchronous connection between yourself and timeless wisdom – call it intuition or angelic guidance, as you will.

The Book of Change puts its users in touch with the patterned, pulsating, alternating rhythms of life. It connects them with inner knowing that anticipates approaching changes, the better to prepare for what is to come.

One reading repeatedly received underscores the importance of cultivating inner wholeness and resilience:

51 Shock
This advice is consistent with examples from scripture. In the Old Testament, Noah was called to build an arc. Joseph in Egypt explained the deeper meaning of Pharoah’s prophetic dreams. He warned that years of plenty should be used to store grain to survive through future years of famine.

In essence, that’s what today’s preppers are doing in advance of foreseen chaos coming down the pike at an alarming rate.

OA had a lot to say about this. Specifically, he advocated building intentional communities of like-minded souls as a bulwark against future chaos. Not just internet networks of like-minded souls, but physical, propertied, nitty gritty communities of committed, organized co-workers like the ones Pastor Joe Fox and James Wesley Rawles support.

For this isn’t the first time in repeating cycles of history we’ve arrived at this point. And in the past, under similar circumstances, survivors were those prepared to prevail during tough times.

For example, in The Age of Heretics, Charles Krone observed that in the dark ages, when chaos enveloped the civilized European world, monasteries appeared as islands of purposeful community — centers of learning, healing, hospitality and mutual protection. Similarly, monasteries of refuge from barbarism (think Shaolin) appeared in Asian lands during harsh historical times.

Now, then. Even more fundamentally, leaders equipped to oversee a safe transition though chaotic times will operate on a complete and correct paradigm. Understanding the multidimensional fabric of reality embodied in the Life Wheel, they will well understand how and why wisdom traditions including the Book of Change are instrumental to making future plans.

As it stands, current world leaders who operate from incomplete, extreme and dysfunctional paradigms continue to make decisions that endanger humanity. And as Einstein warned us, the stakes could not be higher. We’re at a crossroads of civilization. Human survival can no longer be taken for granted. We either change the way we think or go extinct.

Einstein home page

The way out of current madness must begin with restoring a complete and correct paradigm, one that is consistent with both the world’s great religions and with modern physics. That is, in effect, what Joe Dispenza, Gregg Braden, and in my own humble way, I have been deliberately working to do.

But the clock is ticking. Time is precious, and not to be wasted with petty conflicts and misunderstandings. Which side are you on? Which future do you choose?

And, if you agree, please share.

11th hour

Self-Awareness Tools for Empaths

Dr. Judith Orloff has taken the lead in bringing the needs of empaths to our attention. In The Empath’s Survival Guide, she explains the important difference between having empathy and being an empath.

Having empathy means our heart goes out to another person in joy or pain. . . but for empaths it goes much further. We actually feel others’ emotions, energy, and physical symptoms in our own bodies, without the usual defenses that most people have.

In case you’re wondering why you should care, let me add. You’re probably an empath too, even if a latent or undercover one. To the point, in his praise of The Empath’s Survival Guide, the venerable Dr. Joe Dispenza concludes: “Dr. Orloff does a brilliant job of helping us discover the empath in all of us.”

So, let’s get practical.

The Empath’s Survival Guide offers an array of tools to help sensitive people develop healthy coping mechanisms in a high-stress, high-stimulus world, while at the same time optimizing their unique gifts: intuition, compassion, creativity, and spiritual connection. (In the context of the multi-dimensional Life Wheel, this translates as honing the ability to honor and protect awareness of the middle and innermost levels, while simultaneously strengthening the protective, physical layer.)

Meditation is a strategy Dr. Orloff highly recommends. She calls it “Opening to a Higher Power.” (Dr. Joe’s meditations likewise serve this purpose.)

But there’s one powerful tool they do not mention. It’s related to meditation, but in a unique, extraordinary way — namely, the Chinese I Ching, especially in a version free of unnecessary hocus pocus, sexist assumptions and flowery talk, The Common Sense Book of Change.

The text has a long history. In the last century, psychologist Dr. Carl Jung picked up on it. In his introduction to the first genuinely useful English translation, Jung coined the term “synchronicity” to explain its power – precipitating seemingly magical and awesome non-local connections of understanding, insight, and awareness. This affect may be due to the similarity between the opening and closing lines of the 64 hexagrams and the geometric patterns seen by meditators in deep trance. (Dr. Joe is a fan of synchronisities. He tells students, as they grow in their meditative practice, to look for confirming synchronisities to appear in their lives.)

The Book of Change is a meditative tool especially suited to empaths’ needs. Its introspective method is safely accessed in the privacy of one’s own room. It gives those unable to bear the stress of travel much less mixing in crowds of thousands to participate in Dr. Joe’s popular events, another means of cultivating heightened awareness. Its benefits are cost-effective. And it is consistently available on a daily basis . . . most especially in emergencies . . . for immediate use.

The Introduction to The Common Sense Book of Change makes its direct connection with Dr. Joe’s work strikingly apparent. In meditation CDs, he intones, “Become AWARE. Become Aware that you’re Aware.”

When, following Jung’s example, I asked, “What does the CSBOC have to offer its readers?” its answer was AWARENESS.

Hexagram 20

Personally, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to The Book of Change. In The I Ching and Me, I wrote:

For me, the Book of Change is a gateway to magic. On this side, it has been a close companion, good friend and advisor through the years. On the far side, perhaps remembered from lifetimes past, it speaks to me from a place beyond time and space.

With it, I was never alone, even and especially when I was loneliest in crowded rooms. When the world impelled suicide, it brought me back to a deeper, all-pervasive love of life.

Without it, it’s doubtful I would have survived the challenges and dangers of my “interesting” youth. Which is why, in the spirit of paying it forward, I have gone to considerable lengths to make this book in its essence available, most especially to sensitives.

Because, Yes. I was an empath too. I clearly remember an incident from early teen years. Mom came at me in a rage, fists flying. For many years, her exact words stuck – indelibly imprinted — in my mind. “Stop being so damn hyper-sensitive and act normal like everyone else.” (Our family physician gave her the term. She used it as a complaint, like a club.)

By now, the pain has been released, the memory transformed into wisdom. When I told OA about the incident, he simply remarked, “Good advice.” (Easier said than done, I thought.) What I’ve learned is that the functional word in her demand was ACT. Act as if normal. The challenge is to honor inner awareness while, at the same time acting within the bounds of social norms.)

The reason this was so hard for me to do this was that I picked up on and responded to the non-verbal messages people broadcast, which are often quite at odds with their verbal statements.

Denial

It confused me terribly. Not to mention that my unwelcome awareness frustrated and angered the verbal message senders. Whether they were unaware of the disconnect or were simply invested in saving face, exposure was perceived as a threat. Embarrassing. Enraging. (Along similar lines, in the context of energy vampires, Dr. Christine Northrup describes the effect of mixed messages as “cognitive dissonance.”)

Especially at times when I felt obliged to keep others’ dark secrets and had no one in the world to turn to, I depended on The Book of Change to validate what I “knew” and advise on the wisest way to act on this information, one situation at a time. For example, consistent with Dr. Orloff’s emphasis on the necessity of establishing clear boundaries, I often received this advice:

IC 60 Limits

At other times, when life became exceptionally chaotic and it seemed as if there was no way out of an impossible situation, I would read this and be comforted:

IC 52 Stillness

When I worked as an Administrative Assistant at the now-dissolved UW-Madison Eating Disorders Clinic, it broke my heart to observe how sadly the treatments and advice inflicted on suffering young women (often empaths at a loss to survive in abusive families) missed the mark. I dearly wished someone would offer the same self-counseling remedy that worked for me. They might, for example, have found this, as I did again recently:

IC 27 Growth

The Book of Change has been instrumental in maintaining my sanity and weaving safely through the uncertainties of an environment dominated by energy vampires – a concept well defined, in case you’re unfamiliar, by Dr. Christian Northrup in Dodging Energy Vampires: An Empath’s Guide to Evading Relationships That Drain You and Restoring Your Health and Power.

Ultimately, the decision may come to this:

IC 21 Breakthrough

Whether this Breakthrough occurs on inward spiritual and mental levels, or on the material plane of physical location, personal relationships and job situation, depends on immediate circumstance. Or, since the levels are interdependent, each influencing the others, the necessary change might eventually span the whole continuum.

book header bird

Since I’ve already given you plenty to absorb already, I’ll save a second, powerful tool for empaths – Personalizing the Life Wheel – for next time.

In the meantime, all best

We are Team Humanity

I was challenged tonight to think deeply about promoting my books. Is it just to make money? In marketing efforts, have I gone sideways, forgetting larger, fundamental purpose and goals?

How can I express how deeply the conviction goes, “To save one life is to save the world entire?”

As a young girl, in a world where adults failed me entirely, books kept me alive. Years later, I wrote intending to put on the shelves that for which I earlier searched but could not find. I wrote to help confused, bewildered young people like the young woman I once was survive.

It is to pay forward what authors ancient and modern gave of themselves to me . . . solace, hope and faith. That is why I write. And that is why I will to fight to cut through the clamor of competition to be heard.

Along these lines, I remembered an article written in December of 2014. It says the same thing in a different, maybe better, way. Then, I had given up the fight and left. But kind words and second thoughts led me back into the fray . . on my terms.

Discourse sized

Richard Lipscombe hinted I would have second thoughts about leaving WB. He also said exactly what (he probably knew) would tempt me back:

Patricia, thanks for your intellectual efforts in your posts – you made me think about stuff that I otherwise would not have ever really contemplated. Good teachers make us think, they make us challenge the essence of who we are in the process, they are gift bearers, they are rare, and most of all they are not out for themselves but for us the students.

In writing what follows, it became clear to me that you guys are my teachers too. The process of writing Fresh Start II made me really think, for which I thank you all. Richard. Tony. François. SEF. TerryAM.

I was quite the poker fan for a while. Take-aways include the maxim, “Don’t explain. Don’t complain.” That is pretty much how I operate. But this time, I need to make an exception. To prevent future misunderstandings, I will (without complaining), explain why I decided the effort to make a Fresh Start is worth it.

For starters, I was trained as a musician. My social metaphors are harmony and cooperation. An orchestra comprised of talented soloists playing inspired music under the direction of a single conductor is my ideal community.

I swim like a golden fish in music, scriptures and things metaphysical. Competition is not only foreign to me. It is anathema.

In duality, there are two sides to every coin. Granted, without a doubt, there are some benefits to competition. But in today’s political/corporate world, the law of diminishing returns has pushed the pendulum to the opposite extreme. In an either/or world that pits winners against losers, losers are continuously scrambling to beat out the winners. Winners can never relax. They’re obliged to be constantly looking over their shoulders, wary of losers scheming to overtake them.

Is that really necessary? Are we nothing more than Darwinian animals, surviving at others’ expense? What about Survival of the Wisest, Jonas Salk’s alternative approach?

For example, look at American sport through the eyes of an uninitiated foreigner. The story goes that in the early 1960’s, a Jewish immigrant recently arrived in New York City attended his first football game. But the spectacle of grown men racing up and down the field, butting heads, competing to take possession of a ball seemed ridiculous. He shrugged, “How much cost a ball?”

Keeping our eye on the ball — the life-fulling goals everyone everywhere share in common – is what’s too often forgotten in the heat of ego competition. That’s why it seemed time for me to part ways with WB. Competing for ratings is not conducive to building a community of like-minded, purposeful writers. The pressure to comment for its own sake too-easily leads to empty ego-assertion – one-upsmanship — rather than contributing to the substance and purpose of each particular post.

I’m sure many guys have fond memories of participating in team sports. Politics, I suppose is the real world application of rivalries harnessed to social ends.

But my memories aren’t fond at all. Years spent in the UW Department of Educational Administration were an eye-opener as to what has gone so terribly wrong in education. Former football coaches and military vets were in charge of dictating how schools are run. Professors’ attitudes were saturated in violence and competition.

Where I defined “administration” in terms of its root, “ministry” (meaning service), the prevailing definition was “the allocation of scarce resources.”

The difference goes far deeper than gender or cultural preferences. It is a matter of human survival. The competitive attitude is a primary cause of world conflict, the reason we’re in such a terrible mess. Nor (as Einstein observed) are solutions are to be found in the same mode that has generated the problem.

In other words, it is exactly because my musician, yogic perspective is so different from the “norm” that I have a lot to offer to the WB community.

For the record, be assured I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth. Life hasn’t been any easier for me than for anyone else. Nor do I think I’m better than others. Metaphysically, that’s not possible. Students and teachers are warp and woof of the same fabric, giving and receiving in an infinite loop through the generations. We’re in it together.

In my world view, reverence for life is fundamental. Non-negotiable. This is why I recently took such exception to a comment made in the personal attack mode, with name-calling and overt disrespect. Again, it was symptomatic of all that has gone wrong in this world.

If I sometimes seem harsh (as one LI connection accused), the impatience has to do with my sense of urgency. The stakes are too high. Time is too short.

Also, although I sometimes speak in philosophical terms and use scriptural references, it is not to show off (as another LinkedIn detractor charged). It’s my reality. It’s simply who I am. I don’t write to impress or intimidate. It’s a calling. It’s my life work and heartfelt desire to put what I’ve learned (often the hard way) and who I am (for better or worse) at the service of those willing/able to benefit.

So, please, rather than faulting an imperfect messenger, focus on the message. We are Team Humanity. The ball worth fighting for is human survival, which, as Einstein has warned us, can no longer be taken for granted.

Namaste2

Hidden in Plain Sight

yoga image

Here, Yoda’s words of warning are wise, but by no means complete.

Pride, for example, is left out of the mix. So are ignorance and insecurity.

As to the cause and effects of suffering, I couldn’t tell you. It seems to me a bit like the question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” Maybe they’re interactive, lined up like a wall of domino pieces.

In any case, we’re still stuck with the question of how to get clear of the whole mess, much less avoid it in the first place. Self-improvement teachers have a variety of different answers to offer.

But ideologues take a different tack. “Life is inherently unfair,” they argue. Placing the blame, for them, is easy: “Human systems are a fault.” Their solution? Easy. “Smash them.”

Never mind the inevitable consequences of playing out anger and hate: still more suffering. As the song goes, “’Once the rockets go up, who cares where they come down? That’s not my department,’ says Werner von Braun.”

But today I’m focused on the biblical view of suffering.

Solomon summed it up. “To everything there is a season.” The pairs of opposites – gain and loss, pain and pleasure – are natural parts of life. Over the long term, they pretty much balance out.

Now, it’s easy to love life and believe in God when things are going your way. It’s when things get rough that trust, faith and commitments are put to the test. The proof of sincerity is steadfastness during the rough times.

The Book of Job is a story of steadfast faith. Hidden in plain sight, it echoes the key to overcoming suffering found throughout the Old and New Testaments.

Summing up my understanding of the story, the most righteous of men, Job, was equally prosperous in the world. But little by little, his assets failed, hitting ever closer and closer to home. In the balance, the greater the gifts the greater the opposite and equal responsibilities and related tests.

During this tail spin, he groans in misery. But never gives up the faith.

He dialogues with wordy critics who question the grounds of his faith. Misfortune, they say, is a sign that God has abandoned him, if there were such an entity to begin with. (Temptations of the ideologue are nothing new.)

Job’s steadfast response, as materials goods, family and finally physically health fall away is this:

The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.

Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

Long story short, for holding fast to faith, in God’s time, Job is restored. Health, family and goods are returned to him in even greater measure than before.

What is that Name of the Lord??? This is important. For Job is not the only one who calls on the name in trouble. David called upon this name in facing Goliath. It is key in Psalm 91, the warrior’s psalm. The Lord’s Prayer given by Christ as the right way to pray also invokes that name. It is a mystery well worth seeking to its heart.

The boy David draws his courage from the name in facing the monster Goliath:

Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. (1 Samuel 17:45)

From Psalm 91: 14-15

Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

And the Lord’s Prayer given by Christ begins:

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Now, that name is a sacred vehicle. It carries the faithful, quite literally, from surface through the trials and tests of the middle realm safe home. .. . and back again. Christ, like Job, traveled and returned to example the way open to all of us with the steadfast love, trust and faith to face up when called to sacrifice and answer, Thy will be done.

It looks like this:

JOB

Now there’s even more to the mystery. The letters the spell out Christ’s name and those of the Father’s are identical, except for one additional letter placed in the center:

The Hebrew letter Shin represents the ‘eternal flame’ and ‘root of fire’ . Inserted in the middle of the name for God, it gives us the Hebrew name for Jesus–YHSVH (Yod Hey Shin Vav Hey) –commonly pronounced “Yesh-u-ah”.

Saving the Best

Here’s a confirmation, from the December 3 page of Jesus Calling.

When you find yourself in the thick of battle, call upon My Name: “Jesus help me!” In that instant, the battle becomes Mine; your role is simply to trust Me as I fight for you.

My Name, properly used, has unlimited Power to bless and protect.

Angel Calling

If these words resonate with you, please share them to magnify the effect.

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