Personal log: Goodbye to a Dear Friend

I just received word that a good friend and spiritual brother of mine, Mario, has transitioned to a higher realm. His passing was sudden but as I understand it, serene, despite having been fatally wounded from a fall he suffered in Brazil. His loving companion, Betty, is coping with the loss the best way she can, and is now in the comfort of friends and family support. While she is completely awake and totally aware of her and Mario’s true identity as Soul, the sudden shock of such an episode still cuts deeply, evoking questions of “why?” or “what if?” But Soul never dies, and Mario is still among us, certainly surrounding Betty in a warm and intense love embrace, and connecting with family and friends. In honor of Mario, I wanted to share a poem that he wrote some time ago entitled “Before the Sound Was ‘I’”. It speaks to the depth and breadth of this wonderful man’s spirit, awareness, and heart. It expresses the dynamic of spiritual entropy, chaos to order, that we as a collective consciousness have been working through in pursuit of divine love and truth. We’ll miss you Mario. Be well, keep in touch:


Before the Sound Was "I."

Sonic malignant waves touch all in their wake;
Shrill, pinching sounds, unhealthy tonic of embedded harmonics
Roaring to unholy rhythms, progressive artful resonant fusion,
Sweeping over RNA neuron pathways of God in a hell-storm of confusion.

The planet of our unconscious world is a distant dilated pupil,
Hanging in Satan's firmament, closed-eyed and fearful,
No longer a shining star emanating goodwill and gentleness of Soul,
A synthesized construction, paced and placed to the beat of discipline.

The sleeping mind hears naught but bliss and octavian leads
Tugging on heart strings leading to labyrinths of slavish minotaur.
Our world is built on undulating forms, stiff and rigid,
The harmonics of control, the science of robotics.

A grand orchestra of Oz plays a frontal lament, a guitar gently weeping.
Yes, we all cry and sway, utterly fatigued by the dance of poly-fragmented characters,
As we stand back and watch our human-ness undulate dimly on the wall.
Truly life is spent in pursuit of real music...

And yet from wretchedness, behind it all, is the knowledge of harmony,
The truth of elements and true gods.
Where creation is built on symmetry and love.
A soulful wave of happy entities...we are Truth...after all.


Mario

I See You: Avatar’s Spiritual Essence

First and foremost, what an amazingly breathtaking movie Avatar is. Director James Cameron (of Titanic fame) has, in my opinion, really raised the bar for what the future of movie viewing will now be. This is a real game changer. The cinematic beauty and visual detail alone fills the senses in a way not quite experienced before. Add to this the element of 3D and you have a paradigm-shifting film. But the power of Avatar does not lie in its visual effects; it lies in the story. This is not a 3D movie, but an amazingly beautiful, poignant story and cinematic journey that happens to be in 3D.

For me, what makes this movie experience so fulfilling is the spiritual essence that the story of Avatar contains. Without going into too much plot detail, Earthlings have found an inhabited moon called Pandora that contains an abundance of life and a wealth of natural resources, just prime for the taking. The indigenous humanoid life forms on Pandora are known as the Navi, blue 10-foot aboriginal beings that share a very close connection with the land. This connection is not to be taken lightly for it is the essence of their existence on Pandora. Humans, through bio-technology have developed Avatar host bodies who look almost identical to the Navi. These Avatars can be controlled by DNA-linked humans through a remote harmonized synaptic connection, thereby allowing them to interact with the natives directly. Of course things become problematic when the need for the Navi to protect the land goes head-to-head with human shareholder interests to excavate and pillage the rich planetary resources abundant on the planet. This of course is not a new theme, and I recognize some similarities to another great movie, Dances With Wolves.

But the true power of this epic tale lies in understanding the spiritual connection that the Navi have with its planet and all things contained in it, and the balance created when people respect and honor the land and its resources vs. the misguided and disconnected notion of supreme ownership, entitlement and conquest. There are some movie critics who make the assertion that Avatar reeks of a pagan, pantheistic focus on spirituality. While this is an interesting interpretation, these critics clearly do not get the significance or importance of what this movie is trying to convey. It is about how maintaining a harmonic balance between sentient beings and their surroundings is a key ingredient to spiritual upliftment. This is only one of the many messages that Avatar imparts. The connection to the planet and its resources shown very literally in this movie is an allegory to the actual literal connection that everyone in fact has to the earth, to all living things, and to the universe as a whole; we have simply forgotten this connection exists.

The Navi have an affectionate greeting of endearment to one another, which in their native tongue they affirm “I see you”. This greeting goes much deeper than “I see you standing there”, but that “I see into you, I see your soul and your essence”. In fact, I get you. This is just one illustration of the deep and wonderful solidarity that the Navi have. The Avatar humans slowly come to understand this significance, and as more and more of them begin to see deeper into the true meaning behind this spiritual way of life, they become increasingly conflicted with the ultimate plans that are about to be inflicted by their employers on the Navi. It is from here on that things really get interesting.

I have mentioned a few key spiritual aspects of this movie. But there is one more important theme that was made very clear to me while watching. This is the fact that we are all living in Avatars ourselves. The truth is that our human bodies are nothing more then vessels designed to allow us to have mobility in 3 dimensional space. But in fact, we are not the bodies we occupy; we are Soul, a divine spark of spiritual awareness. We are truly sparks of the eternal itself using a human host to live, breath and have our being on this physical plane.

If I have any criticism of the movie at all, it would probably be that the bad guys seem a little overly two-dimensional to me. There wasn’t enough conflict of conscience for my taste, but that’s just me. I am tempted to go into much greater detail about the movie and its many layers, but I will refrain from doing so in case you have not yet seen it. I highly recommend that you do. It is a sensory filled treat, and has much to say about who we are and where we should be going in our own respective spiritual journey. More than anything, Avatar symbolizes the vital importance of connecting to our higher essence. It is a siren song for us to awaken to our true selves as Soul. Many are getting this message and are heeding the call. To all of you who are getting it, I SEE YOU.

Count Down

…5, 4, 3, 2, 1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

It’s been a whirlwind year, this 2009. Much has happened and there is much more to do. In many respects, it seems like several years have passed by in just this one. This is no accident. The vibratory rate of existence is indeed speeding up at a blistering pace, with karmic burn-off from both an individual as well as collective group consciousness level moving along at light speed, and we’re all feeling it. Many of us are waking up consistently at around 2 or 3 a.m., experiencing a download of information and spiritual insight, our bodies vibrating with refined energy. We’re also noticing an increase in the speed it takes to manifest things in our lives as well as an overall heightened sense of expanded awareness. No my friends, you’re not imagining this stuff, it is happening; it is real.

As we move headlong into 2010 and beyond, it is important that we all begin to take stock of what is happening. We need to take this stuff seriously and really begin to listen to our inner voice and what it is telling us. Most importantly, it is time to let go of the fear and really, truly, in your heart of hearts and with all your essence, embrace the LOVE. There are those that would like to keep this transition to a new reality at bay, and are trying with growing desperation to maintain the herd mentality through fear and propaganda that so many of us had (up to now and for far too long) been victims of. But now is a new day, and all of you wonderful Souls that long ago made a conscious decision to incarnate into this world at this important time in our history are starting to awaken more and more to the truth of who and what you are. You are wonderful, magnificent star children, lightworkers, and earth angels. You are incredible healers and beacons of love energy. It is your time now. Awaken to it and claim it. You know who you are, you’ve simply forgotten.

So on this momentous new years eve of 2009, may I wish all of you a happy, safe, prosperous, abundant, awake, aware, enlightened, and Source filled New Year. 2010 is going to be really interesting. We hope that you experience it awakened and fully engaged. Namaste.

Choices and Consequences

Even though we live in the world of illusion, it can still really cut like a knife sometimes. Life is tricky; it’s all about choices, and the decisions a person makes at any given moment may have repercussions that go far beyond what was intended. Over eons of time, we have developed a somewhat useful yet potentially problematic ability to compartmentalize the things in our lives, separating one conjoined aspect of truth from another. In the process we are able to rationalize and justify almost anything. This, however, can become a dangerous double-edged sword, for compartmentalization ultimately leads to irrational fragmentation of truth, and a subsequent inability to see things from that all-important holistic perspective; the big picture. Within this dynamic, the ego gets an overindulgence of attention, and our ability to see things from points of view other than our own too often become lost. When you throw the emotion of fear into the mix, it quickly becomes a very toxic soup, leading to questionable decisions and unintended consequences. So what does all of this have to do with spirituality, and how do we move through this illusory gauntlet to determine what is the best course of action at any given moment?

Well, the question itself contains the seeds of its solution. You see, we must understand that we live in the illusion – it’s all a big stage play. The inner is the true reality and the outer is the illusion; go figure. As such, we are not the bodies that we occupy and working within the dramas that we create should always be viewed through the prism of the higher self; the Soul perspective. We are Soul, a divine spark of the eternal Source. We are one with All That Is. We gather experience by working through the dramas we create in order to become self-aware and ultimately God-aware. When we come to that all-important plateau of awakening to our true identity as Soul living in eternity, we’re able to rise above the slings and arrows that are thrown at us. We’re able to identify the dualistic nature of all things we encounter. We still have to deal with the dramas, but we can (as the saying goes) learn to be “in it but not of it.” When illuminated with this Soul perspective, the need or desire to compartmentalize or rationalize begins to fall away, for we are no longer afraid to deal with truth. One must always remember that truth is strength; it’s a real game changer when you finally embrace it.

Yes, those slings and arrows may sting sometimes, and some days are better than others when dealing with them, but as an awakened being you remember that you have a new default perspective; you are Soul, living in eternity. What you are dealing with shall pass. It is not a forever thing. You on the other hand, are. As an awakened Soul you find yourself constantly asking, “What is the lesson here?” The body’s emotional chakras may be firing on all cylinders, but you have the ability to step outside of that perspective and see things in a Divine light. As such, it’s all good.

As we move forward on our transcendent journey towards enlightenment, we must embrace the slings and arrows we sometimes encounter, and view them as opportunities for growth. We are at an all-important place and time in our collective experience. We will be encountering more and more trials and tribulations as we move closer and closer to our spiritual transition. Throughout all of these tests, we must never forget that everything we deal with has its true solution based in LOVE. Love is indeed the key to everything. It really does conquer all, for when we place this in the center of our hearts it is able to wash away all pain. It reconnects us to Source. We must become conscious beacons of this love energy and proactively outflow it throughout the world everyday, every moment. We are all a part of the collective critical mass of God-centered energy that will ensure a positive shift to enlightenment. So don’t let those slings and arrows slow you down, simply surrender them to love. For this, my friends, is the ultimate test.

Unconditional

It’s quite the winter wonderland this day. After a record setting December snowstorm covering a large portion of the east coast, everyone is waking up to quite a bright and shiny spectacle. As I take my shovel in hand and begin to create a pathway from my front porch to my steps, eventually getting to the sidewalk, I am consciously aware of the busy activities around me; the steady drone of scraping shovels from my neighbor’s homefronts, moving snow off of their walkways and cars, creating pathways to maneuver from point to point. I also notice the spontaneous acts of kindness all around me, with I and my neighbors helping one another to shovel the front of each others steps and sidewalks, taking the occasional time out to rush and help a stalled vehicle get out of the snow. Of course, I see the wonderment of small children on the block doing their best to help as they take in the spectacle of their first major snowstorm. It’s a site to behold, filling me with gratitude and bringing to mind the significance of the true meaning of this holiday season, unconditional love.

Spontaneous and random acts of kindness with no consideration for reward or even thank you, this is what the true meaning of the holidays is all about. More importantly, it is a true glimpse of a world we should all aspire to live in everyday. I dare say that the vast majority of our world population is infused with this loving heart, but often have to protect it for fear of being taken advantage of by those of a predatory consciousness. But these amazing glimpses of unconditional kindness and goodness between our fellow human being is something that we should all hold dear, and try with every fiber of our being to maintain and expand upon even after all the presents have been exchanged, decorations taken down, and trees placed on the roadside. It’s the act of a loving heart; it is the tangible recognition of oneness with all.

During this holiday season, may we all recognize and remember the true meaning of why we celebrate, regardless of what your religious beliefs or spiritual understandings may be. It’s more than the celebration of the Christ child’s birth, or the lighting of candles for Chanukah, its more than the celebration of Kwanzaa or anything of that sort; it is the conscious expression of Divine love and gratitude for all mankind, and the outward expression of that love through unconditional kindness and charity. It is the random act of kindness for its own sake; it is the quiet gift from a stranger. It is the love of God in action. May we all take in and expand upon the true meaning of this season, and extend the love and kindness well beyond the 25th of December.

From all of us at Awaken to One Alliance, may your hearts be filled with kindness, love and gratitude, and may the Divine light of Source surround you and provide for you abundance and success in all that you endeavor to do. We truly love you all and look forward to the growing fellowship of evolving Souls in the coming New Year, as they awaken to their true identity with expanded focus and Divine awareness.

Namaste,

Ato1

Welcoming Kathelena: Cosmic Particles

I wanted to briefly make everyone aware of a wonderful new blog being featured on the Awaken to One Alliance website. May I please present to you Cosmic Particles by Kathelena. Her knowledge and insights on a wide range of spiritual and social issues are vast, and her nuanced awareness of the current universal shift in vibrational energy will be of great benefit to everyone who reads.

So to Kathelena, welcome to Ato1 and thank you so much for your important contribution. To everyone else, please feel free to post your comments on the Awaken to One website to let us know what you think. All the best.

Namaste,

Ato1

What is Your Consciousness Diet?

“Garbage in, garbage out.” This is a phraseology that has been used for many years in the field of computer science and pertains to the reality that calculations and conclusions reached through analysis of input data is only as good as the quality of said data. To put it another way, if the information you are inputting is flawed or somehow corrupted, analysis and conclusions reached based on that data would also be flawed and/or corrupted. This same reasoning can easily be applied to the mental and spiritual input we feed ourselves on a daily basis, forming and molding our opinions, attitudes and ultimately our state of consciousness. You are what you eat, physically as well as mentally, intellectually and spiritually. Whatever that diet consists of will be the determinant for your own formative growth and evolution.

As such, it is important to be mindful of just what you are feeding yourself daily, and begin determining in a conscious, present and aware sort of way if it is in fact good for you. Certainly there are professional demands that require your mental attention and energy, and often a great deal of time and energy must be devoted to fulfilling your family obligations. But when you are on your own time, just what does your consciousness diet consist of; what are you feeding yourself mentally and spiritually? As I have indicated in such articles as The Hub of Your Wheel and more recently, Background Awareness, you need to be mindful of the input and energy that you allow yourself to take in daily, as this is what will out-picture in your respective reality. Remember, thoughts are things; thoughts have the ability to think and manifest what you project out into the universe. It’s the law of attraction at its most fundamental.

A mental and spiritual audit may be in order. Separate and apart from taking care of your body physically through proper diet and exercise, just what information input are you feeding yourself and allowing entry into your psyche everyday? Are you fixated on sexuality and sexual stimulation for its own sake? Do you constantly listen to political talk radio espousing extreme opinions, attitudes and fears on either the right or the left, or gossip TV and reality programs that seem to exploit the worst in dysfunctional behavior between our fellow human beings? Are you fixated on video games that desensitize the horrors of violence and war? Are you engaged in fundamental beliefs that justify abhorrent behavior in the name of our Creator? These and other examples may be considered extreme in nature, but if you analyze the totality of stimuli that bombard our psyche on a daily basis through the 24/7 media machine, and our own peer-pressured lifestyle choices, perhaps its not so extreme. These and other related stimuli have the end result of dummying down our society and creating a herd mentality unable to think and reason for itself (group think). Worst of all, it is taking us away from the most important truth and energy center in our existence, LOVE. It’s time to take a good hard look in the mirror and consider that perhaps your daily consciousness diet could use an intervention and overhaul. Perhaps it may be time to turn off the electronic devices for a while and take a quiet, unencumbered walk with nature. Perhaps its time to meditate and get back in touch with your higher self. Maybe its time to have dinner with your family and catch up on things. Most definitely it is time that we all, individually and collectively, reconnect to the love; love for one another and love of Source.

We are at such a pivotal junction point in our collective evolutionary consciousness. As such, it will become even more important than ever to monitor our thoughts, and be a conscious and aware conduit for love energy. We all must become daily beacons of love everyday. We are the source by which mass consciousness changes. There is a saying that goes “God cannot do for you what it can only do through you”. This is certainly true now. You are the channel; you are the light. It is through you that the rise in spiritual vibration moves to the next level. The catalyst and focus for this rise in vibration is LOVE. So (and I say this with the utmost love and respect) clean up your act! Adjust your vibrations by changing your consciousness diet. If what you are currently inputting is making you feel fear and/or negativity, it needs to go; it needs to be replaced with a love-centered alternative. You have the power and you have the means. But if you don’t have the will, nothing will change. Be the change that you seek. Embrace the love that you are. When you do, we’ll all be digging those good vibrations.