1 - Fear
Breaking through the cozy similitudes of a largely routine, safe
existence, takes courage and conviction.
There is no 'easy way' to truth. But
the thought of venturing into a deeper side of one's self - and
of jumping into new paradigms of external involvement - often
arouses a sense of fear.
Honest internal and external exploration bring things to the
surface that many would rather leave buried and, as far as
possible, forgotten.
Such embarkations into previously uncharted territories are, for
many, an unsettling experience; one where our deeper intuition
appears to be at odds with our mundane fixations. Where the
inner call to be awake clashes with all too easily accepted
patterns of day-to-day existence. Patterns whose 'successful'
completion ironically, require that one remains largely asleep!
Fear can - and does - create the single largest block to the
manifestation of our basic consciousness.
The manifestation of consciousness is not a passive affair, it
demands taking action.
'An action that speaks louder
than words.'
And here's where the next level of
inner, fear based resistance kicks-in and tries to hold us back
from making a stand.
Tries to prevent our
involvement in positive acts of resistance in response to
the further erosion of the planet's life support system. And to
the further erosion of essential facets of daily life right in
our own back yards.
Overcoming the hold which the fear factor exerts upon us is, I
believe, the single greatest step we can make towards the
emancipation of the true self and a rising consciousness.
There are one hundred and one
different ways of doing it, but recognition of the paralysis it
causes in us is a major first step.
2 - Low
Self-Confidence
There are many amongst those longing for both internal and
external change who fall at the first hurdle due to a seeming
lack of self-confidence. A lack of self-esteem.
But this need
not be, for this sense of 'lack' is a trick played upon us by a
wayward 'second self'. A little devil who has acquired entry
into our subconscious and is damned if he is going to quit
without a fight!
He's a cunning one alright, because he disguises himself as our
actual thoughts; making us believe that 'we' can't do such and
such - because 'we' are not capable - 'we' are not good enough.
But it isn't the real us speaking,
it's the little demon which
Carlos Castaneda refers to
as "a
foreign installation". And yes, it is a foreign
installation. And a devilishly clever little trickster to boot!
Try putting a proposal (to yourself ) to do something for which
you feel a great need, but have not as yet taken the step of
actually putting into practice.
Now, as soon as the foreign
installation kicks in with,
"But I can't... it's really not
possible..." you know it's that little Lucifer fellow.
He's tricking you into believing
that 'you' arrived at this prognosis, when actually he did.
"But I can't..."
Yep - that's him!
Once you know this you're on your way. Once you disentangle your
real self from that foreign installation - you have one foot on
the path to the promised land.
No 'buts' - unless you feel a
positive urge to boot that little demon in the butt!
3 -
Laziness
Yes, well, let's admit it, getting off one's 'butt' and getting
going isn't the easiest for some people.
But most forms of laziness stem from
being unmotivated and unwilling to make the effort to become
motivated.
There are certain days when we all feel it; days when the energy
seems to be drained out of us and nothing really comes to our
rescue to kick the mood. But that form of 'enforced' lack of
motivation can be in our best interests, as it may well stem
from too many days of over exertion without a break.
It's not the same as the kind of in-built lack of get up and go
which afflicts millions, sometimes for long periods of their
lives.
This disease, and it is such, is
more often than not associated with being 'too comfortable'. Too
wrapped up in one's own self-interested state of material
well-being to ever consider doing something for the good of the
greater whole.
This affliction is particularly prevalent amongst those who feel
safest when operating in a club-like atmosphere where
maintaining a public face of cheery conviviality acts as an
insurance policy to protect against ever having to think and act
'outside the box'.
To ever get truly serious about the
dire nature of the predicaments faced by mankind and mankind's
planet - and indeed one's own neglected soul.
For these beings, the only thing to jolt them out of their
lethargy, is a disaster. And so it is that millions will in fact
face just such a disaster, as a form of karmic retribution
for failing to make use of the gifts bestowed upon them.
This form of 'waking up as a last resort' is clearly to be
avoided.
Our World needs action in the here
and now - and not years of inaction in never-never land.
4 - Being
Different
Here's another barnacle encrusted old anchor chain that's been
holding back the evolution of large segments of often thoughtful
individuals... for far too long.
So it starts with worrying about what other people might think
about one, especially if one is intending to embark upon
something which fails to conform to the politically correct
menu of the day.
It's a form of paralysis which
blocks any instinct to move away from 'herd mentality
syndrome' with its rigid confirmation to what are considered
'acceptable' parameters of behavior.
So powerful, for many, is the pull of trying to appear normal,
that few openings exist for the true individual to ever emerge.
What a tragic waste of human potential!
The prevalence of this condition is particularly well suited to
the goals of the centralized control system. The one which sets
the agenda of daily life on our planet. It plays into the hands
of the top-down politics of persuasion through ensuring basic
conformity with whatever the majority might be up to.
Not daring to ever speak-out against
even the most fool hardy propositions and practices, lest one
should appear 'different', is a disaster area of global
proportions, especially in the face of ill-conceived and often
abject acts of destruction which we witness almost every day of
our lives.
I've got news for those who suffer this affliction: you're not
going to be your own best friend in later life if you fail to
make the effort to overcome your shyness now.
Because either the frustration will
build up to the point where sickness intervenes, or you accept
becoming just another number amongst the robotic crowd. A crowd
that operates without any true emotions ever breaking the
surface.
That's an ugly choice to have in front of one. So why not break
free today? Stop hiding your light under a bushel; step out and
let it shine!
You'll be amazed at how much brighter everything becomes once
one ceases trying to be like Mr, Mrs or Ms Normal...
5 - Stuck
in the Wrong Job
This one's a major energy sucker, as anyone in this position
surely realizes.
The inventor of the '9 to 5 work
day' sure came up with a clever control mechanism for
keeping mankind terminally preoccupied. Preoccupied with
'earning a living' - pretty much 24/7.
What the hell is this? Shackled to a desk in a neon lit
air-conditioned sterile office building with only a computer as
work mate? Or maybe not quite as dull as that, but nevertheless,
enforced and usually slavish routine day after day.
A routine that ultimately only
succeeds in bringing in more
dosh to a business or
corporation whose end product is just one of millions steadily
destroying the health and welfare of planet Earth and most of
her occupants.
Get the hell out of there - and
fast...!
Better to be on the street than in this kind of prison. Better
(by far) to be working for yourself, not for
someone who is only out to use you, prior to installing a robot
a year or two down the road. The kind of robots that don't ask
for wages. You know.
They're even better than the one's
that do, like you.
The typical '9 to 5 job' leaves no time for the type of deep
reflection required to move forward into a state of conscious
awareness. How could it - when 90% of one's energy is used-up
fighting to survive in the job market jungle. The rat race...
Our survival as human beings demands more than the monthly pay
cheque. It demands that we are able to hear the voice of our
true selves, and then turn its message to good effect in helping
to shift the tide of history in a positive direction.
Away from the neo-liberal capitalist
money-making machine and into something which calls forth a true
power of awakening, sharing and social responsibility.
6 - The
Skeptical Intellectual
"I can see that it won't work."
Yes, sure you can!
Because you made-up your mind years
ago that there's really no point in getting involved in any
remotely idealistic initiative, since such initiatives are all
doomed to failure at the hands of Mr Realism and his "I know
best" crew.
There's something more than faintly fatalistic about our
skeptical intellectual.
Strange really, to build a pedestal
for one's self and then set it in a concrete plinth, so as to be
impervious to the swirling current of a life force which is
capable of bringing 'a mountain to Mohamed' if that's what's
really needed.
"Prove it".
And when he says that, you know that
everything which follows is something 'you' have to do - never
him.
For him, proof is actually never
good enough anyway, because the mind which demands answers
without ever trying to find them itself, is a sad and polluted
vessel; badly in need of a full immersion detox.
Yet many of these sorts of people are just the one's to become
bankers, army corporals, political strategists, bureaucrats,
professors and civil servants.
They are the glue that holds
together the status quo. Very reliable at carrying out their
duties and ensuring that nothing too imaginative or spontaneous
ever gets in amongst the automated cogs and wheels of the
sanitized status quo.
The best cure for such individuals is to suffer an insufferable
shock... like falling in love. Is it possible?
Something that shakes them to their
roots and causes a little volcano to erupt deep within. That
which is capable of blowing away the densely packed layers which
have caused a crust of cynicism to form over buried benign
feelings of compassion, joy, creativity and yes, love.
Something which turns on its head
all the false pride of an over indulged, obese ego.
7 - Lack
of Passion
This is very bad news.
Nothing, but nothing, truly
meaningful comes into being without someone, somewhere, having a
strong desire to bring to life their deepest needs. The
manifestation of our inner powers is all about following through
on that which inspires us. Inspires us to take action, to create
meaningful change.
That should be the very definition of 'living' of 'being alive'.
All the rest is shadow boxing with phantoms. And happy are these
phantoms to be given so much unearned attention.
It is passion which created life in the first place. Passion is
the precondition for all genuinely creative acts. It is the
motor of universal movement. It is the dance of life!
Yet, for tens of millions of human souls it remains an almost
entirely missing ingredient. And if, God forbid, it should ever
rear its beautiful head, it is greeted with as much indifference
as its recipient can possibly muster!
Come on! Sustained intent, fueled as it is by passion, poses a
massively intrusive threat on the control system's determination
to keep the lid on human emancipation.
It is the key without which we
cannot unlock the door behind which we have for so long been
imprisoned.
Look, I'm not talking about 'having a blast', going to a rave,
or even getting worked-up about something nasty going on in the
neighborhood. The architects of control have arranged all the
outlets you will ever need to 'let off steam'; such sporadic
outbursts of passion are well catered for.
No, I'm talking about a deeply sustained burning intent which
simply will not die; once you've given it your recognition and
grasped the implications of its transformative powers.
It's the reason I write these essays. A deep need to share a
vision of something. Something out of the ordinary. Sharing my
thoughts and aspirations with you, dear reader. That's all part
and parcel of this passion - which catches fire in those who are
ready to burn.
That's it...!
And it all bubbles up from a place
which is inseparable from Source. It is Source. Passion is 'the
original energy'.
So how could one hope to Live Life without this primary force
playing its fundamental role in everything one does. I can
barely imagine. It's not possible. For whatever that thing is
which happens between the time when we are born (on Earth) and
the time we depart (from Earth) - it is not Life unless it is
inspired by passion. It is a fake.
And, due to the fact that so many feel the need to fake their
way through life, our World is starved of direction. There are
too few helmsmen. It is largely direction-less.
The
only forces to bring direction into this
vacuum are the masters of control. The
architects of fear. The instigators of war,
oppression
and violence.
Quite simply, it is the lack of 'we the people's' ability to
sustain a passionate commitment to taking forward the callings
of our destinies which is responsible for a global take-over by
the preeminent despotic masters of oppression and control.
If we want to ensure their days are numbered, and we surely do,
we must dig deep. Yes, dig deep, always keeping
victory firmly in our sights. The despots cannot endure a
sustained barrage of many awakened souls.
They fall away, exposed as the
hollow cardboard shells which they really are.
And we? We take the helm...
