Healthy Rules To Live By

The Shack has caused quite stir in the world of publication and a little while ago I interviewed the author about his book. He is undoubtedly, a gifted writer and speaker.

I admit that the zeal, with which Mr. Young described his journey and how he came to discover “the shack” and its illuminating role, as he sees it, is quite impressive.

Objectively, however, it is impossible to overlook the fact that the roots of a plant always will tell you where the seed fell and the nature of the fruit it will bear. The Shack is a great example of this. Religion is religion is religion.

Everyone has a story to tell and, no doubt, Mr. Young’s is a compelling one with amplified emotional overtones of intense suffering, including grappling with the age old trap of lack of self-worth. Christianity in all its forms relentlessly promises absolution from this worthlessness resulting in “redemption” which pledges to banish the demon of insignificance to the deepest bowels of the earth, never to emerge again. But think about this, how can self worth be because of another, even if you crossed paths with Jesus, Papa (from the Shack) or the Lord?

The interconnectedness of the universe is the guiding principle to absolute equality and understanding. The only apology is lack of awareness. And that may be a matter of time, not because you’re one of the chosen, or had been overlooked.

There is no greater freedom than the freedom of the mind and we have every right to explore the routes that lead to the gates of truth. But what is fact, and what is truth? The simplest differentiation is that the former is intelligible and the latter is unlimited. How then, are rules, regulations and dogma ascribed to something of which the nature is “unlimited” – if the driving factor is not control and power?

If you want to know, bigoted belief is always under your feet, not in your head.

But devotion too, can be a heady thing. Some believe in a God, who is in heaven, while they wait patiently on earth. Others say they love God, and their god is before them. And then are those who are lost in god. And to the last statement, you must ascribe your own awareness.   

The application of capital “G” or not – is intentional, not an oversight.

I have great admiration for what William Young had achieved and I hope that his experience will serve as encouragement to everyone out there who ever wanted to write. If the desire has lived in you for a long time and you have not yet taken up the pen, or let your fingers dance over the keyboard, then I hope Mr. Young’s experience fires your creative juices into highest gear and you become obsessed!

There is something immensely satisfying in shaping words into phrases that give expression to your deepest feelings. When I watch musical artists, such an accomplished pianist, and I notice how they become one with the instrument; how every muscle in their body strains and quivers as they “lean into the music” – that is when I know that expression for an artist of any kind is like life blood. It is a sweet addiction – we have to have it. (Gosh – does that sound bad?) And of course, all of us want to share what we have done with others – because truly, that is the ultimate satisfaction and thrill.

William’s achievement is extraordinary because he reached that dreaded “dead end” just like so many first time authors do – the one where you get the publishing door slammed really hard in your face. Especially in the fiction genre!

At a Writer’s conference I attended in New York this past April, I observed the very same thing. There were hundreds of us – excited, dedicated, brimming over with energy and expectation – but a group of young editors (not yet 30?) sent by the big publishing houses had some very harsh verdicts for us, delivered smoothly over raised eyebrows: “No niche”, they mumbled, “impossible to sell”, they grunted, “no-one will buy this” they sighed.

So what is my advice? If you have writing in your blood and you just have to get it out or perish, then let William be an example to all of us. Do not quit! There is a word for writers who don’t give up: Published.

Moreover, with the advent of the Internet – there is absolutely NO doubt whatsoever that the balance of the power is shifting very fast from the publishing houses, to creative and dedicated authors. If you have belief in your work, and you are told it will never see the light of day through the official publishing path, then investigate the incredible power of the Internet. You will be so glad that you did.

And good luck to you – don’t stop writing!

Keep and eye out for The Meadow – probably one of the most unusual spiritual love stories ever told. That is the book Mike and I crafted together over two and a half years – while living on separate continents. I think this story had to be told. Why else, would it be arranged for two strangers to write a story such as this – without laying eyes on each other until its completion?

Mr. Young – congratulations for not giving up on your dream! I’m going to read “The Shack” and I’d love to interview you on my radio program, Game Changer.

I do not claim the existence of a specific deity in any form, either as expounded by historical or mythical figures of a recent or far distant past. The problem with religion per se is that the ego gets in the way of most anything that is practiced – ritualistically (for those who need the numbing “comfort” of mindless repetition) as dictated by scriptures or otherwise. Not to mention the crippling effect of blunt dogma, poorly disguised as “spiritual” but aimed chiefly at limiting personal investigation.

Similarly, the term “God” sets a trap. Who is God, what god? Is it he, she, it – How dare you? scream the zealots, the fanatics AND the believers - whilst furtively weighing the perception of their specific deity against the objective use of a capital “G” or lower case, and angrily repudiating the implication of “it “ being female or without sex. Horribly blasphemous and scandalous, they decree. (sigh). What utter nonsense. (Just my view)

What limits god, we may ask? Only his name - for it is name giving that so infuriates those who ardently conceive of a specific deity and then, in turn, cannot find worthiness in anything else.

Who is right? None, unfortunately. Right and wrong exists according to the level of man’s understanding. We neither question, neither do we conquer anything that is beyond our level of consciousness or grasp. And herein is hidden the entire answer, in my perspective at least. To grasp the statement about “right and wrong” presupposes an absence of competition, something the spiritual path can never accommodate.

Which brings me back to “Experience”. To know thyself is the only way I know and follow. Raising my level consciousness in order to know god, God – All that is – has nothing to do with a personal “meeting” of any kind. Rather it is a continuously observation of my behavior to determine if my walk and talk match. As per example: If someone is a thorn in my side or has wronged me – and I can get past blame and anger and through self inspection and inner contemplation, I discover that my transgressor is human like me, and that his/her deed illuminated aspects of myself, and I can learn to forgive – then I have found a pearl – that forgiveness is divine. Then it is no longer lip service, but a valuable gem in personal development, uncovered through “experience” and not just the hollow words of some clergyman who imagines the advice to be holy, but has not idea of how to apply it.

The way to uniting more and more with this universal intelligence, energy, spirit, call it what you will – is through getting to know who we are. And this is best learned through interaction with others. Every time I make an improvement on how to execute more effectively, and hurting others less, I uncover more of the divine spark in me, present in all. The ancient Hindu legend tells of how the gods were desperate to hide the godhead in a place where man would no longer abuse it. Because there was no mountain high enough, no ocean sufficiently deep; they hid deep inside man, knowing he would never think to look there! All forms of organized religion put God in heaven, in the sky or some place outside of man – and that is a fail safe recipe to utter powerlessness. Whatever the form that universal force takes, it must also be within. Raising consciousness is to get to know who you are. Not for the faint hearted, it is very hard work.

To love your neighbor as yourself is not a rule, a law or even preferred behavior. It is wisdom. The interconnectedness of all and everything is the secret to understanding that.

I don’t measure my experiences and insights against anything or anyone. I care naught if it does not compare to the awareness of Zeus, or Jesus or Bubba, the scrawny loin-clothed monk who had been meditating on top of a mountain for the past 50 years.

All comparison diminishes value and hampers further growth.

What I want more than anything else is to flow.

And that is not always easy.

“Sheeple” blindly follow where they are led. They trust the ones in the front, not because they believe those in the lead know better, but because they are too lazy or disinterested to find the way themselves. It is much easier to let others do the work, or to accept the status quo. They choose to ignore the fact that when they let others do the work, they must live with others’ mistakes and misdirection. Very little of what religious fanatics so vigorously defend, do they actually own. They copy or repeat from other sources. And worship hell bent dogma. Their opinions are essentially borrowed from equally uninformed friends or especially sources of mass communication.

Sometimes when you meet them they can be brilliant in their chosen vocations. It is not theory they cannot master, for they generally love facts. In spirit, however, they are vacant, their thoughts are not authentic. They do not examine all the alternatives. They prefer to research sources that validate their own beliefs. And all their research is framed by their preconceptions of what is true and right. Organized religion is an obvious example of this phenomenon. Just look at the results of the righteous, those with the better god, or the one true god. For as long as we can remember, they have killed others invoking the name of their god. They believe they are right, their leaders have told them so, and so they go to war. They worship a loving god, a supreme being of divine judgment. But they judge on the life and death of the innocent. They decree the will of their god, with their own limited understanding, pretending to know the will of a divine being of whom they have no personal experience!

They justify their actions by referencing their own ‘holy’ books, or their only too human leaders. If you seek a logical rationale for their behaviors, you seek in vain. They need to be right; objectivity and truth are sacrificed to justify their need.

You cannot rely on leaders – you must learn to rely on yourself and make up your own mind. Then you can listen to others and decide from your own experience if their cause is worthy of your support. Many leaders exist by default because people do not know how to govern themselves. They happily give this responsibility away. Beliefs of the masses that their leaders are better informed are a myth; an example of what they accept, without questioning. Religion is habit to most. They “do it” because it is expected of them. But habits are very hard to break; habits create both winners and failures. Just as many don’t really believe in the god they worship on Sundays, but they don’t disbelieve either. They simply are keeping their options open.

Raise your level of awareness and consciousness, and you can know God. Not as in a dream, or a wish, or a figment of your imagination, but real knowledge because you will experience Him from an inner source.

We are travelers on this road of life – all of us. Come pitch your tent next to mine, because I want to learn from you. I want to know how you came to your insights and how Life has shaped you, and what lessons you pass on like precious pearls to others.

Experience is sacred. For it is experience that teaches. Nothing else. It is experience alone that allows us to truly own knowledge. Think about that. Knowledge is academical until we are able to integrate it through experience. Then the path within becomes illuminated – not because you listened to a captivating sermon, or read the charismatic and enchanting words of another. But because “Know Thyself” is the most fundamental of all instructions given to man – and that does not come without incorporating what you think you know through experience.

Eons ago, I declared my need and desire to investigate other religions and discern for myself from whence came their devotion and wisdom. I said I wanted to learn how to meditate. When in front of me sat a clergyman; his mouth, like a dark cave opened in slow motion and echoed hollow words: That is best left alone. Everything from the East is heathen.

I left in haste for I was in the presence of great ignorance. Ignorance is only harmless, if it lacks an agenda. And the agenda was unmistakable.

When I stood outside with the sun on my face, I clearly knew the error of his statement. If we only ever know one thing, and keep investigating the same source, it is the very same thing as lowering your bucket down the well every day and expecting to draw anything but water to the surface.

So I took off and investigated as much as I could. I joined the festivals of many different religions and groups, I read their books and ate their food, and talked to them endlessly. I looked into the eyes of those who held different beliefs, and saw worthy human beings – who like me – were treading the path of life. Some clasped their holy books to their hearts and said that they had found the ultimate answer, others like me, knew the journey had to be internal. I began to understand that the interconnectedness of everything was a golden clue. If we are all one, and if the God spirit was everywhere and thus also within me – then the age old message, found in all the holy scriptures of the world, indeed was sound advice – to Know Thyself.The better I get to know myself, the better acquainted I become with All that is. It is logical to me that to know God without knowing yourself is a fallacy. So, you are welcome to pitch your tent next to mine. If at night, you burn incense and hum softly as you read from your Bagavad Gita or Vedic scriptures, I shall inhale the fragrance and admire your devotion, and marvel that we are all simply travelers on the same road. And while we are gathered under the stars, look about you, there will be others about their business, like you and me. Some will be reading the Koran, others cherish the Bible, or the Menassah Ben Isael – but if you’re lucky, you will notice the unassuming tent of the Bushman made of animal skins who lives in the Kalahari Desert in Africa - always pitched a little distance from all the rest. They too reach for God, but they don’t read holy books, or try to convince others of their beliefs. They worship the spirits of their forefathers personified in the elements – Fire, Air, Earth and Water. And their “knowing” might not be as academic as yours and mine – but it has an element of reverence and humility unsurpassed by any. Every expression of devotion is worthy – who are we to judge? Have you noticed that severe judgment sacrifices humility for fanaticism? And ironically, that is the very first sign of a very puny faith. Fanaticism impresses few, for all who listen to it knows that it lacks any real experience.The God spirit clothes itself in the fabric woven from our collective experiences. Interconnected as we are, every experience we learn from and integrate, benefits mankind – and adds to All that is.