The Five Obstacles

by: James Clair Lewis

There are five obstacles that you will have to overcome on The Path. The first four are obvious, because they are physical conditions. However, any of them is completely capable of derailing your progress, and consuming all of your time. They are :

A) Physical danger.
B) Poverty.
C) Hostile relationships.
D) Illness, and bad health.

The fifth may be the hardest of all to overcome, since it lies within you. The fifth obstacle is your own EGO, and in all likelihood, it is the cause of all of the other obstacles that you will have to deal with.

Illumination is attained when one overcomes the Five Obstacles. That people have been reaching this Divine State for thousands of years, shows that it can be done. That only a few in each generation have been doing it, shows that it is difficult.

The greatest obstacle is the EGO, because it sets up the conditions for the other four. The Grand Illusion of the material world, is that external conditions shape our fate. If a person develops an unshakeable conviction, that the circumstances around them determine who they are, and what is possible for them to accomplish in life, then they make that a fact. That is what most people have been doing, and consequently what happens to them in life, is largely determined by whatever Karma they have created in past lives. Believing that external conditions determine what you can do, and what you cannot do, binds you to the Wheel of Suffering, and the cycle of Birth & Death.

Those of us here who are old enough to remember the 50s & 60s, know that at that time, that most white people in America were racists. But then the Civil Rights Movement came along, and thousands of people developed the conviction that things could change, that all people should be equal under the law. It is the law of the land now, and while there are still racial incidents, and groups based upon racist beliefs, the truth is that most Americans no longer care one way or the other. Perhaps it is not perfect, but the difference is like night & day.

Back in the 60s the Hippies were an outgrowth of the Beatniks. Many Hippies spoke about getting "back to the land", and living in harmony with the environment. In 1970 there was a major Human Be-in known as Earth Day. From this sprang the Environmental Movement. Now while it is still true that there is much pollution, & destruction of habitat going on, it is also true that most people in America now try to recycle things that can be recycled, and many corporations have gone "Green". In the town where I live, we get three trash barrels. One is Green for yard waste. One is Blue for paper products & plastic bottles. The other is Gray for everything else. This would have been unthinkable 30 years ago, except that people got an idea of how things could be, and they took action towards making it real.

So here are two examples of people changing the world by the Power of Thought. They adopted an Ideal, and made it a Reality. They did not allow external conditions to sway them, but set a Goal, and proceeded to take action that changed the world around them. The Five Obstacles that the world must overcome, before establishing civilization on Earth, and much greater than those faced by any individual, and since even those things can be dealt with, it follows that an individual can overcome the Five Obstacles within themselves, and attain Enlightenment.

There are Seven Cosmic Laws that govern the manefestation of everything in the Macroscopic & Microscopic Universe. It is not only our actions that create Karma, but also our beliefs, attitudes, and mental habits. Moreover, the Law of Gravitation works to attune us to conditions & situations in the world that match our mindset. That is how Magick operates, and every living thing is doing this all of the time, regardless of whether they know it or not.

Things are the way they are, because we are what we are. You can change. You can learn & grow. You can adopt a mindset of heath, wealth, beauty, serenity, and harmony. Doing this will change your circumstances. Obstacles may arise, but you will adapt. Where most people may simply give up when faced with a problem, you must have Faith that you can solve it. It is that Faith that will keep your mind open to a solution, and without it, you might as well as give up.

You probably have heard stories of people who became wealthy, and then went broke, yet a few years later they were wealthy again. While they were broke, they did not have any more resources that anyone else who was broke, yet they managed to get out of it, in a fairly short amount of time. What they had was an absolute conviction that they were wealthy. They refused to accept within themselves the vibrational mindset of poverty, and consequently they went out, and discovered new ways of generating wealth.

Then there is the case of poor people who hit it big with the Lottery. Almost all of them end up broke again within two or three years. Besides not knowing how to manage money, they maintained the poverty mindset within themselves, and consequently found ways to get themselves broke again in short order. And that is really sad, because losing wealth after attaining it, is a very painful experience.

You hear people say that "Money is the root of all evil", and they say that rich people live very unhappy lives. That's all a lot of hooey. Those beliefs can only bind you into the condition of poverty. Having grown up in a working middle-class environment, having worked hard at a lot of different standard sort of jobs, having been totally broke, & lived on the streets, AND having inherited some wealth, & subsequently lost it, there are a few things I can tell you about money and its relationship to happiness.

First of all, poverty is the worst. When you are poor, you are always hemmed in by material limitations. You may work really hard at various jobs, but you will only barely make ends meet. Worst of all, poverty will consume all of your time, and leave you with nothing left over. In poverty, you are always struggling, and may have to face physical danger, and ill health on a regular basis. Poverty drains the Soul.

Extreme fantastic wealth, also brings some problems. There will be greedy people trying to get your money away from you, and they have no scruples. It really hurts to trust someone, only to find that they were nothing but a pack of lies. Moreover, maintaining extreme fantastic wealth, requires all of your time & effort. This keeps the individual focused soley upon material things. Nevertheless, the problems of extreme fantastic wealth are nothing compared with the problems of poverty. Note also, that when a person in poverty accumulates a small reserve of cash or a few nice things, that there will also be those greedy individuals who will try to take even that from them. The greed factor is a problem for both the rich & the poor alike.

By far the most comfortable, and easiest economic level to maintain, is somewhere in the middle. Here you can afford nice things, and live in a neighborhood that is safe from crime. A pretty house on a quiet street, with a nice garden, just might be the ultimate in what REAL wealth constitutes. Certainly, it is easier to attain Enlightenment in an environment where you are free from fear. I wonder if this was a part of what the Lord Budhha meant by "The Middle Way"...

There are certain things that you can do to get yourself into this lifestyle. Realise that unless your regular job is a highly-paid career job, that working for somebody else, is not going to make you rich. You'll have to start your own business... something that you can do on the side, (I believe that some of you are already doing this. hehehe). When you have your own business, there is a chance that it might fail, and put you back at Square One. Except that that wouldn't really be Square One, since you would have gained experience, and have a better idea of how to proceed the next time. Every person who has attained great wealth, has failed & gone broke a number of times. It didn't stop them, and it shouldn't stop you either.

The next principle is saving money. Almost nobody does this, except the rich. Most people will spend whatever comes in as fast as it comes in, and if they start to make more money, they just spend that just as quickly, AND they lock themselves in to having to spend that money all the time. Thus, they end up on a treadmill of debts that weigh them down Spiritually. Saving 10% of your income will create a resevoir that will attract more money to you. This 10% should never be touched. Over time it will accumulate to the extent that the interest from it will become another source of income for you. The money that you save, would have gone into silly frivolous stuff that could only please you for a day or a week, & then be forgotten. You don't need to collect that sort of junk. Possessing shabby things, puts out a vibration of shabbiness, and this contributes to the poverty mentality.

When you spend money, spend it on quality things that will give you pleasure for years. Gradually surround yourself with things of beauty & durability, and you will be creating an environment that resonates positive vibrations all around you. Do not go into debt to acquire these things. The interest on the debt can easily amount to considerably more than the purchase price doubled, so it is more prudent to create a second resevoir of savings, (besides the basic 10%), that is earmarked for these sort of purchases.

The next principle for acquiring wealth is Charity. Giving 1% of your income to services to your community is a Blessing. You want to be a Blessing, don't you? The Path is a Path of Service. We should never forget that. To distribute while accumulating, encourages the Gods to look favorably upon you.

One final note about money, is that you shouldn't talk about it. At best, bragging about what you have, will arouse jealousy, and at worst it will attract the attention of thieves. It should be obvious that you shouldn't want to have to deal with either of those conditions, so don't create the vibe that will invite them in the first place. Something you will notice after you have put these principles into practice for awhile, is that you will be living at a much higher standard of living than most other people at the same level of income. This is because your perception of your relationship with the Universe, has the power to change the conditions under which you live. So Mote It Be.

Adopting a strategic attitude, & practicing, puts you into a futureward motion of direction. Often we do not notice the progress that we are making. It is like being electrostaticly elevated in a Faraday Cage. Everything around you seems to be normal, even though millions of volts of electricity will be all around you. It is the same with Spiritual & Occult work. One may not immediately notice the great strides one is making towards Enlightenment, because it all seems normal. What actually is happening, is that one's perception of what is normal is evolving to a higher octave.

Now I've been speaking a lot about how our attitudes can inhibit or expand our horizons. As we progress on the Path, we become more & more aware of things on the higher planes. When one's thoughts are primarily focused upon the material plane, they have little power to effect changes. When one begins having more experiences on the Astral Plane, then ones thoughts effect your surroundings with a greater degree of power. This is even more true, when one begins to function more & more frequently on the higher planes above the Astral.

So I want you to be very careful about how you think about other people. If you assume that a certain person, or a peticular group of people, HAVE to think or behave in a negative way, then you are in effect putting out a binding spell, that will help to hold them in that condition. When you have to deal with people who have swamped themselves with a limiting mindset, try to see them as working their way out of it. You will be amazed, & quite pleased by the results...

When you have a problem on the Spiritual Plane, and don't deal with it, that problem will manefest on the Mental Plane. If you don't deal with it there, then it will drop down to the Astral Plane to confront you. If you fail to deal with it on the Astral Plane, then that problem will come to you on the Physical plane in some form, and then you really have to face it.

The higher the level on which you solve a problem, the easier it is to deal with in the long run. If you solve a problem manefesting on the Physical Plane, by comprehending the Principle you need to learn on the Spiritual Plane, that problem may vanish instantly, or go away all by itself. This of course, requires a supreme attunement to the Spiritual within yourself.

http://www.jamesclairlewis.com/pages/metaphysics/obstacles.html

The Wisdom of Sharing - Stone Soup

There are many variations on the story of stone soup, but they all involve a traveler coming into a town beset by famine. The inhabitants try to discourage the traveler from staying, fearing he wants them to give him food. They tell him in no uncertain terms that there’s no food anywhere to be found. The traveler explains that he doesn’t need any food and that, in fact, he was planning to make a soup to share with all of them. The villagers watch suspiciously as he builds a fire and fills a cauldron with water. With great ceremony, he pulls a stone from a bag, dropping the stone into the pot of water. He sniffs the brew extravagantly and exclaims how delicious stone soup is. As the villagers begin to show interest, he mentions how good the soup would be with just a little cabbage in it. A villager brings out a cabbage to share. This episode repeats itself until the soup has cabbage, carrots, onions, and beets—indeed, a substantial soup that feeds everyone in the village.
This story addresses the human tendency to hoard in times of deprivation. When resources are scarce, we pull back and put all of our energy into self-preservation. We isolate ourselves and shut out others. As the story of stone soup reveals, in doing so, we often deprive ourselves and everyone else of a feast. This metaphor plays out beyond the realm of food. We hoard ideas, love, and energy, thinking we will be richer if we keep to them to ourselves, when in truth we make the world, and ourselves, poorer whenever we greedily stockpile our reserves. The traveler was able to see that the villagers were holding back, and he had the genius to draw them out and inspire them to give, thus creating a spread that none of them could have created alone.

Are you like one of the villagers, holding back? If you come forward and share your gifts, you will inspire others to do the same. The reward is a banquet that can nourish many.

http://www.dailyom.com/

The Quantum Activist : Dr. Amit Goswami Movie Trailer

There is a revolution going on in science. A genuine paradigm shift. While mainstream science remains materialist, a substantial number of scientists are supporting and developing a paradigm based on the primacy of consciousness.

Dr. Amit Goswami, Ph.D, a pioneer of this revolutionary new perspective within science shares with us his vision of the unlimited potential of consciousness as the ground of all being, and how this revelation can actually help us to live better.

http://quantumactivist.com/

Water Crystals - Dr. Masaru Emoto

Consciousness Drives the Universe

Alternative Banking

A LETSystem is a trading network supported by its own internal currency. It is self-regulating and allows its users to manage and issue their own 'money supply' within the boundaries of the network.

The key points include:

* co-operation: no-one owns the network.
* self-regulation: the network is controlled by its users.
* empowerment: all network users may 'issue' the 'internal currency'.
* money: money, as a means of exchange, is an integral feature.

Reclaim Your Essence

by Jean-Claude Koven
prismhouse. com
________________________________


"Most people are other people," Oscar Wilde once remarked. "Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation." As he so wryly observed, the vast majority of us are not who we've been pretending to be, and the lives we've been living until now are molded according to rules and values that are not our own. Most of humanity is stuck in someone else's discarded chewing gum and has yet to break free.


Unless you have been brave enough to forsake this trap, here is your likely portrait: your religious convictions are those of your parents or community; you root for your hometown sports teams; your political allegiances conform to the party system that society offers; you are an avid observer of the cultural pageantry, like the Super Bowl and the Oscars; your holidays are the standard ones, such as Christmas, New Year's Eve, and Independence Day; you look to your political and religious leaders for guidance and protection; you feel driven to succeed--to make more money, to live a better life.


These are worthy and desirable choices that hold families and societies together. They make you who you are, you might argue. True, but only if you are content with admiring the wrapping and never looking inside the box. If you dared to look, you'd discover how these basic thoughts originate in a fundamental belief formed during the first years of your life: that survival depends on obeying the rules. Children typically bend their perceptions and interpretations of reality to match those of their parents and others who care for them. They find clever ways to please in order to receive attention and belong. As they grow up, the people and issues may change over time, but the initial patterns of conformity remain deeply ingrained in the subconscious.


The price for surrendering to consensus is steep. It is nothing less than the loss of individuality and curiosity. Without these two magnificent attributes, you disengage from the grandness of the creation and implode into the holographic illusion humans have come to call reality. You become one of Oscar Wilde's other people, thinking someone else's opinions and assuming they are your own.


We are trapped in the daily drama that the culture and the media feed us: mortgages, sporting events, tsunamis, sex offenders, AIDS, terrorism, global warming, corrupt governments, and economic inequities . . . all demanding our attention. The matrix plays us like an instrument. A thirty-second news bite can push our buttons. We get hooked and riled, liberally lacing our collective guts with corrosive biochemicals unleashed by our righteous indignation.


This condition is virtually universal. It is also the underlying cause of the world as we know it. People cling so tightly to their personal and social identities that they are blinded to anything that does not validate them. The inevitable product is a world of war, greed, and competition, driven by paranoia and fear.


The way out is easier than anyone might imagine. However, very few summon the courage, for it requires them to leave the comfort of their known world and walk alone, unaided by the crutch of belief and dogma, into the domain of pure consciousness. Most people would rather get caught up in the business of earning a living, raising a family, or helping their community than deal with the unsettling immensity of All That Is.


Yet it seems that all humans are meant to take this epic journey of discovery at some point in their series of lives on this planet. If you choose to walk this path, you will find yourself gaining a new perspective--that of consciousness, where the mind, with its judgments and emotions, ceases to dominate and the heart is your only reliable guide. The great issues of your daily life that once commanded your attention now seem wondrously arbitrary and irrelevant--simply interesting experiences that lasted far too long and became unnecessarily weighty.


The Illusion is a Game-Board Projection

You now see the illusion for what it is: a game-board projection designed so aspects of the Oneness can experience duality, fear, and separation. It is no more real than a programmed matrix in a computer game. You and I are merely units of awareness projected into the matrix, defining ourselves by the points through which we view, and believing what we see to be reality. Who did the projecting? You. Who is the projection? You. There is only you.


How do you get to this liberating place from which you can see the larger picture? The cosmic formula of creation is gloriously simple:

Attention + Intention = Manifestation

Nothing in the universe evades this law. The reality you perceive is entirely a function of the only two forces at your command: your attention and your intention. Bring conscious awareness to this equation--consciously monitor your attention and intention and what you are manifesting--and everything changes.


Through this ongoing process of self-observation it will become increasingly clear that the part of you that is projected into the illusion is in trouble. This realization, in fact, marks the beginning of your journey out of the illusion. Once you begin to couple the law of Attention + Intention = Manifestation with the concept of Oneness, you begin to see a completely different picture. You are All That Is. There is nowhere for you to go, nothing to attain, no lessons to learn.


If you buy into the reality that you are an earthbound human stuck in the struggle of life, presto!, there you are. If you focus on the part of you that is watching you flounder in the illusion, snap!, you're free... It can't get much easier than that.
Yet why are so few of us awake?

The written or spoken word can do no more than point the way. And trading one belief system for another accomplishes nothing. The answer lies elsewhere. Waking up is a consequence of induction. Just a few years ago you might have placed yourself in the presence of a guru or master and, through devotion, discipline, or some other practice, gradually assumed some of his or her enlightenment. Now, using the law of A + I = M, you become your own master. By focusing your attention on the part of you that is watching the rest of you floundering in the illusion, you are taking a giant step in restoring control over how your attention is commanded. If you add the intention of reclaiming your essence, you complete the formula that can only result in the manifestation of whatever your curiosity seeks to explore.


The payoff of having been so deeply mired in the illusion that you nearly succumbed -is compassion for those still stuck in the matrix, coupled with a large dose of humility. You have learned that the illusion is perfect exactly as it is. The only thing that needs to change is the point from which we view it.
Now all that's left is for you to summon the courage to begin the journey home!

Info from Carlos Barrios - Mayan Elder

By Mitch Battros - ECTV
Feb 9, 2006, 15:15

(As translated to me from Carlos)

A lot has been said about this time, about the prophecies given by ancient wise visionary men. Some of these prophecies have been kept on secret books, some have been transmitted on a verbal way, others have rose in a series of books, documentaries and articles in magazines, newspapers and especially on the Internet. Some are extremely alarming, others have no basis and many are based on the PROPHECIES OF THE GREAT TRADITIONS. All of them point out the prophetical times, as the Wise Chi Mam Maya, Don Pascual liked to call them.



All this information has waken the interest of millions of people, but it has also created a lot of confusion and fear, since the date of December 21 of 2012 has been used as the date of the end of the World. However, this date points out the beginning of a new cycle, which is marked in the tradition of the Mayan Elders as a time of harmony and spiritual growing, this cycle is called the FIFTH SUN and each of the previous ones lasted 5,200 years.



The first cycle was of a feminine energy and fire was the element that ruled it.

The second cycle was of a masculine energy and earth was the element that ruled it.

The third cycle was of a feminine energy and air was the element that ruled it.

The fourth cycle was of a masculine energy and water was the element that ruled it.

The fifth cycle is a harmony between the masculine and feminine energy and the element that will rule it will be ether.



Each of this cycles last 5,200 years and they have been affected by the polarity of the masculine or feminine energy and of course they have also been affected by the elements. Today we are at the doors of the end of the fourth cycle, which ends on December 20 of 2012, six years from now. During this six years we will be witnesses of the confrontation of the Negative and Positive forces, the eternal fight amongst polarity, the fight between the Eternal Fire and the Eternal Ice, as the Great Masters have named it, rough and magical times, prophetical times, my Master, Don Pascual, would have said.



We do not have to close our eyes to be able to see who is dominating at this time, unlike of the Beings of Light, on the other side there is no doubt of who the boss is and no one argues about the grades of power, they work with an effectiveness so effective that some of them even manage to appear as Warriors of Light.



The opposite happens with the Warriors of Light, because unfortunately most of them are spellbound with their Ego, convinced that they are the best and the carriers of the Truth, they are only interested on their fight for power, fame and their excessive fondness for economical wealth.



Someone has to raise the Torch of Light and create consciousness; these leaders have to come back to their path. They have to find their path once again and assume the responsibility that was given to them at the time they received their grade of guide and the magical power that accompanies them, this is the calling of the Ancient Mayan Elders, the doors to build up our destiny are open… The Wise Elders are tired of waiting, they have sent this message previously and today, knowing the delicacy of this year, the violence, insanity, the tiredness of our Mother Earth, that regardless of the advise she has sent us (hurricanes, floods, droughts, The Tsunami, etc.) we are still impassive, destroying 10,000 acres of forest each day, letting 100,000 people, most of them children, die of starvation, and to us, this is just another news which does not affect us directly. A year ago the Tsunami stunned us, fear and panic grew, today this is just a vague memory. However, we have to be blind not to see we have to give a stop to this destruction, today we are alarmed with the cruel winter, with the torrential rains that are coming out of season, we also witnessed a tropical storm that was almost to become a hurricane, this without even speaking of the earthquakes in all the continents.



This was already predicted by the Prophets and visionary Mayans, as well as the attack to Iraq (with a precise date, two years before it happened), and the Terrorist Attacks (the one of the Twin Towers, the ones of France and Spain, and the ones to come).

The Mayan Elders are expecting that in the laps of the next two years there will be a great explosion of magma in the Yellowstone Park; this explosion would have the effect equivalent to the destruction that several atomic bombs would cause, giving as a result a great matter of contamination and pollution.



We are also expecting the imminent attack to Syria and the possibility of an attack to Iran, as well as the trying of overthrowing and putting a stop to the Socialist Democratic Movements that are rising in Latin America, specially the one of President Chavez in Venezuela. The last predictions, we can still put a stop to, but we have to use our powerful weapons, the inner magic in each of us, our fire ceremonies, meditations and any other techniques. It is URGENT to stop the madness of war.



The transcendence of the ending of this fourth cycle lies in the fact that we are once again in the doors of building up our destiny, the history of the actual humanity (the fourth).



The other humanities did not succeed with the purpose of taking our Mother Earth to the age of gold, the age of nobility, love, equality, peace, conscience, the Kingdom of Great Spirituality, in which every being has its space and value and where we can all grow in a simple word HARMONY, which is the premise of the Mayan World.



This marvelous opportunity is linked to Mother Earth, who as a living entity, has once again the chance of acceding to the Fifth Sky, this means to vibrate on a more subtle energy ruled by the element ETHER. This opportunity was wasted by the three previous humanities and it took Mother Earth millions of years to redo the proper conditions again.



The actual humanity, like the previous, has reached an extraordinary technological development, but it has forgotten the spiritual balance and the responsible relationship with Nature, which we are destroying and polluting more and more each time.



This was predicted by the visionary and wise Mayan Aj’Kijab (shamans), every event that is occurring, the plagues, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, thaws, weather changes, wars, uncontrollable viruses, the contamination and damage we are causing Nature, our own Mother, however, we remain passive as spectators, not doing or saying anything, we are accomplices who rather follow the routine that is imposed to us, the fake illusions that make us believe that we are people of success, of that success that is only the vision of a consumer materialist society and we sell our life in order to have this distractions and not confront reality, since we do not have the courage to go into our inner selves and get to know and accept us, the most important thing is to keep an image and the sterile competence of an uncontrollable urge to run, that rush to get nowhere…



We have the responsibility and possibility to change the destiny, we have our weapons, and what is most important WE ARE MORE… And we are not talking violence; our weapons are meditation, sacred ceremonies, the thought of millions of people, the amazing power of mind, creating the harmony of love, respect and spreading conscience. We can create conscience in others, we can speak, write and demonstrate that it is necessary to stop the destruction, the contamination, that we have to stop being accomplices and that our voice should be heard, that we should write to the media, to the people that run the governments, for we should remember that they are public servants and not owners of the countries, and if they receive millions of letters and e-mails, they will have to give us their attention, but lets just remember that violence is not the answer, do not look for the answer on the intellect and the strength, the answer is in the power of your heart…



We think we own the earth… Will you own it 200 years form now? Elders say the earth owns us, as a mother that nurtures us. Lets be consequent to her, lets not let the shadows fall again on her…




To Be Ready for this Moment in History

Mr. Barrios told his audiences in Santa Fe that we are at a critical moment of world history. "We are disturbed," he said. "We can’t play anymore. Our planet can be renewed or ravaged. Now is the time to awaken and take action."

"Everyone is needed. You are not here for no reason. Everyone who is here now has an important purpose. This is a hard, but a special time. We have the opportunity for growth, but we must be ready for this moment in history."

Mr. Barrios offered a number of suggestions to help people walk in balance through the years ahead. "The prophesized changes are going to happen," he said, "but our attitude and actions determine how harsh or mild they are."
· We need to act, to make changes, and to elect people to represent us who understand and who will take political action to respect the earth. Meditation and spiritual practice are good, but also action.
· It’s very important to be clear about who you are, and also about your relation to the Earth.
· Develop yourself according to your own tradition and the call of your heart. But remember to respect differences, and strive for unity.
· Eat wisely. A lot of food is corrupt in either subtle or gross ways. Pay attention to what you are taking into your body.
· Learn to preserve food, and to conserve energy.
· Learn some good breathing techniques, so you have mastery of your breath.
· Be clear. Follow a tradition with great roots. It is not important what tradition, your heart will tell you, but it must have great roots.
· We live in a world of energy. An important task at this time is to learn to sense or see the energy of everyone and everything: people, plants, animals. This becomes increasingly important as we draw close to the World of the Fifth Sun, for it is associated with the element ether – the realm where energy lives and weaves.
· Go to the sacred places of the earth to pray for peace, and respect for the Earth which gives us our food, clothing, and shelter. We need to reactivate the energy of these sacred places. That is our work.
· According to Mr. Barrios’ reading of the Mayan calendar, if war happens in November 2002 or after, then it’s bad, but not catastrophic. But if it happens between April and November 2003, it will be catastrophic. Really bad. It could eventually result in the death of two-thirds of humanity. "So stay active," he said. "If we are active, we can transform the planet. The elders watch to see what happens."
· Many Mayan elders and knowledge keepers may be eliminated in the next few years. For the first half of the current Katun (20-year period) the dark side has a lot of power. But that will pass 3 to 4 years from now. The tide can turn. Amazing things are going to happen.
· One simple but effective prayer technique is to light a white or baby-blue colored candle. Think a moment in peace. Speak your intention to the flame and send the light of it on to the leaders who have the power to make war or peace.

We Have Work to Do

According to Mr. Barrios this is a crucially important moment for humanity, and for earth. Each person is important. If you have incarnated into this era, you have spiritual work to do balancing the planet.

He said the elders have opened the doors so that other races can come to the Mayan world to receive the tradition. The Maya have long appreciated and respected that there are other colors, other races, and other spiritual systems. "They know," he said, "that the destiny of the Mayan world is related to the destiny of the whole world."

"The greatest wisdom is in simplicity," Mr. Barrios advised before leaving Santa Fe. "Love, respect, tolerance, sharing, gratitude, forgiveness. It’s not complex or elaborate. The real knowledge is free. It’s encoded in your DNA. All you need is within you. Great teachers have said that from the beginning. Find your heart, and you will find your way."


- END -

Carlos Barrios is the author of Kam Wuj: El Libro del Destino, a book published in Spanish that explores Mayan teachings. His book is being translated into English for future publication.Mr. Barrios can be contacted via Saq’ Be’ -- Organization for Mayan and Indigenous Spiritual Studies: P.O. Box 31111, Santa Fe, NM 87594 Ph: 505-466-4044. Email: saqbe@sacredroad.org

YOU ARE NOT WHAT YOU OWN

we must break the links between consumerism and self esteem

Ry 2003

We are suffering from a disease. Offshore slavery, sweat shops, exploited labor, insider trading, and profiteering are kept afloat by a steady combination of consumerism and sticking our heads in the sand. No one cares about people; not like they care about shiny things. Our nation judges its well being by the stock market or its billionaire companies and not on the welfare of the general public, our physical and psychological well being. Humanity is under the boot of the mighty dollar because of its association with self-worth. -Ry

By mixing esteem with consumerism our culture does not just buy for function and comfort, it buys for material validation; it buys to impress and gain status. Jealous people covet the jealousy of others. Prestige is often the acquisition of envy from others. It has gone way out of control. Too many people are caught in the game of 'look at me.' People buy books that they don't even read, just for show. People will buy a piano for their house when no one even plays. People buy to impress. They buy for status. They need 'other based' validation. Does a Rolex tell time any better than a Timex?

You better run to get that LV purse! High fashion makes you a 'somebody.' You are not what you own. Competition centers on gaining more and more property, this sadly takes precedent over human relationships, life and the environment. Zealous fanatical economics has been the primary reason for such institutions as slavery and Westward expansion AKA murder thief and cultural genocide. But what gave rise to the hyper-economics? How do otherwise, reasonably-moral people, rape, enslave, and murder other people and the planet? "Production" in the national sense is nothing more than gaining control of material at any cost. So how could people become so greedy? In this culture a person's self worth is all wrapped up in what they can get. Getting fancy commodities, titles, and property is what constitutes "success." Without fine things you are made to feel like a failure. Generosity and compassion are only admirable qualities if they are public and thus enhance your reputation. People will horde in millions even billions and still look for more money while others starve or live in frustration working from check to check. But if you are unhappy being forced into a society that bases your human worth on your occupation and level of consumption, then somehow you are made to feel like a failure. You don't work enough; you're not smart enough etc…

Certain 'products' have phenomenally become associated with completely fabricated notions which tie in to a person's self esteem. For example drinking has become intertwined with masculinity. The number of beers one can consume or the amount of alcohol one can 'handle' before they get drunk is somehow a sign of manliness. Beer advertisers sandwich their commercials between all male sports like football. (kids see these commercials) Even broken men at AA meetings will smirk and take pride in the amount of alcohol they could consume. Part of the problem with drunk driving is that the drinker does not want to admit that they are drunk, for it is a sign of being weak, and they protest admitting that they are unable to 'handle' the amount that they drank. Just having knowledge about different brands of wine and liquor is somehow a sign of high culture. (in reality drinking tolerance just reflects high prior consumption and a large body mass including a fat one) Smoking, driving cars fast (which aids the state with costly tickets and higher insurance rates-the fact that cars even have the ability to exceed a 100 miles an hour is a mystery) owning guns, supporting the military and sports teams, and even the way we dress are associated with roles you need to play in order to "be a man." Vicarious masculinity is a problem.

Equal examples can be said for women, jewelry being the most amazing one I can think of off the top of my head. The stones have no function outside of gaining envy from others... oh the shiny things. Why does a diamond have worth? It has no value tied to its function. A diamond gets its value from the amount of envy it produces in others. Why do they envy it?-Because it is expensive. Why is it expensive? -Because it is envied. Advertisers and the merchant controlled media (which is dependent on advertisers) have made the diamond symbolize love. If you get a diamond or give a diamond, they say, you are loved or you love. Hey, a diamond is just a shiny stone; it only has the power that we give it. Think of it as a waste of money instead of something to impress your peers. Don't let them tell you it is necessary to give their company a large sum of money in order to get a rock, because it proves your love for someone. Just like drinking and smoking have nothing to do with masculinity, expensive pebbles have nothing to do with love or admiration. These are all marketing scams feeding off a foolish culture. More than this think of how many diamonds were acquired. Just because it was out of sight doesn't mean it should be out of mind. Immoral acts are still immoral acts even when they are done far away. (yes these are not gender specific ills but they are quiet obviously lopsided with basic observation)

Cost to human health and safety are a small price to pay when it comes to consumerism, when it comes to social acceptance. So what if smoking causes cancer, cost lives and money, contributes to litter, and waste a good portion of a person's income? Smoking is profitable. Profit is a sign of production. Isn't it a price worth paying and risking to look cool, to feel posh, to be a little naughty?So why is mankind's self esteem on trial here?

Why is it so fragile as to be manipulated with the ease of 30 second commercials and slick magazines? 1 out of 3 of people will get a cancer, 1 out of 4 women will be raped before they die and another 19% will fend off or flee from an attempt, 1 out of 4 people are infected with depression in the US. 1 out of 2 marriages will fail... we will kill animals to make clothes and shoes and then some people will kill other people, to steal them. How did the dead (objects) gain so much power over the living (people and the rest of the eco system)? Is this a healthy society? (Mentally and physically?)

Let's analyze the popular indoctrination our culture puts our children through; let's look at religion. Western religions* are designed to break down a person's self worth and replace it with an esteem based on obedience. This is then reinforced in the educational system. In school regurgitation will carry one father than thinking. If a young little man or lady gets out of line then we can just dope them up with ridlin. There are exceptional teachers but for the most part, the school system helps to enforce sex roles, and teaches people to be able to sacrifice their enjoyment in order to do what they are told. It teaches competition and the idea of the dog eat dog world. The best way of coping with this is to take enjoyment in doing what you are told. To be a 'good boy or good girl' is to be an obedient one. And what is school really? Even college? Is it what it claims to be or is it a process which ultimately leads to an occupation: to a method of making money without which a person cannot obtain the basic necessities it takes to live?Schools are having less and less to do with 'education' and more and more to do with 'indoctrination.' School has become a stepping stone into the business world. Subjects like history and geography have been so neglected that many Americans do not know where many countries are mush less anything about them or our current relations. Subjects like philosophy might not even see exposure until college, and there are many who cannot even see what they are for, much less know anything about them. A main concern for college students today is not, what can I learn, or how can this knowledge enhance my life, bring me pleasure, or improve my character. The question they have on their mind is, 'how can I use this'? In other words, how can this make me money? How many artists or similar people have turned away from their natural talents and unique process of self actualization because it would not pay enough as an occupation?

And because land and food are owned by a few, without a certain level of wage a person can not eat or maintain even the lowest standard of living. Money becomes the focus because without it you have no freedom.They don't have much of a choice in thinking this way. Knowledge doesn't pay. It's not who you are it is who you know. Athletes and strippers make more than philosophy and physics teachers. A recent poll shows that 1 in 10 men use Viagra, that's far more than the number who have read a book in the last ten years. Horoscopes take up more space in the news paper than the latest news in science.

The news its self is more of a ratings war, via entertainment than it is informative news. Where are America's priorities? What is this leading us to? I don't know, ask Rome…

"What is needed is self actualization not self image actualization."-

Bruce Lee.

Cleverness is not going to solve the real problems of the world, like war, civil strife, poverty and the high incidence of violence. Neither is it going to solve the mental problems so rife in the modern world. Only wisdom and compassion can solve these problems."-Taoism.net We don't need more money, or more brains, we need bigger hearts, we need to put humane people in positions of power rather than the fearful and the greedy. We know damn well how to solve many of these things. Will you live in compassion? Oh the shiny things, when will we be free of their power. "Plastic people and their plastic minds"-L7

Slick mags and shiny faces, shiny cars, shiny rings... oh the shiny things What is needed is not a change of government but a change of value systems. Solutions begin with the individual. It's not capitalism; it is capitalism in combination with a psychologically alienated public. People have so little self actualization (making potentials actual with activity) that they often shop for entertainment; they shop for the art of it not because of the physical needs the products bring. They have so few mediums to exercise their intellect that memorizing sports statistics and finding the best buys becomes a game to run away from boredom. I'm not going to get into drugs and beer addiction to movies, people emulating movie characters etc and other forms of escapism. We are taught to fight against one another, against in-group after in-group and some need a drug like alcohol just to socialize or feel cool, knock away shyness so on... you are under control.When land and resources are owned by the few, the rest must by necessity find an income, they rent the hours of their lives just to survive.

The time given in no way reflects the profits of their labors. Their human worth and indeed the worth of the nation is judged upon how much it can buy and sell. Production, not kindness, creativity, love, or any aspect of character determines the well being of the state. No, it is gauged by the 'economy', the stock market i.e. the conditions of the riches few.

You are a tool. You are under control for as long as you worship material possessions. Be careful that what you own does not end up owning you. Out of a week with 8hr sleeping a night and 40hr working one is left with 72 hrs. Then remove hrs used in commuting to work you are left with less than 72 hours per week of life. Who owns you? You don't. Many work more than 40hr a week too. We're sinking in the honey gathered for the queen.

http://hometown.aol.com/ten13society/CONsumption.html