Wake Up Call of the Twenty-First Century

If I had to place a date on my awakening it would be March 13th, 1996. It happened with a emotional shock, hence the precision of the date. Since that time, with the help of what I call angels - indeed messengers, I have completely changed my lifestyle, my think-style, my attitude, my perception of reality and a host of other elements too numerous to list.

Needless to say it's been a long and often difficult journey. An infinite journey, as I feel once we begin we never stop. Or maybe I should just speak for myself.

A la Casa - 2006, just back from Paris

"Wake up!"

Is the call of the (still rather new) century. Everyone seems to be trying to wake us up! However, to my observation the so-called wake-up call has become little more than a marketing slogan. A quasi-metaphysical way to convince us to a certain way of thinking and thus behaving. For the most part, these clarions seem to be educational - the only reason I state it like this is because of my own experience(s) - however I can imagine and maybe detected some commercial uses of the term for commercial and political objectives.

During the course of this twenty year journey I have learned - rather decided a few things which has led me to adopt several beliefs that assist in my behavior and subsequent survival in this world.

But first a disclaimer; This diatribe should not be construed as a declaration of awakenedness or any kind of new age consciousness as compared to the reader or any-body else. The level of consciousness/awareness I enjoy today is compared to that which I did not possess towards the beginning of the journey. Hopefully, and most probably, the period in which I am composing this will prove to be relatively unenlightened compared to five-plus years in the future. A key lesson learned is that everyone has their own level of consciousness and that their beliefs impact their perception of the world and those perceptions impact their behavior.

I am fond of reminding those who stamp the word "truth" on that with which they agree, that there is no truth; at best there are theories, ideas and agendas that are supported by evidence revealed and presented. We have witnessed in the last hundred years the theoretical changes in the sciences from archeology, to quantum physics, to astronomy and especially history.

Humanity, in my opinion has an intolerable arrogance about its importance on earth and its place in the universe. Collectively we have no respect for our environment, our fellow species or each other. We can debate the reasons for this although I am confident that we'll find no easy or agreed upon answers, or solutions, although some theories might be fun to knock about.

One of the most detrimental beliefs of humanity, especially in the west, is that of origin. Most humans cannot conceive of forever and relentlessly search for the beginnings of this or that; not only of our species itself, but for the birth of the universe... literally the beginning of everything. I too, having been raised in a Judeo-Christian atmosphere, am guilty of this concept. One of the goals on this journey is to release myself from that concept and accept everything as everything and be willing to embrace infinity without question.

Well, time for this little number is running out. I feel as if I could go on for another two or three hundred words, however I have to discipline myself. Got errands to run. I can imagine revisiting this piece sometime in the future; yet I can also imagine it becoming obsolete in a week. Nonetheless I am glad I took the time to jot it down. Someday you may read this and have an opinion. One day perhaps we will discuss this.

One day you might just "Wake Up" - to your own concept of reality.

Going Ascetic

Since my last birthday, I seem to have become lighter mentally; I haven't thought much about my age. The angst I feel like I've had all my life about where I was supposed to be by a certain age; about accomplishments, about status is no longer there. I feel like I am in a bubble floating... or maybe just floating; as if I have no cares.

I've been on the path of minimalism since before the turn of the century. 1996, that year the relationship ended. It was a year of clarity. A year when freedom and ego clashed. I started getting rid of stuff... certain attitudes and a whole lot of fat too. I began to realize that I had to get my mental and physical together to become who I wanted to be. The twist was I didn't know, consciously, who that person was.

I still don't know, but I'm closer. Twenty years closer.

So the point, the idea of this entry, is that I am moving towards the mind/life of an ascetic, but not as radical. I'm not sitting in the forest in a loin cloth and gazing at the stars and begging for food; I haven't given up too many of the creature comforts of modern day humanity, but I have been somewhat careless about currency and those structures in society designed to move same from the bottom to the top, namely that annual ritual when one must declare the amount of digits exchanged for one's labor. Perhaps I can have some digits transferred into a place where I can manifest them into currency and exchange said currency into tangible goods, or virtual services.

What I am doing, when I'm not writing these blogs, is imagining how I can lure digits into my virtual realm without expending too much energy. Under the heat of burning candles in my heatless living space this chilly April evening, I imagine just how little materially I can live off of, exchanging more currency for mobility and fuel than for clothing, shelter, trinkets and entertainment. (The irony is that the less currency I exchange for entertainment, the more entertainment I discover from life itself.)

It's a rather utopian mindset - and utopia is not sustainable, so I have to modify my imaginations somewhat... and that's why I sit around listening to Astro-theological, and occult lectures on consciousness - besides I like the history and etymology. Perhaps sharing such knowledge myself will bring me enough food for the next leg of the journey.