Neale Donald Walsch is cracking me up. I like the man, and respect him, and truly appreciate what he has brought and continues to bring to humanity. But he's cracking me up lately. I'm trying to help him become aware of the disconnect with his own books that he is promoting. I think it is important. Maybe not. Anyway...
Neale has lately been promoting involvement in traditional American politics as a necessary means of demonstrating our spirituality. He implies that if one is NOT being traditionally political with him that one is only pretending to be spiritual. Something like that.
I tried to point out to him that the very basis of his call to politics goes against the grain of the message of CwG as I understand it. His first reply to me dwelt prominently with things Neale does NOT like about our world, and how political involvement is the only true spiritual means to change the world. "Non-political spirituality" is pretend spirituality, and apathy. "Sitting on the sidelines of life" he called it. He went on to say that Jesus and Buddha and Martin Luther King - three fairly peaceful role models - had all "railed against"the political establishment of their times. The implication was that we should too, or we are somehow lesser than...
Neale seems to be a big fan of Esther Hicks and her discussions of the Law of Attraction. I am familiar with Ms. Hicks through The Secret, a book and DVD movie about something that is not really secret. But it's a stunning book and movie. Quite practical, and I love most all of Esther's insights.
I pointed out that Esther indicates that when we see what we do not want and shout NO at it (ie "rail against" it), that we are actually lining up more of the same for ourselves.
I said that I had yet to find a "Say yes" side of any import when looking at traditional "media driven" politics . Neale told me that one existed, and invited me to find it. He told me that the difference between he and me was that he was very much into this "say yes" approach - his "New Spirituality" that is going to change the world through politics.
Today I went to his beliefnet weblog and was initially surprised to find what Neale had posted. Here is a link to that post:
http://blog.beliefnet.com/conversationswithgod/2007/08/oh-youre-not-going-to-start-qu.html
Here is my response, which you will also find in the comments section at his post:
Neale,
Forgive me for being so slow, but yet again I do not understand your desire to utilize politics to work against something you say you do not want.
From your post:
"When will those who call themselves "spiritual" stand up to our world's political leaders (if not to say, its despots) and simply say, 'No! In a civilized society, no. We are not going to condone violence as a means of producing peace. And certainly not pre-emptive violence."
Esther Hicks, as I pointed out the other day on the CwG blog, speaks to this very directly in "The Secret". I imagine she also does this in her works. Neale I know you are a big fan of Esther and her Law of Attraction message as you keep suggesting we read her books.
Within the first few minutes of the movie she says "And when you are looking at something you do not want and you shout 'No!' at it, you are actually not pushing it away. Instead you are lining up the very thought of what you do not want and now Law of Attraction is lining those things up for you also."
At about the 32:00 mark in The Secret Esther says:
"Most people offer the majority of their thought in response to what they are observing. You see, if you are just looking at what is then you're just thinking about what is.
And when you think about what is the Law of Attraction gives you more of it. And then if you just observe what is then you're just thinking about what is.
And when you think about what is, the Law of Attraction gives you more of it. And then if you just observe what is... We've been over this, haven't we?"
I suggest that IF one is going to be involved in bettering the affairs of the world, THEN it is every bit as spiritual to approach those affairs from a vantage point other than what you keep referring to as political.
As Esther says "You have to find a way that you are approaching "what is" from a different vantage point."
Thanks for being here.
Dance In the Moment,
Greg Allen
www.GraspingAtLaws.net
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Everybody Somebody Nobody & Anybody
Once upon a time, there were four concepts called Everybody, Somebody, Nobody and Anybody.
When Everybody was busy doing The Important Job, Everybody was sure that Nobody was doing it.
Nobody was doing it, and saying “Anybody can do it if I can. I am Nobody. I admit I am doing it, but I am hardly doing it. Somebody did it far better, and I am Nobody compared to most Everybody. Won’t things be grand when Everybody does it like Somebody did.”
Nobody kept an image of Somebody that was sure to inspire Anybody, for Somebody had done it like Nobody would again. "Everybody should be inspired by Somebody. If they're Anybody, that is."
"One day I will be Somebody, doing it as well as Anybody. When Everybody does the Important Thing like Somebody once did, life will be grand.”
And so it never-ended:
Everybody did The Important Job, certain that The Important Job was not getting done because Nobody was doing what Somebody had done better than Anybody ever would again.
(c) 2007 Greg Allen Morgoglione
When Everybody was busy doing The Important Job, Everybody was sure that Nobody was doing it.
Nobody was doing it, and saying “Anybody can do it if I can. I am Nobody. I admit I am doing it, but I am hardly doing it. Somebody did it far better, and I am Nobody compared to most Everybody. Won’t things be grand when Everybody does it like Somebody did.”
Nobody kept an image of Somebody that was sure to inspire Anybody, for Somebody had done it like Nobody would again. "Everybody should be inspired by Somebody. If they're Anybody, that is."
"One day I will be Somebody, doing it as well as Anybody. When Everybody does the Important Thing like Somebody once did, life will be grand.”
And so it never-ended:
Everybody did The Important Job, certain that The Important Job was not getting done because Nobody was doing what Somebody had done better than Anybody ever would again.
(c) 2007 Greg Allen Morgoglione
Saturday, July 21, 2007
The Soul of Dog
Few people know the canine continuation of the creation story yet, as it was revealed to me only recently * and I've been working on a CD, not a creation book. That's next...
I gladly reveal some of it to you now. ;^)
IN THE BEGINNING WAS GOD, and perceiving its' self as The Self, god looked around and said "I Am".
IN THE BEGINNING ALSO WAS DOG, and perceiving its' self as The Original Reflection of The Self **, looked around and said "I Am. Sam." ***
Which explains why, to this day:
- Dogs tend to act as though they are more important than creation itself, and
- So many dogs are named Sam.
Dance In the Moment,
Greg Allen
* There's a great photo of "Alice the Min-Pin Sage" that revealed this to me at this link - sometimes I call her Alice Donald Walsch and imagine we'll write books called "Conversations With Dog"... http://myspace.com/graspingatlaws
** for those who do not believe that dog is the original reflection, simply write "dog" on a piece of paper and look at it in a mirror.
*** An alternate accounting says that Dog actually said "I Am Sam. Get me a cookie." This implies that God had to give Dog a treat before he could start creating. Which is why dogs act as though cookies are more important than anything their human might be doing.
I gladly reveal some of it to you now. ;^)
IN THE BEGINNING WAS GOD, and perceiving its' self as The Self, god looked around and said "I Am".
IN THE BEGINNING ALSO WAS DOG, and perceiving its' self as The Original Reflection of The Self **, looked around and said "I Am. Sam." ***
Which explains why, to this day:
- Dogs tend to act as though they are more important than creation itself, and
- So many dogs are named Sam.
Dance In the Moment,
Greg Allen
* There's a great photo of "Alice the Min-Pin Sage" that revealed this to me at this link - sometimes I call her Alice Donald Walsch and imagine we'll write books called "Conversations With Dog"... http://myspace.com/graspingatlaws
** for those who do not believe that dog is the original reflection, simply write "dog" on a piece of paper and look at it in a mirror.
*** An alternate accounting says that Dog actually said "I Am Sam. Get me a cookie." This implies that God had to give Dog a treat before he could start creating. Which is why dogs act as though cookies are more important than anything their human might be doing.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Conversations with Time
"When time is overthrown, the dusty colored chalk of past and future will no longer be graffiti'd on the pure white communication of a life's times, which always and can only happen now, in the blink of an eye."
I enjoyed The Secret. It's a great "rapid fire" in the style of the day, but I also recognized most of what had been said from numerous sources, mostly ancient and since.
Regarding the topic I have a feel for what the secret-tellers are getting at. I have been "getting at" the idea of the creative power of Attraction - the "law" if you will - in this way lately: Believin' It = Be Livin' It.
(By the way, Grasping At Laws is the name of my band because I think laws are overrated, and our infantile grasping at and clinging to them to make sense of life just makes it a mess. But it provides some very funny people, in a pathetic funny sort of way.)
The realization of how true my equation is in every now moment has a spooky quality to it, at least for a flash. In the truest sense of the idea there can be no time lag between believing something about your life and being it in the living of your life .
This points to what I currently find an interesting (and arguably more urgent) topic: the role of time throughout discussions in forums such as this, and Neale Donald Walsch's Conversations with God (CwG) forums.
Too many teachers and seekers continue to talk as though they believe in time. As though "then" is not really "now". Communication should indicate that "Then" IS "now" - which is why I have coined the term "Then-Now".
Continued insistence upon past and future in any discussion of unifying the human experience seems a bit psychotic, but seems to me to be the norm. I consider time an important culprit in what I have heard Neale refer to as "separation theology" and it's evolving offshoots.
The "reality" of time is not the issue - it is the dualistic role we continue to assign to the concept of time. In other words, it's the words!! We say things like "more than half a century has passed", or a quarter century will have passed when some new thing "finally arrives". It seems only useful to allow time to retain this illusory role if we agree that "A fool that persists in their folly will become wise."
Of course. Yes. I can go to bed now.
It's past and future painted all over the communication of something that can only happen now, in the blink of an eye. This of course was alluded to in CwG book 1, which is happening now. ;^)
That's an overview of the topic I find most pressing and am addressing in my forums, including the forthcoming CD.
Dance In the Moment,
Greg Allen
www.GraspingAtLaws.net
www.SongSharing.org
I enjoyed The Secret. It's a great "rapid fire" in the style of the day, but I also recognized most of what had been said from numerous sources, mostly ancient and since.
Regarding the topic I have a feel for what the secret-tellers are getting at. I have been "getting at" the idea of the creative power of Attraction - the "law" if you will - in this way lately: Believin' It = Be Livin' It.
(By the way, Grasping At Laws is the name of my band because I think laws are overrated, and our infantile grasping at and clinging to them to make sense of life just makes it a mess. But it provides some very funny people, in a pathetic funny sort of way.)
The realization of how true my equation is in every now moment has a spooky quality to it, at least for a flash. In the truest sense of the idea there can be no time lag between believing something about your life and being it in the living of your life .
This points to what I currently find an interesting (and arguably more urgent) topic: the role of time throughout discussions in forums such as this, and Neale Donald Walsch's Conversations with God (CwG) forums.
Too many teachers and seekers continue to talk as though they believe in time. As though "then" is not really "now". Communication should indicate that "Then" IS "now" - which is why I have coined the term "Then-Now".
Continued insistence upon past and future in any discussion of unifying the human experience seems a bit psychotic, but seems to me to be the norm. I consider time an important culprit in what I have heard Neale refer to as "separation theology" and it's evolving offshoots.
The "reality" of time is not the issue - it is the dualistic role we continue to assign to the concept of time. In other words, it's the words!! We say things like "more than half a century has passed", or a quarter century will have passed when some new thing "finally arrives". It seems only useful to allow time to retain this illusory role if we agree that "A fool that persists in their folly will become wise."
Of course. Yes. I can go to bed now.
It's past and future painted all over the communication of something that can only happen now, in the blink of an eye. This of course was alluded to in CwG book 1, which is happening now. ;^)
That's an overview of the topic I find most pressing and am addressing in my forums, including the forthcoming CD.
Dance In the Moment,
Greg Allen
www.GraspingAtLaws.net
www.SongSharing.org
Even Jesus Had to Go Out of Town
...said the handyman that came to give an estimate on a flooring job.
I was sharing my experience as a musician and organizer of a unique non-profit in a town that claims to be a "music town". It's a wealthy town, and generous. But we have had a tough time connecting - in spite of 13 years of service and Billy Joel's autograph on a donated piano to support our cause, we cannot find raffle sponsors or donors. Long story.
So, I was telling him how we had realized that the good news is that Billy Joel, and even folks like R.E.M. have supported us, so we're headed out of town to spread the musical love to their communities.
And the handyman nodded in support and said "Sometimes you aren't understood in your town, until you leave and the message gets back to them. Even Jesus had to leave town...!!!"
Peace - and Dance In The Moment,
Greg Allen
I was sharing my experience as a musician and organizer of a unique non-profit in a town that claims to be a "music town". It's a wealthy town, and generous. But we have had a tough time connecting - in spite of 13 years of service and Billy Joel's autograph on a donated piano to support our cause, we cannot find raffle sponsors or donors. Long story.
So, I was telling him how we had realized that the good news is that Billy Joel, and even folks like R.E.M. have supported us, so we're headed out of town to spread the musical love to their communities.
And the handyman nodded in support and said "Sometimes you aren't understood in your town, until you leave and the message gets back to them. Even Jesus had to leave town...!!!"
Peace - and Dance In The Moment,
Greg Allen
Where Did You Hear About Us?
I ordered a product from the Neale Donald Walsch site the other day and the confirmation email had some sort of survey or something in it. One of the questions was "Where did you hear of us?"
I don't actually recall where I first heard of Walsch's Conversations with God (CwG) books, but I do know why I chose to read the first installment back in 2006. I was planning to write some sort of something - a book, treatise, paragraph, short story, weblog or something - called Conversations with Mushrooms. Having heard of his book it was easy enough to paraphrase his title, but the thought occured me it might be nice if I actually read one of the books before doing so. It just seemed a good idea, the thing to do. I have since read most all of his works, and am still working on CwM...
Conversations with Mushrooms was inspired by "spiritual / religious" as well as "atheistic / scientific" people that claim to have gained deep understanding of life's principles based on experiences with hallucinogens of various nature. I use the term Mushrooms to refer broadly to the larger idea of naturally occuring hallucinogenic drug experience, which would include marijuana.
Stoners are fine as far as people go, but I for one have little faith that what I now call Medijuanatation is going to change the world in a useful way. It rarely changes the channel in a useful way... Yet we have a huge crop of self-important profound societal couch-potatoes that actually argue that the deepest insights come after lots of bong hits, chocolate chip cookies and soda...
I'll talk more about them later, and those wonderfully wacky scientific folks that are certain God, Allah and Santa are "imaginary friends", yet swear the universe "speaks to them" profoundly in special quiet moments of insight - like when their brain is awash in flashing, swirling, colorful visions of things that are not there... Yes they hear a voice, and it is no imaginary friend. The "Voice of Mushroom" can be trusted, and is accessible to us all... Uhhhh, right. (makes little circles with index finger pointing at right side of head, while making the "Twilight Zone" noise...) :^)
There's the spiritualists as well - the ones I actually believe do get quiet in their head and reach deep states with the assistance of their substances. I am certain Native Americans for example were not simple stoners. They benefited from induced hallucinations.
Modern Americans however do not seem to benefit. The ones I refer to are the ones that emerge to continue believing that the answer to the world's woes is found in someone else's actions. It's either something like "Jesus save me", or something like "If other people would only change..."
That, my friends, is more like a "wading pool" insight - not terribly deep.
So anyway, I went to the library, borrowed CwG Book 1, and got caught up in a wonderful series of books that have served me well. Highly recommended. Hallucinations not required.
Dance In The Moment,
Greg Allen
http://www.graspingatlaws.net/
http://www.songsharing.org/
I don't actually recall where I first heard of Walsch's Conversations with God (CwG) books, but I do know why I chose to read the first installment back in 2006. I was planning to write some sort of something - a book, treatise, paragraph, short story, weblog or something - called Conversations with Mushrooms. Having heard of his book it was easy enough to paraphrase his title, but the thought occured me it might be nice if I actually read one of the books before doing so. It just seemed a good idea, the thing to do. I have since read most all of his works, and am still working on CwM...
Conversations with Mushrooms was inspired by "spiritual / religious" as well as "atheistic / scientific" people that claim to have gained deep understanding of life's principles based on experiences with hallucinogens of various nature. I use the term Mushrooms to refer broadly to the larger idea of naturally occuring hallucinogenic drug experience, which would include marijuana.
Stoners are fine as far as people go, but I for one have little faith that what I now call Medijuanatation is going to change the world in a useful way. It rarely changes the channel in a useful way... Yet we have a huge crop of self-important profound societal couch-potatoes that actually argue that the deepest insights come after lots of bong hits, chocolate chip cookies and soda...
I'll talk more about them later, and those wonderfully wacky scientific folks that are certain God, Allah and Santa are "imaginary friends", yet swear the universe "speaks to them" profoundly in special quiet moments of insight - like when their brain is awash in flashing, swirling, colorful visions of things that are not there... Yes they hear a voice, and it is no imaginary friend. The "Voice of Mushroom" can be trusted, and is accessible to us all... Uhhhh, right. (makes little circles with index finger pointing at right side of head, while making the "Twilight Zone" noise...) :^)
There's the spiritualists as well - the ones I actually believe do get quiet in their head and reach deep states with the assistance of their substances. I am certain Native Americans for example were not simple stoners. They benefited from induced hallucinations.
Modern Americans however do not seem to benefit. The ones I refer to are the ones that emerge to continue believing that the answer to the world's woes is found in someone else's actions. It's either something like "Jesus save me", or something like "If other people would only change..."
That, my friends, is more like a "wading pool" insight - not terribly deep.
So anyway, I went to the library, borrowed CwG Book 1, and got caught up in a wonderful series of books that have served me well. Highly recommended. Hallucinations not required.
Dance In The Moment,
Greg Allen
http://www.graspingatlaws.net/
http://www.songsharing.org/
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Walk the Talk: the Dictionowry of NowSpeak for the Now Exspirientuality
I welcome suggestions - keep them coming to me in the more current posts so I see them.
I'll add those that fit the spirit of the Dictionowry, and credit the creator.
Generally speaking they are words / terms that combine & reflect:
they combine terms that I consider to simply be necessarily opposed - words/terms that agree to disagree... they establish relativity for us, through the appearance of opposites. This must be basic to a language born of (conceived in) relativity.
they also reflect the very important fact that this apparent separation / opposition is simply the manner in which Unity must appear in this relative experience.*
Here we go: July 19, 2007
AlfOmega - (see also now-Word, the) combining the ideas of beginning and end and reflecting that cycles are a useful illusion within our experience. also, the big one, the great big fuzzy sitcom alien puppet to end all concepts.
Dictionowry - this thing we are creating now.
Exspirientuality - (see also Now Exspirientuality) A term that combines Experiential and Spirituality. It also reflects that their seemingly opposed natures are in fact two aspects of the same thing. Spiritual experiences or conditions we might discuss and/or aspire to in this lifetime MUST be physically experiential.
FrankenJa - (see also non-Word, the) well this one is sort of an aside - it inspired the creation of the non-Word though, and thus is included here. Taken aback by an apparent clinging to a traditional word for, or idea of, the unifying creative source principle of the universe, I initially came up with FrankenJa. The idea being to take the teeny little useful parts of all the horribly misused historical terms (big bang, the g-word, and so forth) and stitch them together into a NOW idea. I like FrankenJa, except Ja is one of those historical word/ideas... Then it hit me that no word would do, which leads logically to The non-Word. Capitals make it look important, which it is.
non-Word, the - (see also FrankenJa, AlfOmega)) the AlfOmega of now-Speak, this term expresses the centrally all-encompassing idea encircling the concept of now-Speak from its very core. Taken aback by the persistent clinging to a traditional word for, or idea of, the unifying creative source principle of the universe, I initially came up with FrankenJa. The idea being to take the teeny little useful parts of all the horribly misused historical terms (big bang, the g-word, and so forth) and stitch them together into a NOW idea. I like FrankenJa, except Ja is one of those historical word/ideas... Then it hit me that no word would do, which leads logically to The non-Word. Capitals make it look important, which it is. But that's not important. Rea-a-a-lly not important.
Now Exspirientuality, the - (see also Exspirientuality) the ongoing expression of the simple obvious enlightened fact that spirituality of any import is experiential, and experience only happens now.
NowSpeak - the catch all term for words and terms that fit the spirit of this Dictionowry.
ThenNow - a term to reflect the reality that past and future do not exist. It takes nothing away from their utility as concepts. Clearly the idea of time and past and future are part of our experience and quite useful. So is knowing that they are concepts. Ask the guy in Heroes...
/ / / / /
footnotes:
1 This is simple stuff, and Eintein made it so when he explained relativity. Then of course he said that the hardest thing to understand about the universe is that it is indeed understandable, or something to that effect. I feel no need to defend my position any better than Einstein presented it, nor can I, so don't ask...
I'll add those that fit the spirit of the Dictionowry, and credit the creator.
Generally speaking they are words / terms that combine & reflect:
they combine terms that I consider to simply be necessarily opposed - words/terms that agree to disagree... they establish relativity for us, through the appearance of opposites. This must be basic to a language born of (conceived in) relativity.
they also reflect the very important fact that this apparent separation / opposition is simply the manner in which Unity must appear in this relative experience.*
Here we go: July 19, 2007
AlfOmega - (see also now-Word, the) combining the ideas of beginning and end and reflecting that cycles are a useful illusion within our experience. also, the big one, the great big fuzzy sitcom alien puppet to end all concepts.
Dictionowry - this thing we are creating now.
Exspirientuality - (see also Now Exspirientuality) A term that combines Experiential and Spirituality. It also reflects that their seemingly opposed natures are in fact two aspects of the same thing. Spiritual experiences or conditions we might discuss and/or aspire to in this lifetime MUST be physically experiential.
FrankenJa - (see also non-Word, the) well this one is sort of an aside - it inspired the creation of the non-Word though, and thus is included here. Taken aback by an apparent clinging to a traditional word for, or idea of, the unifying creative source principle of the universe, I initially came up with FrankenJa. The idea being to take the teeny little useful parts of all the horribly misused historical terms (big bang, the g-word, and so forth) and stitch them together into a NOW idea. I like FrankenJa, except Ja is one of those historical word/ideas... Then it hit me that no word would do, which leads logically to The non-Word. Capitals make it look important, which it is.
non-Word, the - (see also FrankenJa, AlfOmega)) the AlfOmega of now-Speak, this term expresses the centrally all-encompassing idea encircling the concept of now-Speak from its very core. Taken aback by the persistent clinging to a traditional word for, or idea of, the unifying creative source principle of the universe, I initially came up with FrankenJa. The idea being to take the teeny little useful parts of all the horribly misused historical terms (big bang, the g-word, and so forth) and stitch them together into a NOW idea. I like FrankenJa, except Ja is one of those historical word/ideas... Then it hit me that no word would do, which leads logically to The non-Word. Capitals make it look important, which it is. But that's not important. Rea-a-a-lly not important.
Now Exspirientuality, the - (see also Exspirientuality) the ongoing expression of the simple obvious enlightened fact that spirituality of any import is experiential, and experience only happens now.
NowSpeak - the catch all term for words and terms that fit the spirit of this Dictionowry.
ThenNow - a term to reflect the reality that past and future do not exist. It takes nothing away from their utility as concepts. Clearly the idea of time and past and future are part of our experience and quite useful. So is knowing that they are concepts. Ask the guy in Heroes...
/ / / / /
footnotes:
1 This is simple stuff, and Eintein made it so when he explained relativity. Then of course he said that the hardest thing to understand about the universe is that it is indeed understandable, or something to that effect. I feel no need to defend my position any better than Einstein presented it, nor can I, so don't ask...
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