“Every pearl has its oyster.” - Randall Jarrell

I don’t believe in coincidence. I’ve gotten myself into quite a few prolonged conversations on that point; but the fact remains, for myself, there is only synchronicity and wisdom hidden amongst the layers of daily experience. It’s only up to us to look for them.

Maybe it’s all just loony-bin material. But I can’t speak for the skeptical side of this tendency. I can only wonder at the lack of imagination, the lack of desire for discernment and greater truths; the lack of stunned amazement of life and its diversity. I also wonder at the admirable height of arrogance that makes one believe the only reality is the one we can see. It’s not about right or wrong; to me, it’s just a decision one makes. True or not, I believe one can either choose to pay attention and look for opportunities towards growth and wisdom, or settle into the mindset that it’s all random, and solely based on our own intellectual or emotional chemical synapses, thereby perhaps missing messages and pathways that might otherwise speak to us on levels of consciousness untried.

That said, it’s not always easy to discern one’s own particular path. There are a multitude of subtle layers to this sensibility, and it’s takes practice to recognize them. The world and all its daemons continues to tempt one into false promises, illusions and mixed messages. So it’s not always immediately apparent, of course, where one is headed or exactly how things will play out. That’s why in Surfing the Tao one must rely on the strength and power of the wave to carry us over. There’s a certain amount of trust involved; at least we know we have the wave to ride. Unlike true ocean waves, the Tao is always perfectly available and present.

My own path has recently led me across literally heaps and heaps of pearls. Pearls of every shape, color and variety. Huge black Tahitian pearls; strands and strands of them. Perfectly round ones, and astonishing circled and baroque ones. Gorgeous white, gold, silver and pink South Sea pearls, bigger than gum balls, which virtually emit their own light. Miles and miles of freshwater pearls, from the tiniest to the largest they come, in nearly every shade of the rainbow. Mabe pearls. Blister pearls. Teardrop pearls, coin pearls, petal pearls, tile pearls and keshi pearls. I’ve learned to string them, pushing tiny knots of thread tightly between each precious gem for safety, with your choice of clasp.

The irony is, I’ve never been much of a jewelry person myself. My husband laughs because he says I am the only wife who says, please don’t buy me any more jewelry. It’s too expensive, and I won’t wear it. The only exceptions are pieces my own father has lovingly and expertly crafted over the years – and my wedding ring of course, though there are no big diamonds on my fingers. I also have one particular amulet I can’t live without so no matter how dressed up I get, it stays around my neck. I don’t care much about fashion, to the amusement of my mom and stepdaughters. I’m more a creature of habit. So it’s particularly noteworthy when these luminescent, dazzling orbs begin to enter my consciousness so fully, so unexpectedly.

Pearls are found in nearly every religious tradition, with many various symbologies and parables. The “pearl of great price” was a metaphor used by Jesus to describe the Kingdom of Heaven. Bits of wisdom are inevitably referred to as “pearls.” We are reminded not to “cast pearls before swine.” There are the Pearly Gates. Also the Hymn of the Pearl. Pearls are often mentioned in the Koran. Hindus relate to the Nine Pearls. New Age and metaphysical references are many and varied. I was tickled to find out the largest pearl in the world is claimed to be the Pearl of Lao Tzu, which comes replete with its own legend and controversy.

The spiritual significance of this opportunity that fell out of the sky recently is not lost on me. The very reason I am swimming in pearls is because of necessity, a situation I know many share during these unusually challenging economic times. And of course such situations also often bring emotional turmoil; such is the way of the fallible human spirit, unless already greatly trained against outside tension. But I realize, through this perhaps ponderously obvious example which has been laid in my path, that I must allow the relatively tiny irritants to enter in, so that with love, I may also build up the layers and layers of lustrous nacre to protect against future challenges. As in the case of so many delicate sea pearls, with their giant Maxima shells the size of dinner plates, many baby pearls are lost. It may take several tries to get a good one, and it’s why they are so rare and highly valued. But eventually, after several years of persistence, the perfect, glistening sphere is born.

“Errors, like straws, upon the surface flow; he who would search for pearls must dive below. “ -John Dryden

My surfboard is woven of millions of tiny threads of wisdom, cemented by the love with which I am gratefully surrounded. Without it I could not withstand the endless pounding of the waves – ultra-strangeness in the world, as well as in my own life. My toes grab hold, the wax which is my faith keeps them from slipping…and yet, the sharp edges of the reef beckon, and these shores are rocky. Surfer’s hell, they call it. An apt phrase, some days.

The focus it takes to stay upright and balanced is not easy, especially as the noose tightens. And the sharks are circling. (thanks for the warning, Cadeveo) But what choice do we have? We must remain, trapped in this physical drama, until the ending unfolds. And yet there is no reason for fear, at all. For those hungry for more insight, check out this great discussion between two of my favorite thinkers, William Henry and Daniel Pinchbeck, at YouTube. Or how about an article on the New Pyramid Age by Phillip Coppens? Perhaps a thoughtful entry on 2012 at The Cleaver, or an insightful word on humans as transmitters by Kingsley. One thing these many minds seem to agree on: the coming transformation will be fully realized only as a result of the work we do within ourselves. It’s an inner revolution, perhaps aided by galactic alignment, cosmic rays and/or altered states – but it won’t be televised. This is a very difficult realization for many people – there can be no excuses, and no shifting the workload. We all must take responsibility, and it starts today, with love and being true to yourself; I know for myself, it can be very, very difficult indeed. And yet in the depths of my spirit, I know it is a task I can’t put off. Our future depends on it.

Our planet is shouting out hints as to our present state with dire emphasis. Must we cry hurriquake, again and again? Typhoons lay waste to the Philippines, while earthquakes rattle there as well as Chile and Indonesia, but it seems to be much more than that now. Freak tides and floods are swamping many areas of the globe, including Indonesia, Algeria, Vietnam, England, Brazil, and Oregon, while heat waves and droughts threaten water supplies and infrastructure in Tennessee, Australia, Chile, North Carolina and Georgia. While it may be part of a much larger catastrophic cycle, in our recent history it is not considered par for the course; Reuters reported that weather-related disasters have quadrupled in the past 20 years. Take heed, Planet X scoffers. I recently reread Stalking Wolf’s prophecies about the Night of the Red Sky; take note one of his Second Sign in terms of this shocking garbage news. (And don’t forget the oil spills recently in Russia, San Francisco, the Gulf of Mexico, and Long Island.)

Our financial and economic crises are certainly no fun to contemplate either. Tired of hearing about the North American Union? And yet, Asia is moving towards its own unification too. Remember, political boundaries are irrelevant; economics holds all the power. The Amero is coming. Our dollar is doomed. Again, Cadeveo points out even rappers are flashing Euros in their videos now, as if to say, better get hip and move with the times. There is no escape in entertainment – there’s so much propaganda, so many inside jokes, it only passes for entertainment for ignorant minds. Synchromystics, you know this path. Fantasy worlds, fantasy treasures and fantasy futures; superpowers, superbugs, and superinanity. One to keep us entranced, one to dull our brains – and don’t forget the really far-fetched one to keep us firmly convinced they are only Stories. Somewhere, something evil laughs softly.

The list goes on. Cell phone towers hidden inside religious symbols. (thanks, Through The Looking Glass) Or how about Comet Holmes merely hiding another object? Yellowstone going to blow? Secret fairy tales coming out? In many ways, we are already prisoners of our co-opted reality. The only respite we have is within ourselves. And who are we? Ask Puppetji.

Yet there too, the Powers-that-be seek to control. Mandatory vaccinations, here and there; our food supply is polluted and re-engineered to what end we cannot even imagine. And don’t forget the water, or the air – They haven’t. What enters our being is contaminated from here, there and everywhere.

And if you think our minds and spirits are free – think again. Generations of rigid belief; tradition; complete and total lack of awareness and training and ignorance of our true history, coupled with stubborn egos: for many, there will be no truth. There will be no release, no final answers. Millions – billions, even – are already trapped in Their webs – both spiritual and physical.

Only by disconnecting will we finally heal. Only by giving everything up will we be fulfilled. It seems, only in the loss of all we know will we finally be shown the truth.

And still, I Surf.

The Master’s power is like this.

He lets all things come and go

effortlessly, without desire,

He never expects results,

thus he is never disappointed.

He is never disappointed;

thus his spirit never grows old. -Tao Te Ching #55

• Through the Looking Glass has some interesting comments on the California firestorms, and also points out an old USA Today article from 2003 that suggests the FBI knew of a terrorist plot to start wildfires…sounds like an episode of “24”…but where was Jack Bauer? There are reports officials are investigating possible arson.  Astrology isn’t my usual stomping grounds, but I will note that Mars (fire) is in Cancer. Oh - and Mercury’s in retrograde, too.
  
• Vatican Official Confirms the Existence of Extraterrestrials…The Vatican also recently opened a new exhibit on the Apocalypse.
• Lockheed’s “Spooky Radar” based on principles of quantum entanglement. In related news, “quantum foam” perhaps responsible for new discovery re. Gamma ray delays.
• Fluid Intelligence from Wanttoknow.info. Let’s shift that paradigm.
• Always interested in news on weather control technologies, here’s one on steering hurricanes.
• Tony Blair as permanent EU President? Here he is developing an international interfaith organization…sounds eerily like what a prophesied Antichrist would do…
• Could economic collapse simply be setting the stage for a North American Union and unified currency, the Amero? One article from OpEdNews.com and another from Daniel Pinchbeck. Ex-Mexican Prez Fox mentioned a “unified currency” on Larry King recently.
• Brezinski endorses Obama (who BTW is related to Cheney); the Rothschilds endorse Hillary. Some choice that is.
• From Physorg.com, “Electromagnetic Wormhole Possible with Invisibility Technology.”
• Run away, run away! The ray-gun is coming!
• From The Washington Post, “Dragonfly or Insect Spy?” This you gotta see. And if you live in D.C., beware the new plan to scan motorists.
• No more magic mushrooms in Holland.
• And finally a touch of levity…announcing a cell phone that spots bad breath. Whew, finally.

Journalist Daniel Pinchbeck, self-proclaimed cynic and son of Beatnik parents, transversed the realms of the psychic and the psychedelic, as well as his own personal drama, to bring us his version of the Eschaton in his book 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl. His scholarly prose is punctuated with radical, apocalyptic refrains which underscore his own revelations as to the immanent arrival of something both terrifying and wonderful. If he is correct, our near future contains the potential for both catastrophe and conscious enlightenment, a view I happen to share to some extent.

Whether this transformation will occur in one simultaneous event on December 21, 2012 remains to be seen. However Mr. Pinchbeck threw himself to the wolves in this book, revealing not just his own relationship issues, self-doubt and twisted shamanic journeys, but a full-on prophetic experience of Quetzalcoatl himself and a vision of our future perhaps only a very small handful of people are willing to consider.

He calls this book an “extravagant thought experiment”, explaining his dual lines of investigation from philosophical groundwork to his own “process of discovery”, which led us from psychedelic trips all over the world, to crop circles, alien abduction, occult manifestations, time vs. consciousness theory, global environmental and economic collapse, and back to his own frustrating and comparatively two-dimensional Manhattan habitat. Through these various means, he points out our general unwillingness as a species, in these post-modern times, to recognize the ever-increasing void of spiritual awareness; our cultural blinders have rendered us more or less incapable of recognizing the signs of our own imminent demise, which come to us through journeys into a level of consciousness few seem prepared to take.

While his writings and experiences differ greatly in style, organization, and attitude, I found the skeletal framework somehow reminiscent of my own, as if there were some great field of knowledge to be tapped into whose messages are passed on through one’s own particular experience, research, circumstances, filters, lexicon, allegory, etc. – the flesh, as it were. Granted, the subject matter stems from the same genre, though our intentions are arguably dissimilar; however I couldn’t help but notice how much of this work resonated with my own in Surfing the Tao. After much agonizing over whether to share what I found to be synchronous lines of thought, I have decided to note some here humbly, knowing my own self-published, obscure volume will likely only make it into a handful of minds. I ask the reader not to misinterpret the following as any folly of ego; I recognize my own small work can never be compared to Pinchbeck’s literary talent, however critiqued he may be. I do this only in the spirit of noticing how similarly the Tao can touch the thought patterns of an open mind and heart, and that the synchronicity of it all could raise a few eyebrows as to what may or may not be truer than we realize…

DP: “Throughout my early life and into my thirties, I lacked a metaphysical view of any sort.” (p. 19) AVM: “For the first thirty-odd years of my life, I wandered in ignorance.” (p. vii)

DP: “…I concluded, sadly, that our current civilization is not a machine built to last. (p.8) AVM: “As time and technology progresses, general knowledge is actually regressing…A system based on money instead of love will eventually falter.” (p.7)

DP: “…the modern materialist sees myth as antiquated and simpleminded – at best, metaphoric or symbolic.” (pp. 9-11) AVM: “..we have been taught to think of the ‘gods’ as mythological or symbolic…”(p. 31)

DP: “…a text can only act as a scaffolding of concepts, a ladder for others to climb.” (p. 15) AVM: ““Though some texts can be used to help guide us, no one ever entered the actual ascended state through the pages of a book.” (p. 210)

DP: “Real knowledge of what I am saying must be earned, and lived, by each individual, in his or her own way.” (p. 15) AVM: “This is a highly personal experience…little things will pop up in everyday life that will start to ‘prove’ it to each person in their own way.” (p. 14)

DP: “Few of us have time to make our own investigation of such abstruse realms as psychic research – and why would be bother, when our ‘experts’ assure us they have the situation wrapped up?” (p. 38) AVM: “…those who control the leading educational and intellectual institutions of our day have settled on the general public view of non-supernatural evolution…Many would rather accept the lives they have been taught…and not bother with anything more.” (p. 5)

DP: “…modern physicists…were surprised…[to find] that matter was largely composed of empty space. At this quantum level, physicists discovered that their attempts to measure the phenomena they were studying affected that phenomena…” (p. 47-8) AVM: “…inside an atom, there really isn’t any substance at all; just tiny sparks of energy…physicists are surprised to discover you can’t measure sub-atomic activity without influencing it.” (p. 15)

DP: “I found that attuning myself to synchronicities…required the development of a kind of intuitive skill…some of these synchronicities involved conjunctions between personal episodes and world events that seemed to me both numinous and inexplicable.” (p. 55) AVM: “My life became filled with so many bizarre synchronicities and small daily miracles that few people would even believe them.” (p. vii)

DP: “It is only as a fully self-reflective individual consciousness that one can make the choice, out of free will, to reconcile with the Divine, through sacrifice, or supercession, of the ego.” (p. 117) AVM: “Choose love: use your free will to seek His will, and soon it will coincide with your own and your life will be truly blessed.” (p. 20)

DP: “In the popular culture of our secular age, the gods, demigods, fairies and gnomes of the old mythic realm have returned as extraterrestrials.” (p. 121) AVM: “Author John A. Keel wrote in his work Operation Trojan horse, “The UFO manifestations seem to be, by and large merely minor variations of the age-old demonological phenomenon.” (p. 50)

DP: “According to this hypothesis, Christ ‘redeems’ us only when we follow his lead. We still have to save our own souls.” (p. 117) AVM: “It is a bit of a paradox – we must first save ourselves, by refusing to be fearful, and maintaining a positive state of mind.” (p. 199)

DP: “Our conventional notion of history, like our conventional understanding of space and time, supports a linear, evolutionary and causally deterministic view of events.” (p. 189) AVM: “Most people alive today probably think our world is just the result of natural evolution…” (p. 1)

DP: “As represented in the Tai Chi symbol, one pole does not negate its antipode, but reflects and includes it.” (p.209) AVM: “Yin and yang are not opposites – yinyang is the essence of the oneness of all things.” (p. 28)

DP: “The superstrings, quantum jumps, and wormholes through space-time described by contemporary physicists might prove the basis for shamanic techniques of visiting other realms…” (p. 245) AVM: “The passageways between [black and/or white holes] are referred to as wormholes, gateways through space/time…This concept mirrors our ancients’ views about our reality [re. origins of ‘the gods’.]” (p.42)

DP: “’EVERYTHING IS SAFE IN GOD’S HANDS.’ This telegraphed answer [to a question regarding the fate of humanity] was startling – and reassuring…It has liberated me from fear and anxiety.” (p. 259) AVM: “God’s plan is great but complicated…only know that He loves us and everything will be ok in the end…Stop worrying…never give in to fear.” (pp. 250-1)

DP: “As it says in the Tao Te Ching, ‘Non-Tao is short-lived.” (p. 375) AVM: “’That which goes against the Tao comes to an early end.’ - Lao Tzu” (p. 14)

DP: “Such a shift would not be the ‘end of the world,’ but the end of a world, and the opening of the next.” (p. 15) AVM: “Far from being the end of everything, this event could trigger our ascension into a higher realm…” (p. 249)

But whereas many of my own thoughts seem mirrored in his book, I found it interesting how his own particular circumstances, and journey towards this consciousness, manifested in such different ways. While I’m no stranger to psychedelics and have indeed had some prophetic experiences thereby, my most profound revelations were actually not drug-induced but rather brought about during moments of startling clarity during deep meditation. What truth I believe I stumbled upon comes from within; our own atoms already contain the necessary ingredients for wisdom, transcendence and enlightenment. Mr. Pinchbeck does not hesitate to tell of his terrifying psychedelic foray into the realm of the trickster daimon and the occult; he does indeed admit the inherent dangers therein, “The initial visions had been seductively Luciferic.” (p. 72) While he does admit the inherent dangers of the “daimonic reality”, I might suggest the best protection there, as anywhere, is love. And love is something he seems to have struggled with, on a personal level, throughout – though he does recognize the necessity and power of positive thinking, something he was not afraid to comment on during a recent and much-discussed argument with Whitley Strieber on his radio show.

But he is on a very different journey than I am; for many, psychedelics offer a way to, in Pinchbeck’s own words, ‘break open the head’ in a way they might not otherwise be able to, in a world that seeks to keep this kind of knowledge hidden. Certainly one cannot help but be mystified by the profound and strikingly similar types of inferences made by the likes of McKenna, Burroughs, Narby, Pinchbeck himself and others in these altered states. To seek knowledge of another realm, consciousness or dimension, you have to somehow travel there.

Towards the end, Pinchbeck shares the transmission he received from Quetzalcoatl. I read it umpteen times, my sense of discernment on high alert, as if searching for a way to Know…I am left with the overwhelming sense that he did intuit truth and wisdom, the sort of truth one gleans from Knowing with the Spirit; in the intellectual world, nothing like this could ever be proven. I suffer the same dilemma. Somehow I find solace knowing that if these revelations indicate mental illness according to western psychiatric theory, at least I would be in good company in the psych ward. So, knowing how difficult it is to write about these things in a secular materialist culture, he does win my respect and admiration for even coming out with this material. As I said before – the wolves are eager to tear it apart, and he has laid bare his jugular, “Even if it required isolation from the mainstream, I preferred to sacrifice my beliefs and preconceptions, along with the comforts and status they afforded, rather than cling to a set of inherited values that I increasingly suspected to be false.” (p. 40) At the risk of repeating myself, again I find evidence that our many diverse paths have the potential to converge onto the Great Path – that singular Truth of Being which seems to so deftly escape our waking consciousness.

2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl was published in hardback in 2006 and paperback in 2007. Mr. Pinchbeck can be found online at Breaking Open the Head, Reality Sandwich, Whole Life Times, featured in a video at Postmodern Times, his Amazon blog and MySpace among others.

On any journey of self-discovery and seeking the unknowable, one cannot help but notice the inextricable and inevitable influence of place upon progress-to-date – until, of course, one reaches the place of no-place.

Though my own metaphysical journey started in Los Angeles, it quickly became clear that at least for me, further advancement wasn’t going to be easy there; I had to get out. Not to mention that I had, during this initiatory period, stepped foot on this island for the first time and was simply changed forever. Frankly I couldn’t get back here fast enough.

Certain places on the globe seem to resonate with different people for whatever reason; one friend is currently finding solace in the Southwest, another longs for home in Switzerland while away on business, while yet another perhaps more gypsy soul is currently in debate with this particular crazy rock. The ancients knew certain locations resonated with specific planetary energies, and built their monuments/observatories accordingly to harness or intensify the power – for what uses, I might suppose were many.

In terms of spiritual development, paying attention is the key. A place can teach, if we allow it to. I can speak from experience about the Big Island; its energy is palpable, electric, shocking, penetrating and alive. It’s like the Great Pyramid of the Pacific. If tuned to its particular radiance, it tends to force a certain coming-to-terms with elements of oneself in clear and often disturbing reflection, far more rapidly than might normally occur in life somewhere else. Perhaps it’s the seemingly concentrated mega-supernaturality of the place, all confined here on a relatively small patch of land out in the middle of thousands of miles of ocean; I don’t really know what makes this place so magical and transformative. But you can either face yourself, and perhaps some difficult challenges, or you can run away. Trust me; plenty of people choose the latter.

This place isn’t for everyone, and I image it’s the same for all the islands. It’s not a little ironic that “Lost” is filmed in Hawaii – because it’s easy to get lost here, trapped in a kind of psychical warfare with Self in which intriguing clues to endless puzzles dot the landscape of existence, with no escape. This is a unique place which at first seems to be a refuge, where a calm, slow-paced way of life accented by warm weather, beaches and aloha beckons; but a violent and molten core suggests a more turbulent spiritual undercurrent. After about two years, more or less, newcomers are either fully absorbed in the trials by fire and subsequent honing of their character, or are in the process of being expelled. Residents know, the island seems to pick and choose who stays here, simply spitting out the rest. One either resonates with this place, or not – and the ‘nots’ often get a solid kick in the rear on the way out.

In the six years I’ve been here, I can attest to the transformation that has occurred within me – and is still taking place. It hasn’t all been plumeria blossoms and coconuts. I’m stronger, calmer, wiser, but not before some difficult experiences; I exorcised not a few demons, walked the coals, and witnessed the same in loved ones around me who came here. This island, as I’m sure other places too, will heal you, strengthen you and teach you – if you pay attention and let go of your expectations. If you force your own ego upon it and refuse to listen, this island will shake you, rattle you, and even burn you or swallow you whole.

It’s as if this haunted isle is a microcosm of the Tao; within it - for some - are all the tools necessary for transformation of spirit and character, in loudly resonating abundance. Wrong choices exist glaringly alongside the right ones; not necessarily good or bad, as all things become part of one’s conscious development. But certainly they depend on one’s level of awareness and participation; there are plenty of lost souls wandering around out here too, as in any place. Personally I feel blessed to have been led somewhere I could move through my own journey at what seems to be an accelerated pace – where every step rings clearly, announcing itself, sometimes painful, sometimes joyous – and the in-between, no-man’s time can be an intense paradox of aware not-knowing. In another place, perhaps these signposts might have gone unnoticed under the thundering din of a materialistic, overcrowded, overbuilt and neon-lit now. In another place, perhaps my own tuning fork might have been out of phase.

Certainly Surfing the Tao is a Way of many diverse paths, and the point of it all is to find the essence of one’s own experience – discovering Self, discovering the Tao, and the links therein; discovering the Way of Life and love as it unfolds in an increasingly chaotic world. Every place and person will be its own, and these paths will all someday converge on the Great Path, within the spirits and hearts of those willing few. I can only suggest that place can play a far more important role in our journey than we may realize. Pay attention and the Tao will lead.

Learn to sway in the wind or you’ll break. No matter how many times the gales blow, it’s always the same.

Float down the center of the rapids, don’t try to swim against the current. No matter how often the rains come, it’s always the same.

Balance over the abyss but don’t fall in. No matter how hard you’re shaken, it’s always the same.

What’s different about today?

Nothing.

“They definitely do not want us to learn to Surf the Tao, for then we would no longer be victims to their abuse.” - Surfing the Tao: A Revolution of Free Will

My husband, who is a bit older than I am, commented this morning that if someone went to sleep in 1950 and woke up today, they'd think the world had gone frigging insane. I suppose you could say that about any stretch of time in history, but as I pondered his frustration I realized in this case, he really could be correct.

Since most of us haven't been asleep for decades, we generally absorb the changes and news as they come without too much trouble. The paradigm shift happens slowly, so that most people don't really notice it's happening until they look back and remember what used to be. Certainly there are major events that shift the paradigm rapidly and radically, like 9/11, and can be a bit more difficult to adjust to. But just consider news from the past few years – genetically modified foods, millions dying from hunger and poverty while a few elite get even richer, transhumanism, a military that admits testing on its own citizens and is creating new weaponry that threatens the brain wave patterns of entire populations, robot wars, weather modification, nanotechnology and implanted control chips, pharmaceuticals, wars over oil, disappearing children, genocides, economic collapse...the horrors seem to grow by the day and few seem to notice. We flip the channel from the daily body count to tabloid news without blinking. It's not as much that we've grown numb to these things as much as this has simply become our paradigm.

It got me daydreaming about what our 'paradigm' was truly meant to be like, and maybe could have been, if we really did live in conscious rhythm with the harmony or harmonics of the universe – if we really did Surf the Tao, so to speak.

It also made me realize that it's quite possible, in fact in my personal opinion it's quite evident, that our paradigm has been under attack for quite awhile. It's as if we are tired and want to go to sleep, but there's someone constantly poking at us and making noise and stuff. Or perhaps the opposite; we are trying to wake up from a nightmare but someone keeps drugging us. Either way it's very annoying.

I suppose you could argue about the nature of human existence, as many have and continue to do of course, but all I can do is give my opinion as gleaned from my own inner Surfing revelations. Humans are uniquely capable of an intense, conscious and compassionate loving nature. Those out there without this consciousness are either 1) not human or B) devoid of spirit.

The not human thing is particularly difficult for many people. I don't really go there on this blog very much, yet I do touch on it quite a bit in my book. It's radical and still outside our mainstream paradigm; yet I feel we are in the process of conditioning by the Paradigm Police in preparation for this next radical shift (science fiction as entertainment, UFO videos whether real or hoaxed, more and more people 'channeling' one or another type of being, certain 'disclosure projects', etc). In my opinion the evidence is quite strong that are other, non-human, highly evolved, sentient beings involved in our global affairs, directly with our heads of state or business, and/or from extradimensional realms into our own consciousness.

Whether they come from outer space, cloud nine or even the inner earth is irrelevant. What matters is what they are telling us. Because as every good Trekkie know, the #1 Prime Directive is don't interfere with a more primitive civilization. Period. If they are, they're either pushing their own selfish agendas, or claiming that they are attempting to 'save us' from such interference. I am leery of both; I see it much like our own political scene, in which it seems like there are two sides but in reality there is only one puppet master manipulating us into the position he wants. Again, within my own spirit, I have the sense that very few, if any, of 'them', are Surfing the Tao. The real good guys know the truth about our present reality; it is illusory and impermanent anyway. It's not really the job of any enlightened being to tell us directly what to do or how to think, aside from love. They never tell you what to do or where to go. They are the very opposite of the Paradigm Police. They want us to sense and follow the Great Rhythm from within our own hearts. It's like the old saying; give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach him to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime. That's why those who insinuate themselves upon us for their own gain are the most insidious of all. They are interfering with the very Rhythm of the Tao itself, instead forcing their own agenda-laden paradigm upon a naïve and unwitting population.

As for B) devoid of spirit; well, talk about unwitting. It's pretty obvious most people live today without any spiritual awareness at all, thanks to the Paradigm Police and their swanky, third-dimensional stage set up by our world's elite, who profit from our ignorance and resultant powerlessness. Of course there are many varieties of spirituality out there today and many conscious, loving souls who work hard to stay above water in a material world flooded with distractions and physical stimuli. And yet, for the most part, our world's spiritual paths have long been infiltrated; they are sterile, third-dimensional, close-minded, traditional, political, hierarchical, cultural and habit-based practices that in most cases leave the real spirit generally uninvolved. It leaves that empty place within ourselves open to harassment from other sources. If we don't even realize or believe we have spirits, they are in danger of being usurped for other agendas. Nature abhors a vacuum. That's where the nasty side of human behavior comes from; without conscious love, people are susceptible to cruel, criminal behavior – as well as simple blind acceptance of the status quo. Lack of spiritual awareness leaves one open to interference from the Paradigm Police. It keeps us from two very important realizations: that our world has become completely ridiculous, and that we have the power to do something about it.

Looking back throughout history one sees evidence that there has always been those who attempt to harness and control and mindsets of the people of the time. Most have done this through politics, war, culture, etc – though some have tried to teach us otherwise, i.e. Jesus, Buddha and others. Unfortunately even their messages have been turned upside down by the powers-that-be. Ours is a winding road replete with detours, roadblocks and misleading signs; and yet, if we truly stop and listen to our Higher Selves, we will realize the Way is not Out There, it is Within Us. This truly would be a revolution of free will. If just one person at a time were to wake up and take away the power of the Paradigm Police our world would begin to shift, perhaps upwards to a place we have yet to imagine.

“If powerful men and women could remain centered in the Tao, all things would be in harmony. The world would become a paradise. All people would be at peace, and the law would be written in their hearts.” - Tao Te Ching #32

“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds.” - Bob Marley

Mind control and other emerging neuroscientific technologies and weaponry constitute a frightening aspect of the future we presently inhabit. When one considers potential spiritual ramifications, as perhaps not all researchers and reporters do, it becomes clear that at the very least, awareness is crucial. The only question that remains is what we can do about it.

Information is not the problem. Even if we have access to only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what has been released to the public, one can write books on it. Recently, one person did; last year Dr. Jonathan Moreno, a bioethicist, published Mind Wars: Brain Research and National Defense. Granted, as a former government advisor on biodefense, and child of another Dr. Moreno, a psychiatrist known for his own questionable psychotherapeutic endeavors including human experiments with LSD in the '50s and '60s, one does wonder at his motives. Especially interesting is that he made a point of insisting he went as far as he could in his research (though he admits he hit a few brick walls in terms of what certain people and agencies were willing to divulge about military uses for the technologies), and then proclaimed he was 'no conspiracy theorist' to the extent that he didn't quite believe the stories of people who claimed to have been victims of CIA-led mind control experiments and torture. That there are secrets too big to contain? Poppycock. In the name of national security (and perhaps threats to family, etc.) any and all can be kept quiet. Make no mistake about that.

His refusal to believe the disturbing stories is strange especially since in the '90s, he worked on a presidential advisory committee investigating secret human radiation experiments by the US Government since the 1940s. It was during that time he learned of the CIA's interest in LSD and other brain-altering methods – and still, in his own words, “it took the better part of another decade for me to achieve the insight that let to the idea behind this book: If national security agencies had so much interest in how the relatively primitive brain science of the 1950s and 1960s could help find ways to gain a national security edge, surely they must be at least as interested today, when neuroscience is perhaps the fastest growing scientific field, both in terms of numbers of scientists and knowledge being gained.“ (p.3) If it took someone so deeply involved in the subject matter ten years to begin questioning the ethics of new neuroscientific technologies, it does beg the (perhaps conspiratorial) thought: maybe we really are under some kind of mass hypnosis of non-knowing. Asleep we are, whilst wizards wage war right under our noses...or perhaps, behind them.

On the other hand, at least he's bringing up the subject and beginning a dialogue on the disconcerting topic of ethics in regard to the use of these little-understood systems. He suggests that these new technologies may warrant consideration for new rules, policies, standards and treaty obligations. Dr. Moreno found it “amazing” that no one had yet analyzed the relationship between brain science technology and national defense. Personally I'm not surprised. These agencies don't want their secrets out; that's what national security is all about. Information is kept divided between multiple scientists and studies, the right hand never knowing what the left one is doing. However I might add, if it's being tested, or worse, full-out used on our own population, we surely have the right to question the ethics and demand standards; but we may never really know if they would be adhered to, because the technologies themselves (many of which likely will never be declassified) could help to keep us in a state of denial or non-knowing or even not-caring. The capabilities of these technologies, even what little we know of them, can be frightening. It's like a science fiction/horror movie come to life. And some of them are coming to a neighborhood near you.

Much of the information available comes from DARPA, which Dr. Moreno reminds us is not an espionage outfit but a science agency, and is involved with development of “dual use” neuroscientific technologies valuable to both civilian commerce and national security. Apparently there was no way to know for sure whether the CIA or other espionage agencies were also researching brain sciences, since that would remain 'black', or secret, explains Dr. Moreno. However what we do know seems disturbing enough to start with, if I may suggest.

Certainly one is encouraged at the idea that robotized limbs might prove useful to amputees and paralysis victims. This article about electric fields being used against cancer tumors is also interesting. However “dual use” does raise Terminator-like concerns. Move over, Bionic Woman. Imagine an army of robots, Asimov-style; or perhaps, an army of soldiers with implanted neural prostheses. A recent article informs us that the Pentagon is working on what could be the first phase of this idea by implanting chips in our soldier's brains; do you believe they intend only to monitor their health, when we already know about Dr. Delgado's behavior control experiments with monkeys and bulls? Long range, electronic control of animals is already a proven ability. The Augmented Cognition program, or AugCog, is an interesting offshoot of this concept, involving human-systems integration.

Psyops, or psychological operations, reportedly began sometime after World War II, first involving low-tech propaganda such as leaflets. Research into paranormal phenomena such as remote viewing followed in the 1970s with studies at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI). Dr. Moreno touched on experiments with neuropharmaceuticals, Manchurian-candidate style. Psychotronic weapons, such as electromagnetic radiation or ELF (extra-low frequency) waves and other Tesla technologies, have proven interesting since the 1970s to the Soviet and the Chinese military, among others, and were mentioned in the Space Preservation Act of 2001 along with other 'exotic weapons' such as chemtrails. Such technologies are known to be able to influence the psychological states of humans from great distances. fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imagery) technology could identify at a distance individuals with increased blood flow to the brain, thereby suggesting they might be prone to aggressive behavior. Imagine such use at airports, for example. Fortunately, as Dr. Moreno points out, a big problem here is a giant magnet like that would suck everyone up along with their jewelry and belt buckles! Unfortunately, it seems they are working on a way around that problem; Project Hostile Intent was reported just a few days ago in The Guardian, planned implementation being 2012. The brain fingerprinter is another development causing many to worry that the military can, or is trying to, actually read our minds, and the issue of cognitive liberties is aptly noted. I don't think George Orwell would be very surprised.

Other DARPA programs such as PDS (Preventing Sleep Deprivation) and “Metabolic Dominance” promise enhanced abilities for soldiers, involving pharmaceuticals. Artificial intelligence programs such as LifeLog, now defunct, sought to artificially store memories and experiences; today, the Advanced Soldier Sensor Information System and Technology (ASSIST) seeks that very goal in combat situations. There's also talk of altering soldiers' neural circuits to lessen fear and stress. Transhumanism seems to many a natural evolution of our species; to others, the very death of it. Here the issue of spirituality seems quite threatened, in my opinion. Where does one draw the line, and where might spiritual individuality or awareness become lost? Visions of Star Trek's Borg are marching through my head.

Non-lethal weapons are fast becoming the talk of the war room. The Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program (JNLWP), part of the US Marines, defines non-lethals as, “weapons that are explicitly designed and primarily employed so as to incapacitate personnel or materiel, while minimizing fatalities, permanent injury to personnel, and undesired damage to property and the environment.” The Pentagon, among others, is interested in technologies that have use in “Operations Other Than War” (OOTW). Crowd control, hostage rescue, and capture of criminals or terrorists are named as such situations. Acoustic devices are among those which have caught my attention. Hypersonic sound (HSS) was first developed by a genius inventor called Woody Norris, about whom the New York Times Magazine did a fascinating story in 2003. This device can aim sounds at individuals or groups, at debilitating volumes, without affecting surrounding people or areas. LRADs (Long Range Acoustic Devices) are already in use by the military, used as information and warning devices. HIDAs (High Intensity Directed Acoustics) are more aggressive, like 'sonic bullets', creating intense pain and vomiting.