THE AWAKENING

     I remember few years back a movie called Network where Peter Finch played Howard Beale. Now, Howard was a troubled TV personality that was having issues in dealing with his frustrations. Frustrations born from his feeling helpless in the face of society's problems....sound familiar. As the movie progressed Howard's frustrations began to manifest on his daily television program. In time he created a movement where his entire audience joined him in his quest of, "I'm Mad as Hell and I am not going to take it anymore." People were hanging out of their windows, running in the streets screaming at the top of their lungs, "I'm Mad as Hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore."

     When Howard began to air his frustrations on his program, it was like something that came from left field for many in his audience. It was a moment where people's thoughts stood still in time. One of those epiphany moments where we have complete clarity of our mind, our feelings and our emotions with some synchronous event. It was an outward expression of a universal feeling among his audience of pent up frustration with the way things were being done.

     In the beginning, Howard's frustrations were based on real issues confronting his world and then morphed into an exploitation of power, greed and insensitivity. As Howard was losing his sense of self and his show exploded into a movement, the forces at hand saw ratings and profits and did everything they could to capitalize on it.  In the end, things got completely out of control and once again the people were deprived of finding solutions.

     Why do I mention Howard? Because I see and hear people all over this planet who are, "Mad as Hell and they don't want to take it anymore." I am just one of them who feel helpless because the foundation of civilization is built on oppression, greed, corruption and the control of power. Oh! Yes. We have our moments and there are plenty of good people in this world who are doing wonderful things. So why does it feel like things are spinning out of control? Why does it feel like humanity is on the edge of the abyss ready to fall into the void? Why are we even having these debates if we are so enlightened? Why have we not created Paradise here on Earth; we do have the capability? Why is it the ones we look to for answers only create smog to hide there intentions and noise so we become confused and disoriented.

     As an individual I seek out answers and try my best to become enlightened about the world around me. For me the great tragedy is not: ‘wanting to know the truth and not knowing where to find it', but ‘wanting to know the truth and only finding Smog.' So for the same reasons, I find myself here as well having a need to express, "I'm Mad as Hell and I am not going to take it anymore."  So now what? What happens next?

     Do I get caught up in the exploitation of people's frustrations or do I realize the truth is what the world is not and look only to my own reflection in it?  Do I truly have the Desire to solve the issues confronting myself and my relationship with others, even if the solution is in the mirror of my own reflection?  The choice is to keep the mirror purely polished and deal with self or smash the mirror into a million smaller mirrors all reflecting the same intensity; only now having a million reflections of the same problem to deal with? Fundamental truth appears when we are able to look into this mirror of self and see only the reflection of our shelf, and not that of someone else. This is the first step in accepting personal responsibility of being held accountable for my own actions.

     ‘Mad as Hell' is a place for me to go as ‘a voice crying out in the wilderness' where I can express the nature of the changes and chances that befall me on my path to the center of all things. My perspectives and perceptions at any one given moment may or may not conform to the truth; but my goal is to establish Respect in the process of discovering Reunion. I, in no way take on the mantle of telling someone else what the truth is or how to live their lives. I only attempt to show how the smog and noise of tradition clouded my mind and disoriented me from understanding my own purpose of life.

REFLECTIONS OF THE TRUTH           

     There was a time when I was forced to deal with my issues in a way that was not of my choosing.  So I took the opportunity to experience whatever truth was coming my way. One day I had plenty of mind time with nothing to do, so I went to the mirror and began a step of search into my own being. For three hours I stared at the myriads of reflections in my pure polished mirror. The first half hour was really kind of boring, because nothing was happening. It was just me starring back at me. Then I began to experience a sense of awareness that the reflection in the mirror was someone strange and unfamiliar. My feelings and emotions were getting all confused because it didn't make any sense. That was me starring back and yet it wasn't me. I began to experience a conflict from within coming into contact with my real self. The vision I had of myself was not the reflection in the mirror. I became confused and terrified realizing the perceptions I had of myself were not the ones conforming to reality.

     I think karma was smiling at me that day for in hind sight, it changed my life and gave me the confidence to challenge myself to become a better person. This was the day I began my quest of getting to know myself in ways that were joyful and frightening at the same time. That day I chose to polish my mirror and accept the truth of who I was and what I needed to do to evolve into the vision of who I wanted to be.  My mind and heart opened to the understanding that the truth I was clinging to was due only to my personal point of view. It was wrong of me to think I was so in tune in understanding the changes and chances of life as to not allow others to help in my growth. I was an arrogant know-it-all who wouldn't let people get in a word edge wise. I was truly a Knucklehead. 

     I do not know if any of this makes sense or whether my truth conforms to the truth and nothing but the truth, but something's up and I wanted to know. I wanted to know who that was starring back at me in the mirror. Right away the quest turns to a great struggle within. I did not like the reflection of being faced with my own shit, because the more you mess with a bucket of shit, the more it stinks. I wanted to smash that mirror into a million, zillion pieces. And then I thought, you know if I smash this mirror into all those pieces, then all I have is a million zillion reflections of the same problem. So I determined to polish my mirror and accept the struggle from within on my path to the center.   

     The knowledge of real truth vibrates an understanding that ‘No one can tell you what the truth is'. Truth is something to be discovered for oneself or it is merely someone else's opinion. Without real truth all that's left is fantasy. Unfortunately, we live in a world where fantasy is masquerading itself as truth repelling us away from the Center of all Things. The Beatles were right, "All You Need is Love, Love", "Love is all you need". We love you, Yeah! ...Yeah! ... Yeah!"

     When the light of truth is established on a foundation of Love being the center of all things, then a vibration of Reunion is felt among people and the darkness of separation fades away.  This reunion needs no words, no debates, no lines drawn in the sand, and no sides to take. The simplicity of its beauty and the relationships cultivated thereof support a process of positive change, positive movement, and positive flow forward devoid of any confusion or debate. We realize that truth comes from the center of the circle and the authority of its manifestation is a reflection of the Universal Revelation and is not of our own making. The closer we are to the center the more of the truth we see. With the power of this truth the disruptive influence of arrogance, ego and narcissism are not allowed to present barriers that impede the flow of positive qualities.    

     Realizing the Truth is independent of everything even my own understanding of it, I felt a release of energy; a pent up frustration keeping me from achieving my fullest potential. I began to recognize those archetypical patterns that I assimilated into my life that were just the smog and noise of past traditions. My step of search propelling me into this Paradigm shift of understanding is living up to my hope of being a wild ride towards the truth. The struggle through the changes and chance of life is turning out to be a roller coaster ride with all of its thrills and chills, ups and downs, ins and outs, twist and turns. And believe me the coaster ride between the authors lived up to its description when ‘Mad as Hell' popped through the smog. We found ourselves on the edge of the abyss questioning those very things that dealt with the core of our friendship.

     The CIRCLE Project is dedicated to strengthening our relationships with each other as we approach a Paradigm Shift in our society. The positive or negative path thru this shift is determined by how well we identify this fundamental truth. As a river seeks a natural course of flow; the flow of the Universal Revelation will lead us to the river of life, giving us Hope the Transformations we make of ourselves will bring us Joy and lead us to the banks of the river of Love, the Center of All Things. "So bring ye fishin poles cuz we're going fishin!"

THE GOD OF KNUCKLEHEAD

     So, why is God a Knucklehead? At one time or another, we all have had the feeling of being all-powerful and all-knowing having the right to project that will on someone else. The justifications of this vary widely and when truly understood we see it based on nothing but illusion. Whether it is an abusive husband dominating his wife, or a politician who believes he has the morel authority to make decisions on how I should live my life, or a person with money who believes that money makes them better than me, or someone who is outwardly beautiful and thinks their beauty gives them some sort of leg up, or thinking that sitting in the front pew of church somehow makes you closer to God than me is nothing but a denial of accepting personal responsibility for ones actions. The idea that truth consist only of our own personal point of view is what is creating such division in our society. We see extreme examples of this behavior everyday where we judge the importance of someone based on their position, their title, their money, their family heritage, etc. But when it all comes down to it, we are all made of the same dust and that we shall return.

     One of my most enlightening moments was when I realized that women view God from the feminine perspective. Well, Dah!  Yes, there are those who may see God as a man, but that is probably due to the traditional image of God being some white dude with big muscles and long hair pointing his way thru the Sistine chapel sitting in judgment on everyone. But then I realized as far back as I can remember, I myself have viewed the image of God in this way. The conflict for me was that my conscious and subconscious had different visions of God. Subconsciously I knew God is spirit and invisible, but my conscious mind visualized God as a man.    

     How do you put a face on the invisible? What possessed Michael Angelo to paint an image of God as a man, when the words of the Manifestations say that God is a spirit?  Now I have always had a problem with the concept of worship, and to some the mere mention of God sends them into a tailspin; but to Michael Angelo all he had was what he was taught from those who had the power and control over religious interpretation. And since God supposedly is a spirit, then to depict God as a man is like creating God in our own image. If in truth, we have deceived ourselves and are worshipping a God created in the image of a man, then God truly is a Knucklehead.

THE BLAME GAME

     To me the world around us seems out of balance and spiraling out of control. There is a sense of helplessness permeating through our being allowing the smog of this world to obscure the light of true Reunion. The world is in a state of dis-ease and we seem to be running to and fro looking for answers in all the same places that created the disease in the first place. The pattern we have created is for the doctor to prescribe the right medicine we need to get better. When I take a good hard look at how we are approaching the issues facing humanity, what I see is a doctor who got up on the wrong side of the bed after a full night of toxic consumption. The hang-over is clouding my mind and giving me a terrible headache.

     For me to achieve balance and harmony in my life whether on the top of my game or in the pit of my error, I realized that I must be accountable for my actions and personally responsible for how I interact in society. That I must engage myself in creating solutions to the problems facing myself and humanity. I must stop being lazy and looking to others to solve the problems; many who take my power to serve their own impure and corrupt desires all in the name of doing what is best for me. I realized that I must stop complaining about problems if I myself am not willing to get off my butt and participate.   

     Taking this step was a little frightening to me because of the thousands of years of entrenched traditions that have hard-wired our brains in giving up control to someone else. I was always looking to blame someone other than myself for the ills of the world; and then I realized that I was being lazy and in a state of denial about my own personal accountability. I carved out an easy, safe and comfortable fantasy for me to exist in looking to the faults of others. History speaks loudly concerning our attempt in creating civilization and shows the systems of governance we have created sustain itself off of confusion and chaos. Today we say, ‘Oh! It's just politics' or ‘Oh! That's not politically correct' allowing darkness to manifest as light hoping against hope that positive answers will come and everything will be alright. But everything will not be alright if we continue the path of assigning blame outside of ourselves.

     Only pure intentions of the participants will allow any endeavor to satisfy the positive qualities and move toward the center. There is an old saying, ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions.' When the doctor turns out to be a profiteer and we have ingested his medicine of surrendering our trust to his will, we hope and pray that his intentions are pure. The confusion we feel from those we look to for answers comes from their hidden agendas and impure intentions. In the end, if we are not getting positive answers in the places that we are looking then we are looking in the wrong places.      

     When the effects of my medicine began kicking in, I started to feel vibrations of the Infinite Essence.  An Essence that was unknowable to me; but I could feel the waves of revelation in understanding of just who it was starring back at me in the mirror of my reflection. I could feel the physical manifestation of this infinite vibration all around me. Yoda called it the Force. We call it the Active Force and its Will permeates throughout the entire creation emanating patterns of the Universal Revelation.  It is the singularity of our Being and the entanglement of our atoms and all of creation is an emanation from it. The scientists call this the Theory of Everything, the religionist calls this God and the debate is ever increasing the smog of ignorance.

THE RATIONAL FACUALTY

     The winds of change are blowing strong and we are hurling toward a transformation into a new paradigm of understanding. If we establish the Center of all things as our base foundation; then the vibration of the Universal Revelation will guide us in fulfilling our ultimate potential. A potential held back by the smog of corrupt political and religious governance throughout the ages. We have become disconnected from the truth of the Universal Revelation which has clouded our purpose of life and drawn us away from the reality of Reunion. Only when humanity manifest Reunion will we create a sustainable world to live in and fulfill the promise of Providence. 

     Thought is the invisible essence of physical Reality! Physical Reality is the visible manifestation of Thought! The universal revelation is the lens that focuses the thought to the visible reality on the Circle of Names. Human Beings have been endowed with intellect that allows us to think in the abstract, or said another way, the Invisible. This intellect or rational faculty is a sign of the Universal Revelation from the center and reveals the names and attributes of the Circle of Names. The rational faculty is the thought energy which powers our being from our physical senses to our spiritual perceptions.

     So closely are our senses and perceptions related to the rational faculty that if this relationship is severed all evidence of its function ceases to exist. But, it would be untrue to maintain that this rational faculty is the same as the power of our senses, inasmuch as the senses are derived from it. "If we were to ponder in our heart, from now until the end that hath no end, and with all the concentrated intelligence and understanding which the greatest minds have attained in the past or will attain in the future, this subtle reality, this sign of the universal revelation, you will fail to comprehend its mystery or to appraise its virtue."1

     This relationship is what binds the rational faculty to the names and attributes of the Circle of Names. The diverse names and revealed attributes of the Circle of Names is a direct sign of the universal revelation from the center of the radiant circle. The actions generated from the rational faculty are in direct relation to how far or near we be to the Center.  All we can know of it in the physical is embodied in nature. Nature is the embodiment of the Universal Revelation and is perfect in its form.  Nature presents us with the patterns that we can use in guiding the choices we make as we walk the wheel of life. 

     Every scientific step of discovery testifies to the natural flow and perfect order of the Universal Revelation of Nature. So why do we allow ourselves to be so disconnected from the awesome beauty of its power to solve problems? Some would argue that is exactly what we are attempting to do. But when I analyze our intentions, what I see is us trying to control nature's power instead of being in harmony it. When I look at the attributes of the Circle of Names, I see a perfect synchronicity between the Universal Revelation and the reality of each unique Name. Take for instance the Owl. Owl is the night hunter and is able to see in the dark by focusing on the most minuscule amount of light to catch is prey.  

     In ancient mythology Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, had a companion Owl on her shoulder which revealed unseen truths to her. Owl had the ability to light up her blind side, enabling her to speak the whole truth, as opposed to only half truth. Now, did Athena actually talk with the Owl? Of course not! By using the gift of higher intellect, Athena used her understanding of the attributes and habits of the owl to cultivate her own innate power of keen insight, and silent observation to intuit some life situation. Owl was Athena's power totem and she used its medicine to enhance her own potential for discovery. For us to see the whole truth of this new paradigm shift in thought, we can use the medicine of the Owl to see in the dark and cultivate our own keen insight for problem solving. This allows us to identify and pinpoint the positive solutions needed to manifest the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

     The idea of power totems is not a new concept. It is ancient knowledge used by people all over this planet who are living close to Mother Earth. Identifying ones personal power totems will help bring clarity to the choices one makes on the wheel of life reconnecting us in perfect flow with the Universal Revelation.  But this knowledge has been lost to most western cultures because we have substituted this pure knowledge with the arrogance of technology. It is not that technology is bad for it is human destiny to create those things which enrich life. But in the process of our discovery, we have developed a sense of being apart from nature instead of being in harmony with it.

THE PROJECT

     The CIRCLE PROJECT will embrace the philosophy of sustainable balance and harmony creating an organizational flow based on a Chaordic² Motion of Thought, where the energy of the Circle is anchored from the Center. Like a great bicycle wheel all individual forces work in union coming together at the center creating a universal force flowing out in all directions and at times in multiple dimensions radiating the unity of all forces. By accelerating the reality of Love among us, a mass of people can manifest the Active Force of Sustainability in Spirit and Life, (Force = Mass x Acceleration), thank God for Isaac Newton. Once we attain unto this state of being the energy of Sustainability in Action will move the masses toward the light of truth... (Energy = Mass x the speed of light squared), way to go Albert. Just think what a little unified mass can do in creating positive flow forward. 

     By Developing an integrated Use Plan of community resources, the Circle Project brings to the Center all elements needed to create a comprehensive long term resource management plan. A plan that promotes sustainable economic development where every enterprise acts as a spoke on a wheel supporting and balancing expectations and goals of the circle as a whole. The goal of the CIRCLE PROJECT is to create a community agricultural system that is self-sustainable through local participation and scalable to support community needs for food, jobs, trade, and mutual respect.

     The names of the companies and system entities that are groups of people doing specific work, skilled or otherwise, will materialize in an ad hoc way to fulfill a function, and then they dissolve into other resource demands with the central focus of reflecting the energy of the circle, as the circle. Understanding the Dynamics of the Circle, its ebb and flow, will attract all forces to the center where the true presence of Sustainability dwells. A new Paradigm of Sustainability is born.

     In my opinion of all the problems facing us today, the question of food availability is by far the most important. Even though it does not outwardly appear that a problem exists, the forces of nature are coming in direct conflict with our agricultural infrastructure. Since WWII, American Farmers, Businesses and Government have created a national system of food production and distribution that addresses four aspects of food control: convenience, efficiency, cost, and safety. But there is one factor of utmost importance that is changing our relationship to food control and requires reprogramming expectations about access to food.

     A great crisis is developing right under our noses and yet we are hardly even aware of it. This crisis is more detrimental to our well-being and long term stability than any of the perceived threats being chattered on in the main stream media. This crises stems from the decreasing availability of water in all of the food producing areas of our country. Whether you believe in Global Warming or not, does not alter the fact that our food producing areas are experiencing water shortages at this time. And if there is one thing that has a very short interval without water, that's the veggie kingdom.

     When you consider that 80% of all vegetable produce consumed in America comes form southern California, it is not a far stretch to understand the seriousness of the decreasing availability of water in this area. But with all of the noise of the present debate of health care, stimulus, bailouts, nuclear weapons, da-dadaa, dadaa dadaa; it is no wonder this issue is not on our radar screens. Why should it be when all of the counter space in our grocery stores are still full and providing that which we need at the moment? But whether we are aware of it or not, does not change the fact that these production areas are running out of water and eventually will turn into non producing deserts. It seems that we have put all of our food in one basket and the risk to our survival is ever increasing.

     Every once and a while a news report will come thru highlighting this trend. In November of 2008, CNN reported over 300 million dollars of produce in California fields was plowed under because of lack of water to the crops. A follow up report brought to light that 8% of production fields in California were left fallow this 2009 growing season. How much will it be next year and the year after that? In September of 2009, Sean Hannity of the FOX network was in the San Joaquin Valley with area farmers who got their water turned off because of a 2 inch fish.  Even Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy, a resident of California, stated ‘We are looking at a scenario where there's no more agriculture in California.'

     To say the implication for all of us is serious is an understatement. If actions are not taken now to implement sustainable local systems of food production, then in five or six years when we walk into our neighborhood grocery store and see empty shelves or out of this world prices, we will then know the consequences of our inaction. The question I pose is, "Should we be concerned enough now to actually get involved in some process of personal sustainability?" No matter what the debate is at the present time; the visible facts are clear, the food producing areas we all rely on to feed families are drying out.

     We cannot do much about melting ice caps except for personal responsibility, but we can secure an endurable food supply for our communities on a local level. We must be able to define our priorities and then develop a sustainable course of action. Even if it is difficult to wrap the mind around the immensity of Global Warming over the long term, the short term effects of the lack of water to the food crops is quite clear. It will take many years for melting ice caps to manifest its full effects, but the window of food production without water will be felt in mere weeks.

     If we put off tomorrow what we need to do today, then we will not have to worry about any of the long term effects of natural or man made global warming. We will not have enough time to implement the systems that will go to the feeding the masses in the short term, many will suffer. The noise of the debate that has so clouded the issue will no longer have any meaning. WE GOT TO EAT, FOLKS!!!

CHANGE OF PERCEPTION

     The day is approaching when we will be forced to come to terms with humanities relationship with our Mother. The concept of ‘Can we agree to Disagree' does not function within ‘Mad as Hell' for I seek to find solutions not seed the clouds of smog. ‘Mad as Hell' is not a place of anger. If anything, it is a mirror of acceptance in taking personal responsibility. Mad as Hell is a place of recognition where illusion and fantasy fade into reality. Hell, I always acted like I was the coolest, most together dude that ever lived, when in fact I was the most arrogant frickin person that knew everything and listened to noone. Thank God that person is goooonnne!!! Guy's I can tell you this; taking on some of the more famine qualities of insight will definitely help you feel better about yourself.

     Mad as Hell is just my attempt in understanding my own place in the scheme of things. You might say, well who is this guy and by what authority does he speak. No, I am not some captain of industry commanding the flow of technology or commerce, or some literary giant with a number one best seller on the New York Times best-seller list, or some great intellectual philosopher that can speak words of wisdom and enlightenment, or some beautiful movie star who thinks they are an expert on everything, or some snake-oil salesman politician mesmerizing the masses with great oratory, leading people to some utopian sand box. I am none of these, for all that I am is what the world is not. The only authority I have is what I have learned on my path to the Center. And my greatest hope for myself and humanity is that we all come to the center of all things and establish a foundation of Reunion among us.

     The energy of the Circle Project is expanding and hopefully one day their will be enough links that come together to form a perfect chain. Then we can truly live up to the image of ourselves as enlightened beings.

     Too all of you who are "Mad as Hell", I salute you.  I look forward to hearing from any Knuckleheads out there at explore@thestonepeople.us.