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Wednesday, August 12, 1981 – Thirty-Nine Years Have Passed

Excerpted from our memoirs: The Last Section of The Beginning of our Quest:

Manhood Stone and The Strike

After our stay at Ruthin Castle, we bid goodbye to our newfound friends and headed north to Scotland for a few days. Our lodging was in another— you guessed it—haunted castle, Dalhousie Castle, only eight miles from Edinburgh. Dalhousie was built in the 13th century, the era of Genghis Khan, Marco Polo, and the Magna Carta. Brimming with so much history, it was the kind of place that could have been plucked from the pages of a fairy tale. But make no mistake, this ancient castle was very much the real McCoy. It boasted an illustrious guest list that included King Edward I, Sir Walter Scott, Oliver Cromwell and Queen Victoria.

After a peaceful night, no hauntings, we traveled into Edinburgh. The best part of our journey to Edinburgh was the Scottish equivalent of Ruthin Castle’s medieval banquet called Jamie’s Night where we were the only Americans surrounded by all Italians. The highlight of the banquet was the “manhood stone” competition – lifting a gigantic stone, which was a sign of manhood in early Scottish culture. Our fellow meal participants put up their “Italian Stallion,” their young male against the lone American male, which was me. I wondered if it might be better to lose considering the macho culture of Italy. But in the heat of competition, I out lifted their Italian Stallion – a tad of karmic (incarnation) payback. I must say they did handle it pretty well. There were only a few dark sneers and mumblings.

After Edinburgh and Dalhousie Castle, we headed back to London to catch a flight back to the States. In my mind our journey was not complete. Considering that I had planned on visiting various sacred sites in ten days, ones that realistically would need at least two weeks to see, we had to skip a few sites such as Stonehenge and Avebury. It was mentally and spiritually difficult for us not to visit them, but there wasn’t enough time.

And then came the air traffic controllers strike. Margaret and Ian had dropped us off at Heathrow and decided to wait around to see if our flight would take off. As common sense would dictate, Heathrow was a zoo of unruly animals, including me. TV cameras were all over the departure lounge, but I didn’t care as I expressed my displeasure (really angry) to the agent handling the chaos of cancelled flights. Compared to the many stuck travelers who would most likely have to spend the night or nights in the airport, we were very fortunate. With no outbound flights to the States, our circumstances turned into a great gift.

The controllers’ strike was a headache for the majority of American bound travelers, but it was a blessing for us. Most graciously, Margaret and Ian put us up at their home…

The inconvenience of our delayed flight turned into the realization that we now had time to experience Stonehenge and Avebury. Our extra days with our friends were spent visiting these and other sites, and Ian and I drinking a few pints (maybe more than a few) at different pubs while Sherry and Margaret enjoyed teatime together. And I didn’t run at all.

Life is School

The following excerpted from forthcoming Morning Star’s Seven Steps to Spiritual Awakening, The Small Book of Love: A Mindful Guide to Love, Life, and Unity During and After the Pandemic.

Life is School

This pandemic is an excellent time to ponder your life’s journey and journal about it. Focus on the times when you made a major life decision. And what came from that and what would have been the alternative path in your life. For instance, did you take a job or entered a profession because of money or pressure from others, such as parents? Did you marry someone not for love, but for family reasons, money, prestige, and/or security? Be honest with yourself.

The most pivotal point in our life and the decision came on a sacred mountaintop in Japan in 1987:

While I jetted off to Japan on a spiritual and warrior pilgrimage known as a musha shugyo, my wife was back in Maine preparing our home to be sold. Three years prior, my father had passed over at a very young age. He was only fifty-eight and had built over many years a successful small business. Being the only child, my mother was lonely and kept reminding me that I was the only child. Continuously, since my father had passed over, she had been pressuring my wife and I to “come back home” and take over the business.

Ah, she was using society’s rules: be responsible, make lots of money, work for works sake, and the lure of retirement – the Great American Dream. And all wrapped up in a pretty package of guilt. Ironically, guilt[i] is usually not a button pusher for me. But still, my wife and I decided to move back to our hometown in Maryland and take over the business. The United States Senate was one of my wellness clients and I rationalized that I would be closer and wouldn’t have to travel all the way from Maine to Washington D.C.

Kōyasan, May 1987

But then again, guilt is not one of my rules of life, nor is money for retirement. The magic of Kōyasan—the joy of its peacefulness and its power of nature, this sacred mountain and my own innate spiritual, philosophical and esoteric self—led me to another realization and a life changing decision. Did this realization come in a vision or a dream? Far from it; it came in my everyday present moment of wakefulness as – I know things. And the decision: we were not moving.[ii]

This decision not to move led to a few of the following adventures Far Traveling:

Maestro Curandero Agustín Rivas Vásquez.and me, Inca Trail, 1988

Far traveling, wandering to distant lands into the unknown, is necessary for awakening and spiritual power. A far traveler begins and then knows spirit of place. In other words, a far traveler is a spiritual pilgrim ever seeking the mysterium tremendum, the awe-inspiring mystery of the unknown. The blood-pulsing passion of life is found at the edge of the unknown. Far traveling is not vacation. It is not traveling to a place just because it is the “in thing,” as it is to go to Iceland, and years ago, sadly, Machu Picchu. A far traveler goes on holiday, or holy day, and is not a tourist but an adventurer, a pilgrim of spirit on a journey of self-knowledge. Pilgrimage means going out and finding something. And that something equates to many things: our true self, compassion, love of self and nature, and accepting and understanding our self and others not like us. In other words, you will learn about yourself and others not like you. And this will grow your compassion and empathy.

Mexico, October, 2005

In forty years of far traveling, Sher and I have experienced things that seen mythic and the story line from an Indian Jones adventure movie: my vision of the star and hearing the voice from heaven; the blazing red eyes of a long-dead monk; gigantic pillars of light—angels—and glowing gigantic green rocks that grew from small ones; spirit encounters on the battlements of an old Welsh castle, and with an awakened dragon-spirit in a Cornish cave; spirit dancing in the smokehouses of British Columbia; downing bottles of posh (cane alcohol or what I call shamanic white lightning) in a night-long ceremony in the highlands of Mexico with a Zinacantec (Bat) shaman; receiving a message from a spirit-man at midnight outside the sacred city of Teotihuacán; being clawed by a jaguar shape-shifter under a pyramid in the Yucatan jungles; knowing Oneness after a descending spirit exorcism at midnight in front of a mausoleum on the sacred mountain of Kōyasan, Japan; chased by killer bees after almost dying—my death initiation—on a mountain peak in Peru; a hungry Hawaiian spirit, the flying meatloaf; a long-dead Northwest Coast sea serpent; a Japanese succubus; the gate-keeping dwarf of Machu Picchu; the “hidden ones” of Iceland; the Yakuza and the wounded vet, and so many other experiences. These tales are told within our memoirs.

[i] I am not motivated or burdened by guilt in this lifetime, but I would discover much later in life that I was carrying great guilt within my heart and soul from a previous lifetime.

[ii] Husfelt, Tequila and Chocolate, The Adventures of the Morning Star and Soulmate, 60.

 

Revolutionary New – Love and Power to the People and to the Earth

The following is excerpted from the forthcoming: Morning Star’s Seven Steps to Spiritual Awakening: The Mindful Guide to Love, Life, and Unity During and After the Pandemic.

We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality.  And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I began writing this book, my sixth, before the onset of the pandemic. My goal was to assist people in spiritually awakening to a life of love and power. And then the virus raised its ugly head. And life took on new meaning for all of us.

In my other books, I have explored the transition from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius, which we are now on the cusp of entering. I knew there needed to be a “shock” to business as usual, to the inequalities, discrimination, racism, and sexism of society, capitalism, and organized religion. Some extraordinary event and/or happenings that would enable us to make the leap to the Aquarian Age. Possibly a world war and/or earth changes due to climate change but not a pandemic, even though this COVID-19 will definitely be earth changing. To my dismay, there still might be war.

Aquarius is the foretold Golden Age, of wholeness or Oneness. An Age of the heart, truth, freedom, equality, and of course, love. The Mesoamericans call the Age of Aquarius the Sixth Sun. It is to be Xochitl Tonatiuh explained poetically as the Sun of Flowers—when humanity comes to flower. This is Jesus’ Sun and Quetzalcóatl’s Sun, the Sun of Consciousness. It will be the Age of the Divine Human – Hombre-Dios. The deity symbolizing the Sixth Sun is “Xochiquétzal, goddess of flowers. As the ‘House of Flowers,’ the human heart, we understand that xóchitl here symbolizes the budding blossom of the human spirit at last freed from duality.”  The Sixth Sun – a time to look forward to as xóchitl is love and the search for union. It is happiness. It is sex.

The pandemic has caused most people to re-examine their lives and has shown us how we are interdependent on each other. This invisible enemy has revealed and shined a light on “normal.” A normal that was broken and killing us through lack of health care for all and the economics where over half of us were living paycheck to paycheck with little or no savings.

The world and us all ebb and flow through cycles of change. It is inevitable and the only thing that is predictable. Step out of your present situation for a moment and ask yourself, what can I become? How does my journey progress from this point forward?

In every crisis, lies great opportunity. This is our opportunity to build a better future. We need to think about what we wish to create. We need to set a goal and take small, disciplined steps in order to achieve it—this is our Seven Steps.

The past is crumbling so that we can revolutionize and rebuild something new. The familiarity of the past can be our guide, but the hope and the promise of the future can guide us to think bigger and better. There are chances here to upgrade and change our lives.

Time is now and right for personal, cultural, social, economic, political, and religious transformation—death of the old, rebirth of the new. This “revolutionary new” is an egalitarian culture and way of life filled with love, compassion, and kindness. And a Green Philosophy where we respect and are in partnership with all things of the earth. This is the opportunity to stop, possibly reverse, destructive climate change. We are all a “work in progress.” Let us work together. We need unity and the most important point is to make this unity last. This book will help us take that first step and begin to achieve this and unite us as One in love and power as all of us and the planet “blossom” together.

For more information, please contact us at bigcatthatflies@gmail.com

To Mask or Not to Mask…

To Mask or Not to Mask…

Once again Masking and Social Distancing is a sign of Power during this pandemic. A mask is a sign of strength, respect, and a caring and kind attitude to others. It is not a sign of weakness. It is the courage of one with a healthy ego. It shows the true measure of one’s heart.

Wearing a mask means love of others and love of self. It demonstrates power. It is a sign of respect to elders. As I write in my book Return of a Green Philosophy: “society has lost many of the values treasured by past indigenous cultures, such as a partnership with nature, truth telling, and elder/ancestor respect and honor. We need to discover meaning in life—not accumulate money and material things.” And the meaning of life—Love.

To the ancient Norse, an action not taken (not wearing a mask) may be more harmful than an action taken. In a community setting, “inaction on the parts of individuals could affect the survival of a community. The man who out of sloth failed to do his share of the harvest or the man who out of cowardice did not join in battle beside his tribesman could cost lives through his inaction. These are crimes in which the individual has not so much committed a wrong as he has failed to do what is right. In other words, he has failed to act. An inaction is usually not beneficial to the community and does nothing to maintain the community.”[i]

Ones with unhealthy egos will not wear a mask. Is it vanity, is it to show I am a tough guy, is it because the “obese guy” at the top does not wear one? On the other hand, he is for choke holds but maybe not (double talk/gaslighting which he is famous for). And I can guarantee you, he has never had a choke hold put on him, as I have, and almost passed-out. It is nothing to fool with except in a life and death situation.

I wonder how many refusing to wear a mask are professed Christians. Isn’t there something about caring and loving your fellow man/woman? When Jesus taught “love thy neighbor as thyself,” he was referring to the metaphysical realization “that you and that other are one, that you are two aspects of the one life, and that your apparent separateness is but an effect of the way we experience forms under the conditions of space and time. Our true reality is in our identity and unity with all life.”[ii]

This is what Jesus taught: his teachings emphasized love, which unites, over fear, which separates. He saw no cosmic battle between God and the devil or a duel between good and evil. He only saw the evil deeds that people are capable of doing to others as well as the lack of regard people have for the poor and the outcast.

Jesus walked his talk as an example to his students—both male and female. Deeds were more important than words. He made mistakes and got angry—his human side. He talked and walked his truth, forgave, and healed—his divine side.

He lived the importance of self and other. He felt more comfortable in the presence of the “outcasts,” as they were more authentic, whereas the rich and the temple elite were greedy and hypocritical—false faced.

He embraced life in all its shades of light and dark and asked others to do so as well.

If you consider yourself a Christian and do not wear a mask, you are a hypocrite. Jesus loathed hypocrisy, feeling that it was one of the most abhorrent of human behaviors. Today, if you evoke the name of Jesus, you’d better believe in and promote social justice and a culture and society of unity, freedom, equality, choice, and an egalitarian way of life. If you do not, then you are a hypocrite.

Let me restate the words where action needs to be taken—unity, freedom, equality, choice, and an egalitarian way of life—for all.

Another hypocrisy of the church is wealth. It is evident that Jesus was contemptuous of wealth and its accumulation: “Don’t worry about tomorrow. Don’t accumulate savings. It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Accordingly, he taught that you can’t have two masters—money and God. Spouting the Bible and attending church while casting a blind eye to poverty and hoarding millions or billions of dollars while homelessness and hunger are rampant and the chasm between the “haves” and the “have-nots” is great and ever widening is hypocritical. As “such hoarding of treasure—or in current speech, the ‘amassing of wealth’—is in itself productive of many evils, e.g. greed, avarice, covetousness, leading to all manner of temptations and crime; for ‘where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.’[iii]

I believe in Choice. Your Choice—Mask or Not to Mask!

[i] Husfelt, Return of a Green Philosophy, 60.

[ii] Husfelt, Do You Like Jesus—Not the Church? Jesus: His True Message – Not the Lie of Christianity, 108.

[iii] Ibid, xxxii – xxxiii

Mask is Power – Home is Power

Mask is Power – Home is Power

Power… and what is the greatest power… Love. A mask signals the power of love and our home is a sanctuary of love, the power and love of family—unity. Home does not mean house. And for the ones with multiple houses, they are not a home. Wealth does not equal home. Heart and love equal home.

A Home is where the heart is. Home is important for sense of self. This is one of the reasons why homelessness is such a scourge and stain on our culture considering the amount of wealth of the elites. Bozo, oh sorry, Bezos could solve the homeless tragedy in Washington State and so could a billionaire in each of the states. In that way they still hang onto the majority of their wealth even though when you pass-over/die they can’t take it with them or their fancy titles, but the quality of their soul/heart goes back to the Otherworld. It is here where the vibrational brilliance or dullness of our soul is weighted against the lightness of a feather. A heart is extremely dull/dark/heavy when wealth is hoarded—the person is flawed within—no amount of church going will solve it.

And philanthropy does not cut it. In ancient Greece philanthropy or “the love of humanity” had a humanistic origin.  Poets and classical philosophers pondered what it meant to be human and was associated with altruism. Today, it has been reduced to what you do to get the tax write-off.

There are silver linings resulting from the pandemic. One focuses on home as “millions of Americans are taking part in an unprecedented experiment in working from home. Many are happier, more efficient and want to hang onto the benefits when the pandemic ends… Many people who had never considered this kind of working life have now had a taste of it, and they love it.”[i]

For the majority of people before the pandemic, the amount of time at work has eclipsed time spent at home with family all together. With the excess need to work, basically as a wage-slave, but for many, not for survival but for consumption of things. Home has turned into house, a place to sleep not a place of loving togetherness, what the Hawaiians call Ohana. This concept is based on a sense of unity, mutual interdependence, mutual help, emotional support given and received, and most importantly love.

During and after this pandemic consider adapting as much as possible the Hawaiian concept of Ohana, including the aloha (love, compassion) spirit. Ohana was based on the values of aloha – love, ho’okipa – hospitality, ho’oponopono – setting right/forgiveness, and tokahi – unity. Ohana means the spirit of “oneness and the love that is the breath of the soul. It is a loving state of mind where hate has no resting place. To the Hawaiian’s aloha represents love. All of life was founded on this love, the love of the sea, the love of the sky and the love of the ‘aina (land), and all its inhabitants. And to these beautiful people, the greatest earthly expression of this love was the love of family, the ohana.[ii]

But it seems with some states partially re-opening, and a few too fast, people want to escape from home. Is eating in a restaurant that important? Is it really necessary to have your hair and nails done? A novel idea—use nail clippers and let your hair grow—hair is power contrary to the “bald” endemic among men.

Why not stay safe, and keep others safe, by cooking and sharing meals together at home. Go to the gym? Ironically enough, I owned one of the first full facility fitness/wellness clubs[iii] on the east coast in 1977. Even though I owned a gym, I still ran.

Instead of the gym, consider doing the following in your home:  begin lying on the floor with meditation while deep breathing from the “tummy,” maintain  slow breathing, then stretching on back and then standing stretching, open the door and walk or run outside with a mask on, come back home, and complete with sit-ups, push-ups, stretching once again and finish with meditation.

Consistency is the key to health and power. At least three to four times a week working up to five or six. But always rest at least once or twice a week. Rest is important. And attempt to quiet the “chatter” in your mind at night and sleep like a “baby” seven to eight hours each night.

Motivation to be healthy (such as proper nutrition), exercise, spiritual and mental “health/exercise” needs to come from within yourself—just do it.

And for all of the ones escaping from home, not wearing a mask which it seems many are doing in predominantly red states, this means you basically do not give a “shit” about anyone else except yourself.

Mask is power. A mask is a sign of strength, respect, love, and a caring and kind attitude to others. It is not a sign of weakness. It demonstrates the courage of one with a healthy ego. It shows the true measure of one’s heart.

Part 2 – To Mask or Not to Mask coming soon. Part 3 – Racist have No love in Their Heart – a future post.

[i] Maria Cramer and Mihir Zaveri, “What if You Don’t Want to Go Back to the Office?,” May 5, 2020, The New York Times.

[ii] Excerpted from Husfelt’s Tequila and Chocolate, The Adventures of the Morning Star and Soulmate, A Memoir and The Return of the Feathered Serpent, Shining Light of First Knowledge

[iii] Nautilus machines (I knew Arthur Jones – the creator of Nautilus), free-weights, saunas, whirlpools, stress-testing lab, martial arts/dance room, juice/wine bar.

 

Perfect Book for Uncertain Times – Think Indiana Jones meets Gandalf the Grey

“Who Are These Two? Or more appropriately – Who were these two?”

Liz Konkel for Readers’ Favorite: Tequila and Chocolate is a unique memoir that offers honest experiences, lessons that are spiritual and philosophical with the guiding message throughout being one of love, magic, and life.

J.L. This book is pure inspiration.  It is like sitting down with a shaman, a philosopher, a spiritual master and a far traveler to have a conversation about the adventures of a reluctant prophet and his soulmate.

I.O. The fifth book from Dr. Husfelt, “Tequila & Chocolate” is part memoir, part travelogue, part cultural history, and part spiritual guidebook. This is many parts, because Dr. and Rev. Sherry Husfelt are a most unusual couple who have led unique and fascinating lives of exploration of self, the Otherworld and ancient spiritual knowledge, spanning four continents and five decades. Think Indiana Jones meets Gandalf the Grey.

Gamer on Amazon: Tequila and Chocolate is a book that is surprising, comforting, and magical all at once. At its heart, it is a memoir of a couple who ‘far travel the world and know things’, who have lived, experienced, and taught outside of the restrictions and cage of modern society. One could approach this memoir as a way to catch a glimpse of distant and powerful places on this earth, at a time when they were yet untouched by the masses. One could also consider the intimate experiences that are shared of visions, otherworldly connections, and spiritual connection and oneness with all. These writings help us understand that innate energy, power, and awareness can be developed within each one of us, with the harmony of nature and a courageous, willing spirit. Embedded within these stories are thought-provoking life lessons that are applicable to everyone – simple, but not easy. The telling of this adventure shares traditions, rituals, and ideas that are not found elsewhere, yet are based on the truths of life and the universe. If you have ever walked on the earth in bare feet with the full moon shining above, and felt a connection that was invisible to your eyes (…and especially if you have not…), this book is for you. Heartfelt recommendation!

 

Ancient Greek Guidance

As a philosopher, a few of the following maxims of ancient Greece are important today:

Let no one with speech or with deeds e’er deceive you; Think, before you act, that nothing stupid results. — Golden Verses of Pythagoras

One has to endure the idiocy of those who rule. — Euripides, 480-406 BC, Ancient Greek tragedian ‐ Phoenissae

Know the right time. —  Pittacus of Mytilene, 650-570 BC, one of the 7 sages of Ancient Greece

Observe due measure, for right timing is in all things the most important factor. —  Hesiod, 7th cent. BC, Ancient Greek poet ‐ Works and Days -694

Your future will be good, if you arrange well the present. —  Isokrates, 436-338 BC, Ancient Greek rhetorician

There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance. —  Socrates, 469-399 BC, Ancient Geek Philosopher

The just man is most free from disturbance, while the unjust is full of the utmost disturbance. —  Epicurus, 341-270 BC, Ancient Greek philosopher

Analyze the unknown based on the known. —  Solon, 630-560 BC, Ancient Greek lawmaker & philosopher

Wisdom is the best of all things, ignorance is the worst. —  Plato, 427-347 BC, Ancient Greek philosopher

You should speak truthfully; you should not talk too much. —  Democritus, 470-370 BC, Ancient Greek philosopher

Be fond of listening rather than of talking. —  Cleobulus, 6th cent. BC, Ancient Greek Poet, one of the 7 sages

Everything in excess is opposed to nature. —  Hippocrates, 460-370 BC, Ancient Greek physician, the “Father of Medicine”

The Delphic maxims are aphorisms said to have been given by the Greek god Apollon’s Oracle of Delphi, so attributed to Apollon. Some are said to have been attributed to The Seven Sages of Greece—a few:

Be/Know Yourself (Σαυτον ισθι); Control yourself (Αρχε σεαυτου); Help your friends (Φιλοις βοηθει); Be kind to friends (Θιλοις ευνοει); Do a favour for a friend (Φιλω χαριζου); Nothing to excess (Μηδεν αγαν); Give what you have (Εχων χαριζου); Praise hope (Ελπιδα αινει); Be happy with what you have (Κτωμενος ηδου); Pursue harmony (Ομονοιαν διωκε); Accept due measure (Καιρον προσδεχου); Respect the elder (Πρεσβυτερον αιδου); Respect yourself (Σεαυτον αιδου); Do not be discontented by life (Τω βιω μη αχθου); Share the load of the unfortunate (Ατυχουντι συναχθου)…

 

 

Measurelessness

Sher Temple of Athena Pronaia, Delphi

Following excerpted forthcoming Morning Star’s Seven Steps to Spiritual Awakening: The Mindful Guide to Life and Stress Reduction

According to the ancient Delphic Pythagorean maxim, It is wise advice to measure anything before we act; always measure perfectly. As we can see from the lack of measure, our culture and society is measureless. The dysfunction of being measureless results in hubris, exaggerated self pride, this recklessness goes hand in hand with ate,  being blinded. Atē was the ancient Greek personified spirit of delusion, infatuation, blind folly, rash action and reckless impulse who led people down the path of ruin.

The lack of measure, or “measurelessness”, results in holding onto rigid and dogmatic measures, such as political loyalties and the Church deeming abortion a sin. Christianity desires to control, stupefy, and intoxicate with fear; the one thing it does not desire is measure.

The 2019-2020 pandemic glaringly exposed the measurelessness of our culture and society.

Of this maxim it has been said that the ancient Greek Seven Sages wished humankind to observe due measure and proportion in all matters instead of making irrevocable decisions about any human affairs. It has been obvious that “due measure and proportion” was a far cry from America’s response to the pandemic due to the hubris, exaggerated self pride, recklessness, self-centeredness, narcissistic and egocentric personality of the President and his cronies.

When we are unauthentic in “who we are,” we are on the verge of being measureless. The dysfunction of being measureless results in hubris, exaggerated self pride, this recklessness goes hand in hand with atē,[i] being blinded. Atē “instills confusion in the mind of every subject of hubristic behavior, and she thus personifies self-destructive syndromes like defensive avoidance, over vigilance, reactivity, and denial. These are ruinous states of mind that have led many economies, armies, states, and empires to disaster or even to collapse.”[ii]

Being measureless leads to stupidity. According to the Popol Vuh, the soul has five enemies—disease, death, stupidity, arrogance, and fear. Of the first two, one is only marginally under human control while the other is completely beyond it. The third, fourth, and fifth are not. The Maya believed that disease was the whisper of death, its first hint. But it was also an invitation from the Lords of Life to engage in the miracle of turning death into resurrection, of changing non-being into Being. A soul could accept this challenge by overcoming its stupidity through education, thereby learning to convert fear and arrogance into a specific set of personal qualities.

Stupidity was the greatest vice; its cancerous effects could be seen in all the others. The hallmarks of stupidity were ignorance, a kind of overall dullness of spirit, and a naive incompetence. In Maya experience, it was because of stupidity that human beings were both fearful and arrogant. If they pursued their educations they would naturally become humbler, and they would learn that by practicing oneness with God they have nothing to fear from either life or death.

The Maya believed that fear cripples the virtues of cleverness, resourcefulness, humor, courage, necessary ruthlessness, and passion. It also keeps the soul off balance so that it cannot feel centered or express itself with dignified grace. Arrogance shows up as many secondary evils, including greed, pride, vanity, lying and false pretenses, incompetence, savagery, cold hard-heartedness, and the desire to stay ignorant.

Ponder these concepts and how it affects your life in the present and how it affected it in the past.

[i] Atē was the ancient Greek personified spirit (daimona) of delusion, infatuation, blind folly, rash action and reckless impulse who led men down the path of ruin.

[ii] John D. Pappas, “The Concept of Measure and the Criterion of Sustainability,” 81. (http://www.academia.edu/29332856/The_Concept_of_Measure_and_the_Criterion_of_Sustainability_The_St._Johns_Review_)

 

Planting Seeds of Spirit/Divine Intentions

Planting Seeds of Spirit/Divine Intentions by Rev. Sherry Husfelt

New Moon – April 22, 2020

Today, Wednesday is an important day for three reasons; New Moon, 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, and the beginning of Walpurgis, the Norse festival of darkness. It is celebrated over nine nights from April 22 to May 1. Walpurgis remembers Odin’s sacrifice self-to-self to master the 9 mighty rune spells. Odin sacrificed himself 9 nights on the tree of life–Yggdrasill. On the ninth day, he sees the runes and dies. All light leaves the world. Then at midnight, the bonfires are lit to celebrate the return of the light and Odin’s rebirth.

We are asking each of you to take the 9 days of April 22- May 1 and commit to planting your “spiritual/divine” seeds. Doing this will not only benefit yourself but the whole of the universe – we are all One and every vibration affects each of us. Every thought, action and spoken word is registered vibrationally . . .start imagining those repercussions . . . and now imagine what intentional and conscious thoughts and actions can manifest . . . we can create our own reality. We each have an opportunity to “sacrifice” ourselves at this propitious time. Anytime we give up/sacrifice something of our life to add, amplify or empower who we are to better serve ourselves and for the greater good of All is a good thing. To align those actions with the natural vibrations of the universe and at those times of long honored traditions and myths is even more powerful as our intentions will be turbo-boosted into action and fruition.

This Taurus New Moon on the 22nd reminds us that a grand new beginning is on the horizon. This new beginning has not yet arrived but is slowly drawing closer with this New Moon being a stepping stone on the path towards it. The sky is dark under any new moon phase which makes it an easier time to transition inward, into our own darkness. Darkness can trigger and create an environment which is filled with fears, anxiety and doubts, about ourselves and our future.

At this extraordinary time of pandemic in our world we all have been thrust into a way of being that many would never choose to be in. As the natural world reaches outward with the greening and budding of new life, our human world is retracting and retreating into the shadows of shelters and quarantine and foreboding suffering and death fears, separate from the outward surge of life. We are being forced to consider going toward death rather than life . . .  We can each choose how to honor these “new normal” rules of life being asked of us and for many it holds fear, terror of being alone, separate, suffering or worst case scenario, dying . . . all real prospects. We are being asked to be sensible, intelligent and aware of how our actions affect others – in other words, be a part of the Oneness of the All. In times of disruption, tragedies and crisis we may witness the true measure of a person by observing how they behave and become when their normal ways and patterns of their life are disrupted. For some their default is to become the ‘I’ in their life separate from the ‘We’; they become hoarders, conspiracy theorists, protesters against the limitations being asked of them, angry fearful selfish people who refuse resiliency or inner reflection of the inevitability of the Earth and it’s natural cycles of birth, death and rebirth. The thought of looking for the gifts or silver lining of this pandemic is lost in their own inner darkness. Some are continuing to distract with whatever means they can find, personal binging of choice for  whatever gets them through the night and, oh, making sure their cable bill is paid and their WIFI is up and running!

But then we have the others who are and have been from the start selflessly and tirelessly demonstrating only the best in human behaviors and actions: the caretakers of the sick, suffering and dying; medical researchers working on finding a human intervention to stop this virus; employees in grocery stores who put their life in jeopardy to get our food and supplies for us safely; first responders who show up to care for and protect the people in need or danger; and all the others too numerous to mention who are working the back story to help humanity at this critical time. This is what gives me hope and this New Moon will amplify this hope in all of us. This is not a time of winning or losing, it is a time of the interconnectedness of everything and everyone and the acceptance of what is natural law and what is being manifested for us to move into a new way and world order that is more just and better for the Whole not just for the Few.

We invite each of you to reveal the true measure of yourself and be and do all that you can to help others who are struggling or in need. Be a role model that can inspire and teach others who are lost in the darkness of these days. Keep in touch with those that are far from you, check in with your neighbors, volunteer your skills, share your time and your food or supplies, buy only what you need for yourself or to share with others. Model common sense, intelligence, respect social distancing and personal awareness of others.

So, onward to your challenge: choosing and planting your “spiritual/divine seeds” . . .

* Choose your seeds – you may want to sit in the darkness of the New Moon Wednesday PM – preferably outside or inside, weather pending. New moon enters at 10:26 PM EST. Please do not use any artificial light sources (candles, flashlights) as you want to experience the darkness. This could be the time to ponder what it is in your life that is calling for you to change in some way so that you can move forward. You don’t have to give up your goals and dreams unless they no longer serve who you are becoming or wish to be. Dreams may change or if they have been fulfilled, you can have more than one dream in your lifetime! The past can be your guide to help you upgrade and change your direction in life. Your seed(s) could be the desire to strengthen and grow something you already have in your life that needs nurturing or attention at this time.

* Choose seeds that are personal but that can also benefit the world as well.

* You may wish to choose your own way of implementing your seed work:

+ dawn/dusk rituals

+ observing the subsequent moon phases as it moves forward in its cycle – darkness moving towards the light

+ actions that honor and strengthen your inner power in body, mind and spirit

+ fasting – from foods that do not optimally serve you or even a short sensible fast from all foods for a limited time, smoking, alcohol, recreational drugs, non-essential electronic distractions.

+meditating with candles.

+ keeping a journal during this time to record your experiences, emotions, ideas, inspirations, fears, doubts, concerns, dreams, regrets, feelings . .

+ plant actual seeds in a pot and nurture and grow these literal seeds to inspire you and realize it takes time to grow something

Taurus is slow moving but seeks pleasure and joy after the slow steady progress . . . plant your seeds and remember:

“The day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit”