Sin, Guilt and Innocence

As a student of Spirit, little less as a teacher, I am often asked about the concept of sin. The more I think about it, the more I find the preoccupation with sin to be sadder and sadder.

One of my favorite films, "Brother Sun, Sister Moon", has an amazing line in it where young Francesco has just explained to Pope Innocent III what he wants, to find the joy and peace he sees in the animals around him. Pope Innocent III replies that "In our obsession of original sin, we too often forget original innocence."

I often wonder if our apparent obsession with others sins is more an attempt to elevate ourselves, especially those in positions of celebrity and fame (this would explain all the tabloid journalism at the grocery checkout).

In "A Course in Miracles" there is the statement that there is only one sin, forgetting our true nature and relationship to God, Source (or Bob). All these other "sins" that we worry about are not even seen by Source since they do not actually exist, they are nothing more than the manifestations of that one sin, a mistaken idea that we have brought into manifestation.

The real problem with the world is not sin but guilt in that it is our guilt over past "sins" that we torment ourselves as well as energize the thoughts that the Law of Attraction cannot help but bring into manifestation.

So lighten up on yourself, the worst you have done is make an error, that will be forgiven by Spirit, reclaim your identity to Source and find yourself outside the realm of "original sin" and return to your natural state of "original innocence."

Be an original, swim upstream

I find it amazing how we change as we grow up (ewww) and older (ick). Since I wrote my last entry I have been looking back over my life and I have been very surprised at some of the things I used to do that I would not even consider doing now (as a pseudo grown-up).

One of the best dates I ever had came from a ride home. When we arrived at my place, I leaned over and kissed a nearly complete stranger. I don't know why, I wanted to and instead of being terrified of the outcome I just did it, predating Nike's "Just Do It" campaign by 4 years (Spring of 1984 vs July 1^st, 1988). I got a date out of it since the party kissed was so surprised by it they remembered me and later asked me out.

Some would say with age comes wisdom, I say they should stick that back in their butt where it came from and admit it for what it is, conformity.

We often hear about school students, particularly high school, and how far many will go to fit in, to be accepted and the lengths some are driven to by bullying and by being social outcasts.

As humans, we have a natural tendency to want to be accepted, particularly by our peers, but there are often times when the individual must stand up and say "I WILL or WILL NOT do (fill in the blank) because it is right or what I think or believe."

I am realizing as of late just how much strength and courage it takes to be an original, to swim upstream when everyone else is "going with the flow."

Get in the habit of being an original before you get older, it may be difficult now, but it is much harder to reclaim it later when you have created a life out of conformity.

Once you loose you voice it is even harder to find it again as I have recently become aware.

The Gloves Come Off...

Someone once said something along the lines of "The true fear is not that the Universe is unjust, but that it is truly just." This idea can strike fear into the heart of the stoutest human and cause the Earth to tremble on its foundations.

Religion, Philosophy, Theology and (sadly) Politics fall into the same vein.

The Orthodoxy is in the business of keeping the status quo and I have recently realized that much of the work I have done in the last few months has been very dissatisfying because I have neglected being authentic to myself and the way I express.  Instead, I have been trying to not "rock the boat" when what I want to do is tip it over and make everyone swim for a bit, even if only to awaken them a little.

I have nearly finished my current book, "10 Secrets to the Secret", but on reading it, where it's pretty good and will likely fit well on the bookshelf at what few bookstores remain open in today's world, I do not really want to put my name on it, It is just not my book on the Law of Attraction.

The same has been true for a while on this blog and my newsletter, they get the message across, but I see so little of me in it, I almost wonder if I am outsourcing it (now there is an idea, how much to get some Indian to write my blog? Hmmmm, they are likely to get the Sanskrit parts right a lot easier than I do).

So I guess what I am trying to say is that I, first, want to apologize for not having been true to my inspirations, and secondly, warn you that the tone around here is likely to change.  The part of my writing that I dislike the most is the lack of humor and fun.  I teach that Life is supposed to be an entertainment for the Spirit, I have been suffocating my chance to be fun in the name of "fitting in," screw that, it is not only making my writing boring, but it is beginning to kill me, literally and figuratively.

So the gloves come off! (Pass the hand cream!)

One of the inspirations I list on my website is Dr. euGene Scott, I realize now that not only was he right to present what was on his heart in his own way, but as I heard someone say earlier today, "God created you as you are, He celebrates when you are the you He made you to be."

So I am going to finish this entry off with the wisdom of a child, a young girl from Oprah Winfrey's school in Africa by the name of Lesego;

You are an individual. Act like an individual. Don't try to blend in. Blend out.

Problem Solving 101

I have heard it said on many occasions that the only constant in the Universe is change. Depending on the day, ones mood, what the latest change is and how you deal with it will determine you feelings toward this.

I have been going through a plethora of changes as of late. I thought the end of last year was going to be the majority, but so far this year has all been about changes. I sometimes forget that when I go through these moments that I can get so close to them that it is like walking up to a cliff-face, knowing there is something wonderful up there, but being so close, all I can see is the looming wall in my way.

These moments are actually good things, blessings. When you face them, know that it is NEVER insurmountable, and if at all possible, remember that you placed it there. Celebrate the moment of growth that is before you.

I know that sounds a bit silly to many of you, but if you can re-align your perception of the moment from viewing it as an obstacle to viewing it as an adventure, you will find whatever it is to be much easier to get through.

One of my favorite benefits of this view is that it allows you to reclaim your power over the situation. You are no longer its victim or having it done TO you, but now you have the power to DO TO IT what you wish.

The first few times it can seem impossible, but take a step back, a deep breath or two and just look at what is directly in front of you and deal with that. Then you can go on to what appears next, if you deal with it in this way, before you know it, that MAJOR difficulty suddenly becomes a collection of tiny little problems and before you know it, they are all out of the way and you can look back and ask yourself; "What was I thinking?"

PC = Orwellian Newspeak?

I am SO hoping that someone will channel Mark Twain to get his opinions on the latest round of ”Political Correctness” going around. I would pay to hear his thoughts on this...

I was so saddened to hear that there is soon to be a “sanitized” version of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” available for the general public. Twain scholar Judith Lee believes that you, the general public, are too stupid to handle Twain's use of certain words that by the standards of today may offend.

She [Judith Lee] argued that Twain's use of racial epithets was meant to be read ironically but that an appreciation of irony was an “advanced interpretive skill.” For a “general audience,” Lee said, a bowdlerized version will do.

Op-Ed: 'Huck' and 'Rent' done wrong
Tim Rutten
LA Times 01/08/2011
Also in the piece was a mention that at Monrovia High, an already “sanitized-for-high-schools version” of “Rent”, basically a retelling of “La Boheme”, was being cancelled with the District Superintendent, Linda Wagner, giving the reason of:

“We need to consider all our constituents” and from now on, the school only will be allowed to put on plays that “every child and every parent find to be acceptable.” She told another reporter this week that this play “is not family friendly” because it depicts “characters who have some dark issues they're dealing with”…

Where Monrovia's new standards leave its drama program is anybody's guess. You could, one supposes, go back to the classics, say, Sophocles' “Oedipus the King,” which Aristotle singled out for praise in his “Poetics.” No, that won't do — there's incest. Shakespeare's a problem — witchcraft in “Macbeth,” teenage sexuality in “Romeo and Juliet” and ageism in “King Lear.” Let's not even talk about “Othello” or “The Merchant of Venice.” No Ibsen — syphilis in “Ghosts” and disrespect for authorities in “An Enemy of the People.” Maybe something American: “Long Day's Journey Into Night” is out — drug and alcohol addiction there; “Death of a Salesman” undermines capitalism, and “Inherit the Wind” denigrates biblical inerrancy.

Tim Rutten
LA Times 01/08/2011
Political Correctness is nothing more than a socially acceptable lie that is based upon a completely false premise, you have the right and society has an obligation to make sure that you are not adversely affected by anything you may see or hear. In other words, if it might upset you, or potentially shatter some illusion you may carry, you should be shielded from it.

It is one thing to be aware of your audience and not to offend them without intent or cause or just being rude for rudeness' sake, but the idea that it is all well and good to ban the usage of words, ideas or such because “someone” may be put off is described so beautifully by Patrick Buchanan in his book, “The Death of the West.”

Political Correctness is Cultural Marxism, a regime to punish dissent and to stigmatize social heresy as the Inquisition punished religious heresy. Its trademark is intolerance.

I can tell you from personal experience that Political Correctness will not help you in any way, in fact I can nearly guarantee you that it will impede you in the long run because it is most often by having your cage rattled that you begin to learn from your experience.

As a Life Coach and Counselor I am practically in the business of being “Politically Incorrect” since I HAVE to tell you things you most likely have spent a lifetime avoiding, I am in the tree rattling business a lot of the time.

People often ask me why a benevolent God would allow pain into the world, is it really the punishment that we interpret it to be? Simply put, it is a blessing that most of us do not recognize. It is through pain in all its forms that we are motivated to grow, to change, it is our number one motivator. Without pain, we are happy to stay exactly where we are.

When I think about Political Correctness, I cannot help but think of George Orwell's Newspeak in “1984” which he described as; “It was intended that when Newspeak had been adopted once and for all and Oldspeak forgotten, a heretical thought should be literally unthinkable, at least so far as thought is dependent on words.”

So remember the three great truths that in many ways embody the thought process of Newspeak and it's current incarnation as Political Correctness:

War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.