The Stone

Reading the Akashic Records for 2012

2012-01-08T18:58:00.000-08:00

2012 invites magical,mystical thinking and looking deeply within one’s depths. It also demands thatwe look deeply into the Galactic Eye/I that looks upon us with great love andanticipation. The New Earth and the New Human are about to be born. Aggressive,dominating behavior over another will no longer be tolerated. And the violentwielders of power must lay down their arms. Offenders will be brought tojustice either through incarceration or through serving community.

2012 is the landmark yearwhere the gates to true freedom will be selectively opened and the planetaryquarantine lifted. We will be entering a probationary period in which to proveourselves responsible and accountable to each other and to our planet. Therehas been a critical mass of opened mental portals to allow for 2-waydimensional travel. And the time will come to meet our galactic neighbors. Itwill be a beautiful re/union. Those who are more hooked into the cosmic webwill be the space-time travelers and those more terra firma oriented will bethe earth keepers. It will be a time to disarm, organize and work joyfullytogether for the good of all beings. Everyone will commit to planetaryservice—planting/feeding, rebuilding, retrofitting, educating and caretaking.Art and play, philosophy and discourse will replace religion. Anything lessthan this will be in breach of the divine plan. Any structures or beliefs thatdo not support the common good and the well being of all will imminentlycollapse.

The Water Dragon year ismost auspicious for sowing seeds for the new paradigm and creating newstructures. We are each being reorganized to handle powerful radiant energythat will bombard the Earth and our nervous systems. Many will be unable tohold the charge and will descend while many more will be supercharged, so tospeak, and amped up to the increasing planetary vibrations. We are at the cuspof an evolutionary leap in consciousness.

The Dragon is the great seerand guardian. Call in her energy and be her keeper. Let her guide and protectyou, as this year demands great courage to release the residue of fear, traumaand lies carried in cellular memory. Disengaging from the old order and old wayof being will make it null and void. It is time to proclaim and welcome in thenew spiritual being.

Occupy Stoneland 2012

2012-01-01T08:09:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends, Family, and Other Aliens —
Bye bye 2011 and hello 2012!

We hope you’ve been enjoying some seasonal downtime to decelerate, reflect on what It’s all about and to be with those most special to you…discussing what It’s all about! Stonelanders are always very curious…

We are currently at day 3,651 Occupying Stoneland. Things have been slowly improving. The authorities have yet to crack down on our activities, e.g., thinking, laughing, reading, blogging, cooking, writing, playing music, colluding with friends, and playing with a domesticated wild beast: Miss Araina BooBoo. We have enough food and water to last us until we run out and are staying warm and cool during these most erratic weather shifts. What’s it gonna be? Global warming or another ice age? Friends and family of the 99%ers have been most supportive sending cards, season’s greetings and wishes for peace for this most interesting of years—2012—and its many predictions. What’s it gonna be? A smorgasbord of doom or a leap in consciousness? We’re banking on cosmic and r/evolutionary change. Please!

As founding members of SDS (Stonelanders for a Different Society), we adhere to the doctrines of Marx and Lennon (Groucho and John): “Blessed are the cracked, for they shall let in the light. ”—GM,” and “The War is Over, if you want it.—JL”.Here is a list of SDS demands:

• Explore the known and unknown… What will it take?
• Maintain a healthy body and mind through movement, good food and, of course, good spirits
Sonoita Vineyards
• Evolve your consciousness bite by bite at Reality Sandwich
• Be loco and buy local
• Help your neighbors, friends and strangers to be helpful at the community food bank
• Think outside the box and inside the tetrahedron
• Commit random acts of silliness
• Be kind to all flora, fauna and ETs —we’re all kin
• Be a good host to your microorganisms through balanced pH(eat your colors!)
• Give from an open Heart to an open hand so that we all may thrive heifer.org
• Dance the world awake! We’re one tribe!
• Embrace the year of the Yang Water Dragon (1/23/12 - 2/9/13), the major symbol of good fortune in Chinese astrology

We are grateful to awaken each day odd…awed to look out our bedroom window overlooking Tucson, sip our honeyed java and have the Google world at our fingertips. It’s wonderful to all be linked up through the information field!May we continue to open our hearts and doors ever wider to allow in more light, be willing to try something different and be awed by this magnificent universe!

Peace and Big Joy,
Lindex and BooBoo

Alex with furry alien, BooBoo

Lindex

Linda with an alien friend

This being human is a Guest House

Inner Dialogues or Questioning the Tao

2011-11-06T10:55:00.000-08:00

I consider myself a “paradoxicologist”—one who observes and tries to live in harmony with paradox. The challenge is straddling the middle way while holding the tension of opposites. Sounds like a new ride at Disneyland—riding a roller coaster while the walls move in!

Does it ever feel weird to be who you are and not be able to see yourself as others do? Are we separate entities or truly One? One what? One with? One of a kind? One other? Wondrous? One wonders. The You, the I, the We, the Me—who could It be?

Sometimes I awake utterly amazed and usually relieved to find myself where I am.

Sometimes the only way to get away from the bad guys is to wake up!

I worry well. What would freedom from worry feel like? Where do the worried thoughts go when I stop thinking about them? Gee, when I let go of the thoughts, I find myself smack dab in the present. What an interesting place!

I like the thought that the 60s revolution is emerging as an aging Boomer r/evolution. Love-ins, yes! Bell bottoms, no!

There’s a little hindrance, a pebble in my shoe that prevents me from truly trusting, fully yielding to the Other. What if I took my shoe off and shook it?

What signposts can we count on along the journey? Is there anything we can count on beyond change? So, who’s counting already? I’m banking on Heart medicine and dying gracefully!

What if I was isolated for a period of time with no distractions but pen and paper, would things become clearer or would I just fill up a lot of paper?

Give me intimacy or give me solitude to calm the noise in my head.

The mind can be such a noisy place! I’m learning to push the crowds away by spreading my wings.

What if we were to look at everything as energy first, matter second? Instead of mind OVER matter, we’d see energy IN matter. Does it really matter???

What if we were to look for the sacred in the ordinary? What d’ya suppose we’d see? Could it be....LIFE!

What if we lived within The Mystery, being comfortable not having to know the answers? We’d probably laugh a lot more!

When in doubt—send blessings, give thanks and pass the chocolate!

Let's not get too holy or rigid on our path, because we have no idea where we're going to get dropped off or what we'll discover at the next on or off-ramp. What if we used "driving the freeway" as a metaphor for The Journey? Are you tail- gating? Driving too fast or too slow? Taking side roads? What condition is your vehicle in? Have you had a tune-up lately?

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT

I used to suffer from a very bad attitude. Then one day I took myself aside, put my arm around my shoulders and said:

“You know, self, your attitude stinks!”

“Really?” I replied to myself.

“Yes, really. You are so cynical towards just about everything in your western reality. You mock our religions, our customs, our politics, our medical system, corporate America!”

“Yeah, so?”

“You act as if you’re an alien to this planet waiting for it all to go up in smoke!”

“Yeah, so?”

“Enough already! You’ve just got to change your attitude. It doesn’t serve you.”

“Why? I find perverse pleasure and comfort in being cynical towards the world I inhabit. It all seems so absurd to me!”

“It is absurd and remarkable and insane and divine and terrifying and ecstatic! It’s a miracle that we’re even here shuffling around inside these bodies, on this planet in this galaxy.....!”

“Yeah, it’s bloody amazing!”

“How about just stretching your attitude a bit to include the opposite pole? “

“Like the North Pole? Oh, you mean that nothing and everything matters anyway?”

“Uh, well, maybe....”

“Or, I’m not OK and you’re not OK and that’s OK?”

“Ummmmmm..........”

“And that ‘stressed’ spelled backwards is ‘desserts’?!”

“Oh, boy. OK, it is absurd and amazing and it doesn’t matter, and I’m going to bed.........Gee, I feel so much better after having made an attitude adjustment!”........

WHO’S CRAZY?

Do you ever worry about being......CRAZY? So, what’s crazy? I spent the first half of my life worrying about and thinking I was crazy and the second half worrying about and thinking I might be normal. I have been resisting “normal” and the status quo most of my life. Actually, I thought “normal” was inhabited by dead people and invented by the Church!

SO, WHAT’S NORMAL?

Conventional, customary, habitual, regular, uniform, average, mediocre, typical, plain, routine.

We've become a world full of tattletales and moralists, so I guess that’s normal. Taking things too seriously and lacking humor is normal. Worshiping money and material things is normal. Hoarding stuff seems to be normal. Lying definitely is normal. To not take responsibility and sue are normal. Sexual harassment is normal. To look the other way is normal. To sell arms to the bad guys is normal. To carry a gun and be ready to use it is definitely normal. To foul our earth is very normal. To feel guilty, ashamed and unworthy appear to be normal.

SO, WHAT’S CRAZY?

Eccentric, kooky, absurd, comical, farcical, foolish, hilarious, laughable, ludicrous, outrageous, ridiculous, silly, bizarre, goofy. How about berserk, lunatic, mad, muddled, insane, frenzied, maniacal, out of control, violent?

Crazy can certainly be borderline, but I’m referring to “good” crazy, like, “crazy, man!” To be crazy is to be playful and off the wall. It’s also to be cynical and skeptical of status quo/normal. It’s to find comfort in paradox and humor in the cosmic joke and see life as a Divine crapshoot. Crazy is not having to know the answers and trusting in the Great Mystery and the human spirit. I still believe that all you need is love and that peace is the only way, and that’s really crazy! To be crazy is to be human. To be normal is to be human. We just need a sweet balance of each to keep from becoming a robot or a terrorist!

Retrofitting America

2011-09-11T18:11:00.001-07:00

Fareed Zakaria, editor-at-large of Time Magazine, in his book, “The Post-American World”, argues that the “rise of the rest is the great story of our time,” that “the United States will no longer dominate the global economy, orchestrate geopolitics, or overwhelm cultures.” Zakaria states his book is not a book about the decline of America but about the rise of everyone else. This sounds like good news for “the rest” and maybe not so good for nationalistic, ethnocentric America.

To quote one critique on the book: “The biggest challenge for America, Zakaria argues, is not terrorism or nuclear proliferation or a rising China, but rather our own ability to adapt successfully to the new environment. He favors confidence and openness rather than insecurity and barriers, and makes a convincing case.” America “must seek to share power, create coalitions, build legitimacy, and define the global agenda-—all formidable tasks.”

I find a sense of relief in Zakaria’s observations. I feel that our time as the most powerful nation on earth is over and necessarily so. September 11th that gave free reign to perpetual war tipped the scales. The industrial age is certainly over here, as we’ve passed that mantle on to China and India to make our cheap goods. Let the rest create industrial pollution. Maybe it’s time for us to clean our nest, focus inward and reflect on our past, present and future actions. We can no longer afford to be the mightiest nation on earth through our prized war machine, but are we big enough to take the higher road and create a new model?

It is time to “Retrofit America” through rebuilding, redeveloping, renewing and restructuring. With green ingenuity and a vision of sustainability, I can imagine our rising from the ashes like the Phoenix. I can imagine post-industrial America being the model country for “green living”, e.g., clean energy, organic gardens, green medicine, alternative communities. We are being given an opportunity to heal the wounds and work cooperatively and compassionately with a world in rapid change. We can no longer afford political or military might. No less than a spiritual revolution and evolution in consciousness are called for.

An Akashic Message from the Solar System

2011-08-13T15:58:00.000-07:00

Get Ready for Divine Neural Activation!

The Universe is a living, breathing, conscious matrix of energy that we are embedded within. The Universe is our greater home. The Solar System is our neighborhood and Earth our house, so to speak. The electrified web or field that surrounds Earth is being super-charged by forces of light coming in from the Solar System. Imagine the Earth as a pulsating body with acupuncture points that are more receptive and alive in certain places than others, depending upon the landmass and states of consciousness there. Tucson is one such vibrant node, existing on very solid ground that is capable of receiving immense amounts of cosmic and psychic energy. We are being primed as our planet is being blasted by powerful electromagnetic and solar energy. This energy is being transformed into information bytes, or information “seeds” that travel through our nervous systems to super-charge the DNA. We will call this Divine Neural Activation.

Those with eyes and hearts open are the beacons of light, receptors and catalysts for the changes coming forward. Our DNA is being rewired and we are essentially being linked up to receive and transmit Divine Love and planetary healing. The changeover may cause great physical or emotional distress. We are being stretched, as if breaking out of a too small suit of clothes and forced to relinquish limiting thought patterns. We may feel many emotions simultaneously and feel somewhat schizoid. We are entering a new world, a new essence of time, as expanded cosmic beings. For those who are fearful and uninformed may feel as if they’re being electrocuted by lightning and may collapse physically or emotionally. For those who are receptive and willing to let go of what no longer fits, the energies will feel like an exhilarating jolt or revving up of the nervous system.

We may feel overamped or overwhelmed by physical and planetary upheavals over the next year and a half before a settling period begins around 2013. Be prepared and open for anything. Stay local and be connected to an awake, helping community. Avoid outer distractions and over-stimulation. Animal familiars, water, crystals and stones will assist us to ground, as will meditation, prayer and stillness.

Connect with the Real and don’t give power to the Unreal. Your heart knows the difference. Enjoy the Unreal, just don’t give it much gravity!

Be aware of stellar movements and be prepared to meet and greet your cosmic neighbors in whatever forms that are presented. We are them and they are us. We are Universal beings.

May Day 2011

2011-05-03T14:44:00.000-07:00

5-1-11

Happy May Day! This is a r/evolutionary workers’ day around the world, except in the U.S. We created our own Labor Day in September, I suppose to distance ourselves from any affiliations with that godless socialism for the people. Today is also Beltane, a Celtic springtime festival of optimism and fertility, never mind associated with witches and paganism. Bring on the faeries as this sounds like my kind of day—honoring a fertile Earth and justice for the people. Surely, it’s time to let our voices be heard as we dance around the maypole.

PAST AND FUTURE POSSIBILITIES— WORKING WITH GRACE IN THE RECORDS

2010-07-03T06:05:00.000-07:00

I have been working in the Akashic Records on and off since 1996. Having a respect for all oracles of wisdom, I consult the Records when I need clarity and deeper insight on a pressing issue in my life. In order to assist others at an impasse or when standing at the threshold of change, I have incorporated the Records into my clinical practice with a specialty I call Core Akashic Acupuncture. The ‘treatment room’ serves as a sacred space to go deeper into consciousness via the Records followed by tapping into the bodymind or Akashic Field to further Center, Open, Release and Expand (CORE) into essential Oneness.

To help illuminate my own conscious awareness, I took Linda Howe’s 6-month independent study course in 2007 called “Ordinary Life from an Extraordinary Perspective”. Here is an excerpt of what the Records revealed on the issue of ‘Grace’.

How am I impeded from the ongoing experience of grace and how can I release this blockage?

I simply forget that I am one with all and all is one. I become hypnotized and distracted by low-level features of consensus reality that creates an agitated, disharmonious frequency of dualistic mind. I can release this blockage by calling on the guidance of what I perceive as the archetype of a feminine, loving Grace.
‘She’ is the essence of aliveness, beauty, love and the rhythmic cycles of nature. Grace is also represented as the female deity—dakini, yoghini, Tara, Skydancer, the muse, and a symbol of the natural mind (rigpa). I am simply to ‘remember’ this loving presence and allow Her to infuse and guide me in my interpersonal work.

Ask the Masters, Teachers and Loved Ones to reveal a previous lifetime of enhanced grace or graciousness.

I was between lives in an exalted, etheric form of formlessness. I can see her/me now as a feminine lightbody of pure love, compassion and empathy. I had experienced a prior life of torment and pain, of not being understood and of being persecuted by the ignorant. This lightbody archetype of the Empress/Goddess/Mother/Gaia enfolded me in her loving awareness so that I was able to release the scars, burdens and resentments and transform them into being part of the learning curriculum and drama of that incarnation. The ignorant ones were allowed forgiveness so that they may be capable of for-giving and, therefore, changing. In that release and nurtured state, I have the opportunity to remember such loving compassion and embody it in this incarnation.

The message from my feminine lightbody is to be a wayshower for others through humor, empathy and witnessing/mirroring. It is essential that I continue to re-member (from dismembering to remembering) daily. It is simply shifting my vibratory rate up a notch in my third chakra from judgment and moving into the fourth heart chakra into love and acceptance. IT’S NO BIG DEAL TO NOT MAKE SOMETHING A BIG DEAL, even though the ego-mind loves to indulge in dramatic storylines.

Ask the Masters, Teachers and Loved Ones to reveal a future probability of myself in this life, where I am staying in the state of grace and graciousness.

It is 10 years hence where Alex and I have survived the massive earth changes. We live in a ‘terranium’ home built partially into the earth, surrounded by gardens and greenery. We are in a healing community where resources and gifted qualities and capacities are shared.

I have aged gracefully and gratefully, have nursed many sick and dying and now reap the gifts of a slowed, conscious lifestyle preparing for my own future transition. I laugh and cry easily and embrace anyone or anything that draws itself to my front door. All is provided for. I needn’t go further than my small, sustainable village. I am here to live out my days as simply and joyfully as I may. I can leave my body at will and travel the universe to continue my education and prepare for my eventual move off-planet. I do not rush, nor argue, nor delay in releasing what I do not want in my sphere. All I have to do is lift my hand, palm outward and say “No!” to dismiss and deflect any potential for disharmony or negative energy. I live in a place of “Yes!” and hold both palms up to the heavens in gratitude. I have learned to live graciously in present time, which is now All-time. We communicate less with words and more through Heartmind Telepathy. I receive and mentor others, having many younger students, and allow no-thing to worry or impede my state of grace and our mission to reseed and re-pattern Earth’s multifield. We have become multifield technicians and Earth guardians.

I have learned to live graciously with loss and with less. My life and work had prepared me for The Great Change, a time when Earth could no longer sustain humanity’s ignorance and abuse, which had to be relinquished through pestilence, climatic and geological upheavals and off-planet exoduses. Only the physically healthy, conscious and courageous could survive the painful transition to higher frequencies. With Grace and strength I elected to stay behind with my beloved community to help recolonize and reseed The Garden.

Akashic Reading for 2010

2010-05-17T19:08:00.000-07:00

Through working in our Akashic Records via teleconference, we were guided by Linda Howe to move forward and backward in history to see where we may have come from, where we are and where we may be going.

Insights Through Antiquity

I found myself 2,000 years ago as a young, wiry Egyptian slave girl living off my wits, strength and adrenal energy to stay alive and be treated well. Then 1,000 years ago I found myself living close to the earth in a forested region. What set me apart from my tribe was my curiosity and always looking towards the heavens for an answer or dawning. Another vision some 500-1000 years ago, I am a servant for the aristocracy, struggling to do what I’m told, being a good seamstress and knowing there is more to the oppressiveness of church and government but having no outlet for expression. 500 years from now finds me as a captain of a time-traveling machine that transports advanced beings and planetary healers through the universe.

Now: The Time of Awakening and Being in Tucson

We inquired why we were here on earth at this time. I am here as an usher of sorts, or wayshower, to help greet and orient my soul family and direct them off-planet when appropriate. My work is to unite the Heart/Mind, reconnect with the Divine and infuse its compassionate wisdom with Nature. I now have the freedom that I did not have in the past to devote my life to healing and expanding consciousness. This is the Time of The Awakening for many. My work is to help alleviate pain so that others may see their own divinity and that of all life forms. This “lightening” helps infuse the greater Field with Light that helps advance all souls. I’m also in Tucson now as this is a major energetic portal to higher dimensions. It is a crater, a cradle, a container in which to receive the download and exchange of Light information. Tucson will become a major galactic information waystation.

During this exploratory journey in the Records, I had a humorous vision of myself as the proverbial, wise and fearless archetypal witch luring people with pain into the new Acacia Clinic space. And, unbeknownst to them, through subtle alchemy, I will nudge them on the hero’s journey. By doing something different, their fear, resistance and pain will dissipate and they will awaken to their own aliveness and oneness. Once alive and awake, they can go forth and help the others struggling along the path.

Insight into 2010 and the Post Revolution

A poignant moment was opening the Records of 2010. My orientation was from River and Campbell seeing wise elders sitting about on benches calmly absorbing and reflecting the new energies. There were images of fireworks, the excitement (vs. foreboding) of a comet, the openness of the Renaissance with salons, philosophy and art abounding. I had an image of standing on the shore awaiting a mighty tsunami. However, like the animals in Indonesia, those who are awake will be ahead of the wave. I am to use my instinctual animal spirit to help others to “higher ground”.

Having been awaiting “the revolution” since the 60s, I was surprised to see that the new times are like that of the post revolution and a time of a great coming together. For those willing to awaken and change, we will welcome and celebrate the “Global We”. The age of resistance is over! This is a time of rejoicing, allowing and belonging.

The energy of 2010 is that of reuniting with our soul group through the enlightened, global energy grid. This is the year of the great awakening, of reuniting with other Light beings.

We’ve gone from slave, servant to service. Our work now is learning how to effectively navigate through the new energies and cultivate harmonious change and community.

Linda Joy Stone
12/29/09

It's Time to Tell Another Story

2009-09-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

By Linda Joy Stone

People are scared, divisive, angry. The world is no longer the way it used to be. Nothing is. The structures are collapsing. The myths are dying. We need to blame someone.

What we really need to do is tell another story.

I decided to go on a news fast on the auspicious date of 9/9/09 for 21 days until Mercury-in-retrograde went direct. I had become addicted to turning on NPR first thing in the morning, while getting ready for work, while driving and while making dinner. I love keeping my head filled with information, ideas and the news-no-news of the day. However, it was keeping me irritated and righteously angry towards the general idiocracy of these times and the contributors to it. Enough already. I figure I can be on a need-to-know basis for the time being. If something really important or newsworthy happens, someone will tell me or I’ll take a peek at “The Daily Show”. Let’s see what silence or music sounds like. I find I’m substituting news with a lot of Eastern and rhythmic drum music while driving. This seems to help stabilize my agitated mental state that appears to be chronic. Oh, my!

So, what would my new story look like? My husband is good at reminding me to reframe the negative statements that I am proficient at spewing. He laughed when I said “OK, my anxiety is really my excitement.” He has a Scorpio moon and sun with Capricorn rising, hence a very dry sense of humor. I have Scorpio sun with Cancer rising and Libra moon. Does that give me a wet sense of humor?

What if in my new story I didn’t make “them” wrong but empathized with their angst and fear over our changing world. Never mind they fear America becoming non-christian, socialist beasts rather than fearing a more realistic scenario like drought, pestilence or famine. Hey, we all fear something. Maybe the latter is just too big to contemplate. I fear a mob scene and being trampled or stoned to death for my beliefs. Oh, that was another life.

And what if in my new story I could suspend my belief systems (my BS)? What if I could pretend to be an alien from another planet (and who says I’m not?) and just observe our world with curiosity and new eyes? I’d be a benevolent alien not wanting to probe anyone except for their perspectives. Is that why I’m an acupuncturist?

How could I change my story from a cynical and negative attitude to being optimistic and awe-inspired? How might my story look if I could alter my neurotic behavior and unhealthy habits? Who the hell would I be without my righteous judgments, shame and pitiful sense of unworthiness? Hey, I’ve got narcissus square my ego.

I think it’s time to reinvent ourselves, to become universal humans and to be heart-centered caretakers of the world! Instead of marching against the system why not have a parade to celebrate the new system based on love and unity?! Woohoo!

A Dream - Sociopolitical Influences at Birth

2009-09-27T18:31:00.000-07:00

By Linda Joy Stone

I had a dream where I was part of a revolutionary group of people staying in a series of rooms at a hotel or apartment complex. The energy was inspiring and youthful, committed and loving as we prepared to march for all sentient beings. Meanwhile, we were being observed by “security” or parent figures who appeared to be tolerant if not sympathetic of our mission.

To maintain our revolutionary status we were asked by the authorities to write an essay on what sociopolitical influences we were each born under. So I sat down at an outdoor table and (upon awakening) began to write.

I was born at the height of the grand post-war industrial age where the American way was to consume and multiply. Along with this expansiveness of goods, appliances, packaged food, chemicals and children was the underlying cold war fear-of-Other — specifically communist — motif. As materialism was peaking, the individual soul and soul of the nation appeared to be starved, not unlike today, and bidden underground to be detonated with the A-bomb. The race was on: us vs. them, spirit vs. matter. The beginning of the 50s brought a time of guarded affluence and cocktail nation as well as conformity and conservatism. Everything and everyone essentially had their place.

I was born Linda Joy Stone on election day, 11-7-50, and brought home on Veteran’s Day, 11-11-50. Cool numbers! My patriotic republican mother thought the timing was quite auspicious, albeit I was born Linda Joy rather than her preferred Gary Edward. However, being born under such interesting influences, including astrological, I find it perfectly ironic that I would later take a political and spiritual stand quite in opposition to my mother’s. Different generations, man! OK, I do admit to wearing a “Nixon for President” button in 1960 as a naive 10 y/o still in like with my parents.

My revolutionary dream inspired me to look into the political history of 1950 in California. And wouldn’t you know it, I discovered I was born on the day Richard M. Nixon got elected as Senator! According to Wikipedia “U.S. Senate Election in California, 1950”, Nixon ruthlessly went after his Democratic opponent, Helen Gagahan Douglas (yes, a woman!), alluding to her as being a communist and referring to her as “The Pink Lady”. She was, after all, an actress and Melvyn Douglass’s wife. There were whisperings also by “Tricky Dick”, nicknamed by Nixon's other opponent, that Melvyn Douglas had communist leanings. After all, he was an actor with Jewish ancestry, something of high suspicion during McCarthyism. In reading further:

"Nixon announced his candidacy in a radio broadcast on 11-3-49, painting the race as a choice between a free society and state socialism. His wife, Pat, stood by as her husband spoke, distributing campaign thimbles that urged the election of Nixon and were marked with the slogan "Safeguard the American Home".

Helen Douglas adopted "Tricky Dick" for Nixon, and also referred to him as "pee wee". Her name-calling had an effect on Nixon: when told she had called him "a young man with a dark shirt" in an allusion to Nazism, he inquired, "Did she say that? Why, I'll castrate her." Campaign official Bill Arnold joked that it would be difficult to do, and Nixon replied that he would do it anyway. Nixon returned the attacks; at friendly gatherings and especially at all-male events, he stated that Douglas was "pink right down to her underwear".

On election day (and my birthday!), November 7, 1950, Nixon defeated Douglas by 59 percent to 41.

It was widely rumored that Douglas would be given a political appointment in the Truman administration, but the Nixon-Douglas race had made such an appointment too controversial for the President...In 1952, she returned to acting, and eight years later campaigned for John F. Kennedy during Nixon's first, unsuccessful presidential run. She also campaigned for George McGovern in his unsuccessful bid to prevent Nixon's 1972 reelection, and called for his ouster from office during the Watergate Scandal."

I didn’t realize until now how much Richard M. Nixon would play in my psyche and my generation’s for 24 years until his resignation in 1974. My mother loved him. I learned to hate him, and mom and I would have screaming matches hating each other during the tumultuous 60s over Vietnam. She stood for nationalism, protectionism and status quo. I stood for universality, breaking down barriers and peace.

It was also the Korean War: 6/30/50 - 7/27/53. In scanning Wikipedia, I discovered:

"“The Forgotten War”, a documentary written and directed by Brian McKenna that provides new information and adopts a more objective editorial line. It interviews researchers that allege that the US committed war crimes by using biological warfare on North Korean territory. The documentary provides information that certain munitions found on the battlefield point to the use of anthrax, bubonic plague and encephalitis by US forces. It also provides information that the US Army deliberately killed civilians on a large scale for fear that the communists were infiltrating them.

In the three-year Korean War (1950–53), the US Air Force (USAF) and the UN Command air forces bombed the cities and villages of North Korea and parts of South Korea to a degree comparable to the volume of the Allied bombings of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan during the six-year Second World War (1939–45). On 12 August 1950 the USAF dropped 625 tons of bombs on North Korea; two weeks later, the daily tonnage increased to some 800 tons.

The Korean War (1950–53) was the first proxy war in the Cold War (1945–91), the prototype of the following sphere-of-influence wars, e.g. the Vietnam War (1945–75). The Korean War established proxy war as one way that the nuclear superpowers indirectly conducted their rivalry in third-party countries. The NSC68 Containment Policy extended the cold war from the occupied Europe of 1945 to the rest of the world."

In contrast to war madness and paranoia, I came into the world also at a time of ripening for the “beat generation”, for jazz, poetry and a clandestine intermingling of blacks, whites and sexual reorientation. The beat culture, that morphed into the hippies, essentially rejected mainstream American values, experimented with drugs and alternate forms of sexuality and proclaimed an interest in Eastern spirituality.

Two different types of underground testing were pervasive at this time — one based on separation and destruction, the other an experiment in integration and conservation.

As I enter my Second Saturn Return, 59 years later, I still uphold the r/evolutionary spirit and path to awakened consciousness. through curiosity, compassion and humor. I missed the beat generation but found Eastern philosophy through Alan Watts and became a practitioner of Chinese medicine and Buddhism.

So, how much has really changed in 59 years? We’re still at war, as well as with the body and cancer. We still have nuclear threat and still selling arms. We’re still fighting against “the Other”, be it Muslim terrorists or the myth of socialism. We’re still desperately trying to protect our beloved capitalism at the stake of democracy. Now it’s a race to save the planet from corporate despots. Climate change has now reached the forefront and the ravages of materialism have taken front seat to nuclear proliferation. 2009 finds us sitting at the edge of the cliff at the 11th hour.

Is my dream asking me to not only rewrite my own story but to contribute to the unfolding of the Big Bang Story? Is the New Big Bang about to be unleashed bringing a new heart-centered humanity or will we go the way of the dinosaur? Uranus opposing Saturn wants nothing less than radical change. It's up to us!

Universal Healthcare is a Moral Issue

2009-09-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

By Linda Joy Stone, OMD, L.Ac.

I’m angry and disheartened as are millions of Americans who are under insured or cannot afford proper health care.

My husband and I are self-employed alternative health care practitioners and co-owners of a small acupuncture school. We have essentially lived outside “the system” (of retirement benefits and healthcare) working in a service-oriented profession for nearly 25 years. We have also paid into the system our whole adult lives, paying taxes and what we could afford towards major medical, which is really as good as no coverage. Our latest plan through Assurant Health is $5,000 deductible + 50% of $8,500. So, we’ve been paying $450 a month for a $9,250 deductible. We discovered the secondary deductible the hard way!

We take good care of ourselves, relying on more natural means and physical activities to stay healthy. We’re nearly 60 years old, have never been seriously ill, in the hospital nor have needed any medications. Unfortunately, the unforeseen happened and we were faced with a medical emergency. My husband needed to go to the ER due to severe stomach pain. He spent 12 hours in the ER and was admitted to the hospital for an additional 24 hours, since it was 5 o’clock and the doctors were going off duty. Thirty-six hours in the hospital landed us with nearly $10,000 in medical bills and with a dubious diagnosis of “gastritis”. Thankfully, it wasn’t worse. In essence, we got clobbered for 10 grand for gas pains!

I was so distraught by these exorbitant bills—to the hospital, multiple doctors, for multiple tests, et al—that I searched and discovered Medical Billing Advocates on line http://www.billadvocates.com/ and contacted Richard Ingram in Phoenix, to audit our case. He went through our bills and medical records, discovering many discrepancies and over treatment, and was able to negotiate the cost to Northwest Medical Center down to $4,000, half of what they charged us. Nonetheless, this debt, that we had to put on a credit card, is still hyper-inflated and a hardship to us. This shouldn’t be the case!

This is a moral issue. All Americans should have affordable healthcare coverage like nearly every western nation. Health care should be a right, not a privilege. We shouldn’t have to die due to lack of care or face medical bankruptcy. I’m for universal healthcare or expanded Medicare, since it’s already in place. Those who are already insured through their employers can keep their plans and those who have money to purchase expensive policies can do so. For those of us who live and work outside the system, either by choice or by fate, must have affordable medical coverage. Insurance and medical profiteering is wrong! I would gladly put my monthly premium towards taxes for universal healthcare.

Here’s a revolutionary thought: What if everyone just stopped paying their monthly insurance premiums and put that money in their savings accounts? How would this loss of billions in revenue affect the profits of the insurance carpetbaggers and their CEOs making multimillions of dollars off the suffering of so many?

Does Woodstock Still Matter 40 Years Later?

2009-08-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

The cover stories in USA Today for 8/14 & 15 were devoted to the weekend’s 40th anniversary of Woodstock with the title “Does it Still Matter?”

Does what still matter? That 450,000 young people were brought together peacefully to the biggest rock concert the world has ever seen? Come on! It was mind and culturally altering. The articles, photos and memories invoked sighs and some tears from this 58 y/o ex-hippie-wannabe who grew up in California.

Does it matter that most of us survived this tumultuous time and still revere the 60s peace-through-music culture that still exists today? Woodstock is a demarcation point and a way of viewing the world. It sowed the seeds of tolerance, awareness and caring for an ailing planet. Never mind that we still stand on the brink of annihilation.

I find I still adhere to and yearn for the 60s ideals of peace, love and freedom. Ritchie Havens, who was the opening act at Woodstock, exemplifies the call through his soulful song, “Freedom”. “Sometimes I feel like a motherless child a long way from home...” I grieve because we’re still at war for profit, the gulf between rich and poor grows wider and it can be challenging finding peace and freedom in a crowded, materialistic and very expensive world.

Yet, we have come a long way. We have a black president in lieu of race riots and now find ourselves fighting for a public healthcare option. Then there’s healing Mother Earth and its organisms, as we slowly move from the Me generation to the We generations needing to work together to preserve and sustain. Many have matured and realize that peace, love and freedom, the anthem of Woodstock, are an inside job.

Does it still matter preserving 60s ideals? Yes, now more than ever! You could ask does history matter? Maybe or maybe not. But I feel memories and history are there to remind us of where we’ve been, what we’ve done and what we still need to do. If we’ve learned anything, hopefully we’ve learned that “All you need is Love”. Might Woodstock have been the clarion call for this movement? Maybe we’re in the midst of the next and final revolution—loving kindness and gratitude—and the rest will take care of itself.

* * * *

How do you get to simple?

A: You make a lot of money and become part of the over-class.
B: You get on social security or disability and join the under-class.
C: You transform the middle-class to being the middle way.
D. You turn your mind down to simmer and let it all be.

* * * *

5-29-09

I wept seeing the documentary “Food, Inc.” http://www.foodincmovie.com/ and what negative effects industrial farming has on animals, workers and the environment — that includes us — for the sake of cheap, fast and fattened food. CEOs, Monsanto and government officials in cahoots should be held accountable for crimes against humanity.

The bottom line should not be profit but what’s humane and respectful for all sentient beings.

See Bill Maher’s article “New Rule: Not Everything in America Has to Make a Profit” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-maher/new-rule-not-everything-i_b_244050.html

Home Coming: 40th High School Reunion

2008-08-29T17:25:00.000-07:00

Good evening, classmates of ‘68! What a time that was and what a time it is! I have friends, and a husband, who would rather be poked in the eye than go to a high school reunion. High school was and is a difficult time for many kids. It was difficult for me because I was bored, confused and had few encouraging role models. All I wanted to do was find freedom and have a good time. However, Time revealed that I wasn’t alone or crazy but reminded me that I had grown up in a budding little movie town called Burbank, during an amazing and tumultuous time in history. All of you played a part in that script. Hey, Truman Burbank is alive and well in all of us! Although, the initiation process to adulthood includes rejecting or leaving the tribe, it is a joyful moment to return to those roots. And I feel very blessed this evening.

I view this event as a reunion of the “Burbank Vets” or “Veterans of Domestic and Spiritual Wars”. We are all united by the mere fact of having been born mid century during the affluent baby boom and being teenagers in the ‘60s in Burbank, California. We were witness to our leader-heros being assassinated, our peers killing and being killed in an unnecessary war, civil unrest and riots and the world appearing to be turned upside down. The 60s were a doorway to a different way of thinking and being. To be a teenager at any time is to rebel, either quietly or overtly, and for many of us it meant rebelling against established institutions and/or altering our consciousness through drugs. And there were many casualties, via domestic or foreign 'war'.

I would like to acknowledge all of you, those courageous or curious enough to come back as you are and acknowledge our past, our commonality and our impermanence. It seems amazing that we’re almost 50 years old when it seems we were only 17 yesterday. Not having kids myself—-and referring to my husband and I as childless orphans--I am amazed that many of you have kids older than us! Does never having kids mean never having to grow up?

I wrote a poem when I was leaving home at 21 where the ending said: “No matter where we’ve been or how many roads we’ve traveled, all roads lead homeward.” And where is Home but that special place within the Heart?

And to all of you and all of yours, I thank you for coming and wish you all a blessed Home Coming.

Jackhammer: Back to the Dirt Movement

2007-09-02T07:26:00.000-07:00

The following letter is very impressive, as is culturechange.org. I was pleased to see Sustainable Port Townsend, where we used to live, mentioned. I don't know what Sustainable Tucson would look like or even if it's possible in the desert, but we better start investigating (uh, preparing?!) for when "the change" comes! I'd like to see the use of parks, parking lots and especially golf courses utilized for growing food (provided there's still water). Potential new movements: "Roll back the pavement for food" or "Jackhammer: Back to the Dirt Movement"?

I checked out www.sustainabletucson.org and am very impressed by what is going on beyond the urban sprawl here. It's time for me to start getting involved in my own townhome community, e.g., to discuss solar, community gardens, the possibility of a greenhouse, removing non-native plants, etc. I'd sure like to see the hot and dirty blacktop jackhammered, but that's a long-range goal when the use of vehicles is brought to a stand-still. LJ

Begin forwarded message:

From: Culture Change
Date: September 2, 2007 1:48:48 AM PDT
To: culturechange@lists.mutualaid.org
Subject: Sail transport and Puget Sound's SCALLOPS network

Culture Change Letter #165

Sail transport and Puget Sound's SCALLOPS network

by Jan Lundberg (with contributions by Fulvio Casali, Paul Flowers,
Dan Bednarz, and Vic Opperman)

In the waters around Seattle, Washington, three dozen communities are
enriching their bioregion with a common vision of sustainability --
despite the pressures of corporate globalization dominating almost
everyone's life. This new vision is being coupled with the
resurgence of sailing, with an eye to the tempestuous horizon
promising the unprecedented effects of peak oil and global heating.

The roots of this developing project include local, native traditions
as well as some modern daydreaming sailors hailing from as far away
as California.

With faith in both humanity and renewable-energy powered sails, an
historic movement is getting off the ground in the Puget Sound. The
group called Sustainable Ballard had already advanced green
initiatives in their Ballard neighborhood northwest of downtown
Seattle, gaining the attention of Al Gore. After much success in its
four years of organizing, the group has an offspring that seems
destined to become far bigger than the parent: SCALLOPS - Sustainable
Communities All Over Puget Sound.

To read the rest of this report and see maps and such, go to:
http://culturechange.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=120&Itemid=2#cont
- make sure all the address is pasted into browser.]

* * * * *

CULTURE CHANGE
P.O. Box 4347
Arcata, CA 95518 USA
Telephone and fax: 1-215-243-3144
Email: info@culturechange.org

Thank you! Ask us about tax-deductibility information.

We appreciate your feedback. Our website has a Forum.

Pass along the subscription link below to enable a friend to sign up
to receive Culture Change Letters via email.

"Sicko" and Our Shameful Sick-Care System

2007-07-14T18:10:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Do you ever feel like rioting and burning effigies of the powers-that-be? I do, even as an alleged Buddhist, or especially so. I've felt riotous often over the past 7-1/2 years, but especially after seeing Michael Moore's brilliant and woefully accurate documentary, "Sicko". I saw it with 8 others, ironically or appropriately on the day we were supposed to celebrate the illusion of American democracy. I felt ashamed, depressed and outraged that our nation has declined to such an inhumane place in its history of not caring for its sick. It's unconscionable and nearly unbelievable. But believe it, so that we can change it! Of course, I immediately wanted to move to Canada, France, Britain, Germany, Australia, Costa Rica or even Cuba, where I know I wouldn't go bankrupt if I suddenly became ill or injured. And I wouldn’t have to stress about whether or not I was “covered”. Moore did a splendid job of getting out of the way and letting middle class Americans tell their grim tales of being "under insured" and denied treatment. What the hell is that? Other countries don't "under insure"! They have UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE, health care that's available to ALL, rich or poor, with no fear of "pre-existing” conditions. Doctors get paid for offering the best treatments available and helping people stay well. What a concept!

The movie showed a disabled 9/11 emergency worker who has difficulty paying $125 for her lung medication. She discovered that the same medication in Cuba costs .5 cents!!!!!!!!! Cuba is a poor country, thanks to years of ridiculous embargoes, but they have accessible health care on nearly every block. Another scene showed Americans living in Paris. It was pointed out that in France the government is afraid of the people, who frequently protest for their rights and, therefore, have them (universal health care, a 35-hour work week, minimum 5 weeks vacation, 6 months+ maternity leave, home health care, preventative medicine and amazingly good wine). Unfortunately, we Americans seem to be afraid of big-daddy government that keeps us brainwashed and afraid. Universal health care is akin to communism here. Actually, I think middle class Americans have become too sick, too in debt and too hopeless to do anything different...like protest.

I believe that instituting a government run, universal health care system is the right thing to do, and getting insurance company profiteers out of the picture. Insurance companies should not be dictating how doctors treat people! I'll gladly pay my taxes for this rightful coverage for all. Unfortunately, corporate government and corporate medicine are not going to change easily. Therefore, we have to! So, get on your boots, get as healthy as you can and CRY BLOODY MURDER because that's what's being done to many middle-class people through our current healthcare-less system. Michael Moore may just help push the momentum for this overdue change. The wealthiest nation shouldn't be the sickest at our cost!

Don't miss this movie! Your life or someone you care about may depend on it!

To OUR health and WE, the people!

Riotous Stone

P.S. The best revenge is living a healthy lifestyle and avoiding modern medicine altogether.

The Blind Angel and His Dog

2007-03-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

Feeling harassed by Friday afternoon traffic, I drove into the supermarket parking lot to complete the last tedious errand of the day. I was immediately thrown out of my negative reverie by seeing a blind man standing on the side of the driveway with a beggar’s cup and red and white cane. He was dressed in black, looking dignified though threadbare. Lying beside him was a black Shetland sheepdog, one of my favorite breeds, wearing an orange work-dog shirt.

My heart did a somersault. Was it the dog or the blind man or the whole scenario? I pulled my car over, grabbed a $5 dollar bill and raced over to put this into his cup, as his sweet dog jumped up to greet me. The man with ‘God’ printed on his worn cup thanked me and blessed me. I don’t know what came over me, but I reached up to stroke his face as if reconnecting with a long lost lover or holy person. He was receptive and asked for a hug. He asked my name, spoke to me about his sister and complained about how someone yelled at him for using a “work dog”. However, I did not focus on his words, I just continued to hold onto his arm. He referred to me as an angel, but he was more of an angel to me. I was without words to express this and left bowing and blessing him and his beautiful dog.

In that brief interchange I was struck hard with unconditional love and compassion for someone sightless and without means. There but for fortune or karma go you or I. I was in tears as I got gas and wandered through Fry’s supermarket, conflicted with love and shame. It aggrieves me what abundance there is, how much we squander and how many do not get enough. This inequity felt absolutely unacceptable to me. And then, what is enough?

In contrast, I stopped at an upscale market three days before for a couple of low-end items and stood next to a woman at the check out paying $724 for two bags. These were not two bags of very expensive groceries but alcohol, one bottle of Scotch costing over $400! And I felt like a total cheapskate putting a $5 bill in the blind man’s cup when I had a wallet full of twenties.

How do we address these gross inequities? I just wanted to hold this man and his dog. I had a hard time letting him go, letting all those who suffer go so I can continue my life of plenty. I agonized about returning with more money or getting groceries for him. When I came out of the market and found him gone, I felt both saddened and relieved, my guilt temporarily assuaged. There was nothing more I could do now. Until the next person I encounter in need. Then what? Do I just put more money in the cup and walk away?

What if we could look directly into the eyes of poverty or suffering without turning away? How could we change things? How can each of us make a difference?

Journaling Through Time

2007-01-27T19:38:00.000-08:00

“It’s time”, she whispered in my ear. “It’s time to bring the messages forward into the present by perusing notes from the past”.

What? I squinted my skeptical, scrunched eyes at the veiled woman in my usual judging-mind fashion, while nodding my head in spatial-mind/intuitive agreement.

“OK, whatever you say, oh, Wise One!”

Fatima was let out of the bag today, so to speak, appearing to me during an exercise at a Jungian workshop on “Using Messages from the Unconscious”. We were asked to identify a life decision that we would like guidance on and engage in a dialogue with an ensuing figure. Hello, Fatima, my personal genie! In researching her and watching the hairs on my arms stand up, it looks like I’ve conjured up Muhammad’s daughter, who is referred to by the Shi’i as “The Virgin” and “The Mother of the two Jesuses!” And then there is Fatima, Portugal, where three children in 1917 began having visions of the Virgin Mary and where Christian pilgrims have flocked to ever since! So, we have Fatima in Mecca and the Virgin Mary in Fatima!

Oh, sweet grace, this is a wonderful example of Jung’s concept of ‘synchronicity’ “being the experience of two or more occurrences (beyond coincidence) in a manner that is logically meaningful, but inexplicable, to the person or persons experiencing them. Such events would also have to suggest an underlying pattern in order to satisfy the definition of synchronicity as developed by Jung.”

The pattern for me would be receiving assistance from and connecting more intimately with the feminine spirit, and who better to arise than two revered virgins from two major religious groups. My first image of Fatima was more of the belly-dancing, genie-out-of-the-bottle magician type. Now we’ve got the virgin-seductress-magician. What a fabulous trinity!

Having recovered from getting my mind blown, my quest and request of Fatima is how to deepen my creative life, which certainly coincides with my spiritual life, and to be open to something not yet visible. The veiled feminine that appeared is a rich, numinous image for my bringing forth years of private journal writings and essentially unveiling the pearls of the greater Self. Jung refers to the “big” Self, as opposed to the little “ego self”, as “the instigator in the process of individuation, embracing the whole of psychic totality, incorporating conscious and unconscious, the archetype of wholeness.”

As for archetypes, here are some interpreations that I gleaned from the web:

"The word 'archetype' was coined by Carl Jung, who theorized that humans have a collective unconscious, deposits of the constantly repeated experiences of humanity.... a kind of readiness to reproduce over and over again the same or similar mythical ideas.... This shared memory of experiences has resulted in a resonance of the concepts of hero and heroine that transcends time, place and culture. Jung called these recurring personalities archetypes, from the Greek word archetypes, meaning 'first of its kind'."

"Where do the archetypes come from? In his earlier work, Jung tried to link the archetypes to heredity and regarded them as instinctual. We are born with these patterns which structure our imagination and make it distinctly human. Archetypes are thus very closely linked to our bodies. In his later work, Jung was convinced that the archetypes are psychoid, that is, 'they shape matter (nature) as well as mind (psyche)' (Houston Smith, Forgotten Truth, 40). In other words, archetypes are elemental forces which play a vital role in the creation of the world and of the human mind itself."

In another exercise we were asked to select the life role or persona/archetype that we highly identify with. As a practitioner of Chinese medicine, I identify with the role of Healer/Guide. In my mind this persona/archetype is flexible, accepting, compassionate, passionate, a good listener, an animated teacher, sharer and space-holder of intimacies, finds comfort in paradox, encourages and empowers others in lightening their burdens and finding humor and empathy with the inevitable human condition of suffering.

I also identify with the Rebel/Sage who is a wise rascal, funny, philosophical, inquiring, imaginative, independent, introverted but can work the crowd, advocate of peace, questions authority, abhors status quo and injustice.

The shadow side of the above, and maybe more in line with the Rebel, is that I can be critical, cynical, inflexible, righteous, judgmental, intolerant of intolerance, unforgiving of stupidity, suspicious of any organization, and a general snob.

Ain't being human fun?

On the webpage where I found “Fatima—Miracles and Prophecy”, I was captivated by this quote:

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is".
—Albert Einstein

Thank you, Albert! I’ll take the latter.

Another synchroncity was that three people named 'Stone' came together in the workshop today. So here begins (or continues) the everyday miraculous life and dreamscape of Linda Joy Stone whose last name is derived from "Stenberg" and the Swedish translation—“One who comes from Stone Mountain”.

Stay tuned for "Journaling Through Time's" first installment: I. Seven Years in the Desert and Introduction to the Notebook.

The Good Shepherd

2007-01-14T14:28:00.000-08:00

"The Good Shepherd" is a suspenseful, informative 2-3/4 hour movie about the creation of the CIA spanning some 40 years up to the early 60s and Bay of Pigs fiasco. Scenes of Matt Damon going through Yale’s Skull & Bones initiations and retreats at Deer Island reminded me of Bush father and son, not to mention John Kerry, being members of this elite secret society. Another reminder was of George Bush, Sr., as CIA agent during the Cuban Missile Crisis and short-lived Kennedy era and later as CIA Director under Reagan. (See http://www.totse.com/en/conspiracy/dead_kennedys/161963.html.)

Matt Damon was superb as the quiet, patriotic, emotionally constrained agent that was forced to suffer his demons in silence. After all, that’s the nature of his work. Secrecy and suppression. The movie had a great cast of characters, superbly directed by Robert DeNiro, as well as his portrayal as a diabolic diabetic general. The cinematography in capturing the era and suspense was stunning. There was a very poignant scene at the height of Cold War tensions where a Russian is being tortured by a CIA agent, a la beatings and water boarding. The bloodied man is put on LSD as a truth serum to force him to confess who he "really" is besides being a defector that’s he’s claiming to be. The big moment for me came when the Russian blurts out that "Russia is no threat to America...Russia is a bloated cow." Bingo. Nations have always needed a "threat", an enemy, to maintain power and beef up its arsenals, even if the threat is imaginary.

"The Good Shepherd" is movie making at its best about the “evil we do in the name of good”, to quote our local Tucson movie critic, and it gets my Oscar vote (if it counted!). See http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/review.php?id=1895 for a review.

May you not buy into "the threat" and learn to see other as yourself!

2007: More of the Same or Something Different?

2007-01-05T20:18:00.000-08:00

And what will the year 2007 bring to our little planet Earth and all its endangered critters? Will their be a leap in consciousness at long last or a continual decline in intelligence? Will we end the US war in Iraq or start another one in Iran? Will America wake up and oust its infantile president or continue to reward corporate criminals? Will small and sustainable become cool or amassing wealth and big, shiny suburban assault vehicles remain status quo? Will folk protest music become hip and hip hop not? Will baggy butt-crack pants be replaced with trousers and button-down shirts? Will boomers and old hippies finally awaken from our yuppified stupor and start working for peace and brotherhood again or will we just keep consuming and snoozing in our Lazyboys? Will I continue to be cynical and ashamed of my species or truly learn to believe that all sentient beings are precious and here again and again to wake up to the vastness of being?

May all mother sentient beings boundless as the sky have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May they be liberated from suffering and the causes of suffering.
May they never be separated from the happiness that is free from sorrow.
May they rest in equinimity free from attachment and aversion.

Peace, love and pass the bong...or the broccoli.

Solstice Astrology, et al

2006-12-26T15:43:00.000-08:00

The world at large continues to play out its drama as we continue to dance with it. Alex and I try hard not to engage the fear and violence through our tendency to cynicism and outrage. Thanks be to Ned (patron saint of comfortable shoe wear) for “The Daily Show”, “The Colbert Report” and “The Simpsons” for comic relief! Mother Nature might have the last laugh anyway with global warming and rapid climate change. Will the Sonoran Desert become another Sahara or a rainforest? We’re hoping for a seaport with a view of the California Islands. Nevertheless, we’re a pretty resilient species, kind of like cockroaches, and capable of making positive changes in renewable energy and sustainable agriculture, we just need a crisis to move us. Uh, hello…wakey...wakey! It's time to retrofit America and wean off our oil and coal dependence.

How about as an experiment we give war a rest and see what peace, cooperation and shared resources might be like. Has it ever been done? “…Imagine there’s no country, no religion, too. You may call me a dreamer, but I’m not the only one…” (Thank you, J.L., may you and Nixon RIP! Actually, Nixon has probably already returned to earth as a peacenik in some repressed nation to burn off some karma. J.L. might have completed his last stand here and is working as a Bodhisattva with Gandhi.)

Regarding the current, yet ever-changing cosmic terrain, here are some mind teasers from Stephanie Austin of Mountain Astrologer Magazine:

• The cosmic line-up of planets recently in Sagittarius generated a riptide in consciousness, loosening us from the moorings of our social, religious, and cultural conditioning. (Yes!!!)
• Jupiter, the ruling planet of Sagittarius, quintile to Neptune, widened the doorway to higher consciousness. (We can do it!!!)
• One more factor indicates that we are poised for a quantum leap. The New Moon (on December 20th) and Pluto aligned with the Galactic Center (GC), where a super black hole, 4 million times more massive than our Sun, occupies the hub and heart of our Milky Way galaxy. (!!!!!!!!) Black holes are titanic energy sinks and also colossal transmitters of radio waves, with periodic flares of x-ray and infrared radiation…This catalyzes evolutionary changes in both our bodies and our psyches; we’re being retooled, rewired, and re-coded.” (Consider acupuncture to help fine tune your vessel!) Although Pluto’s astronomical classification is debatable, Plutonian transits still coincide with major transitions and initiations, where we explore the unconscious, shadow parts of human nature, release or transform whatever is blocking our progress, and ultimately realize our true identity, purpose and relationship with all of Creation.” (Whooooooooooo Huuuuuuuuuuuuuu!) And, Pluto aligns with the GC only once every 248 years; the last pass occurred in 1758-59, just preceding the Industrial and American Revolutions.

“This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius…the Age of Aquarius….
A Q U A R I U S…” According to the Mayan Calendar, there are a series of cycles going back to the Big Bang and some 16.4 billion years ago that will be culminating in 4-5 short years! Wowie zowie! (Read "The Mayan Calendar and the Transformation of Consciousness" by Carl Johan Calleman, PhD.) Are we on the brink of a r/evolution in consciousness or just a cosmic hiccup? We have our cosmic helmets and red shoes ready. There’s no place like here. There’s no place like now. There’s no place like Om. (Read "Crazy Wisdom" by Wes Nisker.)

May this find you well and awakening from humanity’s long slumber. As the Maya say “I am another yourself.”

May all beings be happy,

Greetings from Stoneland!

2006-11-03T10:53:00.000-08:00

Ready or not here we come...diving mind first into this truly boggling inner world of the blogosphere. Are we leaping into the collective unconscious that may be slowly becoming more conscious? It's hard to say when the outer Fox-news-world appears to be spinning out of control, collapsing in on its own lies, tumbling through the rabbit hole...the worm hole?...and maybe leading us downward into the depths where we can be reborn into a new, awakened species. Wouldn't that be nice to find a peaceful resting place from all the doing, going, building, striving, taking, plundering, consuming?

Ah, so. Let's hear it for Lao Tzu, the master of paradox, balancing Yin and Yang, doing/not-doing, with Carl Jung's "holding the tension of the opposites". These are my favorite teachers along with modern day masters of paradox —Alan Watts and Pema Chodron.

Speaking of paradox, how about a little bastardized Charles Dickens with "These were the best of times. These were the worst of times?" We live in such an amazingly, exciting moment, on an amazingly paradisical planet. Likewise, we live on the brink of destruction due to our insatiable appetites for more, bigger, faster, higher. America can no longer afford the "me" generation and taking all that we can. It is no longer about me but about ALL. What if I considered allowing myself less, smaller, simpler, slower?

I have a fantasy that my country, America, starts to awaken and take responsibility for many of the problems in the world. I imagine our hearts starting to soften and open. I imagine there being no need to judge or harm others for living or thinking differently, no need to try to rule others' lives. I imagine world leaders coming together to the same table to discuss how we can make a better world so that all living creatures, so that our living/breathing/nourishing planet, Gaia, may survive and flourish.

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

—John Lennon

To find out more about Lindex Stoneland go to www.stoneland.us