Oneness Against The Machine

It humbles me to know that your path was destined to converge with mine. Every step we take is a step closer to our own further understanding of Self, and every person we meet is literally a reflection of our desire to understand the very nature of who we are through others. When our paths cross, not only does it mean that you subconsciously chose this particular path so that it would connect with yours. The path to self-awareness and self-understanding is receprocal and equal. Each of us learn equally of ourselves through others. No one person has greater wisdom and experience gained than the other, since everyone is an aspect of one's own Self. Therefore, I will learn as much about my Self through you as you will through me. There is no hierarchy, since that is only an Illusion that man exploits to control others less aware of this truth.

All the cultural Isms that divide one people from each other through lines of skin color, gender, religion and so forth, is simply a challenge so that Humanity can see beyong the Illusion of Seperation and through it our inherent Oneness and Equality. So long as we invest and perpetuate the Illusion of Seperation by believing in the value of the Illusion of Sepration (i.e., materialism, classism, capitalism, etc..), we will always live in a state of inequality, imbalance, injustice, exploitation, poverty, starvation, and self-perpetuated suffering.

The powers that be -- the elite ruling classes -- derive their power from our constant belief in the Illusion of Separation. It is this belief that drives the machine -- the soulless abomination -- that invades countries and destroys cultures in the name of profit and under the guise of freedom. The machine is the God, that the powers that be, worship and want us to believe in, and so long as we believe in it, we are bound to obey for fear of the wrath of disbelieving in this false God that punishes those who go against it and blesses those who feed and sustain the beast of Seperation. That is why the rich and powerful believe they are so because they are blessed by God. That is why they put down those who are poor and homeless for not accepting their God of profit and exploitation -- their God of Separation.

The indigenous people of all colors resonate with this message of Oneness deep inside them. Oneness was our inherent spirituality before the religion of Separation came to confuse and brainwash Mankind into believing that they are the Truth and the only way to salvation. The indigenous peoples of the world struggle to keep the machine from taking over their lands and forcing them to assimilate into itself and accept a new culture sustained by mass consumerism. I see it today ..... Kids who prefer to go to Starbucks rather than the mom and pop store across the street. Kids on their cellphones and in the malls rather than being with their family.

The machine does not want us to lose faith in it, because it's power comes from us always believing in the value of material things and people over others...the hierarchy...the inequality...the Illusion of Speration. And so, the only true war is within us. The battle between good and evil is in fact the battle of Self between Oneness and Separtation. The Illusion of Separation wants us to think that Oneness can never be a reality, and that it will only be a path of constant suffering in a world that wishes to remain in a state of delusion and material fantasy. The powers that be, conscious of it or not, are agents of the Illusion of Separation. They fear that which they do not understand, and that which they do not understand they try to eliminate. And if they cannot do that, they will distort it so that they can control it. All that our leaders know is the Illusion of Separation. They know no better, so they fight and make wars for that which they believe is all that matters and exists. But they are not our enemy. They are simply a reflection of our Self and it's fear of the unknown and its unwillingness to let go of the Illusion of Separation.

We are like the battered wife who holds on to her marriage even though her husband continues to beat her. She knows no other life but this, and fears the uncertainty of leaving him. So she allows herself to be abused, because at least she knows what to expect. The cycle continues throughout history and within us. And the only way out is to let go. To not be afraid, for there is nothing to fear but our Selves.

Our mirror image changes only when we change. Thus, to change others, we must first change ourselves.

We're all caught up in the machine, and that's why the path of the one who has awaken from the delusion seems like an uphill struggle. But the universe always unfolds as it should. Humankind is itself one conscious being trying to figure itself out. We're in our adolescent, predatory stage of development in the eyes of the universe, and we have yet to fully learn and let go of our fear-driven behavior of controlling others. The immature, egocentric mind refuses to see itself as the problem, and runs from its own shadow as it bullies others thinking that the solution lies in seeing itself separate, and thus greater than the world, rather than being equal, interdependent, and one with it. What seems as a downward plunge into oblivion is, in the eyes of the universe, merely the next stage in the collective human development. No epoch of evolution has occurred without great suffering caused by those refusing to let go of their old ways.

As they wrote in Christian mythology, Satan laid claim on the world and made it the reality it is today, knowing full well of the inevitable...that one day God will come and take it all back. Unwilling to let go of the kingdom he created in his likeness. Satan obviously will do all it takes to keep it, and will go so far as to exploit all of his world's resources and people as a last fit to hold onto all that he believes is real...like a child with a temper tantrum latching onto a toy he stole before his daddy takes it back. The child doesn't want to accept the truth of what it had done, nor does he want to let go of what he thinks is rightfully his. But the father knows that the only way to grow up is to let go...and that in reality the child will gain more than he will lose if he just lets go of his old ways.

Our planet is our mother and we are her only begotten children. Like any mother, she patiently allows us to exploit her of her unselfish generosity and limited resources, hoping one day that her brat of a child will grow up and realize its true potential and destiny in the universe. The cosmos mocks our mother, throwing asteroids and cosmic radiation at her child, but she continues to protect her even if the universe thinks we are a hopeless cause. This is what the story of Mary and her child who became the Christ is about. It's an allegory of our lives on earth and the Christ that we all are destined to become if we let go our our old ways. Jesus as a child refused his destiny, and so he left the comforts of his mother to journey alone in the desert.

His entire teenage life was undocumented in the Bible. Why? Because we are documenting and experiencing his teenage life as we speak. The struggle, the denial, the attachment, the humanity of it all.

And then when we grown out of our teenage lives, we will have to confront our own reflection -- the machine and all those who sustain the delusion of separation; that aspect of you that refuses to let go of the reality it has invested so much of itself in. The inner struggle of man is the true Armageddon. Because man refuses to confront its Self from within, the struggle manifests itself into the outside world. But we will fight constant wars and kill millions more until we realize that the war is really within us.

And when we conquer our egos, we will have taken that next step in our inevitable evolution. And then our planet -- our mother -- can finally let go, move on with her own life and evolve as well. As it all should.[source]

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Brian Sanchez hopes to reinstate the All Is One Society website and organization, and invites spiritually like-minded individuals interested in being a part of this venture to E-mail him.

Evolution Through Adversity

That which we normally think makes us grow spiritually actually serves to reinforce our current prespective. That which we normallly think hinders us from spiritual growth is in fact the greatest catalyst for self-realization and evolution.

There are two types of people we will encounter in our lives -- those that reinforce our current prespectives and those who challenge them. For example, to those who spirtual understanding resonates similarly with my own, we may serve as catalysts for each other's forward spiritual growth; that is, my existence as it converges onto your path serves to encourage you forward on your spiritual path and reaffirm your curent spiritual perspective, and vice-versa. We serve to cast no doubt on each othert's paths and perspectives. In the playing field of existence we have chose to partake in, I am your cheerleader and you are mine.

However, to those who spiritual understanding runs contrary to my own, we may serve as catalysts for each other's upward spritual growth; that is, my existence as it converges onto your path serves to encourage you upward on your spiritual path by challenging your current spiritual perspective, and vice-versa. Unwittingly or not, we serve to cast doubt on each other's paths and perspectives.

In the playing field of existence we have chosen to partake in, we are each other's adversary, enemy, and foe. If we choose, we can perceive ourslves as obstacles to our forward progression. Many of us still do. We can fight each other and you may beat me, but doing so will only clear the path back onto our current spiritual perspective that we have both become complacent with.

In truth, it is only when our current perspectives are challenged that we are presented with the opportunity for upward spiritual growth and wisdom. The immovable object is immovable because it is not meant to be moved. It is not for us to change our mold in order to serve our perceptions. It serves to make us move, to remold ourselves and reassess our perceptions. It is our stepping stone onto a higher level of understanding if we so choose to see it that way. True wisdom can only be earned through surpassing adversity by reconciling with that which on the surface seems to obstruct us from our forward progression, but in reality is a stepping stone to our upward enlightenment. When we are that higher plane of spirtitual understanding, we will no longer share the same perspective that we had held onto before -- in truth, our spiritual perspective will be far greater and can never again be less as we progress onto an entirely new path forward. [source]

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Brian Sanchez hopes to reinstate the All Is One Society website and organization, and invites spiritually like-minded individuals interested in being a part of this venture to E-mail him.

To My Christian Friends

You believe your God has orchestrated a divine plan for His creation, and that all events which either have taken place or will take place were foreseen by this God with infallible certainty, and taken into consideration for this plan. You believe that this plan is motivated heavily by of God's unwavering love for His creation, and His desire for us to live healthy, ethical lives followed by an eternity of happiness along side Him in Heaven.

You also believe that your God is perfect, and sovereign. And as such, you believe that as mere human beings, we have no grounds to critique or question this plan; that any flaw or inadequacy we may see in the plan is attributable to our imperfections as sinful, arrogant, rebellious, finite beings.

That in mind, I want to take a moment to remind you of what this plan essentially is. Because I think you rarely afford yourself the opportunity to step back appreciate it as a whole. So without further ado, here it is. God's perfect plan for His creation; the big checklist in the sky. Take a look:

Decide to arrange for something other than yourself to exist.

Create a being by the name of Lucifer, with full knowledge that this being will betray you and ultimately cause an infinite amount of suffering, unnecessarily.

Allow an unfathomably horrific dimension of existence known as Hell to emerge (created by yourself or perhaps Lucifer) and allow that dimension to continue existing. Don't override or prevent such a thing. It will come into play later.

Create objective, unchanging moral prescriptions and base them on whatever your nature happens to be, then label any action or thought that is contrary to these standards, "sin".

Be sure to include in these moral prescriptions edicts for social and psychological health, such as:

-Encouragement to beat one's children with a rod. (Proverbs 23:13-14 )

-Permission to buy and sell slaves, and will them as property to one's children for life. (Leviticus 25:44-46)

-Requirement that women not be allowed to teach or have authority over men. (Timothy 2:9-14)

-And of course, the instruction to kill anyone who expresses interest in worshipping other gods. (Deuteronomy 13:6-10)

Design a physical universe, planets, animals and vegetation all with the appearance of age. Be sure to include in your creation biological flaws, redundancies and over-complications that appear as if they were the product of blind, cumulative processes. Perhaps a urinary tract that runs straight through the prostate gland, or an unnecessary appendix prone to inflation and rupturing, or maybe a respiratory and digestive system forced to share the same plumbing. (These are just a few working ideas.)

Create a garden with a tree bearing fruit that, when eaten, provides knowledge of your objective moral standards. Then create two sentient, cognitive human beings without knowledge or awareness of these standards, and instruct them not to eat from the tree which would enlighten them. (In other words, arrange it so that only after they eat from the tree are they capable of understanding that doing so was a violation of objective moral standards.)

Warn these cognitive beings that they will undoubtedly die if they eat from this tree, but do not follow through if they do. Endow a reptile with vocal chords, lips, or some other means of speaking audibly to your cognitive beings, enabling it to make a convincing case to one of them for eating from the tree. Do not prevent this or intervene.

Once one of your cognitive beings do eat from the tree and finally understand what "sin" is, (right on schedule), punish them for having committed it. Curse them with painful childbirth, disease, unplentiful food, labor, sweat, thorns and thistles, etc.

By this point, make sure these cognitive beings have been equipped for reproducing themselves and multiplying. And because one of them has sinned, arrange that every one of their descendants until the end of time will be born with an inherent "sinful nature", defaulting in a future of everlasting torment. Do not by any means allow each of them to be born with a clean slate and the capacity for living a sin-free life if they desire, as you did with your first two prototypes.

Arrange that these beings have a "soul" which keeps their thoughts and feelings, and other cognitive faculties in existence forever, one way or another. Then, allow the "sinfulness" of these beings to be incompatible with your presence, and let Hell be the only other place their souls can go once they exit the physical world. (Do not make any attempt to spare these souls the eternal torment of Hell, such as allowing souls to cease existing or creating an additional realm for them to reside besides with you or in Hell.)

Over time, allow these beings to populate the Earth you have created, knowing with infallible certainty that after so many generations, they will disappoint you enough that you find it necessary to kill all of them in a global flood and start all over from scratch.

When this happens (again, right on schedule), make an exception for one small family of cognitive beings whom you deem "righteous". Of course it goes without saying that your powers of omniscience allow you to know, again with infallible certainty, that this family too will ultimately disappoint you in the same way as those you drowned, rendering the entire endeavor futile... But for now it's best that you pretend not to know that.

Instruct this small disappointment of a family to populate the entire planet all over again, by way of incest.

Declare that, until further notice, the only way for these cognitive beings to rectify their sinful nature while on Earth is to perform ritual animal sacrifices and other acts of senseless violence. Additionally, when certain "sins" are committed by any of your cognitive beings, demand that the surrounding community kill that being themselves.

In the meantime, perform many epic miracles for all to see, and intervene often with your physical creation. (Stop the sun in the sky, part the Red Sea, turn rivers into blood and women into pillars of salt, give men super-human strength, speak to the thousands with a booming voice from Heaven, etc.) ...But before these cognitive beings become advanced enough in the areas of science and communication that they could actually document, share, playback and verify these epic miracles, make sure you stop performing them altogether.

Decide at some point that the most pressing of your objective moral prescriptions are not as obvious to these cognitive beings as you once thought. Take this opportunity to chisel your top ten moral concerns onto two tablets of stone, and commission one of your cognitive beings to deliver these tablets to the masses. Note to self: Roughly half of these moral concerns should center around pleasing you, praising you, and remaining loyal to you.

After several thousand years, impregnate one of these cognitive beings so that she gives birth to your son in physical form, who also happens to be you at the same time.

Allow this cognitive being (who is your son but also you) to grow up and make several revisions to you/your son's original standards of morality, and then arrange for other cognitive beings to torture and kill you/your son. Authorize this sacrifice of yourself to yourself as a means of granting all other cognitive beings immunity from the consequences of their sinful nature, which you allowed them to be born with in the first place.

Do not, however, make this sacrifice free. Establish that none of these cognitive beings shall be eligible for the benefits of this sacrifice unless they actively believe that it happened. In other words, despite the quality of their intentions, any cognitive being henceforth who finds themselves unconvinced that these events actually took place is unwittingly designating themselves for the endless suffering of Hell.

That established, be sure to refrain from making it clear and knowable to the rest of the world that these events actually took place. Ensure that no cognitive being born after the 1st century has the luxury of witnessing your son (who is also you) say or do anything that would indicate he was a living God. Again, make sure all of this occurs before advancements in science and technology are available to verify it for those who weren't present.

Arrange so that the only surviving record of these events will be authored anonymously by non-eyewitnesses, translated to a language different from the one you/your son will speak, written no earlier than thirty years after you/your son performs these miracles and makes these claims. However, do make sure these tex ts feature the precept that believing in something without evidence is morally superior to investigation and verification.

Make sure that after only a few decades, the only accounts of these events in existence are copies of copies of copies, which will be verifiably altered and added to in historically and theologically signifigant ways from generation to generation, sect to sect. Do not preserve the original copies of these accounts. Do not protect them from revision. Do not set in place any mechanism for protecting them against being interpreted in hundreds upon hundreds of ways, most of which being heretical and therefor punishable.

Do not bother to employ your omniscience in such a way as to discern which of these cognitive beings are truly rebelling, and which simply don't know how to distinguish you from other versions of God which do not in fact exist, but are attributed the same claims of exclusivity.

Do not make it clear to these beings that you even exist. Allow for your existence to remain an easily debatable, easily questionable, and easily doubtable proposition. Allow billions and billions of souls to be unthinkably tortured for all of eternity regardless of their character, integrity, bravery, responsibility, or conduct, because they had not correctly assumed that the right set of propositions were true by the time their lives on earth were over.

Finally, when all is said and done, demand that you be praised for this plan. CHECK!

"Scott's thoughts on Religion, Atheism, Philosophy, Morality, and Skepticism are aired for public debate.  Scott uses his logic and reasoning, common sense and wit to shine a light on the ridiculous notion of Christianity....Check out his website, Theoretical Bullshit."

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Used by Permission: By TheoreticalBullshit, ©2009

I Am Expression Of The One

A Reflection of your hopes and dreams, your fears and your love. A Microcosm of the Universe and all there is, seen and unseen. I am no better than you, nor am I worse. I am as equally unique in my experiences as you are in yours. I humbly offer my observations of Oneness in a Self-induced and Self-perpetuating Illusion of Seperation and Suffering. Suffering exists because we believe that it is a part of our Reality. But Suffering,like all things, is an Illusion -- a vibrational frequency pattern of the One.

To break free from the Illusion is to realize that we are All One. Infinite Oncess is the only Truth. All else is Illusion. To realize that All Is One is to realize that Suffering is but a Reflection of our Self. A manifestation of our Fear. To break free from the Illusion of Fear is to realize that our Fears are but a Reflection of our Self. To realize that what we run from is our own Shadow, and that Shadow will continue to haunt us until we turn around and face our Fears. Once we turn around, we realize that our Fear of the Unknown is in reality a mirror image of our Self.

The Suffering that exists in our Reality is but an Illusion brought about by our Fear of the Unknown. But to know thy Self is to Know that there is no Unknown, for All is One. All is Known. Seperation from All that is and can be Known is an Illusion. When we stand face-to-face with our Reflection and we do not like what we see, changing the Reflection does not change anything. In order to change the Reflection, We must change. We must BE the change. Only then will the World change. Only then will Reality change. Only then will Suffering end. For everything is but an Illusion that perpetuates so long as we believe that the Illusion is our fixed Reality. But it doesn't have to be.

The Illusion need not control us, for the Illusion is mearly a fequency pattern of the One. Rather, we can master the Illusion, for we are One with the Illusion. And with the Awareness comes Power. Power over the Illusion. Power to defy the Illusion. With Awareness comes Unlimited Potential. The Potential to literally move mountains. To bring the Solution. To bring and end to Suffering. To literally change the World. to be the Solution. To be the Miracle. But the change begins with the You.

The Revolution starts from within [source]

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Brian Sanchez hopes to reinstate the All Is One Society website and organization, and invites spiritually like-minded individuals interested in being a part of this venture to E-mail him.

Oneness And Attachment To The Illusion Of Separation

Anything that vibrates is an Illusion of Separation within Oneness. Oneness free from Illusion is the state of total balance and stillness. Once Oneness vibrates, it becomes an Expression of its own Self, unique in its own right within the Illusion of Separation but at the same time encompassing all of Oneness in its entirety.

The Separation perceived by an Expression of Oneness (and all that vibrates is an Expression of Oneness) only exists in Illusion, since energy that vibrates creates a parabolic oscillation of the One energy.

This oscillation of energy is what creates the Illusion of Polarity/Duality (meaning, we can never be free from opposing forces unless we stop vibrating!), which in turn manifests into the Illusion of Karma, which in turn manifests into the Illusion of Motion, which in turn manifests into the Illusion of Time. It is from the Illusion of Time manifested by the Illusion of Separation ("Space") within Oneness where we get the Illusion of the Unknown. Once an Expression of Oneness believes in the "reality" of the Unknown, it loses its awareness of its Self being Oneness, and that it is detached not only from Oneness but also from other Expressions of Oneness. This "densest" level of the Illusion of Separation is what we are experiencing now -- Oneness forgetting it is Oneness, so to speak, within the Space/Time Illusion. When one perceives one's self as a separate entity from All, it begins to Fear the Unknown, since it cannot perceive beyond its own limited physical senses. This Fear of the Unknown leads to Attachment to the Illusion of Separation, since the Illusion is all that the individual can perceive as "known". Attachment to the Illusion of Separation is what causes the Illusion of Suffering. The Space/Time loop of "history repeating itself" is in fact our subconscious choice of revisiting instances and events where we have yet to realize that our self-induced Suffering is caused by our Attachment to the Illusion of Separation.

Any form of suffering that repeats itself, from war to abusive relationships, is caused by Attachment. Our Attachment to the Illusions of vanity, old age, weight gain, selfish love, possessions, fame, money, power, materialism, etc., is the source of our self-induced and self-perpetuating experiences of Suffering. Therefore, there is no way one can end Suffering unless one lets go of the Illusion of Separation. Letting go is the greatest challenge for an Expression of Oneness, because our Fear of the Unknown has made us latch onto anything that we "know" is certain... like money, our looks, power, fame and materialism. Ultimately, it will be our Egos -- which thrive within the Illusion of Separation -- that will stand in our way to fully realizing Oneness. When we turn around and face our fears, what we will see is a reflection of our Selves. All the suffering we see around us -- and in fact all the people, places and instances we perceive around us -- are reflections of our hopes, loves, desires and fears.

To begin to break free from the Illusion of Suffering is to realize that no matter how we try to change our reflection (ie., trying to change or impose our will or beliefs upon others), we can never change anything unless we change our Self. Letting go of our own Selves is the final frontier for an Expression of Oneness to finally realize Oneness free from Illusion. Until that time comes, we will all continue to partake in the Illusion of Separation for what its worth, make the most of the lives we so choose to live, and live them how we wish to live them according our beliefs and perceptions of Self in relation to All. Whether we choose to see the true Oneness beyond the Veil of Forgetfulness, and live in accordance to our realization and understanding what All Is One, is entirely up to us [source].

Oneness does not imply Perfection but Continuous Perfecting.

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Brian Sanchez hopes to reinstate the All Is One Society website and organization, and invites spiritually like-minded individuals interested in being a part of this venture to E-mail him.

A Queer Bird Rising

There is a place where the Phoenix dwells. For seven thousand years, the devout of China have made offerings to this, one of the four celestial animals-spirits at the core of creation. He is said to reign over the South and his element is fire. He is the distillation of perfect light, Heaven’s grace, virtue, luck and happiness.

There is a realm where the Phoenix is and no physical being may follow. But at certain points on earth the Phoenix may appear, as it pleases him to show himself.

Heliopolis, City of the Sun, was such a place. In eternal Egypt, when the Sphinx was still new, the people raised a cut-off pyramid in honor of the Sun God. It was 66 feet high and its base was red polished granite. On top of the pyramid they erected a stone, the four-sided Ben-ben stone (“ben-ben” means outflow in Egyptian). The stone towered 118 feet high, its tip was a pyramidion covered with shining gold.

It was said in the sacred city of Heliopolis that this manmade mound marked the place where our material world rose, by the will of the creator Atum, out of the vast sea of chaos. So this is the place where “be-ing” changed to “becoming”. Out of the unmanifest rose this mound of mud. A reed (“what reed?” “How did a…” Be still. Listen.) floated onto the slowly rising hill. The reed takes root and grows. From out of the darkness a luminous bird of light appears and settles upon the reed. Who is this light-bird? It is the primordial form of Ra, the thought-form of Atum as he exists in the void. This is the Phoenix (benu bird) who begins to beat his great and multi-colored wings. Faster and faster he beats them until they glow with the colors of the rainbow! Suddenly light erupts into the universe. Ra, the golden orb, rises up magnificent, Ra the godhead made visible in the sun.

The ancient ones of Egypt had many creation stories with different gods taking the lead. They had no problem with this at all. One story said the universe was brought forth by the act of a single god Atum, who exists in thought and single consciousness. Before there was the duality of male and female there was the androgyn, the One.

“I was the one who came into bring as Atum. It was at Heliopolis that my phallus became erect. I grasped hold of it, and came to orgasm. Thus it was that the siblings Shu (form) and Tefnut (matter) were born.” - Pyramid Texts

He/she was lonely for creation, and grasping his erect cock, jacked the cosmos into existence! Out came duality, light and dark, male and female, and thus the gods, who brought forth all becomings. So some at Heliopolis say the ben-ben stone marked the spot where God’s semen fell, forming a great pillar at the dawn of time.

Always the flame and fire with the Phoenix! Always the sun in its eye. Even thousands of miles away in China the sun is connected to the multi-colored Feng-huang, the bird of paradise. The Feng-huang embodies all the virtues of Heaven. His head is like a red-gold cock, whose eye is the sun. Its back is like a swallow’s and is the crescent moon. Its wings are the four winds of change, purple and radiant. His tail is the lush exuberance of nature’s emerald and azure realm, representing the plants and seas and the creatures therein. Its feet are the solid earth itself. The Phoenix represents completeness but it will not manifest in times of corruption and bloodletting.

But back at Heliopolis they believe in the visitation of the Phoenix. The spirit of light, that has no parent, will come after a very long time, 500, 1,000 years? Herodotus, the “father of history”, was told the Phoenix brings the remains of its former self in an aromatic ball of myrrh, to be entombed at the holy city. In the fifth century B.C.E. was he told this, as he looked at the bird’s picture in the temple of Amon-Ra at Heliopolis.

The tale of the Phoenix is heard in Russia and Scandinavia, Persia, England and Africa and this is one:

“When the Phoenix grows ancient in years he makes a nest in the highest palm of Arabia. All manner of aromatic spices and bark are packed into it with rare gums and resins. As the divine Sun, Lord of Light, rises higher in the sky, the Phoenix sings a song of such poignant beauty that all creation is silent and still. At last, the desert sun climbs to its zenith and this rare and exquisitely colored bird sits on its pyre and begins to furiously beat its wings, like the first benu-bird at the dawn of time. The blur of feathers ignite the heated nest, flame bursts forth consuming resins, feathers, bark and all in a brilliant flare of white hot light.”

“I flew straight out of heaven, a mad bird full of secrets. I came into being as I came into being. I grew as I grew. I changed as I changed. My mind is fire, my soul fire. The cobra wakes and spits fire in my eyes. I rise through ochre smoke into black air enclosed in a shower of stars. I am what I have made. I am the seed of every god, beautiful as evening, hard as light. I am the last four days of yesterday, four screams from the edges of earth—beauty, terror, truth, madness — the phoenix on his pyre.”

“All that is left is a debris of smoldering ash. Is this, then, the end of creation’s song? But wait, in the debris of bone and ash, in the muck of destruction, stirs a tiny germ of becoming. A little golden worm is stirring! A little maggot of manifestation is renewing the Song of Light! Behold, it grows quickly assuming a chick-like shape and soon unfolds like a feathered lotus into a new and more radiant Phoenix! It arches its crimson neck and spreads out wings glowing like luminous gems. With a startling cry of triumph, it leaps into the heavens, sunlight flashing from every pigmented feather.” — Chapter LXXXIII The book of coming forth by day(Ani) 2300 B.C., Trans. Normandi Ellis in Awakening Osiris

Yes, the Phoenix is a queer bird. It has neither mate nor eggs. Is it then “unnatural” or a sacred mystery, like our own queer lives? How fitting then for we queer brothers to gather around our own ben-ben stone and altar. For the fire of passion burns within us.

It is a mystery we embrace like the Phoenix embraces the mystery of its own extinction, only to rise in splendid renewal. Isn’t part of our becoming the burning up of the old? The past is but a launch pad of our own transformation.

Remember, it was not enough for the creator God to; just be, in the unmanifest sea of the void. When we stand before the altar we feel the pull in our soul, the pull of a Great Becoming.

Ah, what will our wings look like when they unfurl?

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When The Least Of My People Are Blamed

From the Book, Observations of Oneness

by Brian Sanchez

If it is true that American citizens are willing to work the jobs and undergo the conditions only illegal immigrants are willing to subject themselves to, then why don't I see any of our millions of unemployed and/or homeless American citizens stand side-by-side with the illegal immigrant day laborers patiently waiting to get picked up in front of your local Home Depot stores? Why don't I see our milions of unemployed and/or homeless American citizens selling oranges or mangos on street corners rather than complaining that "those damn Mexicans" have taken their jobs and opportunities away from them? Why don't I see any of our millions of unemployed and/or homeless American citizens lining up to get jobs as plantation pickers, garment district sewers, or hotel maids?

Don't our American brothers and sisters realize the potential job opportunities they can tap into? Look at all the produce for sale you see in yoru supermakers. Look at all those houses, condos an office parks being built in and around your neighborhoods. Look at your neighbor's driveway being repaved and additional room being added. Look at all the latest technolgoical devices you and your friends carry inside your pockets and purses. Look at the very clothes and shoes that you wear, and all the clothes that you and your family own in yoru walk-in closets. Look at all the junk you own, and all the junk you covet? These are the fruits of millions of jobs just waiting for you to take! Am I right? You deserve it. You have been a hardworking, tay-paying American citizen all your life, right? You are entitled to it and all that this bountiful country offers, correct? Of course!

Then why don't I see you standing next your illigal brethren, waiting for an American citizen to pick you out among the eager crowd of immigrant day laborers in front of Home Depot, so you can help repave this American citizen's driveway or renovate his home?

If you need a job so much, then why don't I see you lining up to get jobs as a cherry plantation picker or a Best Western hotel maid?

Is it because you know you won't be offered a fair and adequate living wage? Is it because you are afraid that hte working conditions wont' be up to the decent humane standards? Is is because you won't be able to unionize if and when you believe you are being treated unfairly by your employers? Is it because you are afraid to be treated as less than human, with little to no regard of you and your family's well-being? Of course. Even the poor and homeless believe they deserve to be treated with respect.

Then what really is to blame? That is for you to ask yourself. Most are content with swatting mosquitoes to no end. Some choose to drain the water hole from which they hatched from. Few question why there is a hole in the first place.

A mother dingo leaves the safety of her natural habitat due to the unconscious human encroachment that has decimated her family's food source and way of life. She ventures off into the unknown of the urban wilderness looking for only the meager scraps discarded by these gluttonous humans so that she may return home to feed her needy children with whatever food she can find. In her search to feed herself and her children, she is eventually discovered by a fearful human, and is shot dead. She risked her life for the sake of her children. You would have done the same.

To quote a man whom millions of righteous Americans worship, but few if any actually strive to truly exemplify:

"Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me."

To the least of my people.

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Brian Sanchez hopes to reinstate the All Is One Society website and organization, and invites spiritually like-minded individuals interested in being a part of this venture to E-mail him.

Are You Ready To Change NOW?

EnlightenNEXT Magazine

Enlightenment for the 21st Century

by Andrew Cohen

Everybody wants to get enlightened but nobody wants to change. This is the simple, daunting truth that has been staring back at me from the eyes of countless seekers over the years.

"I really want to get enlightened," they insist. "But are YOU ready to CHANGE now?" I ask.

"What?" is the inevitable response—surprised and even slightly stunned.

And I repeat, "Are YOU ready to CHANGE now?"

What follows is always a strange and surreal moment of ambiguity, confusion, and backpedaling.

"But I thought you wanted to get enlightened... "

It is a very rare moment indeed when the evolutionary impulse—that mysterious urge toward unbounded freedom and our own potential for radical transformation in this life—arises in awareness, unimpeded by the endless fears and desires of the separate ego. But it is infinitely more rare that, when that impulse arises, there is a bold and fearless response that says yes and yes and yes and only yes, now and forever.

The price of radical transformation is always the same—we have to let go of fear and attachment. And, in that letting go, discover a completely different perspective on what it means to be alive. But it is these two tasks—transcending fear and attachment and being willing to embrace a new way of seeing—that most seekers find so challenging. When the spiritual experience sweeps through our entire being, spontaneously emptying us of fear and attachment and opening our inner eye to higher levels of perception, temporarily there is nothing to let go of. Temporarily, we are lifted out of our unconsciousness, and the way we perceive reality and our place in it shifts dramatically. And so it appears that a real transformation has occurred—that maybe we have indeed changed. But when the higher state of consciousness begins to recede, when the intensity of the spiritual experience becomes the simplicity of life as it is, when we discover that we have not changed as much as we thought we had, how profound is our interest in the miracle and mystery of the revelation that just descended upon us? Indeed, how much do we really want to change, even now that we have seen the yonder shore? Are we willing to pay the price of permanent transformation, when it demands everything from us?

More often than not, the spiritual experience, the taste of enlightened consciousness, merely gives us a glimpse of the possible. In other words, the spiritual experience is rarely the end of the path. But if we are sincere in our aspiration for genuine transformation, it can be the real beginning. The beginning of a completely different life—one that is free from fear and attachment and informed by revelation and an inspiration that comes from an unknown source beyond the mind. But for this to be the case, we have to WANT TO CHANGE NOW. When? Now. And now. And now. Why? Because the genuine willingness to change now is itself the letting go of fear and attachment that reveals a completely different perspective—now, and now, and now.

Enlightened consciousness not only is founded upon the desire for change but is the one and only place inside us all that ever thrives as change. That means FREEDOM itself. The freedom of enlightened consciousness is that relationship to the life process that, precisely because it holds on to nothing, seems to be changing all the time. Of course, it isn't. One who is truly enlightened never moves, abiding permanently beyond this world of time and becoming. But because of that immovable position, he or she is able, in the world of time and becoming, to be a striking manifestation of a passionate and unbridled creativity, a powerful force of conscious evolution in action.

So you see, wanting to change now, fearlessly and wholeheartedly, really being willing now, not only is the door to the freedom of enlightened consciousness but is simultaneously its expression.

So... are YOU ready to CHANGE now? But I thought you wanted to get enlightened...

"A great article that rings well with me today. I know a few people who claim they want "enlightenment" or want to "wake-up"....but these very people do not want change, and over the years, they have not change one bit......the same thing, different day.... enlightenment is born from experience based on knowledge....you have to get out there and live ....true enlightenment does not come from books, it comes from knowledge and experience. Giving it everything you have, and coming to and understanding -- this is when you own the experience, and this is when you become wise, thus being enlightened."

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The Paradox of Our Time

Dedicated to T with an I

We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever but less communication. We have become long on quantiity, but short on quality.

These are times fast foods, but slow digestion, tall man, but short character, steep profits, but shallow relationships, it is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. We have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but Learn less.

We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.

A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

What type of life can one enjoy if they do not have time to sit down and talk with an old friend for 5 minutes?

Hey T with an I, remember to give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

You do have some right?

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: 

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." - George Carlin

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The Waking Life

These wars, famines, floods and quakes meet well-defined needs. Man wants chaos. In fact, he's gotta have it. Depression, strife, riots, murder, all this dread. We're irresistibly drawn to that almost orgiastic state created out of death and destruction. It's in all of us. We revel in it.

Sure, the media tries to put a sad face on these things, painting them up as great human tragedies. But we all know the function of the media has never been to eliminate the evils of the world, no. Their job is to persuade us to accept those evils and get used to living with them.

The powers that be want us to be passive observers. And they haven't given us any other options outside the occasional, purely symbolic, participatory act of voting. You want the puppet on the right or the puppet on the left?

I feel that the time has come to project my own inadequacies and dissatisfactions into the sociopolitical and scientific schemes, let my own lack of a voice be heard.

You know, they say that dreams are real only as long as they last. Couldn't you say the same thing about life? See, there's a lot of us that are out there that are mapping the mind-body relationship, of dreams. We're called the oneironauts. We're the explorers of the dream-world. Really, it's just about the two opposing states of consciousness which don't really oppose, at all.

See, in the waking world, the neural system inhibits the activation of the vividness of memories. And this makes evolutionary sense. See you'd be maladapted for the perceptual image of a predator to be mistaken for the memory of one, and vice-versa.

If the memory of a predator conjured up a perceptual image, we would be running off to the bathroom every time we had a scary thought. So you have these serotonic neurons that inhibit hallucinations that they themselves are inhibited during REM sleep. See this allows dreams to appear real, while preventing competition from other perceptual processes. This is why dreams are mistaken for reality. To the functional system of neural activity that creates our world, there is no difference between dreaming a perception and an action, and actually the waking perception and action.

If the world that we are forced to accept is false and nothing is true, then everything is possible. On the way to discovering what we love, we will find everything we hate, everything that blocks our path of what we desire. The comfort will never be comfortable for those who seek what is not on the market.

A systematic questioning of the idea of happiness. We'll cut the vocal chords of every empowered speaker. We'll yank the social symbols through the looking glass.

We'll devalue society's currency. To confront the familiar.

Society is a fraud so complete and venal that it demands to be destroyed beyond the power of memory to recall its existence. Where there is fire, we will carry gasoline.

To interrupt the continuum of everyday experience and all the normal expectations that go with it. To live as if something actually depended on one's actions. To rupture the spell of the ideology of the commodified consumer society so that our repressed desires of a more authentic nature can come forward.

To demonstrate the contrast between what life presently is and what it could be. To immerse ourselves in the oblivion of actions and know we're making it happen.

There will be an intensity never before known in everyday life to exchange love and hate, life and death, terror and redemption, repulsions and attractions. An affirmation of freedom so reckless and unqualified, that it amounts to a total denial of every kind of restraint and limitation. What was missing was felt irretrievable. The extreme uncertainties of subsisting without working made excesses necessary and breaks definitive.

To quote Stevenson: "Suicide carried off many. Drink and the devil took care of the rest."

Haven't seen too many around lately. Things have been tough lately for dreamers. They say dreaming's dead, that no one does it anymore. It's not dead, it's just been forgotten. Removed from our language. No one teaches it so no one knows it exists. The dreamer is banished to obscurity.

Well I'm trying to change all that, and I hope you are too. By dreaming every day. Dreaming with our hands and dreaming with our minds.

Our planet is facing the greatest problems it's ever faced. Ever.

So whatever you do, don't be bored. This is absolutely the most exciting time we could have possibly hoped to be alive. And things are just starting.

I don't want to be an ant, you know? I mean, it's like we go through life with our antennas bouncing off one another, continuously on ant auto-pilot with nothing really human required of us. Stop. Go. Walk here. Drive there. All action basically for survival. All communication simply to keep this ant colony buzzing along in an efficient polite manner. "Here's your change." "Paper or plastic?" "Credit or debit?" "You want ketchup with that?" I don't want a straw, I want real human moments. I want to see you. I want you to see me. I don't want to give that up. I don't want to be an ant, you know?

And so many think because Then happened, Now isn't. But didn't I mention the ongoing "wow" is happening right now? We are all co-authors of this dancing exuberance where even our inabilities are having a roast. We are the authors of ourselves, co-authoring a gigantic Dostoevsky novel, starring clowns. This entire thing we're involved with called the world, is an opportunity to exhibit how exciting alienation can be. Life is a matter of a miracle that is collected over time by moments, flabbergasted to be in each other's presence.

The world is an exam to see if we can rise into direct experience. Our eyesight is here as a test to see if we can see beyond it. Matter is here as a test for our curiosity. Doubt is here as an exam for our vitality. Thomas Mann wrote that he would rather participate in life than write 100 stories. Giacometti was once run down by a car, and he recalled falling into a lucid faint, a sudden exhilaration, as he realized that at last something was happening to him. An assumption develops that you cannot understand life and live life simultaneously. I do not agree entirely. Which is to say I do not exactly disagree. I would say that life understood is life lived. But the paradoxes bug me, and I can learn to love and make love to the paradoxes that bug me.

And on really romantic evenings of self, I go salsa dancing with my confusion. Before you drift off, don't forget. Which is to say, remember. Because remembering is so much more a psychotic activity than forgetting. Lorca, in that same poem said that the iguana will bite those who do not dream. And as one realizes that one is a dream figure in another person's dream, that is self awareness.

A thousand years is but an instant. There's nothing new, nothing different. The same pattern over and over. The same clouds, the same music, the same insight I felt an hour or an eternity ago. There's nothing here for me now, nothing at all. Now I remember. This happened to me before. This is why I left. You have begun to find your answers. Although it will seem difficult, the rewards will be great. Exercise your human mind as fully as possible, knowing it is only an exercise. Build beautiful artifacts, solve problems, explore the secrets of the physical universe, savor the input from all the senses, feel the joy and sorrow, the laughter, the empathy, compassion and tote the emotional memory in your travel bag.

I remember where I came from and how I became a human, why I hung around, and now my final departure is scheduled. This way out. Escaping velocity. Not just eternity, but infinity.

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The Power of Goodbye

Your heart is not open so I must go

The spell has been broken, I loved you so

Freedom comes when you learn to let go

Creation comes when you learn to say no

You were my lesson I had to learn

I was your fortress you had to burn

Pain is a warning that something's wrong

I pray to God that it won't be long

Do ya wanna go higher?

There's nothing left to try

There's no place left to hide

There's no greater power

Than the power of good-bye

Your heart is not open so I must go

The spell has been broken

I loved you so

You were my lesson I had to learn

I was your fortress

There's nothing left to lose

There's no more heart to bruise

There's no greater power

Than the power of good-bye

Learn to say good-bye

I yearn to say good-bye

There's nothing left to try

There's no more places left to hide

There's no greater power

Than the power of good-bye

There's nothing left to lose

There's no more heart to bruise

There's no greater power

Than the power of good-bye

Dance Little Sister

Get up 'outta' your rockin' chair grandma!

Or rather would you care to dance grandmother?

Hey you! Give up to the ghost

That's haunting you now

Shout it out

Don't let it stay inside

And eat you alive

Make up your mind

Don't you want to stay

This side of the line

I can assure you

When you're my age

You'll learn

From all you've left behind

(You've got to)

Dance little sister

Don't give up today

Hang on till tomorrow

I don't wanna hear you're late

Dance little sister

Don't give up today

Hang on till tomorrow

Don't give up your stay

Say now share the weight

And lay your cross down

And let the long reaching arm

Of hope bring you around

It ain't easy but giving up

Is the easy thing to do

Time is on your side

Would you just watch the clock

And let it tick for you

(You've got to)

Dance little sister

Don't give up today

Hang on till tomorrow

I don't wanna hear you're late

Dance little sister

Don't give up today

Hang on till tomorrow

Don't give up your stay

Paradise

I can’t remember

When I was young

I can’t explain

If it was wrong

My life goes on

But not the same

Into your eyes

My face remains

[I’ve been so high]

I’ve been so down

[up to the skies]

Down to the ground

I was so blind

I could not see

Your paradise

Is not for me

Autour de moi

Je ne vois pas

Qui sont des anges

Surement pas moi

Encore une fois

Je suis cassée

Encore une fois

Je n’y crois pas

All around me

I could not see

Who are the angels

Surely not me

Once more again

I am broken

Once more again

I don’t believe it

I’ve been so high

I’ve been so down

Up to the skies

Down to the ground

There is a light

Above my head

Into your eyes

My face remains

I can’t remember

When I was young

Into your eyes

My face remains

Into your eyes

My face remains

We the People - Preamble

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

The Constitution was written by several committees over the summer of 1787, but the committee most responsible for the final form we know today is the "Committee of Stile and Arrangement". This Committee was tasked with getting all of the articles and clauses agreed to by the Convention and putting them into a logical order. On September 10, 1787, the Committee of Style set to work, and two days later, it presented the Convention with its final draft. The members were Alexander Hamilton, William Johnson, Rufus King, James Madison, and Gouverneur Morris. The actual text of the Preamble and of much of the rest of this final draft is usually attributed to Gouverneur Morris.

The newly minted document began with a grand flourish & dash the Preamble, the Constitution's raison d'être. It holds in its words the hopes and dreams of the delegates to the convention, a justification for what they had done. Its words are familiar to us today, but because of time and context, the words are not always easy to follow. The remainder of this Topic Page will examine each sentence in the Preamble and explain it for today's audience.

We the People of the United States

The Framers were an elite group — among the best and brightest America had to offer at the time. But they knew that they were trying to forge a nation made up not of an elite, but of the common man. Without the approval of the common man, they feared revolution. This first part of the Preamble speaks to the common man. It puts into writing, as clear as day, the notion that the people were creating this Constitution. It was not handed down by a god or by a king — it was created by the people.

in Order to form a more perfect Union

The Framers were dissatisfied with the United States under the Articles of Confederation, but they felt that what they had was the best they could have, up to now. They were striving for something better. The Articles of Confederation had been a grand experiment that had worked well up to a point, but now, less than ten years into that experiment, cracks were showing. The new United States, under this new Constitution, would be more perfect. Not perfect, but more perfect.

establish Justice

Injustice, unfairness of laws and in trade, was of great concern to the people of 1787. People looked forward to a nation with a level playing field, where courts were established with uniformity and where trade within and outside the borders of the country would be fair and unmolested. Today, we enjoy a system of justice that is one of the fairest in the world. It has not always been so — only through great struggle can we now say that every citizen has the opportunity for a fair trial and for equal treatment, and even today there still exists discrimination. But we still strive for the justice that the Framers wrote about.

insure domestic Tranquility

One of the events that caused the Convention to be held was the revolt of Massachusetts farmers knows as Shays' Rebellion. The taking up of arms by war veterans revolting against the state government was a shock to the system. The keeping of the peace was on everyone's mind, and the maintenance of tranquility at home was a prime concern. The framers hoped that the new powers given the federal government would prevent any such rebellions in the future.

provide for the common defense

The new nation was fearful of attack from all sides — and no one state was really capable of fending off an attack from land or sea by itself. With a wary eye on Britain and Spain, and ever-watchful for Indian attack, no one of the United States could go it alone. They needed each other to survive in the harsh world of international politics of the 18th century.

promote the general Welfare

This, and the next part of the Preamble, are the culmination of everything that came before it — the whole point of having tranquility, justice, and defense was to promote the general welfare — to allow every state and every citizen of those states to benefit from what the government could provide. The framers looked forward to the expansion of land holdings, industry, and investment, and they knew that a strong national government would be the beginning of that.

and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity

Hand in hand with the general welfare, the framers looked forward to the blessings of liberty — something they had all fought hard for just a decade before. They were very concerned that they were creating a nation that would resemble something of a paradise for liberty, as opposed to the tyranny of a monarchy, where citizens could look forward to being free as opposed to looking out for the interests of a king. And more than for themselves, they wanted to be sure that the future generations of Americans would enjoy the same.

do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America

The final clause of the Preamble is almost anti-climactic, but it is important for a few reasons — it finishes the "We, the people" thought, saying what we the people are actually doing; it gives us a name for this document, and it restates the name of the nation adopting the Constitution. That the Constitution is "ordained" reminds us of the higher power involved here — not just of a single person or of a king, but of the people themselves. That is it "established" reminds us that it replaces that which came before — the United States under the Articles (a point lost on us today, but quite relevant at the time).

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