The Water's Edge (formerly TheWay Side)

This is an introspective post about some “ahah” moments I’ve had recently, and some tools one may be able to employ as part of seeking knowledge of the self, with the ultimate goal of finding God.

The self that calls it self, Shohn – the author of this post, has things that it likes, and things that it doesn’t like.  Duality. Rock Music  good. Country Music bad. Why ? I have no clue. How about you?

It has been suggested in some esoteric works, that one thing that can help is in coming to know the “true self” is struggling against being mechanical (doing things on auto-pilot) in order to become more aware of one’s self. Dislikes i.e., associations can be used as fodder to struggle against. And in this struggling one can perhaps begin to see who one really is, and so forth, as opposed to the image of one’s self that one has constructed.  From a practical level, learn to like what you don’t like, and then you’ll like it!  Makes sense on some levels, but I wouldn’t suggest rolling around in a tub of grasshoppers or eating coal just because you don’t like it.

Being from Texas, I’ve been exposed to Country Music all my life and could probably sing (am I being honest with myself by calling it singing) somewhat  the words to every country song, yet for whatever reason, most country music just rubs me the wrong way.  I don’t mind old country and perhaps Willie Nelson, but Country Music just bugs me.  I sat out to explore this.

What I found was an insight or two, while possibly drifting a bit from the original goal. Just as people can use the Bible to validate whatever they are saying – in other words, use the Bible as a smoke-screen to conceal some message like “you are going to hell if you don’t like what I have to say”, many of these country songs contain all sorts of wonderful word plays and concepts that also contain “hidden” meanings or say one thing, without actually saying it.

For example, as we read (or listen to) the below song, it is quite obvious to me, that the male singing the below song, Me Neither, is trying to get to know the female that he has set his heart (eyes) on, yet the literal words of the song convey otherwise to those listening to the song. Stated another way, within the song, is a hidden meaning, that is not revealed by the literal text. I thought this might relate on some levels, how the written text of the Bible and other sacred texts, provides a literal text, but contains a hidden allegorical meaning. In a similar way, our very lives can perhaps contain a “hidden” meaning, that we are as yet unable to see – a literal meaning on the surface, our job, house, dog, etc., but another meaning contained within.

Have a look at the word”s to this song to see what I mean:

Me Neither by Brad Paisley

Darlin’ I’ve been standin’ here just watchin’ you all night
And I think I’ve even caught you watchin’ me a couple times
If I don’t ask I’ll never know
This may sound dumb, but here we go
Do you believe in love at first sight

Me neither
I’m glad that we agree
Believe me
That’s a big relief
Well, this place is awful crowded
And this music is so loud
Would you like to go and grab a bite to eat
Me neither

It’s nice to finally meet a girl who doesn’t move too fast
I was only checkin’, that’s the reason that I asked
Relationships need time to grow
You and I should take this slow
And darlin’ tell me, would you like to dance

Me neither
I was just bein’ polite
Thank goodness
My feet are much too tired
I’m sure you’re tired too
I can see an empty booth
Would you like to maybe sit and talk a while
Me neither
We’d never get along
I’m thinkin’ there’s no chemistry at all
This has been a waste of time
And I’m runnin’ outta lines
Don’t you think it’s time for me to end this song
Me neither

Do you think I found the reason why I don’t like country music? Me Neither.

Did I learn to like it some. Yes, I did.

The body has an “energy system” which can be worked with.  Working with  the body’s energy system is important because the more one works with this energy system, the greater one’s abilities are in certain areas.

The following topics walks through my first exposures to working with the body’s energy system in a group and are therefore from a “newbie” perspective. We began with the energy ball,  followed by forming an energy circle, followed by an exercise designed to move the energy inside the body, and lastly my experiences “feeling the energy” after having other parties help raise the energy levels of my body.

The Energy Ball

I’ll spare you the details, and zoom right in on the scene at hand. I was asked to rub my hands together as described in another article about feeling energy. This was an exercise I had done countless times in the past, but apparently there is a difference between being shown and reading a set of instructions. In the past, I could feel a slight tingling in my hands, but nothing like an energy ball or similar as described in some new age circles. The persons I was working with demonstrated and showed me what I was looking for – and finally I found it. It was a distinct feeling of “resistance” that I was pressing against and could mold and shape to some degree – like a big invisible balloon made out of the same material as a thin soap bubble. I would press my hands together and I found an area that was “resistant” to the movement. I was then shown that I could make the ball bigger or smaller – slowly working it like working pizza dough and extending it, or compressing it whenever I “lost the signal”. I felt very clumsy and awkward trying to handle the thing at first, but started to get the knack for it. I then asked if we could play soccer with the energy ball. Lesson over.

The next part was making an energy circle.

The Energy Circle

Using the same/similar techniques used to construct the energy ball, I sat in a circle with the group and we charged our hands again by rubbing them. Then we all sat in a circle and the hands were arranged such that my peer would place his/her hands over mine (not touching) and then the energy would move. The energy moves naturally as part of being in the circle. There is another way to help the energy along.

Butt Squeeze Exercise

The butt squeeze exercise is quite simple. Breathe in and try to squeeze in your nether regions/butt muscles tight as you breathe in. Release the breath and the muscles at the same time.  Try to breathe deeply and squeeze hard at the same time. There is sort of a rhythm you’ll need to find. As you do this, you may find that your back starts getting hot a little and you may (depending on the status of your body) find the energy start to move up your body (up the front).
My  body must still be dirty from years of smoking, so I had people helping me move the energy up – raising my energy. This is where it gets interesting – feeling the energy.

Feeling the Energy

I mentioned feeling a “resistance” earlier as I was playing with the energy balls, but there was something else really interesting. Some persons were trying to help me track down where the blockages may be in my body. Blockages prevent the energy from rising – negating the whole point of all this energy work. As I was experiencing this, I was
keeping my eyes closed, because I didn’t want to be imagining things. At one point I asked: Did you touch me? to the practitioner. No was the response. I kept feeling like someone was touching me. Then I kept my eyes open and felt the same thing – the energy was strong enough to trigger a response in my hands that felt like someone touched me. As
the work continued the same happened for my chest area, my head, etc. I kept feeling like someone had touched me and it was not the case. Later as they began to track down my various bodily problems from being a moron and smoking all those years, one woman passed her hand over my shoulders (without touching). My entire body felt energized and as though something had passed through it – like being shot by a static energy bullet. The woman was able to feel where I had pain in my body and isolated it down to where I felt it internally. She also identified a spot I didn’t know was hurting in my intestinal tract. A man that was working with me had gotten a visual of a small object in
my intestines. I suspect it may be that dime I swallowed when I was 3 years old and never found. We have come full circle.

Conclusion

One difficulty I found was in not knowing what I was looking for at first. I found that some of the things could be related, but I didn’t know what I was missing until I experienced it. The same will probably be the case for you.

Learning by doing, by experiencing, is worth more than book knowledge.

You can’t play soccer with energy balls.

I recently wrote a letter to the doomsday prophets over at Family Radio in response to the following article: (http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-01-01/bay-area/17466332_1_east-bay-bay-area-first-time-camping) regarding their proposed date of May 21, 2011 marking the end of the world.

The below is the contents of the message I sent:

Greetings and Shalom Family Radio and Harold Camping where ever he may be:

I pray that the “Truth” speak for itself.

Let me first congratulate you on the sheer amount of courage to air it all out there for the world to see! Rest assured, that they will know the truth come May 21st! It seems apparent that times are “a changin” (as they always do) and that various doomsday prophet predictions of death and mayhem may very well be a part of those changes, yet all may not be as you have previously held. It is possible that the end of the world is coming, but not in the way you may have imagined. Your calculations may be right on the spot, but as you know, God tends to answer prayers in strange ways.

I have come to you with a beneficial message!

You are no doubt familiar with the expression of being held accountable for every “idle word” and so forth as written in the same text you are using to support your doomsday prognostications. Though you may have erroneously forecasted before, it seems that God has given you another shot at making a fool of your self like ol’ Jonah, or investigating the real cause behind why you were wrong last time. Here’s a hint, it wasn’t the calculations. Yes, I know even Jonah was wrong. With smiles, Jonah was said to have heard the voice of the Lord – he wasn’t said to have “calculated”.

Regarding the “end of the world”, I’m left wondering how you have reconciled that notion, with the words supposedly uttered by Jesus saying that: “the kingdom comes not with observation, but is within you”; and his admonitions regarding the Key of Knowledge, against the Pharisees who apparently prevented people from entering the kingdom before Jesus had even gone to the cross. Of course, we also have the issue that our old friend Enoch was supposedly taken up prior to Jesus arriving to save the world by destroying it?

By now, if you are even somewhat honest, you know that there are things that do not make sense in the Bible, some of which I have just pointed out. Often the solution seems to be throw one’s hands in the air, and say those faith and mystery words and move on. I offer an alternative solution. Perhaps when Jesus said to “seek” he really  meant it, and just possibly there is a solution to this pickle, beyond mystery and faith? What if Jesus was actually telling the truth when saying there was a kingdom inside you that could be found if you sought it? What if the real error in your calculations was in making the same mistake Judas made – attempting to usher the kingdom in on the earth, when Jesus told Pilate it was not of this earth! Do you think Judas got his calculations off, or was there a deeper cause of the error?

I know that you are a student of the Bible and could probably whip me hands down in terms of the passages you may speak from memory, but let me suggest that there is a deeper meaning to the text, that is kept from your eyes – i.e., the book is sealed, until such time as you begin to have the proper eyes and ears to see, and at that time in your very life – the kingdom will come! What do you think of that possibility? What do you think the Pharisees thought of their odds against Jesus? Do you think you would have done any better than them?

I know what you are thinking:  why should I trust this stranger writing me any more than I would trust anyone else or what I already know to be true, after all I’ve seen the signs, and miracles and so forth that confirm that the end of the world is near! What gives him the confidence that his paradigm of truth is superior to my own?

First, let me assure you that to this day, I continue to see “signs” and things and they have only increased since learning of what I’m about to tell you. My prayers are still answered and so on. I’m still waiting on that candy-apple Ferrari though. So there is something beyond the proverbial veil once it has been ripped in two.

Let me also tell you that what I’m about to tell you will present your greatest personal challenge because if any of what I say is true, you will have spent over 70 years or so seeking out things that simply don’t matter and will have a huge amount of face to save. As you are undoubtedly aware, people become personally invested in things they have created and are often unwilling to let go of them. Nobody likes being told their baby is ugly! So, this will require quite an “unvestment” on your part to investigate these possibilities. I empathize and have been there and it is not easy.

Being a student of the scriptures, you may note that Paul mentioned being “taken up” (while he was still here on this earth) and also happened to mention to the baptized and fully gifted Christians, that he could not tell them the mysteries of the kingdom. Do you think this gives new meaning to the expression: “cast not pearls before swine”?  Perhaps they might turn on him and rend him when presented such things?  Why would he hold out on them?

Perhaps, in part, this is how we get the “religion of Jesus” resulting in millions being killed “in his name”?

As a fan of Jesus, I’m sure you are familiar with what happens as you try to preach. Imagine that there was something similar being conveyed to you – a truth. Imagine that it would be like you trying to preach Jesus to non-believers. So, in a similar way, the things I may attempt to convey to you would be rejected by you as much as your would be converts may reject your message of Jesus or the ending of this world.

What if the kingdom inside you and the end of the world is when you learn to access it?

What if the end of the world is when everything you thought you knew, was not the final truth and that you had been deceived? Would that not be truly the end of the world?  Perhaps you are familiar with the testimony of “near death experiencers” and the testimony of various persons who have written of their various journeys “into the light” over the years. Yet, when people describe such things, they are often rejected from society -ostracized. Sort of reminds me of what they say happened to Jesus. It seems that people’s normal response is like that of the Pharisees, to stone to death or crucify the such things.

Do you think brother Paul was being careful not to alienate his congregation when telling them there were certain things he couldn’t talk about after going to heaven (though he was unsure if out of his body). If you can’t relate to his plight, let me make it more  personal. As a leader of men, no doubt you have been confronted with the reality of what it is like to announce something that will stir up a bit of controversy – that fear of “will I look stupid” before men and trying to balance that with “but I need to tell them the truth”. I’m sure you recall that feeling the first time you announced the end of the world? I’m sure you had a different feeling when you were wrong. Do you recall what it was like trying to recover? To confront that error?  Well, multiply that by 50. That’s what you are confronted with today.

You are being confronted with a whole new paradigm, and and ending of your world. I recall the first time I was presented with such a choice. I had to decide whether or not to let go of everything I though I knew and it was quite scary, so I empathize with what you could be feeling. I had prayed a little prayer asking for the “truth” and the next thing I know I find myself reading about the 16 crucified saviors with their stories being eerily similar to that of the new testament account! As a student of the Bible, I assume you are familiar with these crucified saviors? If not, let me know.

Basically, the story of Osiris and other “pagan” gods had details which matched that of the New Testament account. Go check for you self. It is true! Don’t forget to research both sides of this issue and let the truth speak for itself.

How could such a thing be possible? When confronted with such irrefutable details, I asked: “Had the devil fooled them throughout time?”. The devil fabricated in my mind: “The devil merely tricked them to keep them from Jesus Christ”. The devil found other ways to rationalize and rail against the answer to my prayer. Then I took a breath, relaxed, and let go – I decided to let the truth speak for itself.

I told God, that he’d be okay with me seeking the truth, since that was one of his admonitions when he showed up as Jesus. It seems that God agreed I rationalized.

Though you may not be able to accept it at this time and will find your self rationalizing in one direction or another, I found out that Biblical text provides a series of symbols designed to conceal an inner meaning, an allegory – a road map! And what a profound and wonderful inner meaning there is indeed! The God that I had created in my mind (in defiance of the 10 commandments) was much bigger than I could  have ever possibly imagined! The ending of the world had come, in a sense. The Jesus I read about was even better! It all made sense after years of searching! That there was a kingdom inside us and the kingdom had come, yet there was and is more work to do apparently. That’s the part people don’t like to hear. They say the love Jesus, but doing his words, well that’s a whole different story. So again, the Bible contains a cover story, with the truth concealed under the surface to keep that beast that is *inside* you from destroying it, until such time as that beast has been transformed from a lion to a lamb. When you are ready, you can begin to seek the kingdom inside you, exactly where Jesus said it was!

What if, the Revelation is about you and your own personal journey to find the The Way, the truth, and the Life as personified by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and indeed when found, the truth shall set you free! You are the one who must become as a virgin! You are the one who must journey through the desert for 40 years! You are the one who must go and face the Jews, inside you! The whole Bible is about you (and those around you that you impact) and seeking the kingdom that lies within you, not some external coming of the kingdom. The neat thing is, you don’t have to believe me. You can find out for your self!

Coming back to the choice set before you, you can choose to investigate what is being said and find out what Paul, Enoch, and even Jesus said was there waiting on you. You may find that you inner “devil” is now saying something like: “This person is doing a careful recharacterization of what Jesus said” – a private interpretation of my own making. Fair enough, that is good of you to be a skeptic and I don’t blame you, but will you at least go look for your self!

Will you go look into the concepts of the “journey of the soul”, entering into the kingdom of light inside you, that we are not our body, but rather simply inhabit it like a temple, that a Roman emperor confiscated Christianity and turned into something it was not – depriving it of its spiritual essence, and many other shocking things.

Lastly, and not to scare you with my own doomsday prognostications, but if the biblical mention of “a man reaps what he sows for God is not mocked” has at all any merit to it, then then there is probably a certain reality to being presented information and dismissing it, and then going on to present other information that could now have error in it i.e., your prognostications about the end of the world and meanderings about things that have limited value and in may respects may very well be keeping people out of the kingdom that Jesus said to seek. Now I wonder, what might be the reaping for that sort of sowing?

So brother, I’d suggest that the only question that matters at this time, is not whether someone is going to come in and usher in a kingdom with lots of  lightning, but whether you your self will make the adjustments and “open your mind” (metanoya) to this new reality that the Bible contains within it symbols for your own journey to the light – and that you have been in a proverbial desert for the last 70 years, and now it is your time to go into the promised land.

Not after you die, not May 21st, but now!

So when May 22nd comes around, and presuming you ignored this message like “they” always do, you will then have the opportunity to save face by announcing to the world, that the world had indeed come to an end, but you missed the message, though the end had indeed come! You can then announce the reality that we have been conned by a Roman emperor with a passion for killing, and this con has lasted for almost 1700 years! The end of the world is here – Praise the Lord! Will the real Jesus please stand up!

Although people will first hate you for such a message, you are “out there” enough to forecast the end of the world on a specific date, so this should be child’s play.

I probably made a number of spelling and grammatical errors in this message, things that I can’t see until after they are already done. Sound familiar?

You may find the following web site quite helpful in searching out many of these things: http://www.thethreelies.com

God Bless, and God Speed in your Journey,

Shohn