This Sacred Cow cartoon courtesy of www.sacredcowsonline.com A Modest Proposal July 24, 2006 Awakened? For some time now I have regarded myself as being an awakened person and have on occasion (actually several of them) sneered down my rather long, awakened nose at those that I did not regard as awake. I find myself at this point in my life realizing that, heck I don’t know what being spiritually awake means, so how could I possibly regard me as awake and others as not? Obviously, if I don’t know what awakened is I can’t pretend or sneer. This is not an easy subject for me to write about, for being awakened is a title and badge which I proudly wore – and that should’ve been my clue a long time ago! If I think I am, then I’m probably not. From the Tao de Ching by Lao Tzu, This is so true for me. It’s also a very personal statement that I’m not applying beyond myself. If you believe that you’re awakened, I’m not saying that you’re not, and I apologize if my remark is offensive… and if you need an apology because you feel offended, well, that might be something to look at - if you’re inclined to do so. It matters not to me. All of this is, of course, one of those damnable enigmas wrapped in a riddle (or the other way round – I never remember that particular chicken and egg). If I don’t know what awakened is then how would I know if I was? To answer that and not look like a complete, self-contradicting idiot, I fall back on the technique long favored by the clueless by defining something by what it’s not. Here’s my list of what being asleep (and so not awake) means…and once again I issue the disclaimer that these are my thoughts and are not stamped UNIVERSAL TRUTH.
So, I am at least aware that I am asleep as I recognize the warning signs of spiritual sleepwalking, so what am I going to do about it? Having the mists blown away that I am not awake is the first step. That next one is not too clear, but I gotta start someplace. Being a male I can’t do more than one thing at a time (or ask for directions), so it would be really great if I could neck my quest for awakening down to one thing or least one thing at a time. It seemed at the beginning of this inquiry that one of the big warning signs is what I should take on; you know something like faith or unconditional love. Now that I have a pretty good fix on where I am (further from the finish line than I like to think) it’s a bit daunting at this point to take on judgment, expectation, faith, or unconditional love. They are too big and too prevalent in my life to tackle until I get some knowledge and understanding about how to do this. Now where might that come from? There are a few hundred thousand helpful folks and institutions out there who would gladly sell me their books, seminars, and “one on one” sessions. Been there and done that. I will say that I did learn a lot, had some great experiences, and met many wonderful teachers and fellow seekers; however, after years of chasing after awakening and lulling myself into thinking that I had done “it,” from the above list of warning signs, I clearly did not get “it” from these outside sources. Please know that I am not putting down anyone or anything that I experienced in my seeking; all of what I did had value and contributed to the awareness that I have now of being asleep. In the final analysis of looking everywhere but within me, nothing woke me up. I had some close calls but never turned the corner. If I could not find out how to awaken out there, what’s left? Well, duh, if it’s to be, it’s up to me. Somebody famous said that although I don’t know who. It’s a great statement although lacking the specificity that I need at the moment. I know the “to be” part (waking up), so what’s “up to me?” Since I eliminated the top three and the really big one from initial consideration, I’m left with the choices below the line - connection, intuition, and guidance - all of which have to do with Source (the capitalization is purposeful). Maybe my relationship with Source is where I need to start? The above was written two days ago. Yesterday, I was lying face down on a chiropractor’s table getting cooked and mildly electrocuted preparatory to getting “adjusted.” I was alone and the room was quiet, so I thought I’d put in a call to Source. Once upon a time, I was able to have a pretty good connection with Source through my higher self; somehow, in the turbulence of the past three years, I thought I’d lost the ability, for my connections or attempts to connect were rare and then when they did occur, what I got was very vague and uncertain. It was like listening to a distant radio and knowing there was sound but not quite able to make out what was being said. I developed an expectation that any effort to connect would either result in a nap, nothing but mind clutter chatter, or simply nothing of any substance. This is the state I was in lying on the table, but what else was I going to do? The involuntary muscle twitches in my shoulders from the electrical stimulation were keeping me awake. I did some purposeful breathing, relaxed as much as I could with the twitching, and said, “I give intent to learn how to access awakening; I call any entities who can support me in this intention and who are in my best and highest interest.” One word popped into my head. When I recognized the word, I thought that my intention was either not stated clearly enough or I misunderstood the word. Nope, it was not misunderstanding as I got the same word again. OK, I thought, here’s something to think about. When I let go of my initial judgment about the appropriateness of the word to my intention, the light came on. I saw how my not living this word had kept me asleep. As I played with the idea of using the word with awareness in my day-to-day life, I began to understand how I might just begin to wake up, for the word is access to awakening for me. Again I make my standard disclaimer: this is my word; it may be your word as well, or you may need to find your own. It also does not carry the UNIVERSAL TRUTH label. Freedom! A few days ago, I would have maintained that freedom is a myth. Even though I live in the USA, given the current state of my country, freedom seems more a wistful memory than a reality. I thought that if I can’t try to carry a pair of nail clippers on an airplane without getting bright lights shined in my face by big guys in black suits or put “certain words” in email messages lest the National Security Agency deem me a terrorist, then surely I could not claim to be free. My phone can be tapped, my mail opened, and I can be hauled off in the middle of the night, all without what used to be called due process of law, so it would seem that the first amendment got shoved into a locked drawer and the key thrown away. We know all of that and there is, of course, more. Stuff like, “What’s the Geneva Convention?” star chambers, torture, and terrible abuses of power. Most of us are thinking, “Thank goodness that’s not happening to me,” yet at a deeper level we know that it could. All of that and more is why I did not feel free. None of that has changed; however… I realize that freedom is not what some institution, government, or person in power “gives me.” Freedom is what I give myself; it is who I know myself to be; it is not someone else’s determination of who I am…unless I allow it. True freedom is something that no one can take from me; knowing and accepting this is my access to awakening. In the next Modest Proposal, I’m going to explore my newly found freedom and see where it takes me. Until then, the Modest Proposal to you is: determine your access to awakening. Unless of course you are already awakened, and if so, good for you… if you are so inclined email me with a brief statement of how you got there and with your permission, I’ll include it in the next Modest Proposal. May you discern with compassion… “An Inconvenient Truth” This is a movie, a documentary that “stars” Al Gore, the guy who won the popular vote for President in 2000 but lost the electoral vote to George W. Bush. This movie is not about the election – it is a conscientious, intelligent, and provocative presentation of the effects of global warming on the Earth. It’s not a political statement – it’s an ecological statement that affects all human beings, present and future. The movie opened in July, 2006 to a wide release in the US and has been viewed by millions of people. I highly recommend it. For more information, please visit An Inconvenient Truth or copy and paste this URL: http://clicks.aweber.com/z/ct/?sHjTL45sBrnNzb1RR1ccfw This newsletter had its beginnings with my work on the online magazine PlanetLightworker.com. I am grateful for the support of the magazine's staffespecially Editor Sandra Sedgbeer. Visit the site for an eclectic mix of spiritually oriented articles, features, and art with a brand new edition published at the first of every month. PlanetLightworker
Modest Proposal text: Copyright 2006 Ron McCray Contact Ron at ron@turtlewheel.com Visit Ron's website, The Turtle Wheel at www.turtlewheel.com To subscribe to the Modest Proposals newsletter click SUBSCRIBE.. The Modest Proposals newsletter supports spam free emailing and requires email validation that you wish to subscribe. If you choose to subscribe, you will be sent an email that you must reply to in order to complete the subscription. Ron cannot complete the subscription for you once it is started. Your email address will not be sold, given, bartered, or traded with any other party. You may unsubscribe at any time by following the link provided in each newsletter. If you have questions, please contact Ron: ron@turtlewheel.com . Thanks...
The Sacred Cow cartoon at the top of the page is courtesy of:
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