Chapter 71

“(This land, which once was ours, is now called your land, having paid much money to a long line of Europeans who stole it from us.)”

“(Since that time, you have honored and preserved it, and treated it as a holy, living thing)”

“(Our time has passed, and for now, the time of the Europeans and whites have passed, but only for a while, because their rapacious greed is insatiable and their numbers multitude. They are like the smallpox they brought with them from Europe, and they will be back to haunt us again.)”

“(To be able to  keep them at bay will take much cunning, strength, and sadly, money, which controls their every waking thought and action. We could not anticipate their ruthless greed, or lack of honor, and it was our undoing, but having been raised among them, you may be able to outdo them at their own game, without being corrupted by it, much like Ohiyesa known among the Whites as Charles Alexander Eastman. This will not be easy. Wealth, possessions, riches, and luxury are hypnotic, seductive, and more addicting than your opium.)”

“(You hunt, raise, or gather almost everything that your require, but because your ways and needs are different and because at least for awhile, their is no money; no gold, no silver, you barter and trade fair value with those who have what you need and want what you have, or else you barter something that you have for something they need for something you can trade with others who possess what you want..)”

“(This is good, but already there are wealthy factory owners who are re-establishing their own currency, which they print, as in colonial times to pay people who are willing to sell a day of their lives to them, and as always, their is much trickery and thievery among these men of no honor.)”

“(Within the Colony, there is no need for money. Everyone shares what is needed by virtue of what you all possess, and there is no poverty among you. Your tribe has become your family.)”

“(This is what your whites would call Communism in order to disguise their greedy nature and ways.)”

“(In the same way that each of you provides something essential for the benefit of the greater good, the need for money or any accumulation of material wealth is superfluous, but if you should require something from the outsiders that you cannot trade or barter, you will need some form of currency, be it even the ‘currency of the realm’ as in colonial times, especially if you are to keep them at bay, but better if they do not now where you live at all.)”

“(It may be money for guns, lawyers, or bribery, which is the basis of much of what  your people called Commerce.)”

“(This land, your land, our land, both savannas and the Sea of Grass, your country is too inhospitable for most Whites and will not grow the crops they desire; the meat, the fish and the alcohol that you produce, but could not produce themselves because it is not easy, and therein lies your strength.)”

“(There will always be white moonshiners to produce the common whiskies made from grains which do not grow well in these climates, but you have learned to cultivate and harvest the Agave to produce Tequila, Mezcal, Pechuga, and Raicila in the traditional ways. These are sacred, holy plants nurtured by the gods to soothe the souls of those who have lost loved ones, but it will not make them happy because they do not know how to be happy and because of this they will always want more than what is good for them; you call this Karma. Now your tribe can do to the whites what they did to us.)”

“(We gave them friendship and tobacco, which had been a holy sacrament, but because they do not know moderation, they have killed millions of themselves with their pre-rolled cigarettes.)”

“(We welcomed them, and they even stole the ground upon which we grew it, then ran us into concentration camps they called reservations, killed the buffalo, and gave us whiskey, smallpox, and syphilis in return. Their every action was aimed toward our extinction. Guard the secrecy of your location as if your lives depended upon it, which it will.)”

“(Do not hesitate to spend your money on security, guns, ammunition, radios, and outpost perimeters, as well as bribery, but trust no one and accept no paper contracts.)”

“(The arrival of the white man marked the inevitable demise of the Indian, but sooner or later, but was also inevitable that their treachery and greed, and hatred of nature would bring their own doom. Ironically, it wasn’t until they turned their computers against each other that pandemics, global pollution and warming in danger of causing catastrophic fires, freezes, and famine were narrowly averted as you drowned in your own waste.)”

“(Find value where the white man cannot, so that he should not be so tempted to steal it from you.)”

“(First, teach your children according to the ways of Nature, the Indian Way. We are many peoples of one mind, one spirit Let the Great Mystery guide you. Do not doubt your heart. You already know. Trying to explain the Great Mystery with words is like trying to hit the moon with a stick, but in silence, you may find the Peace and wisdom to lift the refection of the moon from the surface of a still pond.)”

“(It is necessary to also teach the ways of the White Man, but not until their grasp of Nature is strong enough to repel its addictions, or make them soft, or lazy, or confused. A little hardship is good to strengthen them. Too much excess or indulgence breeds weakness and complacency. Stay a little hungry whenever possible. Do not eat just because it is time,)”

“(When you are tired, sleep, when you are hungry, eat; when you are thirsty, drink. There is much wisdom in simplicity; in simplicity there s much wisdom.)”

“(The White Man loves the Pig because he is so much like him, and eats, shits and sleeps in the same places, which is everywhere he goes. If he continues to spoil and destroy Nature, one day he will wake up drowning in his own waste.)”

“(Treat the animals that you hunt, raise, and harvest as you would for all living things. Death comes to all of us, according to our time, Man and Beast alike. In the natural ways, we all know our purpose. When you hunt, or even in gathering plants and vegetables, give thanks to them, and to the Great Mystery, as they give their lives in order to sustain yours.)”

“(If you must kill an enemy in battle, do not act out of retaliation or anger, except in combat, which you must avoid at all costs. Gandhi said ‘ …An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind…’ but forgot that if you are the last one, with only one eye left, with no one with whom to share your visions, the pain of life, and of remembering would be too much to endure alone.)”

“(The accumulation of wealth will leave you possessed by your own possessions. No tribe, no people can be considered wealthy as long as any among them is cold, or hungry, or thirsty, or alone.)

“(Giving and sharing are the only roads to real riches. Nothing is better to strengthen and heal your heart, and your spirit.)”

“(Some of you have heard these insights and images before. The Great Mystery, is One throughout the same Universe. Buddhist ears are touched by the lips of the same Great Spirit. One Mind, one Heart; one mind, no mind; mind like clear waters of a virgin mountain spring.)”

“(The Indian speaks in poetic terms, and other Indians understand. The Europeans need exact words written on paper, yet they argue endlessly over their meanings, which appear to be written in sand, like their promises.)”

“(Do not be afraid of using the name ‘Indian’ when speaking of the aboriginal and natives peoples of this continent, which we called ‘Turtle Island.’ The names like “Mohawk,’ ‘Cherokee,’ ‘Blackfoot,’ ‘Crow,’ ‘Iroquois,’ ‘’Powhatan,’ ‘Sioux,’ ‘ Nez Perce,’ ‘Delaware,’ ‘Paiute,’ and all the others are more like your Christian surnames.)”

“(There were many names, many customs, many tribes, but there was only us. We all knew who we were and we ranged from the rising to the setting sun and all country between the two great waters.)”

“(It was not until the arrival of the White Europeans that they needed one name to call all of us. The Oglala Sioux used their word for ‘Human Being.’ One name is as good as another if you must paint us all with the same brush.)”

“(We called this land ‘The Great Island, Turtle Island’ you named it ‘America’ after you stole it from us. In many ways, ‘America’  is more egregious than ‘Indian.’ )”

“(This convergence of the planets to produce a ‘Blue Moon,’ a Blood Moon,’ and what your Celts called ‘Samhain,’ or Halloween, which is the time of the harvest, before the Dark Season, when the veil between the living and the dead is most easily pierced is our chance to provide you with the wisdom and vision capable of redeeming humankind.)”

“(Likewise, the convergence of Jedidiah, Amy, Rebecca, Leigh-Anne, Elliott, and Chianna is no accident. We knew of its inevitable occurrence before your brand-parents’ grand-parents were born.)”

“(This is why Mordecai was born to Rebecca to guide you and why April was reborn as Betty, the shape-shifting Amazon Giant Macaw called ‘Boop-Oopa-Doop’ who also changes to to Betty Boop her alter-ego while on earth.)”

“(She squandered her undying love for Elliott, who was too full of himself to return it in like kind, much as did Amy, although with less sorrowful results.)”

“Leigh-Anne, being more sensible and practical, saw through Elliott’s narcissism, but never stopped loving him, even though it would have been easier to hate him. She is the only real Christian among you, and one of the few Christians worth knowing or trusting.)”

“(Elliott and Jedidiah are ‘Life and Death’ brothers who even once, while very high on cocaine and mushrooms became ‘Blood Brothers’ to form a sacred pact, yet fell away from each other because Jedidiah’s  wife forbade them to continue their friendship, and Elliott, in a rare moment of selflessness, disappeared from Jed’s life to try to eliminate the conflict)”

“(Nevertheless, neither of them would be off the hook quite so easily)”

“(Do not ask if you will succeed, or what will become of these convergences. A prediction of  guaranteed success would bring complacency. You must always act as if your every waking moment is precious and your life balances on the razor’s edge, but don’t be afraid to dance upon that high, thin edge.)”

“(True freedom only exists on the farthest margins of the untamed frontier, but it was never meant to be tamed.)”

Namasté

नमस्ते

Chazz Vincent

Fish swim with the tides, in and out of the lagoon as it empties itself, receives from, and flows back into the sea.

copyright  ©  March 6th, 2021  

*ALL REFERENCES TO ANY PERSONS CONFIRMED STILL LIVING IS PURELY CO-INCIDENTAL…AND THE DEAD ARE TOO BUSY LAUGHING AT US TO CARE.

Chapter 70

Blue Moon. Blood Moon. Samhain. The Veil is lifted.

A luminous metallic, almost liquid glow was beginning to be visible on all of them. It was an electrical, mercurial appearance not unlike St Elmo’s Fire that shimmered hypnotically as it passed between them.

Suddenly, a rumbling, low resonance began to shake the entire building. It began on the last trailing notes of the final chakra, the crown. It was the formant of the first, root chakra so low in frequency that it was not so much heard as felt.

Amy was the first to realize that it was not coming from the stereo.

Jedidiah, having been raised by a fundamentalist evangelical mother, suddenly recalled the description of how the Israelites brought down the walls of Jericho by the playing of horns as they marched around the city.

Long, low, mournful horns so powerful that they obscured everyone’s ability to process anything else.

Just as abruptly, it all stopped, to be replaced by a deep, resonant voice so powerful that it could not be told if it was felt, or heard, or simply was known intuitively from within their being.

 “Do not be alarmed. We have been destined to meet for a very, very long time. The Ancient Ones of every culture and race already knew that it would come to this all too soon.”

“The worship of the Great Mystery is silent. It is solitary. It is never self-serving or self-seeking.”

“Just because it is silent, does not mean that we do not communicate. What you perceive as words are our way of speaking directly to your mind, and your soul; each of you directly.”

“We have spoken through the mouths of Ohiyesa, whom you called Charles Alexander Easton, Tecumseh, Tatanka Lyotake, or Sitting Bull, Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, whom you knew as Chief Joseph, Sagoyewatha, known as Red Jacket, Oh-pong-le-skah, known as Sotted Elk, one of the Lakota Chiefs murdered at Wounded Knee, Si’ahl the Suquamish and Duwamish tribal leader Chief Seattle; Kicking Bear, Short Bull, Mary Brave Bird, Nanissaanah, and, Wovoka, the Paiute medicine man who created The Ghost Dance, also known as Jack Wilson by the Whites, and even most recently through the actor Chief Dan George, born Geswanouth Slahoot, the chief of the Tsleil-Waututh tribe, or Graham Greene, the Oneida actor who once again brought the words of Tecumseh to life, and through whom we have often spoken.”

“Sadly, without the movies that keep you almost constantly hypnotized, you would know almost nothing about the indigenous and aboriginal peoples of this continent, which we once called ‘Turtle Island’.”

“We are not here to grant your wishes, but rather to tell you what is right, and the right ways to do it, but do it because it is right, without expectations of rewards.”

“All learning is dead language to one who gets it secondhand.”

“Although the reason that all of your are here together at precisely this time was determined by your own individual, as well as group Karma, world politics has thrust all of us together to correct a terrible wrong that was started when the White Men came to our country, although even that was the result of a sickness shared by virtually all Europeans, much like the smallpox on the blankets that we were given on the Trail of Tears.”

“Although you will often hear me say ‘The White Man this, or the White Man that,’  perhaps it would be more accurate to say ‘The Europeans,’ but this is easier, and you already know what we mean.”

“I do not mean all White Men; let me remind you that we are all connected…not just all of you, or even all the Ancient Ones. There is an Indian Way, an Indian Heart…an Indian Soul.”

“If you feel like us, think like us, and act like us, we are brethren. We are of One Mind, one consciousness, one tribe. We all call ourselves ‘Human Beings’ for good reason.” 

“No even just every animal, every person, every blade of grass, but even the rocks, the rivers, the oceans, the sky, the clouds; the entire Earth, our Mother, the source of all Life itself.”

“The White man and the Europeans are obsessed with ownership of everything that they see, whether it is of use to them or not. If they believe that they can sell something for money, they will strip the very earth itself  down to bare rock…and then sell the rocks themselves.”

“Their greed is insatiable.”

“Everywhere the White Man walks, the earth bleeds beneath his boots.”

“Since you and the members of your colony came here, you have respected and nurtured the land upon which you now live.”

“Your methods are sustainable. You do not take anything away from the earth that you do not replace, often using the waste materials generated by your colony to enhance the land, rather than defile it..”

“Now you propose to expand your operations. Be very mindful that you do not let greed determine either what you do or how you do it.”

“Boop and Mordecai are helping you transition into the sentience, and wisdom that you are receiving into the great cosmic consciousness that we now all share.”

“Remember, money is not really important in and of itself. Autonomy, and self-determination are everything. Let the rest of the world drown in its own greed and stupidity.”

”No one owns the land, but as long as you respect it, and use it to establish your own new world order, anonymity and generosity of spirit will help protect our world.”

“The rest of mankind will undoubtedly do everything in its power to destroy and poison itself, but you will have to know when to cut them loose, because as I have said, we all all connected, but if your foot became infected, and you had to choose between losing your foot and losing your leg, or even your life, as sad a choice as that would represent, it would be the only choice.”

“The white men are hypnotized by gold, silver, and even printed money.”

“You can use it to your own advantage, as long as you do not become hypnotized yourself.”

“You must always give fair value. That is the Indian way, the way of real Human Beings.”

“Before Jedidiah and The Three Winds came here, while on the road, they acted as a tribal council for a town that was terrorized by a bully, and helped teach them independence and fearlessness. This is true wisdom. We think of it as Indian Wisdom, even if they did not call it a tribal council.”

“You entertain your customers; in the process you have all become Culture Heroes. People need examples to follow; this is your chance to show them how a true Human Being behaves.”

“You give away items to the needy; food, clothing, maybe a few small tools or even advice. This is good.”

“And you, Leigh-Anne. You are not so much a nurse as you are a saint, always on the lookout for sick or hurt children and animals, because all living things are your children.”

“We have watched you do it often, Feeding widows and orphans alike.”

“Jedidiah, you and The Three Winds were Nomads, like many of our tribes, and Elliott, Chianna and the other members of your family, your tribe, which you call ‘The Fourteenth Colony’ were farmers and craftsmen and women who lived in a village, much like some of our other tribes.”

“You now have the opportunity to enjoy the best of both worlds, yet each of you acts according to your nature and strengths for the good of all.”

“Do not let any enterprise so eclipse the colony itself, as to turn it into some kind of factory town. All your efforts and activities must be to embrace Life and Love as it connects you to your everyday life as it passes through this present moment.”

“Value strength more than riches. As the other beings of the earth squawk and quarrel like a murder of crows over a carcass, observe their ways dispassionately so as to learn how to do without them as much as possible.”

“Do not take sides on the disputes of others except when absolutely necessary.” 

“Go to them to do any business. Do not do any business with them on your land, that which is also our land. Let your mystery be part of your legend.”

”If the White Man knows where you live, first, he will try to trick you out of it, but if he thinks he has to, he will offer to pay you for it as long as he believes he is giving you less than it is worth, and if all else fails, he will try to take it from you, even if he has to kill you to do it.”

“Be extremely cautious about allowing anyone else into the colony, and always make it a tribal council decision.”

“If, for instance, you have hit your maximum capacity to make the Blue Agave Moon, and the demand becomes so great, that you consider expanding your operation, possibly to the detriment…any detriment…to the Colony. What do you do?”

“If given the opportunity to work less to make more money by not expanding your operation, but simply raising the price, there need be no discussion on that issue, for instance…I don’t think that I need to explain why…correct?”

(One can only consider this to be a comic feint, since our speaker is already One Mind with each of the audience’s members.) 

“The new shellfish beds that Elliott’s son, Alex has started need to rotate part of your surplus back into the wild, and after careful isolation, occasionally bring in a few ‘wild’ outsiders to widen your gene pool.”

“Farming, rather than simply hunting the alligator is more like ranching. Animals just like people should never be overcrowded, but if a healthy, captive animal is harvested, you know what it has eaten, as well as its health history.”

“The wild hogs are an interesting case. They are not indigenous to this area, and have done much harm everywhere that they go. Even before the end of the game laws by virtue of the end of the the White Man’s culture, there were no bag limits; because of their overpopulation they had become a scourge.”

“If you capture enough live ferrel stock, you can improve the breed with selective breeding and improved health and nutrition.”

“This gives you an opportunity to transition from being exclusively hunter-gatherers to farmers and ranchers. as a result, unnecessary travel is minimized, which enhances your privacy.”   

“The Indian has never needed hunting or fishing laws, but in the case of the pigs, you could hunt them relentlessly, and it would only improve the ways of Nature in balance here, and feed many people in the process.”

”This is the opposite of what the White Man did to the Buffalo. He believed if he could exterminate the Buffalo, it would be easier to exterminate the Red Man.”

”He had no interest in eating them, because they made more money by selling the hides  and leaving the flesh to rot in huge piles everywhere you looked.”

“The White Man loves the pig.  Sell or barter only fresh, fully butchered healthy hogs whenever practical, and appropriate to your supply and demand, but the surplus as well as the offal can be dried, smoked, cured, brined or pickled, which will extend their usable or marketable lifetime.”  

“Potentially much of their diet will come from scraps and lesser cuts of meat and vegetables not used by the tribe, as well as the garbage that you are already sorting, composting, or recycling. Do not feed them the flesh of other swine! EVER!  Same goes for humans, no exceptions.…hahaha!…it’s just not good for the pigs, and you don’t want them to acquire a taste for us.“

“There is great opportunity with swine, but although you may feed them things that you would never want to eat, keep in mind, if you intend, even only occasionally to eat this pork yourself, feed them accordingly.”

“The land here is not really suitable for commercial cattle farming beyond a few cows to support the Colony, and you have successfully substituted venison for beef, and fish, shellfish, poultry, and pork more than sustain all your members needs and tastes.”

“Perhaps you can imagine our humor in watching you reclaim our native land, consecrate and refine it lovingly, yet make enough money that you don’t really need in the first place to make it possible to continue to live in a space-age Indian village of your own choosing, all the while, selling him the two things that are the worst for him, namely pork and alcohol, much as we did to him with tobacco.”

“He seems increasingly incapable of any form of self-regulation…especially with the Blue Agave Moon…even though it really is supposed to soothe the hearts and souls of those who have lost a loved one, it cannot give you happiness, but because the White Man does not understand this, he will always want more of it”  

“The White Man cannot be happy because he does not know what he wants, so he wants everything he sees.”

”If he cannot be happy with whatever he has at that moment, his health, the wind, the sky, the sun, the earth beneath his feet, the waters that run through it, the moon above his head, a soft breeze, the rains that come to make the grass grow, a kiss from a lover, a smile from a stranger, and every opportunity to express Compassion, Gratitude and Lovingkindness…he will never be happy.”

“Whether it be solitude or the love of family, we are connected to everything else; we are all connected to each other and our actions, but the White Man  does not understand this and it is why he is able to be so greedy and cruel, not just to other humans, and animals, but our Mother Earth and Sister Sky, the waters from which all life springs…the stars from which we came, long before this time, because he cuts himself loose from everything, endlessly whining about his own sorrow as he hurts, steals, kills and pollutes everything.”

”He is like a man looking at his own reflection, without being able to see himself.”

“He believes that he is supposed to fear his jealous, angry, wrathful, vengeful God, who will damn him to the eternal fires of hell if he does not slavishly fear and worship him; who tells him that every pleasure is Sin, and the age of miracles is over…how can this be? Do you not witness the miraculous every day, everywhere you look?”

“Yet, if at the last moment he repents any and every horror imaginable committed to everyone around him, that he is forgiven, but a three-day-old baby, who is presumed to be born with the original sin of his parents dies before it is baptized will also be given the same eternal damnation as any pagan or heathen, like myself.”

“He thinks his God is invisible, and separate from everything. He believes that only Man has only one soul and only one chance to live a life that will gain him entrance into his Heaven, but after he dies, his soul is forced to exist in a dark place between all worlds until his Judgement Day.”

“For those who know that they are still alive, every day is judgement day.”

“if he was not so dangerous, it would be easy to pity him, to feel sympathy for his sad, pathetic condition, but they are so numerous, and they spread like viruses everywhere they go, choking the land, the water, and the sky until you cannot see the sun from the bottoms of the canyons they build to Commerce unless it is high noon.”

“Such a man cannot find happiness because if he does not know what is truly valuable and important, he will want everything he sees, yet it will never be enough.”

“What they did to each other was inevitable. Muslim, Asian, and Eastern European cultures so driven by hatred, conspired to use The Armageddon Computer Virus, to pollute the internet to take away the Whites’ imaginary riches, which was ‘virtual’ money, or something others called ‘Fugazi,’ because most of it did not exist as real, tangible money, but a representation of his wealth, as well as his credit, even going so far as to invent something called Bitcoin and other names for his imaginary money.” 

“They valued riches above all else, and eventually The Armageddon Computer Virus took all of their imaginary money from them, resulting in a total collapse of their society and culture, because without money, the White Man does not know how to live, let alone why.”

“Such a a man is more dangerous than any beast in this, or any other worlds, because he knows nothing. He believes that he must possess and dominate everything, respects nothing, fears everything, and behaves as if he believes he has nothing to loose or any consequences of his actions.”

“A man who believes that he has nothing to lose is difficult to hurt, even if only to teach him, because he lacks the wisdom of a child that learns not to stick its hand into the fire.”

“This tribe that you have formed is the Tribe of All Men, All Women; The Tribe of the Human Beings.”

”If you should recognize a Lost Soul while traveling in the other worlds, you will know it in your heart; trust yourself to treat them as family, but protect your privacy at all times.”

“Your reputation means that you are not protected by anonymity, but your reputation is further enhanced by mystery. Learn to backtrack, and always evade them, even if you must wait for them to turn back, rather than to bushwhack or ambush them unless absolutely necessary.”

“Maintain scouts and outposts to prevent their intrusion.”

“This is your new Holy Land.”

“Osiyo. Hau kola. Ya at eeh. Nizhoni.. Halito. Buzhu. Wingapo. Kwe-Kwe.     Miakuye Oyasin. Aho. Many words, one meaning.”

“Hello.”

“Welcome.”

Namasté

नमस्ते

Chazz Vincent

copyright  © 02/08/21

Fish swim with the tides, in and out of the lagoon as it empties itself, receives from, and flows back into the sea.

*ALL REFERENCES TO ANY PERSONS CONFIRMED STILL LIVING IS PURELY CO-INCIDENTAL…AND THE DEAD ARE TOO BUSY LAUGHING AT US TO CARE.

Awakenings: I Found a New Drug

 

As fond as I am of self-medication in the pursuit of Enlightenment, Ecstasy, Pleasure and/or Sexual Frenzy, I have to credit my physician for recommending what’s proving to be the Magick Bullet, or Missing Link… the last missing piece of the puzzle; this enigma that will lead me back to my one true home…eventually.

I do not say that in arrogance, but rather with a feeling of eventual certainty, a feeling more than a belief, although like quantum theory, an infinite series of repetitions will eventually introduce a mutation that will trigger a different result….

Yes, I know that I could also be describing the definition of Insanity (…like that’s such a bad thing, but if you don’t already know, it’’s not all that it’s cracked up to be), but the truth is that because of a change in a legal maintenance prescription medication, I was able to “Observe the Observer” long enough to recognize a serious error in my behaviors triggered by feelings that were altering my judgement, based on misperceptions that have existed as far back as I can recall.

I had finally repeated the error often enough to recognize the hidden flaw.

And surprisingly, it’s not a psych med, although it does seem to make just about everything work better.

(It’s also not an amphetamine.)

I just finished my third week.

And even if I am no longer able to take it somewhere down the road, or the effect wears off, the Insight that it has provided will remain, but do you remember a movie entitled “Awakenings”?

What I don’t know is whether or not I will still have the enthusiasm that triggers real Dharma Action.

There is something about uncertainty…a kind of edginess that I have learned to crave once again.

To be willing to Jump into the Fire…or the volcano, if the situation dictates it.

(And I didn’t have to fall in Love, Infatuation, or even a Crush.)

Go figure.

But the Proof of the Pudding is in the eating of the pudding….

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 

さよなら絶望先生

(Goodbye, Master of Despair)

Namasté

नमस्ते

Sukhino Bhava

सुखिनोऽभव)

Chazz Vincent

03/31/2020

 

Sayonara Y’all!

A Few Not-So-Funny Things that Kept Happening on My Way to the Word Processors

 

 

A few days ago, I received an anniversary notice from WordPress, congratulating me on my seventh anniversary of DreamlandDancing.

Most bloggers run out of steam in less than five years, which is curiously enough, also the make/break point for most small businesses.

Four years ago, my health went into what seemed to be a death spiral of numerous ailments, finally (hopefully) culminating in open heart surgery this last January.

Recuperation is not necessarily always as planned, and one thing just seems to lead to another…

Nervous breakdowns are inconvenient, embarrassing, and have a tendency to undermine one’s credibility, but I would be remiss not to admit that essentially all of the epiphanies, revelations, moments of clarity, and illuminations that I have experienced revealed themselves to me as the fabric of my Consciousness, Intellect, and Reason unraveled.

Suddenly faced with no A Priori assumptions, deconstructing what I perceived as Reality, allowed, if not encouraged me to let the most necessary components of my world align themselves according to their nature, rather than my previously preconceived notions.

“There are two ways to be fooled; one is to believe what is not true, the other is to refuse to believe what is.”  (Søren Kierkegaard)

I have often felt like I was playing “Chicken” with my own sanity in my search for the Truth, and eventually, I always lost because I kept playing until…so I have learned to consider myself blessed by these events.

It seems obvious to me that although I have what may well be the worst judgment in the world, the fact that I am not dead, in prison, or an asylum gives strong credence to the notion that I may also be the luckiest man in the world, or at least a strong contender for the title.

Meanwhile, I rebuilt the engine of my son’s 1987 Firebird while recuperating from a back injury in time for him to be able to drive it while on leave after returning from Afghanistan.

I fell down a very long, dangerous rabbit hole “researching” the production of moonshine for my current work Once in a Blue Agave Moon, but have done precious little writing.

In less than a week’s time, with no notice, I was forced to build a storage shed and workshop for my tools, or face losing them.

I’ve lost track of how many hurricanes have highjacked my energy, thoughts, and time these last several years.

The old adage about how when one door closes, another one opens has also proven true, and after several decades have once again begun researching, writing, playing, and recording a song cycle devoted to resonating our Chakras entitled “Ode to a Roomful of Tibetan Singing Bowls.”

Thordol Bardo, or The Enlightenment through Hearing has taken on new meaning and import for me.

I joined a drum circle, even though I have never considered myself a percussionist.

After months of intractable pain, thanks to Zen meditation and several Taoist exercises, I have learned how to successfully manage severe chronic pain, although it curiously inspired my occasional byline, Observations of a Recovering Buddhist.

(I am still an Atheist.)

Zen does not require me to invent a god in my, or anyone else’s image.

I have been a “gun-toting Pacifist” for several decades. I see no contradictions in that statement, considering that it has allowed me to save several lives other than just my own; nevertheless, ironically, the worst abuse I face on a regular basis comes from those who do not share my beliefs.

Are they or are they not also Pacifists?

I would ask them “How many people does it take to achieve World Peace?” The source of all conflict still lives within each of us, but until we learn to conquer it, there can be little hope for our mutual advancement.

That is why the Shaolin Monks devised Kung Fu.

I choose to stay alive out of love, so that I may share it with all who would appreciate it, until each of us realizes that the answer is just “One.”

Most of my life has followed trends or periods of time when a particular thought or principle seemed to predominate those events, and they have appeared to represent cycles that repeat themselves, allowing me the opportunity to correct, or anticipate events where or when my notoriously bad judgement taught me the error of my ways…hey look, regardless of judgement, I’m not STUPID!

The fact remains that so much remains undone and unwritten.

A few days ago, after meditating, I recognized a familiar state of mind that had come to me  several decades ago, a portent of what was unfolding, which involves change, and growth to face an uncertain future.

It was when I recognized my true self, my need for uncertainty and change, that I learned to embrace my fate, powered by my resolve, after understanding that I don’t have to only write the songs that make me cry.

“Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.”

(Søren Kierkegaard)

Namasté

नमस्ते

Chazz Vincent

09/21/2019

The Ten-Thousand Things

 

 

Each Day

As I face

The Ten Thousand Things,

that would either

impede or obviate

my pursuit

of The One,

it occurs to me

that

as I move in any single

aspect or angle

in the pursuit

of The One,

if I should

merely persevere long enough,

that eventually

I will become

one with

The One.

 

 

 

Wu!

Wu-Wei

Wu-Wei-Wu.

 

 

 

Matte Kudesai

Patience Please.

 

 

 

If I should

pursue

The One,

for the rest of

what is left of

my life,

I will never

Arrive.

 

 

The dog does not chase the deer

because he deer runs;

The deer runs

because the dog chases it;

 

 

 Wu!

Wu-Wei

Wu-wei-Wu.

 

 

 

Matte Kudesai

Patience Please.

 

 

 

The more passionate

the methods used

in the course of 

any pursuit,

the more surely

that

desire

will succumb

to

confusion.

 

 

 

Wu!

Wu-Wei

Wu-wei-Wu.

 

 

 

Matte Kudesai

Patience Please.

 

 

 

Each Day

As I face

The Ten Thousand Things,

I realize

that

No matter

which way I go,

all things return to The One.

 

Some directions

will be longer

or shorter

or faster

or more secure,

but the path we choose

will determine

both our Methods

as well as our intentions

and whether we know it or not,

instead of 

seeking

the attainment of anything

somewhere in the future,

if I embrace

my present circumstances

with joyous resolve,

compassion

and Grace,

fully engaged

in the ever-present

never-present

present moment,

there will be no time for

dreadful speculation,

the result of wallowing

in fearful rumination

instead of being completely

 in the Here and Now.

 

Acceptance, rather than Denial

allows us to focus on

what our life really is, 

rather than

what we wish it was.

 

If you are unhappy now,

what makes you think

you will be happy

sometime later

in a future

that will never come?

 

 

 

Wu!

Wu-Wei

Wu-wei-Wu.

 

 

 

Matte Kudesai

Patience Please.

 

 

Thanks.

Namasté

नमस्ते

Chazz Vincent

08/29/2019

 

Never Too Late…?

Six months dancing with Death in a dream within a dream

 

 

As finite Time hangs in the balance

All too conscious

that

as The One

returns to Zero,

just how precious

the ever-present

never-present

present moment

is

was

and will be.

Recuperation.

So many hours

for

necessary thoughts,

albeit dangerous or not

seducing me

into remembering

the regrets I could not rewrite

within my history.

Facing the shame of my wrongs

done unto others

to whom I can no longer

apologize,

yet totally eclipsed

by the magnitude

of my despair

for all that I will leave

undone.

 

Hesitation

preoccupation

self-consciousness

or cowardice

are indistinguishable

after the fact,

when

The Moment

was lost.

Sorry for the Inconvenience, Author under Deconstruction

Well, the good news is that I’m not dead….yet, or at least for now.

If you have, or used to follow my blog, you may have noticed my absence.

Or maybe not.

I don’t want to be too cryptic, but a little mystery can be good.

But no, I am not in jail, or fleeing prosecution (as far as I know), but it wouldn’t be too hard to find me if I was.

I also am not currently institutionalized in a psychiatric facility despite the fact that more than a few folks might be inclined to argue that it is there where I truly belong, (although the opinions of ex-wives should be taken with a very large amount of salt.)

And although right this minute, I am not at home, I am also not homeless.

But depending on the outcome, either I or my widow will make an announcement in the very near future.

See you in the funny papers.

Sayonara y’all…for now.

忍耐、お願い

Nintai shite kudasai

(Patience please.)

Chazz Vincent

01/09/2019

 

Retrospective or Requiem? Well, that just Depends.

Some of you may have noticed my relative absence during the last two years, or perhaps not….

This started as an explanation of sorts, but now has become long enough to deserve being turned into something resembling a bi-line, much like “On Letting Go” a few years ago. 

There is an old Zen story about a man who discovers that a fine thoroughbred stallion had wandered onto his property.

His friends and neighbors remarked “How fortunate you are to have this happen.”

His reply to such matters was always the same. “Well, that just depends.”

No one seemed to really understand what he meant, until his son attempted to tame the wild stallion, and in the process broke his leg.

Everyone who came to visit remarked what a terrible calamity it was that his son had been injured, especially since the old man depended so much on his son to help him tend his farm.

Again, his only reply was, “Well that just depends.”

At this point, no one, including his son, understood the meaning behind his words. Some were even offended or angered by his seemingly callous reply. His humor was so wry that it was not unusual they did not divine many of his remarks. 

Several days later, a local warlord arrived at the village where they lived. As he went from house to house to seek able-bodied men to conscript into service for his army to prepare for a terrible war that was being waged, he came upon the old man’s injured son, who was determined to be unfit for battle.

When his neighbors came to congratulate them on his good fortune, when they again heard him say “Well, that just depends” one of the exasperated visitors shouted “On What?” 

“We’ll just have to see” was all he said.

The last two and a half years have been like a rabbit-hole down a rabbit-hole.

It has been my experience that the really valuable episodes of growth or epiphany were preceded by either significant injury or illness, or deep personal loss…and pain.

It seems that the worst brings out the best in us. It all just depends on how you look at it.

Suffice it to say that I have been blessed by a series of events that have provided me with numerous opportunities for personal growth and enlightenment. 

So I guess we’ll just have to see.

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei…

Sayonara Y’all….

Namasté

नमस्ते

Chazz Vincent

06/21/2018

Once In a Blue Agave Moon: A Convergence of Many Things chapter 18

True to form, Aimée, Rebel, and Leigh-Anne all walked into the dining room in time to hear Chianna’s last question, as well as Jed’s answer, as he still held out his hand palm up, with the bright blue capsules containing The Knowledge.

Aimée feigned a stage whisper from the side of her mouth: “I told you there was no hurry….”

Rebel just smiled and shook her head, winking at Chianna as she caught her glance.

Leigh-Anne, clearly amused, simply changed the subject. “This would probably be a good time to start showering and cleaning up. If that’s OK with you, where do we go?”

“Let me show you; it’s at the end of the hall. We’re very proud of what we have built in there. We did a lot of horse-trading and foraging to get what we wanted.”

Chianna got up and walked over to the door and opened it. She made a sweeping gesture with her right hand as she did.

Aimée and Rebel followed the two of them.

“Ta-da! Ladies, I hope this will help you forget that we are on the edge of the Post-Apocalyptic Everglades. The closet is filled with oils, emollients, soaps, bath salts, candles and incense. Much of it was gathered and prepared by me. The water is very hot, by the way, and we even have a steam jet over here.”

“The floor is unglazed tile, and there is a drain in the center. In addition to the commode, there is a bidet. Elliot couldn’t resist it…he really does everything he can to spoil me…I thought I could have done without it, but it was part of a deal we arranged when we got the tub, and all the marble, and I have to admit, I’m glad he did.”

“Holy shit! The Three Winds blurted simultaneously.

A redwood bench ran along one wall.

“What? No togas?” Rebel laughed. “Just kidding…I saw something like this in a mansion in LA once; one of the producers for Cal-Vista owned a house where we shot a film, and it wasn’t nearly as nice as this.”

“I gotta say, I am really impressed, but Aimée and I better wait until after everybody else is finished before we go and use up all the hot water.” 

Rebel gave Chianna a knowing look as she gave Amy’s buttocks a soft squeeze.

“Y’all can draw straws to decide who goes first, but don’t worry about the hot water. We have a five-hundred gallon cistern that is initially solar heated, and stays quite warm year-round, which is then boosted up to one hundred twenty five degrees with an electric heater that also produces steam if you like.” Chianna looked like a proud parent on graduation day as she showed off the bathroom.

“I already turned on the generator before we started to eat, so it’s ready to go…and we have never run out of hot water, even if we were entertaining, so be our guests.”

“Elliott wasn’t joking when he said we have almost everything we need or want, and I can’t think of anyone with whom we would rather share our good fortune…besides, this is a big weekend to be enjoyed by all. Samhain, a full moon, a lunar eclipse, a Blood Moon, and a blue moon….” 

Chianna’s voice trailed off as Rebel interjected:

“You know darlin’, we have a lot in common…more than I realized. We’ve been on the road so much lately than I haven’t paid much attention to the moon and the stars, but I think we have more than a few things to share this weekend…after we get clean and refreshed.” 

The Wiccan references did not go unnoticed by Rebel.

“I’m really looking forward to it, and thank you so much for your hospitality; it says a lot about your character, and I admire that.”

Rebel, who was usually short on words and long on delivery, was clearly in no hurry as her rich drawl resonated off the marble. As she finished, she gently touched Chianna’s forearm.

(“So she has a soft spot after all.” thought Chianna, “Well good; maybe I can trust her. I could use an ally.”)

(“Of course you can. I only play tough when I think I have to, and I dare say, you are a pretty easy read…I mean that in a good way. Once you get to really know me, you’ll feel more comfortable with the intuition we share.”) 

Rebel looked deeply into Chianna’s eyes as she returned her gaze.

(“Well OK then…I hope you’re right.”) Chianna thought. She did not seem alarmed by the way their thoughts were so clearly conveyed between them.

(“If you can trust yourself enough to hear me, you will know I am right, and that this is as real as it gets.”) Rebel knew her words had hit their mark.

Both women stood there for just a moment longer. Sometimes it is hard to trust your heart to hear what words can only imply, if you have just the right chance with just the right person. To know….

(You know I have tried The Knowledge twice…but the fact that you can already hear me…read me if you will, means you’ve got a big head-start on this whole process. I’m really looking forward to the chance to share our knowledge.”) 

(“How do you know I will agree to take it?”)

(“Because I already know…and so do you. It’s in our future.”)

“Ladies if you don’t mind, then, I’ll go first.” If Leigh-Anne was privy to their intuitive dialogue, she gave no indication of it.

(“Blessing Be”)

(“Merry Met”)

Namasté

नमस्ते

Chazz Vincent

08/03/2017

Change is not Hard. Change is not Easy. Change is not Slow. Change is not Fast.

If you swim against the tide

you will drown.

So also,

if you try to force your will

in resisting what is,

you will fail.

You alone

are no match

for the entire universe.

It takes Wisdom to see

the ebb and flow of

what is and what

will be.

You cannot even slow

the force

of a single ocean wave

though your ego and pride

may be as large

as all the seas

combined,

but if you surf,

neither you nor the wave

are Master;

in surfing

you become one.

Change is not slow.

When your heart resists

what your thinking mind

convinces you

must be,

no change will come.

Put it down.

Put down all resistance.

Change

comes

with enlightenment,

like lightning…

Who can rush either?

Acceptance of what is

Here and Now

will show you

your Dharma action

from Nowhere

to Now Here

as we ride

the Three-Hundred

Mile-an Hour Train

that never leaves

and never arrives

because it is already

Here.

Inside the train

only your mind is moving.

If you stop fighting your mind,

in that one clear, thin moment

where all existence

dwells

in empty space

as thick as molasses,

Infinity

folds back upon itself

and all things

having returned

to the One

now

return

to

Zero.

Namasté

नमस्ते

Chazz Vincent

05/02/2017