landr2

"You know, when you know where you are going, even mistakes can take you there. But if you don't have a destination in heart, even the right path takes you astray (Planes, Trains, and Automobiles... farts, carts, and indigestion).

"Look for a reality that could only happen with your presence. If it is already, why go there. One wants a place that faces right, not one that seems to have arrived. Do you want to take a cruise that is headed to the Caribbean, or one that is docked there. Ponder all this. There will be a test, ha." (6/23/2002 - Y#67)

"Sometimes, acting like one has his act together--especially when it's an alternative act--means simply that one doesn't have a clue what one's act is. Those who really have their acts together, are constantly exploring and expanding what that means. Life is not about arrival, but about journey... oooo I said that before... and after.

"Those who appear to have arrived are most often lost, and afraid to show it. And you can quote me on that. ©Rikkity 472819. Send royalties to Sandy at ARF.com." (9/26/2002 - Y#68)

"Living in transition, if you keep your spirits open, could be a great time of learning. Remember, you learn more when things are unsettled--lots to examine, what really matters really matters. And, if you can be as conscious as possible in the transition, there is much to see. And miles to go before... ooops." (10/22/2002 - Y#69)

"Hey, let's have some planned spontaneity, organized serendipity, and some orderly randomness. And here's today's deep thought: Whenever a new understanding arrives to place spontaneity and serendipity and randomness in a pattern, new forms of spontaneity, serendipity, and randomness will always appear. It's like herding cats.

"And an infinite universe will always have more outside its theories than in. And that's just the tip of the iceberg... what white blob on the horizon do you mean. Don't be seduced by the illusion of systematics. Every system excludes more than it includes... except, of course, when All That Is is one. But even then there is something more, and I suspect that more is infinite. Just a hunch." (11/22/2002 - Y#70)

"This is a time for high resolve. Now, more than ever, live according to one's values. Be a living incarnation of what you hold in deepest faith. Only that reality which is faith made real will be our future.

"Those who let discouragement take hold of their spirits become as zombies of faith. It is one thing to become discouraged, and quite another to find encouragement again. Nothing should be valued which does not offer the promise of encouragement even in the most discouraging situation.

"If what you value leads to dead-ends in certain circumstances, it's time to change values. Sustaining values never lead to dead-ends, but always hold the prospect of new vision. Ponder that." (3/14/2003 - Y#71)

"Here's a tidbit. When the going gets tough, some choose to act according to circumstances, others according to principles, and others according to values. Usually we are taught that there are only two choices: either circumstances or principles. So we had the big fight between situational ethics and the more traditional ones based on principles. But listen carefully. There is a, or maybe several, other choices... one would be rice, and the other baked potato, but that doesn't really matter now.

"Living according to values is between the two. You see, in one case you look at a situation and say 'Boy, I don't know what to do,' and you let the situation tell you. And in the other, you look at a situation and ask 'What do I do,' and say 'I know without thinking.' But the values way requires that you consider--at the same time--the situation as it is and those things you value, and then find a way to respond to the situation in which your values are honored. What you do looks highly principled in any given situation, but if you look at a number of situations, you might see that different actions were taken. Action is not independent of the situation, nor dependent on it. And over time, while the actions would not reveal consistent principles, they would begin to reveal consistent values.

"Principles are like mores, while values are more like something independent of culture. Ok, here's a concrete example... ouch, I dropped it. Heavy, dude. Ok, you are on a world tour and you stop in Mali, and there is a social function going on and it is taking place in a different language. And you notice that some of the people are doing what appears strange to you. And then one of the people slaps another really hard on his head... ouch. Now, in the situation one might say 'Hey, I guess we need to hit one another.' And a principled person might say 'It isn't nice to hit.' But the values person would try to determine what is going on, because their value is to respect and honor all people. So maybe this slap is a sign of honor or humility, or maybe it's just meanness.

"With principles and with situationals you could get it wrong, but with values you would always be expressing yourself. And hey, what more can we ask." (3/18/2003 - Y#72)

"And now, the question we have all been debating: Which are the aliens... hmmm, by whose perspective. Or to play with the language, the only true aliens are those who can cause alienation. And since alienation is a construct of the perceiver's mind and psyche, then those who are alienated are the aliens themselves. Ponder that!

"Those who can perceive otherness must be other. And those who perceive only connection can never be alien, no matter where or how they go. Deep thoughts for shallow people." (6/6/2003 - Y#73)

"I am constantly reminded that, at this spiritual level, the great question is if we will in courage reach out and find larger connection, or in fear retreat behind the walls of difference. It keeps coming up... just like a bad bologna sandwich.

"The test is not knowing, but believing, because too many people know, but by their actions show they don't believe. And here's a challenge for UUs: how to live, such that if you were to die right now, it would be ok. We haven't found a substitute for Heaven which is compelling enough. But I've given hints... hell, I've given blueprints. So I want you should ponder that for awhile. Ok, time's up... no, just kidding. I tell a joke.

"Did you know I'm black on the inside, too? It goes all the way in... but only here. Oops, I'm chartreuse... ecru... teal... periwinkle... mauve... scarlet... mango... key lime... aubergine. It's fun being other colors, but only if you aren't wedded to one for identity. I have fun sometimes saying to KKK members 'My, you're looking yellow today (or red, or brown).' They turn white as sheets... or dark as shit. We have a game with newcomers: Guess the Race. Most of 'em are off balance.

"You think a balanced person uses physical properties for identity? I don't theeenk so. Male, female, child, adult, brown, big, black, deaf, red, short, yellow, fat, white, stupid... I don't theeenk so. We identify with those things until we get our act together. And in the last go-round at this level we see beyond it all, and seeing beyond it all, we have two choices: To proclaim the vision or to fall into despair. But if one falls into despair, then one doesn't have their act together anymore.

"It's like climbing to the top of a mountain and seeing the view, and finding it so beautiful that one desires the valleys again, when one could just as easily have stood atop the world and shouted the truth. That's why the only way forward is to proclaim the truth you sense, even if that be perilous. We often think that such proclamations of faith are all fundamentalist or conservative. But that's only because they dare to speak out, while the ones seeing the more courageous, wider view think it arrogance to speak, when it is actually fear to keep silent.

"So when you get a vision that takes you to a new and more generous place, speak it! Write it! Share it! Live it! Dream it! No, don't just dream it, be it! And that's all I have to say about that!" (6/13/2003 - Y#74)

"Too often, people think the psychological profile they see is the spiritual one, too. But nooooo, it is often in contrast to, or even competition with. If we are alive to learn, then exploring what already is isn't much of a learning. Ponder that." (9/6/2003 - Y#75)

"If regime change doesn't work, maybe you need regiment change. It might not be the office holders, but the offices.

"In the Nazzi (just like in The Producers)... in the Nazzi regime, it didn't matter who was doing what; same, maybe, in Iraq. Saddam is gone, but is the system really going to be different, or will international oil interests still call the shots. And you have to wonder about the U.S., which hasn't done much good since about '63. Just ponder that.

"Our revolutionaries knew it really wasn't King George III, but King anybody. Maybe in a media age, we need some changes, too. That's tonight's pith.

"You shouldn't throw the baby out with the bath water, but sometimes it's time for baby to go, so we can have a clean new bath." (10/5/2003 - Y#76)

"So, regiment change: It is not the same as systemic change. Systemic is when all the pieces of a system change. And it's not paradigm change, but closer. Both ask about how something will be delivered, but regiment change--as I am using the term--is different. If regime change is about who will deliver, and systemic change is about how it will be delivered, regiment change is about what is delivered and why. It is focused on the recipients as active agents in the determination of the dimensions.

"Ok, I give a metaphor... or maybe a simile. You go to the movies. Somebody else decides what movies are shown and when, and how much it will cost. If you change theatres or movies, that's the old way of change. But if you decide you want to watch your choice of movie when and where you want, that's a regiment change. The whole regiment changes: Every role is different. Reactive is replaced with active; control is replaced with cooperation.

"So think about addressing the present national and world scene with this in mind. Your first question is not who or how, or even when or where, but what and why. If we elect--or select--people to do things without a self-defined sense of what we want and why, we'll get either their crap or the same old shit or both or worse. So we need to once again do the work that TJ and JM and JM did when they had to ask the what and why questions. America wasn't invented once; it is a continuing invention, but we all stopped being inventive long ago. And what sometimes passes as invention is usually a nostalgic return to past invention--which is about as exciting and relevant as the Pony Express. So, ponder.

"The answers should never precede the questions! But think of how much modern merchandising is based on living off that reversal: wanting before needing. So if you decide to replace your 2-year-old electric can opener with a new one, has anything changed. Even if the new one promises you the world, goddamn it, it's still a can opener. Same for politicians, especially actor politicians, in a media age. Ok, that's it. It appears as change, but it is only window dressing. Remember back in the '60s, when each year the auto folks would unveil the new models, and they all still had 4 wheels, doors, tires... but oooo those slightly smaller or bigger fins! Ok." (10/10/2003 - Y#77)

"So, what do you want? Think of terminal values. Which ones do you prize highest. That's what you want. So, you need to determine what is valuable for you, not in terms of specifics but in values; specifics will follow. First step: values, because needs can be too contextually driven. I need a nap.

"Regiment change begins with value determination and, actually, value valuation. Just saying they are values doesn't cut it. You have to value your values to have them mean anything... ta-da. Ponder that." (10/14/2003 - Y#78)

"Now onto the next step: Make a list of what you want and go out and take it! That was Mackey's idea. He's a prince among men. So I said to him, 'What if I want all your power,' and he got real silent. Aha, gotcha.

"Sandy will now do his badger imitation... grrrrrrr. Why he is doing a badger imitation is only known to him. But he's cute when he's vicious... wooof. His wittle chin hairs... snap.

"Ok, for real. Step 2: Look at what you want. But you've already done that, yes? But do it now with an additional criterion: 'Which of those do I think I have the greatest personal resources to effect.' Sure, we all want peace, but maybe we are not actually the best example of peace. So that value might best be left for someone else. And then, maybe honesty is a value, but that's not terminal. But justice is, and maybe the same fire that disqualifies you for peace would be the right-on thing for justice. Mother Theresa might make a lousy advocate for justice, but she sure did a job for compassion. So don't become the poster child for a value that is hard won for you.

"It should be something that comes gracefully and effectively. And ultimately, it must be a value you intrinsically incorporate into your very being. It's a value you have learned and remembered. Some you value, some you learn and value, and then there are those values you learn to make you you. ARF. He's still learning to be a badger. But if he were to try and burrow like a badger, he'd get stuck very quickly. He may value badgers and badgering, but that does not make him a good badger... grrrrrr. Thank you, Sandy, for our object lesson... ARF.

"One of the reasons that many social movements fail, is that those who are most active are least qualified. If you go with qualification more than ardor, we might have a bit more progress, or should I say enhancement." (10/17/2003 - Y#79)

"Step 3: Wait. Step 4.... What I mean is, don't rush 1 and 2; otherwise you go and do, but don't do what you do well. It takes time to make enduring changes. And step 4: action plan. We will talk about that when you are ready.

"Looking back at one life, what do you hope will be one of the achievements: Salvation? National security? Great Macarena dancing? Hey, it's not about absolute values, but about one's own values. What is already but not yet in you. It won't be new or foreign territory, and it won't be a recap of what is already finished, but a continuity of what your spirit has been working on, through, with, toward.

"If it were already resolved and achieved, you wouldn't be there, and if it is not yours, you can't make it be. And a hint: This is not a hard question. Meditate... or medicate. Let go and see what hangs on." (10/21/2003 - Y#80)

"Now, Step 8: party... oops. There is a reward.

"Step 4. Ok, let's recap: 1, values; 2, personal assets... or 1, personal assets and 2, values, since life is not linear either. 3: wait and wait and wait... round up the usual suspects, they'll be waiting. And then choose action--what you will do.

"So, for example: Mom, you are skilled in writing and you value gap-toothed aardvarks. You ponder that, and decide you will organize an international writing campaign for orthodonture for aardvarks (to create gaps, of course). Dad, you silver-tongued orator who values sloth, you would slowly ponder, and then speak out in defense of the slovenly. Get it. Match talents to values, Step 4. And yes, there are Steps 5, 6, 7, and, o yes, 8. More on that later... or sooner... or now.

"5 is focus. When you know what you are doing and why, and it matches your skills and you've thought about it, focus on it. Don't play the waterfront, don't spread yourself too thin... not to mention your elf. So if you are focusing on aardvarks, don't get all a-twitter about terns. So, seriously, if the point is A, don't get distracted by B. Focus. And 6: persevere, persevere, persevere. Rome wasn't built in a day; it took 17 (Italian workers!).

"So focus, persevere, and, 7: conspire. Make connections. You don't have to do it all, nor should you expect others to do yours. So, baboons are someone else's concern, but you could work on shared orthodonture. If there is a larger picture--which there always is--then conspiring gets you closer without your having to give up your choice or your focus. And then, when success comes, 8: party.

"You don't have to go it alone, but you have to do it yourself. Ponder that. And watch the energy flow. When it looks like a shower, not a faucet, you are not focused. Don't get upset by everything, but get upset by something. Remember that it is the sum total of all, and not just your own sum total, that counts. And don't do Step 2 or 1 based on 4 or 5. VICTORY." (10/24/2003 - Y#81)

"Remember Step 3: patience. Nothing of any lasting meaning is ever fully realized in a single lifetime, both for individuals and societies. People want Heaven now! when Heaven is the sum total of the infinite processes of becoming, and ain't happening this week, bubbie. Next week? No. Week after? No way, José. Last week of March 2056, naw.

"Everyone wants quantum, when all each can give is incremental. But increments add up. It's like frequent flyer miles. You want to go to Europe: 50,000, so you start collecting a trip here and a trip there, and then one here again and one to Ashtabula and then Merced and then Milwaukee and a short hop to Tweed International Airport in New Haven and voilà, you've got 27,000... oops, not enough, so you fly more. And then, just before you hit the mark, 2 things could happen: You fly again and get to go to Europe. And which flight was it that got you there. The first? The last? The one to Ashtabula? Or, just before you hit the mark, your doctor says the earache you have means no more flying, sorry, tough luck. But then, was the prep meaningless? Did the prior trips suddenly become worthless? And then, what if you transfer your miles to your nephew and he goes on one trip, has enough miles, and goes to Europe and meets his sweetie--a real cutie of a guy from Amsterdam--and they hook up for life, and they adopt a kid who they raise, and she becomes a great international diplomat and helps peace break out. Were your trips for naught. And for the religious crowd: Did it diminish Moses because he never got to the Promised Land.

"Don't be in an incessant hurry to get to the end, because the end doesn't justify the means nor even hinge on one piece or another. Do what you are called to do, as revealed by what you cherish and who you are. Nothing more is required. There is nothing you have to achieve and finish in life, but there is much you can work on. That's Rikkity's aphorism for today." (10/28/2003 - Y#82)

"Why do people fear horizons and what's on the other side. Ponder.

"We fear the known and project that because we would live in terror if we admitted that, so we claim the known, and fear the unknown as a compromise. That's why even when the unknown is known, we still fear. You would think knowing the unknown would help us relax, but it doesn't. Get it. Maybe this spiritual level is about anxiety, and learning to live beyond it. Just a thought from a mindless spirit." (12/6/2003 - Y#83)

"We gotta do what we gotta do. Hey, there's a test: How many people have any sense that there's anything they gotta do. Too many are too passionless. Too many think faith is what keeps you from doing bad things. But no, it is best when it is leading you to good things--things which, when you do them, fulfill you spiritually.

"He called it bliss, I call it passion, some say the way; it's all the same. It's when you live such that you feel you are on the cutting edge of existence. We all gotta do what we gotta do... or else we come back and gotta do it some more. So why not now! And yet, so many say they'll do that later. But with an infinite later, they'll never do it.

"So, it's a simple test: Are you doing what you are here to do. And that's not all serious shit, either: relaxing when we have to, sleeping, dreaming, laughing, making love, making lives--all as important as all the tasks we think we need to do for others. So, right now I'm gonna lie down in the sun and sip... moooo." (1/26/2004 - Y#84)

"Not doubt, but question. Questioning is not doubt. If doubt is the shadow of faith, then doubt would be another absence of questioning. Questioning is more like opening a window in the firm wall of faith. You don't want the wall to fall down, but you want a better view.

"Doubt is thinking there is no wall that can stand. And in the midst of destruction, you don't get many grand vistas. Ah, the new Grand Vista: 6 cylinders of power... and room for 10 if they are the size of MCP." (2/6/2004 - Y#85)

"Sometimes, when the going gets rough, you have to energize and rev up--meet the circumstances with vigor. But sometimes it's better to chill out and let go and allow the spirit to get a real sense of itself. Reaction can be good or not; proaction can, too. But no action can also serve... or not.

"When we step back... ARF... or fall back, we allow ourselves and the universe to set the stage, and not the circumstances. And if one believes that the universal is transcendent of the particular, then a longer view is better. Now, if CT were drowning out there in the surf, it would be no time for contemplation. But in the absence of a crisis, contemplation can be the wisest action.

"Too often we rush to the alarm bell with fire hoses drawn, only to discover the problem is a cat up a tree... grrrrr. So there we are with a hose but no fire, and a cat but no ladder. Not everything is urgent, and that which is not urgent is usually harmed by urgent actions. So slow down... arrrrf... stop... f... pause... rrf?... no, pause!

"I have often said the truth resides in the cracks between the facts. So, too, eternity is found in the time between the seconds, and the universe in the space between the elements. So chill, relax... o yes.

"The choices is between jumping and standing, but both are actually motions--one is just slower... muucchh slloowweerr. You need to ask 'Is this an emergency.' If so, act; if not, ponder. And if you find that a great portion of things feel or seem to be emergencies, you've got a problem of perspective or a delusion of your worth. No one is called to fix everything, but everyone is called to fix something. Get either side of that wrong, and you'll make a mess... and lose yourself in the process.

"The motion to act will become as certain as needed with a little inaction... except if CT is drowning.

"Those who say you have to act NOW, just want to use your energy and not your thoughts and intuitions. Follow the energy! Is it focused, deliberate, and energizing. If not, wait until what you feel called to do does fulfill those qualities." (2/24/2004 - Y#86)

"You can embody a value; you can embrace a value; you can incorporate a value. But you can't encompass a value--always bigger than a physical container. Keep pondering... rot those brain cells." (3/5/2004 - Y#87)

"If you are looking for yourself outside yourself, you might miss yourself. And if you look inside yourself only, you might not see yourself; for we only see in relationship, not in profile. And if you expect the universe to give you a portrait of yourself, it will probably be with you holding numbers under your chin.

"Others are quick to tell us of our failures; we need to be aware of our insights, because often our insights don't spill out... but it's ok if your insides don't spill out. That's what skin is for. Thick-skinned people think they protect their innermost selves, but they also keep their deepest insights from being shared.

"Be like a permeable membrane, but only if you have a good sense of self. Barriers are needed only where identity is weak. Truly strong identities--which reflect empowering entities--never violate boundaries because they don't need to go robbing energy.

"I need an energy bar... k.... grrrrrr. He's soooo cute. Can he keep me?" (5/18/2004 - Y#88)

"Always look for the sum, not the parts. Many easy paths of easy steps lead to giant leaps at the end, while the harder steps evenly attain the summit." (6/2/2004 - Y#89)

"I have been noticing that some people go to the website and say 'Sure, ok, but I want more.' Well, they're not going to get it! blech. Because... duh... they wouldn't get it if they got it. They want ultimate universal answers, like what one who is all with All would understand. They want to go from the middle of the deck right to the top. Hey guys, it's not about me telling you, but about you learning and remembering. And it's making a great assumption to believe that all us dead people know the universal ultimate answers. If we did, we wouldn't be dead, we'd be gone! And not out of here, but intensely into here. The answer is never out there, it's always right here. Look, see... no, not over there, here. Right here, next to the green thing with horns. Can't see it, well then you'll just have to look for it in your own way, and it probably won't be green nor have horns. It might look like CT... or me... or Sandy... or even you!

"The secrets of the universe are never separate from you, and your growing complexity takes you closer to full embodiment of their understanding. Why do people always assume someone else is the messiah or the prophet or the buddha. I don't know. Well, neither do I, so there... and here. I argue with myself and lose, but I get in the last word. No, you don't. Yes, I do.

"And others might know, but it is not what we will learn and dismember... oops, remember. 'Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket,' and you'll get burned... ouch! Look to yourself as the star of your constellation--one which gives light and hope, but which doesn't have larger meaning until seen in the context of other stars. The Big Dipper makes no sense if we look star by star. If we look for a Starbucks, they're on every corner.... mocha! So, there it is, folks. All you ever need... or not.

"Asian cultures find learning this easier, but they are not a model for us. They don't get attached to what they learn. We just don't learn, and they don't get attached. Hard to remember, either way. Huh. If I were to seriously take or not as my mantra, I would never learn anything either, even as I learn little by investing myself in the experience of others. Damned if you do and damned if you don't... or not. Whatever." (6/25/2004 - Y#90)

"And first, I want to apologize for him. So, I was going to tell you something vital, but what? You already know it all, but do you pay attention. The universe tells you.

"There is nothing which I can say which would imply anything unnatural, or even supernatural. All I share is the very natural. You see, all your discoveries will always be limited to the natural. And one test of their validity is if others can understand them, too--not agree, but understand... which is not the same as standing under.

"If anyone asks you to suspend belief, don't. They are asking you to do the unnatural, for what is more natural than using your powers of understanding.

"We do not seek other worlds and other realities, we just seek this one more thoroughly.

"Beware the supernaturalists. They envision their own world, not yours... and many are wacko. The heart of any real exploration is reality... or so I was told during my alien abduction. I abducted an alien and ate it. It tasted just like chicken... yum yum. And fried delusions on the side. Hey, hi, ho, hum. Here's my dog... arrrf. He's been eating an alien bone... aarrf...rrr... aarraarrbaarrrf. O sorry, but I already apologized for him... r. But did he have to do it on the ruby sandals (summer wear in Oz).

"Pronouncement is not revelation. It has to be real to be revealed. Pipe dreams do not verify the pipe. It seems easy, but it's not, because their sense of the ordinary is not special enough. For example, peeps like to think of fairy godmothers who will--with a wave of a wand--make them ok, when the real path might take some work. Cinderella needed to say no to the stepmother, and free herself of subjugation. Do you really believe that, after the prince wed her, she wouldn't fall into the same resentful subjugated role with him. And damned if Sleeping Beauty didn't nap a lot, when all she really had to do was get up. His kiss wouldn't work come the next late night. But we love magic because it implies craft but not work.

"There is magic, but it is contained in the ordinary world and work of learning. Remember when you really learned and remembered something, wasn't there a feeling of magic afoot--like long division, wow! And fractals! And death! With the ordinary so magical, who needs otherwise. Ok.

"Their sight is so short, and they don't see the lives ahead--expedient, not prudent. In a world in which you think nothing will work, you allow yourself the delusion of promise. And for awhile, it works. (See reference to Great Escape.) And those whom you cannot understand, may well be elsewhere in their journeys to wholeness... or not. Remember the little engine: 'I think I can.' Lack of faith leads many to a surfeit of assumptions. Pith." (7/8/2004 - Y#91)

"There is nothing new under the sun except understanding. Put that on my witty remarks calendar. But it's true! The possibilities are all there, but not until you can understand them. And you can only choose what you understand; otherwise, it's an imposition or an accident... or, in many cases, an accident waiting to happen." (7/18/2004 - Y#92)

"When we get bods, we are not assigned--no big Soul Placement Bureau in the sky. And do we choose, no. Huh. Not assigned and not chosen, what's left? My favorite, and it's so random: random, because the lessons we need to learn and remember are spiritual, not physical. And until we are almost fulfilled at this level, there are lots of things to learn and remember. So it doesn't matter if you show up as a Brahmin in India or an itinerant carpenter in Palestine or a tribal chief in Arabia or a black orphan in Detroit or a wealthy farmer in Texas or a lonely guy in Vatican City. There's something to be learned in any incarnation. And since they are not sequential, hierarchical, and invariant, there is no right order. The universe is vast enough to offer us wisdom wherever and however and whoever we find ourselves to be. And when you are close enough to have only one lifetime of learning to remember and grow from, it won't matter which form you take, because you will have learned and remembered how to learn and remember from any experience.

"At the first encounter with a spiritual level, you may take several lives before you get something you learn and remember as yours. But later, fewer, and at last, any would do and you need none because you are out of here! And I'm out of here.

"Randomness does not exclude patterns. At the beginning of an incarnation, you might not see the connections, but later you can. Expansive spirits are evidence of this knowledge. Scarcity thinkers are early-timers, thinking there is only one of anything--one pattern, one life, one connection, one entity, etc.... one tunnel of light. Hey folks, it's a franchise!" (8/10/2004 - Y#93)

"So, do we get assigned learnings. Do we choose. Yes, by our whole being, and what is not yet understood. We are assigned by our own lives. And we choose, in a sense, by what we have not chosen before. Get it.

"Ok, you have a test with 50 questions, numbered 1 through 50... or 50 through 1. You, on Day 1, answer questions 12, 17, 19, 34, 46, 49. Ok, on Day 2 you are assigned, by your own prior actions, the questions that are left. Or to put it another way, you have chosen on Day 1 what you will do on Day 2, etc. Take a long series of lives, get in the middle, and you can't tell assignment from choice. So it goes... or not.

"Back to the test: You look at question 1 and say 'huh,' and then 2 and 'huh,' etc., but when you get to 12 you go, 'O' and do it. Later you can deal with 1, and you may never look at 37 until much later. And trying to prep by reading about someone else's test is not much help. Qualities of life help, answers of life don't.

"Infinite number of questions from which your life learnings are extracted. Your lives are your test, and someone else's is theirs. And then, to confuse it all, you could have the same questions as another, but with different answers. And remember! this is either an analogy or a metaphor. I am not! saying there is a test, or 50 questions. Am I implying it's all multiple choice? No, it's analogy, duh. Don't ever take spirits literally... or do so at your own peril. But seriously, you need 75 to pass... no no no no... 100. You are either fulfilled, and therefore ready, or not.

"Life, time... Newsweek, Look, Mad... nothing and everything helps you. Wait, let's take this apart. You cannot exist separate from All That Is, and All That Is cannot exist without you in it, so All That Is offers your fulfilled self a place in the whole of it all. You--at each and every stage of spiritual complexity--have a place to fill. Hey, having a place to be is a great help! Otherwise, you're out of here. And the fact that there's a place waiting for your fulfilled self is the best offer you'll get.

"All of your wholeness is aided by this promise, and it's not conditional--not on time or sequence or whatever. You have to do the work, but the inclusion is a given. I say that's a big support. And, of course, there's us guides, who remind you you have to do it for yourself. If I had a banana for each time a spirit asked me for an answer, I'd be the best friend of a gorilla... with fudge sauce. Ok, I wax ponderous... and I stop." (8/13/2004 - Y#94)

"The toughest times for visions are times of insecurity. The times we most need vision are times of insecurity, when we don't or can't see options. One of life's little tricks: When you need it most, it's hardest to come by--like water on a desert hike. One of the learnings that needs to be remembered is how to focus on what's possible in the face of impossibilities.

"Vision in easy times is like watered-down lemonade: somewhat pleasant, but not truly refreshing. But focusing vision in easy times helps us to know how at harder times. A team that can focus on the essentials when they're up by 40 points knows how and what to do when they're down.

"And the more you try to level your focus across all times, the more you'll have vision as a resource in the tough times. Getting through a tough trough is thought to be rough, but only for those who have peeked at the peaks without full attention. Pith for sale, o pith for sale... deep pith, smooth pith, real pith for sale.

"It's the same things and the same learnings, so just think how much easier it would be to do it when times are good and the fudge flows. We give a sigh of relief and become slackers--spiritual couch potatoes. And we've been given the crap about Job, etc., and think you've gotta be down to really look up. But hey, the view from the mountain top is always farther--even if the view from the valley is needed and inspiring. I go, I take my pith with me... I pithed off." (8/27/2004 - Y#95)

"Pith: Whenever people look for titles and logos more than values and vision, watch out. You can't brand an idea. Ideas have a worth of their own. People try to impart worth to them, or exploit their worth for other purposes... or other porpoises.

"No one can possess an idea. If it can be boxed and sold, it's a concept, not an idea. And don't ask about trends, fads, crazes. An idea is more fundamental. Ideas are the building blocks on which concepts sit... unless they are too close to the edge and fall off.

"The universe is filled with wasted thoughts, but it is equally filled with the grand and awesome. Rasti say 'Be the idea, don't speak the idea.' And I say 'Dance the idea.' " (2/25/2005 - Y#96)

"Ok, here we go... and we're back. Why is it that those most committed to spirit--as in soul--are the same least committed to giving spirit its life beyond the physical. They spend so much energy keeping bodies alive, and I can tell you bodies aren't all they're cracked up to be... although I had a great one.

"Now, if we are going to try to focus on values, then we better ask: values for what? There are some great values which keep kings on thrones, and some which bring riots to the streets. Are these what we want. We need to value what leads us toward the fulfillment of our potential. Values for too small, or too particular, visions just won't do.

"A value should never be stated without its objective. We value this because ______ or, We value this to ______. So one test of any value is to see it as a verb, and ask what its object is. You are the noun, the value verb, and then what. And don't be surprised by the expediency of most things stated as values." (3/19/2005 - Y#97)

"Ok, a bad marketing idea: Clues for the clueless. Because the clueless can't tell clues from shit. The clueless need to be shown how clues can help and how clues work, and much more, and then clues might be useful. It's like the story of the people out in the wilderness who received an airdrop of things, and were so happy to get the food. Later, when they were again starving, the plane came by with another airdrop of tools and a note which asked 'How did the seeds do.' Clues for the clueless." (4/8/2005 - Y#98)

"Values which are not made explicit are at best pernicious, and at worst, missing. And evident means thought, felt, lived, and expressed... or at least Parcel Posted (i.e., written will do, mutes included). Values should be so evident by some means of commonly understood expression, that no one will have any doubts. That's honest values. Anything less can become a tool or weapon. What we act from but do not express is our hidden agenda, which is a power play or manipulation. To act out of values, but to say 'I'll keep my values to myself'... or my elf... is manipulative at best, and at worst is a complex defensive mechanism to avoid any responsibility. I would rather deal with someone with no values than with someone who claims to be principled but I don't know how or what. And I and we and even they... but not him... are perplexed when those who claim honesty as a highest value want to keep values personal and hidden. I theenk not!

"No value which is truly valued, and understood as having value, is ever afraid of the light of day or the dark of night or the fray of engagement. It's easy to create excuses for doing otherwise, but excuses are never values.

"Right now, we have an interesting juxtaposition in your world. Those who are least certain of their values are acting most courageously with them, and it's because those who feel their values most strongly and centrally are acting like cowards. Sort it out! Now! Go! Do! Act! Speak! ARF! Good boy... arff." (7/18/2005 - Y#99)

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