[Jane of Arc]

Hi Kids! It's been a long time since I've posted. I check in now & again, but this time I thought I'd post even though there is little place for me ... there's no place for any progressive in the present political climate.

You see ... the whole system ... I mean THE WHOLE SYSTEM ... is corrupt. It's owned. Not by the people, but the few that manipulate the people. And I'm a tired sheep. I've wandered away from the herd and I've found peace in simply living. I threw away my TV ... I don't have a clue as to what the few people at the top of mainstream media tell everyone is news. I don't care. Ha! How liberating.

So, I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying themselves!

Peace out,
Jane

[Wafflepudding]

Sooo... in other words you closed your eyes and are blissfully unaware of what's going on and are happy to go on with what you "know" to be "true"...

[Jennifer_SFBA]

Hi, Jane.

I do know what you mean! I too am tired, planning on retirement within the next 18 months, and I've been looking within for where to move and live. So far, I identified two places right for me; the big island of Hawaii above 1,200 feet and towns north of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Other places to look at with alot of caution is the area where the last Bilderberg meeting was held, Chantilly, Virginia, the Four Corners area in the United States and areas in Arizona including Phoenix. http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/northamerica/anasazi.html

Good conditions for human beings are a temperate climate, not too hot and not too cold; water, food and shelter and good people. Hawaii has many, many old lava tubes suitable for shelter from the highest elevations to the lowest. Spiritual native Hawaiians are returning to the big island now.

V, you are right on about a fruits and nuts diet for people. Hawaii is good for growing those, provided that, in the short run, food sources are able to be grown above ground. Spirulina is a protein rich agae able to be grown underground. Researching foods that are able to be grown underground is a good thing to do.

There are people talking about exopolitics on radio stations, including some on the internet. One in Phoenix, Arizona specializes in exopolitics http://www.exopoliticsradio.com/home.html . People are talking about and working on building new communities together http://alienbluestar.com/wordpress/ .

Hopi are in Arizona. Please do a computer seach for Hopi (and) ant people; Anasazi (and) Annunaki. Are the Anasazi and the Annunaki one and the same? Did the Anasazi not disappear, but go deep underground?

You can see an interview with Dr. Michael Salla (Exopolitics) on the Freeman Perspective at the link below (On the right side of the webpage that opens, under Categories, click on Dr. Michael Salla):

http://freemantv.liber.us/

On Dr. Salla's website, Dr. Salla presents information about extraterrestrial presences on the big island of Hawaii in particlular that he acquired on a road trip he took around the big island with a friend who is a psychic communicator. More importantly in his article is Dr. Salla's advice concerning intentional human/extraterrestrial contact in light of existing secret government/military agreements with extraterrestrials.

http://exopolitics.org/Exo-Comment-71.htm

The Return of the "Sky People", Secret Military Agreements & Using Positive Intention for Extraterrestrial Contact

On April 29, 2008, I did a road trip across the Big Island of Hawaii where Angelika Whitecliff and I visited Kaumana Cave just outside of the town of Hilo, and then traveled between the two largest volcanoes on the Island (and the planet) Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea where we saw lenticular clouds embedded with flying saucer shapes. Angelika is the main organizer of the upcoming Earth Transformation Conference and a life long telepathic communicator who has worked professionally in the refinement of her skill, and offered many valuable insights into extraterrestrial life. Some of her telepathic communications and extraterrestrial related experiences are available here. What follows is based on telepathic communications received by Angelika during our road trip that are of interest to those analyzing a range of conventional and non-conventional data on extraterrestrial life. We did not take any photos of the lenticular clouds and there is no empirical evidence to substantiate anything of what I'm about to share. Nevertheless, it is significant information that offers insights into what may be soon happening on our planet regarding open contact with extraterrestrial life. I offer what follows as part of a non-conventional data set to stimulate discussion and clarify the choices we face concerning open contact with extraterrestrial life, and how individuals might take a proactive stance on issues to be presented.

When meditating in Kaumana Cave, a two mile section of an exposed lava tube originating from Mauna Loa with a public entrance designated by the County of Hawaii as a Country Park, Angelika received a telepathic message from a native Hawaiian Spirit. His main message was very simple: "The Sky People are coming". He then advised: "you need to tell your people." Angelika then explained what subsequently was communicated:

[Jennifer_SFBA]

Continued:

Since many extraterrestrials are already here, I asked if the ones coming were the 'Akhu' [the Shining Ones] or those with self-serving intentions. He stated the latter. I replied that I would gather our telepathic contact group and tell others. That we would work together to create the first 'Open Contact' with our benevolent friends.

Angelika and I then proceeded to drive down Saddle Road, the only road between the two volcanoes. Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa were particularly beautiful to view since both still had snow at their peaks which is always a treat given the tropical warm weather of the Hawaiian Islands . We saw a very large formation of lenticular clouds that had flying saucer shapes embedded within them. Such clouds are often seen near Mauna Kea (photo on right) and Mauna Loa which are powerful energy conduits. Mauna Loa is exactly situated at a latitude of 19.5, and along with Mauna Kea, are the two largest of the five volcanoes that collectively make up the Big Island of Hawaii. According to Richard Hoagland's hyperdimensional physics, the Big Island is one of the unique planetary formations that can be observed in our solar system along with Jupiter's Red Spot and Mar's Cydonia region.

We were at that time traveling through the section of the Saddle Road which is situated on Pohakaloa military training grounds, located between these two sacred Hawaiian volcanoes. Angelika communicated with the extraterrestrials that were apparently in vehicles hidden inside the lenticular cloud formations we were watching. They told her: "There is nothing to see here. Move on!"

One of the things I find intriguing about this communication is that there may be related to the biblical proscription against observing clouds and mediumship. The Book of Deuteronomy (18:10-11) instructs:

There shall not be found in you one who passes his son or his daughter through the fire, one that uses divination, an observer of clouds, or one divining, or a whisperer of spells, or a magic charmer, or one consulting mediums, or a spirit-knower, or one inquiring of the dead.

This passage is evidence that the ancient Hebrews had been instructed not to observe lenticular cloud formations where extraterrestrial vehicles (ETVs) could be hidden. The powerful electromagnetic fields generated by extraterrestrial vehicles can ionize and attract water molecules. This can explain why lenticular clouds often take the form of large flying saucers. Perhaps the ancient proscription against observing clouds was due to the need to show deference to the flying vehicles used by the ancient gods and/or Yahweh. The communication received by Angelika may have indicated an attitude by extraterrestrials that date from an ancient time when ordinary individuals were discouraged from looking upon extraterrestrial vehicles, or communicating with them.

[Jennifer_SFBA]

Continued:

Angelika then relayed the following communication:

Because their attitude was one of concealment I replied that on my planet I had the right to look. It has been my experience that this type of attitude to turn attention away is because something is taking place that would raise objection if revealed. Feeling strongly that this extraterrestrial group was not here for the betterment of the world or people I next stated: "Leave my planet!" Immediately I felt an energy directed at me which made my head feel shooting pains and static. Inside myself I firmly thought, "No! I am protected." The wave of energy immediately stopped or at least stopped having any effect. Our belief in ourselves is everything in these situations.

There was a pause… And a little while later a voice stated that they had agreements with the military. I replied that the military did not speak for the people nor represent them. The voice said again that they had agreements with the military and that these were valid. In answer, I told the being that soon consciousness and awareness on our world would not allow them to stay. Soon, there would be no place for them here and this statement ended our exchange. The being did not respond further as the Michael and I continued to watch the ships pass. But there was really nothing else to be said.

Angelika went on to explain what she thought the significance of this exchange with the extraterrestrials given what had been earlier communicated with the native Hawaiian spirit:

We all now have the opportunity to create the future contact scenario that we want and feel good about in all ways. It is time to visualize, feel and meditate on respectful, loving and open contact with the Akhu.

Angelika and I then continued on our journey and discussed the significance of what had occurred.

It has been clear to me for some time that different groups of extraterrestrials are visiting our world. Many are highly evolved in ethical and spiritual terms and are supporting humanity's evolution as "spiritual beings having a physical experience". A smaller proportion has reached agreements with secret government authorities and is more interested in acquiring and exploiting physical resources on the planet. I have compiled testimonial evidence concerning the motivations and activities of these two groups of extraterrestrials here.

According to the communication with the native Hawaiian Spirit, it appears that another faction of extraterrestrials is coming, these are known from antiquity as the Sky People, that overt contact with extraterrestrial life is imminent . This is consistent with authorized leaks over what is being discussed in secret United Nations meetings concerning extraterrestrial life that were disclosed from February 12-14, 2008. The primary sources to these meetings have discussed a change in official policy to "openness" in 2009, and extraterrestrials "unambiguously showing themselves" by 2017. The new faction of extraterrestrials appear to be the same as those described in literature associated with Zecharia Sitchin's translations of Sumerian cuneiform texts as the returning Anunnaki, who are residents of the planet Nibiru. The Anunnaki, for reasons associated with their history, can be included among the group of extraterrestrials described as "resource exploiters".

What remains to be determined, however, is which group of extraterrestrials will appear in a First Contact scenario which leads to open interaction with extraterrestrial life: "ethically advanced extraterrestrials" or the "resource exploiters". There are four scenarios.

1. Ethically advanced extraterrestrials will collectively appear first in response to humanity's highest aspirations;
2. Resource exploiting extraterrestrials with whom covert agreements have already been reached by military/government authorities will collectively appear first in a contrived First Contact;
3. A new faction of resource exploiting extraterrestrials appear who unambiguously show themselves and expose covert agreements between military/government authorities and other extraterrestrial factions;
4. There will be a combination of one, two and/or three based on the diversity of global population, level of societal awareness and plans by global elite to maximize their position.

[Jennifer_SFBA]

Continued:

It is highly desirable that the first contact scenario occurs. Scenario one would offer to humanity the maximum opportunity to evolve as a planetary/galactic civilization where its citizenry can utilize their highest potential. This is consistent with the upsurge in popular literature concerning positive intention and collective manifestation of desirable outcomes as expressed in Greg Bradden's, The Divine Matrix, Bruce Lipton's, The Biology of Belief, and Lynne McTaggart's The Intention Experiment. In fact, the popular upsurge in literature concerning human empowerment through positive intention, suggests that a first contact scenario concerning ethically advanced extraterrestrials is very possible. Small groups of private citizens working together to focus their aspirations through positive intention or similar meditative practices can provide a powerful means of advanced ethical extraterrestrials publicly appearing.

Due, to the secret agreements reached with the "resource exploiters" scenario two cannot be discounted. These extraterrestrials have enjoyed covert diplomatic relations with governmental/military authorities for over five decades. In the U.S. these have been based on secret Presidential Executive Orders that were initially signed by President Eisenhower. It can be assumed that open contact would make it possible for government/military authorities to transform these agreements from the black world of covert operations to the white world of open treaties duly ratified through constitutional processes. Such an outcome would be tragic since it would legitimate agreements with resource exploiters who would manipulate governmental/military authorities more interested in technology acquisition, rather than human empowerment. Ultimately, human sovereignty would be greatly undermined. It would take decades if not generations to undo the harm done by publicly legitimating covert agreements reached with the "resource exploiters". Given the control of governmental institutions and mass media by those involved in managing and implementing the covert agreements, Scenario Two is very possible.

The third scenario involves the Sky People who represent additional extraterrestrial groups who will be arriving at our planet. Among these arriving groups is a new but powerful faction of extraterrestrials that changes the existing dynamic between humanity, political elites and extraterrestrials currently visiting/based on Earth. These Sky People may include the returning Anunnaki who are associated with the return of Planet X/Nibiru. There has been an increasing amount of literature of the return of the Anunnaki and Planet X/Nibiru. According to a military source who first leaked information concerning secret UN meetings on UFOs/extraterrestrial life, a new group of extraterrestrials would appear that would unambiguously show themselves by 2017 in a First Contact event. This appears to be the scenario alluded to by the native Hawaiian Spirit. In this scenario, if this group of Sky People turns out to be the returning Anunnaki, then their historical role in the evolution of humanity may lead to them intervening in ways that negatively impinge on humanity's sovereignty. Consequently, there are references to another faction of extraterrestrials appearing that makes an already complex global situation concerning extraterrestrial life, even more complex.

The fourth possibility is a mixture of scenarios one, two and/three. It may ultimately be determined that humanity is deeply divided between that portion wanting to take humanity in the direction of individual empowerment, and those willing to follow the directions issued by governmental authorities. What then emerges is a bewildering mixture of different extraterrestrial civilizations emerging where individuals, groups and governments will have to exercise great discernment. Given the respective support scenarios one, two and three emerge from different portions of humanity and political elites, and some kind of timetable associated with exigencies surrounding the literature on 2012, the fourth scenario of a mixture is also very possible.

[Jennifer_SFBA]

Continued:

A synchronous event later occurred that evening that may highlight the seriousness of the above scenarios. I was discussing the events of our day trip and the first two scenarios by phone. After discussing problems raised by the second scenario, we experienced a total power black out and the phone conversation was cut at 8:40 pm for several hours. Up to 1200 homes in the South Kona region were affected "when an overhead conductor broke free from its support on a pole," according to a Hawaii Electric Light Company (HELCO) spokesperson. That was highly unusual since weather conditions at the time were very calm. The power blackout may have been triggered by actors displeased at what was being discussed.

In conclusion, what has been discussed is based on a non-conventional data set which helps to clarify some key issues concerning open contact with extraterrestrial life. At the forthcoming Earth Transformation conference (May 16-18, 2008), I will be presenting a typology of extraterrestrial civilizations based on energy use. This typology has been popularized by Professor Michio Kaku. Understanding the way energy is used by extraterrestrials helps identify their ethical orientation and attitude towards the control and sharing of planetary resources. I believe that based on the way energy use determines the ethical orientation on extraterrestrial life, that we should choose to work with extraterrestrials that have most advanced away from dependence on finite planetary resources. This means putting an end to agreements with "resource exploiters" to further our technological infrastructure, to working with extraterrestrials offering assistance in bridging the gap between our ethical capacities and technological sophistication.

As a species humanity is at a unique historical juncture. Knowledge and interactions with extraterrestrial life will very soon shift from a covert sphere of activities that is routinely dismissed by most citizens and the mass media, to overt extraterrestrial contact that is accepted as the new reality. We as a species need to consider how we want first contact to unfold, and which extraterrestrial groups we want to associate with. We can follow the cleverly contrived and well resourced lead that will be offered by governmental authorities to legitimate the covert agreements reached over a fifty year period with existing extraterrestrial groups or with a new faction appearing in a short time. Alternatively, we can follow the lead of pioneering researchers and authors concerning human empowerment through positive intention, and balancing our ethical and technological capacities to make a major contribution to galactic life. We need to develop much discernment in making the right choices about which extraterrestrials we would like to be involved in open contact. While many might consider such a choice is best made by governmental authorities, there is solid reason to believe that private citizens working in small groups using "positive intention" and similar meditative practices will play a significant role by choosing to work with ethically advanced extraterrestrial races. Forming "Citizen Contact Councils", as I will propose at the upcoming Earth Transformation conference, may open a new chapter in humanity's evolution towards becoming a mature galactic society.

Michael E. Salla, Ph.D
Kona, Hawaii
05/08/08

A big part of deciding where to live are the neighbors and concern for the sharing of common beliefs and attitudes and intentions.

[Magi2]

Hi Jane of Arc,
So glad to know you're fine and doing well. I'm so glad you stopped by. Peace until the next time,
Magi

:sunny:

[Jane of Arc]

Hi Wafflecrepe, Jennifer & Magi,

That's it Waffle! I walk around with my eyes closed not knowing what's going on bumping into walls in bliss.

OR ... I unplugged myself from the Matrix and I'm no longer a willing participant in brainwashing and mass mind control. Who decides what's "going on" and "true" in your world?


And Jennifer ... lucky you! Retiring. Cool beans. I still have to work a few more decades or who knows maybe I'll create something else. Thanks for the interesting alien story. I think one's environment is extremely important and that a community of like-minded people is essential.


And hi Magi! Thanks for the kind greeting. You are always such a lady and a fine example. :sunny:

[Michael DeM]

Welcome back.

[Jennifer_SFBA]

Hi, Jane.

In contemplation of direct alien interaction that will be stressful, painful and/or anxiety producing for some, maybe many human beings, Eckhart Tolle may be helpful.

http://store.soundstrue.com/interview-tolle.html

Interview: The Power of Now and the End of Suffering

For two years, a small man sits quietly on a park bench. People walk by, lost in their thoughts. One day someone asks him a question. In the weeks that follow there are more people and more questions. Word spreads that the man is a mystic and has discovered something that brings peace and meaning into our lives. It sounds like fiction, but today that man, Eckhart Tolle, is known worldwide for his teachings on spiritual enlightenment through the power of the present moment. His first book,The Power of Now, is an international bestseller,and has been translated into 17 languages. More than 20 years have passed since Eckhart Tolle answered his first question on that park bench. While his audience has grown, his message remains the same; that it is possible to stop struggling in your life, and find joy and fulfillment in this moment, and no other.

Sounds True:

Can you describe to us your own experience of spiritual awakening (and of course, can you define spiritual awakening as well)? Was there a singular event that occurred or has it been a gradual process?

Eckhart Tolle:

Since ancient times the term awakening has been used as a kind of metaphor that points to the transformation of human consciousness. There are parables in the New Testament that speak of the importance of being awake,of not falling back to sleep. The word Buddha comes from the Sanskrit word Budh, meaning,to be awake. So Buddha is not a name and ultimately not a person,but a state of consciousness. All this implies that humans are potentially capable of living in a state of consciousness compared to which normal wakefulness is like sleeping or dreaming. This is why some spiritual teachings use terms likeshared hallucination oruniversal hypnotism to describe normal human existence. Pick up any history book,and I suggest you begin with studying the 20th century,and you will find that a large part of the history of our species has all the characteristics we would normally associate with a nightmare or an insane hallucination.

The nature of spiritual awakening is frequently misunderstood. The adoption of spiritual beliefs, seeing visions of God or celestial beings, the ability to channel, to heal, to foretell the future, or other paranormal powers – all such phenomena are of value and are not to be dismissed, but none of them is in itself indicative of spiritual awakening in a person who experiences them. They may occur in a person who has not awakened spiritually and they may or may not accompany the awakened state.

[Jennifer_SFBA]

Continmued:

Every morning we awaken from sleep and from our dreams and enter the state we call wakefulness. A continuous stream of thoughts, most of them repetitive, characterizes the normal wakeful state. So what is it that we awaken from when spiritual awakening occurs? We awaken from identification with our thoughts. Everybody who is not awake spiritually is totally identified with and run by their thinking mind – the incessant voice in the head. Thinking is compulsive: you can’t stop, or so it seems. It is also addictive: you don’t even want to stop, at least not until the suffering generated by the continuous mental noise becomes unbearable. In the unawakened state you don’t use thought, but thought uses you. You are, one could almost say, possessed by thought, which is the collective conditioning of the human mind that goes back many thousands of years. You don’t see anything as it is, but distorted and reduced by mental labels, concepts, judgments, opinions and reactive patterns. Your sense of identity, of self, is reduced to a story you keep telling yourself in your head. Me and my story; this is what your life is reduced to in the unawakened state. And when your life is thus reduced, you can never be happy for long, because you are not yourself.

Does that mean you don’t think anymore when you awaken spiritually? No,of course not. In fact, you can use thought much more effectively than before, but you realize there is a depth to your Being, a vibrantly alive stillness that is much vaster than thought. It is consciousness itself, of which the thinking mind is only a tiny aspect. For many people,the first indication of a spiritual awakening is that they (people) suddenly become aware of their thoughts. They become a witness to their thoughts, so to speak. They are not completely identified with their mind anymore and so they begin to sense that there is a depth to them that they had never known before.

[Jennifer_SFBA]

Continued:

For most people, spiritual awakening is a gradual process. Rarely does it happen all at once. When it does, though, it is usually brought about by intense suffering. That was certainly true in my case. For years [B][I]my life alternated between depression and acute anxiety. One night I woke up in a state of dread and intense fear, more intense than I had ever experienced before. Life seemed meaningless, barren, hostile. It became so unbearable that suddenly the thought came into my mind, I cannot live with myself any longer[B][I]. The thought kept repeating itself several times. Suddenly, I stepped back from the thought, and looked at it, as it were, and I became aware of the strangeness of that thought: If I cannot live with myself, there must be two of me – the I and the self that I cannot live with. And the question arose, Who is the ‘I’ and who is the self that I cannot live with? There was no answer to that question, and all thinking stopped. For a moment, there was complete inner silence. Suddenly I felt myself drawn into a whirlpool or a vortex of energy. I was gripped by an intense fear, and my body started to shake. I heard the words, Resist nothing, as if spoken inside my chest. I could feel myself being sucked into a void. Suddenly, all fear disappeared, and I let myself fall into that void. I have no recollection of what happened after that.

The next morning I awoke as if I had just been born into this world. Everything seemed fresh and pristine and intensely alive. A vibrant stillness filled my entire being. As I walked around the city that day, the world looked as if it had just come into existence, completely devoid of the past. I was in a state of amazement at the peace I felt within and the beauty I saw without, even in the midst of the traffic. I was no longer labeling and interpreting my sense perceptions – an almost complete absence of mental commentary. To this day,I perceive and interact with the world in this way; through stillness, not through mental noise. The peace that I felt that day, more than 20 years ago, has never left me, although it has varying degrees of intensity.

At the time, I had no conceptual framework to help me understand what had happened to me. Years later, I realized that the acute suffering I felt that night must have forced my consciousness to withdraw from identification with the unhappy self,the sufferinglittle me, which is ultimately a fiction of the mind. This withdrawal must have been so complete that the suffering self collapsed as if the plug had been pulled out of an inflatable toy. What was left was my true nature as the ever present I AM : consciousness in its pure state prior to identification with form. You may also call it pure awareness or presence.

[Jennifer_SFBA]

Continued:

ST: In your own life story there seems to have been a relationship between intense personal suffering and a breakthrough spiritual experience. Do you believe that for all people there is some connection between personal suffering and the intensity that is needed for a spiritual breakthrough?

ET: Yes,that seems to be true in most cases. When you are trapped in a nightmare, your motivation to awaken will be so much greater than that of someone caught up in a relatively pleasant dream. On all levels, evolution occurs in response to a crisis situation, not infrequently a life-threatening one, when the old structures, inner or outer, are breaking down or are not working anymore. On a personal level, this often means the experience of loss of one kind or another; the death of a loved one, the end of a close relationship, loss of possessions, your home, status, or a breakdown of the external structures of your life that provided a sense of security. For many people,illness – loss of health – represents the crisis situation that triggers an awakening. With serious illness comes awareness of your own mortality, the greatest loss of all.

For many people alive at this time, loss is experienced as loss of meaning. In other words, life seems to lack purpose and doesn’t make sense anymore. Loss of meaning is often part of the suffering that comes with physical loss, but it can also happen to people who have gained everything the world has to offer – who have made it in the eyes of the world – and suddenly find that their success or possessions are empty and unfulfilling. What the world and the surrounding culture tells them is important and of value turns out to be empty and this leaves a kind of painful inner void,often accompanied by great mental confusion.

Now the question arises: What exactly is the connection between suffering and spiritual awakening? How does one lead to the other? When you look closely at the nature of human suffering you will find that an essential ingredient in most kinds of suffering is a diminishment of one’s sense of self . Take illness,for example. Illness makes you feel smaller, no longer in control, helpless. You seem to loose your autonomy, perhaps become dependent on others. You become reduced in size, figuratively speaking. Any major loss has a similar effect; some form that was an important part of your sense of who you are – a person, a possession, a social role – dissolves or leaves you and you suffer because you had become identified with it and it seems you are losing yourself or a part of yourself. In reality, of course, what feels like a diminishment or loss of your sense of self is the crumbling of an image of who you are held in the mind. What dissolves is identification with thought forms that had given you your sense of self. But that sense of self is ultimately false,is ultimately a mental fiction. It is the egoic mind or thelittle me as I sometimes call it. To be identified with a mental image of who you are is to be unconscious, to be unawakened spiritually. This unawakened state creates suffering, but suffering creates the possibility of awakening. When you no longer resist the diminishment of self that comes with suffering, all role-playing, which is normal in the unawakened state, comes to an end. You become humble,simple,real. And, paradoxically, when you say “yes” to that death, because that’s what it is, you realize that the mind-made sense of self had obscured the truth of who you are – not as defined by your past, but timelessly. And when who you think you are dissolves, you connect with a vast power which is the essence of your very being. Jesus called it; eternal life. In Buddhism, it is sometimes called the deathless realm.

Now, does this mean that if you haven’t experienced intense suffering in your life,there is no possibility of awakening? Firstly, the fact that you are drawn to a spiritual teaching or teacher means you must have had your share of suffering already,and the awakening process has probably already begun. A teacher or teaching is not even essential for spiritual awakening, but they save time. Secondly, humanity as a whole has already gone through unimaginable suffering, mostly self-inflicted, the culmination of which was the 20th century with its unspeakable horrors. This collective suffering has brought upon a readiness in many human beings for the evolutionary leap that is spiritual awakening. For many individuals alive now, this means; they have suffered enough. No further suffering is necessary. The end of suffering; that is also the essence of every true spiritual teaching. Be grateful that your suffering has taken you to this realization; I don’t need to suffer anymore.

[Jennifer_SFBA]

Continued:

ST: Your teaching about the power of now seems so simple. Is that really our primary spiritual task – to fully engage the present moment?

ET: Identification with thoughts and the emotions that go with those thoughts creates a false mind-made sense of self, conditioned by the past: the little me and its story. This false self is never happy or fulfilled for long. Its normal state is one of unease, fear, insufficiency, and nonfulfillment. It says it looks for happiness,and yet it continuously creates conflict and unhappiness. In fact, it needs conflict and enemies to sustain the sense of separateness that ensures its continued survival. Look at all the conflict between tribes, nations, and religions. They need their enemies, because they provide the sense of separateness on which their collective egoic identity depends. The false self lives mainly through memory and anticipation. Past and future are its main preoccupation. The present moment, at best, is a means to an end, a stepping stone to the future, because the future promises fulfillment, the future promises salvation in one form or another. The only problem is the future never comes. Life is always now. Whatever happens, whatever you experience, feel, think, do - it’s always now. It’s all there is. And if you continuously miss the now – resist it, dislike it, try to get away from it, reduce it to a means to an end,then you miss the essence of your life, and you are stuck in a dream world of images, concepts, labels, interpretations, judgments – the conditioned content of your mind that you take to be yourself. And so you are disconnected from the fullness of life that is the “suchness” of this moment. When you are out of alignment with what is, you are out of alignment with life. You are struggling to reach a point in the future where there is greater security, aliveness, abundance, love, joy ... unaware that those things make up the essence of who you are already. All that is required of you to have access to that essence is to make the present moment into your friend. And you may realize that most of your life you made the present moment into an enemy. You didn’t say “yes” to it, didn’t embrace it. You were out of alignment with the now, and so life became a struggle. It seemed so normal, because everyone around you lived in the same way. The amazing thing is: Life, the great intelligence that pervades the entire cosmos, becomes supportive when you say “yes” to it . Where is life? Here. Now . The “isness” of this moment. The now seems so small at first, a little segment between past and future, and yet all of life’s power is concealed within it. When there is spiritual awakening, you awaken into the fullness,the aliveness, and also the sacredness of now. You were absent, asleep,and now you are present, awake. The secret of awakening is to unconditionally accept this moment as it is. Some people do it because they can no longer stand the suffering that comes with nonacceptance of the isness of this moment. They are almost forced into awakening. Others have suffered enough and are ready to voluntarily embrace the now. When you become present in this way, the judgments, labels, and concepts of your mind are no longer all that important, as a greater intelligence is now operating in and through you. And yet the mind can then be used very effectively and creatively when needed.

Now the question may arise: Would there be anything left to strive for when you are so present in the now? Wouldn’t you become passive in that state? Many meaningless activities may fall away, but the state of presence is the only state in which creative energy is available to you. When your fulfillment and sense of self are no longer dependent on the future outcome, joy flows into whatever you do. You do what you do because the action itself is fulfilling. Whatever you do or create in that state is of high quality. This is because it is not a means to and end, and so a loving care flows into your doing.

[Jennifer_SFBA]

Continued:

ST: Being in the present sounds so obvious, and yet is quite hard to sustain. Do you have any practical tips for people for maintaining awareness of the present moment?

ET: Although the old consciousness or rather unconsciousness still has considerable momentum and to a large extent still runs this world,the new awakened consciousness – presence – has already began to emerge in many human beings. In my book The Power of Now,I mention ways in which you can maintain present moment awareness,but the main thing is to allow this new state of consciousness to emerge rather then believe that you have to try hard to make it happen. How do you allow it to emerge? Simply by allowing this moment to be as it is. This means to relinquish inner resistance to what is – the suchness of now. This allows life to unfold beautifully. There is no greater spiritual practice than this.

ST: On your video The Flowering of Human Consciousness, you talk about a new consciousness that is emerging in our time. What do you mean? Hasn’t the present moment always been available to genuine seekers? What’s new about our current time in history? Are you pointing to a certain evolutionary process – an acceleration in human spiritual development?

ET: Yes, the present moment has always been available to spiritual seekers, but as long as you are seeking you are not available to the present moment.S eeking implies that you are looking to the future for some answer, or for some achievement, spiritual or otherwise. Everybody is in the seeking mode, seeking to add something to who they are, whether it be money, relationships, possessions, knowledge, status – or spiritual attainment. Seeking means you need more time, more future, more of this or that. And there is nothing wrong with it. All that has its place in this world. To make money, to gather knowledge, to learn a new skill, to explore new territory, even to get from A to B – for all these things you need time. For almost everything you need time, except for one thing; to embrace the present moment. You need no time to open yourself to the power of now and so awaken to who you are beyond name and form and realize that in the depth of your being, you are already complete, whole, one with the timeless essence of all life. For that you not only need no time, but time is the obstacle to that realization, seeking is the obstacle, needing to add something to who you are is the obstacle. The story of your life, how it all unfolds, whether you succeed or fail in this world...Yes, it matters, yes, it’s important – relatively, not absolutely. Only one thing is of absolute importance and this is it. If you miss it, you miss the deeper purpose of your life, which I call the flowering of human consciousness. And ultimately nothing else will satisfy you.

Some of the first human beings in whom the new consciousness emerged fully became the great teachers of humanity, such as Buddha, Lao Tzu, or Jesus, although their teachings were greatly misunderstood, especially when they turned into organized religion. They were the first manifestations of the flowering of human consciousness. Later others appeared, some of whom became famous and respected teachers, whereas others probably remained relatively unknown or perhaps even completely unrecognized. On the periphery of the established religions, from time to time certain movements appeared through which the new consciousness manifested. This enabled a number of individuals within those movements to awaken spiritually. Such movements, in Christianity, were Gnosticism and medieval mysticism; in Buddhism, Zen; in Islam, the Sufi movement; in Hinduism,the teachings called Advaita Vedanta.

But those men and women who awakened fully were always few and far between – rare flowerings of consciousness. Until fairly recently, there was not yet a need for large numbers of human beings to awaken. For the first time in human history,a large-scale transformation of consciousness has now become a necessity if humanity is to survive. Science and technology have amplified the effects of the dysfunction of the human mind in its unawakened state to such a degree that humanity,and probably the planet,would not survive for another hundred years if human consciousness remains unchanged. As I said earlier, evolution usually occurs in response to a crisis situation, and we now are faced with such a crisis situation. This is why there is indeed an enormous acceleration in the awakening process of our species.

This new large-scale spiritual awakening is occurring primarily not within the confines of the established religions,but outside of those structures. Some of it, however, is also happening within the existing churches and religious institutions wherever the members of those congregations do not identify with rigid and exclusive belief systems whose unconscious purpose is to foster a sense of separation on which the egoic mind structures depend for their survival.

[Jennifer_SFBA]

ST: How much time and effort is required to realize the power of now? Can this really occur in an instant or is this the work of a lifetime?

ET: The power of now can only be realized now. It requires no time and effort. Effort means you’re trying hard to get somewhere,and so you are not present, welcoming this moment as it is.

Whereas it requires no time to awaken – you can only awaken now – it does take time before you can stay awake in all situations. Often you may find yourself being pulled back into old conditioned reactive patterns, particularly when faced with the challenges of daily living and of relationships. You lose the witnessing presence and become identified again with the voice in the head, the continuous stream of thoughts, with its labels, judgments and opinions. You no longer know that they are only labels,judgments,and mental positions (opinions) – but completely believe in them. And so you create conflict. And then you suffer. And that suffering wakes you up again. Until presence becomes your predominant state,you may find yourself moving back and forth for a while between the old consciousness and the new,between mind identification and presence.How long is it going to take? is not a good question to ask. It makes you lose the now.

ET: How would you recommend that people listen and watchThe Power of Now teaching series in order to get the most out of the teachings? In your opinion,why are audio and video teaching tapes such a powerful way for people to learn?

ST: If at all possible,you should not be engaged in other activity while you are listening or watching so that you can give your complete attention not only to the words but also to the silent spaces between the words. You will most likely learn many helpful facts about the emerging state of presence as well as the obstacles you are most likely to encounter. But this is only the secondary function of these tapes. Their primary purpose is not to convey information,but to help you access the state of presence as you listen. As in all true spiritual teachings,the significance of the words that are being spoken goes far beyond their informational content. Words that arise spontaneously out of the state of presence are charged with spiritual power: the power to awaken. All that is required of you is to be in a state of attentive listening. Don’t just listen with the head. Listen with your entire body, so to speak. Feel the aliveness, the animating presence, throughout the body as you listen.

I recommend that you listen and/or watch these tapes over and over. Each time you listen,it will feel as if you were listening for the first time. Each time you listen,you will grow in presence. But do not listen compulsively. Allow a gap of at least two or three days,and ideally more,before you listen to the same tape again. Each time after you finish listening, just sit in silence for a few minutes.

Enjoy the greatest adventure a human being can be engaged in: to be part of the emergence of a new consciousness.

[Jane of Arc]

Hi Michael! How are you? :D

Yes Jennifer. I am a HUGE Eckart Tolle fan. I have been for years. I've read every book, listened to every CD & DVD a gazillion times. Not very often an enlightened being goes from sitting on a park bench in bliss for 2 years to the Oprah Show.

The man just may have the right voice at the right time for humanity. :thumbup:

[jr2007sc]

Wow, I don't know what to say. And you people are allowed to vote? God help us all. (This is not directed towards Michael Dem & Waffle)

[Thelonious]

JR,
I rarely read Jennifer's posts so don't really know what she's on about lately.
As far as I know she is allowed to vote and she will vote Green [Ralph Nader].
God may or may not help us, but there is something about Lizard-Aliens, and they are going to help [or maybe hurt us], I can't remember. LOL.
But no, I am not going to go back and read the old posts till I find out how the Lizard-Aliens have inflitrated Dubya's brain :)

[Jane of Arc]

Wow, I don't know what to say. And you people are allowed to vote? God help us all. (This is not directed towards Michael Dem & Waffle)

Well, I guess it's directed at me and Jennifer. And that is fine. :)

First of all, "And you people are allowed to vote?"

Physically, I can go to a polling place and cast a ballot, but after my electronic vote goes into the simple hackable, unguarded computer and is sent over hackable phone lines without giving me a receipt to a central location where the press and citizens are not allowed to monitor the counting of the votes ... I guess I can sorta vote. Kinda. Who knows? Not really. Voting in America is a third world mockery. I guess if I lived in Canada I would respond, "Yes! I'm 'allowed' to vote!"


Secondly, "And you people are allowed to vote?"

I guess it's scary for you (asking for God's help) that people who consider different perspectives on life be allowed to vote ... but that's what use to make America great. Our wonderful differences combined with the power of the vote.


Lastly, Thelonius ... I've read many of your posts and you really try to be a fair and considerate poster, but every once in a while you can get kinda mean. And that's okay, most of us do. But, I don't particularly like you picking on Jennifer. She is a kind, good spirit who never mocks anyone else. Please feel free to pick on me all you want. :p Thank you.

[Michael DeM]

Hi Michael! How are you? :D

Actually, I'm the best I've been in a number of years. Thanks for asking.