There is only one will- the Universal Will.  In order to make anything happen on this plane, one must align one’s self with the Universal Spirit.   The Lord’s Prayer says it succinctly, “Nevertheless it is not my will but Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

I have been struggling with a project and have been frustrated because I have taken most of the steps that I can take. However, the final steps for this project to reach fruition are out of my hands.  Then, I realized that one can’t simply “will” anything into manifestation on one’s own.  The concept of willpower is misunderstood. Willpower does not mean that one is so strong that they can will something into existence. It means that one has the wisdom, discipline and strength to align oneself with the Universal Will to bring a particular thing or matter into manifestation.

As ancient religions and philosophies have taught us, this alignment is no simple matter.  Alchemists have sought to turn ordinary stone into gold for centuries, yet their success has been rare.  The successful alchemists have focused on fundamentals and procedure first and results last.  When we are fundamentally sound and follow the process patiently step by step, success is inevitable. Oftentimes, the success is not how we envisioned it.  Scientist start with the goal of curing male baldness and discover that they have found a solution to impotence, for example. Once again it is the Universal Will and Universal Spirit that has primacy.[1]

Let us focus on the process. It is God’s way of tricking us into letting go of the things we cannot control and focusing on the things within our purview.  We cannot control the results, but we can control the process. When we focus on the process simply for the sake of doing it right, we are aligning ourselves with God’s will and by acting as his instrument here on earth we are being true alchemists. We are fulfilling the Lord’s prayer and doing his will here on earth as it is done in heaven.

[1] One may find this example objectionable because it implies that the Universe was behind a drug that involves a vice. However, this drug has helped people live a better life and the abuse of any drug is a human failing. For example, wine per se, is not bad but the abuse of it is.

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He went on to explain to them that the most powerful force in the universe is love.  The love of one’s self allows one to love everyone else.  Once we tap into that source, he told the students anything is possible. Another great quote attributed to Ali was, “If my mind can conceive it and my heart can believe it, I can achieve it.

Ali had innumerable unique gifts from God. He was loquacious, innately intelligent, charming and handsome. He also had an awareness of his connection to God. He learned to call God Allah.  I believe the Universal Source of all there is goes by many names.  It is one of the stated goals of this column to elucidate to all that it does not matter what you call God, just that you are aware of God’s presence and acknowledge it as the source of all that exists. Ali knew that he was connected to God. I heard Ali state in the movie When We Were Kings that he was aware that when he focused upon himself he was limited. He stated that when he focused only upon himself that he was like any other man who felt fear and doubt and could be beaten. However, when he focused upon Allah and realized that he was acting at Allah’s behest for the rest of the world, he was limitless and could accomplish any goal.

If he was acting just for himself, he would have cut a deal with the Federal Government and joined the service and probably would have done USO work similar to Elvis. He probably would have been allowed to box and make money for his family. Instead, he was led by his heart and exercised his right to be a conscientious objector. He did so out of respect for his religion and a feeling that it was not right to fight a war against people who had not harmed him, nor his country.

Most boxing fans would agree that a true champion is known not solely by his ability to knock out his opponents, but also on his ability to take a punch and not give up.   It is commonly called the heart of a champion. Great champions can withstand the attack of others and somehow survive. They survive because they have the heart of a champion. Most people would have gone down when George Foreman hit them, yet Ali summoned the strength within his heart and took Foreman’s powerful blows and kept standing.  Most people would have retired to a life of seclusion after being Parkinson’s disease took away what appeared to be their greatest assets. Ali, after Parkinson’s   could no longer move people with his eloquence or impress people with his physical grace. Most would have been too embarrassed, or too arrogant to allow the world to see them in a diminished state. Ali was not in a diminished state because he knew in his heart that everything that happened to him in his life was the will of God. He knew, from a lifetime of contact with that Universal Source which he gladly called Allah that if one connects with the God within us all, only good things spring forth.

He revealed to millions of people how to stand up for their beliefs.   He manifested to us all how to accept the path that God has given us with dignity.  He accepted his role as a leader when he was a boxer, civil rights activist, and pacifist as well as someone with a debilitating disease. He acted with aplomb in all cases.

Ali was not a perfect man, yet he showed us perfectly how to look within our hearts and to connect to the God that is within. Once we make that connection, great things are possible.  As the song about him says, “Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all.”  Once we take that first step and love who we are, our path will unfold before us and it will be a thing of beauty.

Thank you Muhammad Ali for being an exemplar. You revealed for us love, true courage and devotion.  We are all the better for it.

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Know that you are known by the One About Whom Naught Can Be Said. Many people call this force God or the Universal Force.  As you have learned from Shakespeare, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”  You are not just known by this force you are loved by this force.  This energy is your true father and this earth is your true mother.   Your mother and I are actually physical symbols of that love.  We helped bring you to life and nurture you in the physical realm just as God does on the spiritual realm.   Just as you have respected your physical parents, please respect Father God and Mother Earth. Make choices with that love in mind. Listen to God. God speaks to you every day and answers all of your questions.  Every day I would like you to take a moment to quiet your mind, and to still your thoughts. When you let go of all thoughts your real thinking will begin and you will hear the voice of God. God has always been with you and will always be with you. Know this- You Are Never Alone!!!

Please take time to respect your mother. She loves you and will sacrifice everything for you. This is true of your physical mother and of Mother Earth. Make choices to protect her at all times.  Show her your love every day.  Appreciate her every day. Enjoy the sunrise, the sunset and the stars. Enjoy grass. Enjoy sun, rain, moon and clouds.

I mentioned advice earlier. Listen to it all but filter it through your loving heart. You have been blessed with a compassionate and loving heart. Use that as your filter for all information. I could give you a list of all the qualities one needs to succeed in life. However, I don’t necessarily believe in the concept of a good or bad life. Life is about garnering as many experiences as possible.  Here is where perspective comes in. You may have an experience that some would find deplorable, but with the right perspective, you will realize that it was just a learning opportunity.    Whether you score 5 touchdowns in a game or whether you lose all of your money in a business venture, know that both experiences are just learning opportunities. They don’t define you. You are neither a winner or  a loser – You just are.

In closing, I can’t resist giving you a list of words characteristics or qualities that will help you to just be.

These are your words:

Be perspicacious

Be poised

Be prescient

Be present

Be perspicuous

Be placid

Be peaceful

Be prolific and

Be passionate!!!!

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My brothers and I wrote those lyrics almost 25 years ago. We did not write them because we were overwhelmed by life but because we looked forward to life’s challenges undauntedly. We knew that there would be times that would test our resolve. Times where loved ones passed away, where our dreams seemed beyond our reach, where we had physical, mental and spiritual challenges. We knew that as long as we stuck together we could surmount those challenges.
We knew that so long as we could laugh at our mistakes, foibles and mishaps and as long as we did not take our successes too seriously, we would be fine. You see, life is never static and rarely perfect. Even in those sublime perfect moments, when we have achieved our goals, we too often look ahead to the next challenge or our enjoyment of that moment is tinged by the fact that a relative, friend or neighbor is going through hard times. I don’t say this to depress you. Life is a wonderful gift. However, our focus should not be upon the end result but upon the process.
We are familiar with the Zen phrase that it is the journey and not the destination which runs counter to the Machiavellian “ends justifies the means” concept. When one does take time to enjoy the journey and do things the right way, we see that the results are far better than when we focus solely upon the end result.

Let us strive to enjoy this life and all of its experiences. They are designed to enrich our souls. Let us appreciate this gift called life and the gift of going through this experience with our loved ones for exactly what it is. The One who is known as God or the Spirit of the universe has given us a unique opportunity in this particular space and time. Don’t label these experiences as good or bad, happy or sad – they are just part of the Great Adventure that never stops…..On we go!!!!

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The thing that has been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun
Ecclesiastes 1:9

Strickland is an erudite person, thus he quoted the concept in its purest form which is the Latin, “Nihil Novi Sub Sole,” – there is nothing new under the sun. I watched the trailer for his album ( I know, I am old school no one calls them albums any more) and he explained that his interpretation of the passage was that there is nothing new under the sun and that we are who we are. We are all repeating lives and doing things that have been done before. Yet we are also all unique. While we may be living the same lives over and over again, we are unique individuals. He postulates that, if we are unique, then we can do things differently. Ah ha! Here is where East meets West.

Strickland is referring to the what eastern religious adherents call Samsara or the repeating cycle of birth, life, death and reincarnation. The Buddhist, Jainist, Hindus and many other religions believe that we are caught in this cycle until we realize our true nature and move beyond it through self-realization. Christian religious scholars agree with Strickland’s supposition as well. Alexander Maclaren, a Scottish minister who was famous for his biblical explications addressed Ecclesiastes 1:9 as follows:

“If you will look at these two passages carefully you will, I think, see that they imply two different, and in some respects contradictory, thoughts about the future in its relation to the past. The first of them is the somewhat exaggerated utterance of a dreary and depressing philosophy, which tells us that, as in the outer world, so in regard to man’s life, there is an enormous activity and no advance, that it is all moving round like the scenes in some circular panorama, that after it has gone the round back it comes again, that it is the same thing over and over again, that life is a treadmill, so to speak, with an immense deal of working of muscles; but it all comes to nothing over again. ‘The rivers run into the sea and the sea is not full, and where the rivers come from they go back to; and the wind goes to the south, turns to the north, and whirls about continually. Everything is full of labour, and it has all been done before, and there is nothing fresh; everything is flat, stale, and unprofitable.’

And let us hold firmly to the far deeper truth that the future will be the same as the past, because God is the same. God’s yesterday is God’s to-morrow-the same love, the same resources, the same wisdom, the same power, the same sustaining Hand, the same encompassing Presence. ‘A thousand years are as one day, and one day as a thousand years’; and when we say there is no new thing under the sun let us feel that the deepest way of expressing that thought is, ‘Thou art the same, and Thy steadfast purposes know no alteration.’”

I agree with Strickland and with Maclaren and the eastern masters. Immanent within us is the seed of God. We are manifestations of God here on this earthen physical plane of existence. This immutable fact does not change and in that sense we are the same and nothing is new under the sun. We are God inspired and God created sentient beings and will always be. Once we awaken to our true reality, we can escape the mundane. We can break the shackles of Samsara and go onto new heights, dimensions and realities. The fantastical tales spun by artist have always drawn our fascination because somewhere deep within us is the knowledge that this reality is only one among many, many more. This mundane workshop is just that – a place for us to experiment learn and allow our spirits to grow. Once we discover our true nature, we can soar.

Thank you Marcus Strickland for sharing your concept with us in your work entitled, Nihil Novi Sub Sole. The music is as enthralling as your concept. Thank you for reminding us that while nothing is new under the sun, our possibilities are infinite once we take the time to discover who and what we really are – God created, God inspired infinite beings simply having a human experience!!!

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I have no answer to this debate but I do agree that like nature, specifically like the wave, that there are many vicissitudes in life. The concept of biorhythms supports this theory. Our life ebbs and flows. Some days we are brimming with energy and ready to conquer the world. On other days we are lethargic and need to rest and recover before going forward. Are these simply states of mind or are we like all other energy in the universe and part of a rhythmic cosmic play.

Energy is the key. Scientists spend most of their adult lives attempting to define the source of energy, the nature of energy and how to control it for the good of the world. Esoteric scientists have told us for ages that once we understand electromagnetic energy we will understand the nature of this force that we call God – the underlying energy force that is responsible for the universe.

The school of thought that says nature is a reflection of us also believes that just about every invention is a reflection of us. The computer is a replica of our brains, electricity is a replica of our nervous system etc.… I recently received a shot to one of the nerves in a tooth to prepare for a root canal. The doctor injected the Novocain right on a nerve. I felt an electric shock through my entire mouth. It felt like I had touched a live wire. The electricity exploded in my mouth. I had read about our nervous system and the electrical impulses that helped make it work, but I never realized that it really is just like the electricity that runs through our homes and offices.

Anyway, I digress. Whether we mimic nature or nature mimics us, we are all subject to ebbs and flow of energy. We all seek ways to access energy, to conserve energy and to harness it for our benefit. We should also strive to have a better understanding of energy and how it works. Is it a pulse or a wave and do things come to us in life as pulses or waves. I believe that things do come in waves or cycles and that we need an awareness of our own cycles to better master our circumstances. We need to understand when our wave is cresting and when it is ebbing. Some of us have developed such a mastery that we can command and control those waves. We are fascinated by athletes who seem to summon strength and courage and performs feats that leave us breathless. We see superior minds catch the wave and bring great things to the forefront for the aid of mankind. We also see that on some days, a pitcher just does not have good stuff and is knocked out of a game in the early innings.

For some, these ups and downs appear to be random and a cause for concern. However, my view is that if we understand the nature of energy and know that it comes in waves or as a pulse or appears and disappears like the quantum physicists are learning then we are better prepared for the vicissitudes of life. The one constant is the universal force within. If we focus upon that force which westerners call God and easterners call pure loving energy, then we will be one with the wave. We will be the Silver Surfer who can ride the wave all the way to the shore understanding each undulation and treating each with aplomb. My goal is to surf through each up and down and to arrive at the shore waiting for me at the end of this physical existence – dripping wet with experience.

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The story behind the song is actually very interesting. Ahbez went to a Nat King Cole concert and attempted to present Cole with his song. Cole ignored him but Ahbez was able to give the song to Cole’s valet. Cole later played the song and loved it. He recorded it with orchestration and it was the song that made him a household name. Nat King Cole went from being a Jazz musician to a pop star from this song.

Oftentimes we interpret that mandate to love and to be loved in return in terms of romantic love. We are taught that our life is meaningless if we have not experienced that great love. I am here today calling balderdash on that concept!

The greatest love is the love of God or the universe or that force underlying all that exists. It goes by any name or no name. It simply is. We know that phrase from the Christian Bible: I am that I am. In the east it is often called, “The One about whom naught can be said.” Shakespeare, as he always does, so aptly puts it, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” It does not matter what you call this force, just know that it exists!!

Love this force with all your heart. Have gratitude for this life giving force. Here is the marvelous thing about that focus. Try focusing upon this force, that most of us call God, and not with the expectation of a quid pro quo. Just focus upon your love for the cause of all existence. You will feel love in return that is beyond measure. That is the promise of the song. Love yourself, love that which caused you to be in existence and you will feel a love in return that is so resonant, so immanent and so boundless that it is beyond expression. You will then understand the term, Let It Be.

Happy Good Friday

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Jesus was still human, or as we are now being taught, a spirit having a human experience. Like most humans, he reveled in the victory over the Devil. Jesus returned to Jerusalem and was treated as a king. Palm Sunday must have been a spectacle to see. All those believers happily shared their faith and treated him like the Son of God. Even for a soul as enlightened as Jesus, his human side had to enjoy the high of adulation and acceptance. Jesus knew that the adulation was for his father and not him but still, as anyone who has ever had the opportunity to have an audience clap for you will admit, it is a good feeling. When people show their love for you, it is always good.

Jesus knew that this week was going to be very difficult and the show of love and acceptance was welcome. As Holy Week progresses, Jesus becomes more and more somber as he knows the fate that awaits him. Betrayal, extreme pain and ultimately death. In less than seven days he went from the heights of Palm Sunday to the depths of Calgary. He went from feeling the love of many who recognized him as the Son of the Father to wearing a crown of thorns and carrying the cross that would be the instrument of his death. He experienced a crowd of people who did not recognize him and chose to spare Barabbas as in their minds Barabbas was “real.” Jesus was just some crazy man who claimed to be the Son of God.

This passion play is the ultimate lesson from God. There will be times in our lives where we will be tested. Jesus was tested on the mountain when the Devil, who also knew what was next for Jesus, offered him a way out of the physical pain. A way to escape physical death. He told him famously as they looked over civilization, “All of this can be yours if you serve me.” Jesus had the strength and unshakable faith to deny the Devil. The results of that act of faith were at first exhilarating. He experienced love when he returned to Jerusalem. We too, may have similar results. We may be blessed with favorable conditions after showing our unshakable faith. But then soon after, to our chagrin, we may face a dire situation that will test us even further.

Jesus accepted the dire situation with the same aplomb. He loved us all. He did have a moment of doubt because, like us, he was human. He did wonder why was he forsaken. Yet just before he died he had the clarity of thought to love all of us. He loved those who believed in him and those who put him on the cross when he said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” Now I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I would have had the strength at that point in my life with death impending to forgive those who directly caused my death. Jesus’ strength derived from his certainty that he would never die. He knew that no one could ever kill that part of him that was never born. His last words were “Father into your hands I commend my spirit.” This faith in life everlasting is our ultimate test. We have to understand that we are essentially spirits having a human experience. This should not mean that we live life cavalierly but that we should live life with the proper perspective. God has allowed us to exist in human form so that we can learn through experience. The goal of this existence is to eventually return home to God enriched by that experience. Our goal should not be the experience itself but to use the experiences of our lifetime as a path to God. So please know my friends that the highs are never as high as you think and the lows, in the scheme of things won’t amount to much. We are all part of eternity. Our home is with God. It is a place of ineffable joy and immeasurable depth. It is a place from which we all hail and to which we will all return. Jesus’ death and resurrection are constant reminders of what awaits us all.

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The messages within their music were not typical for a pop band, especially an African American band. They, in many ways, were the catalyst for my spiritual wanderlust. For example, like most good R&B bands they could “go to Church.” If one researched the history of black music in America, one would find that it all stems from the Church and Gospel music. Some of the first music blacks were allowed to make was Gospel music. The blues and jazz are both rooted in Gospel music. In my humble opinion, Earth Wind and Fire was the next step after Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions. The Impressions, led by Curtis Mayfield had hits like “Amen” and “People Get Ready.” Maurice White, however, took the “church music” to another level. His music was broadly spiritual. He incorporated elements of the Black Church with Devotion and Gratitude with various esoteric spiritual elements from the East and the West. The lyrics to one of their first hits, Shining Star are a classic example,

When you wish upon a star
Your dreams will take you very far
But when you wish upon a dream
Life ain’t always what it seems
What’d you see on a night so clear
In the sky so very dear
You’re a shining star
No matter who you are
Shining bright to see
What you could truly be (what you could truly be)

Those lyrics have elements of universal religions within them. They teach us that if we focus upon the true essence of our being, which is spiritual, there is nothing we can’t accomplish. When he differentiates between wishing on a star and upon your own dreams, he is intimating that once you focus upon your spiritual essence you are a part of infinity and are limitless.
There were songs with strong spiritual messages on most of their albums. Songs live Devotion which were simultaneously Western and Eastern. The music was traditional Gospel but the lyrics were New Age Spiritual. Gratitude was the same. Keep Your Head to the Sky was a New Age Anthem rooted in Eastern concepts (“Master told me one day, that I’d find peace in every way”).

The song Serpentine Fire was perhaps one of their most spiritual. Serpentine Fire, which is also known as Kundalini Fire is a concept seen in the West and the East. It is seen in Christianity as Moses’ staff. It is the symbol of the medical community known as the Caduceus. The Hindus call it Kundalini and it represents the energy that rises from the base of ones spine all the way to the top of the head through the Crown Chakra. The Treatise on Cosmic Fire written by Alice Bailey is one of the most spiritually complex books I have ever read. It contains several discussions of the Serpentine Fire. As a young man, I began to read this book which was very difficult to follow. However when I began to read the chapter that described the Serpentine Fire, I felt very comfortable. “Gonna tell a story morning glory all about the serpentine fire.”

Maurice White was teaching all of us back then to start our day with meditation and to focus upon feeling that connection between us and “all there is.” I agree with him. When I start the day with a focus upon God and feel that Serpentine Fire flowing from the base of my spine to my crown chakra it is a feeling of complete invigoration. Even now it still a bit scary, the power is so strong I am a bit afraid of spontaneous combustion. However, I power past my fears and revel in the connection with God and on those days…I am in harmony with all and those days are most fruitful.

Maurice White, to quote you sir “I want to thank you…” as you did in Gratitude but not for listening but for guiding us toward the way home. It was humbling that he was giving Gratitude to us for listening. It is I that am forever gracious to him and his brothers for showing us the way to live a truly spiritual life.
Namaste

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One of the symbols common in most religions – East and West, is that God is found in the light. One can look at the writings of the early Egyptians and their worship of the sun as the sustainer of life as a great example. In Christian paintings we see a halo of light around those prominent souls that are deemed holy. In fact one of the words we use to describe such people is “enlightened.” We all strive towards the light and away from the dark.

Yet, recent developments in science have shed light (no pun intended) on the fact that the majority of the universe is comprised of Dark Matter. According to top scientists, dark matter and dark energy encompass over 95% of the total content of the universe. We are now aware of the mystical yet majestic powers of dark energy, such as a black hole. I think the scariest thing about dark energy is that it is unknown.

There is a theory that all things fall into one of three categories: 1) The known; 2) The knowable ; and 3) The unknowable. It is only logical, as a thinking person, to be apprehensive about things that are beyond our comprehension. Thus the dark has always gotten a bad rap through history. As a child, I was very afraid of the dark. I could not see what was out there and that was not a very good feeling. Yet through maturity I began to relish the dark. I noticed, while star gazing that most of the Universe appeared to be dark. As my understanding of the essence of God expanded, so did my comfort in the dark. I now love being completely in the dark. I feel that I am one with God in such surroundings.
Don’t get me wrong, I still understand the practical uses of light. One of the beautiful things about living in California is that there are a lot of communities that are set in nature. When I am emptying the trash on a moonless night, I still bring a flashlight so I am not coyote or even worse mountain lion bait. But there is also something comforting about being surrounded by dark matter and energy knowing that God is the vivifying source of such energy.

So my friends, embrace dark matter, embrace dark energy. It is the new light. Hmm, I need to create a super hero that represents dark matter in a good light (oops, I meant way, old habits die hard).

Namaste

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