BELIEF SYSTEMS

A couple days ago, a reader asked me, "Where does your belief system come from?" I answered her back, more or less, from the top of my head. My answer was okay as far as it went; but the question is much deeper than that.

Let us talk about belief systems in general. Belief systems include everything, not just what religion/philosophy inculcate. Our individual belief system is shaped by our total experience. Most folks don't question their beliefs; they accept what they have been taught both consciously and unconsciously. Questioning beliefs are always fraught with peril. Regardless of the belief stream you find yourself in, questioning it openly can lead you to ridicule, attack or expulsion from the group. Many people who see that everything is not quite right, keep it to themselves for fear of rejection. There is warmth and acceptance in going along. The climate can be cold and blustery when you don't.

There are those who see that what is toted as truth is not quite true. Depending on their personal nature, self-esteem, allegiance to the group etc. they may attempt to nudge the people around them to see things differently. There are many shades and varieties in this group.

Then there are the truth seekers and truthsayers. There are truth seekers who are dedicated to know truth for themselves; yet they may not make waves about it. They are primarily motivated by knowledge; they need to know. Then there are the truthsayers, they can't help but say what they think. They are often ridiculed, ostracized and have been persecuted in some eras and societies. Both the truth seekers and truthsayers are immensely valuable in our attempts to open our eyes and see beyond the illusion we have been stuck with.

The reader asked me about my belief system. I don't know that I have one. Belief systems are a cocoon that makes you feel safe but limits your experience and knowledge. If you are dedicated to see what is; belief systems hold one back. I have embraced belief systems but find myself shucking them as I grow out of them.

Going into this fully would require an autobiography. I think everybody's life is fascinating. Could a person benefit from knowing my life story? I don't know. I can give a brief synopsis of my spiritual/philosophical evolvement

My early scholastic experience was very troubled. I could read before I went to school. My parents thought I was precocious and I was put in first grade, in a Catholic school, without benefit of  kindergarten. I was lost and didn't recover for many years. I couldn't understand what the whole thing was about. I just remember doing poor work and being shamed. Shame was a constant companion right on through high school.

I developed a pattern of not going along which I must have felt some reward for. I didn't see myself as rebellious but I think others might have seen me that way. I just remember confusion. Since I could read, I read the texts cover to cover as soon as they were presented. I was never with the class. If I got interested in a subject in history, I kept reading, not knowing the class had switched to studying geography. I seemed to be destined for failure. I remember one time the teacher was grading us on our reading and dividing us up in groups. She would have us read a paragraph and assign us a bird representing the reading group we were in. Of course, I was assigned the highest group. Then the teacher went around and asked which group we were in. When she called my name, I was daydreaming, and didn't answer. A girl piped up and said, "He is a cardinal, of course" that was the lowest group. I didn't know how to respond, so I spent the rest of that school year in the lowest reading group.

In Catholic School we took intelligence test. The results were given back to us and they had our chronological and mental age printed on them. My mental age was always well above my chronological age. Despite this evidence I did not know I was intelligent. The feedback I received from school was all negative. Once I got six Fs on my report card. I was past on condition year to year. I think they kept passing me because I blew the top off the state boards. As a private school the students needed to take state sanctioned test to assure they were learning properly. I, always, scored well above my grade placement.

My school experience until I got to college was pretty dreadful. I did finally figure out I was doing it to myself. Even at that age I knew my experience was my creation. It wasn't all bad. I always had a best friend. My social group didn't seem to care about my poor school performance. One of my acquaintances said, "You are the smartest one of the dumb kids" I took it as a compliment at the time.

I don't even know that I should have shared this dismal school experience. Outside of school, I had many people who appreciated me. I came from a large family and many uncles and aunts loved me and even doted on me. My Mother was in love with learning, especially of nature, and I absorbed knowledge from her. She certainly had faith in my intelligence. I think she was as confused about my lack of success as I was. 

Despite my struggles with the educational establishment, I was an intellectual. When I was thirteen I wanted to grow up to be the philosopher, that taught people, that all pursuits of study were the same. I perceived that psychology, physics, mathematics, astronomy, religion were pursuing the same knowledge. It seemed to be so clear to me then and I wanted to be a philosopher.

 I have been interested in the meaning of life, all my life. I read every philosophy text I could get my hands on. When I was in the Air Force I read the complete Mentor Series on philosophy. I loved psychology. I read the "Introduction to Psychoanalysis" by Sigmund Freud when I was sixteen. Of course, I followed by reading works from Carl Jung and Alfred Adler.

 This is getting way to long and I haven't really touched on my religious/spiritual evolution yet. I will try to be brief.

I could not believe in the god that the church taught. A god that judged? A god that punished people? It didn't make any sense. On one hand god was described as love and on the other hand he was a punisher. I didn't understand that. I gave up religion in my very early teens.

I continued my study of religion, it fascinated me. I read the bible several times. I have read the text of the worlds major religions and many, many discourses about them. I essentially remained an agnostic. In those years, I thought of myself as an atheist. But I guess I wasn't. An atheist believes there is no god. I could not find a belief.

I studied and studied and absorbed all I could intellectually. I was intrigued that the core of all religion was Love. Some form of loving your neighbor as yourself was the basis of all spiritual pursuits. Seeking God through Love. Seeking God through knowledge of Self. Finding God by finding yourself. Discovering God in yourself. Discovering Yourself in God. All of these concepts are found in the works of the major religions.

This is way to long and I have a chores to do. I am going to have to write a part two and maybe three. Let me say before closing, that I didn't really start learning until I acknowledged, that I thought with my heart, as well as well as my brain. I got to the point where intellectual pursuits were a dead end. It wasn't until I asked my self questions like "What is Love" and  was able to listen for an answer. When my heart began to open I began to hear.

Well, I got to take care of my animals and wash my dishes. I have much more to say on the subject.

Happy Friday.

Love and Peace,  Gregg

SORRY ABOUT THAT

Here Wednesday has all but disappeared and no blog from Gregg.

I began my day with a Winter  related car problem. That took place during my usual blogging time. One thing and another I didn't get to it.

I hope you folks had a wonderful day.

I will be here Friday.

Love and Peace,  Gregg

BELIEF AND PREPAREDNESS

Our Winter is back. The forecast calls for below zero readings every night for the next week. Although I long for Spring, I have plenty of good things to read and after my chores are finished for the day I can bask in the glow of the wood stove and Winter can be as it is.

I have had two themes going through my mind this Morning, belief and preparedness. They can be seen as separate or related.

I don't trust beliefs. We all have them, whether we like them or not. Beliefs have caused great pain in the world. I am sure I don't have to list them for you.

I caution folks, not to believe but to discover truths. Refusing to believe anything leads to cynicism. This is a journey everyone must take for themselves. Yet, we have had many Masters and Truthsayers who have come before us.

With the acknowledgement of past Masters I learned to accept, as truth, that we create the world we experience by the thoughts and ideas that we hold in our minds.

I, also, came to believe that the universe is essentially loving and the negativity we experience was due to our choosing to see if we could build a sustainable creation separate from everything else {Source}. We accepted the idea of Good and Evil and began the conflict, that is duality.

Through my studies, I came to the conclusion that the experiment was over. We could exit duality. There is only Love. No matter what our individual experiences are like, they can lead us only in one direction, back to Source.

I could get lost in this discussion, but I want to be brief. To sum up I, and many of you folks, have concluded that beliefs should only be held unto if they promote only Love. Love, it turns out, is the solution for everything.

Preparedness. I have been teaching people to train themselves to live in the 'now'. The future is not here, do not concern yourself with it. Yet if you saw a violent storm brewing in the West you would be foolish not to prepare for it. So sometimes in the 'now' the future can be seen.

We have been waiting for a long time for the light to get strong enough that, it is obvious to all, that there is no turning back. Many, many people have been saying that we have reached the tipping point in global consciousness and we are rapidly creating the loving world we want.

There will be no violence in this shift out of duality; but it might be sudden. When we watch a vessel being filled with water, it may gradually fill but when it gets to the rim it spills over profusely.

The end of the cabal means that many respected people will be arrested. Those who have been using their positions to aggrandize great power and wealth at the expense of the rest of us, need to removed from their positions. They will be treated with respect and hopefully can learn a more loving path. The days of angry revenge are over. There are loving ways of dealing with folks who will not agree to live in harmony.

Many folks have been in complete denial about the horrors of the world. They came to believe it was inevitable and they had to make the best out of  a very unfriendly world. It is going to be a shock to them that war, famine, pestilence, inequality etc. were all easily preventable and largely the creation of an elite that ruled.

In a very short time the light will flood the Earth with such force that duality will be a memory. As the Old World grinds to a halt, there will be some confusion. Our banking system needs to be reset. For a couple weeks the banks may be closed and functions, that depend on open banks, may be closed or in slow motion.

Imagine it as a Holiday that last a few days. Prepare to live without going to a store for a few days. Those of us who have been waiting for the change can be very helpful to those who have been unaware.

Despite the confusion, their will be an air of great celebration. Most of us will be able to feel the Love in the air. Connection between people will be greatly enhanced. Those who 'see' will provide vision for folks that are just opening their eyes.

When is this going to happen? Soon. When is soon?  I don't know. Like the storm we could see brewing in West; we can now see Clouds of Love on the horizon, coming our way, rapidly.

Love and Peace,  Gregg

SNOWED IN

The forecasters underestimated this storm. They began with two to three inches, then three to five inches and we got walloped. Most of it came after dark which was about 6 PM. I didn't appreciate how much snow we got until this Morning. It looks like it could be a foot.

I have trodden paths. Which means I walk down each snowfall. The path becomes a ridge of hard packed snow. The path out to the barn and chicken coop is about one hundred yards. The hard snow path can build up a foot or more above the ground. Trying to find the path under deep snow is like walking a tight rope. You step off to the side and you easily go up to your knees. The animals will forgive me if I am a little late today. They have every thing they need.

The school is cancelled, so Elijah can stay home. Although, I am experiencing my eightieth year there still is some excitement about having a snow holiday. There is a festive atmosphere in the house as we await being plowed out, which may not happen until tomorrow.

Talking about waiting for an event. I know some of us get discouraged waiting for some sign that enlightenment is becoming more general. The media has been cranking up the negative, displaying all the violence they can find in the world. And there are many horrible events to focus on. Most of this violence is fomented by those who are losing their grip on world power. They want to create wider wars, even a world war, so they can consolidate the power they feel they are losing. And they are losing.

Don't let the the injustices of the world make you angry. The people who are losing control feed on anger. They would love to fill you with rage. When we are angry we cannot project our love. Only love will solve our problems. If the media was honest, we would see who was really behind the violence and we would, also see, the light that is growing in the populace everywhere.

Let us avoid getting discouraged. In fact we are being very successful in increasing the love on this planet. Keep looking for light. Keep looking for things, people and events to focus your love on. Remember the perpetrators of the negativity need our love, too. We are all one. We will rise together.

When the enlightenment reaches a certain point, events that we have been waiting for, will happen very quickly. Our eyes will be suddenly open. We will experience joy we didn't think was possible.

Hang in there, shine your brilliant, loving smile on everyone you see today. Everyone will be smiling soon.

Happy Friday!

Love and Peace,  Gregg 

PUTTING WORRY TO BED

Wouldn't be nice to end worrying forever? I spent fifty years cautioning people not to worry and I know I helped many. We don't have to think hard to know the futility of worry. It changes nothing but our own consciousness and robs us of our happiness, at least, for the time we are worrying. All through the centuries the Great Ones have taught us we don't need to worry and our minds are under our control. I believe it, don't you?

I am writing about this subject because I have had many invitations to worry lately and I have succumbed to the invitation. I don't like it. I wonder if you folks have gone through a worrying phase.

The persistent cold {we are in a three day warming period} adds to the sense of vulnerability. Pipes freezing, cars not starting, welfare of the farm animals, especially newborns etc. I have six children, generally I don't worry about their welfare when they're not living with me. But when they are..............

Let us call a halt to worrying for once and for all. We can, when you find ourselves worrying, we can ask ourselves, "Have I done everything I am capable or willing to do in this situation?" If there is something it makes sense to do, do it and then let it go.

Many of us have hidden, or not so hidden, superstitions that what we worry about won't happen. Or, we have the idea that it is responsible to worry; we wouldn't be good parents, spouses, friends etc. if we didn't worry. We need to be honest with ourselves and shine the light into our minds and rid ourselves of such notions. Usually when we uncover some strange idea, like these, and look at them they lose their power.

We are being urged to give up the past, avoid concern for the future and live in the present moment. We are told Love, Joy and Peace are in the present moment. We can't experience this for long if we believe it is proper and functional to worry.

It is interesting, our culture has taught us that worrying is good. It is only when we seek enlightenment that we learn that for thousands of years the wise ones told us it was a worthless exercise. Did you ever stop and think how many billions of dollars are made from promoting worry? Insurance? One could easily write a book on the profitability of worry. Huh, I wonder why our culture promotes worry.

I want to be Happy. Don't you? We have the mental discipline to give up worry. Let's do it. We have the World Of Love to create. Let us not waste our time on what we know is foolishness. Let today be the day that we begin to catch ourselves at the first signs of worry and knock the spectre on the head.

Love and Peace,  Gregg

WINTER'S END?

It is 24 degrees F. It is snowing and Winter appears to be losing its grip. It is forecast to be above freezing a few days this week.

Just as the Sun gets brighter and warmer, the light that is coming from all of us is creating changes. Cracks are beginning to appear in the main stream media. The news is beginning to vary from network to network. For years ABC, NBC and CBS were working from the same playbook. Many of the news items went out word for word like they were reading from the same script. I don't know about FOX, I never considered them a legitimate entity.

Those who follow the financial news may have noted that the tight control the banks were exerting on the precious metal market may have slacked. Gold and silver are commencing their steady upward movement. The controlling banks were doing what they could to keep the prices of gold and silver down because it made fiat money look bad. Meanwhile the Fed is continuing to buy worthless paper from the big banks at the rate of billions a week. They have slacked off a bit, they are supposedly tapering this buying spree. We will see. They are afraid to just quit because the economy is not growing fast enough to make up for all the trillions of dollars in worthless instruments the big banks are holding. This is a left over from the crazy gambling with Credit Default Swaps etc. Congress passed TARP to bail out the banks and that is all it did. The economy for the Middle Class and the Working Class kept crumbling.

The economy is at a crisis point and that is good. Governments all over the world are over burdened with debt, that they can't possibly pay back. Those countries with central banks, like the U.S. Fed keep cranking out pretend money to keep things going. This creates an inflation bomb that has to be reckoned with. I guess they keep their fingers crossed, hoping the economy will catch up. But it can't because the buying power is not in the hands of the people. The only solution is to get money in the hands of the ordinary citizen, but the powers that be hold on to their financial ideology {idiocy} and they can't bring themselves to do it. 

The crumbling of the financial empire needs to be celebrated by all of us. Don't worry! There are people at many levels of society that saw this coming for a long time. There will be a temporary reinstatement of something like the gold standard, where money is based on an agreed upon value. All debts will be cancelled and the poverty stricken people of the world will be given the money they need to be equal with the rest of us. Eventually as we realize the magnificent, loving beings we are, we won't need money at all.

Yes, we are coming out of a very long Winter, some say it has been thirteen thousand years since we remembered we are all one. Loving your neighbor as yourself is becoming our reality. Let us remember to love ourselves.

Look for signs of Love. Look for the light that is emerging. The Great Renewal is upon us. Ahhhhhh a real Spring!

Love and Peace,  Gregg

KEEP DREAMING

The cold returned, but it is not anything like last week. It was 1 degree F when I got up. Tonight it will be back down to zero, then it supposed to warm up. The denizens of Laughing Water Farm are pining for some warm weather.

What do we dream of when we think of paradise here on Earth? I am no better at this than anybody else, but here are some ideas.

ENERGY

For many years scientist mused that energy could be obtained from the natural forces all around us e.g. gravity, magnetism, plasma. We are surrounded by energy. There is reason to believe that a device for getting energy directly from our surroundings without compromising our environment is in the offing.

So called 'free energy' would release us from bondage. A device in every home to produce all the electricity we need, would go a long way towards freeing us to pursue our life goals.

AGRICULTURE

Basic food stuffs should be raised only a few miles from where it is being consumed. Only exotics should be imported. For example we can't grow oranges, pineapples, avocados here in Minnesota.


Soil need to be treated as the living thing that it is. Growing plants is part of our sacred connection to the Earth. The Earth is very fruitful. There are more than enough people who yearn to put their hands in the soil to provide food for the rest. However, for the purpose of learning and connection I would anticipate everyone sharing in the production of food at some times.

MEDICINE

As in energy and agriculture, we need to get the money out. Our world would not be so diseased and cures for what ails us would be long since found if it wasn't for the profit motive.

Creation being perfect, I imagine the cure for any disease grows freely a short distance from where one resides. Herbal medicine was short circuited about one hundred years ago. Many of our medicines are still synthesized compounds that were originally found in plants. We need to reach out to Mother Earth and see what is there for us.

Mind body connection needs to be taken seriously. We need to end the separation between medicine and psychiatry/psychology. In reality there is no separation between the body responses and the thought processes. It is okay to study just one aspect of our existence as long as we know all is connected.

TECHNOLOGY

There is no limit to what we are capable of manufacturing. Think of 3D printing. We are just on the threshold of knowing what is possible. Ideally we would seek to understand our purpose here and would not make things that increase our separation from the Earth.

COMMUNICATION

Instant direct communication is already in existence. How we use it is up to us. We will learn more about our innate abilities to keep in touch. We already can read each others thoughts. We have suppressed it. This ability will reemerge.

COOPERATION VERSES COMPETITION

It will become clear that cooperation is far superior to competition. Competition may still exist as recreation, but not as it is today, with ego and survival issues driving it.

JUDGEMENT

Folks won't stop judging overnight. They will realize, suddenly, that it is a painful and useless practice, however. In a very short time people will see judgement only hurts themselves. In a very short time we will wonder why we ever judged.

CRIMINAL SYSTEM

I cringe using the word criminal; there are no criminals. There are only people who can't love or experience love. For a short time there will be people that need to be segregated to protect the rest of us. We will learn how to give them the love, they need, in order for them to realize they are lovable and capable of love. Everyone can grow.

EDUCATION

This is a tough one. For so many years we have been programmed to be slaves. We need to understand how horribly mislead we have been. It is hard for us to understand how we would educate children to be free and free thinking people. This is true for child rearing, also. We need to 'see' ourselves, in order to to be competent at teaching. In our hearts we know how do do this. We can listen to our own guidance.

RELIGION

None. At least, religion as we have known it. We share a perfect universe. We are one. We are created by unconditional Love. We are unconditional Love. Is exploring that phenomenon religion? We seem to need things to believe in. Let us believe in Love.

GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY

How much government do we need? National? Local? We need to do cooperatively which cannot be done in the village or region. That won't be difficult to work out.

We need the absolute guarantee of equality at every level for everybody. No more higher and lower. No more elites. A greater talent, in any area, defines how one can be of service. If one is a good carpenter he/she can provide the service of building or teaching carpentry. Same goes for medicine, agriculture, art etc. We all have a gift to share with the rest. Our government and society should aid in this process. The emphasis must always be on the freedom of the individual to define his/her life path.

I know there is much more but that is enough for today.

Happy Friday and Happy Valentines Day!

Love and Peace,  Gregg