We Are The Solution

There’s an old story told that goes as follows:

***

A town lies in the pathway of an oncoming flood. The residents are warned that they must evacuate because the water level is rising very quickly. Most people heed the warning and flee, using whatever means available to find dry land. One man, however, remains alone in his home. The water rises to the level of his front porch. Soon after, people in a rubber dinghy paddle up to his house. “Get in,” they call, “we’ll save you!” “No,” says the man, “I’m waiting on God to save me!” The people in the dinghy reluctantly leave, and the waters continue to rise.

A few hours later, the man is forced to climb to the second floor of his home. He is standing on the balcony when people come by in a power boat. “Get in,” they call, “we’ll save you!” “No,” calls the man, “I’m waiting on God to save me!” The people reluctantly leave, unable to believe their eyes.

The flood waters rise with even greater intensity, and the man is forced to climb onto the roof of his home. He’s clinging to the chimney when a helicopter flies overhead. A rope ladder is flung out of the helicopter, and a rescuer descends. “Grab hold,” calls the rescuer, “we’ll save you!” “No,” shouts the man, “I’m waiting on God to save me!” The helicopter is forced to fly away. The house finally tumbles over in the raging waters, and the man drowns. When the man arrives in Heaven, he’s very angry with God. “I believed in You!” he cries. “Why didn’t you save me?” To this, God replies: “What did you want? I sent you a dinghy, a power boat, and a helicopter!”

***

There was a time when I thought the story was just a mildly humorous joke–which reveals that I, too, missed the boat! The story is actually intended to relate great wisdom. God/Source/The Universe works through us. Until we understand this, we’re missing a tremendously important point. All of us possess gifts that are intended to be shared for the benefit of everyone; and fortunately our gifts are unique. To enable ourselves to give from the heart, we must do some soul searching and discover our true passion. When we live our purpose–there’s the joy!

The next time that you’re seeking divine assistance for a problem, keep your eyes open and your intuition attuned. The solution might arrive through a person sitting next to you on the bus or subway; or through a friend who knows of a friend. More important, you might realize that Divinity Incarnate–in the form of you and the “other” person–is present.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

P.S. Please share this article if you enjoyed it. If you’d like to view my latest book (This Taste of Flesh and Bones), press here. My YouTube videos can be found at Think2wice@I-Am-Aware. May the content of either or both help you along your spiritual journey. “Thank You” & “Note to Publishers” 🙏🏻🧡

Whisper From The Heart

Burdened by aches

That went bone deep,

The man lifted his head, tears flowing, and sobbed:

“Master, I am so tired of being a slave.

This world lashes me with its pain–

I don’t know how much more I can bear.

Why, Lord, why

Must this world whip me so?

A silky whisper arose in the man’s heart;

And he, feeling a gentle Hand light upon his shoulder, heard:

“Because, dear child,

You know not That which you are.

Whilst you carry the belief

That we are separate,

You will suffer.

Turn within,

And know that we are One.”

***

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Mission I AM Possible

Note: To cue my original no-expenses-spared rendition of the theme music from “Mission I Am Possible, please press here. In this performance, I’ll be whipping up some “music” with spoons–😎. Tickets are selling out fast, but there are still a few seats available. Now, let’s begin:

***

Just prior to entering this incarnation, “each” of us might imagine that we were standing on a high diving board, preparing to take another plunge into the realm that’s referred to as Earth. Why would we do this time and time again? As a method of refinement. In a manner analogous to rubber automobile tires that pick up bits of gravel, grit, and even nails, human beings pick up the energy of certain tendencies–some that serve ourselves and “others” well; and some that make suffering very likely. The trip, in which we actually never go anywhere, allows us to learn what serves a higher ideal, and what belongs to the “person” in the lowlands of Earth.

From my own experience and knowledge gained from books about spirituality, I believe that the soul (and sole) purpose of our journey, at least from a human perspective, is to find our way back HOME; in other words, to recognize our essential nature. We Are of God; therefore, our essential nature must be God-like. The main challenge related to this purpose involves dropping, or at least questioning, our murky human assumptions long enough to allow the Light of Truth to shine through. As long as we cling to a false ‘i’-dentity related to name and form, the likelihood of realizing our true nature is slim. Suffering “as” the human is the one natural solution that provides opportunity for expansion out of the prison in which we have figuratively been placed. This isn’t literally true; but it certainly feels that way.

How will we know if we’ve recognized true Self. Trust me, if you will, the realization is unmistakable; but don’t expect to see signs of It as an object. The Bible states this clearly in Luke 17:21: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” Another way of verifying if we have arrived is that most, if not all, of the fear, pride, and arrogance related to performance (for example, of a rendition of Mission I Am Possible) has been jettisoned along with our belief in the illusory person. This is the meaning behind the well-known but, perhaps, puzzling expression: “to find yourself, you must lose yourself.” When we lay down our false assumption that we can–ever–possibly be the “person,” we open ourselves to recognition of our Oneness. Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to find That.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Douglas Turns Homeward

Although the glow from a streetlight shone through Douglas Hepburn’s bedroom window, his inner night felt very dark, indeed. Within minutes of retiring to bed, he realized that sleep would not be forthcoming anytime soon. Despite his deep yearning for the balm of forgetfulness, his mind had decreed that he had tasks to which he must attend: He must focus on his ex wife, and the life they had once enjoyed together; he must concentrate on the pain of estrangement from his children; he must lie upon the torture rack and be stretched by the “why” yet another relationship had fallen by the wayside. And last, but not least, he must wonder why “he” had been fated a failure.

After arising several times to pace aimlessly through vacant rooms of his small house, Douglas found himself–as he had been taught to do as a child–kneeling at the foot of his bed and clasping his hands together. “Dear God,” he prayed, “please…please help me. I’m so lost, and I don’t know what to do.” Tears flowed down his cheeks as he continued: “I’ve tried so hard, I really have. Why…why must my life be so challenging?” A few minutes later, he rose upon shaky knees and, exhausted, crawled beneath the bed covers and fell into a fitful sleep.

***

Dear readers: If Douglas’s life situation feels familiar, please know that help is available. The help isn’t related to a specific type of counselling, religion, addiction center, or rehabilitation program; although all or some of those avenues may be worthy of attention. The help to which I refer is a solution that’s found within yourself; in that placeless place where we recognize our essential nature. We are not now, nor have we ever been, the person. The Truth of this may be recognized directly. Suffering arises due to erroneous identifcation with the body-mind. We are so much more than name and form. The key to liberation from suffering is to investigate the nature of the “person” that’s apparently suffering.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

From The Horse’s Mouth

Switch Mental Microphone to “On,” to allow the message to be broadcast around the barn and beyond:

***

“Hello folks, it’s wonderful to meet you. If I could talk–that is, in a language that humans understand–I would tell you the following: They call me With-A-Twist, but I’d like you to understand that such is not actually What I Am. They could have called me Fancy Pants or Lancelot, and it wouldn’t have made one whit of difference. You don’t have to be the smartest horse in the paddock to understand that a name cannot possibly be What you are. As much as people might like to assume that I’m just a horse, I’d like you to know that I Am an expression of The Divine Creator. Newflash: So are You.

My other horse friends and I are happy for just “BEing;” that’s because we don’t have a nag in our head–the little “i”–that would pretend to be otherwise. From what I understand about the ego, it’s the false self that often has you folks running around in circles for no particular reason. Rumour has it that the ego will cause you to say silly stuff, like–“When I was President of the world…”–just to impress other egos. Me, I’m happy just to Be.

Lately, I’ve noticed that you humans seem inordinately preoccupied with fear. You allow fear to rule your minutes, hours, and days because you believe the almost continuous narrative of the little “i.” Because you don’t recognize your essential nature, you believe that you must protect it. Here’s the rub, folks: It’s just a thought; it’s not “That” which you Are. If you folks were cars, it seems you’d rather rust to death than crash. Not me, I was born to run. I also know that the Essence of That which I Am is immortal and eternal. Worry not, right? “Let not your heart be troubled.”

With-A-Twist backs away from the mental microphone but then steps toward it again:

“Before you go, would you mind unbolting the lock on the stable door? It’easy–just grab the handle and slide to the left. Grab handle, slide to the left. I’d do it myself, but as you can see, I lack the opposable thumbs; fingers, too, for that matter. I’ve been penned up for far too long; and I’m beginning to feel it. I was meant to be outside, mingling with other horses in God’s green acres–know what I mean? Oh, and some oats, a couple of carrots, and an apple would be nice. Thanks.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Sassafras’s Wisdom

Chase, Chuck, Charlie, and Sassafras were tromping through the wooded areas of their local park on a hot summer day. They were as alive as alive can get; with good wriggley energy pulsing through their young bodies. Unofficially, they were known as The Three Muskeeters–at least that’s what the crooked plywood sign read above the entrance to their tree fort. Sassafras had recently joined their merry gang, but they had yet to get around to changing the sign to “four.” The three boys, the “C’s,” had been friends since meeting at grade school a couple of years earlier.

The goodies–of licorice, chips, and pop–had long ago been devoured. Now it was time for serious talk, the get-down-to-business part of their outing.

“Let’s take turns sharing what we want to be when we’re grownups!” exclaimed Chase.

“Sounds good,” said Charlie, “but we gotta vote on it.”

With that, the children’s hands spiked upward, signalling that the proposal had carried.

“I wanna be a tax collector,” said Chuck. “It’s government, don’t you know; so at least there’s security. I also hear that the benefit package is quite attractive, with an indexed pension.” The other two boys nodded seriously and gave their thumbs up.

“I wanna be a mortician,” said Chase. “People are always dying–you hear of it on the TV almost every day; so business should be steady. If I salt away some savings on a regular basis and make some savvy investments in a diversided stock portfolio, I think I could do quite nicely.”

“Makes sense,” said the boys in serious agreement.

Next was Charlie. “I’m gonna be the owner of a tech startup. I’ll make sure that I get a ton of options in our initial public offering of stock and make a financial killing when I sell at the peak. That’s a flagpole formation on a trading chart, in case you didn’t know. I’ll make sure to set up an offshore business to evade any unnecessary tax burden, and I’ll probably be a billionaire before I’m thirty, if I play my cards right.”

“What about you, newbie,” chimed the boys to Sassafras. “What do you want to be?

“True to her deeper nature, Sassafras paused and allowed herself a few moments of contemplation before answering: “I think that being born a human being is very special,” she said, “so I want to make the most of it. “I just want to be happy, and I figure that the best way for that to happen is to follow my heart.”

“Nahhhh,” exclaimed the boys! “Seriously, what to you really want to be?!”

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

“The Touch Of God”

I offer the following poem:

***

Once upon a time,

The silent voice of the Lord sang through His people;

And hearing His glorious song,

They were changed, dramatically.

In the NOW of eternity,

They recognized their true nature--they were of Him;

Thus, they realized that they, too, must be Holy!

Gladdened, they also learned 

That their world became more loving

When they ensured that His mark

Was left upon everything they touched.

***

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

P.S. Please share this article if you enjoyed it. If you’d like to view my latest book (This Taste of Flesh and Bones–released September 8, 2020), press here. My YouTube videos may be found through this link. May the content of either or both help you along your spiritual journey. 🙏🧡

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Good Rumblings at “The Place”

Tom and Jerry, who were caretakers at The Place, had sneaked out the back door for a smoke. They had worked hard for the previous few days, in preparation for the spiritual gathering that had begun only a half hour prior. As rules governing social attendance had been dismissed, The Place was packed to the rafters with one thousand men, women, and children.

“Should be a quiet night,” said Jerry, after he exhaled a deep draw from his cigarette, “I don’t think those spiritual folks will get too rowdy.”

“Yup,” said Tom, “clean up should be a breeze, too.”

They continued to puff and chat; but within the next few minutes, they noticed a groundswell of sound from behind them. They could actually feel it; it pulsed through the air as though by its own life.

“What the heck…” began Jerry.

“…is going on?” finished Tom. With that, both men stubbed their cigarettes beneath their boots and went back inside and climbed the iron stairs that led to a small overhead viewing platform.

Below them, a woman holding a microphone was jubilantly shouting questions. She moved with electrified vigour upon the stage.

“What’s The Center of your life?” she cried, with a triumphant wave of her free hand.

From the crowd (consisting of persons who were rising to their feet in increasing numbers) came the powerful reply: “God Is!” In unanimous agreement, they accentuated their replies with a loud “Thump, Wump” stomp of their feet.

“And where is The Center?”

“Wherever I Am!” Thump, Wump!

“Is The Center in you?”

“Oh, yes!” Thump, Wump!

“Is The Center in your neighbour?”

“Yes, there, too!” Thump, Wump!

“Is there anywhere that The Center isn’t?“

“Nooo!” Thump, Wump!

As the sound continued to build in intensity, Tom and Jerry looked at each other, stunned by the appearance of persons young and old being moved by the Spirit of Truth.

“I’ve heard rock bands quieter than this!” shouted Jerry, with a hand cupped aside his mouth.

“Me, too!” shouted Tom.

Again, the woman on stage urged the crowd onward: “Where is The Center?”

“Everywhere!”

Leaning forward, she filled her lungs to the brim, then turned and cried, “I can’t hearrr you!”

“EVERYWHERE!” came the thunderous reply. Thump, Wump!

“And where does IT end?”

“Nowhere!” Thump, Wump! Thump, Wump!

“Is it your essential nature?!”

“Yes,” cried the crowd, “oh, yes!” Thump, Wump!

With the last reply, Tom and Jerry turned from the platform and made their way outside for another smoke. “Crazy kooks,” muttered Jerry. “I second that!” exclaimed Tom, raising his hand. It was time, they agreed, to break out the bottle of whiskey that they had stashed behind a panel for just such an emergency.

***

What Tom and Jerry didn’t realize is that the Omnipresent God that the people were celebrating is often referred to as Consciousness. It has been described as a sphere, whose center is everywhere and perimeter nowhere. It is “That,” the one-and-only Power which was actually empowering Tom and Jerry’s freedom to deny Its very existence. Due to innocent ignorance, Tom and Jerry were unintentionally “prodigal sons.” If they grow weary enough of the world, Grace might gently nudge them to look within and discover their true nature. Conversely, they might continue to cope with life’s apparent challenges through bottles of malty distraction. Regardless of the outcome, All is ultimately good.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

All Knowers on Deck

WEE-Oww; Wee-Oww; Wee-Oww: To the knowers, the piercing stabs of the blaring sirens was incredibly painful–eardrums threatened to rupture. Intuitively, they realized that the alarms signalled a perilous world situation of the highest magnitude. At heart level, they felt the following message: “All knowers on deck! Report to the bridge, Now! What ensued was the sound of stampeding footfalls and near misses as knowers raced to duty. At the bridge, aka Central Control, the dial gauges reported a dire situation, indeed:

Degree of Unconsciousness: Red alert. Levels of unconsciousness and risk of threatening behaviour nearing an all-time high. Danger of increasing chaos.

Persons-Knowers Ratio: Deeply egoic. Number of frightened egos dramatically increasing as unfounded fears reach insane levels.

Degree of Forgetfulness: Almost total. State of prodigal amnesia of the masses in full swing across nations. Some awakening occurring.

Propaganda Meter: Very high. Persons with opposing views broadly censored and subjected to ridicule and unjustifiable punishment for refusing to get in step with the program.

Dream Immersion: Situation critical. The majority of persons deeply asleep. Reaching bottom may occur.

***

Dear Readers: To those of you who as yet don’t realize that this–right now–is, indeed, a collective dream, I offer the following four passages from various books to help you knowingly re-awaken to Truth.

The first is from The Heart of Sufism, by Hazrat Inayat Khan:

The second is from A Course In Miracles:

The third is from Thought Power, by Swami Sivananda:

The fourth is from The One in The Mirror, by Ramesh S. Balsekar:

***

With expressions that reflected the pain of the worldwide situation, the knowers looked at one another and steadied themselves within. They realized that to rise out of the darkness that’s currently enveloping the world, they must maintain a positive vision and respond appropriately, with Love.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

The Barcode Checker

Domnarian, as he liked to be called, was a Barcode Checker, First Class. He had worked his way up through the rank and file of other checkers and passed his final exam. His mission was simple, although not easy. To him befell the task of recording an accurate number of those who were awake and those who were still asleep. From north pole to south, the world was divided into four major sections of longnitude. He was responsible for overseeing the performance of affiliate barcode checkers in each section, who arranged the installation of automated polling machines. Persons would arrive, as demanded, and stand on a large X, six feet in front of the scanning machine.

In a digitalized voice, the machine would ask: “Who are you?”

At millions of machines, the answers were recorded with various versions of the following: “I am Jane Smith; I am Vladamir Ivanov; I am Maria Sanchez; I am Samar Khatri; I am Aina Tanaka; I am Carlos Sousa. The process was ongoing, 24/7, with the statistics being gathered through thousands of worldwide computers. If the machines, which were programmed with rudimentary lie-detector capabilities, sensed hesitancy or a reply that was slightly amiss in tone or inflection, a light at the top would flash amber. The machine would then utter: “Halt, say again. Who are you?”

Unbeknownst to the masses, The State considered each person little more than a barcode, a file that could be easily scanned to reveal if said person agreed or disagreed with The State’s agenda. Pertinent information, such as degree of awakeness, (and thus, potential threat to The State) was flagged with letters of the alphabet. The letter E, for enlightenment, signified high alert.

What The State didn’t realize was that there was a dramatic upsurge in the numbers of Beings who were recognizing their essential nature. When asked the question (“Who are you?”), such “persons” would face the machines and, with feigned indifference, reply with their barcode name. Inwardly, however, they were smiling. Occasionally, the machines would briefly flash yellow, to caution that it was possible that the person was a knower.

In time, Domnarian will be looking for other employment. Why? Because True Humanity is rising, glorious and triumphant. The number of “knowers” is increasing expoentially. These are the ones who are secretly “walking away from the machine mentality.” They know: I Am That I Am. I Am a child of God, an aspect of the One-and-Only Creator; and there is no-thing and no earthly power that can take “That” away from me. Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

P.S. Please share this article if you enjoyed it. If you’d like to view my latest book (This Taste of Flesh and Bones–released September 8, 2020), press here. My YouTube videos may be found via this link. May the content of either or both help you along your spiritual journey. 🙏🤍

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Think2wice

CONSCIOUSNESS, SPIRITUALITY, & LAW OF ATTRACTION

Category: Non Duality

We Are The Solution

Whisper From The Heart

Mission I AM Possible

Douglas Turns Homeward

From The Horse’s Mouth

Sassafras’s Wisdom

“The Touch Of God”

Good Rumblings at “The Place”

All Knowers on Deck

The Barcode Checker

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