In my case transiting Mars is approaching my natal position of Mars. It’s a letting go of past fears that have been there for a long time and i didn’t even know about them. Today, 9/10/10, i felt like listening to Ozzy, an old favorite back in my teens/twenties. Unfortunately there was alcohol and some drug use back then and these have an effect of suppressing and holding fears, sorrow, suffering (due to fear) in. As i started listening to the wording i realized these words had become my reality through a fearful interpretation, back then, and they created a pessimistic view, and exacerbated suffering. This created a snow ball effect, and ultimately leading me to making mistakes in life. As the teens and twenties are all about making mistakes, i reflect with trepidation, only to realize that it is the energy of my own suppression that wants to be freed here and now.  So as i listen, i reflect i feel the chills of the movement of energies i remember the people, the good , the bad, the ugly and i let it go, bringing me to peace, and allowing me to see that i made my decisions based in ignorance, and in order to grow i need to let this go.

And so it is that astrological timing is crucial. It is this ability (woman sense this easier, in general, because of the connection with the Moon) that allows us to let go, to change, transform, and grow in our awareness of whats important and whats not. A reminder for some and new knowledge for most, karma from past life, unless it is held onto as in the above mentioned example, is expressed in the first 30 years, This is past life karma that i speak. If you see yourself as a victim of your past, or of karma, you WILL NOT grow. You will extend that karma till the next cycle when you can completely let it go. So if you think thoughts, feel feeling, and intuit things from your past that you do not feel goods about, THIS IS THE TIME to look at them and let them go. If you pay attention to your feelings, you do not need astrology to tell you when a cycle is coming to an end.

In truth, every 22 month cycles Mars came around, i refused to look listen and let go of past fears, this time i let them go because i see it. There are  other factors, like  Saturns presents (Saturn is Lord of Karma), that really bring an end to things, and for me the timing is right! Saturn Mars, and Venus are all in Libra, my Mars’ natal sign, so this is a great time for me to let go of A LOT of things, as i shall take full advantage of this positioning.

What it all comes down to is, if you feel things are coming into your experience/thoughts about past situations/people, don’t ignore it, let it go!

Namaste bright ones!

You see a few months ago I drank something that I wasn’t paying attention to, and it had mold in it. Now before you get all freaked out, it had Ginseng in it which I guess, because it’s a root herb can create mold rather rapidly under the right conditions. It was mixed w/orange juice and it was an Arizona green tea with ginseng with no sugar, powder drink mix. I mixed the two together and they were in the fridge for about 10-12 days at this point. I try to keep lights off when I don’t need them and poured the mix in a cup. Upon taking a heavy chug, I realized something was amiss. Taking out the bottle, I realized what I had, got rid of it, but damage was done. Wasn’t sure how it was going to effect me, but that night I was fine. A couple nights later, I had orange juice by itself, and went to sleep, I was up at 1am with all sorts of problems. This lasted till 8am back and forth to the bathroom, till I finally couldn’t take it anymore and was really starting to wonder what the heck was wrong. I was attending college at the time, call the school nurse, but it was vacation. Went to a local clinic, no doctor till 10, so finally I just went to the emergency room. I should mention also that I had no primary care physician because prior to going to college was w/o heath care insurance for 2 years. I had also moved 350 miles away, so the only logical place for me to go was the hospital.

So there I go, in to the belly of the beast. I was logged in by a triage nurse, brought into a room, where the doc asked questions. He left told me nothing and 15 minutes later the nurse came in trying to give me an IV.  I told her I didn’t want it, and also refused anti-nausea meds. The doc came back in told me he was concerned about dehydration. I told him i just needed a prescription for what ever was ailing me and I’ll be on my way. He said I had food poisoning and there was nothing they could do.  I told I needed to be discharged, and should have walked out. The nurse came in and said she had to take my pulse lying sitting and standing to see if I was dehydrated before I could leave. I complied and was discharged. This was the only thing they did, no tests, no IV’s no nothing.

2 weeks later i get a bill for $358. I was outraged, but figured it was something the insurance from the college would cover. Submitted it but was left to pay $111.60. I was not paying this cause I thought this was ridiculous! I called them up and said it the bill was ridiculous. That complaint was filed and promptly stomped on.

The reason i bring this to peoples attention, is the fact that this is ridiculous! It goes way beyond good taste, because it seems to me there is a certain arrogance going here. 1 nurse and 1 doctors time, an hour to be precise, is worth $350? WHY? I did a bid on a job for their house, they’re car to be repaired, it would be $0. Why do they require such a high rate. Please do not tell me it’s because of the high price of schooling, because they are one of the very few professions that can have debt forgiveness. I’m an electrician major, i can’t have that. What makes them more important than the guy who dug the ditch to build the hospital? I know he’s only getting $8-10/hr.  Without that hospital the doctor and nurse would have no place to practice. If you say it’s equipment costs why does the hospital have to buy them?  Yes, MRI machines are incredible, and yes, they they are cutting edge, and i love technology, but come on, $1000+ for one MRI session? Does the company really have to make them for so much money? If none of the hospitals bought them, don’t you think the price would really come down? The serious question, with the whole health care industry which is founded on the Hippocratic oath (yes, there is a nice sarcastic metaphor going on here) to do everything in they’re ability to heal, why does it cost so much? Is this not the height of hypocrisy? Everyone in the health care industry profits obscenely.  This is the very industry that is dedicated to helping us, no matter what! What does that say about the industry?

Lets move to something else even more disturbing. FOOD! 90% of all that ails us is because we are eating GARBAGE! Health care industry knows this, and kind of tries to tell us, but is not real adamant about informing us of the sheer magnitude of the dangers of this crap we call food. The rest of the world laughs at us and what we eat, cause they know. If it’s not high in fats, chemicals, processing, and fructose there really isn’t much left on the market shelves. High fructose corn syrup is EVERYWHERE!

We have an obesity epidemic in the US, and no one is doing anything about it. Politicians, business, health care, all of these people should be LEADING the charge toward change but they are not! Business is buying them off because profits come before your health. This is the reason no one likes the universal heath care that was passed. Instead of it being like Canada, The UK, or any other European nation taking car of their people, here in the US, it’s not profitable enough for that system. Business wins out before you. I give Obama high marks for the will to push it through, because it’s been far to long in the making and needed to happens decades ago, but as long as business can buy politicians, it will always look like a cluster f@#$.

This is my take on the industry and the FUBAR madness going on in our country! Whether you agree or not, all can recognize that serious change needs to happen.

Namaste bright ones! Wake up and change the world!

And yet, Mars is also logic and sarcasm. You see, everyone attributes logic to Hermes (Mercury) and rightly so, for it is the principle for which it is expressed. Mercury desires to organize, and express this logic for it is intimately connected to Mars, through the Pillar of Severity on the Tree of Life. Saturn the creator, and memory repository for all things that happen in the physical realm, influences Mars  to create dynamic action and it’s expression is through Mercury (speaking, organization). Correct, not everyone is organized, but they will have a tendency to speak, and vice/versa. Sarcasm is that sometimes biting undeniable logic that points to others apparently strange actions. Sarcasm points out that seemingly illogical action to explain the actual motives behind the action. So it is that we see that Saturn, Mars and Mercury are intimately linked through the Pillar of Intelligent Activity as it’s put in the book, Life’s Hidden Meaning. For Mars (testosterone) is all about action in, for now, an aggressive manner, for the experience, but it in the process of change. Usually the warrior is external, an object outside yourself, but as it changes it becomes internal, you seek to “kill” all the actions that bring suffering. To bring suffering to others is to bring suffering to yourself. Ultimately when we’ve created enough suffering, we change and this internalized change is had when Mars retrogrades. It is best when planets Jupiter to Pluto get involved by aspect in this, to bring a higher reasoning into the mix.

Estrogen deals with Venus on the other pillar, the Pillar of Mercy or Love/Knowledge. It’s not best to have knowledge about something, but it does lead to experience and Being. And yet, Venus is the knowledge of Love and the attraction it has w/in itself. As masculine force seeks to project outward to experience, feminine force seeks to draw back in. Think of human sexuality for a moment and you will visualize it better. Heterosexual sexuality that is. Venus is the knowledge of love and sexual expression is the highest form of experiencing oneness, between man/woman in Physical form. Attractive Venus draws in Mars’ dynamic energy. Yet, all to often, because of conditioning, Venus’ love becomes conditional because Mars energy is usually self promoting. Neptune, the highest principle of Love, and the representation of Christ Consciousness is associated with, along with the Sun, the Heart, of all things. Venus is right brain, artistic/ creative, while Mars is left brain analytical. Jupiter (fortune) is the middle planet between Venus and Neptune. In ancient astrology, and today’s Vedic schools of thought on astrology, Venus and Jupiter were considered the Beneficials and Saturn, Mars the Malefics. We see that according to the ancients knowledge was prized not experience. Reason being is that the Physical plane is considered “hell”, and mans actions, by in large, was mostly suffering.

We stand at the cusp of changing suffering through greater awareness, and detachment from drama of life, to the creation of joy, peace, and harmony. It will take a while, but this is mankind’s calling. If it is your thought that things will never change, man will always cause suffering, you lack awareness. For it was never intended that man endlessly create suffering. This does not mean that you will be judged and burn in a lake of fire, it means you will be helped to “see” and understand that suffering played a roll, now it is time to change. With higher awareness we will change ourselves as it is meant to be. No one hero, no one messiah, no one god, we are destine to become the God created god we already are, but have forgotten for the purposes of experience. This my truth, and i ask that you figure out for yourself if this is true for you or not. Your belief one way or the other is not required for what IS to express Itself. Your beliefs about things creates yourself, your world, and is not necessary for What IS to BE!

When Testosterone (compassion) and Estrogen (unconditional love) bind together to bring equilibrium and balance, harmony will prevail!

Hopefully this creates more questions than it answers, because this is the beginning of seeking, something that would benefit a lot of us!

Namaste, bright ones

You see, esoterically Venus rules the 3rd eye, the pituitary gland. This is because mythologically Ouranus (Uranus the planet), is a Titan, or father of Chronos (Saturn) “father of time”, Lord of Karma, Master Builder inside the Physical realm. Ouranus was “casatrated” by Chronos, and Ouranus’ genitals fell into “the water” (physical plane). It bubbled and frothed and up came Venus. This is all a metaphor for Ouranus’ energy, the all powerful sex force, where 1/2 of it was given for the creation of a brain and voice box in the physical plane. Saturn and Earth rule the voice bow and metabolism brought through the Thyroid gland, the third chakra at the base of the throat. So it is the Higher Self, gave rise to the lower (ego). It (ego) functions as the idea of individuality and separation. The Pituitary gland in the center of the brain, The Master Gland it is called,  is REQUIRED in order for any sort of sexual desire to take place, or any sex act/arousal. Psychologist/Scientists know this. It triggers Mars energy in the solar plexus on the way down to the 2nd chakra.

Mars is exalted in Scorpio, so it is the expression of force through action and this is why we look to it, but it is not necessarily sexual force. It often is used as the force to dominate and a lot of the time that is through sexual drama. Plus it naturally rules the 1st house of self expression so it will influence your dynamic expression, how you act and react to situations/people. And by the way, it (Mars) is the principle of testosterone because it rules the Solar Plexus, the Middle Dan Tien (Chinese) . Mars’ energy triggers the production of Test.

Now in a chart (astrological), Mars is the archetype for sexual desire, especially in the mans chart. We look to the Sun and Mars in a woman’s chart to see the type of man they will be attracted to. In a mans, it’s Venus and the Moon. I believe this to be to basic, although it is rather successful.  If we look to Saturn (father figure) in a woman’s chart, we can see if there are “daddy issues”  that will translate into relationship challenges, but not the sexual attraction factor in a woman. Its also because it’s not a “personal” planets, as Sun to Mars, including the Moon, are these. Quite frankly Saturn moves to slow to be a personal planet. So we look to Mars as Mars and Saturn is on the Pillar of Severity in Qabalah. Uranus is also to slow to look to it as a planet of sexual desire, and besides it functions as androgynous. So we must look to aspects to Saturn/Uranus for Challenges to relationship/sexual drives. As well, we look to the 8th house of Eros/Thanatos, sex/death.

This is not quite easy for others to understand especially if you know nothing about astrology and myth. Put in layman’s terms, Testosterone (energy) gives ability for action of all sorts, but it is Estrogen that is the initiator of sexual desire, and higher metabolism. Just ask a woman!

To help you understand, i am a male, but i have 7 planets in feminine signs at birth. This means that I’ve not been the most energetic  or dynamically outgoing male. In comparison to other males, I’ve sat back a lot of the time, when others did for good or bad. This doesn’t mean I’m gay, or effeminate, as i have 7 planets in commanding signs at birth. Now for those who don’t fully understand, there are considered 10 “planets” in astrology (including Pluto).  This means i have 3 masculine. There is a misunderstanding when speaking of masculine/feminine energies as comparison to Male/female. There are dynamically masculine females and effeminate males.  We usually consider them lesbian/gay, but this is a gross generalization of gender. In truth, knowing my chart, i am a Leo rising, but also lack fire, so it will be a primary concern to create action in my life. For those who understand Birth chart astrology, as this is what i use in a scientific way in this test, my birth info is 2/7/67, 3:50p, Winchester Massachusetts.

As i mentioned, I’ve been lacking in dynamic outgoing energy, in truth this blog lacks because of it, so about 6 months ago a worker at the gym i go to (and i know his chart) told me in confidence so i use no names, that he is trying an estrogen blocker. At the time i found that interesting and intriguing to the prospects of how it would effect him. Within the last few weeks of doing MANY charts, these energies came to my awareness more and more and i came to realize that in looking at my progressed chart, and knowing that i have motivation issues, there had to be more to it. I purchased a testosterone booster with estrogen blocker (MHP’s T-Bomb II). I should mention that I’ve cycled Tribulus terrestris, which is natural testosterone booster that brings levels up to 100% of body production.  In other words, at 43, I’d feel like i was 20 again. It’s great for a few days then you have to start taking 2 tablets, then three. The reason for this is because your body develops a natural balance, now get this, based on levels your born with and how it progresses, based on a progressed chart. This is my theory anyway. How the body counters this, as a theory, is develop more estrogen to bind to the testosterone, thus countering it’s effect, no matter how much is made. This is also the reasons i started to go bald, and was 300lbs in my understanding. There are other factors, such as depression, and ADD, but I’m concentrating on the effects of the estrogen blockers. I already know how the tribulus effects me, but I’m trying to see if  i can increase muscle mass, and be more outwardly dynamic in my actions with the blocker. If I’m correct, no matter what your born with, increased production of hormones indigenous to ones gender, by countering the opposite hormone, could be a key to things such as weight lose, countering depression, more dynamic action, or less, as this is a concern for some, etc.

Keeping this short as possible, Day 1 i noticed a change immediately. It recommend you take 3 tablets in the morning and three at night. I took 1 in the morning, 1 afternoon, and 1 evening, as i like to ease into things. I got projects done that had been sitting waiting to be done for weeks now. Day 2, same, much more motivation, energy, and getting good workouts in the gym. The immediate downfall to all this is decreased patients and tolerance levels go down. That’s all for now, as it will it will take some real observance to see if this theory is correct

Namaste

There’s a reason I picked this term, and it goes in line with the post, “what was i thinking”.  In my own personal example of reincarnating from WW2, i bought into incarnation my self deprecating thoughts, because you bring in what you left with. It’s a continuation of what you experience. If you don’t bring it from the last life, it will be from some life that you lived.

Please remember this is based in a negative thinking person, but almost all think to some degree in a negative manner. Even very positive people think negatively at times, but they utilize the ability to more effectively deal with distress by creating action to transform distress to eustress.

The purpose in life is determine, and decide what you will do/be in relation to others from your perspective of life.  You may spend 30 years of your life with a negative frame of mind, only to finally figure out, it doesn’t serve anything desired. It only creates chaos, and drama. If drama is what your into to it might take several lives to figure out that it’s time to say “I’ve had enough. “

The main point I want to make, and many will disagree, or refuse to believe, is that you are the cause of all your pessimism and/or optimism. This means you cannot play victim any longer. This is awareness that you are the cause of your suffering or joy.

Ever wonder why the Law of Attraction doesn’t work for you? It’s because your not done “beating yourself up”.  It’s the very same reason New Years resolutions often don’t reach fruition. Lack of attention and focus, because often times there is feelings of unworthiness. You see, the programming in your RAS (earlier post) is unknown to you, except by observing your actions, and decision. Very time consuming. Instead, use Will power to choose the things you desire, DAILY. Make sure you take it in small steps or set easy goals that you know you can achieve. It will give the confidence needed to work toward the things you really desire in life. Remember, the only person stopping you from living a fulfilling life, is you! There is no devil, or enemy, there is just your feelings of remorse and regret that you’ve changed into shame and guilt, and these are the very things locking you into repetitive non-productive habits. Regret allows you to change and reverse your “wrongs” so to speak. Same and guilt are other peoples impression that you’ve done wrong, and this you should pay no attention to.  Rely on your own decisions to figure out if your actions benefit you or not. If you know that your going to experience things you really don’t want to by crossing or trying to take from someone else, why would you do that? You wouldn’t, so let go of others impressions, and decide for yourself what you feel is right and wrong. The point of life is to enjoy, and taking from others is not joyful, it’s immature, and you will reap the consequences. That is karma. Not punitive, just cause and effect!

Now, if you haven’t caught on by now to the fact that all this negativity is detrimental to your health, let me help you to understand. There is a whole branch of psychology called Psychoneuroimmunology.  It’s a long word meaning mind/body connection an it’s affects on health. Heart Attacks, Cancer, Stroke any physical dis-ease is all fist created in the mind. It takes time, sometimes lots of time for these to manifest, but it’s all effects of the cause which is self deprecating thoughts.

Now stretch your mind a little here, and consider that this is all karma. Karma is defined as the action of effect that one has caused. If your negativity has caused a bad relationship, a terrible job, etc., is it so far fetched to consider that the bad things, and good things, that happen to us are our creation also? Consider the self deprecating thoughts I was born with, is it really far fetched to say the suffering I experienced is my own creation? Now, I know I was not consciously choosing a “miserable” past, but I chose to come into incarnation through my parents and with my negative thoughts. I blame no one for my bad decisions as an adult, but had my parents been together and taught me how to deal more effectively with stress, I might not have been so negative, and I would have made “better” choices. Of course there are many other factors like hope, or lack thereof, community/ family/country belief systems and personal influences like parents, teachers, etc. I believe that we as a society have a long way to go toward a more spiritually minded way of life that will benefit ALL, not just a few. But, all in all, it comes down to personal choices made. Ignorance is a reason, not an excuse, but there is just so many people out there helping humanity to grow spiritually that we all must take the responsibility to change our world for the better, or we a re doomed to keep making the same mistakes

Namaste bright ones!

Let’s think for just a second on how much money leaves the country to pay for a dysfunctional way of life in the consumption of fossil fuels. Exxon has made BILLIONS,  a QUARTER, since 2005. Culminating in 2009, when in the 4th quarter they made a record (for any company), 14 billion dollars!! They’re sill making billions, just not as much, such a shame. All the while going before Congress and swearing that they only make $.04/gallon. That’s the biggest BS story, since politics came along.

Now, a very smart man named David Blume (permaculture.com) has come up with a plan for the beginning of reduction of oil consumption. He proposes Ethanol. I know, it’s been said that we can’t produce enough and it will take valuable food resources.  Please allow me to dispense with the BS, again. Most of the corn (the only crop suggested, but there are MANY that can be used) is used to feed cattle and other live stock. Ethanol is made solely from the carbohydrates, (sugar) in the corn. Your left with the protein and the fats (good) to still feed the livestock. Ethanol can be produced for about $1 a gallon. Thats right, 1 dollar a gallon! Why is it an oil producing country like Venezuela uses only 20% of there oil, cause they mass produce sugar cane for, you guessed it, ethanol. Oil companies are the only ones (aside from bought politicians), that stand in the way of this becoming a major reality.

Want another reality check? Cars when they were first built, ran on ethanol, not gasoline. You can thank JD Rockerfeller, of Standard Oil for that as it was he that bought politicians for the 18th amendment. If you don’t recall what the 18th amendment was, it was Prohibition.  Oh sure, you can say it was the religious zealots that pushed for it, but if you look to the money trail, you’ll see Rockerfeller need some thing to use his gasoline, for he had a lot of it. He was illegally dumping it into the Hudson River, killing everything in the river, and when stopped, he had no other way to get rid of it. So for 13 years, it gave him enough time to make gasoline the primary fuel for cars and light trucks. When you go to any racetrack, (dragsters, funny cars, etc.) their primary fuel is alcohol. It has higher octane, runs better, and doesn’t pollute the environment like gasoline.

Add this to the fact that your dollars will be staying here in the US, or what ever country  is producing, your clean up your environment enough to make way for better technologies, and NO WARS due to seizure of unreplenishable natural resources.

Namaste, bright ones!

Yet, in understanding karma, i came across what’s know as evolutionary astrology. In my never ending quest to understand human nature through astrology and other forms of divination This “new” brand of thinking in terms of understanding evolutionary karma through relationships, has really enhanced my understanding of WHY we experience what we do, and why the “New Age” gurus of today reinforce a positive way of thinking.

It’s easy to blame today’s society, your parents, friends and other influences in your life for all the bad that you experience, yet it’s not the complete truth. There are emotional healers that help others heal past trauma that leads to physical and psychological health issues and they point directly to feeling of past hurt, in this life time.  Yet, what are parents and other influences, but the expression of the challenges of past karma. That is to say, the “baggage” that you take with you from the last incarnation to the next. Please understand YOU are the only one bringing it with you. You are  born into the challenging aspects of life that you choose yourself, to overcome these very issues.

As an example, i firmly believe i was living in another incarnation in WW2, and got killed some how during the war. I feel strongly that i was fighting in the war, and that there is a lot of   negative emotional guilt and shame in my actions, as this is experienced in most, if not all, combat persons. We as humans, have THOUSANDS of years of conflict in our subconscious, thus lots of guilt and shame. This extreme guilt and shame that i left the last incarnation with translates to what  Jefferey Wolf Green calls a sado/masochistic type of relationship typing. In truth, it is only a partial type, as there where, upon reflection, codependency, and just recently understanding, councilor/councilee, typings. To understand this better, her’s an excerpt from

PLUTO: THE EVOLUTIONARY JOURNEY OF THE SOUL IN RELATIONSHIPS, VOL. 2

The next and, perhaps, the most difficult relationship typing is the sadomasochistic relationship. Perhaps it is the most difficult because it has so many forms and expressions that many people do not recognize it for what it is. For example, it can be as simple as a man and women doing the same kind of job, yet the women makes less money. In one form or another, this type of relationship seems to permeate the interrelationships of men and women, and, indeed, the relationships of even gay men and women.

The core archetypal dynamics that generate and lead too this type of relationship were detailed above when the Garden of Eden Myth was discussed. It may be useful to reiterate these dynamics: a permeating guilt that leads to atonement or anger, dominance and submission, and inferiority and superiority. And within these dynamics the implicit teaching that flesh is antagonistic to spirit, and that for any real growth or gain to occur that suffering is a prerequisite to such growth.

In a masochistic pathology there will always be three messages, or thought patterns, that permeate the subconscious of such individuals. These underlying thought patterns will thus condition, control, and create the circumstantial realities of the masochistic type of person. These three thought patterns are:
(1) I deserve pain, punishment, crisis, suffering, humility ( to be humiliated), and denial and I do not know why. In addition, the dynamic of denial /avoidance expresses itself as a suppression of the truth that is causing this too occur in such a way as to make excuses that will always sound like rational reasons in order to justify such conditions. And within this the related thought: there must be something wrong with me.
(2) For my needs to be meet, I must hurt first.
(3) I am essentially worthless, while intellectually knowing better.

In essence, a masochistic orientation to reality will create a circumstantial reality that is defined by personal crucifixion; to compulsively sacrifice oneself in a myriad of ways. When atonement is linked with guilt the behavioral manifestation can only lead to pain and crisis. Self-sacrificial behavior, pain, and the creation of inner and outer crisis generates an analytical consciousness wherein analysis linked with crisis, etc., produces self-knowledge. In effect, a masochistic type can only learn about themselves through the creation of crisis and the analysis of self that this will produce. Crisis also has the affect of removing the psychology of denial and avoidance of the truth because of the repetitive nature of crisis formation in the masochist. At some point, the masochist will simply become totally exhausted from the cycle of repetitive crisis and desire to change. When this occurs, the blinders of excuse making will come off. Reality will set in. They can change.

In relationships, the masochist compulsively and habitually attracts one of two types of people. One type is what I call the “emotional wounded birds” of this world. This is the type that needs extensive emotional and psychological healing or repair. They are quite typically very narcissistic, and have no real capacity to acknowledge the actual needs or identity of their masochistic partner. Typically, they are so deeply insecure that they will create and idea or image in their minds of who they think their masochistic partner is, and then expect that partner to be that idea or image. Consequently, the masochistic partner is left feeling completely misunderstood and invalidated, no matter how many confrontations or pleas for recognition occur. In this situation, the masochistic person does almost all the giving, and is constantly putting out the emotional brush fires that the ‘wounded bird’ is creating. It is as if the masochistic partner might as well walk around the house with a white uniform on, red cross on the shoulder, and a name tag on the breast !

The other type that the masochist will attract is what I call the “silver tongue devil type”. This is the type who knows how to present them self; they know what to say in order to “hook” the masochistic type. Yet, once the masochist bites on the hook and makes the decision to be in the relationship, the actual emotional and psychological agenda or reality of the ‘silver tongue devil’ becomes revealed. And this reality has nothing to do with their original presentation of them self. At this point, the masochist becomes totally disillusioned; another crisis is at hand. This is also the type that can promise change in order to re-secure the relationship. Yet, once it is resecured they revert to the old patterns. And, of course, these two types that the masochist can attract can be combined in the same person.

The masochistic type of person reflects a natural kind of innocence that creates naivete and gullibility. They naturally see the spirit or POTENTIAL of an individual, and then expect the person to either be the potential that they perceive, or to actualize what their spirit reflects. Rarely, if ever, do their partners do either. Thus, disillusionment sets in; more crisis. Masochists have a need to be needed; they live for it.

In the sadistic pathology anger is linked with guilt instead of atonement. As a result, the subconscious messages or thought patterns become these:
(1) I have been made to feel guilty and I am angry because of it. Thus, I want to hurt others, and make them feel as guilty or as bad as I do.
(2) I want to make others atone for their mistakes or sins. I want to humiliate others so that I will humiliate myself.
(3) By punishing others for their imperfections, mistakes, or sins I am punishing myself. And, again, this pathology will also make excuses sounding like rational reasons as a way of avoiding/denying the truth of what is actually happening.

These three thought patterns will thus create a circumstantial reality that is defined, is essence, by dominance and submission; the master/slave, superior/inferior, and the victor and vanquished orientations to reality. In men, this leads to a related dynamic that is projected upon women: an underlying or latent fear called the castration complex. For women, who can also be sadistic, the castration complex also applies. This complex is psychological, not literal ! The essence of this complex is the fear or feeling that the opposite gender will disempower, undermine, capture, enslave, or in some undefined way destroy oneself. Consequently, the sadistic pathology will desire to hurt another first, to attack first, to destroy first, to “get even” first, before it allows itself to get hurt, etc. For individuals who are defined by this sadistic pathology, there is always an underlying feeling that someone or somebody is out to get them, to attack them, to hurt them, and to victimize them. And instead of feeling that they deserve this, as the masochist does, they will feel victimized by such feelings. The masochist also feels victimized. But the masochist feels that they deserve to be punished; to be a victim. The sadist feels only anger because of feeling victimized in this way. When anger reacts to the feeling of being victimized in this way, then the anger can only destroy or hurt others; to punish others for the underlying guilt that resides in these individuals psyche or subconscious. In some people, the sadistic and masochistic pathology operate together, the manifestations of each dependent of specific circumstances. In classical psychology, this is known as the passive/aggressive type.

The sadomasochistic relationship typing has a wide range of behavioral applications. In its most overt forms, this dynamic is easily recognized by any of us. The most overt forms, of course, are the classical forms of sadomasochistic sexual practices that most people have some awareness of: the whips and chains, the leather costumes, the spiked heels, all the equipment that creates sexual/emotional torture, and so on. The operative psychological/emotional dynamic in such overt forms is intense pain, and the RELEASE from such pain; intense suffering leading to a sense of freedom when the release from the suffering occurs. In recent modern history, the most gross, yet most recognizable, person who embodied the darkest and most distorted dimensions of this archetype was Marquis de Sade.

In his time the sadomasochistic archetype was actually given a fancy philosophical name by the “noble” class that practiced it. It was called the “libertinage” philosophy. The implied teaching was : “in order to be free, to liberate, one must suffer”. The first premise in this “philosophy” was that God was inherently evil, and that to do God’s work, one must embrace evil and “to confound the laws of nature, to turn the laws of nature upside down”. As ridiculous as this may sound to you, try to understand that such distorted thinking directly emanates from the equally distorted religious thought embodied in the Garden of Eden Myth: that flesh is in conflict to spirit. The implied guilt linked with flesh thus distorts the life of the flesh (senses) because of the suppression of them via the religious injunction to do so. Before de Sade, the effect of this teaching has existed since its origin. For example, the self-flagellation of so many pious monastic Christians during the 1400 and 1500′s, which is still seen today among some of those is the Islamic world. And during the Crusades, it was a COMMON practice, under the banner of THE CROSS, to sexually torture and mutilate men and women (mostly women) in unspeakable ways in an effort to extract CONFESSIONS about their immoral life practices, and to force them to turn in other people who were also living immorally. Among the Jewish people, it is embodied in the teaching, amongst others, of the “chosen few” wherein to be especially chosen or favored by God demanded persecution by others.

So it is that we see that when an entity enters into incarnation, it brings with it guild and shame, both of which are detrimental to the thought process of a positive perspective. An unfulfilled life can be expected and even potential for addiction, abuse, and all other negative perspectives that create suffering and strife. Of course sado/masochism does not necessarily mean debauched sexuality, but in the extremes, like de Sade, it can.

The most important thing i can stress, is that if one looks at the last post, (the RAS) one does not know what is really going on inside the subconscious mind. When life is unfulfilled, we victimize ourselves into believing that it’s “someone/thing” else, but all it ever really is, is our lack of understanding that the guilt, shame and baggage that we enter in with, is directly due to what we left with, and the very thing we incarnate for, to overcome.

Until next time,

Namaste!

Research Paper PJS Sweetser

English 111

8 May 2010

The Reticular Activating Systems Role in Creating Everyone’s Individual Life

The Reticular Activating System (RAS) is a bundle of nerves at the base of the human brain and at the top of the brain stem. It is part of the brain that is the evolutionary oldest part of the brain, the Reptilian brain. It is responsible for many things, including being consciously aware or not, and sleep. It functions on an automated process as part of the Autonomic Nervous System. It is responsible for cell replacement, hair growth – or lack there of – heart beat, and any process of the body that do not have to be consciously thought about, or controlled. According to success coaches, it’s most important role is to filter out excessive information so that the brain and awareness do not become overloaded with to much information. While this is a gift because a person does not have to constantly monitor his heart beat all the time, it can also be a hindrance, especially if people are not really familiar with how it works. The RAS’s ability to be channel awareness of specific surrounding things, is the reason why it holds great sway over how life is experienced. Will life be suffering, a trial, mediocre, or everything dreamed and more? The decision for this is in the RAS programming because it is the mechanism that influences conscious decisions most of the time and leads to a life of happiness and fulfillment, or sorrow and suffering.

The RAS is a bundle of nerves of the reticular formation. I will concentrate on what are called the Ascending fibers and this bundle directs information from the senses to various parts of the brain for conscious analysis, integration and possible memory storage. Overall arousal, consciousness, and wakefulness are controlled by the RAS, as well as automated processes of the body. These functions are reduced when in a depressed person and this suggests to researchers that filtering input is directly related to personal beliefs, and subconscious habit patterns (programming).

It is part of the Limbic System which connects to the Amygdala (emotional memory) and Hippocampus (long term memory), The RAS directs information to the areas of the brain, such as motor cortex, and frontal lobes for critical thinking, to make conscious decisions. In an overly emotional or anxious person, the RAS will direct attention to external stimuli, like a movie or an argument, and the Amygdala will become very active. At the same time the Frontal Lobes, critical thinking, will not have much activity, because all the focus is on the emotions of the moment. (Brain Atlas, Lundbeck Instittute)

Dr. Cathy Nunley’s website suggests that: “There are 4 main categories of things that trigger or focus the attention of the RAS in the human brain: physical need, novelty, self made choices, and your name. Among the self made choices are things interested in as things wanted to know more about, do and/or experience. The conscious awareness can only focus on one thing at any given time. Does not matter how quick awareness changes from one topic to another, awareness will only pay attention to one thing. There is a list of “important” information, and novelty seems to be highest in desire to seek to understand once basic survival is had. Our world today is information overload as anyone can know what is going on in any part of the world, almost instantaneously. This can lead to not really being sure of what to seek next, or even learn enough about something to be beneficial. (Dr. Kathie Nunley’s website for Educators)

Doug Bench describes the RAS as the automated part of the brain that directs information to the conscious part of the brain when something interests or captures a persons attention. He states in his You Tube video that subconscious reactions travel 800 times faster than conscious thought can determine another decision or course of action. So it’s function is crucial to life and self preservation. So it is a good thing to have when a quick decision is needed, but not critical thinking is required. The function is to relay such information to the consciousness to be analyzed, assessed, and recognized, especially if it is an emotion, or if a quick reaction is needed. If it is not considered important, it will be filtered out, and not sent to the conscious awareness. (Doug Bench Byte size brain apple #3 You Tube video 5/09)

James Ray, a well known success coach, enhances on this idea, helping to understand that what the RAS filters is determined by things like beliefs and reinforced thoughts. He states in his Harmonic Wealth weekends seminars and books, that “a belief is a thought with conviction, with a degree of certainty, and acceptance that something is true, when reinforced. The difference between a belief and an idea is the # of references”. Anyone can find people who think alike, and have beliefs that either the world is a tough place or a joyful place. This mentality/ perspective is now a reinforced thought that has become a belief when others agree with you. This belief, as James states “is like a metaphorical “seed” that, when reinforced, gets “rooted” as a belief / fact”. Once “rooted”, it becomes difficult to kill or alter as a belief. These beliefs are what is found to be important, and the RAS only lets in what is accepted as important through beliefs. (James Ray Harmonic Wealth Weekend video, You Tube 8/8/2007)

The RAS filters information at a rate of 134 bytes of information per second. Consider the mass in information it gets when walking in a room of fifty people. The sights, sounds, feel and smells of the room can hold one, two, or even three million bytes of information. Most of the information will automatically be filtered out, like colors of walls, smell of the room, people’s faces, unless they are found to be attractive, because it is considered redundant information. It is not really interesting enough. (James Ray Harmonic Wealth Weekend video, You Tube 8/8/2007)

There are “keys” to reprogramming the RAS, and one important key seems to be visualization. Equally important is repetitive habits that are desired. With out being conscious aware, the RAS influences conscious decision, as much as 85% or more of the daily decisions. This goes back to beliefs, because aside from name and new things, the subconscious habit will be to sway the consciousness toward the belief pattern that is already programmed in, instead of considering something from a different perspective. Going back to the earlier example, if the world is believed to be a tough place, an individuals conscious decisions will be skewed in the direction of caution, limitation, and underachievement. If someone offers a $100, the RAS automatically influences consciousness to thinking there has to be a catch. Even if the person says nothing is required, the pessimist will still proceed cautiously.

Visualization is important because the mind thinks in pictures and images. Language has been a relatively recent form of communication in mans evolutionary history, but imagery has been part of the mind much longer, if not an intrinsic part of it. The subconscious mind drives behaviors, but is unaware of the difference between something being experienced as real, or an image. They are both the same to the subconscious; it does not know the difference. What ever goal is pictured will become manifest in an individuals reality because the subconscious drives these actions to create what is pictured in the mental images held. The subconscious will move in the direction that aligns with mental imagery. (James Ray High Velocity E-zine 4/7/10).

Habit is another crucial thing in living a balanced life because it is what the RAS operates by, through belief programming. Habit is repetitive actions/thoughts/words that are influenced by the RAS . Ever made a New Years resolution and didn’t follow though? Most people don’t follow through with most resolutions, because it is the habit that needs to be changed or broken. The habit is actually an effect, not the cause. The belief programming in the RAS is the cause. Relative to a New Years resolution, it influences action or inaction.

In the last 20 yeas, an explosion of men and women have insisted that success is a science. Does not matter what an individual considers success, it is not only achievable, it is part of who we are according to these coaches. If the peoples lives who we envy, or dream of having is an indicator that success is achievable, than what needs to be considered are the habits and thoughts that drive them. James Ray insists that “when doing thing in a certain way, like causes produce like effects” and are the reason successful people live balanced lives. A cause, in most cases, starts as a thought or idea. As mentioned previously, thoughts reinforced by others, whether true or not, become beliefs. Beliefs are stored in the RAS as things that are important to understand, know and are found interesting. These beliefs are the guidelines the RAS follows to send information, or not, to awareness. If one believes something cannot be done, all information is filtered out that will lead to being successful. James puts it in easier to understand terminology. “Your current thinking regarding your abilities, your product and your industry is habitual-and we call that programming. This programming is buried in the subconscious mind, and it drives behavior on a daily basis”. (James Ray High Velocity E-zine 3/31/10).

So, beliefs accepted without questioning as fact is a major stumbling block when pessimistic beliefs prevail. Other stumbling blocks are defensive posturing. These are habit patterns mostly formed from childhood, when a desire or need has not been met. Children need a lot of nurturing, and attention. In my youth children being seen and not heard was a mentality that was largely reinforced. Children did what they were told, or potentially met with physically violent consequences. I remember when I had children, I lacked the knowledge to effectively deal with their acting out, so it was a spanking that they got. Knowing what I know today, I would make different choices, because I know violence perpetuates violence and that is not what I want for my children, or anyone’s children. The reason this example is made is because these thoughts when reinforced into beliefs, create pessimistic beliefs and lead to limiting choices or habits.

All too often our mindset programming has become limited with notions from parents, teachers, and other adults that were looked up to. When they told us, “you can’t do that”, “lives a test”, “don’t expect to much” or any number of limiting thoughts from the people we admired and respected, a reinforced mind set of “you cannot do it” is created. This programming is the blueprint the RAS uses and it will filter out success, because the minute it is adopted from their way of thinking, actions are limited and habits follow to dis-empower success. (James Ray High Velocity E-zine 3/31/10).

Kurt DuNard, The Exceptional Life Coach, also reinforces the necessity for visualization as a path to balanced success. Anything perceived obstacle can be overcome, if a strong enough belief in what is visualized, is held to be something achievable in the imagination. Unfocused daydreaming brings inconsistent results as the RAS will send conflicting information to the awareness and results from actions will exemplify conflicting desires and thoughts. Visualization is the programming the RAS uses to understand what to become aware of. If one visualizes being financial successful, and pictures this for the recommended 30 days minimum, the right people, circumstances and events will lead to opportunity for success. These people circumstances and events were there the whole time, but they were filtered out and not noticed before. (Kurt DuNard e-zine issue 267 5/2008).

Excitement and enthusiasm are generated when optimistic choices move with joyfully desired experiences. Emotionally, it feels great to feel the positive feelings and how it flows in the direction toward a balanced fulfilling life. Stress, routine, or the feeling of visualization being a chore, surrounding any of this process, will show up as self defeating actions. Feelings of happiness, peace, and enjoyment in the process are a necessary factor in the equation. (Kurt DuNard e-zine issue 267 5/2008).

The subconscious needs to believe that this is a process that is achievable, and real. The process is more enjoyable if visualized things that are enjoyable. A man picturing himself inside the imagery n the preset, not the future or past, is another needed aspect to visualization. Like any New Years Resolution, if there is inconsistent effort, changed habits, and be able to “see” what is really desired, the RAS will influence the attention and focus of lack, limitation, and a life out of balance. (Kurt DuNard e-zine issue 267 5/2008).

Every living creature follows what is called the pleasure principle, and seeks that which it will enjoy. If an animal is hungry, as an example, the animal seeks to satisfy it’s hunger. Humans do the same, but have more needs. The animals hunger is an example of Abraham Maslow’s 1^st level of self fulfillment. For humans after body desires are fulfilled, safety (feel secure in environment), esteem (feelings of worthiness and achievement), and self actualization needs follow in order. Most people are “stuck” in the level of esteem issues. The reason is because most people do not believe themselves to be able to live a balanced life, one they really desire. In fact if a perspective of life being out of balanced is a held reality, it is because it is been created that way from the pessimistic beliefs, as to what is important, and the habits created, that are hidden in the RAS.

Pessimistic thinking or worries, creates exactly what is not desired, but this is largely unknown by many, and what is experienced most of the time in a pessimistic person. This can lead to feeling of being a victim of life or Gods cruelty. Blaming someone, or something makes a person feel like he has no control over his life, but this is erroneous notion. This is observably true, because there are many people who do live optimistic, balanced lives. If they can do it, so can everyone else. It is the very reason success coaches are out there in print, video, the net, seminars and television is because most people don’t know how to consciously direct there lives. One way or the other, balanced life, or the feeling of desperation, the RAS is the mechanism that determines this.

Namaste bright ones!

Peace, Dana