Showing posts with label meditation. Show all posts

So far no response to my doing AA Step Eleven... I did my part but God did nothing... Deep Sigh... Silly me, I expected to receive knowledge... or Hints... or Clues... But I got Nothing...

Step Eleven: "Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out."

If I read this step carefully I see that there is action required on my part [I pray for Knowledge] but nowhere in this step is there any action required on Gods part [No hint as to what his will for us is...] and I have been listening...

Silly me, I expected to receive knowledge... or Hints... or Clues... But I got Nothing...

I assume that the reason for a total lack of answers is that God does not exist. OR... maybe God does exist but always remains silent. Either way, I am given total freedom of choice when it comes to my own behavior. God never takes any action no matter what I do or believe... Whoo-hoo! I am free. So I choose to keep on doing what I was doing before... No new Ideas have wandered into my mind since I started practicing Step Eleven actively.

This makes me wonder why many different cultures invented the concept of God or Gods.
Indians in India have over a thousand different Gods... I guess that it is comforting to believe in a power greater than yourself... I really like the Aztec Gods... They have some really psychedelic paintings of what they look like. The main one is a feathered serpent that came down from the stars. It sounds like an Alien on a spaceship... They really liked building Pyramids. I wonder what the
goal was... In both Egypt and Mexico people built pyramids and yet, there is no clear use...

So, while I wait for God to do something, I'll continue to go to meetings and write blog posts... God, if you are reading this... wake up!

I read a book called "Journey to Awakening" by Ram Dass which gives simple instructions on How To Meditate but following his instructions revealed nothing. Oh well...

I suppose that the real reason that I'm having no progress on step eleven is that I should do the steps in NUMERICAL ORDER. I never really finished step one. That step requires that I believe that a higher power can restore myself to sanity. Nope, no higher power exists and so this imaginary higher power cannot do anything.

I do believe that the AA organization and having meetings does help me quit drinking. The power of peer pressure is valid. I chose to associate with other people that voluntarily select to not drink. We have meetings and tell each other that our lives are better without booze. This is a valid technique for me.

Bill Wilson created the Idea of AA during a 5 day long belladonna and henbane "cure". Both of those drugs are powerful hallucinogens. During his experience he saw a white light and met God personally. While I have never eaten belladonna or henbane I have eaten LSD and that does give the illusion of direct contact with God. Mr. Wilson's idea of forming a club where fellow alcoholics can meet and talk to each other is a great idea. After AA was running for about 30 years Bill Wilson tried LSD. He was very enthusiastic about it initially as it would allow other members to have a religious experience. However he decided to not make any changes at all to the structure of AA. His belief was that the organization was working well and any change could make it stop functioning. Especially having millions of members taking the powerful hallucinogenic drug LSD.

Inca Sun God - drawing by gvan42

I recently read a fiction book called "The Shack". The hero meets God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit in person. A big question asked in the book is "Why is God So Mean?". The hero was telling his daughter a story about an American Indian princess who had to sacrifice her own life for the good
of the tribe. After the story was over The Daughter asked "Why is God so mean? The Great Spirit made the princess jump off a cliff and made Jesus die on a Cross. That seems pretty mean to me." The hero's reply was... "Sweetheart, Jesus didn't think his daddy was mean. He thought his daddy was full of love and loved him very much. His daddy didn't make him die, Jesus chose to die because he and his daddy love you and me and everyone in the world. He saved us from sickness, just like the Princess." This seems like an unsatisfying answer.

When you experience a Hurricane, Earthquake, Forest Fire or Tornado remember... God loves you, but he has a weird way of showing it... Maybe God is like an Autistic Child that loves to torture animals... Maybe the entire concept of God is a convenient excuse and a way to blame the victim...
Like the concept Karma in India. If you are experiencing a bad quality of life it is because you were bad in a previous life. That's a convenient excuse for poverty... If a starving person asks why life sucks, the Brahmin can simply say Karma! I was good in a previous life and that's why I was born rich and you were not. That way the rich can enjoy the fruits of the caste system without worry that the peasants will revolt. In other religions people pray for rain or a good crop. If they get drought, tough... That's just proof that you didn't pray right or hard enough. At least prayer gives the illusion that humans have some control over their own lives. That's more comforting than having to accept the random actions of the universe.
Maybe God does exist and is sending Hurricanes to Texas and Florida in punishment for our polluting the air with fossil fuels. That's what climate change science says... Global Warming is Real. The ocean gets hotter and more water evaporates. Then more water falls from clouds. While in California,the land gets hotter and we have more Forest Fires...
I believe that the concept of Hell was invented by people in order to have power over other people. For example: "Do what I tell you to do or GO TO Hell after you are dead." That's a very simple way to encourage obedience. The Church has used this mind trick to enslave powerless peasants. By convincing them that there is eternal damnation awaiting those who disobey, The Church creates willing slaves.

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CE5 Protocol - Extraterrestrials: COME ON DOWN! - a Movie about Inviting Aliens to Make Friendly Contact... by Dr. Steven Greer and Mark Sims (of the Harmonic Convergence - ET Contact Event)

Great Movie: "Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind: Contact Has Begun"

https://tubitv.com/movies/560920/close-encounters-of-the-fifth-kind-contact-has-begun

It Documents The Real Effort to Make Friendly Contact With Aliens... The Exact Opposite of the US Government and the Mainstream Media.

https://tubitv.com/movies/610414/countdown-to-disclosure-the-secret-technology-behind-the-space-force

This Movie was Remade as a Fiction "Docudrama" Called "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" Starring Richard Dreyfus, Teri Garr and the

Devils Tower... AND...

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Dr. Steven Greer founded the Center for the Study of Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (CSETI) in 1990 to create a diplomatic and research-based initiative to contact extraterrestrial civilizations... He Wrote the CE5 Protocol... and is selling it as an app (for $9.99) ... or as a Camping Trip (for $399.00) in remote locations where small groups of people gather together Outdoors at Night, meditate and film UFOs Flying by...

https://www.facebook.com/watch/doctorstevengreer/

I have not Bought any of his Events or Apps...

I have never seen a UFO...

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I Did Participate in the Harmonic Convergence 2020 lead by Mark Sims, a Greer Fan, who held a global ET Contact Meditation online for Thousands of Volunteers to Go Outdoors at night, look at the stars and Chant "HU" for 20 Minutes...

https://marksims.com/harmonic-convergence-2020-day-one/

This was a FUN Event - Relaxing and Spiritually Awakening... However, I Did Not Make Contact With any Extra Terrestrials...

In November 2012, Mark had a “spiritual awakening” while attending a CE-5 Ambassador Training retreat in Borrego Springs, CA led by Dr. Steven Greer. To learn more about this experience, watch this video of Mark telling his story (2013.) The Video is about Halfway down The Webpage...
This experience changed his life dramatically and has led him on a new path of spiritual discovery and purpose (Mark had been an atheist his entire adult life until this event).
We are Endlessly Bombarded with Propaganda that Frames the UFO Question as One Of DEFENDING The EARTH from HOSTILE ALIENS... Trump Actually Created The Space Force in order to Kill Aliens that were supposedly Invading Earth in Flying Saucers... and... Biden has NOT Defunded the Space Force... and we all have seen Movies and TV Shows of Earth People Battling Aliens... "Independence Day", "Alien", "Predator", "Mars Attacks" - but Very Few Movies Like "Earth Girls are Easy" or "ET"
They are Using FEAR to Help them Sell Defense Contracts to the US Government... by Shouting "Danger-Danger Aliens Attacking!"

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another Movie: All about the GNU Software Foundation and the World View That Giant Corporations are Holding Software Ransom... Like: Farmers are Not Allowed to Repair their Tractors Etc... Because the Computers That Run Those Giant Harvesting Machine have Proprietary Software...

https://vimeo.com/364394680

Hackers for Freedom - Trailer

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My Digital Paintings of Ezekiel's Wheel - UFO or Magic Mushrooms? The Bible is just one of many Ancient Alien sightings in written history texts... https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2021/08/my-digital-paintings-of-ezekiels-wheel.html

Ezekiel's Wheel was Piloted by a Four Headed Creature...

The head of a Man, an Ox, an Eagle and a Lion

In the Bible there is a description of a UFO.

Or was he tripping on Magic Mushrooms?

Ezekiel said: The Heavens Opened and I Saw Visions of God

Tales of Flying Carpets in Arabia?

UFO and Alien Hieroglyphics - Free Coloring Book Art by gvan42 - and the Science Fiction Story "Alien Socket Wrench" by Gregory Vanderlaan

Feel Free to Copy and Paste these Images into Your Own Blog, Webpage or Social Media Post... OR... Use this art to Manufacture Decorated Gifts... Like Coffee Cups, T-Shirts or Buttons! I DID:

Link to My Webstore:

https://www.zazzle.com/store/gregvan

Meditation Mantra: Inhale "Who?" Exhale; Inhale "What?" Exhale; Inhale "Where?" Exhale; Inhale "When?" Exhale; Inhale "Why?" Exhale; Inhale "How?" Exhale; Repeat... Repeat... Repeat...

Ask a Question With Every Breath...

I'm Looking for Answers...

Like: "What Should I Write?"

Draw? Publish? Sing? Paint? DO?

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This Mantra was inspired by The Mark Sims Meditation Practice where he Chants "HU" (a Chinese Word) for 20 Minutes... as I was Chanting along I Kept on thinking of the Obvious Joke... It Sounds Like WHO? in English... and Since I Do Not Speak Chinese... I Modified his Chant... It Was Used During The Harmonic Convergence... a Worldwide Internet Event Designed to Make Contact With Extra Terrestrials...

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How to Become AWARE...

Easy Step by Step Instructions.

Go Outdoors and

Find 5 Things You Can See,

Four Things You Can Hear,

Three Things You Can Smell,

Two Things You Can Touch

and One Thing You Can Taste.

Notice That None of these Things

are on Your Computer Screen, Phone

or TV... Reality Exists...

GO VISIT!

Free Coloring Book Art by gvan42 -
make as many prints as you like and share with friends...
more at Google Image Search = gvan42

Dragon made of Animals on My Farmville Farm by gvan42

I tuned my Guitar to DADGAD and am experimenting with chords... It was very easy to Tune the Guitar because my electronic Tuner has all those notes... Except the LOW D... for that I Put my finger on the second fret and tune THAT note to E... One chord I've Learned is To Put one finger across all four of the high pitched strings... at every location up the neck there is a chord... maybe this would be good for slide guitar... and then I Found a Video Teaching How to Play Kashmir by Led Zeppelin...

On a Different Subject:

Unvaccinated People Are Spreading Covid-19 Disease to America's Children. That's a Crime That Should Be Punishable By Death. OH! In a Way, IT ALREADY IS. Those People Are Dying in Record Numbers!

If More Adults Don’t Get Vaccinated, More Kids Will Develop COVID-19.

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/if-more-adults-dont-get-vaccinated-more-kids-will-develop-covid-19

Fauci says unvaccinated Americans are "propagating this outbreak"
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/anthony-fauci-covid-19-unvaccinated-americans-delta-variant-face-the-nation/

and Now for something Completely Different...

tRUMP's Coronavirus is Helping With the Problem of Overpopulation! Now The Vast Majority of Deaths are in People That DID NOT GET THE VACCINE... SEE? Behaving Stupid Can Be Fatal!

and there were a Half a Million Americans That Died from Drug Overdoses... and Really, If you are so Stupid as to Die from a Drug Overdose... We Are All Better Off That You've Gone... Thanks!

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Let's Make Birth Control and Abortion Free and Legal Worldwide... The Troubles of OVERPOPULATION are More than Just Too Many People Living in the Bay Area... It's Too Many People EVERYWHERE! Ever notice that there are Thousands of People walking from Central America to Texas looking for a Better Life? That because they Can't FEED THEIR CHILDREN in Central America or Mexico... The Catholic Church is Opposed to Birth Control and so there are Millions of Starving Children... I've Actually Traveled to Mexico and The Starving Children Really Upset Me... SO... I Never Traveled there Again...

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Buying Used Stuff at Thrift Stores DOES NOT CAUSE ECOLOGICAL DAMAGE Like Buying New Stuff Does. When You Buy a New Product, the Corporation Has to Replace It.

They Mine Raw Materials, grow plants (like cotton) using pesticides and herbicides, Log Forests, Employ Slave Laborers in the Orient, Burn Gasoline Shipping the Plastic Crap Here From China... and on and on and on... Used Products ALREADY EXIST and so Buying Stuff at The Eureka Rescue Mission Thrift Shop (my local store) does NOT Harm the Planet. Actually, They Hire Local People to Work as Clerks and Do Delivery. We Bought ALL our Living Room Furniture there. Three Chairs and a Sofa... and Men Delivered It Upstairs in Our Home. NO WAY could I Move those Heavy Objects Up That Staircase... I Tipped those Guys $10 Each... and they were really Thankful. Yes, I Could Have Spent a Fortune at Sears or KMART but... I Prefer to Keep The Money IN MY WALLET. I Like Employing Guys That Live At The Rescue Mission. The Mission Does Good Work Here in Eureka and I've Met a LOT of Real People That They Help. I did buy new Beds at Sears. Somehow, those were just too Personal to Buy Used... also, I Do Not Buy Used Underwear... BUT, Clothes? YES! It's actually fun to find thrift stores in Super Rich Neighborhoods and Live Like the TV Show "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous..." A Great Place to Shop is North Shore Lake Tahoe... Snow Bunnies often Donate Extra Stuff When the Season is Over... and There is Also DUMPSTER DIVING in College Towns at the End of the School Year... FREE STUFF!

Oddly, I Expressed These Opinions during a Group Discussion at an Ecology Class at Humboldt State University and ALL THE OTHER STUDENTS SAID I WAS WRONG... They said that Used Stuff Still Requires Ecological Damage to Exist at All... I tried to explain that the Manufacturing Damage Happened IN THE PAST and it is impossible to Change History but Buying New Stuff CAUSES Purchasing Agents at Corporations to Hire People to Create New Stuff IN THE FUTURE to Fill the Shelves At The Store. No One Grasped the Concept. But I Did Make The Other Students Think. and That's a Good Thing. It's a difficult concept... I Wish I Could Explain it in a Shorter Sentence... Maybe YOU can Re-Write the Concept Better and Post it in the Comments Section... Thanks!

Remember: There are Two Ways to Get Everything You Want. Get More or Want Less. and... You Can Get More Stuff Per Dollar At The Eureka Rescue Mission Thrift Shop... or Your Own Store... Did You Know that There is a Fashion "Thing" where Corporations PRE-RIP Clothes? Intentionally Making Them LOOK USED! Really! They Hire People to Rub Jeans over Rough Surfaces to SIMULATE Wear and Tear of Normal Use... I'm Not Making This UP! All the Pathetic Dupes are Wearing Clothes Like That! On My Own Webstore... I Offer Hats that have been "Distressed" to look like they are Old... It's an Option... I wish I could write a Mocking Slogan Poking Fun at this Fashion Trend... Then I Could Sell a Hat with That Saying... Sort of like the Question: "Can You Imagine a World Without Hypothetical Situations?" or The Page that says: "This Page Is Left Blank Intentionally." A Cosmic Haiku Slogan...

I do sell a Hat that says "PRESS" so people can wear it at Protest Marches and Avoid Being Bashed on the Head By The Police... I Do Not Really Know if It REALLY Helps Avoid Police Violence... I Do Know That People Made T-Shirts Saying "Backstage Pass - Shoreline Amphitheater - Bill Graham Productions" and Used them to sneak past Security Guards...

Sign Stating: "This is a Sign" - Absurdist Street Theater or End Times Warning?

I admire the Guy that Made a Sign that Says "This is a Sign." Was That Absurdist Theater or End Times Warning?

"Life is More Complex than a Slogan on a Hat."

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JL SAID:

Declaring "war" on drugs doesn't change individual behavior, it merely makes the government an adversary to its citizenry.

In order to change behavior, the reason for the behavior must be identified as well as those factors which reinforce and maintain it.

If people are miserable and feel dis-empowered or hopeless, they will seek ways to empower themselves. Guns do that, as does joining a gang or cult. Opioids, however temporary, offer relief from the angst of a dysfunctional society.

In order to change or mitigate those precipitating, maintaining, and reinforcing factors, government's "war efforts" should address the social factors that stress Americans. This is why people are reported to be "happier" in countries that guarantee a livable wage, healthcare, and higher education. There is no logical rebuttal for receiving benefits like these in return for our tax dollars, when we have provided tax shelters for decadent evangelists and those who hoard money for personal pleasure and profit

and I Replied:

It's a Medical Problem... Often a Patient was Prescribed Oxycontin to relieve pain... and now... the pain remains but the Government Has Made them the "Bad Guy" - Why NOT Let Old People HAVE Relief From Pain? I Know a Man who is 83 Years Old and Has an Oxy Prescription for 28 days a month... Every Month... and Some months have 30 or 31 days... so... Two or Three Days of Agony? Withdrawal Symptoms PLUS the REAL Medical Problem... Because Someone ELSE is Abusing THEIR Prescription! INSANE... What IF He Takes Oxy for the Rest of His Life? That's Not Long...

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"1/6 Was an Inside Job" - Merchandise FOR SALE: Hats, Buttons, Stickers, T-Shirts, Mugs - tRUMP's Failed Attempt to Overthrow the US Government and Crown Himself CZAR FAILED... Great Job Patriots! DEMOCRACY ROCKS!

https://www.zazzle.com/store/gregvan/products?dp=0&qs=job

1/6 Was an Inside Job - zazzle gregvan merchandise

1/6 Was an Inside Job Embroidered Baseball Cap
by gregvan

Link to My Main Store:

https://www.zazzle.com/store/gregvan

Contact Your California State Representative and Tell 'em to DECRIMINALIZE PSYCHEDELICS... If signed into law, possession of LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, DMT and MDMA would be decriminalized...

LINK TO FIND YOUR REP...

http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/

My Experience: I took LSD and Visited the National Art Gallery in Washington DC... Surprisingly, Picasso "The Tragedy" was My Favorite Painting... I FELT COLD in my Body just looking at the Painting...

Warhol and Lichtenstein all seemed silly and trivial! That Night we all went to the Tangerine Dream Concert... at the Elegant Warner Theater... I was Concerned During the Show About the CO2 Fog that Spilled off the Stage and out into the Audience... Seemed Dangerous to Me... But We All Survived...

My In Laws came to Visit Us In Washington DC and when we went to Colonial Williamsburg my Mother in Law Rented a Wheel Chair... While it's Possible for her to walk, That tour involves a LOT of Walking... So When she went to The Bathroom, I Sat Down in the Wheel Chair...and IN PUBLIC, People Treat You Different if You are in a Wheel Chair... Many Assumed I was a Disabled Veteran... So... AS A PRANK I Stood Up and Shouted "I Can Walk! Thank You Jesus! I Can Walk!" - That Really Freaked Out the Tourists...

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One of the high points of my life was performing "Uncle John's Band" at the Rainbow Gathering in Idaho. I met a young man and showed him the Chords and Lyrics that I had written down in my spiral notebook... After we played that song, he said: I don't want to learn any more songs, let's just play this one again... https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2019/06/one-of-high-points-of-my-life-was.html

We were sitting in the shade at the "Relaxation Station"... the very first place everyone walked past after leaving the parking lot...

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During the First Year of my Retirement I experienced What I Called "Channeling My Inner Chewbacca." A General Rage... I felt Paranoia and it seemed like the Government was Watching Me. At That Time... My Blog was Very Popular and I was Ranting and Raving about the Injustices being done to American Citizens. It seemed that there were Many Unmarked White Vans that would park out front of the House. In retrospect... Read More! https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2019/09/during-first-year-of-my-retirement-i.html

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Peace and Love is Not Only a Great Idea, But It's a Practical and Efficient way of Life. Just Think of the Money You Will Save by Not Buying GUNS! https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2020/07/do-math-peace-and-love-is-not-only.html

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Just like we all learned by Reading "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig... The Trick to Life is to PAY ATTENTION... NOTICE REALITY... https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2020/03/just-like-we-all-learned-by-reading-zen.html

So, Every Day I Test my Blood Sugar and BY PAYING ATTENTION and Keeping a Sugar Free Diet... I Have Prevented Diabetes... I find that Quitting Smoking Tobacco AND Cannabis... Has Given me Better Lungs and a Clearer Mind. Weed is Useful for APPRECIATING Music, Art, Food... but I Get More DONE Without Weed... More Music Videos, More ART, More Fiction Stories... Hey, Just because They Legalized Weed does not mean that I Have to Actually Smoke it...

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Boycott Plastic Garbage! Chicken of the Sea Tuna is Marketing "Infusions" with a Plastic Bowl, Lid and Fork. Trash that will pollute the Earth for 10,000 Years. REFUSE TO BUY PLASTIC CRAP. https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2019/09/boycot-plastic-garbage-chicken-of-sea.html

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Interesting Documentary. "ANGRY PLANET - BURNING AUSTRALIA" People are BUILDING HOUSES UNDERGROUND TO AVOID THE HEAT AND WILDFIRES... Smart! https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2019/09/interesting-documentary-angry-planet.html Will climate change make Australia uninhabitable? What About The Rest of the World? We Are Already Experiencing Wildfires in ALL of the Western USA...

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Kinetic Sculpture Race 2014 in Arcata, California. Videos and Still Photographs... Whimsical Art Bicycles That Travel on Roads, Sand and In the Water... JUST FOR FUN! https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2018/04/kinetic-sculpture-race-52414-in-arcata.html

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Great Book: "Beyond Counterculture" - The History of the Mateel Section of Humboldt County, California... Settled by Hippies Fleeing The Haight Ashbury section of San Francisco in the Late Sixties in order to Farm Cannabis - Included is a Map of Northern California, USA showing How to Visit... It's an EPIC Drive, Way Out in the Woods! Quite A FUN TRIP! https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2017/06/annotated-map-of-northern-california.html