Metaphysical Musings

 The nation’s food industry has also come under glaring scrutiny.  From the brutal treatment of animals, to Monsanto’s quest for crop domination via engineered seeds and plants, to the questionable safety of the preservatives and additives in the processed foods sold not only in fast-food restaurants but school cafeterias as well.  And as economic downturns lead to sports being phased out or relegated to “pay to play” we can only assume childhood obesity and diabetes rates will increase too.  Last month, a report came out linking pesticides and household chemicals to ADD/ADHD – and these, along with the influx of autistic and spectrum disorder children, are creating a need for education changes which will eventually rock America’s public education system to its core.     

Frivolous lawsuits and lack of legal fair-play between the have and have-nots is nauseating.  We have learned that the predatory dealings of the credit card companies extend into the colleges and universities, where they pay to have the “right” to solicit students.  Rocketing interest rates mean repayment plans are ridiculously long and outrageously expensive.  And how many individuals do you know of who have gotten “bail out” money to reduce their mortgages?  Out of several dozen applicants I know personally, only two have gotten relief.  On Route 25 in Monroe, where my shop is located, you see For Rent/For Lease signs adorning empty storefronts and offices everywhere.  So where, exactly, is this “relief” we hear of?

 Spiritually speaking, churches of all denominations are closing all over the country, particularly in the midwest.  People are disgusted with sex and money scandals that seem to plague many organized religions.  And without the financial support of its parishoniers, most places of worship cannot afford to keep their doors open. 

But from all this bad news comes exciting and revolutionary change.  From the popularity of self-sufficiency books and websites, rise in bartering of goods and services, family unification as economic realities cause many to move back in together – the ways we live, work, eat and consume goods and services is being transformed.  Voters are ushering in change as well – did you hear about the homeless veteran who beat out an incumbant senator in the recent North Carolina primary?  Political upheaval which is certainly not “business as usual”.  

 I am clear that no ONE person, idea, school, spiritual path or teaching/healing modality will be able to stand alone.  We have to be able to bend and work together, referring and deferring back and forth as we all search for solutions – because these problems (challenges) coming our way are not ending anytime soon!   And that’s fitting, because we are indeed entering the new age (standing on the threshold of many changes, globally and personally) whether we like and welcome it, or not.  The teaching and healing realms are under increased scrutiny as more and more people search for new ways to heal physically, mentally and spiritually.  Teachers and practitioners have to step up their game in ways they have probably never imagined.  Because really, four months ago could you or I have imagined a entire ocean grapping with a catastrophic oil leak?  Five years ago, if someone told you that a hurricane would devastate New Orleans, would you have imagined it would remain in a state of disrepair all these many years later?  That terrorists would fly two jet airplanes into the Twin Towers?

I reflect and pray hard on these things.  The intuitive readers at my shop have often heard me say “You know, we’re not curing cancer here.  No “reader” has solved world hunger, no one has gotten a reading and it brought about world peace”.  And the fact is, those major devastating events occurred and, as noted author/medium Sylvia Brown points out, neither she nor any other of the leading psychics in the world today came forward in the weeks, days or even hours beforehand to say to the world “Hey!  Don’t go into New York City today, avoid the Twin Towers, a terrible event is going to occur!”  That’s one reason that while I have a variety of readers available at Talisman, I don’t take a “cut” of their earnings nor do I allow patrons to engage in “psychaholic” behavior and get reading after reading after reading.  Validating an experience (which is what a “reading” actually does) then work toward resolution - perhaps something as simple as recommending a naturopathic doctor, or an introduction to new friends with similar interests at a drum circle or meditation session.  And I do see acute loneliness as one of the principle concerns facing us as a people – we are connected electronically as never before, but lack of face to face personal interaction is as detrimental to human beings as any virus could ever be.  In response, people of all socio-economic backgrounds are setting out on spiritual quests to seek their higher purpose as never before, driven by an urgent sense of time running out - of the “other shoe” getting ready to drop.  

I do believe we are looking at upcoming cataclysmic events which will require an extraordinary “clean up crew” to repair, rebuild and heal both ourselves and the world around us.  And we are it.  Does 2012 cast a shadow of doom as we reckon with the end of life?  Certainly not.  But it may be heralding the end of a way of life, a way that really only worked for a select priviledged few anyway.  So now, perhaps it’s time to open our minds and hearts to ideas and methodologies that the government, corporate america and the mainstream media doesn’t appear interested in promoting or encouraging.  The Hopi Indians thought the world’s religions each contained one spiritual thread, and that these threads are always seeking each other, wanting to join.  When all the threads are finally woven together they will form a rope that will pull us out of this dark cycle of history and into the next realm.  Personal accountability, the fact that we are all healers and intuitive (to varying degrees) and simply learning to “trust your gut” and look for signs from Divinity/Nature to guide and lead each of us personally — these are the lessons for the new millenium.  All that, plus learning how to trust, work and live together in a civil and equitable manner – lessons I believe we can and will learn from the world’s indigenous peoples.