In our lives, where do we confuse faith with fear? I’m not referring to fear-based religious points-of-view nor fear-mongering politics for the purpose of control. No, my intent is to root out where such pitfalls, among other, more elaborate traps we ensnare ourselves in, have their genesis. “The needs of the many, must outweigh the needs of the few, or, the one.” (Captain Spock)
Now we’re going to “rock down to electric avenue.” Apologies for the earworm of this godawful song, but I intend to leave an impression. I know some of you may love the song, but when I consider myself possessing zero musical abilities, doing just about as well with that repetitive P.O.S., I dub a song crappy. Granted, I’d take Eddy Grant over the Spice Girls, Macarena, 867-5309, or KISS any day, but I digress.
Back to my point, we’re all made up of electricity and electrical signals. This is not mysticism, it’s science. People like me generally call it an aura, however. If you don’t care about the science or don’t believe it, was Steph Curry not electrifying in Game 7 in Sacramento leaving the Kings with no electricity to “light the Beam”? Can her touch not elicit electrical thrills? Can their rhetoric not galvanize and electrify a community?
It’s not a matter of understanding, it’s a matter of whether we move from the concept phase to the empathetic, “I’ve been there” phase. We want you to be true to yourself when you tell another, “I feel ya, bud…” What’s the difference? You tell me. Are you more confused than a woodpecker with a headache about now? I get it, I really do. “I feel ya, bud…” I just wonder within myself and inside of my readers, by extension, if we think we get a concept, when really, we just understand it.
Is the most intense battle what we know versus what we feel? “If understanding is required in order to see, then you only see what you understand. Perhaps you only see what you understand until seeing is the only understanding there is.” –Matt Khan.
“Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets and then teams up with three strangers to kill again.” That was a TV Guide description of the Wizard of Oz back in the day. Can’t really connect the dots until you look back, can you? Looking back, in the context of what we’re discussing in this venue, is not about wallowing in the past, it’s about using your past for the common good. “In order to love who you are, you cannot hate the experiences that shaped you.” (Andrea Dykstra) A teachable moment or two, upon reflection, can be the conduit to healing the now.
While we’re talking about confusion, where do we conflate (self) discipline with bullying? Or perhaps healing with ignoring? Is balance in life a mirage? Many speak of and chase a work/life balance, for example. I feel this type of balance is fool’s gold. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try, but consider that a more fulfilling, less nebulous approach is to seek emotional balance.
How is that done? Well, first off, just as we should treat everyone with respect, can we not try respecting all emotions the same? An emotion shouldn’t be negated just because it has a negative charge. Ooo, that’s a good one, Sutty, but you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry. True, but when has turning a blind eye to such things ever worked out in the long run? Manifesting becomes foolhardy when intentions are blurred by false assumptions. And there it is. Pretending envy and spite and gluttony and sloth doesn’t exist doesn’t mean they don’t exist. If that doesn’t make you happy and joyful and serene, I don’t know what will.
All that said, please keep in mind a practical application of what has so far been a concept. Diseases have their own electrical signatures. It’s what lurks below the surface that entices me. I want to get it. I want you to get it too. I want you to be tied in like shoe laces. While probing yourself in new and incisive ways, seek, ask, and pray for guidance for new gridwork. You won’t know until you ask. Don’t forget to be as patient with yourself as you would a child learning to walk.
I wouldn’t want to disappoint, so time for a little mysticism. The other day before writing this column, I had the vision of a manta ray during my morning meditation. I usually take note of such observations and eventually Googled manta ray totems. “Manta reminds us to keep our course in life at the forefront of our mind. We manifest by sticking to our true North. Most predators see the sheer size of Manta and think twice. Should one attack, nature has given Manta fast healing tissue that regenerates within weeks; this identifies Manta as a hallmark for renewal and wellbeing.”
Like the manta ray filtering the entire ocean through its maw, you’re now charged with noticing what electrifies your essence, regardless of polarity. While we can’t have the testimonial without the test, we can treat ourselves with largesse along the way.
