The Gift of the Present Moment: To Move Beyond Duality

Image by John Hain from Pixabay

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
― Buckminster Fuller

Here’s the thing about living on earth – the experience of duality can be so taxing. Depending on the current narrative, there will always be one side against another. But rather than focus on all the tension that such moments bring, we can learn to be in place within ourselves without taking the bait of the experience. What can be gained in such moments? We can learn to find the joy within the sorrow, the peace within the chaos, the love within the antipathy. For this is the test we are meant to pass. Whatever the presentation on the world stage, we are given to discover who we are and what we are made of and offer our gifts of love, peace, and mercy to it, rather than be absorbed by that which is only meant to be a mise-en-scène to the revelations our true selves.

In these days of prevailing narratives and their concomitant accusations against those who differ, is the opportunity to learn that all these things, appearances not withstanding, are irrelevant. Maya. Illusion. That’s not to say that something is not happening as we witness with our senses, but that we have made it too important in the scheme of things. They are not meant to commandeer our lives and become the very raison d’être of our time here, but rather, serve as a stage backdrop designed to help us remember the call to action of our own inner Divine, our God consciousness. It is the chance to rise above actions against narratives, ideas, and people. There is the ultimate opportunity to use the presented problems, issues, or crises as stepping stones to a wider frame of reference, a higher level of understanding, an ability to see beyond the immediate scene playing out in front of us from the highest avenues possible for us that can help show us our true selves.

“Every act has both good and evil results. Every act in life yields pairs of opposites in its results. The best we can do is lean toward the light, toward the harmonious relationships that come from compassion with suffering, from understanding the other person.”
― Joseph Campbell

In this Matterium in which we live, there will always be some emergency or crisis that will require us to position ourselves within the framework of that crisis. At any moment during one of these experiences, there will always be a right side and a wrong side from which we are expected to position ourselves. Ostensibly, this is how society is supposed to function. Everyone must play nice, go along to get along whether that takes you away from your conscience and higher consciousness, or not.

However, what is right or wrong for and within each of us at the deepest layers of our being, to the highest levels of our consciousness is truly what matters. For it is from there where unity is remembered and accessed. We can charm, hypnotize, brainwash, influence others to a way of seeing but only they will consider what is right for them based on so many factors and itinerary of their own life missions.

“Life is all about realizing God in your true self with higher consciousness.”
― Shiva Negi

In the end, we are left with our choices. There is only a discovery of the meaning of those individual choices in any moment, and what they mean ultimately to and for each of us. For what do we gain by aligning with a position, no matter how seemingly righteous, except for our own real edification, wisdom and growth through the experience? We inevitably discover that we can do all the right things in this world, and yet, the final meaning is gleaned from reconciling the decisions we made, the actions we chose, the compassion we gave, and the wisdom we garnered and acted upon.

“Be where you are not where you were.
Ground yourself in the knowledge that your soul is wise and will lead you toward your greatest light. This will help you love where you are so you can be where you are. It’s where your power resides.”
― Jodi Livon

At a certain age, we need recognize the futility of doing ‘the right thing’ in order to be right in the eyes of others. Are we truly alright with ourselves? We are not watching for how any other responds, but rather, learning to be vigilant to our own cues. We can learn to be better at discerning truth and necessity. We can recognize the rallies and cries against the very structure which maintains things as they have seemingly always been, and awaken to a new world unfolding. From the ashes of the old one, we will meet the opportunity to create anew.

For when we can transcend the traditions, interpretations and conclusions of the old ways, when we have risen above the polarization of sides, we will be able to apply and use the unity in a sea of diversity. It won’t be because we took the ‘politically correct’ side, or wanted to condemn those who did not see through our eyes, but because we will have risen or ascended to a higher consciousness of awareness for which the old has passed away.

“All your life you have been waiting… And now the time is here.
We are all being called upon to shine our brightest light. Where there is confusion know there are answers. Where there is pain show compassion. Where there is darkness beam your light. We are all related one to the other. Open your heart and feel the connection. Shine your light and heal the world.”
― Jodi Livon

Will we each become reconciled as part of the whole in a way that engenders the wisdom within us and naturally excludes the need for such old world antics?

As we traverse this most interesting time of universal change, at the door of the Aquarian Age, we are being offered the opportunity to move beyond the usual ways of responding to what is happening in front of our eyes. We can decide to rise above the noise of the moment, to unite within ourselves and heal the dissonant impulses to the world’s dual mechanics. Rather than automatic responses, we can balance ourselves, and heal the inharmonious places within ourselves. We can determine to radiate higher consciousness, walk in it, speak it, live it.

This is a gift of this cosmic moment of change.

© 2023. Egyirba M. High. [Althea Grace]. All Rights Reserved.

Feel free to share this post with others, as long as you include the copyright information and keep the whole posting intact. If you like this piece, please share it with others. 

As We Navigate Toward a New Spiritual Era for Humanity

Image by Kei Rothblack from Pixabay

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
― Eleanor Roosevelt

It is difficult for me to write these days. Writing is the dark portal to feelings I keep under wraps, not because they will obliterate someone else but because I fear they will overtake and dislodge my stability, and make me feel things I’m not ready to feel.

“Most of us, most of our lives, are asked to live small. Most of us quit trying very young to live the bigness we know is possible.”
― Janisse Ray

As a child, I learned to self-censor lest people think me strange or “out there.” Once, in my early 30s, an astrologer told me that I was a visionary and that if I hadn’t been hesitant or unconfident during my teenage years, I might well have taken myself out early. I simply could not make sense of the world, and my efforts to voice my uncertainty about what I saw were met with side-eyes or strange silent cautions to comport myself and stay in the status quo lane.

So, I did.

Ever out of sync (though believe me, I tried to fit in) with the goings-on, I watched and witnessed the world go by, vacillating from wonder to horror each decade. I spoke my thoughts and ideas to my closest friends and kept silent in the crowds. It wasn’t my time. Now as the solar frequencies pulse and the energy of cosmic change accelerates during this transformational time, I feel the urge to speak through my pen. There is excitement and anxiety for what might be released through me. Maybe now, saying what I see will be part of the tipping point that helps usher in a different reality, a new world—one that is more equitable, and that connects more with our humble human roots, nature and our reliance upon her. I sense the split in our collective reality which will separate those of us who remember our foundational beginnings, and those who wish to align with the more technological comings happening more and more, though none of it is inevitable.

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
― Corrie ten Boom

It seems like the world is experiencing one big chaotic moment.

However, there is something about this moment that is prescient. Through the chaos, one can discern the importance and vigor of this time. Something big is happening, and it’s happening everywhere. Being a woman of a certain age, I feel the difference between this moment and those before, where ostensibly the same kinds of things were going on for the world to see: political struggles, financial issues, health crises, educational mediocrity, government corruption, social unrest, all as the war machines play on. And in this way, it all looks very familiar.

But it feels very different to me.

Those who adhere to the narrative promoted by traditional information mediums and structures likely won’t see what I’m seeing. They’ll name it “the usual” or “this always happens,” or something similar to discard it. Astrologers might better explain it through astrological movements of the stars and planets, but one thing is sure. We’re somewhere we’ve never been. I am aligning my vision with the vision of Divine Intelligence. I see beyond appearances. I am awake and aware.

And that awareness is electrifying to me.

“no one tells you rome is ending until you’re the last one standing alone in a coliseum where a city had been.”
― Brandon Thomas DiSabatino

The coming changes as we sort ourselves out won’t be without difficulties, without frustrations, or challenges (much as things seem now). But it will be so in a new way, one that provokes hope, and eventually, optimism, one that demands we seize the moment and brainstorm new ideas for the trying changing times. One that will insist we again find our common humanity. Those who are following this path, this way, seek at a fundamental level the chance to get back to basics, to remember what we knew that was handed down to us before we were hijacked by other agendas, often, in the name of progress. They seek to eliminate the structures, the problems and the methods that have acted to diminish humankind and pitted us against each other, and that have taken us far away from ourselves, disconnecting us from the part of ourselves where our deep knowing lies.

I’m just old enough to remember the idea of respect, and righteous actions through deeds, not words. I remember people who appreciated what they had been given by nature/the Divine, and through their connections with kindred human others. They did not scream about entitlements that would only separate humans further, or seek to force their will upon others (in general). I grew up knowing that we are all connected and principally, that I am my brother’s/sister’s keeper. I grew up knowing humankind was worth its weight in gold in the Creation.

What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how
infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and
admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like
a god! the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals—and yet,
to me, what is this quintessence of dust?
~William Shakespeare

There are cosmic forces at work that are helping us to remember and see all this. There are other forces that hope against all odds, and that are pushing to prevail, that we fail. We evolve and rise as we part the clouds to see what is meant for us, as we realize that freedom is more important than acquisition, as we remember we were created in the image and likeness of Divine Love. We have a choice, should we choose to reclaim it. This transformative time is showing us that it will be what it will be, according to our understanding, and that we will be what we choose to be. May we choose freedom, autonomy, truth, and love above everything.

I am hopeful. Whether we know, believe or think it or not, there is a new day coming. Brand new. Shiny. I lend my voice to the creation, to hasten it into being. Add yours, and move into harmony with other voices.

Let there be peace on earth. Let there be a new day. Let there be goodwill to all. Let love in all its goodness and power prevail.

It has begun with me.

© 2023. Egyirba M. High. [Althea Grace]. All Rights Reserved.

Feel free to share this post with others, as long as you include the copyright information and keep the whole posting intact. If you like this piece, please share it with others. You can like me on MeWe or Minds to see more of my writing and videos.

TIME TO RISE

Photo by Gül Işık:

“Might we begin then to transform our passing illuminations into abiding light?”
― Huston Smith

The root of the problem stems from a system which encourages hostile division between people based on their differences. Whether it is race, gender identity, religion, caste, nationality, ethnicity, ability, age, class, or even political affiliation those forces that have prodded and pecked at and encouraged separation (via those aforementioned vehicles), have done so to keep stirring the pot…of antipathy, of confusion, of isolation. After all when you ‘pay no attention to the man behind the curtain,’ the one pulling the strings, you stay ignorant to the origins of the division and separation.

I’ve come to see this as a struggle for pieces of a pie, convinced that securing our slice is essential for our success. That pie is the gifts, benefits, beauties, aspects, attention and rewards from the very system from which the division springs. And the pieces in the pie are finite. We clamber for that necessary slice that will affirm our worth, our success, our power, even our victim hood. After all, if you can’t be acknowledged for your worth, then be recognized as #1 (victim) for how that self-same system does what it was always designed to do. (See paragraph #1, again). But no one much questions the ways in which the pie, itself, is bad for us. Not good for our health. Perhaps, rotten, even.

So we quibble.

“For the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change. And this fact is only threatening to those women who still define the master’s house as their only source of support.”
― Audre Lorde, The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House

We are continually distracted from acknowledging our common bonds and encouraged to squeeze ourselves into an eye-dentity perspective. And while it is good to affirm the uniqueness, the beauty, the talents, the creativity of those distinctions, our contemporary culture has got has us pigeonholing ourselves into special places which tell us that pieces and sections of us trump the totality of our whole selves. It’s not that one should deny or overlook special and unique aspects, but rather integrate their importance into our whole identity.

I recently got into a discussion about this with a friend. He was defending the need to call out the system, historical foundations as reasons, and that it is necessary to take action to address issues. No disagreement there. But I explained that we must as well transcend the system that has done these things to black people. The more we engage the system (as if there are no other possibilities), the more we “fight back against”, the more we lend power and strength to self-same system because the system itself is not built on integrity, truth, or valor. And human weaknesses of the ill-kind have been taken for strength, power, and victory.

If, as a black woman, I am focused on the so-called racial aspect of myself (because race is a social construct, after all), I spend my energy fighting a system which I could believe is denying my blackness, or limiting me, or even abusing me. In the process, all the other aspects of myself which make me uniquely me, are not as important, or cannot truly be appreciated in a holistic way but only according to their parts. Race becomes the overall most distinguishing characteristic of myself. Self-autonomy or dependence, personal success or failure, become decided not by my own power which comes from my connection with my divine design, but rather at the whims of some so-called outside authorities which hold power over me. If it is my religion, or my education, (or lack of), or gender, then again, that focus says I focus all my steam trying to obtain some rights or advantages that have been stolen from me.

The pie metaphor asks what’s the use in all this? Has anyone considered cake, perhaps? Or gluten-free cookies?

“Stop giving other people the power to control your happiness, your mind, and your life. If you don’t take control of yourself and your own life, someone else is bound to try.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

And this is where we are.

If I look to the prevailing system to affirm me, to empower me, I am misguided. Everything that takes place in this so-called reality in which we live is a construct designed to teach us about our own authentic power. The power to be had in being victorious according to social standards is not that power. It means putting our money where our mouths are in living what we say we believe without regard to prevailing systems. It is not waiting for permission from somewhere that we will never get it (but that’s another story for another time). It’s defining our own reality and creating our own new world.

“Only you can take inner freedom away from yourself, or give it to yourself. Nobody else can.”
― Michael A. Singer, The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself

How that’s done and why it’s necessary is for another moment. But if you give your understanding to a spiritual orientation, you will see there is no other way but that by which to transform and become ‘successful.’ At this time, on the planet, we are commissioned with the task of no longer leaning into definitions of who we are. We are to understand that there are forces which act to support such emphases. The cosmic energies of change flooding us now, suggest this is an opportune moment to decide to do differently, see bigger what is possible, and to initiate true action in that direction.

As we embrace our spiritual orientation and recognize our authentic power, we begin to see the possibility of a new world—a world where love, compassion, and justice prevail. This world is not a Utopian fantasy but a tangible reality that we can create through our collective efforts.

The journey is not without its challenges. It requires us to confront our fears, to heal our wounds, and to let go of the identities and beliefs that no longer serve us in elevating ways. But the rewards are immeasurable. We find freedom, joy, and a deep sense of fulfillment in knowing that we are living in harmony with our true selves and contributing to the well-being of all.

The invitation to transcend limited identities and embrace our authentic power is open to everyone. It is a call to awaken to our true potential and to recognize the beauty and power that lie within. By doing so, we not only transform our own lives but also contribute to the healing and upliftment of the world. Let us embark on this journey with open hearts and minds, ready to discover the boundless possibilities that await.

© 2024. Egyirba M. High. [Althea Grace]. All Rights Reserved.
Feel free to share this post with others, as long as you include the copyright information and keep the whole posting intact. If you like this piece, please share it with others.

We Know Who The Liars Are

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

1 Corinthians 13:12 King James Version (KJV)

I remember Al Franken’s book, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. The title caught my attention mostly because I was coming to understand that the system we live in is built on lies and untruths. What I knew of Franken’s humor and wit, along with his connection to the Saturday Night Live show, (then a smart, funny show), cemented the idea for me that there were ‘bad’ people who were corrupt, greedy, and big fat liars.

I did not know, then, that it had little to do with political orientation. Or, anything of this world (so-to-speak).

At that time, I had not clearly framed the idea that things are not what they seemed. I was aligned with the POV of left politics. I had not understood the illusion that each side was merely a presentation given to reflect the idea of choice in a system where there really was none. Humans were expected to pick a side, one that seemed to align with whatever they had been conditioned to believe through lifelong indoctrination, passed down generation to generation. And then, that belief was to be hammered into us as one worth fighting for against the one that held an oppositional view. Well. What wasn’t easy to understand or see that who was in the corner wasn’t championing either side. No time for petty human politics or issues, unless they could be used to manipulate and control an agenda that did not befit human beings. And on, and on, and on.

Fast forward and voila! And here we are at the precipice of a new day. We have begun to awaken and wipe the sleep of generations from our eyes.

Those awakening now realize the farce of playing the game of binary oppositions in politics, in religions, in so-called race issues, with national, geographical, and cultural distinctions, with the haves and have-nots, and now, in gender ideology. There are just so many growing ways we could be sliced and diced in order to further separate ourselves from each other, and from our true identity, one that is in harmony with Prime Creator (or, known by many other names).

That has been the methodology of the one(s) controlling the illusions and games. Until now. Cosmic magic, notwithstanding, we are in a momentous time bringing a onceinalifetime opportunity for us to conceive, change, clear, and decline to continue to participate any further, in such a life-denying system.

Those awakening realize the power of perception.

“The only walls that exist are those you have placed in your mind. And whatever obstacles you conceive, exist only because you have forgotten what you have already achieved.”
― Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem

Now we, the people, are awakening to the madness, the mayhem, and the manipulation. Now our vision is beginning to clear. Now we are becoming aware of the power to decide in our own favor, without the permission of the lying liars.

The rippling revelations we are having are only just beginning.

“We live in a time of great revelations.”
― Isaiah Senones

Who are the liars? Those who perpetuate the lie that we need them, their systems, their ways of funneling life and doling out their own sense of treats to those who comply and stay within the lines of their operating system. The liars are those who pray (such that they do) that we not uncover our true nature, and that they can continue to prey upon our benevolent hearts. They are the ones that insist we not realize our own power in a scheme designed to strip us of all of it (while continuing to maintain the illusion of choice). They are the ones who foolishly feast on us through lies, deception and other forms of manipulation. They are the ones who lie, lie, lie.

It is time to SEE. It is time for truth to be told. Out loud. With courage, and valor.

Forget the liars, and their perpetual threats. We know that only that which furthers their initiatives matters to them. It is we who must make a choice to see. It is we who must decide we deserve to own our own lives. It is we who must desire to awaken and know the beauty, magnificence and power that we are. We must reject what we have been inculcated with upon entering this life, and uncover the true nature of ourselves right in the midst of all the deception and thievery that goes on and will, until we put an end to it.

“Wake up, live your life and sing the melody of your soul.”
― Amit Ray, Enlightenment Step by Step

Time is running out for this plan we have been on, and our ancestors before us. The system is coming to an end. It is time for a new way of being and doing. That time is now. Awaken and see how we have been duped. Awaken and know that we have been kept in a constant state of ignorance and fear. See that even with all machinations, we humans are being favored. The lie is that you are a lowly worm of the earth. That belief has wrought anguish, agony, and powerlessness to the human family. Truth is: you are a divine spark of love, of light, and have been given everything to realize this. It is time we open our eyes wide, wide–stretch them out to the heavens, as large as we can because it is time to say yes to truth.

Know. Be brave. Speak. Be empowered. Stand. Proclaim truth.

It is time to know and honor the truth. It is time to clean off the dusty glass of our own obscured vision so we can fully see our value, our purpose, our possibility. As we do so, the glass will begin to sparkle. Others will catch the glint, too.

This is our time. This is the truth.


© 2023. Egyirba M. High. [Althea Grace]. All Rights Reserved.
Feel free to share this post with others, as long as you include the copyright information and keep the whole posting intact. If you like this piece, please share it with others.