Tuesday 24 February 2015

The Last Adventure of Humanity


I spend a lot of time alone - you should try it sometime. Whilst most of us chase around to meet the stressful targets of our 'spreadsheet living' (a term I coined in 2004), some of us reside in stillness and contemplation - questioning those things that others accept as fact. Not joining in with the frenetic and oft enforced frivolity of a cultural media, keen to exploit our inadequacies for not attending the party, some of us now reside on the side lines, living a vicarious lifestyle, watching the passenger express passing us at speed en route to oblivion. People are now so busy 'doing' that they are no longer 'being'.

Like the screaming kid who shouts, "It's not fair!", at the parent doing his or her own 'best' to cope with a situation of no definition in a new shared experience, it seems we set ourselves up for failure because of a need to get everything right first time. Children are permitted to make mistakes - adults are not. And yet, while we continue to deal with the issues of our shared physical reality, few of us question the absurdity of the situations we become involved with, or notice how they multiply like a swarm of wasps whose nest is stirred by a well-placed stick!

The computer revolution that was intended to make our lives easier and more efficient, has gone the same way as nuclear power to make our energy cheaper. Someone always sees the potential to profiteer from any situation, whether it be to sell more or to produce more. With an increasing population comes increasing accountability, together with additional controls to prevent radical thought and action, not in keeping with society's contrived and often distorted values. More of us are now involved in tracking and documenting other people's lives than we are in living our own! Bureaucracy has to now come before any decision to engage with anything. A mental risk assessment is mandatory before leaving the house, and taking on just that bit more gives us kudos among our peers but more stress on our health.

So I decided something had to change. Not necessarily that my experienced version of the world had to change, but that I had to change. The choice was stark: Join in with the rest, or step out of the field.



Having decided I couldn't join in whole-heartedly, I then had to decide how I was going to live my own truth. It's one thing to say you've had enough of what everyone else is doing, but quite another to buck against the trend with inner conviction. For over 30 years, I had explored what might be termed, the more spiritual and metaphysical side of life. This exploration began with a feeling of disquiet around conventional viewpoints, progressed through reading the works of eastern Gurus, and ended up following the advice of channelled off-world 'entities'.

The basic assertion goes something like this:
  • The world as you perceive it is not real; it is illusory
  • Linear time does not exist - there is only one spacious present
  • The individual creates his or her own reality - in every moment of 'now'
  • Physical experience is feedback to your own inner output
  • Your beliefs about reality are only beliefs - not facts

So that's clear then! The funny thing is, that intellectually, it is very clear to many. The difficulty is knowing it and living it, rather than believing it might be a vague possibility. The problem at a personal level is that if I slap the top of the table with my hand, it slaps me back with equal force... and yet science can view my table through a powerful electron microscope and inform me that nothing is solid and everything is in constant motion. So if nothing is solid, why can't I push my hand through the table? I have answers to this but, not wishing to take up more space here, I will move on.

In 2011, I gave a talk to a select group of scientists and researchers in Barcelona entitled, 'Quantum Mass Superstructures' and the following year I published a book on the subject with the added strap line: creating the world you experience. In it I present a case for conscious action on the quantum field, resulting in that well-used cliché, 'thoughts become things'.

"We all create our physical world from our inner projections"

Perhaps by now, you are wondering, "what is this 'last adventure of humanity' all about?" Simply put, it is the realisation that we all create our physical world from our inner projections and our last stage of evolution is to develop a working understanding of co-creating our physical experience. This means that more of us have to fully understand that if we focus on our fears and multiply them through sharing with others, we continue to create a physical environment that becomes less and less, the world we wish to experience. The last adventure is an integral one to our progression; for individuals, and cultures. It is about taking more control over our thoughts and full responsibility over our actions and experiences. Almost exclusively, putting into our imagination the world we wish to experience - not dwelling on the world we do not want or have. Contrast undoubtedly helps focus our attention between what is happening and whether or not we want to perpetuate or change it.

You might think that this is easy, but I assure you, it takes practice. Most of us are caught in habitual behaviour - rarely taking the time out to consider our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Those of us who think we are 'mindful' will quickly slip into conversation that shows we are not. We might decide not to involve ourselves in the judgement of others and in the next breath agree with our friend that all Politicians are tyrants; that big multinational businesses are reaping the world of its resources; that divisions between rich and poor are becoming wider, and so on. None of this is necessarily true. If you perceive this as such, then you have created it to experience it in your version of physical reality. You have even created those who will agree or disagree with your viewpoint.

So you agree with my comments and you start your personal adventure into inner focus. At least you start. However, it's not long before you give up. It's too hard. You aren't seeing quick results. Be honest... the physical world is definitely here and solid. Let's just go back to our work routine, pay the mortgage and plan our retirement. Opting out of what we know and are comfortable with - because we are used to its familiarity - is too much of a risk outside of our comfort zone. We all know that a worthwhile and fulfilling life is about having enough to pay our bills, meet our needs, and go on holiday... or have a few jars down the pub with our mates - putting the world to right - watching a bit of sport or the soaps on TV... It's just luck and favourable circumstances that the wealthy in the world enjoy a charmed existence... something we are told we can aspire to if we follow some rules, but few believe they can reach.

The real adventure to change our circumstances begins within ourselves. It takes courage and, to begin with, perhaps it's easier to 'play at it' like a child in a make-believe world without limitations - something we adults are encouraged to turn our backs on. We must all raise our personal vibratory output and we can start this by feeling good about something - anything! If you really want to join this adventure and change your life's experience, you can find out more here: http://www.richardgentle.com

Top

Wednesday 11 February 2015

Beyond the Spiritual Fringe

When one used to mention “spirituality” to most people, the usual things that came to mind were beardy old gurus from the East or “flower-power Hippies” from the West. Of course, it’s not really as clear-cut as that and there are now many things that define spiritual proclivities. Often separated from the conventions of spirituality, as it relates to formalised religion, we have a plethora of subjects from Astrology and Numerology to Dowsing and Angel Cards and techniques from Meditation to Energy Healing – not to mention zillions of books, multimedia offerings, courses, workshops – and everything imaginable in between! What began as an honest search for meaning and truth has, over recent years, become a somewhat confused message of commercial marketing for abundance acquisition, led by a handful of now famous and often unreachable pundits – mostly American, who have been bestowed with the honour of ‘expert in the field’ and examples of rags-to-riches through Law of Attraction practices. These individuals now hide behind marketing and publicity teams who manage social media profiles on their behalf and charge enormous amounts of [usually] Dollars to make stage appearances or share their wisdom with select paying audiences. We are told that we too can be like these people – if we pay out first and learn second.

What began as an honest search for meaning and truth has, over recent years, become a somewhat confused message of commercial marketing for abundance acquisition...


Despite what we may be led to believe, there are no assurances and no ‘quick-fixes’. In fact, some of these new ‘masters’ have had quite a tough ride to their life of apparent ease, or they have developed a particular set of personality skills that most people do not naturally have at their immediate disposal. Indeed, Reid Tracey (Hay House Publishing) has a favourite saying: “It takes ten years to become an overnight success.” This helps us to understand that when a new celebrity seems to appear from nowhere, it has probably taken quite a lot of background experience and preparation to reach the point of recognition.

Unfortunately, many of these ‘new gurus’, who undoubtedly set out with good intention to share their wonderful discoveries with other, ‘less fortunate’ souls, have become so popular among a sycophantic, celebrity obsessed public, that they have had to employ others to lighten their workloads. Perhaps they are unaware of the pernicious marketing and avaricious marketeers who now profess to act on their behalf, but instead open their masters and mistresses to pillory. Success for a majority in our western society seems to equate to monetary wealth and stability. The opening gambit of many spiritual teachers seems to be along the lines of: “I spent two years sleeping on park benches and last year turned over $6,000,000!”

“I spent two years sleeping on park benches and last year turned over $6,000,000!”


Personally, I cannot recall someone ever saying: “I was leading a fairly routine and ordinary life, just getting by, but now I am filled with joy every day and easily attract all that I want in life.” Furthermore, the marketing videos, with their hidden controls so you cannot advance or see how much time is left, will go on and on for thirty minutes or so, about how wonderful something is, without actually telling you what “it” is! And right at the end, you too can have this marvellous opportunity for only four monthly payments of 295 Dollars… and if you give us your name and email [so we can bombard you with other products every week for eternity] you can download instantly, a free ‘get-it-now-for-nothing’ workbook!

It’s not that anything is particularly new, but more that it is being shared in a way that westerners, particularly, can engage with it.


Of course, it’s not all as negative as portrayed above and one thing that these people and their exploits offer is a gateway to spirituality for those who wish to dip their toe in something deeper than the tepid waters of intellectual understanding. With the added assistance of a number of “channelled entities” (‘beings of non-physical form’) contemporary understanding of the nature of our universe, and the reality of people within it, has taken a refreshing and exciting direction. It’s not that anything is particularly new, but more that it is being shared in a way that westerners, particularly, can engage with it. We have moved from East-West cultural disparity and cryptic parables to multicultural awareness and a plainer, more relevant contemporary language for our 21st Century mysticism. Perhaps we can finally reach the promised land of new conscious understanding, abundance, and the joyfulness we have always yearned for… Well, not quite. We now have to become expert sifters – deciding which information is right for us as individuals. We have to actively choose what we wish to focus our attention on; to stop acting by default in a world of ‘the way it is’ and change to a world of ‘the way we want it’.

We have to actively choose what we wish to focus our attention on; to stop acting by default in a world of ‘the way it is’ and change to a world of ‘the way we want it’


And now you begin to see our dilemma. We live in a world we have become used to and we reinforce what we experience from what we have already produced. We surround ourselves with negative news and expectations – constantly looking out for the things we fear most. Whether it is illness, violence, or poverty, we cannot turn away. Like the proverbial rabbits caught in headlights, we freeze to the spot as our destiny hurtles towards us – not realising that we can make a new decision to move at any moment of our choosing. Our society battles, fights, and wages war over everything. We turn the most mundane into magnificent drama. The person who was not run over was “very nearly killed!” – Only no one died. No one was even touched. A tragedy of apocalyptic consequences was fortunately averted. And so we search out the next potential disaster for our salivating audience to boost our ratings.

Mother Teresa said she would “…not attend an anti-war rally.” Gandhi said “Be the change you want to see.” They both knew that holding the vibration of war or retribution was only going to perpetuate, or further attract, the very conditions that were not wanted. They knew that it was far more powerful to focus on a new desired outcome, than it was to push against an already established opposite.

Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi

And yet, even in reading that last paragraph, the majority of you, whilst nodding in agreement, will pass it by and never consider the implications of truly living in that way; taking personal and full responsibility for everything that you experience or that happens in your life. Can you imagine for instance, not making a judgement against something or someone you disagree with? Could you be at the receiving end of a difficult situation and say “I love you” – no matter what the next minutes, hours, days, or weeks may continue to bring? The default position for most is to rail against injustice and to promise vengeance against the perpetrators of negative expression – spurred on by those around us who look towards our democratic fair play as the best solution. Rather than trying to constantly control people in our society, by adding rules, regulations and accountability assessments, perhaps we would be better promoting the natural universal laws of attraction and trusting individuals to find their own paths – whether through sexuality, drugs, rock & roll, or something completely different. Right and wrong are human constructs of control to help some people feel better about things they find difficult to accept in their own make-up. Right and wrong are not a true feature of the universe, any more than linear time is. It is more about contrast and having a sense of time to decide and experience our choices.

So by all means, stay on the fringe of spirituality, playing with the illusion of understanding through buying into all sorts of diversionary tactics available through ‘mainstream’ offerings, but be aware that to experience real changes in your life, you must work on how you think and react to the emotions that arise within you, when faced with the feedback from the world you have created up to this point. You do not need money for this. You do not need to buy anything; just practice being mindful of your thoughts, feelings and reactions. Practice moving your focus more towards the things you would like and halt the spiral of anxiety that delivers the things you cannot control. For some of you, this will be the hardest work you have ever been asked to undertake. For others, it will be a joyful release and expansion into new possibilities. For all of you, this practice will show positive results – and often much faster than you might imagine.