Star Trek Into Darkness

and the Rechristening of America

Towards the Light

The most recent film I watched, Star Trek; Into Darkness, holds a subtle message that finds a correlation to America, with Star Fleet Command as a metaphor of our greater potential for fulfillment. With the power of the right coast guided by the good intentions and most promising possibilities on the left, internal corruption can be weeded out and our true calling restored. 

At the beginning of Into Darkness, we are immediately shown the striking contrast of Kirk and Spock, who like our nation, share a relationship between polar opposites. Kirk thinks more from gut instinct and intuition while Spock is guided by the rules of reason and logic. Trapped in a volcano ready to erupt, Spock would rather die than be rescued through means that would violate the Prime Directive; a set of laws established by Star Fleet to protect primitive cultures from interference.

Kirk: "Spock! Nobody knows the rules better than you, but there's got to be an exception!"

Spock: "None! Such action violates the prime directive." 

Dr. McCoy: "Shut up Spock! We're trying to save you damnit!" 

Spock: "Dr., the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." 

Kirk: "Spock! We're talking about your life!" 

Spock: "The rule cannot be broken…"

The beginning of the relationship between Spock and Kirk is rocky at first. Kirk saves his friend's life only to have Spock throw him "under the bus" by filing a report to have the captain disciplined for not following protocol. This ultimately leads Kirk to be demoted and lose his starship. 

Before saving Spock, Kirk wonders out loud, "Spock, if I were there and you were here, what would you do?" Dr. McCoy bluntly answers, "He'd let you die." We can see that the friendship between Kirk and Spock is not reciprocal in its purity at the beginning. Kirk will sacrifice the rules in order to save his friend while Spock will sacrifice a friendship in order to follow the rules. 

Do we see a similar dynamic playing out between the polarity within America? It is unfortunate that the relationship between liberals and conservatives is not yet reciprocal in the purity they are capable of. We can see that one side holds the most numbers of those who would rather see a war end then see it spin out of control and harm the other side or those outside our borders. Many liberals seek to avoid a scenario leading to a potential clash of civilizations, where nuclear terrorism has potential to strike our nation's political and financial capitals, causing death and destruction to millions. The other side holds the most numbers of those who are prepared to expand the battle and sacrifice red or blue states if necessary, as long as it means defeating the enemy. Some conservatives want to see an escalation of the war, assuming it will lead to the final defeat of the last two nations in George W. Bush's "Axis of Evil." And in their view, it would be OK to sacrifice major cities like Los Angeles, Honolulu or whatever it may take if it leads to the greater good of a world without the regimes capable of inflicting this damage. 

In Star Trek Into Darkness, Kirk is eventually given the task of hunting down and killing a great enemy who inflicted a horrendous terrorist attack on Starfleet, responsible for the deaths of the innocent and some of their top commanders. The perpetrator John Harrison who we later learn is Kahn, is said to be hiding on Kronos, the Klingon home world. At first Kirk refuses the call of Admiral Marcus. 

Kirk: "If we even go near Klingon space it would be all out war!" 

That's when we find out that the Klingons in this movie are presented in a similar light as Muslims are seen by some on the conservative and liberal side, who believe a clash of civilizations between the West and Islam is destined to happen. 

Admiral Marcus: "All out war with the Klingons is inevitable Mr. Kirk. If you ask me, it's already begun. Since we first learned of their existence, the Klingon Empire has conquered and occupied two planets that we know of, fired on our ships half a dozen times. They are coming our way."

It is then we learn from Admiral Marcus that Starfleet has been working on a top secret weapon, not that unlike the first drones deployed in Afghanistan and Pakistan, to hunt down and kill terrorists there. 

Admiral Marcus: "As part of our new defensive strategy, we've developed a new photon torpedo. Long range and untraceable. It would be invisible to Klingon sensors. I don't want you hurt but I want to take him out. You park on the edge of the neutral zone, you lock onto Harrison's position, you fire, you kill him and you haul ass."

But as Kirk blindly obeys the authority in command just like so many in the military have carried out drone strikes against the innocent without a second thought, we can see the resistance to what many see as illegal actions gaining momentum in the real world and in the fictitious timeline of Into Darkness. 

It is here where we begin to see the relationship between polar opposites finally showing signs of their full potential. Where Spock once acted without concern for what his actions might do to a friendship, now his concern compels him to question the very orders Kirk has sworn to uphold. 

Spock: "…it is now my duty to strongly object to our mission parameters." "There is no Starfleet regulation that condemns a man to die without a trial, something that you and Admiral Marcus are forgetting. Also, preemptively firing torpedoes at the Klingon home world goes against…"

Have we heard a similar argument from constitutionalists in America, who argue the president shouldn't have the authority to kill Americans without a trial? And next we hear Kirk reply in a way all too familiar to many who have heard arguments justifying the use of drones, with the mistaken presumption that the only casualties will be terrorists. 

Kirk: "There's only going to be one casualty."

Spock: "Regulations aside, this action is morally wrong." "Captain, our mission could start a war with the Klingons. And it is by its very definition immoral. Perhaps you should take the requisite time to arrive at this conclusion for yourself."

Spock's words echo the same sentiment voiced by many liberals, that drone strikes are morally wrong and their use over Pakistan could cause the wars to escalate, or even worse, lead to a civil war in which the Taliban rise to power and acquire use of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. 

Kirk continues experiencing more opposition to his plans from Dr. McCoy and then Scotty. 

Scotty: "No, I'm not signing anything. Now get these bloody things off of my ship!" 

Kirk: "Scotty! I need you to approve those weapons."

Scotty: "Do you know what this is Captain?"

Kirk: "I don't have time for a lecture Scotty." "It's our orders…"

Scotty: "That's what scares me. This is clearly a military operation. Is that what we are now? Cause I thought we were explorers."

Many ask a similar question about America and the endless wars threatening to drag on forever. Should our Great Seal be revised to see the Eagle's head turning away from the olive branches of peace in favor of the arrows for war? Is this really who we are; a nation built upon a foundation of war?

Kirk: "Sign for the torpedoes that's an order." 

Scotty: "Jim, for the love of God, don't use those torpedoes."

Finally the crew is getting through to their captain. Kirk decides to change plans and instead do the more honorable thing; capture John Harrison alive and make him stand trial.

Kirk: "I will personally lead a landing party to an abandoned city on the surface of Kronos, Where we will capture the fugitive John Harrison And return him to Earth so he can face judgment for his actions."

Spock: "Captain, I believe you've made the right decision."

The story of John Harrison (Kahn Noonien Singh) might remind some of the hunt and death of Osama Bin Laden by U.S. special forces. Many conservatives and even President Obama ridiculed the idea put forward by liberals, that Bin Laden should be captured alive so he could stand trial. Michael Moore supported this proposal, blogging about why America is different than our enemies, because even the Nazis were given a trial after World War II.

When Kirk returns with Harrison, a new picture contradicting the account given by Admiral Marcus begins to emerge. 

Kahn: "Marcus used me to design weapons to help him realize his vision of a militarized Star Fleet."

And it is here where we can find even more parallels between Kahn and Osama Bin Laden; both were used by a greater power against a perceived threat. Any search for "Bin Laden" and "C.I.A." will yield reports by those trying to make the case; Bin Laden was funded and supported by the C.I.A. to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan long before 9-11. 

Kahn: "He sent you to use those weapons, to fire my torpedoes on an unsuspecting planet. And then he purposely crippled your ship in enemy space leading to one inevitable outcome. The Klingons would come searching for whomever was responsible and you would have no chance for escape. Marcus would have the war he talked about, The war he always wanted."

Again, this story parallels something similar to what we've seen before. Many believe Bush used Bin Laden's 9-11 attacks as a pretext to attack Iraq and have the war he always wanted and was planning well before that fateful day in September, 2001.

Kirk: "No, no. I watched you open fire in a room full of unarmed Starfleet officers. You killed them in cold blood!"

Kahn: "Marcus took my crew from me!"

Kirk: "You are a murderer!"

Kahn: "He used my friends to control me. I tried to smuggle them to safety by concealing them in the very weapons I had designed. But I was discovered. I had no choice but to escape alone. Now what I did, I had every reason to suspect that Marcus had killed every single one of the people I hold most dear. So I responded in kind. My crew is my family Kirk. Is there anything you would not do for your family?"

These lines by Kahn illustrate the ambiguous reality of war that contradict the traditional black and white, good vs. evil mental traps often propelling the war machine. Like Kirk, the majority in the West view Bin Laden as a murderer. The innocent people he killed in New York City show this to be true. And because he was then killed without a trial, we never got to hear him make points that might have sounded similar to Kahn's. Like Marcus and Kahn, Bin Laden first enjoyed a beneficial relationship with the U.S., having them supply weapons and resources to fight off the Soviets in Afghanistan. And when he perceived betrayal from those who once supported him, Bin Laden went the way of Kahn, seeking revenge on those he perceived to threaten the livelihood of his Taliban family.

When Kirk reveals to Admiral Marcus his intentions with Kahn, we see that his war would be threatened if the enemy should acquire a voice. 

Kirk: "Per Starfleet regulation I'm planning on returning Kahn to earth to stand trial." 

Admiral Marcus: "You talked to him. That's exactly what I was hoping to spare you from. I took a tactical risk and woke that bastard up believing that a superior intelligence could help us protect ourselves from whatever came at us next. But I made a mistake and now the blood of everybody he's killed is on my hands. So I'm asking you give him to me so that I can end what I started." 

Kirk: "What exactly would you like me do with the rest of his crew sir?" Fire them at the Klingons and end 72 lives?  Start a war in the process?"

Admiral Marcus: "You saw what this man could do all by himself, can you imagine what would happen if we woke up the rest of his crew?  What else did he tell you, that he's a peacekeeper? He's playing you son don't you see that? Kahn and his crew were condemned to death as war criminals. And now it is our duty to carry out that sentence before anyone else dies because of him. Now I'm going to ask you again one last time son. Lower your shields. Tell me where he is."

And then, the story rings with truth about the final tragedy of war, where those who want peace and refuse to fight, are declared just as dangerous as the enemy; obstacles to the war machine.

Admiral Marcus: "Captain Kirk, without authorization and in league with the fugitive John Harrison you went rogue in enemy territory leaving me no choice but to hunt you down and destroy you. Lock phasers."

Just as the audience now roots for Kirk and his crew, to fight against the material corruption inflicting Admiral Marcus and the blind side of Starfleet, how can we not root for the peacemakers of America seeking an end to war and internal corruption. 

It is the spiritual oriented peoples of Earth who can potentially restore hope, effectively waging peace to break the material corruption infecting the policies of those running the war machine, convincing them that this fight must go on indefinitely. The nightmare to avoid is the one Kirk and his crew faced, and we have also witnessed in the darker chapters of our world's history, where the peacemakers are accused of aiding the enemy simply for supporting peace.

Aligned with the very enemy Admiral Marcus sought to kill, Kirk must now work with Kahn in order to save his crew and ship. 

Spock: "This indicates that you plan to align with Kahn, the very man we were sent here to destroy." 

Kirk: "I'm not aligning with him I'm using him. The enemy of my enemy is my friend." 

Spock: "An Arabic proverb attributed to a prince who was betrayed and decapitated by his own subjects." 

It is ironic this quote Kirk uses with Spock, is the very principle that has guided American military policy for so long. And what do we think now when revisiting history books showing president Ronald Reagan hosting Taliban from Afghanistan at the White House, calling them "freedom fighters" and equivalent to the founding fathers of America? And there are other examples. How about the footage of Donald Rumsfeld shaking hands with Saddam Hussein in Iraq; both representing nations at a time when they were mutual enemies of Iran. 

Spock immediately sees the red flags in joining forces with a killer to fight a mutual enemy. 

Spock: "I cannot allow you to do this. It is my function aboard this ship to advise you in making the wisest decisions possible, something I firmly believe you are incapable of doing in this moment." 

Kirk and Kahn eventually exit the Enterprise together and seek to sneak on board Admiral Marcus's ship by flying rocket suits through a dangerous debris field. And ironically, Kahn saves Kirk's life after shrapnel cracks his helmet, shutting down his computer guidance towards their only way inside; a tiny cargo door to be secretly opened by Scotty. Later in their mission, Kirk pays back Kahn's good deed with betrayal, instructing Scotty to stun him as soon as they reached the bridge and put Admiral Marcus under their custody. 

Kirk: "Admiral Marcus, you're under arrest." 

Admiral Marcus: "War is coming! And who's going to lead us? You? If I'm not in charge our entire way of life is decimated." 

Luckily Admiral Marcus is wrong and for the time being, this great war is thwarted. And the peacemakers of the world have the same hope for the wars that seem to be spinning out of control now. Like an unstoppable domino effect of chaos out of hand, the Iraq and Afghanistan invasion has done little to curtail terrorist activity around the world. America's image in the eyes of many has suffered because of what the wars have done. And now Iraq continues to see increased sectarian violence ten years after the invasion. And the hundreds of thousands of refugees that fled Iraq to Syria have lead to internal problems in that country contributing to the horrendous civil war now raging there. And most recently we have witnessed hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing into Turkey, which is now seeing civil unrest on a scale that is shocking many around the world.

And unfortunately, the Middle East isn't the only hot spot simmering with conflict. North East Asia has seen conflicts escalating between North and South Korea along with the United States. The north has already threatened a nuclear attack on America, claiming to have the means of hitting Los Angeles, Chicago and NY. Soon after these threats, the U.S. and South Korea carried out military drills together, amassing modern weapons near the border while worrying many around the world that war is inevitable.

But in the mind and hearts of those guided by a spiritual calling, war can be thwarted. For the peacemaker, it is not an acceptable option to wage a military battle against North Korea and risk the possibility of their population, Seoul, Honolulu, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. destroyed by nuclear weapons. The infinite possibilities unfolding on the left coast through the promise of new technology and the emerging global mind facilitated by the world wide web, are fragile in their infancy and their further development is dependent on an atmosphere of peace. War would throw a wrench into the gears of what we could become, with potential to improve life for everyone on Earth which is why the peacemakers of the world must do everything they can to end the wars and show the world a glimpse of our full potential as a species similar to the positive side of Starfleet. Imagine our civilization and economy restructured, not around war, but around peace, exploration and benevolent application of technology in solving the problems facing our environment. Imagine humanity united as one on the global country of Earth, where war is a relic of a past left behind.

Because Kirk was betrayed by Kahn and Kahn betrayed by Kirk, defenses remain high and trust out of reach. Spock is drawn into the conflict and deceives Kahn into thinking that he beamed aboard his family, when in reality they were live torpedoes detonated to destroy his ship. 

After barely recovering control of their own, the Enterprise plummets into Earth's atmosphere and only gets its engine power back after Kirk sacrifices himself to save his ship. This selfless act comes at a heavy price; the radiation levels he was exposed to are fatal.

Meanwhile, Kahn has piloted a crippled ship into Earth's atmosphere with one thing on his mind; revenge against Starfleet. He crashes his ship in a sliding skid across the bay into central command in San Francisco, creating devastation and suffering on a scale thousands of times more horrifying than 9-11. 

Spock beams to the surface and takes chase after Kahn, eventually apprehending the superhuman with Uhura's help. 

And amazingly Dr. McCoy discovers a way to bring Kirk back from the dead, using Kahn's super cells to restore the captain back to full health. All is well in the Star Trek universe and Kirk gives an inspiring speech to thousands of somber citizens in San Francisco, reminding them that there are better things on the horizon for those who forsake the path of revenge and choose to avoid an escalation to war. 

Kirk: "There will always be those who mean to do us harm. To stop them we risk awakening the same evil within ourselves. Our first instinct is to seek revenge when those we love are taken from us. But that's not who we are. We are here today to rechristen the USS enterprise. And to honor those who lost their lives nearly one year ago. When Christopher Pike first gave me his ship he had me recite the captains oath. Words I didn't appreciate at the time. Now I see them as a call for us to remember who we once were and who we must be again. And those words; Space the final frontier these are the voyages of the starship enterprise. Her five-year mission, to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before. 

After hearing the inspiring end of this movie, I could immediately imagine it being directed at America, inspiring hope in a future where the dream is reborn, and the nightmare subverted. 

"There will always be those who mean to do us harm. To stop them we risk awakening the same evil within ourselves. Our first instinct is to seek revenge when those we love are taken from us. But that's not who we are. We are here today to rechristen the United States of America. And to honor all those who died by seeking the peace out of their reach." 

And in the American pledge of allegiance, the words "Liberty and Justice for All" punctuate the ending. This is a clear spiritual directive to make real the dream for humanity with the establishment of a global country, where "Liberty and Justice" will finally become a reality for "All." This is the promise and hope of our legacy. May all Americans at this time of great promise, pledge their allegiance to planet Earth, because we are citizens of the United States of America and serve the birth of a brighter future. Our beloved country was called onto the world stage at this time in history to wake from her nightmare and become the dream of World Spirit. We the people of the world seek to create together the greatest nation ever; a united states of Earth through means preexistent in the ends. We will be victorious because we are on the left side of history with the promise of A.I. and global mind guided by the power of love. And we believe in infinite possibilities where the escalation of modern conflict can be thwarted, World War III denied and our greatest dreams realized. 

The Gospel of

Civilization Z

An Open Source  spirituality for the 21st century

Just updated my Civilization Z presentation. 

The Possibility of Civilization Z (Click to Enlarge)

Chi Force & Holy Spirit:
Only One or the Same?

Theologue by Alex Gray

In my visits to Christian mega churches and Buddhist sanghas, I've been seeking a way to reconcile the open source orientation of East with the closed platform nature of the West. And I've also tried to reconcile their fantastical claims about the supernatural from a more logical bias, choosing Scientific skepticism over definitive proclamations of faith in the miraculous favoring one over the other.

Although, I must admit that more of me is drawn to the Eastern perspective and a world view open to the infinite possibilities that sees us all scratching only the tip of an iceberg of what the human body is truly capable of. Who in the East or West, wouldn't want to live in a universe of magical potentialities, where we can posses super human powers and perform miraculous abilities we only witness in popular films like Star Wars and stories such as the Bible? Who wouldn't want to be initiated into a secret world of communion with God or beloved dead masters, to shoot energy out of your hands for immobilizing people and spontaneously combusting objects into flames at will?

I've run into a lot of people who have already made their commitment to one side or the other, offering up anecdotal evidence of their personal experience witnessing miraculous power from God or at the hands of Tai Chi masters. The closed platform response from many fundamentalist Christians will have you believe that what they experienced was unique only to their faith and that if the same phenomena is experienced through Eastern modalities, it is suspect; corrupted by Satanic powers and all because they refuse to declare Jesus Christ their lord and savior. On the other hand, the open source platform response from many practitioners of Eastern spirituality will have you believe that what they experienced is something available to every human being and we all have the potential in harnessing Chi energy to benefit our lives. 

In my own personal experience, I have never been slain in the spirit at a Christian church because I would never just devote my life to Jesus Christ and not pay homage to the great things I see in other religions. I have a very visceral aversion to a closed platform theology that sees the world through a black and white lens of good vs. evil. It is easier for me to feel at home with practitioners of Eastern spirituality and religion where they reflect a more realistic reality of many shades of gray where yin and yang can connect in balance. And I also hit it off well with atheists and agnostics, seeing great value in their strict adherence to scientific skepticism. 

Whenever I have come into contact with extreme woo-woo perspectives of supernatural claims by Eastern practitioners, I greet them with a great deal of skepticism. I very much love a lot of things about Buddhism, but I am also wary of supernatural claims and especially ritualistic superstition I've seen exhibited by Tibetan Buddhists and within Hindu spirituality in general. At the same time, there are also some very compelling profound possibilities existing that stretch the limits of what we understand as being the true nature of reality. The chakra / chi energy system of Tibetan, Indian and Chinese philosophy have been especially compelling to me ever since I learned more of the idea behind them from books, documentaries and teachers.

I have also experienced interesting phenomena from energy healers that would assert the validity of claims often rejected by skeptics. It is interesting though how science is trying to work with Eastern practitioners in order to understand what exactly is going on when something considered miraculous is witnessed.

Tibetan Buddhist Monks - Meditation and Science

Because I have chronic Lyme disease and my symptoms keep worsening even in the presence of the best of what Western science has to offer for treating them, I am compelled to look outside the box for an alternative. This has lead me to practitioners of Eastern medicine and energy healers. One most recent energy healer I was being treated by, works with pets and I decided to introduce her to my dog Murphy. After she said hello, she offered an energy healing on him. From just the light touch of her hand, she was able to drop Murphy to the ground without any resistance. It was something I've never seen before first hand, and have only heard about through second hand sources. 

These accounts describe Tai Chi masters able to scatter people to the ground like bowling pins without them even making physical contact. And in a debate I was having with one of my friends about Chi, he was able to supply me with a video documenting this phenomena from a more skeptical source:

Phony Karate Master - No Touch KO Debunked

And after watching this, I was able to come across some other videos documenting chi practitioners in action:

Chi Energy Amazing Footage

(I thought it was interesting at the end what he says about his dead master reprimanding him. It's like Obi Wan Kanobi in Star Wars coming back from the netherworld.  :-P)

No Touch Knockout with Chi

It's quite easy to find videos of Christian evangelists initiating something quite similar in their religious crusades:

Even if science is able to debunk the Chi energy / slain in the spirit phenomena as a psychological gimmick of weak minds succumbing to the powers of suggestibility, it still doesn't make sense to me how it would work on my dog, who has no concept of what's going on in the first place. And what of the strange things I've witnessed? Are they all magic tricks? I once traveled to China in 2000 and participated in a demonstration at a Chinese medicine clinic. There I saw a Chi master do the same light bulb trick done in the second video above; where he touches the bottom causing it to light up. I'm still skeptical of what went on, but at the same time, maybe there is something to this stuff. I can't explain the electrical heat like energy I felt from the hands of energy healers or what they were able to do to my dog. So what the heck is going on? Is it some elaborate deception?

In the debate I had with my friend about Chi, I can definitely relate to the good points he makes about why he is skeptical, 

"Call me an arrogant Westerner, but I highly doubt that ancient peoples could have this esoteric knowledge that us moderns with our advanced science and machines haven't been able to detect. I really think the answer is something more simple than the vitalism of Chi. I think it has something to do with psychology (maybe even the psychology of animals), and is perhaps more akin to the magic tricks that talented magicians like Penn and Teller perform every day. Or, perhaps it is purely physiological, and these Chi masters are really doing something akin to the "Vulcan Nerve Pinch"? No Chi necessary, just good knowledge of the human body."

And my friend makes some other great points I agree with:

"How come this stuff is not completely, utterly, well documented, instead of the odd candid video here and there. It seems that if this stuff were true, we would be seeing it happen all the time, and there would be news reports all over the place, and scientists would have ample documentation. But no, its all just on the level of magic tricks. How come no one has ever taken James Randi's famous one million dollar challenge to prove claims of the supernatural? And don't tell me that everyone who has had this power, has a conscience about using it for public view, as the guy in the video says. SOMEONE would eventually come forward and show their power."

My reaction to what he says here reminds me of the elitist nature of those who supposedly master the material and spiritual domains. Those who master the material, represent a very small percentage of our population. And there are the conspiracy theories about how only a handful of the richest families (billionaires) on the planet, control the course of Western governments, pulling political strings like master puppeteers. And then the accounts of those who master the spiritual, are just as murky as those on their opposite side. It is almost always some story of a hermit yogi living in the Himalayas and has mastered the spiritual realm to such a degree that they can vanish from thin air, walk through walls and manifest objects to appear straight from their imagination.

Read my blog post about Yogananda here

And then we have the ancient religious scriptures, chalk full of miraculous stories that nobody ever witnesses in person, but must believe through blind faith. 

And of those living people who claim super human powers, they never openly reveal their ability to the masses. As my friend alludes to, it's always revealed in the dimly lit room used by magicians or in grainy videos whose source is always in question due to easily accessible computer generated special effects. 

This reality we are all too familiar with brings to mind the world George Lucas imagined in his Star Wars films. In it, the Force is a very exclusive power wielded by only an elite group of people gifted by genetic blessedness through an elevated level of Midi-Chlorians.



If you think about it, this sounds a lot like our world. In a material sense, the same can be said for the tiny percentage of our populace that controls the majority of all wealth on the planet. And most of them will bluntly tell you that they are special and the wealth they come by isn't something that everyone can have. On the other hand, in a spiritual sense, the same can be said for the tiny percentage of our populace who has the so called spiritual power, wielding the kind of miracles we usually only hear about in holy scriptures. 

Interestingly though, the spiritual world has a tradition of throwing a wrench in the gears of the material world view. Even if the reality of spiritual elitism mirrors the exclusive nature of material elitism, many on the spiritual side try to sell an idea foreign to what we are used to, and that is their power isn't unique to them, but available to everyone. And often times we will see people in our world born with elite gifts: Michael Jordan who can jump 49 inches off the ground from a stand still, Steve Jobs with the intelligence to rewrite the entire social fabric of our world with hand held machines, super models whose external beauty provokes the lust and envy of millions, idiot savants with photographic memories and capability of drawing in exact detail a scene they saw a day before. 

Aren't these miraculous gifts just as remarkable as Chi masters who can throw people to the ground without touching them? And if those gifted with such remarkable power are more in tune with the spiritual side, they will try to pass these powers off as unremarkable; available to anyone serious enough to pursue them. 

Within the spectrum of any kind of power, we can see that its application is neutral. As in Star Wars, the Force is available for Jedi and Sith alike to wield. The material side seems more Sith in orientation; more of a top down approach where the elites of government, finance and military power laugh at the expectation of a day near at hand where the playing field will be leveled, and every human will possess the same privileges and powers they enjoy. 

The spiritual side on the other hand seems to be more Jedi in orientation with a bottom up approach. Even though the so called spiritual gifts of miraculous powers seem just as exclusively wielded by a handful of elites as the mass sums of wealth and political power that are wielded by their material counterpart, both sides seem to hold only a tiny percentage of people able to enjoy their benefits. But as a striking contrast, it is often taught in spiritual circles of an Eastern open source persuasion, that these powers are available to every human seeking them and should be used to liberate all beings. And even in closed source persuasions of the West, they have theologies imagining a day where all humanity lives in a heavenly abode of a classless divine kingdom of perfect equality, with the exception of a God running the elite government and shepherding his children to bliss. 

Because the spiritual realm seems just as elitist as the material while being ineffectual turning the tables on a top down approach in our world, the skeptical assessment from my friend makes more sense.

"And don't forget that there are layers to this kind of thing...meaning how do we know that the TV producers aren't in on the ruse? It's possible. And, if you ask me, it's more probable. And James Randi, and Penn & Teller, would argue that the ability to trick people knows no limits. After all they are well experienced in these things. Look at David Copperfield."

I must admit that it is entirely possible these spiritual miracles are just slight of hand tricks. And if they are real, there may be another possibility; perhaps they are alien beings using superior technologies to wow us. I know this sounds nutty, but just as our presence toying with ants on an ant hill, would baffle and confound those small creatures living within, might not superior beings be toying around with our planet? Isn't the tendency of many humans of our past, to elevate people with special powers to Godlike status? In one of my sessions with the energy healer, I jokingly asked her if she was an alien. Of course she laughed, but to a conspiracy theorist, this would all be part of the charade. 

I like what my friend had to say about finding an explanation for such things:

"My final comment is that, true, I have no explanation for these things, BUT just because I can't think of how they were done, doesn't mean that the explanations given by the people who did them are correct. Obviously, both Benny Hinn and these Chi masters can't both be right about the nature of this phenomena!"

And because Benny Hinn and Chi masters can't both be right, it seems much more likely to me that the open source, spiritual, bottom up, non dual approach of the East is far more likely even if it flies in the face of the top down, closed source, good vs. evil ways dominating our world. My friend remains skeptical and I will too, unless I experience some kind of breakthrough propelling me into the spiritual circle of elites, able to harness Chi energy for miraculous ability. At the end of his message to me, my friend expresses the same open source sentiment:

"But I must remind myself to keep an open mind. Show me REAL evidence, and I will change my worldview!"

When I shared this debate with another friend who was female, this is what she had to offer:

"That is a very interesting topic. I do not doubt that there are other types of energies that we are not completely aware of. I personally had a lot of interesting experiences with dreams and during REM periods. However, it is when these are offer for a price and to give someone power to manipulate others that I do not buy them. I believe that one has to be really in touch with the higher source in order to discover and feel these energies. The problem with this is that the more one is concern with money, material things, and fame the less this is possible. I have my reservations about anyone that offers this kind of service ($) per a pay to be honest." 

I think she expresses what most of us feel about the possibility of these wondrous powers. Part of us want to live a world where this kind of thing is possible, but we shudder at the idea that it could be used for commercial and material exploitation. 

Everyday Joe's Service

Everyday Joe's is located near Old Town in Ft. Collins and housed inside a large coffee shop with a lot of character. I enjoyed the music performed at the start of the service by the church's very own rock band. Some of the lyrics were interesting and I recorded some of them to analyze. One of the songs went something like this:

"Skeleton bones stand at the sound of eternity, on the lips of the found, gravestones float through the river running sound in you. Separate those doors and let the son of resurrection in." 

At the beginning of the song, they seem to refer to the resurrection many Christians believe will bring them into eternal life. The Western perspective has held the ancient idea that the material body is important to preserve, so the bones will be assembled on the judgement day and you can be reborn inside the body you depart with upon death. It is this form you will experience for eternity in heaven. 

I remember around the summer of 2000, I had a plane flight next a Muslim man from the Middle East and we had a very interesting conversation on the flight back East. He continually drilled me throughout the trip, trying to figure out what I was. At first he wanted to know if I was Jewish. When I said no, he wanted to know if I was Christian. He obviously didn't think I was Muslim. After telling him about my attraction to Buddhism and spirituality, he had it out with me expressing his disdain for Eastern thought. 

At one point he told me the reason Buddhists cremate their bodies after death, is because they fear the judgement of God and want to try and make it impossible for him to reassemble their bodies for the resurrection. As bizarre as this idea was to me, what I was hearing from the Muslim was an expression of the dual perspectives dividing East and West. One side is very material oriented, thinking that this form is what defines who we are. The other side sees this form as impermanent; the body as inconsequential as an outfit of clothing, something to burn at death after it has been worn out and outlived its usefulness, because it's not who we really are. 

The idea of resurrection is not entirely out of the question as far as what is possible in the future, but it seems much more likely to me that if we will be resurrected, it will be at the hands of a being who has evolved in the universe like us, to a level of consciousness many today would recognize as God-like. I think Richard Dawkins describes the thought behind this idea that makes much more sense:

The next part of the band's song describes the born again transformation they believe takes place when opening one's heart to invite Christ inside:

"Oh let us adore the son of glory, drenched in love. Open up your gates before him."

In another song, the lyrics describe the good side of Christianity, the part I look at and feel no aversion to by describing the highest form of God consciousness as someone sent to love, heal and forgive. 

"God sent his son. They called him Jesus. He came to love, heal and forgive."

The lyrics continue to describe what I view as the evolution of the cosmos towards a more Godlike consciousness. It is this evolved state beings move towards, that holds the future with a different paradigm than our own, where most of nature is still dominated by cruelty and survival of the fittest. 

"Because he lives, I can face tomorrow. Because he loves, all fear is gone. Because I know he holds the future. That life is worth the living just because he lives. And then one day, I'll cross that river. I'll fight life's fight, no more with pain. And then this doubt, gives way to victory, I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know he lives."

The very end of these lyrics describe the universal journey into death, and finding not darkness but "lights of glory." This is the near death experience many people have come back to describe, where they enter a dark tunnel to find a bright light shining at the end. What is interesting is that this experience is universally expressed even in cultures that are not Christian.

After the rock bands finished, Pastor Darren Fred gave the sermon on Psalm 139.  Fred began speaking about prayer. 

"When we pray, we pray to God. But have you ever thought that sometimes my prayers aren't just for God, but they're for me? Like I need to hear some of these things with my own ears so we say them and direct them for God. But they're also for us." 

This is something interesting I've observed in many Christian churches. I view their prayers as a means of communication opening up between them. If somebody prays in a church about the job they lost and how they need God to give them another job, another congregant who just lost an employee will see an answer to their problem and all while becoming an answer to a prayer for someone else.  

Pastor Fred continues; "You have searched me lord and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise, you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down. You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you Lord know it completely. You hem me in from behind and before. You lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain." 

After hearing this, I immediately interpreted it from an Eastern perspective; God as the eternal emptiness holding all reality in place. On one level, I can see where Pastor Fred is coming from in describing God as knowing everything about reality, simply because all reality is sustained by a God-like emptiness. But knowledge about the entirety of this reality is withheld from us, because our perspective is just a fraction of the whole, not plugged into the near infinite data describing every state of all phenomena, coming into being at every particular moment across the stretches of near infinite space and time. And only when more and more perspectives are combined, recorded and analyzed by intelligent beings, can we approach a unifying whole nearing a more "God-like" perspective. But at this stage of our evolution, this will always be incomplete.  

Pastor Fred continues; "What I know about you blows my mind, but I just have the tip of the iceberg, there is so much more and it humbles me." 

What Pastor Fred describes here is a reality many scientists describe when talking about their study of the universe. The more they know, the more they realize they don't know and the appropriate response to the vastness of reality are feelings of awe and humility. 

"I can go anywhere and you are there. What if I went to the darkest, darkest place. For you created my innermost being. you knit me together in my mother's womb. My frame was not hidden from you. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth."

Here, Pastor Fred describes again how small and insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things. At this stage, we literally have almost zero control over the movement of the cosmos. We are just simply observers going along for the ride set up by an intelligence incomprehensibly more vast than our own.

In the next part of his sermon, Pastor Fred begins describing one of the major problems with human beings; the arrogance of casting God in our image. Coming from a place of awe and humility, the problems arise when these are discarded for the conviction that one can commune with the great consciousness and find its image or will within our own before we have an evolved consciousness. The great emptiness sustaining and holding all beings in perfect patience and compassion, now becomes a projection of our own limited judgement and perspectives; "If only you God would slay the wicked."  "They speak of you with evil intent, your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you. I will defend you and hate those who you hate. The Psalmwriter is giving himself credit because he is on God's side." 

But could it be the Psalmist is only describing the natural aversion of those who deal with human beings who pass themselves off as being in communion with and knowing the mind of God. "You kill them, but if you take too long, I might have to kill them."  "Why don't we kill more people? "If you see it and you know it." And if God sees everything and knows everything, how can this be reconciled to all the horrendous things happing in the world. This is the frustration expressed by the Psalmist who describes God as being so great and good. And because he believes this, he can't understand what is going on. Pastor Fred describes this as "theodicy"; a problem with God. And this is why I think the Eastern perspective could enhance the Western.

The Western view of God tries to reconcile the impersonality of the universe with the all knowing benevolence of God running the show. But in the East, God isn't a personal omniscient being, but more of an impersonal emptiness; the vast space holding everything in place. From this perspective, personality only emerges in the particular beings within this vast emptiness that awaken to consciousness. When Jesus stated, "there is not a sparrow that falls that God doesn't see." perhaps he was speaking figuratively about the future, and the God-like beings who will evolve to greater and greater awareness, until they literally are connected to all the data passing through reality, recording and becoming aware of everything. The impersonality and unconscious emptiness knows how many hairs are on your head only when it awakens through its beings who arise in the future and attain a God-like consciousness, where curiosity to know itself as a plugged in component reality, processing the vast amounts of data available. Perhaps after evolving for trillions of years, can it gain the knowledge and power to rewind history in search of the meaning of it all. 

But when you don't find reconciliation between the two sides, East and West, you are left with the God problem that can lead to violent resistance to the impersonal emptiness thought to have personality,  causing men to project their own image of God towards that which has yet to evolve. And perhaps the subconscious awareness of this is described in Pastor Fred's longing for something transcendent of the horror in life; "love never fails." Is this what "holds the future" that the church rock band sang so passionately about at the beginning of the service?

"You are a great God so why don't you kill more people? (continued...)" 

"No matter what happens, if you love, you have won." This sounds like the same idea from the movie, Tree of Life, "Those who love by the way of grace, never come to a bad end." This is a topic I plan on blogging about extensively after I put together my notes I've taken on the first twenty minutes of the movie. 

Pastor Fred continues in regard to the Psalmist and God's knowledge. "You have searched me, and you know me. You know everything. Remember, he already said that the he believes that. So search me. We have the psalmist saying, you have searched me and know everything, so search me. But that just didn't make sense to me. Like I already searched you buddy, move on, next. No, and I thought and I thought about that. And then, search me and see. What does God need to see? You already saw it all. Doesn't he already know. And I thought about that. And then it hit me, you know but I don't. Is the Psalmist saying you know me, you've searched me but I don't, I don't get myself. You think you know yourself, but you don't. Not so much as we think we do.  And the Psalmist has got ahold of that. I know I hate the people you hate, but why? I know how I feel, I know what I want. I know what I think. That I pound the Bible about over people that it's true cause it's in there and I think I'm right. But I feel, I don't know my heart. And it's like the Psalmist is saying, you have been there, before my soul awoke. you know everything about me. you've been there. Now take me there. And the question, what will God find when he searches the Psalm writer's heart? Then the question, what will God find if we go with him on a trip to our own heart." 

Wow! After hearing this commentary on the Psalmist, I could connect it perfectly to an Eastern perspective. The vast impersonal emptiness holding all reality in place, has omniscient data constantly flowing through it, but it has yet to be collected and recorded by conscious beings until they evolve into greater awareness. 

"And I thought about that. And then it hit me, you know but I don't. Is the Psalmist saying you know me, you've searched me but I don't, I don't get myself. You think you know yourself, but you don't. Not so much as we think we do." 

And perhaps the Psalmist metaphorically represents the evolution of conscious beings coming into existence, so that they may know themselves. All the omniscient data is already there, but we aren't aware of it until we observe and make sense of it. 

"And it's like the Psalmist is saying, you have been there, before my soul awoke. you know everything about me. you've been there. Now take me there." And perhaps this is the journey of the universe. Taking us into the knowledge that is already held in place by the great emptiness. 

"And the question, what will God find when he searches the Psalm writer's heart. Then the question, what will God find if we go with him on a trip to our own heart." Wow. Is this the course the cosmos? It is taking us on a trip to our own heart. And this journey follows primitive beings evolving into more God-like consciousness, eventually to become so advanced, we would see them today as Gods. Perhaps they will begin extracting the omniscient data embedded into the fabric of reality, as they rewind space and time on a journey to our own heart.  

Now Pastor Fred describes this journey in greater detail, as it relates to uncovering one's shadow; " Have you ever had to drive through ugliness to get somewhere nice?" Pastor Fred uses the metaphor of Nebraska as the shadow side that must be traversed to get to his favorite town in Iowa where his beloved family lived. It was a "terrible trip, but worth it." And this is like the journey into our hearts. "Search my heart God, would you show me. Yeah. It could get long, and hot and ugly. There are going to be some times on the way to your heart you'd want to turn around."

And this is a perfect metaphor for the journey of humankind at this momentous time in our history. We are at a crossroads where we must take the journey to our own heart. At this point in Pastor Fred's sermon, I was again reminded of the shadow side within Christianity. And confronting this shadow is the terrible trip humans in the West must take into the heart of what is more real; our true salvation transcending religious dogma through spirit; where we can finally be united together with all humanity. The Christians who have already taken this trip through their shadow, will speak about the true freedom and power found in spirit. And in this spirit, "love never fails." 

It is this transcendent and universal reality attained through overcoming the shadow which will stand as a striking contrast to dogmatic pronouncements, trying to restrict and deny access to the freedom of spirit. "Have you been saved? Have you thought about where you will spend eternity?" It is their dogmatic blindness that keeps them from seeing we are already saved and are already experiencing our being within eternity. There is an intuitive side of ourselves that transcends dogma, to realize that "love never fails." And the expression of this love will transcend our limited lives to evolve towards God-like beings, who "shall stand upon this earth as one stands upon a footstool, and shall laugh and reach out their hands amidst the stars.” -- HG Wells

Pastor Fred continued: "Have you let your creator search your soul? Would you dare? I have come to find what was lost, things taken, things forfeited by ourselves. We love, we hate, we lust we crave, we fear, we tremble and we don't know why. Search our heart oh God, to know us and to help us know ourselves. Take us to a beautiful place. I just pray we will be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves."

This I thought was cool at the end. Pastor Fred speaks of the unifying polarity of two sides coming together for a more perfect union. Only when the Satanic symbol of the serpent, is reunited with the innocent symbolism of the dove, can the great war be stopped so that peace may reign. And within humanity, this is also true about East and West, the atheist and theist, the liberal and conservative, the communist and capitalist, the Democrat and Republican, the lion and the lamb, the left with the right, the rich and the poor. 

And Pastor Fred ends his sermon connecting with what I see happening on our Earth in the coming century, as humanity takes the journey through their shadow side, in search of the heart. "Do you really want your soul searched and riding shotgun on that search, because it's going to get ugly. but worth it because love never fails."

And this love finds expression in a new storyline, challenging the shadow side of Christianity as well as Western religion. It is a storyline where the East can be reconciled with the West; Christ with Buddha. 

It is through intuition, where we can find a much more beautiful story than that which has already been told, and finds its limits in materialistic dogma, trying to restrict freedom of access to the power of spirit. 

And what if this power gives us the freedom to avoid the nightmare, for a dream reborn; one in which we avoid the hate of our self destruction to find the promise in a love that never fails;  the completion of our potential as a united species on Earth, living at last in the peace and prosperity of a global country.