America at the "Y"...

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Since the election… nothing has been the same… It’s as if the illusion I’ve been living was struck by a lightning bolt… which destroyed even the thickest of stones… and the condition of the foundation on which I thought I could depend… became clear… Not that I haven’t realized for quite some time… that change was upon us… Even so, it was still a shock… leaving me in unfamiliar… uncomfortable… and frightfully new territory… Until this morning, I had been unable to put my finger on what I was feeling… I wasn’t able to voice what I was sensing… However, now, I can…

The election of Donald Trump is symbolic of the fact that the bottom has fallen out… the foundation has cracked… the rules… beliefs… laws… which held the illusion together… are no longer dependable… (They never really were.)… Donald Trump represents the fall of the illusion… the “blowing up” of the system… And though many of us have sensed the drastic need for change… due to the fact that we’ve outgrown our own illusion… I’m not so sure we were ready to be tossed into the deep end… The President-elect doesn’t believe in rules… He doesn’t follow “tradition”… He has his own protocols… and his beliefs, as well as allegiances, seem to change second-by-second… depending on what he wants… There is nothing sacred… and little to be respected… at least this is what is implied through the actions and words of society's perfect reflection -Donald Trump… 

The election of Donald Trump is symbolic of the fact that an old reality is imploding… its time has come… and we are now faced with the decision as to what will replace it… What will stay?... What will go?... What are our values as Americans?... What is the foundation on which we can depend?  We the People are at a “Y” in the road… and stepping up… taking a stand… empowering our voices… remaining vigilant… is crucial…

There are those of us desiring to continue the “grand experiment” the founders began… We desire to pursue the utopian society envisioned… a society based in freedom for all… where our unity is emboldened and strengthened by the inclusion of our diversity… a society policed by the individual empowerment of each member… standing at their border… while respecting the border of every other… a society where our systems are strong because we've created them together...

Then, there are those of us who wish something very different… a society based in one language… one religion… one ethnicity… one race… one type of marriage… one type of sexual orientation… one of everything… not realizing that this type of society will not escape “diversity”, either… and will eventually – and perpetually – be at war… deciding which “difference” has to be destroyed… outlawed… next…

And finally… there are those attempting to gain control of it all… establishing a hierarchy… where the “have-a-lot-of-a-lot’s” continue their dominance… while the “don’t-have-hardly-anything’s” disappear…They benefit from all the infighting and fear-mongering… separating all of us into factions… However, in this scenario  as well… a time will come when even the most ardent of supporters is next on the “voted-out- of-this-incarnation” list… Only one can win in this game… and, of course, in the end, they won’t win, either…

  

Yes, my descriptions are overly simplified... but the fact remains... we have arrived at a juncture where the rules of the old illusion are no longer dependable… many are no longer applicable... many are no longer worthy of support… many never benefitted the whole, ever… Whether we participate or not… the rules of a new foundation… a new reality… are up for grabs… What will America look like… be like… in the years to come?... Will she still be a beacon for freedom?... Will she collapse into fascism and corruption as other societies have done before?... For those of us who believe in the “grand experiment”… who desire to create a reality we know is possible… a reality empowered by the uniqueness of God’s creations… now is the time to step up… claim our power… and never… never… give in… This is the time we’ve waited for… so "Buckle up, Buttercup"… this is why we’re here.

In Love and Freedom,

Karrie

So...what are YOU screaming about?

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

There are some who would say Facebooking isn’t real activism… I would disagree... and for the following reason… Sometimes, just a simple, authentic conversation, can make a huge difference… a conversation where we aren’t afraid to find out why the “other” is so upset… why they’re screaming…

I’ve been screaming since the election results… and I’m not the only one… Protesters are screaming… Anti-protesters are screaming… Many, many people are screaming… I say “Awesome!... Let’s get it out!”... Most likely, all of us have plenty of anger, frustration, grief, disappointment and resentment stored up… and not from just this election… This election is the catalyst for the release… and maybe we need to take advantage of it… Maybe we need to scream… and scream… and scream… if only to get to the place… where we can finally ask each other… “Hey... what are you screaming about?”…

I had such a conversation this morning… and it began with just asking a simple question… do you believe in freedom and equality for all people?... I mean, wasn’t that what the Declaration of Independence was really about?... Isn’t that why we revere it?... For me, this is the foundation… and without this foundation… the other conversations about government spending and programs, for example… are going to be rough going… Perhaps it’s helpful for you to know that about me… I’m certainly willing to have conversations about programs and spending… I would welcome them… However, freedom and equality come first… If we can’t simultaneously work toward these ideals… we probably aren’t going to get very far.  In my perspective… if freedom and equality truly were the law of the land… many of these government programs people scream about wouldn’t even be needed… But the truth is… we’re still working on the freedom and equality thing…

So… some people are screaming about freedom and equality… some are screaming about God and religion… some are screaming about government programs... trade agreements…  immigration… the second amendment… free speech… etc… etc… etc… And what I’m finding is… there is no clear-cut dividing line when it comes to these issues… You can’t lump those protesting for freedom and equality into opponents of the second amendment… You can’t lump those protesting for freedom and equality into some anti-God movement… and vice-versa… We all have core issues… but that doesn’t mean we don’t agree on other issues… This is where political parties, or the lumping of separate issues together, become dangerous… What we’re going through as a nation isn’t that simple… it cannot be solved by a political party… This is an issue by issue process… a sorting out… and perhaps the only way to wade through it successfully is via conversation… And, real conversations – where each participant listens as well as shares - take courage, don’t they…

I have a sense… that if we could do this… we might just find out… that as far as a majority goes… we aren’t as polarized as we might think… and that perhaps our unified focus could actually be very useful elsewhere… other than on each other… So… perhaps one form of activism begins with a conversation… one conversation at a time… where we each muster the courage to ask another… “So… what are you screaming about?”

Here’s to empowering our voices… as well as our ears… J

Much love,

Karrie 

PS This doesn't mean I won't be tenaciously defending my border... and I expect nothing less from each of you. 

As we make each other uncomfortable...

Sunday, November 20, 2016

I have spent much time since the election attempting to figure out my new strategy for living… my new approach to life… my old strategy having been completely disintegrated by the realization of a reality completely blown apart… Something happened with this particular election… something shifted… something erupted from the core of my being… and nothing… absolutely nothing… will ever be the same, again…

I have spent much of my life persevering to be “good”… “kind”… doing my best to “understand”… making every attempt to “unconditionally love”… while simultaneously taking the hits… taking the judgment… accepting another’s experience-less opinions… and stifling my own expression to great degree… burying my own pain… because I didn’t want to make others uncomfortable… (Perhaps, too, I didn’t want to make myself uncomfortable)… If nothing else… this election has awakened me to the fact… that I’m not willing to do this anymore… I’m not able to do this anymore… I won’t do this anymore…

It occurs to me, now… that I’m not here to make another – or myself - comfortable… I’m here to be who I am… how God made me… no matter how others may judge… that’s between God and me… I’m not here to be like everyone else… and I really doubt… any of us are here… to be… like anyone else… It seems assured… we have that much in common…

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all [human beings] are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

I’m also getting a deeper understanding… that it is our discomfort with difference… which challenges us to grow… to wake up… to share and listen… to move beyond judgment and falsities… delusions ages old… It is our own uniqueness… which challenges the status quo… if only we have the courage to live it… eventually moving beyond fear… coming from a place of empowerment… and authenticity… living from freedom… becoming a more truthful contribution to our world…

This election has already catalyzed a huge shift… a shift which has forced me into empowerment… the willingness to stand for my own diversity… the Right to be who I am… the Right to live my life as I was individually destined… my Rights to Life and Liberty…

We hold these truths to be self-evident… Yes… I, for one, do…

Much love,

Karrie

As I continue to process the election...

Sunday, November 13, 2016

I really do acknowledge there were many reasons Americans voted for President-elect Trump… It wasn’t just about hatred… I really do understand this… The status quo is no longer relevant to the vast majority of Americans… The Clintons represented a very large shadow in regard to the establishment… The Democrats cheated… they rigged the primary… I could see what was coming way back in June… We make our choices… and there is a time… when we’re going to “pay the piper”… Donald Trump’s statements, comments, tweets during the campaigning were incredibly outrageous to many… He, too, is, in many ways, paying the piper via protests and more… For me, the Republican Party is perhaps even more outrageous… If you haven’t done so… take a look at the 2016 Republican Platform – the party agenda for the next 4 years… If you want to understand the protests… the fear… the anger of many people… you will find many answers in this document. That’s not to say there aren’t some reasonable elements in it… but if you really want to understand what’s happening… then you will read this document through the eyes of another… and perhaps get a glimpse of the reason behind the protests…   

For me, the expression of the pain… anger… fear… I felt, and expressed, after the election… was the release of the pain… anger… fear… I have buried for years… I make no apologies for that expression… It has cleared the way for my own empowerment… as I will no longer play “invisible” to any degree for those who find the expression of who I am… uncomfortable… As I stated before, I will stand at my boundary… I will march… I will put my life on the line when my soul demands – as so many patriots have done before me - because I truly believe in the essence of America… I always have…

Life and Liberty are the core essence of my belief system… They are my foundation… And, they are unalienable… they cannot be taken away… To be held hostage by the more narrow-minded beliefs of another (which they have the right to)… is something that might be allowed out of fear… but it is an illusion… These Rights cannot be taken away because, essentially, they are of the Creator… that’s what makes them unalienable.

This being said… I do not have the right to infringe upon another’s life… just as another does not have the right to infringe upon my life… This is a two-way call to action… First, I must stand at my boundary… empowered… safeguarding my right to my own life… I must be my own best representative… and second, I must do my best to not infringe upon another’s life… understanding that when I choose to step into another’s life, uninvited… there are consequences…

This most likely speaks to many – and on many levels – who, for instance, believe the government has far overstepped its bounds in many cases… I don’t disagree… What has come before us is a tangled, complicated, enormous ball of issues and challenges… that can no longer go unaddressed… There is much work ahead... many a heated discussion… and each is called to share their perspective and, just as importantly, listen… We can no longer afford to fight for an “either/or” society… We must find a way to make it a “both/and” if we are to have any hope of peace…

Finally, as far as an individual’s Rights to Life and Liberty are concerned, I really appreciated a comment from a Christian woman… who said, “We all have things we will be judged for. Those things are between us and God. He will judge each one according to His Word.”… She may or may not agree with my expression of life… but she leaves it between me and God.  And as my mother – whom I cherish, respect and admire - said to a minister, who suggested that anyone friends with a gay or lesbian person will also go to hell… “I’ll take my chances with God.” Thanks, Mom… your inherent “goodness”… is a continued light, inspiration, and aspiration in my life…

Desiring the best for all of us… as we make our way through these challenging times… learning to be our own best representative… as well as learning to respect the Rights of another… sharing and listening… creating a new world that works for All of Us…

Much love,

Karrie

A shift has occurred...

Yesterday, I began to notice a shift in my Facebook news feed… Perhaps it was subtle… perhaps not… whichever, I felt it… Less anger and pointing fingers… more love and coming together…

I saw posts of police officers and African Americans hugging… talking… supporting each other… I saw marches – not so much in protest – but as a call for change… (There is a huge difference in the two.) I saw beautiful videos which transcended “color”… (“I’m not a color. I’m me.”)… reclaiming the fact that beneath it all, we’re human beings... This is a shift… more people coming together… regardless of role, race or surface level difference… joining as human beings… joining through love…

One thing, I really love about Facebook is the “evolution” I’m privy to. If I can hang in there long enough… and not only bear the opinions and perspectives vastly different than my own… but listen… really hear where people are coming from… something, many times, shifts within me… I had one of those moments this morning…

I’ve been advertising my book, the Tea Room, on Facebook… and there are times when someone not only clicks on the ad… but likes it… or shares it… Many times, I’m curious about who the person is… This morning, I tapped on the picture of someone who had shared the ad… and up pops the Facebook page of an African-American woman from Detroit, Michigan… I noticed immediately her page was primarily African-Americans… and as I scrolled down the posts… I came across one posted by an African-American male in regard to his son… The child was about 3 (I’m not very good at guessing ages.), sitting cross-legged, his head slightly bowed, and his hands held in front of his face in a prayer position… Evidently, that morning, as his dad was getting ready to leave, the little boy said, “I love you… Please be careful.” This, of course, deeply moved his father… as well as others who responded to the post.

All the posts I read in response to this post were by African-Americans… For me, it was like being a fly on the wall… listening to a conversation I would never be privy to otherwise… It was incredibly authentic… the concerns… the pain… the fear… the confusion over how to handle the circumstances which were no longer bearable… Perhaps for the very first time, I felt it… I felt what they were feeling… and I understood from a totally different place… from a human place… a heart place… This was an incredible gift…

I sense the shift I felt within me… is the same shift I felt in the collective as I perused my Facebook news feed.  This is a shift from fighting for our own perspective as the only truth… to understanding that each of us has a perspective… a perspective created by our own experiences… and therefore, indisputable. We cannot argue or debate another’s experiences. We can only persevere to understand… That’s the only way we can transcend the challenges presented by uniqueness… and move toward real and inclusive solutions, together.

Much love,

Karrie

The Brilliance of Political Chaos

Last night, as with many nights of late, I dreamt politics.  My dreams have been filled with a passionate desire to understand… part of me desires to know, what’s going on?! Last night, after a very long day of travelling… the dreamtime gave me some brilliant answers.

Stepping back from my perspective… looking at the big, big picture… feeling beneath the surface of the political chaos… what we see… is not the whole of it… The chaos… the struggle… the incredible pace at which things are moving… is Consciousness… the flow of the One and Only… commandeering change… Can you feel it?  Politics is the stage on which we get to see all our beliefs displayed… all the starring archetypal forces of old… none of which we may have been aware… This particular election… may be more about what’s to come… than the immediacy of who’s elected president… because the transformation being called forth… will continue to morph, grow and intensify… well beyond November 2016…

Things are changing… and the “traditional”… the “establishment”… the old power structures… are like dams, stressed by the increasingly rising force of flooding waters… The pressure isn’t going to go away… It’s not going to be quelled… It’s only going to grow… and it’s meant to…

My dream last night… had me looking at Donald Trump very differently… Beneath the surface… his character plays the part of the catalyst… a catalyst that can’t be ignored… What he says motivates people… one way or the other… He also shows us what it can be like to be empowered… free… unafraid… owned by no one… He refuses to be “heeled” by the media… a political party… the establishment… He is the catalyst that gets people moving… He’s the hurricane… the wild card… and he’s a force that cannot be denied… Look at what’s happening to the Republican party... openly trying to figure out how to stop him… Good luck… Change… Change… Change… Consciousness moves in mysterious ways… doesn’t it?…

On the other end… we have a similar character in Bernie Sanders… Where Trump is the “hare”… Bernie Sanders is the “tortoise”… Bernie isn’t owned by the media… a political party… or the establishment, either… Though the Democratic party has attempted to barricade the barn doors... the rotting wood is about to give… or those doors may be blown off… Where Trump is the hurricane… blowing up structures… catalyzing people to move, NOW… Bernie represents a slow burn… a growing movement over time… the people reclaiming their empowerment…. His character represents that which will endure… long after each of us is gone… Trump is the “I”… Bernie the “We”… and both are necessary… when it comes to change…

Let’s not forget those we deem to represent the “establishment”… those who we may see as representing the shadows… the outdated… the “way it’s always been”… They have a part too… Humanity changes through oscillation… We oscillate… back and forth… between the old… and the new… what has always been… and what is to be… That’s what we do… Everyone plays a part… We would do well not to judge ourselves…  

It’s also become clear to me… that I’ve had a belief regarding how change should happen… There’s a right way… and a wrong way… There are people who are wrong… and people who are right… I’m finding… that none of this is true… Consciousness moves how Consciousness moves… and none of us really knows how things get done… Our beliefs, many times, have no substantive value when it comes to the workings of Consciousness… most likely because they were never really accurate… Every character plays a part… We’re moved when we’re meant to be moved… And when it’s time to move… no one can stop us… not even ourselves… We may be appalled by how we’re moved… not understanding the sudden shift… the desire to speak… to use our voice… to march… to write… or whatever it may be… And what I’m learning is to pay attention… go with it… enjoy it… don’t judge it… It’s happening to all us… so carry on… however you're called... When we look beneath the surface… seeing the brilliance for perhaps the very first time… it becomes very clear… all is moving as it is meant to… 

With great respect and love,

Karrie

I'm pissed.

I’m pissed.  In fact, I’m outraged.  And I blame Bernie Sanders.  If it weren’t for Bernie Sanders I wouldn’t be able to finally put a finger on the root of my building anger over the last several years.  The system is rigged, folks.  It’s corrupt right down to the root.  Whether it’s the Media… the Democratic National Committee… the insidious takeover by the 1%... the curtain has been pulled back… and I am absolutely furious. Yes, I blame Bernie for waking me up… he has been nailing the rigged system for a very long time… However, because I do support him, I’ve gotten to see the corruptness first hand.

The media has repeatedly done what they can to make him and the movement he speaks to, insignificant.  Thousands of people across the country have marched for Bernie… thousands… (check out some of the larger cities – literally, thousands)  How many people know this?  Each panel on any of the major media outlets is stacked with anyone-other-than-Bernie supporters.  Even the head of Hillary Clinton’s PAC is on the panel.  Bernie has received very little media attention and if he were the insignificant force they want to make him out to be, that would be one thing.  But he isn’t, is he.

The Democratic National Committee is about as corrupt as it gets.  They have rigged the system in favor of their chosen candidate.  Check it out yourself.  The vice-chair of the committee just resigned due to this problem.

And then you have the 1%, the few who control the system with their resources.  Money speaks in politics.  It buys media coverage.  We get to hear the message that “they” want us to hear.

The only reason I’m not mentioning the Republican National Committee is because they have no control over a rogue candidate like Donald Trump.  And the media, jumps at Donald Trump’s finger-snapping. 

People cry out all the time, "don’t speak negatively about the Democratic frontrunner, because we may get Donald Trump in November."  Quite frankly, I may vote for Donald Trump in November.  Are you shocked?  I’m a revolutionary.  I’m a person of integrity.  I’m appalled by the words of Donald Trump.  However, the cancerous root has to be addressed.  The system is rigged.  It’s corrupt.  It has to change.  Hillary Clinton is not going to bite the hands that feed her.  If HRC is the Democratic candidate, the only way I will consider voting for her is if she too, begins to take on the system… speaking out about the corruptness… taking on the media bias… the DNC’s bias… the rigged system.  That is how she will get my vote.  My vote will go to the person that is willing to speak up… shout it out… take it on… the person willing to lead the revolution – which can be passionate and peaceful… or not.  This election is about far more than electing the first woman president.  We can’t afford to be that self-serving.  The denial of what’s been exposed is like a growing cancer.  Eventually, the people will have enough.  Vote for change.  Vote for America. 

With love,

Karrie

The Head... the Heart... and Politics

I find the times we’re in so interesting… one moment celebrating… the next gnashing my teeth in despair… and barely anything between… Overall, it’s exciting… Things are on the move…

For so long, the heart has basically been sidelined when it comes to decision making… It’s laughed off as weak… stupid… not practical… too feminine… And yet… many of us desire a world where love is the underlying law… where people treat each other with a sense of respect… and with dignity… The heart knows these things well… and beneath that hard protective armor most of us have developed… we want what the heart wants… don’t we?

This being said… how do we expect to get there exactly… to the world of which our heart dreams… if we refuse to acknowledge it?... To follow it?... We are presented with opportunities all the time… where the heart says “Yes! Yes! Yes!”… We feel the excitement… the hope… the possibility for something different… then the head bursts in… reminding us of past experiences… of all the things that may happen… things of which we should be afraid… And the heart slowly fades into the background… once again, unheard… disrespected… not given the dignity it deserves…

Without the heart to guide it… the mind creates a world in response to fear… With the heart guiding… the mind creates a world much different… a world based in hope… respect… dignity… a world supporting opportunities for all… while simultaneously encouraging each of us to share what we uniquely have to offer…

It’s interesting… because this battle between head and heart has come to the forefront… Check out the “talking heads” following the political campaigns… debates… town hall meetings… They’re even talking about the head and the heart… One candidate is the heart’s choice… the other, the mind’s… and I’ve found this to be true…

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a blog I didn’t post… It was on my own dilemma between the head and the heart… At that time… one candidate definitely had my heart… the other, my mind… My mind was logical… rational… and fearful… What if the candidate of my heart can’t win the general election, then what?...

I decided at that time… it was time for me to put my vote where my heart is… If I desire a different world… then I have to choose differently… in everyday life… in politics… in everything… And if there’s one thing I’m certain… at least for me… it’s the heart’s time, baby!... And I’m excited about it. J

Much love,

Karrie  

I don't even know where to begin...

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

I don't even know where to begin...

Shall I begin with Indiana’s new law?  The one which legalizes discrimination of gays and lesbians?  Or shall I begin with a proposed ballot initiative – “Kill the Gays” - in California that has qualified for signature collecting?  Or maybe I could continue with the horrors of racism still bubbling to the surface?

Two things are coming to mind for me… both from the Declaration of Independence…

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

and

“…accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”

When exactly is enough actually ENOUGH?  When will we actually reach a point where evils are no longer sufferable?  When will freedom and equality truly be the foundation of America… and not just a legend we some share with their grandchildren?

I support these founding principles whole-heartedly… and may very well give my life for them if “Kill the Gays” actually makes the ballot and passes.  However, there is a line that must be drawn which cannot be crossed without consequences… and when this line is violated… via discrimination of any type… we cannot stand idly by.  Consciousness must take a stand.  It’s time.  For the sake of the “Land of the Free”… it’s time.

Quite frankly, I’m tired of “religious freedom” being used as a permission slip to bully others who believe differently.  I support “religious freedom” as in each of us has the right to worship as we feel called… but “religious freedom” is no greater than any other personal freedom… “Religious freedom” doesn’t trump my freedom to be “me”… and quite frankly, I’m no longer willing to pretend it does. And to go one step further… I will say this: I know God just as well as any other… and I’m no longer willing to give that power away, either.

For me, God is freedom… God is equality.  God is every perspective counts.  And as far as “religion” goes… this is as “high” as it gets.  In fact, this is the One that trumps all others… This is the One that allows all others. 

I have reached a point where my love for freedom and equality… my love for myself… is greater than my fear of being harmed.  I am willing to take a stand for something different.  I am willing to support the freedom and equality of those I can’t stand… those whose beliefs I may find reprehensible… AND I’m willing to take a stand for my own.  I may not carry any material weapons… but my big hug and kiss can be just as powerful.

United We Stand.  Divided We Fall.  It’s time.

Much love,

Karrie

Love does what love does...

Saturday, November 29, 2014

For the last few months, I feel like I’ve been in a state of silence.  I watch the world around me – especially the political realm – and I only feel frustration.  I’d like to help… I’d like to be able to assist our representatives in moving beyond the stalemate… the rock throwing… the complaining… the blaming… the unwillingness to create something new… I listen to the President speak… and I feel his frustration… almost begging Congress to do something… yet to no avail… as it’s still more acceptable to complain and throw rocks… than it is to work together creating solutions… I find this frustrating… as well as depressing… Honestly, I’m not sure they know how to transcend the patterning… Perhaps many of our representatives would really like to be a part of something different… but have no idea how to make it happen?…

This morning, I realized that there’s really only one transformative force… and that’s love.  Perhaps, it’s too many Hallmark movies (tis the season!)… but the message is clear… when it comes to moving hardened hearts… or softening blockages between souls… love is the only answer.  Nothing can withstand the force of love… There’s nothing more persevering… more tenacious… more irresistible… more healing… than love... And anything that love has a hand in… is always spectacular!

I also realize… that love is uncontrollable… What happens… what it brings about… is beyond my control… Love does what love does… and whatever it does… is always in alignment with love… So perhaps I can calm my anxiousness… and feel like I’m doing something… by lighting up the ethers with love… no strings attached… Trusting… knowing… that love is going to do what love does… and there’s nothing better than that.

Much love,

Karrie  

In regard to ISIS...

A couple of years ago, I had a phenomenal healing experience as I was out for a walk in my neighborhood.  In fact, I had left the house because the energy I was feeling was so intense…and I really wanted to relieve myself of it.  The intense discomfort I was experiencing had a lot to do with my own suppression of that which I really didn’t want to feel.  However, as those on a “healing” path know, the acknowledgment and release of these things we’ve buried – whether things we don’t want to remember or our own dark feelings we don’t want to own – is vitally important.  Well… I was feeling some things coming to the surface… and part of me was panicking… attempting to push them down… while the rest of me was ready to acknowledge and release… ready for “healing”.

As I walked in this rather intense emotional state, I asked for help… I asked for assistance in releasing whatever it was that needed to be released.  It wasn’t long after my request that I felt – and saw in my mind’s eye – an energy force separate from me… It was still tethered to me… but I could see it… and feel it… as if it were separate.  Anyway, it was beyond-words-ugly.  It was so ugly I couldn't look at it.  In my mind, I was thinking “OMG, what am I going to do?!... I can’t take that energy back!”  Yet I knew as long as it was attached to me, I couldn’t release it.  Suddenly, I turned to it and I said “I’m so sorry.  Please forgive me.  I love you.  Thank you.”  I repeated this prayer several times… and felt the angst of the energy release until the “ugly” finally dissipated… and what was left was a little girl… me, as a little girl.  It was a phenomenal experience.  And what I learned from this was that anytime I have the feeling of suppressing something… something that’s attempting to be “seen”… I call it up… claim it… and use this very same prayer.

This morning, it occurred to me that the group ISIS which is terrorizing Iraq is a similar representation.  ISIS is something most of us would like to very much suppress… and not acknowledge even exists.  However, it came to me that in the same way that Marianne Williamson suggested holding ISIS in the light and love of Consciousness… we could go even deeper… to the root… using the Ho’oponopono Prayer… “I’m sorry.  Please forgive me.  I love you.  Thank you.” with the intent of supporting a much desired healing. 

There are times when physical force (more masculine in nature) may be necessary… and there are times when the more nurturing force of love (the more feminine) is necessary.  And in many cases – if not all - it’s a both/and.  There is no contradiction.  And for those not called to participate in physical force, we can most certainly assist by calling on – and applying – the love and forgiveness of the feminine which goes to the core of Humanity’s being…  

Today, I sit in the healing energy of this prayer… claiming all that I am… loving all that I am… shadows and all.

Much love,

Karrie

Releasing the Dominate Culture

I’ve been feeling an underlying depression for a while now.  At times I experience sadness… and grief… a very deep grief.  At other times, I feel angry and frustrated… wanting to strike out.  This morning I decided to really feel into these emotions and sensations… I wanted to know where they were coming from… What is it I’m grieving?  As I allowed myself to feel… it became very clear that what I am experiencing is in response to death… Something inside me has died…

As I delved into my feelings… I began to realize that the pain… the depression… the grief… is related to my release of what I refer to as the False Façade… the man-made illusion of rules… regulations… obligations… and expectations… My connection to this dominating illusion has died… and I’m grieving it.

Frankly, I was shocked by this recognition as well as the depth of emotion I was feeling… Internally, I was sobbing… the type of sobs which accompany deep loss… and letting go. I was shocked by what I was experiencing… because I’ve been consciously separating from the “traditional” for quite some time… Railing against it due to its narrowness… Its exclusiveness… and because I no longer fit in… I’m excluded from its membership… no longer acceptable because of who I am… I’m not a member of the “dominate culture”… and to my tremendous surprise, at a very deep level I’m grieving the loss of my connection to it. 

As a child, the “dominant culture” was my “home”… It was what I knew… It was where I played… felt safe… The structure of the “dominant culture” was something with which I was familiar… and therefore, it felt secure.  Somewhere along the line, however – and to my unconscious as well as conscious horror – my “membership” began to unravel… I didn’t belong to this culture… and I wasn’t accepted by it either… I became more and more conscious that I no longer could support the culture I grew up in as the “dominant culture.”  I became aware that the world – and America – was made up of lots and lots and lots of people who didn’t fit this “dominant culture” either… and who also had unalienable rights to their Life… Liberty… and pursuit of Happiness…   

As I step back and look at what I’ve written… what I’m really saying… I can see – and more compassionately understand - what’s happening in America today… and why there’s so much angst… particularly politically, where one party doggedly perseveres to represent the dissipating “dominant culture”… doing what it can to hold onto what it had, “by any means necessary.”  What’s happening is what used to be the “dominant culture” is losing its place as “dominant”… and those who are attached to this culture feel like something is being taken away from them… and they’re afraid they will lose their rights to live how they want to live… In some ways, they believe they’re fighting to survive… not realizing that other cultures also want their right to exist… a right they/we have had to fight for… When in reality, under an enormous umbrella of freedom and equality… all cultures have the right to exist… but not the right to dominate…

So today, I acknowledge… accept… and honor the grief I feel.  I honor and release the “dominant culture” from which I came… and begin to honor and claim a new culture… a culture that claims us all.

Much love,

Karrie

Heartbreaking...

I feel heart-sick today… I went to bed last night feeling a deep sadness, a sense of hopelessness… wondering if we as Americans (or even as humans) will ever get it together.  I saw a picture on Facebook of the President interacting with his dog… Unfortunately, I made the erroneous choice of looking at the comments from people.  I’ve made the same mistake before.  I’m sure some of you have as well.  The hatred… the blatant racist remarks… the misrepresentation and misuse of God… is heartbreaking… I have no other way of describing it.  It’s heartbreaking.

I realize that arguing… debating… attempting to convince… trying to make a point… is many times fruitless.  It doesn’t matter anymore what someone has to say in conversation with a person of an opposing viewpoint – no one wants to hear it.  Each person believes they’re right and that they’re in a battle for their own survival. 

We are so used to a “survival of the fittest” mentality in a world where only “winners” are respected that we believe we have to “win” some imaginary battle of philosophies or face extinction ourselves.  We totally miss the boat when it comes to an understanding of freedom… and equality.

The beauty, uniqueness and divine nature of the essence of America is found in the understanding that the umbrella of freedom and equality… is all-inclusive… Everyone is included… every person… ethnicity… religion… gender… sexual orientation… language… philosophy…etc …is included beneath this infinite umbrella.  And when we truly understand this… a dominant culture does not exist.  All “cultures” are respected and none dominate.  This in truth is the essence of America.

The transition from a “survival of the fittest”… “dominate culture rules” mentality… to one more in alignment with America’s essence includes things like acceptance… respect… co-existence… acknowledgment… co-creativity… coming from a sense of the whole… rather than only a part of the whole… sharing to be understood… listening to understand… as well as a deeper understanding of the ideals the United States of America was founded upon. 

This transition is not for the weak of heart.  It’s for the courageous… the persevering… the resilient… the determined.  It’s not about beating each other up so one way dominates all others… but instead, finding the way that allows everyone their own unique existence.  

   

I realize that much of my sadness can be attributed to the constant infighting… the “war”… the immaturity… the attacks… the revenge… the hatred… the rudeness… and the disrespect… all that which fuels a never ending cycle of destruction.  And I’m sad because I realize how ridiculous it is to fight over our differences… when we live in a nation founded in freedom.

Much love,

Karrie

Looking for the Humor...

Monday, June 30, 2014

This afternoon I left my home in order to run a few errands.  I planned a route that in my mind was the most efficient… and was making note of my brilliance as I pulled into stop #1 – the recycling kiosk.  Just as I got out of my car, the young man in the kiosk, yelled “Sir, I’m going on my 30 minute break after I assist this person.”  First of all, it’s 95 degrees… and I’m menopausal… Just opening my car door started “Niagra Falls”… and Niagra Falls is accompanied by a rather snarky temper!  Second, are you kidding me?  The last time I came to this particular recycling center, the young man in-charge told me the same thing – he couldn’t help me because he was going on his lunch break!  What are the chances?... and third, “Sir?!”…

Now, if I were of the masculine persuasion, I just might have used this opportunity to jump out of my monster truck with the oversized wheels… rip off my shirt… flex my enormous biceps… and smack the guy… Instead, I gave my best “Are you kidding me?” look… accentuated by a visible heaving huff… and climbed back into my 1999 Honda Accord!  And as I drove away… I threw a mental tantrum…vowing in some way to get even… by taking my business elsewhere (like he cared!)… all the while making my case with the part of me which was rolling its eyes at my ridiculousness.

Anyway, I drove down the road to another recycling center.  As I got out of my car, the man said, “I’m going on my lunch break.  I’ll be back in 30 minutes.”  To which I replied, (I had made the mistake of getting out of my car… heat… menopause… snarky temper!) “Really?!  The guy down the road told me the same thing!” and I got back in my car, obviously displeased.  I felt like a “donkey” when the (really nice) man came over and gave me directions to another center.  When I asked why I should go there, since the operator at the next site would most likely be on his lunch break as well (Obviously, Temperamental Tina was still my spokesperson), he told me that the operator at the next stop had already taken his break.”

So… off I went.  By this time, I was still feeling a little snarky, however, the more mature part of me was gaining a little ground.  After all, I am a former union representative as well as an understanding human being… I know how important the 30 minute break is to people.  When I reached the location of the 3^rd site… there was no center to be found.  I circled the area for several minutes before heading to my partner’s office to drop something off.  I shared my experiences and she shared the location of a 4^th site which I could try.  (By the way, the “sainthood” for which I was going to nominate the nice man at stop #2 was promptly pulled.)

As I drove into the parking lot of site #4, I noticed it was definitely not open.  The sign said, “Closed on Mondays”.  Of course.  I thought I might be able to use the automated redemption “thingy” but it wouldn’t take crunched up bottles.  (My partner has been pushing everyone in the house to crunch up their bottles to save room.  Of course.)

So… It had now been over an hour (so much for my brilliant plan of efficiency) and I’m headed back to site #1.  (I was sure the young man operating the center was not only back from his lunch break but well warmed up with the other customers he has helped since I squealed my 1999 Honda out of the parking lot!)  I finally decided it was time to make the best of it… so I basked in the sun…whistling “Every day’s a Holiday” (from Mary Poppins)… while waiting for the 2 customers ahead of me to turn in their bottles.  As I moved closer to the kiosk, I noticed the sign clearly stating the employee’s lunch break and made a mental note.  (I hate it when I have to eat “recycled crow”.)  The young man obviously didn’t remember the “Sir” he turned away… and was very polite and helpful.  In the end, we exchanged a smile… and I got my $11.  As I drove away I thought… "I can see the humor in this"… and that deserves an ice cream cone.

Much love,

Karrie 

Sending a Message from the Middle

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Recently, I enjoyed a trip to visit my family in Iowa.  In addition to the perks associated with this type of journey, I also received many an insight regarding the importance of relationships, conversation and the acceptance necessary for people to speak their mind safely.  I had wonderful conversations with family members as well as people sitting next to me on the flights of which I was a part.  In several cases the conversation surprisingly turned “political”.  And many times, it was revealed that our “party” affiliations were in opposition…yet our concerns were similar…the issues we saw as needing attention were the same…and the space held for listening to one another was jointly reciprocated.  It was eye-opening not only for me…but for the other participants as well.  There was a connection made at a “unity” level that allowed each to hear and share – seemingly without fear.  These conversations were primarily between women but I had a similar conversation with my dad.

Through the gift of these interactions, it became evident to me that when we talked “party”, we began to point fingers, defend positions and attack.  There was an underlying and bubbling anger…and a need to make ourselves “right”…and the other, “wrong”.  When we talked about our concerns, we found that we agreed.  There was a shared nodding of the heads…and in listening to the views of those from various parts of the country…there was an expansion in an understanding of the issue.  I found that differing perspectives really are necessary, if we are to get the “big picture” in order to create solutions.

It is apparent to me that we as a nation have become unconsciously taken hostage by a belief that we only have 2 choices (and the choices have become, in many ways, extreme).  Therefore, we have to choose one or the other – neither of which has all the answers.  Through these conversations, I found that there is a huge “Middle” that remains silent and unrepresented.  We remain unrepresented because the two extremes controlling party decisions have nothing in common (while those in the “Middle” seem to find much in common).    

We complain about our representation but we vote for the same people.  We want something different but we give our permission to the same philosophies…because we don’t know what else to do.  How do we shift something so stuck in the old ways? 

We the People need to send a message.  We need INDEPENDENT THINKERS; People loyal to finding solutions rather than a “party”; People focused on working together rather than the selfish battling for “power”; People willing to give voice to the “Middle”… where solutions are possible.    

So what can we do?  It occurs to me that perhaps one small step which may lead to something bigger – and in the least, it may begin to send a message that we want INDEPENDENT THINKERS, not “party puppets” – is to begin registering en masse as Independents or “not-affiliated” (or some similar choice).  The number in this category is already on the rise but why not make it a mission?  Why not make it a part of a proactive movement to affect change?  Why not take our attention and power away from political parties and place it on the issues, multi-perspective based solutions and those who are willing to THINK INDEPENDENTLY? 

This doesn’t mean we can’t vote for anyone party-affiliated…but it does mean that we start to demand…and send the message…that parties must begin appealing to the majority “middle” rather than forcing a nation to choose between extremes – or risk extinction.        

Many of us may already be registered INDEPENDENT…or perhaps we’ve been silently protesting by not registering at all.  I sense that a mass movement to register INDEPENDENT may be one small way for the “Middle” to begin demanding the attention it deserves.  Solutions are not found in the extremes - though these perspectives should not be ignored.  Agreement and creative answers are found in the “Middle”…and it’s time for the “Middle” to make itself known. 

In Love with the Essence of America,

Karrie

We the People and the Final Word

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Yesterday morning when I started my car, I was met by National Public Radio and the voice of a man giving a report to a “Madame President”.  The report was regarding the distribution of wealth in the United States.  The more I listened, the “snarkier” I became.  I’m going to share what I heard on the radio but you may want to do your own research to get verification as well as perspective.  (I found a webpage “Who Rules America?” by a Professor William Domhoff at the University of California at Santa Cruz which shares all sorts of data and graphs.  The article presented, entitled “Power in America – Wealth, Income and Power” gave me a better understanding of a problem that isn’t new.  What’s new may be the disappearance of the “middle” as well as a growing inequality of political representation.)

The report I stumbled onto via NPR gave the following statistics (numbers may not be exact – please do your own checking!):

            The top 1% owns about 38% of the wealth.

            The bottom 60% owns about 2.3% of the wealth.

1 family owns more than the bottom 50%. (Walton Family $147 billion -2013)

                        (2^nd - The Koch brothers  $100 billion)

            95% of new growth goes to the top 1%. 

The report (via NPR) was not only sharing statistics regarding the inequality of wealth distribution but the impact this inequality has on the political process and representation.  

I have to admit, I was beside myself with outrage when I turned off the radio.  And…I noticed my initial rage was directed at the “have’s” for “having”.  (Which is interesting because I'm not sure I really care about "having"...I think it's more about power.)  However, I could feel my blame was misdirected…that it didn’t match what I really believe regarding freedom, responsibility and claiming my power.  After all, who supported this imbalance?  Who allowed the political system to become so biased?  I (we) did…… 

Most of us live our lives on automatic pilot.  We follow our routines, make the same choices, do the same things as we follow some unconscious patterning that resides in our subconscious.  We don’t like things…in fact, we disagree with things much of the time…but we continue doing the same things anyway.  We rush, rush, rush…too tired to make choices to our liking…choices that might shift the path of our experience…but we’re just…too…tired.  And because we’ve been just…too…tired…(exhausted from resisting our own truth)…we have what we have today.  Luckily, we’ve awakened… 

It seems essential that we begin to take responsibility for what’s happening.  The only way to shift “inequality” and bring about a sense of balance is to claim our own power.  (No one can give you power.)  We have to make conscious choices.  If we don’t like the way things are then we have to choose differently.  We have to support things which align with what we really know deep in the core of our being.   

When we support companies that don’t treat their employees “fairly”…companies which make billions of dollars in profit while paying their employees the least possible…we support the growing chasm in wealth distribution.  When we vote for representatives who are owned by the money that supports them…who are not “independent thinkers”...we support inequality.  When we don’t do our homework before we “vote” – as a consumer or as a citizen – we help support and maintain that which we probably complain about on a daily basis.  All of this is absolutely “ok”…but let’s make it a conscious choice…let’s know what we’re supporting…and own it. 

If we really want “something different” then we have to behave differently.  We have to claim our power which means taking responsibility for our choices.  In the end, it is We the People which have the final say.  We are not owned by a government or a small group of people.  We always have a choice where we place our “vote” and what we support.  The only way balance is reached and sustained is if each person claims their own power, consciously makes their choices and takes responsibility.  When each person follows their own inner “rightness”, a new system is created and a natural set of “checks and balances” is inherent.  We have reached a time when the “veil of ignorance” has been removed.  We no longer have excuses.

 

Much love,

Karrie 

 

Free Jesus Now!

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Happy Easter!  This is a day for real celebration because it’s the day of Christ’s ascension, reminding us that death is an illusion and life is eternal.  According to our cyclic traditions, Easter is the only day we allow Jesus to come down off the cross.  Tomorrow, he goes right back up….

Isn’t it interesting that we focus on the crucifixion and the suffering…over and over the cycle repeats itself…year after year.  It’s been 2000 years and Jesus never gets off the cross…there’s never one. last. time. 

Does anyone else hear Jesus weeping?  Like many teachers, he probably wonders if any of his students heard what he said.  HELLO!  I DIED FOR YOUR SINS!  WHY WON’T YOU LET THEM GO?  DID YOU HEAR WHAT I SAID?  YOU’RE FREE!  AND BY THE WAY, I’M GETTING DOWN OFF THIS CROSS WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!  IF YOU WANT TO STAY HERE, FINE…BUT I’M MOVING ON.  SUFFERING IS SO YESTERDAY’S NEWS.  THERE’S A WHOLE NEW WORLD OF POSSIBLITY AND LOVE TO EXPERIENCE.  COME ALONG OR NOT, IT’S TOTALLY UP TO YOU. 

So how about beginning a new cycle?  How about making Easter the starting point rather than the culmination before falling back to ground zero?  How about starting bare bones with the concepts Jesus exemplified…compassion, forgiveness, authenticity, acceptance, freedom, balance and love…and releasing the old ideas of mandated suffering and martyrdom which no longer serve humanity?

It seems to me, there’s a whole new life to which Jesus (and others) was pointing.  He wasn’t asking to be worshipped…he was role modeling the way.  He showed us our potential as well as how to create “something different”.  After 2000 years of mulling it over…it seems we might be ready to be on our way.  Let’s free Jesus from the cross…and celebrate Easter each and every day.

Happy Easter!

Much love,

Karrie

Snarky Alert! "Fitting In" to the Economy - or the World for that matter!

Saturday, April 19, 2014

(Warning:  This may sound a little snarky…but in reality I’m just passionate (and probably doing a little venting)!  I love you…I love me…and I love what our souls are “up to”!  I’m just impatient…. J )

This morning I’ve been pondering many things - (I had an extra-large Circle K cinnamon coffee with lots of french vanilla creamer and felt inspired!) – most having to do with the recognition of the disparity between the current world reality and the one I sense is possible.  There are so many “programmed” beliefs underlying our experience as a collective.  Yet these synthetic building blocks are almost in direct opposition to the life we would really like to experience.  Those in government think they are doing everyone a real favor in governmental and corporate job creation…creating jobs for people to fit into…allowing the economy to drive lives.  I guess on one-hand it’s the thought that counts but I desire a new reality where my gifts, talents and genius and the gifts, talents and genius of my fellow humans drive the economy – not the other way around.  I desire to live my own Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness - not that devised by someone else.

Of course, the collective reality is created by those who are part of the collective.  As long as we continue to support synthetic systems which don’t align with the nature of who we are, we will continue to get more of the same.  As long as we don’t claim our opportunity…our freedom to choose…and pay attention to that which continuously calls us to happiness…we will continue the same experience.  We’re in charge of this creation as well as any transformation that is to unfold.

This brings me to education, children, test scores, etc.  (Public education is an example of government interference and heavy-handedness at its most harmful.  All those involved are held hostage by the system – at least until they decide differently.)  What right do we have to be party to the suppression and burial of someone’s “God-given” gifts, talents and genius?  By what universal law, do we have the right to stand in the way of divinely-implanted tools and dreams?  In the land of the free, why aren’t we teaching Life…Liberty…and the pursuit of Happiness?  Why aren’t we helping people to know who they really are…to claim who they are…to bring who they are into this world?  Why aren’t we cultivating these true gifts, talents and geniuses?  Don’t these real things make test scores and national core standards look small?      

I don’t think I’m alone in my desire for “something different” nor in the recognition of the ridiculousness of that which we seem forced to live.  Many of us feel the same and yet have no idea what to do about it.  From my point of view, it seems essential that each of us claims our vision and goes about being it.   If we want a more authentic system then we have to de-program ourselves and be authentic – not just at home where it’s safe and cozy but out in the world.  We have to support ourselves – and each other – in claiming our life.  We have to uncover and cultivate the gifts and talents kept safe in the core of who we are…and support others in doing the same.  The world reality shifts one courageous individual at a time.  If we really want something different then we must harness our courage, claim who we are and walk forward creating anew as we go.  This is the way to lasting happiness…and this is the way to the world of our dreams.

Much love,

Karrie