Future Crazy...

 September is a big month, as far as Soluntra is concerned. She sends out a newsletter every month or so and it's full of love, light and inspiration.This month, she has information of intense Solar flare activities and major changes at the personal level for each of us. No doomsday stuff but something to be aware of and observe.

 I remember NASA predicted similar things a few years ago, about intense solar flares in Aug-Sept 2012, and how it 'might' destroy our Earth's electromagnetic grid. What it also means is the possible breakdown of our electrical and telecommunication systems, or in other words, a complete freeze of our modern world and daily activities. All these are just possibilities and such events have been averted or postponed, or gone kaput quite a number of times.

So, will september see such major events? Nobody can tell for sure. However there are subtler things which we can do through our meditations, or through our 'inner work' as Soluntra calls them. These I believe can strengthen us and help us cope up in the event of major disruptions. And also help the world in the bigger picture, in small ways that can't be perceived logically. She has mentioned a beautiful practice in her newsletter which is summarized and also reprinted in full, here. You can participate in this work, by practicing it everyday for a few minutes, until Sept 22nd.

 If you feel inspired to follow it up or practice a bit and loosen up, check it out. 

New Dawn...new beginnings

 Rains on a morning. Melodious spluttering on the corrugated roofs of the small church next door. Look out the window and the world is green, fresh, alive. My house is nestled in a semi-urban, semi-rural environment and there's always a background of Natural sounds and rhythms which we successfully ignore. But a lazy dawn with good rains, chilly wind and you can't help but pay attention to the chirping birds, the cooing Koels and the chattering cicadas.

Breathe in freshness and breathe out your worries.

*

 Getting interested in Martial arts, again, after 20 years. I'd done some karate kicking in my high school years but quickly gave up after having my guts punched during a couple of sparrings. Then followed a few years of Yoga exercises, some gym workouts and regular jogging during cricket net practice. Once I came into IT and settled into a cubicle and started testing stuff, all physical workouts went out the window.

 Add to this some seriously arrogant and naive advice which we took to heart: "Meditations are superior to asanas and other physical exercises". "Martial arts attract lower energies". Not that we were experiencing spiritually elevated states, swimming in higher energies and activating our dna strands so that any physical exertion would pull us down. But hear such stuff often and you ignore your body and start getting lopsided and slothful.

 Now, when I'm putting all these long held beliefs and free advice into the fire and testing their mettle, I realize my body is requesting attention. And asking me to get out of laziness and step into a rejuvenating physical culture.

*

 There's a 'honey moon' period in our work circle-- something I was fascinated about as I saw my friends go through it. It happens when you find a new job and resign from your current position and enter the 'notice period'. It used to be for one month but off late it's 3 months. These three months, you work in the current company but without any stress or pressure. You do your work and go home, unbothered about deadlines, reprimands or appraisals. What matters is the quality of your work, nothing else. Some guys laze off and do almost zero work but you still can enjoy whatever you're doing and deliver results, without any garbage dangling above your head. Blissful. Just what work should be in a sane world.

 I was beginning to worry that this phase will never arrive for me. That I'm destined to retire from this company--utterly bored, bitter and grumbling. After struggling to get out of the rut for nearly 2 years, I started to give up, resigned to my fate when suddenly, a door opened, something snapped and kicked me right out of my hopelessness and right through the door, and voila! here I am, in the middle of the honeymoon.

 Grace? Luck? Hardwork? Maybe a mix of all as I get ready for the next phase of my career in a new job. Sunny days are here, smack in the middle of monsoon rains and I'm enjoying this chotu pampering and cuddling from the Universe! Thank ye!!

Early Warning...

'how much liquid assets you got?'

 'a little,' me says.

 'Take it out, and keep it safe elsewhere... for some time.'

 I had received similar advice last year, on some blog. Take out some cash from the bank account, maybe worth three months of your salary ( or more or less ), and keep it safe. Wait and watch for some time. If nothing happens put it back (you'll lose only the interest ). But if there's a rumble and the economy begins to shake and you're not able to withdraw cash from the banks and all hell breaks loose, you're at least a bit safe, with your reserves.

 I guess, there's such a rumble out there, and if you are not sensing it, you must be in a coma! Just keep an eye on the banks. Watch.

 If you have liquid currency, I would say, have some reserves just outside the banking system. Or at least be ready to take it out on a short notice.

 How much do you take out? Do you withdraw everything or just a part? Or do you wait for some clear signs before taking action?..... You decide!!!

 Does it help much? No idea, but it's better to have something instead of being empty pocketed. Will this save us from the consequences of a bank freeze? Nope. It'll only give a small lead on the long road winding down there. It'll give some comforts, for some time, and maybe that'll be highly needed. There's much more to be done--at the individual and community levels-- and a greater preparation is necessary for this rough journey. And we are already out there, on the road.

 I guess, nobody can predict how seriously close we all are to the SHTF ( Shit Hits The Fan ) situation. A worldwide economic collapse has been on the expected list for quite some time. Currently, European countries are lining up for this catastrophe and it'll only be a while until Asian economies and India follow suit. The IT boom in India and the millions of jobs it created---all stand on the thin ice called US Economy. A freeze there and we catch cold here. A tight economy overseas and the interview calls and openings dry up here. A falling rupee value against US dollars sends the oil prices soaring, which raises not only vegetable prices but also my son's transportation cost to his school ( The only thing that doesn't rise is my salary! ). In a globalised, interconnected world where one economy after the other is lying sick, it's only prudent to ask: How safe are our jobs? How affordable will be the cost of living in the days to come? What jobs are recession proof? How do you prepare for the coming lean days? What goes for a toss when the economy crashes? What'll be the social condition then? How safe and secure will your family and your community be? How do you unshackle yourself, your family and your community from this decaying global chain....

Maybe it's all far fetched and, as some of the my optimistic friends say, 'nothing will happen, relax'. But I ain't optimistic and don't believe in the 'business as usual' mantra. My hopes and dreams go way way beyond optimism. I believe in no less an utopia in the years to come and nothing but an enlightened state of mind for all of us on this planet(How do you get there from the current rotting system, don't ask because I'm clueless). Everything that's happening in and around us NOW, I believe, is a part of that process which'll ultimately lead to such an exalted living.

 Until such a state of living dawns here, there will be urgent situations to cope with. There are a thousand things to learn, many more to unlearn/let go and quite a few shocks and jerk-outs from our comfort zones. A tight economy with a possible bank freeze is the first devil to face, right now.

You'll have a hundred fools blabbering about like experts( including yours truly ), giving free advice on what to do or what to avoid, but if you're sane, you'll calmly listen to all that shit without responding. Then you'll silently ask, what's the right thing to do and listen to your gut instincts and take a call. That will be the right decision for you. That's what I'm doing now.

You are the mob...

... and it takes time to realize that you're a part of it.

 Petrol prices got hiked yesterday night. It jumped up by nearly 7 Rs, effective midnight. And as expected, there was a huge rush at almost all petrol bunks across our city(around India?), with people standing in long queues to fill up their bikes and cars before the new prices kicked in.

 The logic kinda stumps me. How many liters of petrol can you fill in your two-wheeler or car? 10? 25? And saving 7 Rs per liter, you'll be saving 70 Rs, or maybe 200 Rs, if you've a car. To save this amount, you gotta stand in long queues, sometimes for hours and get into fights and brawls at the gas stations. The fights did break out and you had police vans deployed at many bunks in our city. Is your 100-200 bucks worth all that waiting, fatigue and altercation? Maybe.

 I guess, its the 'default thinking' (about which David Foster Wallace spoke here) that kicks in at such times. Be one with the mob, and follow what others are doing. Don't think for yourself. Don't listen to your common sense. Save that small amount and feel satisfied. Or be in the herd because you're too afraid to be left out, to be on your own. It's okay to be a donkey for some time.

 Wonder what'll happen if the banks close shop tomorrow or if the economy comes crashing down. It takes only moments for the looting and savagery to begin. No, it's your average man on the road who does it, and it includes you and me too, if we're not paying attention to what goes on inside our heads.

There will come soft rains

"When everything is going good, one should be a little worried," he had said. "and also watch out. You never know where and when things go out of balance..."
 
 True, true. How I miss such timely words of wisdom--- Zennish, Taoist, Mystical! And those friends in whose company and togetherness these words were soaked up....

  I was on a short vacation, off to the northern tip of India with family and friends. We toured through kashmir, visited quite a number of places within 5 days and came back loaded with memories and wonderful experiences. Capturing all of it, at least the essence, will be the subject of another long post.

 Visiting that part of the country was kinda cathartic, because the place was a cauldron until a few years back. It has a recent history of separatism, with the majority muslim population allegedly(?) wanting to secede from India and become Independent. There's a further history dating back to centuries ago where Islamic invaders from Central Asia overran this sacred place, destroyed many places of worship and gradually became a majority, pushing back the spiritual tradition that thrived here. India has gone to war with Pakistan thrice over this territory. A heavy army presence weighs across the state. Just two decades ago, a mass exodus happened where millions of Hindus fled Kashmir when militancy started and many Hindus were shot dead. They left everything behind, relocated to other parts of the country, and literally started life all over again, from scratch. Their plight was forgotten, even by the human rights activists who raise a hue and cry every time there's an encounter in Kashmir involving the army. For the intellectuals who support 'independence for Kashmir' the Kashmiri pundits simply don't exist, or have no say in this 'aazadi' business. Good.

My wife and her parents, their relatives and friends were among those who fled Kashmir in that period and never returned. In the two decades since then, militancy has peaked and now waned off. Things are limping back to normal, they say. Tourism is the bread and butter of Kashmir, so if the tourists are to return, things gotta be normal. There are fewer bombings, killings and atrocities--by the fundamentalists and the army. People are fed up of shit, it appears.

 So, when we decided to visit Kashmir, see a few places and also checkout the abandoned home which archana's people left behind, there wasn't much resistance. We flew there. Went to archana's ancestral home which was in ruins and met the neighbors who had dared to stay back, 'in the lion's den', so to say. It was an emotional reunion for her, so difficult to capture in words. We drove through different places. Meditated at sacred sites. Inhaled the beauty of the valley within the few days that were given to us.

 Kashmir isn't just another place on the tourist's map. This was the promised land where Moses arrived, millenia ago ( his tomb is in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir). This is also the land which disputedly contains the tomb of Jesus Christ ( yeah, we visited Rozabal ). The valley is not just a scenic bombshell but also a spiritual powerhouse, with many energy centres and millenia old tradition of Kashmiri Shaivism. Now, you'll find the army at every step, enough to make a visitor feel secure and comfortable. The radicals seem to have vanished, Pakistan is in its own hell-fire-- too weak and drained to support any cross-border militancy. The common man on the ground seems busy with his own life, un-bothered about 'aazaadi', which drives a few people mad. So, it appears as if this is paradise regained.

 But that's on the surface, me thinks. Underneath all the show of bonhomie, there's a soft undercurrent of tension. You get dirty looks and intense glares from a few who recognize which religion you're from. The scars are too deep and raw to be healed so soon, both for the Hindus who fled Kashmir and the Muslims who got caught in the crossfire between the militants and the army. It might take decades, maybe a generation or two more for this fire to smother, for people to stop hating one another in the name of religion, in the name of nationalism.

 It'll take time, but there will come soft rains which heal all wounds. Like in any other place, this rain shall wash the dirt of centuries and herald peace. Things will not go from good to worse, as the old Zen master above said, but from good to better and the best. The age of cynicism is over, so better wake up.

2012... Apocalypse? Enlightenment? Or a super flop show?

It’s unbelievable that we’re in 2012. Unbelievable, from a perspective of 3 years ago because, at that time, we were making funny moves and sounds about 2012. It looks funny now but back then, it was not so. We were religiously wedded to the idea of a super apocalypse plus a major mass enlightenment, somewhere around the end of this year. That is on 21st Dec 2012! And being just a paltry 11 months away from that grand event, the world wasn’t supposed to be like this, the way it is today.

Memories are short--both public as well as personal ones. The earlier fairy tales are forgotten because we are lulled into sleep with newer stories and fables.

Anyways...

One day, three of us were chatting our brains off on Gtalk, and as usual, it was all idealistic high funda ramble. We were discussing the possibility of a world-wide catastrophe in 2012 and what should be done at a personal level to face such situations. One of us was even planning to leave his job, sell off his plots and start preparing while living off that money, calculating that it would last him until the end of 2012. After that? Why bother, because we would be in a new consciousness where money wouldn’t be the medium of exchange and the world would’ve changed drastically.

These personal hysterias aren’t bloody funny because people get fucked up pretty easily. That friend was of course dissuaded from taking such a step. But there were others. And there were a few hysterical decisions. I came very close to one such decision and stopped just on the precipice.

* * *

The world has changed in many ways in the past two years. And there will always be further changes, some sudden and drastic. The predictions about the year-end events still seem alive. The Mayan calender has ended, but there are major Galactic alignments happening on Dec 21st this year. As we move ahead in this year these could be the questions and expectations, at least with some of us--

• Will there be a world wide economic meltdown this year, as anticipated in many circles?
• Will there be a disclosure of Extra Terrestrial contacts with humans, leading to subsequent announcements of access to advanced technologies and free energy?
• Will the peak solar flare activity by this year-end result in the collapse of our electrical grids? Will this trigger a massive break-down of our modern systems?
• What will be the outcome of the Galactic alignments on 21st Dec 2012? Will drastic Earth changes happen because of it?
• This is a biggie--Will the Messiah arrive in this year?
• And will we have an explosion of awareness leading to a state of enlightenment or near enlightenment for everyone? Do we enter an era of peace, prosperity and universal brotherhood after this?
• Add to this my cynical question:--Will we wake up on Jan 1st 2013, the same way as any other New Year day, with none of the above happening? A major Tuss Pataki...

My hunch says that the last one will come true 99%, though I’m sick and tired of the same old life and would hope for a 1% possibility of something big happening.

* * *

What I’m not cynical about, not yet, is the possibility of an awakening, at a very personal level. And this spiritual awakening can happen, and has happened, at individual levels, through individual efforts and heart-burns. No Guru, no Path and no external event can trigger such a paradigm shift in anyone. I believe, it’s always you and your efforts at meditations and personal transformations that lead to such an awakening or shift in awareness.

A tradition/path/guru can show you the way but no idiot can remove your brains, rewire it and put it back so that you have a ‘ah this’ realization. You gotta walk, reach or keep stumbling on the long winding path. The further you walk, the clearer you become. So if the world around you collapses, you’re game for it. And if nothing happens you aren't bothered, because you’re looking out with new eyes, with an expanded perspective. What has changed for the better is You and that’s what matters finally.

My friends at VishwaAmara have brought out their second book- Communing with Light, which for me is such a tradition that shows the way for anyone to walk on. I still consider ‘Light code Activations’ by Soluntra King to be the best book which anyone can follow to move towards a spiritual awakening, without the constraints of a path or a Guru. Yet, this small booklet has the best techniques tightly condensed together between its minimal pages. And, it’s a free pdf file, downloadable in 10 seconds flat.

Check it out. And this article with three superb techniques for Light body awakening!

This is for you...

No you can't get rid of the memories. They'll remain reverberating within you, as long as you live, as long as you're a conscious human being. And maybe, it's only in an enlightened state that you're completely free of them.

I have very beautiful memories of her...why-- we both have them. And it's mighty difficult and painful to see the completely different person she has turned into. A heaven-earth difference! And sometimes we fly into a rage discussing her, talking about how she has changed and how many people she has hurt along the way and what not! At times, my blood boils and as I start exploding...

'...you're getting too negative,' comes the caution. 'Think of all the good times we have had with her. Remember the love that existed then, the affection, the gratitude and feelings of mutual respect. Unfortunate that its all over now. Just get over these feelings of hatred and anger.'

And finally this is what I thought. Maybe, she's just like our little son, whom we adore, and who's also a mighty pain at times. We correct him, reprimand him when he doesn't listen, but no, we don't hate, we don't judge. Amidst all the show of disapproval and strictness, he stands closest to our hearts, the apple of our eye. We might reject his tantrums(and enjoy them too many times!) but no, we don't wish wrong for him.

So while she continues to shower her silent anger on us, we go about our business, minding life in our own little universe. No, we don't hate you for what you've become. That's a journey you've chosen and one which you'll have to answer for. From our end, it's only gratitude for all the good times, and a prayer for your well-being and those of others.

Maybe in a distant future(and another space), we'll sit together and have a good time laughing over this difficult period and our amateur responses.

And maybe, we're already there! This, this pain is the memory which we both are reliving from there.

The mist has arrived....

...and it's heavenly. Early mornings are magical, with a dense white blanket dripping down slowly through the air. It's more pronounced where I live, away from the hot city air. Sometimes, I drive to office at 830-9 in the morning, still breathing through the soft, cool misty air. Another month, and into mid-december, this cover will thicken, with no visibility beyond 10 feet!

The very thought of going to office in this enchanting weather is revolting! How I wish I stay at home, wrapped up in warm pullovers, book in hand, a pad and pen by my side, dreaming silly. Which idiot invented this system where you need to work your skin off, five days a week, throughout the year, come rain or shine?


The Anna team kitch-pitch is only getting murkier day by day. On one hand, they seem to have strong right-wing, anti-congress sentiments yet they don't openly support the BJP. The right wing groups are trying to cosy up to them, and anna seems to be playing the 'blushing girl', rejecting yet yearning for their attention. Now you have Prashanth Bhushan asking for a referendum on Kashmir--like a true liberal--and out comes the nationalistic colours of Anna-Bedi-Kejri.

That these people are hardliners, arrogantly pushing for their own version of governance however flawed, disguised as anti-corruption crusaders, was evident from the beginning, if you observed them closely. They are India's taliban and khomenis in the making. The mask's coming off and, soon you'll see them standing naked. Support them or you're an anti-national. And don't dare speak against the oldman! He's a bloody God, incorruptible and always right. Like all old farts!


There are rumblings of an impending collapse. Of course, this shiver has been there for quite long, with all of us looking ahead at the 21st dec 2012 date. More than a collapse, it's the regeneration and rebuilding of better systems afterwards, that's been my fascination. Some circles are predicting the end of the Mayan calender on Oct 28th, 2011, a couple of weeks ahead. And there's a hint of the beginning of a severe economic downturn in mid-November.

I'm not a doomer but would love to exist in a collapsing system, working through it, rebuilding and witnessing the birthing of better systems, even hoping for an extraordinary and unbelievable future for all. The status quo sucks. If getting through to Utopia means walking into the ruins first, I guess, the ruins have begun to arrive. It's going to be hard and nasty, for sure. But wait, you knew it, didn't you, when you signed up for this---that however beautiful and enchanting this life is, you aren't gonna get out of it alive?

Or maybe, you will, this time round. Not just alive, but evolved!

Be irreverant...

...even if you get eaten up!!!

The beginning of telepathy...

'This is my final visit' he whispered silently. 'I stopped following you, long ago...and you know why. I just wanted to let you know that our roads diverge, here, officially! Thank you for everything.'

I was sitting there, as usual and talking. He sat at quite a distance from where I was. Then it occurred. That it had been ages since he had come there, sitting and watching me talk. That there was a time, not too long ago when nobody had dreamt that this day of farewell would arrive and that too so soon. That, within a little more than a year, the communication between us had slid down and down from a direct verbal communication to just whispering mentally.

anyways....


(Okay, we'll look at it from another angle...)


'This is my final visit' I told him, mentally. 'I stopped following you, long ago...and you know why. I just wanted to let you know that our roads diverge, here, officially! Thank you for everything.'

He was sitting there, as usual and talking. I was at quite a distance. Then it occurred. That it had been ages since I had sat there and watched him talk. That there was a time, not too long ago where I would not have dreamt that this day of farewell would arrive and that too so soon. That, within a little more than a year, the communication between us had slid down and down from a direct verbal communication to just whispering mentally(and hoping that he'll catch it).

Heaviness in the heart!