The following articles were written by my Patient - who shall remain anonymous for reasons of personal privacy - over a one and a half year time span - from November 1989 -> June 1991. This period was book-ended politically by the Panamanian invasion in the Winter 1989 and the First Iraqi War in the Winter of 1991. The progression of the papers chronicle a period of tremendous growth politically and personally for my client. This is why we are examining them in such detail.
As well as being my Patient, he was also a good friend of mine. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending upon perspective, he no longer exists. I knew him quite well, but he passed away years ago - consumed by the Fire of Time. These papers are all that is left of that fiery individual, except the memory of him - which fades so quickly.
He emerged into my life fairly rapidly. I had been casually aquainted with him for a long time – as we hung around similar groups. But he was pretty busy being a Dad. We weren’t able to get that close. But then his youngest daughter began to go to school full time, which freed up some spare time, which he used to practice Tai Chi at Oak Park with some friends, including myself.
When we weren’t practicing Tai Chi we were discussing politics - which inspired his fury - Actually so angry that his emotional reaction to current events began disturbing his Practice and his relation with his Family. He became so enraged that he wanted to leave his two pre-teen daughters and his wife behind to Sacrifice himself for the Cause - but then became depressed when he realized the futility of that line of behavior. I offered to counsel him. At first he resisted but then when things got really bad - he finally acquiesced.
During the first session, I suggested that he begin writing journal style to channel this frantic destructive energy in a constructive way. Perhaps afraid of retribution, his energy was blocked. How about fantasy, then? Like a duck to water he began by writing a spoof on Sleeping Beauty, turning it into a tale of political corruption and deception.
Over the next few years as he wrote the following sequence of political papers we became good friends - although we frequently got angry at each other because of the intimacy of the communications. In some ways I’m glad he’s gone because of his explosive temper, which came out in our sessions. Publicly he was so calm that no one could imagine the depth of the emotions that I had to deal with in our private sessions - from suicidal depression to a murderous rage. In other ways I miss the passion and certainty of his belief system - which, unfortunately, verged on the self-righteous at times. I also miss his brilliant analytical side - which stimulated so much productive thought on both his part and mine. However much of it was based upon faulty assumptions - which I attempted to bring to light - which incurred his wrath.
He finished therapy and his writings with the Warning that begins this collection of articles. He was obviously still afraid to share his work. Despite the weekly counseling sessions for years he still had many problems with fear and anger when he discontinued therapy and faded away. While glad that he was functional enough to not need my services any more, I was simultaneously sad that this intimate relation had come to an end. The intensity of our interaction was hot enough to burn away our shells and leave us raw and sensitive to the World. We were both transformed.
Well now it is ten years later. He is no longer with us except in the residual form of recollection and influence. It is time to resurrect these papers as an example of personal transformation and growth. It is hoped that the Reader will be transformed too.
If you enjoy having your feet on the ground, if you like watching TV nightly, if going to church on Sunday gives you a deep contentment, if day to day American life makes you exceedingly happy, Please, Please, Please! Don’t read this Book!
If however, the Super Bowl doesn’t seem all that exciting, the Academy Awards don’t turn you on, the idea of worshipping some guy who died bleeding on a cross doesn’t leave you fulfilled, then these words may be of interest.
If getting ahead materially, financially, is exceedingly important to you, then read this book to know what not to believe in. For this book will teach you how to get behind (It’s not so crowded there). This book will teach you how to be out of step with your contemporaries. Read the Newspaper to know what to believe to get ahead. Only read this work with a great sense of personal worth - for it will strip away your sense of moral and political worth - Cutting thru’ them like a sword - slicing the personal ego to shreds - so that it will no longer bind you to this life of pain and suffering - For attachment to the Universe created by Mind is the root of all mental suffering.
Why the Warning? Why the intellectual garbage? On with it.
While the separation of Being from identification with Person will be excruciating - like growing pains - it leads to a greater maturity - a more expansive vision - which includes an identification with the All. This bliss of Union is combined with the pain of compassion for the needless suffering of our neighbors. Hopefully by exposing these misconceptions to the Light of Truth, action will be initiated to alleviate this pain - rather than creating more through ignorance.
To expose these implicit beliefs - which poison our behavior - and unbalance the world - when left unexamined - We - all our multiplicity of gods and minds - will look at a few of our more hallowed concepts - in a not so positive light - Democracy, American politics, and the Bible religions have a harsh spotlight upon them - demanding the truth and coming up short - begging for consistency - only finding contradiction and confusion. We only find resolution when viewing the Christian experience of the West through the distorted prism of the warrior cult of Norse mythology, which came with the conquering Germanic tribes - who came to rule all of Europe for the last millennium.
Two more reasons that those of you who are Christian Americans should not read this book: 1) it will probably disturb your dreams and even slip in to disturb your waking hours - akin to opening up the lurking demons of the subconscious mind - Roaring Monsters devouring everything in sight.
The second reason, and it brings tears to my eyes to say so, is that you, earnest, oh so generous, giving, forgiving Christians, Democrats, Americans, lovers of free speech, and freedom of religion, will condemn and burn me at the stake for the heresies introduced herein. (Salmon Rushdie, here we come.) Not that I distrust your loving earnest selves, wanting to do good and yet accidentally trampling the political ecology that you are trying to save.
“But we were only trying to help. We didn’t really mean to hurt anyone. We were just, you know, trying to rid the world of evil. We kicked those evil Iraqis out of Kuwait so that the New World Order could begin. But then, but then … Oh I don’t know what happened then. In fact I don’t really want to know what happened then.”
“You remember. That is when the real atrocities began. Now the Kuwaitis are living in the darkness of oil clouds; the Iraqis are in the midst of a murderous civil war of extermination with no one around to help them; hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children are starving to death because of the US embargo - which has denied them proper medical supplies and food. While our ‘Christian’ nations preach charity and could easily help out by just lifting the UN imposed embargo inspired by the US, we, the righteous saviors of humankind, are getting out of Iraq and going back home as soon as we can.”
You can see from this diatribe that I get carried away in this negative fashion every once in a while. So please don’t read this Book if you get upset by political matters, for I really don’t want you to persecute me for becoming a divine Vessel of the Unknown.
It’s so mysterious fulfilling my nature as a human being here on the planet earth. Perhaps I am the only being like myself in the whole universe. I am so small that I am infinitesimal, but in my minuteness comes my ultimate Uniqueness.
You see I have these delusions of grandeur, which are immediately followed by the depths of insignificance. The Yin and Yang always balance each other ultimately, intimately – kissing the throat, breathing on the neck, sucking on nipples, sipping the sweet nectar of love.
So you see that I don’t really want to leave you totally depressed but instead want to turn you on to the ecstasy of love instead of the destruction of your old War gods. Who were they, are they again? Wotan, Odin, Zeus of thunderbolt fame. And yes how could I forget that Mesopotamian one? What was he called? Oh yes, it is coming to me now – Jahweh. Or was it Jehovah? I think the unnamable, or something like that. He calls himself God now - not ‘The God’ - just God - nothing else.
‘Do you believe in God?’ means do you believe in him who is the god of the Old Testament Jews. This is the God of the Moslems, Christians, and Jews. This is the God of The Book, which contains The Word. Everyone on this half of the world knows which god from which book, which contains whose word.
But watch out for the True Believers from whichever faith. For in their multifarious, nefarious, splenditude they know that their interpretation of the Word of that Book of their God is the True Interpretation of those Words from that Book from their God and that they will kill – make that execute, (killing’s not allowed here) – any who don’t see it the way they do. So please, all you loving, tolerant Christians, Don’t Read this Book.
An ode to The Promised Land
The True Believers,
With their innocent respect for authority,
Spreading ever upward and outward –
Invading the womb of existence,
Forever impregnating Mother Earth
With oceans of human blood
From a multitude of races –
Fighting over the Promised Land.
What these people see in it,
I will never know.
But, here I am attacking these sacred cows – again. Can’t seem to help myself. Am I masochistic or do I have a deep-seated craving for self-destruction? Do I really want to get beaten up and thrashed? Do I really enjoy persecution? This might be a best seller in Russia. But here in the liberal USofA, the government doesn’t need to step in. The aggressive tyrannical majority will just step right in and beat me up itself. But that’s OK. I just love to see violence and gore spreading my Person all over the face of this earth.
Why do I want to stir up this hornet’s nest of passions that are almost hard-wired? Why do I want to put my children up for criticism from the rest, to be outcast, pariahs in their little micro-community?
Well, you know, you’ve talked me out of it. I think I’ll wait to publish until I’m old or ready to die. Not that I don’t love you peace and freedom loving Americans to the depths of my heart. But … Oh No! I’m throbbing, rising again and I must let these fanciful words out of my fingers onto these pages. More out of control channeling.
As is my nature as a multiplicity, I, we, fly far a field covering everything from the Celts in prehistoric England to the Norse Gods and their mythology, from the story of Adam & Eve to modern democracy. I, We, the Channel seems to be interested in exploring the roots of our violent, alcoholic civilization.
Now that’s a little harsh. The Channel seems to be drawn to the Veils of Illusion, not what is apparent, but that which is transparent, that which disappears, is invisible, a Balance, the scales.
We, all of us, will show that we are not really that civilized that we haven’t really come that far from the days of the Assyrians. This will lead into an exploration of the relativity of progress, including a discussion on civilized vs. uncivilized. I will also show how our schizophrenic Christianity developed. I’m trying to pull back some of the many veils of illusion.
This work is simply a description of the historical events that led up to our present form of society, which we call civilization. This book is not meant to be a revolutionary tract, nor an inflammatory call to action. Unfortunately in pulling away veils of illusion the sensibilities of groups devoted to perpetuating these myths are offended. So this descriptive work may offend those attached to the present forms of this world.
or
Eating of the Tree of Knowledge
This work is for those who want to eat of the Tree of Knowledge. This work is for those to whom the Tree of Life is not enough. This book is for those who are not afraid to face an end to our personal lives. Those who are afraid of the knowledge of our mortality, those who are ashamed to be naked before the Universe, this book is not for them. If you dare to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil – Read On!
However beware. Remember what happened to Adam & Eve. They were banned from the Garden of Eden and were denied reentry by an angel brandishing flaming swords. In other words, the ideas behind this book are unacceptable if you want to move up the Establishment’s ladder. The pleasures of the modern day world may be denied you. Keep following your sports! Read your Headlines! Watch the TV! These sources will tell you what to believe. They will allow you to live in a state of ignorance and bliss.
Reading this book will only stir up subliminal coals in your subconscious. These words may even spawn nightmares, self-doubt, and paralysis of behavior. I am the Serpent and will only lead to trouble. The fruits of this work will be distraction and emptiness. Even ice cream won’t taste good anymore. The saccharin sweet mediocrity of TV will leave you cold.
But if you sense the illusory nature of the phenomenal world, the emptiness of existence and the material world doesn’t attract you, this work might attune you with the Collective Unconscious. If you are unafraid of the Void and are ready for some astringent honest tastes, you will find it here. If you are overwhelmed by the blahs of manufactured baby food, you will find some relief in this work. But remember this book will not get you ahead in this world dominated by the male sky gods.
If you enjoy watching endless hours of TV and belong to myriad social organizations, throw this book away immediately, burn it, or give it to your worst enemy. But whatever you do, don’t read this book. For it will only destroy all the meaning of your lifestyle.
Remember I am the Serpent and the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge tastes real good to me. Also remember that I like to stir up trouble. Death’s final argument puts it all in perspective. The excitement gives me a rise in my old age. Plus it detaches me from this Veil of Tears.
Don’t read on if you are happy with our established order. For I am the Serpent and you will be eating of the Tree of Knowledge. The Fruit is bitter and will make you cry. The Truth is Painful but will wake you up - enliven your Soul. If you dare, read on.
In this examination of the implicit belief structure that poisons our behavior let’s start off easy - with a common fairy tale – looking at the bones – rather than the surface - attempting to expose the Dark to the Light - to achieve Illumination.
Psychiatrist: “As is evident from the above ‘Warning’ the Author, my patient, has an abundance of suppressed anger – probably due to outrage liked with compassion. To let off some of this steam he was somehow someway drawn to tell this children’s story as a spoof of an exposé. The idea was to imitate, in some fanciful way, a scholarly approach to history. The traditional purity and beauty of Sleeping Beauty is turned into something of intrigue, mystery and scandal – pulling away the veils of illusion that surround this innocent legend – reflecting his need to expose truth – to take the pants off the rich and powerful – to expose their genitals to the public for what they are – small and shriveled, little dehydrated sacks of rotting disease – maggot worms infesting this former layer of health and prosperity.
For instance the Media regularly informs the American Public through their implicit belief system that the USA government is the knight in shining armor – regularly rescuing the damsel from distress. The bashful Superman, saving countries from communism – needing no thanks in return – just their continued friendship. ‘No gratitude necessary. Doing good is enough of a payment. It’s satisfying righting wrongs in this unjust world.’
Sensing that something is not quite right with this American myth, he instinctively reached out to demythologize one of these basic fairy tales as a way of reflecting that there really is no Santa Claus – that there is unfortunately an ugly economic truth beneath the seeming nobility of our Government’s actions – that the higher aspirations of many Americans to alleviate the suffering of fellow humans is being thwarted by the quest for money and power.
This retelling of the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty is where our patient started to uncover his hidden Political Self. Read on to see where he ended up.””
Establishment: “If we don’t ban or censor it first. This white Yuppie, in his groping for reality, reveals a deep-seated distrust for society’s greatest myths. This is a dangerous trend and we may have to hospitalize him at a later date. He seems to be developing delusions of grandeur accompanied by a paranoia of institutions. Somehow, he seems to think that he would be persecuted for telling the truth. Why we Americans are known for the freedom of our press. So read this work with a healthy dose of skepticism.
Understand that this Baby Boomer, Hippie, Yuppie, Yuckie with these attacks on our most venerable institutions is merely reflecting that he does not truly belong to the power group and wants in. Understand that his misguided and shallow attacks on our most hallowed belief systems reveals a void, an emptiness, a lack of attachment to those things we Americans hold most dear – Private Property, Wealth, Materialism, Getting Ahead, Success.
Our patient’s value system is distorted. We definitely need to keep him away from our children. He will teach them all the wrong values: to seek happiness within - that inner peace ignites a passion for life rather than wealth and security. Not only do these belief constructs undermine the heart of consumerism, Disneyland, Santa Claus, the profit principle and Goal Orientation, they also erode the power of Corporations – the rightful home of the working class – the prison of apathetic safety.
He is obviously downright anti-American and definitely not Christian. If our children listen to this goon they will not realize that true happiness comes from possessing things and that he who possesses the most wins the game. If truth is the goal how do we know who is ahead? Many of us have devoted our lives to the ideals of material status. Now he’s telling us that these status symbols of wealth don’t bring real happiness or health. He’s trying to tear down our lifetime goals – the implication being that we’ve wasted our years in the pursuit of this empty goal. Further he implies that our material success is based on the suffering of surrounding cultures. Come on now. Who does he think we are going to believe, him or the Media?
He also writes that because All is One, the Top and Bottom are the same - just viewed from a different perspective. Come on now. How absurd! Obviously the wealthy are at the top as they have the most possessions and the poor are at the bottom with the least. A self-evident truth. And then he has the gall to say that the wealthy are really empty hulls – bloated by their possessions - whose spiritual arteries are so clogged that they can’t even feel the pain of those they’ve maimed on the way to their top. Then he maintains that those who seek internal wealth are really at the top. Ridiculous. This truth can’t even be quantified. Patently stupid. Those without money are definitely at the bottom of the wheel.
His viewpoint is definitely unacceptable. Keep our children away from him and his writings. His ideas could lead to spontaneous happiness - which will undermine their goal orientation - which has allowed us to exploit the planet, er I mean, help out everywhere. Definitely don’t let your children read this fairy tale, as it will lead to the book. As a matter of fact if we find it in your possession …”
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