The Riches of Life

My cousin Keith passed away a couple of days ago. It's a sad time for the family, although the loss was expected. He had been fighting cancer for quite a long time. In the end, the pain and suffering was excruciating for both him and his family that cared for him. As is true in many cases, death can be a blessing as the spirit sheds the pain of the diseased-ridden body.

I haven't seen Keith in years. In some respects this is probably a blessing for me. I never really saw him in a state of ill health so my memories will always be of a vital and strong teenager and man. Most of my memories of Keith involve childhood visits to my grandparents, from whom he lived a short distance away. He was 9 years older than me, so much of what I remember about him was holding him in awe. From my perspective, he was a handsome, powerful, playful teen who had a mischievous side and occasionally took the time to show my sisters and I the wonders of nature in the woods behind his house.

When you're young, the future shines like light glinting off a brilliant diamond, always inviting, always promising more riches to come. Keith's future, like so many others, shined brightly. He wanted to be an electrician like his father. He married his high school sweetheart and embarked on his journey into adulthood.

Unfortunately, life doesn't always turn out like we plan. Many of us reach middle age, look around at the dullness of everyday life, and wonder where time has gone and where that far-off diamond may be hiding. Keith was no exception.Those goals he had in his youth did not materialize as he hoped. In the end, the misery that is cancer took him on a journey of pain and suffering that seems in some respects too great a burden to bear.

Still, before you begin to believe that all is lost for someone like Keith, take a closer look. He may not have had the career of his dreams. He may not have had ended up with that perfect relationship or the brilliant life we all envision when we're young. Keith did have one thing that shines more brightly than all others--love.

Keith had the love of a family that was always there for him. They were there to celebrate all his highs. They were there to support him in all of his lows. In the end, their love surrounded him as he traveled the path that is cancer.They continued to hold his hand until he was finally able to feel that same love that waited for him on the other side of the divide between this life and the next.

The riches of life don't come from reaching the destination.They are obtained through experiences--great jewels of wisdom and truth--as we travel along the way. They are born of choices. They are born of pain and suffering. They are born as we gain new strength to overcome the obstacles we all face. It is the process of learning and growth that enriches us all and the reason we ultimately make this spiritual journey.

Never doubt Keith found his riches. Never doubt you are in process of finding yours.

I will always love you, Keith.Until we meet again!
~Cindy Shippy Evans

On To New Adventures!

About three years ago, I realized something. My youngest child was in high school and, the way time seems to fly by, it wouldn't be long before he would actually leave home for good. The thought scared me a little. I wasn't afraid to allow my kids to use their wings. I felt I was doing a good job with them. My concern was more for myself. You see, most of my identity at the time was wrapped up in my role as "mom". I did not want to be one of those parents who desperately tethers their kids to them instead of letting them carve out their own places in the world.

The solution was simple. Begin to take more time to work on me--my interests, my talents, my desires. I have a tendency to throw myself entirely into the job at hand, often with little thought to my wants and needs.

Parenting was like that for me. While the task did require doing some things for myself (mostly to hang on to sanity), I worked really hard to ensure my children had what they needed and at least some of what they wanted. Making money always took at backseat to parenting because I was determined to give them access to at least one parent. That's not an easy feat when you are single mom, and I did have a lot of help from family and friends along the way. Most days I felt as though the jobs I seemed to "fall into" to pay the bills and still be available to my children were not exactly where I wanted to be. There were usually enjoyable aspects to the jobs but none of them fulfilled me as much as parenting. They were helpful in one respect though: understanding what I wanted and did not want in a lasting career.

It is now three years later and my son will graduate from high school in just a few days. I can't say I have found my niche, although I can say I know myself much better than I did back then. I have learned to value who I am in all my giftedness, and I have to confess I like what I see!

I am smart. I have a gift for both the written word and spoken language. I am highly sensitive to the world and people around me and I use this ability on a daily basis to make my days run much more smoothly. I am a terrific problem solver. I have made wonderful new friends along the way who have given me greater opportunities to make my voice heard in the world. This journey of discovery has been such a blessing to me!

I still can't say I know exactly where I am going. I do know I want to make the most of my gifts and talents! I am open to the opportunities that come my way, and I am watching for them. While one door to my life is closing, I choose to see the world for its possibilities.

On to new adventures! May we always look for them. May we always be open to them. May we be thankful for the ability to become something new and infinitely precious!

Searching For a Savior

I've been a part of the conspiracy crowd for the past several years now. It's been an interesting life. I've spent a great deal of time reading up on alternative news stories, doing background research to prove or disprove the stories for my own satisfaction, and forming new understandings of what is happening in the world.

I won't lie to you. It has been a scary process. My world has been shaken to its very foundations, and I have had to rebuild everything from the ground up. Like Neo in the movie "The Matrix", once you wake up there is no going back to that comfortable world to which you once belonged. It's a strange place to be in--foreign and dreamlike (or nightmarish) most days.

During the past month, the computer I normally use has been fried, leaving my internet access much more limited that usual. The good thing about limited computer access is it gives you a lot more time to access other types of information--particularly the type you can only access through the heart. Basically, it has forced me to reach deep and focus more time on connecting to God/Source. While I can't say I rely on God for information 24/7, I can say my awareness of Source has been better over all.

Why do I bring this up? It's because I have  message. It's been growing louder and louder to the point where I can no longer be silent. I know from past experience that if I don't get this message out it will continue get even louder and drive me to the place I can no longer contain it.

The message is simple. There is no savior outside of yourself! YOU are the savior you have been waiting for!!!

What do I mean by this? Basically, we have reached the point in time where we all need to get off our sorry butts and actually DO something!!! We need to stand up and BE the change we wish to see in the world!!!

Part of the conspiracy theory world involves keeping up on the latest "news". I have spent hours researching what is going on behind-the-scenes in order to try to figure out when and how the world is going to be saved. The irony here is, every source of information I've ever looked at proclaims the world is on the brink of great change. They all make it sound as though it's all going to happen tomorrow! (Some of us in the conspiracy theory world joke around about "two more weeks"!!!) The problem is, tomorrow never comes. It is merely a tool used by those in power to string us along so we continue to look to others to fix the world.

One of the weakest, most vulnerable places to be in is the place where we look to someone else to save us. It's a place where we deny our own connection to God and the universe--a place where we give up our own innate power. The powers that be understand this very well! In fact, it is how they have ruled us for thousands of years!!!

The savior is not coming! The savior is already here!!! Learn to open your heart and connect to the savior within. You may just end up saving the world!!!

Blaming The Victims

Propaganda. It overwhelms us. We see it in our television shows. We see it splashed all over the news. We even get it in Facebook posts (often couched as humor)!!! The way I see it, the propaganda is designed for mainly one purpose: to divide and, thus, conquer the masses. 

Recently, one of the favorite dividing memes seems to be to make fun of McDonald's or Walmart employees who are protesting for actual living wages. These employees typically work their butts off for very little pay. What I don't understand is how other people who work their butts off to survive in this economy can pick on people who work at McDonald's. Are they really that much smarter/better than McDonald's workers that they can complain about paying a McDonald's employees $15 an hour for placing pickles on burgers? Granted, it doesn't take a great deal of brains to do the job, but somebody's got to do it. Does it take much more in the way of brains to lay carpet or work at a bank? Standing for hours at a time in one position can be back-breaking labor (my definition of working your butt off). Why shouldn't they be paid a liveable wage to do it? Because the restaurant can't afford it? Maybe the big, bad McDonald's corporation takes in too much in franchise fees for the restaurant owners to afford better wages for their employees? Regardless, there is money enough to pay liveable wages for everyone, and to think it will make the price of your burger skyrocket is asinine when you understand where the real profits hide!

We have been programmed to believe it's okay for there to be jobs that are incredibly low pay while other more important jobs (?) deserve much better pay. Making fun of people who perform jobs we consider beneath us is a way to make us feel better about the crap jobs we do. Actually allowing those workers at McDonald's or Walmart to make as much (if not more) money than we do would put us all lower down on the totem pole, would it not? After all, wages are a way of keeping score. How else would we know if we are winning?

The bottom line is, these ideas are not our own! They are propaganda, designed to keep distracted and fighting among ourselves so the powers that be can continue to control and decimate our planet. When we bash each other spouting off such propaganda we are, in effect, blaming the victim. That's right! The McDonald's employees are the victims in this little scenario! We are all the victims each time this scenario plays out! Every time you choose to bash the little guy with no power, you play right into the hands of the people who are ruining this planet!

Isn't it time we stopped blaming the victims and turned our energies to fixing what is left of our world? I challenge you to get off your apathetic butts and make a difference! Stop buying into the propaganda and start changing your little corner of the world! You will be amazed at the results!!!

The Memes That Keep Us In Bondage

From Facebook this morning:

The way that banks work!
A story:
An old Native American wanted a loan for $500.
The banker pulled out the loan application.
"What are you going to do with the money?" he asks the Indian.

"Buy Silver, make jewelry, and sell it," was the response.

"What have you got for collateral?"
"Don't know collateral," replied the Indian
"Well that's something of value that would cover the cost of the loan. |

"Have you got any vehicles?"
"Yes. 1949 Chevy pickup," replied the Indian
The banker shook his head, "How about livestock?"
"Yes, I have a horse," replied the Indian
"How old is it?" the banker asks.
"Don't know, has no teeth," replies the Indian

Finally the banker decided to make the $500 loan.

Several weeks later the old man was back in the bank.
He pulled out a roll of bills, "Here to pay." he said.
He then handed the banker the money to pay his loan off.

"What are you going to do with the rest of that money?" the banker asks.
"Put in hogan", replied the Indian

"Why don't you deposit it in my bank," the banker asked.
"Don't know deposit," replied the Indian
"You put the money in our bank and we take care of it for you.
Whenever you want to use it, you can withdraw it."

The old Indian leaned across the desk and asks the banker...
"What you got for collateral?" (FB post by Denis Cooney)

What is funny about this joke is how the Native American calls the banker on a standard practice of banking. What is not funny about this joke is how we just accept that it's okay for bankers to earn money for themselves by charging interest on our money, and how we just accept no one else can do it!

The point is, there are many, many memes we have been programmed with to such a degree that we no longer question their legitimacy!!! It is exactly these sort of memes that keep us living within a subtle form of slavery. When we believe these memes are truth, we allow ourselves to be kept in bondage!

What's wrong with bankers charging interest on money they loan out to people, you ask? In order to answer that question, we need to look at what money actually is. Money is a system by which products and services are given values so that these products and services can be traded equitably. While the concept isn't all bad, there can be problems with ranking products and services evenly. Any good attorney (are there any good attorneys?) can argue why something should be of greater or lesser value. My question is, where does the fair come in? Who makes that determination? Society as a whole? The rulers? God?

Let's look at a concrete example. In our society we pay medical doctors extremely well because we value their role of bringing health to the masses. While it can be argued they provide an extremely valuable service, what makes their roles as healers any more valuable than farmers? Musicians and artists? Builders? Factory workers? Fast food employees? Bankers? Should working hard be a factor in this equation? What about talent? The irony of paying doctors (and other occupations) well is the fact that we often end up with doctors who are motivated to become doctors because they will be well paid as opposed to actually having the talent and ability to be gifted healers. Do we really want to be part of a society where we are not encouraged to use our talents for the benefit of all? A society where only certain things are valued and the rest considered unworthy?

Here are some of the memes we believe that keep us in continued bondage:

• It's okay for banks to make money off our hard-earned money.
• Bankers are too big to jail. If some of them go to jail, they deserve to be in special prisons for white collar criminals.
• Certain occupations are worth more than others.
• It's a dog-eat-dog, competitive sort of world. That's natural selection or survival of the fittest.
• Our world's finances should be in the control of people who understand money--the bankers.

There are many more memes we could come up with. The point is, our society is seriously broken. Many of us are hurting and in pain with little relief in sight. 

As a very empathetic person, the pain has become unbearable. I can no longer just sit on the sidelines and watch people die their slow, agonizing deaths.

It is time for us to look at our beliefs and decide whether or not they can still be used, or if they serve to keep us on bondage. Don't be afraid to question what you have been taught. The truth really will set us free!

Zombies And The Real World

I reposted a picture on Facebook the other day. It consisted of two pictures side by side where people were pressed up against store windows in each. The caption read, "Dawn of the Dead, 1978. Black Friday, 2013." The irony was, both pictures looked eerily the same.

We believe zombies are the stuff of myths and legends, and yet a critical look at the world today will yield tragic results. We have become a society of mindless addicts, ruled by the greed and competitiveness we have been programmed with from birth. There is no thought. There is no logic. There is no compassion. We are controlled by a force that has cut us off from there very things that make us human. In a very real way, we have all become the mindless, craving zombies we fear.

What can we do to change this situation? The best thing we can do is take a critical look at our own actions and question why we do what we do. Do we believe it's important to work really hard/"smart" in order to have the finer things in life? Do we pursue such goals regardless of whether or not other people or things get hurt? Do we define others who don't have as much as we do as "lazy" and "worthless"? Does mindless materialism and competition make us happy?

We do not have to be mindless, programmed zombies. We can question our own actions. When we come up with answers we do not like, we can take the simple step of changing the way we do things. Our actions do not need to be thoughtless. Our actions need to be conscious.

All it takes to change the world is to change yourself.

9/11: Day of Empowerment

Twelve years. It's been twelve years since the horrible tragedy that was 9/11. Too much destruction. Too many lives lost. Too much worldwide grief. The effect on the collective consciousness was decisive enough that data from satellites stationed over the earth's magnetic poles registered huge shifts in their readings on that day. (Read more About the Global Coherence Monitoring System and 9/11.) Twelve years later we have not finished the reconstruction of the twin towers, nor have we overcome the helplessness in our own hearts.

Declaring war has not helped us take back our power. All it has done is cost precious lives and resources. Killing the supposed mastermind of this plot, Osama bin Laden, has not overcome the ideology behind the destruction. We feel the chains of this every day and live in fear of even more destruction.

This needs to stop. We were not born into this world to be slaves to weakness and powerlessness. We were born in this era to take responsibility for all those things that happen in our world, both good and bad, and learn from those things. We have waited far to long for those in power to change our world for the better, and quite honestly, it is not going to happen. Creation is not the responsibility of a few but the responsibility of us all!

Do not grieve for those who lost their lives on 9/11! We absolutely miss them, yet all grief does is keep us slaves to helplessness. I don't believe those who died would want their deaths to take away our power. Rather, their sacrifice will be in vain if we do not recognize the lessons they died to teach us.

Let us make this resolution. As we remember all those who lost their lives on 9/11, let us never forget that we have the power to learn! We have the power to make better choices! We have the power to create the sort of world we would like to live in, for ourselves and our children! Allow the light to enter in this day so the world may be a better place for everyone!

~Cindy Shippy Evans