Living Without Sin

Song of the Moment: Love Will Save The Day feat. Miss Modest by JD73

A stunning portrait crossed my feed yesterday that inspired me to write tonight. This is an example of the alchemy of the Self, digitally. I logged on, had the most amazing photography cross my feed and as I allowed myself to be absorbed into its artistry... symbols, ideas and inspiration began to emerge. 

I contacted Giselle, who is a model in-world and had the portrait done to reflect overcoming a difficult time in her life. She said to me as I inquired about it: “I had this photo made because even when my life was turned upside down I never missed my mark and push(ed) forward in spite of.” It was captured brilliantly as it is the feeling engendered in me when I saw it.

"The Foot Archer" used with permission
Giselle Chauveau Moore (http://gisellechauveau.wordpress.com/)

I reached out to Giselle because the symbolism of the piece is exceptional. I explained to her that few know that literally the word “sin” is an archery term that means "missing the mark.” I continued, that the term as originally used in a Christian context means we that we have not understood what our focus should be placed upon. Forgiveness is about accepting that you have gone in the wrong direction and are choosing another path. 

Additionally, the "Passion" of Christ is also symbolized in some other forms of spirituality as a man hanged upside down. It is a releasing of the ego to allow something more Divine to take the lead. It symbolically means "the destruction of self brings life to humanity"

My inspiration was further guided tonight by a discussion with my in-world son, who came to me faced with being challenged in RL about his faith and lifestyle. He began questioning himself and as with most of us, questions of morality, guilt and shame were present. He usually comes to me at times like these and I am always happy to be a non-judgemental witness to his growth. I listened and responded:

“I can't tell you how to live your faith. It is a journey you walk alone. You have to come to your own understanding and become "a law unto yourself.” There are many interpretations of the bible. If you go to the Bible Gateway website, there are no less than 15 versions of it. You must also consider there are MANY MANY other religions and even more, "non-religions" all based upon faith. Morality resides within you, because even you will interpret whatever you read or hear in your own way based upon where you are in your life. Religion should be a guide, however, if YOU believe something in your life is "wrong" and feel shame, then you MUST examine it and then make a decision about it. No one can live your life but you. Noone will be accountable for YOUR decisions but YOU! Often people want to guide you to their way of living because you are making them uncomfortable within THEIR own faith, but you have no control over that.”

I then asked that he pray about it, decide and release it.

I would invite you to do the same as you move forward in your life. Empathy is guided not by religion, but our own inner compass as we experience and understand our lives and purpose. Happiness is God’s promise, but can only be evaluated by each of us in our own unique life experiences.

Allow yourself to hit the target… follow your bliss and live the life you have dreamed of.

Peace, Love and many Blessings 

xoxo

Acu

www.facebook.com/acuminousone

Read more »

Falling In Love with Potential (repost)

Thank you Paul for writing such a brief but poignet message (and Thanks N'Delamiko for posting this to your feed. This message seems to be a recurring theme this month. 

"So often I see good-willed people focus much of their energy on attempting to “rescue” or “upgrade” their partner. They give unreciprocated time, love, money, energy, and advice. I’m sure you know someone doing this right now. If so, do them a favor and have a good Come-To-Jesus talk with them. The truth is they’re not in a relationship, they’re working on a science project. They haven’t fallen in love with the man/woman, they have actually fallen in love with the “ideal” of the man/woman. This is dangerous, simply because often times the “ideal” is never realized." Paul Brunson

Clearly the Divine is ready for us to hear this... ♥

Read the rest of the post here. 

Namaste' <3

Read more »

SL/RL Synthesis Note (48): "Life Is Worth Living"

The news of the Death of Don Cornelius by suicide came as a real shock to me. Contemplating how a man who seemingly had it all, ...wealth, fame, legacy… could not find happiness or understand his value and purpose enough to feel the value of LIFE opens the way to consider what we make priority.

Its caused me to reflect deeply on my relationships in Life, first and second and the number of people I encounter who are hurting so deeply, although wearing a fearless mask, and are struggling to find their value and purpose too.

Life is complicated, and people never change when things are going well. Our world is filled with messages that encourage our fears and sometimes we get stuck because we worry that we will make a mistake, or there is nothing better.

There is always something better, when you are not happy.

ALWAYS!

However, sometimes in the grand “role play” that is living, we have to experience discomfort in what is familiar to discover something new…something greater…than we knew existed in our current understanding. Pain is part of Joy. Hate is part of Love. One could not exist without the other. To live in FEARLESS emotion is to understand that the obstacles in our lives are TRULY opportunities to learn something new, to grow in understanding...to have faith. Giving up should never be an option, because more often than not, around the corner is the bliss we feel is eluding us.

I pray that Don is now at peace and that the family he leaves behind is able to move through this pain now imposed upon their lives in a way that helps illuminate their true purpose…. It certainly has for me…

You are beautiful, you have value, your life has a purpose

…and if no one has told you today, I love you!

In peace,

Acu

p.s. I wrote the attached poem in honor of Don and all of us who have struggled and may be struggling. Live life in fearless emotion. LIVE LIFE in FEARLESS EMOTION… God bless XO

http://acuminousone.blogspot.com/2012/02/living-in-fearless-emotion-poem.html

Don Cornelius Dead: 'Soul Train' Host And Creator Dies After Apparent Suicide

Read more »

Living In Fearless Emotion (a poem)

Living In Fearless Emotion

Born from Divine Oneness

Seeking destiny

Human flesh makes tangible

Infinity…

The reality of life

And its guarantee

Is that each day

Will be filled with uncertainty

Sometimes we laugh

Sometimes we cry

Living In Fearless Emotion

We wonder “why?”

Every tear, on each face

Tastes the same

Doesn’t matter the difference

In color, place or name

Life’s test is to question

The things that we see

Although born from perfection

We’re part of life’s impurity

Divinely chosen existence

We experience vibration

hurt, joy, fear, pain

Live to feel each sensation

Walk life’s journey as our body grows old

Become Peace by piece

Mind

Body

Soul

© Acuminous Watanabe (2012)

Read more »

SL/RL Synthesis Note (47): "2012: The End?"

Welcome to 2012! Is this the end?

I knew it was coming. I got my first “store-some-water-and-food-the-end-is-coming-in-December” note from one of my in-world acquaintances. Let me get on top of this thing RIGHT NOW! (chuckles)

For the past year there has been a lot of hype around the end date of a 5,125-year-long Mayan calendar. December 21, 2012 is supposed to bring a huge occurrance. Spiritualist believe there will be a consciousness transformation and scholars believe the abuse of natural resources will come to a head in cataclysmic events. There are of course people who believe it’s all bogus and the biggest thing that will happen on 12/21/2012 is that the day will turn to night and when we awake, it will be December 22^nd.

Regardless of any of these possible outcomes and predictions, it is hard to ignore that SOMETHING is happening in our culture and world. Without a defined date, change IS occurring and I predict that big things ARE coming that will surely contribute to our evolution. Will it be the end of the world? I doubt it. The end of the world as we understand it now? Quite possibly!

I think people forget sometimes that things were not always the way they are now. There was a time when there was no Internet, no computers, no phones, no planes, no cars, and so on. We have been evolving for some time now, constantly creating and innovating ways to make our lives better. As our lives improve, our ideas become more complex, our brains develop more in line with the pace of our environment and culture.

Not a long time ago, it was unimaginable that millions worldwide could be in contact with each other simultaneously. We have access to more information, more PEOPLE than ever before in human existence. We no longer need the media or newspapers, as biased as they are, to inform us of what is going on in other parts of the world. Consuming information fed to us in a way that engenders fear and a craving for protection is becoming less the norm. Today with the Internet and social networking, we can easily join our hearts and minds in thoughtful, peaceful response to challenging world events. This can only facilitate a HUGE shift in our own ideas about ourselves and the collective whole of the world.

As I write this, I am listening to a news report of Obama’s signature on a defense bill that will regulate the detention, interrogation and prosecution of AMERICAN CITIZENS suspected of being terrorist. In essence ANYONE can be detained INDEFINATELY if suspected of terrorist involvement in the United States as of today, January 1, 2012. In an election year, this is surely a sign of more to come and the outcome of the election might contribute to a shift in SOMETHING as we are ending the year.

We all feel it. I hear over and over this increase in anxiety and a sense of frustration around the state of world affairs. People are asking different kinds of questions about religion and government and are positioning themselves to be heard and answered (see http://occupywallst.org/).  Living in fear is not natural to our bodies, there must be a balance between *growth* and *protection* to survive. Could it be that collectively we are seeking to evolve out of a social paradigm of fear, and that it is finally culminating at this time in our development as human beings? No more fear of world domination, obliteration, degradation, depreciation, segregation? That sounds AMAZING, but I digress from my Jesse Jackson moment. (grin)

I don’t believe any of it is worthy of fear. In contrast, confusion, doubt chaos and crisis, anger, despair and pain are all excellent conditions for growth. No one ever evolves when things are going GOOD. It is when we reach a place of discomfort that we seek necessary change to be at peace again. Collectively, we all seem to be ready for this as we begin a new year. 2012 presents a wonderful opportunity to move ourselves and our community toward something better than we have been in years past.

What is most important is that each person be open and receptive to looking at our own fears and inner darkness in a different light, and willing to SEEK the change desired. I will start with ME and act on those changes in my own life that will bring my heart more happiness and fulfillment. From there, I will work to make similar changes in my community and as one drop of water is part of the ocean, I will do my part to heal the world.

Are you ready to make that move too? If not now, when?   


With a gentle nudge of encouragement... :)
I love you XO
Acu

p.s. For more commentary on conspiracy theories like the Illuminati and New World order see Joining The Illuminati

Read more »

SL/RL Synthesis Note (45): "…On Being Ambiguous…"

Song of the Moment: “Closer” by Shawn McDonald

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t16b2yMqME

Make Up Your MIND…

    Just say YES…

As simple as it sounds, when at a crossroad making a choice can be an overwhelming experience. More often than not, the stumble is in reflecting and realizing that we already know what choice must be made, but must find the courage to make it. Until we come to the place where we can say “no” to something that has not worked and “yes” to something other than that, we spin in circles sometimes spiraling into some of our darkest life periods. The goal of life is to say YES to those things in our path that call to the joy in our hearts,  and then accepting that it also means saying “No” to other paths available even when they may provide temporary relief to a choice we may be struggling with. We can only be in one place at one time, and so we must walk one path at a time.

Living a “Second Life” of course can complicate these matters because you can, in effect, walk two paths at once. The challenge though is that even with 2 lives (or 3 or 4 dependant upon how many alternate lives you may be living with various avatars) there is only one human operator and therefore you can only be “present” and be available as one “self” at a time. Trying to juggle several paths at once will never allow you to fully be “present” to one goal. To live and enjoy it; to contemplate it and discover new ways to navigate it; to move swiftly toward the fulfillment of it. Straddling two choices IS also a choice, akin to riding with one of each feet on two different tracks. Ultimately what works as a parallel ride will still bring you to a place of separation and you must decide which direction you want to go. Tangibly or spiritually two tracks are never intended to run parallel forever... why would there be a need for both?

We make choices all day, every day for the duration of our lives. Life IS but a series of choices, one after another, moving us toward more experiences, maturity and wisdom. In relationships, sometimes it is the choice another has made, that puts us in the precarious situation of then having to make a choice of our own. We sometimes get stuck, when we are unable to accept the choice another has made, and hold on to the hope that they will change their mind. The pain of waiting, then ensues sometimes moving us to do and be things we might never had considered, in hopes that the person will choose again … and say “yes” to you once more. What is it you are living in the meantime? What is it that you must say “No” to in your life, that might bring you to a happier place than you are experiencing while “in wait”. The reality is, whatever it is you are saying “yes” to precludes many other options. Conversely, when you do say “yes” to something, it creates a pathway toward that goal for you, and if you are saying “yes” to a closed door, there really isn’t must distance for the wear unless the person behind it chooses to open it. Do you really want a life that is lived contingent upon the actions of another? …I’m just sayin’… Coming to the realization that a choice must be made in and of itself can be an epiphany moment. Making the choice, however, can be a long, arduous process that puts our life on hold…and what a sad, isolated existence that can become!

When we are born, we leave that comfortable symbiotic space that is the womb, and are delivered into infinite possibilities. Life becomes a series of choices by which we are narrowing down the prospects into a series of paths that slowly converge into what we call life. Early on our caretakers give us the tools we will use to carve our lives into our personal existence. Our eulogy then becomes a recap of the paths we’ve chosen and our life’s hope that each road has led to happiness and fulfillment. Each choice brings us closer to a more clearly defined path shaping our sense of purpose and …our relationships.

Its time… NOW… CHOOSE …and LIVE … Stop procrastinating…

Just say “YES!”

XOXO

Acu

Read more »

One Enchanted Moment (a poem)

It feels as though a lifetime has passed.

Broken, bent and beatten
Like a child in the wilderness,
I searched the tree tops and river banks,
brush and meadow
mountain and valley
pieces of me, longing for you.

Guided by voices,
My mind a map of words,
I turned left and turned right – holding my breath
Hoping that soon… just a bit farther
Your arms would be waiting.

The days, months, the years passed by
Time so fast, yet so still
The wilderness no longer wild,
Became my solitude.
i am one with it
 but still feel the longing and struggle on,
seeking your grace, your comfort
…to at last find you.

Now
engulfed by the monotony
My heart weary and filled with fear.
The screams of my mind remind me
…i am not yet worthy.
Thoughts shrouding secrets of my heart.

No longer able, full of resentment and disgust,
I fall to my knees and cry out to you—
my arms reach desperately,
As I stare into nothingness
 through tear soaked eyelids
and call your name

“LOVE…why do you forsake me?
  I surrender…please release me!”

I close my eyes,
pressing my warm face
to the cool, moist ground
and in that moment
I Am
Still

My heart is filled with
The secrets of trees’ whispers… “now, yes Now”
The hidden words of birds singing “Now, yes Now”
The quiet release of the rivers’ babbling “Now, Yes NOW”

Pieces now One,
I Am One
Peace.

written for the in-world Egbe Akowe Writing Group (c) July 2009

Read more »

In Memorial - September 11, 2001 (prayer)

Loving God ... we are so grateful for your presence in around and through us

We can feel the love of those lost 10 years ago this day, as their bodies have left us, but their souls never die. We pray for peace in the hearts of their families, especially their children so that they are better able to understand your Divine Grace and Will.

We are knowing and affirming your Love is with us always and that although we do not always know the greater plan, that it is your love that provides what is needed for the greater good of mankind.

We pray for Divine Wisdom in the hearts and minds of the leaders of the world that they are open and receptive to hearing your voice

and we pray that they are guided and lead by that Wisdom and that your Divine Will be done

And so we release any feelings of anxiety or fear that may linger in our minds and allow that space to be filled with your Love and Peace.

Thank you God for this life

Thank you God for our living soul

…and thank you for your essence with connects and binds us together in your love.

and so it is... Amen (Ra)

Read more »

Joining the Illuminati: ...on "One" Conspiracy

Let me begin by saying that as I offer my opinions about the veracity of the Illuminati, it is surely tainted by my own spiritual beliefs. I am not supposing that I am the end all be all on any subject and would never tell you what to think. I will however give you some things to think about and hope that if you are moved to strongly invest in ideas in favor of or against what you are about to read, that you will take the time to read or/and or listen to what is out there and come to your own opinion. Accepting what someone else has identified as “truth” is sort of what got us into this mess. We need to be more proactive in thinking for ourselves. With the access we have to people around the world , via the internet and social media, there is no reason to accept any one postulate as “truth.”

With that being said, let me add that I am what I am, with regard to spiritual beliefs, largely because of where I was born and raised. Any good sociological study (and some good old fashioned common sense) will confirm that people born in the United States are statistical likely to be Christians, as natives of India tend to be Hindus, and those of Saudi Arabia are typically Muslims. Although I claim no specific religious affiliation and enjoy learning from various teachings, inevitably, my Christian roots tend to serve as a foundation from which I make sense of most of what I have learned spiritually.

In a world where 30 years of oppressive rule can be brought down in 3 weeks, using social media and the internet (see overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak, January 2011), we are realizing that there is power in having control over how information is disseminated and are thus empowered to ask questions the answers to which might have previously been tremendously difficult to find. A similar phenomenon occurred when the Bible, (a text whose teachings had previously only been privileged to religious leaders who were then responsible for disseminating and teaching it to the masses in a manner dictated by the leaders of the time), was put into print for the lay person to read for themselves. It opened the door for new understanding, interpretation and MISinterpretation, at least to the degree it was written and then printed for mass consumption.

Centuries later, we all seem to be searching for new answers to our spiritual questions and understanding of the world and how we function in it.

Enter, the Illuminati.

Conspiracy theorists have speculated about secret orders and mystical control over the masses using a variety of means for centuries. Recently however, with speculations about the end of the world, One World Government and One World Religion people have become more receptive to the idea of  “inner workings” of some great group of ridiculously rich and powerful people who are using the media and control of the economy to corral the masses to live under their complete control. Their goal? Ruling the world with slavery and dictatorship. Proof given to validate these claims are “secret symbols” that once interpreted, demonstrate this villainous plan. Secondarily, several governmental leaders mentioning the words “New World Order” in their speeches solidify that their previously unseen plan for world domination has been exposed.

Let me pause for one moment to ask you to breath and think. If the symbolism is secret and you know about it and have an interpretation, is it still a secret? …and if these leaders, who are operating under some mysticism which will work to corral the masses have done so for centuries, did they somehow forget how to keep it secret all of a sudden? Alzhiemers maybe? (grins)

If you google “Illuminati” you will turn up all means of articles, blogs, videos, etc., that are prepared to inform and enlighten you about this New World Order. Not only that, but every successful celebrity or athlete is most certainly a part of the Illuminati, or that is what many of the posters would have you to believe. They have all “signed deals with the devil” but its no secret, because any recognizable international figure is part of the clan, at least according to your google results. 

With the break down of religion and questions about the nature of good and evil, could it be we are looking for something to be our new devil …to be our new dark? Every generation gets the evil monster it deserves based on the societal fears of the time. When we bring these “demons or conspirators” to the light, they often reveal our deepest fears and desires about everything from sex and death to celebrity, immortality and class warfare. As long as humans have fears to confront, we will find something “out there” onto which we may project those fears so that we can point at something other than what is really going on inside of us.

If you look long enough you will find the actually definition of the word “illuminati” as  (a group of ) “people claiming to possess special enlightenment or knowledge of something.” I would invite you to embrace THAT as a group worth being a part of. Not the influential intellectuals and progressive politicians of the current pop phenomenon, but part of a group of enlightened persons invested in the idea of Unity of mankind. After all, all humans are “people” but not all will buy into this idea as “true”. Besides, our world sure could use some new ordering. Its quite a mess! What if we could all coexist and accept one another as is, without the need to “change” anyone? What if we all embraced the one truth that we are much more the same than we are different, in our humanness, and in our belief in the existence of something great than ourselves operating within and around us (i.e., God, Spirit, Science, etc) ? What if we all lived cooperatively and in support of the physical, emotional, and spiritual growth of one another? If that process is guided by the truly enlightened or the true Illuminati, ...especially given the power to connect to people and share information… perhaps One government and One religion is something worth working toward…not fighting against.

…In the name of Unity... One Blood, One People, One God…

One Love :)

Acu

p.s. will this new proclamation of joining the  Illuminati add my signature to the increasing names popping up on google searches? If so, I hope it increase hits to my blog! I need to monetize that bad boy (chuckles)

Read more »

SL/RL Synthesis Note (40): "Surviving Hell's Fire"

Song of the Moment: “Thankful” by Meshell N‘degeocello

(Lyrics and Youtube Link Below)

There is a lyric from a favorite song of mine that says "…And hellfire's a promise away I'd still be saying…I'm still in love” The song is about a man who is in love with a woman who is already taken by another man. He sings of the joy this woman brings, but also expresses his tortured frustration that the “hands of fate” did not allow them to find each other first. He acknowledges that he knows this relationship is doomed, hence “hell’s fire”, but he is willing to risk it, to be with her, even if just for this time. Pretty romantic stuff…

I will probably get some flack, for saying this, but in my own spiritual belief, I don’t define Hell (or Heaven for that matter) as a place, but rather a state of being at various points in our lifetime. Hell is the consequence for SIN which I believe stands for “self inflicted nonsense” since being in hell is a personal experience based upon what I am thinking, doing and feeling. One of my favorite classic writings is Dante’s epic poem “The Divine Comedy”. The cantos from this work are often falsely attributed to the bible and used to “shame” practitioners away from certain behaviors. It should more accurately be seen as an allegory of the soul's journey towards God, or “Divine Peace”. The “Divine Comedy” is given credit for Christianity’s understanding of hell, purgatory and the seven deadly sins (or 7 roots of sinfulness). The origins can be traced back much farther than that…but that’s another note…. Anyway, purgatory is described as the place between heaven and hell where we are stuck in the “mind” of  sin… the place where thoughts lead to the actions which promise to bring us to Hell’s fire or deliver us into Heaven.

I have toyed with the idea of Second Life as my own purgatory. In the last few months, I have lost 3 people in SL who were very close and dear to me. The most devastating was very recent, (and probably the best for both of us), but is tremendously painful to grieve. Last night, I encountered this person off the grid, accidentally, and was devastated that I wasn’t even acknowledged. There were no words exchanged, (other than my genuine greeting and expression of love), so after the silence I was left only with my thoughts about what that lack of acknowledgement meant. I could have decided, it was a technical issue, but instead, I completely tanked resulting in an hour or so of grief stricken sorrow and self-doubt. It was hell… you can’t tell me that was not hell, although it was absent of the fire and brimstone I’d heard so much about in Sunday school. When I tried to decide what SINs I had committed (my mind to), I decided gluttony (over indulgence of anything to the point of waste) and sloth (failure to utilize one's talents and gifts) continue to keep me in this Hell like state.

I was initially attracted to Second Life for the social richness relationships provide here. The grid gives me access to people of different cultures, beliefs, lifestyles, ways of being, thinking and feelings that add to my experience in both lives when shared. The love, passion and grief developing those relationships offer me are unparalleled. However, being in two places at once has its benefits and consequences.

Freedom (and deliverance) from my Self Inflicted Nonsense, according to the poem, is marked by joy, courtesy, and service. Although Second life provides opportunities for all of these, the balance between gluttony and sloth versus temperance and diligence are challenging ones for me. It is EXCESS that turns something beautiful into something perverted and SIN-FULL. Balance will deliver me. I help HARD, I grieve HARD, I love HARD, as anyone who is close to me will attest too. I am so busy giving, though, that I am left empty, spent, feeling used…and wrapped in SIN.

It is equilibrium that I seek, faithful that it will provide space for me to RECEIVE in a reciprocal way so that all my relationships are able to grow in a healthy way. The feelings of happiness, disappointment, pleasure and pain that allow me to EXPERIECE life, in a way I never could in ONE place…country, state, city, neighborhood, house…and so more quickly than ever before, when “the student is ready, a teacher will arrive.” If the lesson is patience, he will force me to wait; if the lesson is faith she will leave me so that I am left wanting; if the lesson is peace, he will tear my world apart so that I am left only with those pieces that continue to serve me, allowing me to let go of those that don’t any longer. Relationships allow me to LIVE these ideals, to feel them, understand them and make use of these states of being in a way I could not learn, any other way.

As I grow, I endeavor to be grounded in reality, …but liberated virtually!

With Love XO

Acu

“Thankful” by Meshell N‘degeocello

Listen via YouTube HERE :-)

just wanna be happy

mother&*©#ers like fancy things

big houses,

big cars,

like movie stars

gotta have everything

numb myself to the suffering

just wanna be happy

and thankful

not just

try to get through

just wanna be happy,

thankful

not just

try to get through

should i lie

should i cheat

turn on my tv

tell me what i want,

what i need

i lose my faith sometimes

i lose my faith sometimes, yeah

so much suffering for

fancy cars,

big houses,

everything

i lose my faith sometimes

i lose my faith sometimes, yeah

just want to be happy

and thankful

not just

try to get through

just want to be happy

and thankful

just want to be happy

and thankful

try to get through

you're all i need

lay your burden down

ease my sadness

you're all i need

i lose my faith sometimes

i lose faith sometimes

just trying to get through

i lose faith sometimes

you're all i need

lay your burden down

i lose faith sometimes

you're all i need

i'm thankful

that i feel you

ease your sadness

you're all i need

lay your burden down

ease my sadness

you're all i need

lay my burden down

i laid my burden down.

Free Yale University Video Course on the Divine Comedy can be viewed here!

Read more »