In California, the animist gods of forest fires, floods, droughts, mudslides and earthquakes are screaming for people to leave. Yet, the false god of sentimental thinking (the self) tells people to stay.

Fiction is our memory of non-fiction.

What happened historically is remembered hysterically.

We are born of the soul and into the self for a short journey in the play of life.

When we are scripted out of the play, we return to the soul.

The play is a divine comedy for those who remember the way of the ever-present and eternal soul.

The play is a tragedy for those who’ve lost the way, the lost souls.

Political decadence is when right or wrong is replaced by right or left.

When we know the world solely by what we see and hear, we are out of touch and can’t tell whether something doesn’t smell or taste right.

Nouns are photos. Verbs are movies.

Nouns are the it. Verbs are the is.

Nouns are empty generalizations. Verbs are meaningless.

Nouns are created by our consciousness. Verbs are the experience of consciousness.

The goal in the material world is self-actualization, realizing one’s potential; like a seed becoming a fruitful tree.

The goal in the transcendental world is self-realization, realizing what we are: the eternal soul which is manifested as an infinite number of everchanging things.

There are two paths to both self-actualization and self-realization: the institutional path and the self-discovered path.

The institutional path in the material world starts with a formal education and continues as one develops in a corporate or governmental organization.

The self-discovered path in the material world going it alone by starting a business.

The institutional path in the transcendental world is marked by religious texts,  codes of conduct, collective rituals and individual practices under the guide of a guru or spiritual leader.

The self-discovered path in the transcendental world is sitting still, observing, seeking answers  — like a dog chasing its tail — until the sound of laughing wakes us to the absurdity of it all.

The institutional paths limit risk and reward.

The self-discovery paths are only limited by the self.

A subscriber to our blog recently mentioned some of the posts repetitive.

This suggests a main point of the blog has been lost on them; for even if two posts are identical, they are not the same.

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” — Heraclitus

God is everchanging and eternal; a way not going away.

In the Hebrew Bible, YHWH is the name of God.

In Paleo-Hebrew, the written text only included consonants and the reader would supply the vowels during reading. This oral tradition was passed down through generations, but was eventually lost. Today, there is no consensus as to how to pronounce YHWH.

However, the nature of God reveals a possible pronunciation of God’s name.

God self-identifies as: “I am who I am” or “I will be what I will be”. God is manifested in the now as a tangible “who” and outside the now as an unspecified “what”. Taken together:  “I am what I am.”

Acronym: iawia

iawia can be pronounced two ways.

As “I why” wherein the first of two consecutive vowels is pronounced and the second vowel is silent.

Or as “a way” wherein only the second vowel is pronounced.

With both pronunciations, one vowel is voiced and the other silent. God is the manifested and the unmanifested.

“I why” or, in common speech, “why do I exist?” I am what I am. There are no reasons or explanations.

God is “a way“; an everchanging path, being rather than a discrete being.

“a way” is akin to the Taoist concept of Tao (the Way). The Way is ultimate reality; the seen and unseen; the source of all being; the eternally transitioning; ineffable, beyond human comprehension.

“a way” is also a possible pronunciation of YHWH.

“a way” is the sound of breathing (inhale “a”, exhale “way”).

Likewise, “soooo” is the sound of inhaling and “hmmmmm” is the sound of exhaling. Together, they form the word “Soham”, meaning “I am” in Sanskrit.

Every breath of life recalls the name of God.

No one is getting out of here alive, but those who know the way. The way is love.

Love connects who we are in the play of life, an expression of the soul, to what we are before and after the play, the soul.

In light of our inevitable death and countless potential disasters, everyday problems aren’t as significant as our mind makes them.

We rarely stress about something we can do something about.

The mind causes stress, not circumstances.

If we are not dancing, we are not listening to the music.

Love your self with your soul, not with your self.

Otherwise, you might fuck your self.

Stress is a selfish state of mind.

Stress happens when the self takes control of the mind.

The remedy is freeing the mind from the self.

The etymology of the word “mind” is “memory”.

Remembering what the universe is can free us from the shackles of stress.

The etymology of the word “universe” literally means “turned into one”.

All things are temporarily things in the now, but eternally one thing: the universe.

Who we are is a self. What we are is the universe.

When we only perceive being a self, we suffer selfish states such as stress.

Remembering we are the universe, we have no stress.

Feeling great and being stressed are mutually exclusive states of mind. When we feel great, we cannot be stressed.

When we are grateful, we are “great-full” with no space for stress.

We are grateful when we remember we are lucky. However stressful our circumstances, we are lucky they are not worse.

The word “hap” means luck. The root of happiness is remembering we are lucky.

When we are happy, we cannot be stressed.

Life is a play.

For the actors in the play, it’s a tragedy; good times, bad times, meaningful relationships here and there, but everyone dies at the end.

For the audience, it’s a comedy; watching actors take their roles seriously, though it’s only a play.

When we identify as the self, we are the actors.

The audience is Gods. When we remember we are Gods, we are also the audience.

As Homer once said, near the home of the Gods, Mount Olympus, there is a deafening sound of the Gods laughing. The Gods are laughing at us.

When we die, we leave the play and join our fellow Gods in the audience.

Remembering we are both the actors and the Gods, we can laugh at our selves.

When laughing, we are not stressed.

Much stress is a function of things from the past.

These things are karma: our intentions, actions and consequences of past lives. Karma affects how we experience the now.

Our past lives are not lives we had before this life. Our past lives are passed days of our life. Each day is not a day in a life but a life in a day.

We accumulate much karma over our passed lives.

The people we were in passed lives are illusions. Our memories of them are just a dream; yet, the self tells us otherwise.

When we don’t believe the self-stories about the past, we remember we are only the person we are right now.

Karma of the past is passed and we cannot be stressed in the now.

The self has many faces or emotions, like stress.

The self’s emotions control our mind.

To escape the self we need to calm the self with unconditional love.

Unconditional love comes only from the soul. When we love unconditionally, we are the soul.

The soul is never stressed.

Loving those who dislike you shows them the way to disliking no one.

A meal is judged twice. At the sitting and at the shitting.

Pantheism is a religion without religion.

Organized religions are identity groups typically defined by institutionalized characteristics: belief systems, sacred texts, rituals, moral codes, communal practices, symbols and anecdotes.

As each organized religious group perceives itself different from other groups, religious identity groups (as well as secular identity groups) are inherently dualistic

Pantheism dispels with duality.

Pantheism is the view that while every thing seems unique, all there is is one everchanging thing: God.

Oneness with God is a transcendental experience that dissolves the illusionary and dualistic boundaries that differentiate organized religion and secular groups generally.

Oneness is a direct connection to the divine; much like mystical experiences in organized religions (Sufism, Kabballah, tantra, and Zen meditation) but without the institutional structures framing it.

The state of oneness is characterized by the transition from individual consciousness to divine consciousness; from the view that every thing is finite in space and time (having a beginning and end) to the view that all there is is the everchanging and eternal Everything, God.

In the mystical state of oneness, one loves every thing; though one may not necessarily like every thing from the perspective of their individual consciousness.

When one loves every thing, one feels every thing loves them.

The reciprocal connection of love engenders a transcendental peace, a peace beyond understanding.

Pantheists appreciate organized religions and secular beliefs as different expressions of God; but often view as funny the rituals, dogmas, and hierarchies of organized religions and secular life (non-pantheists) as they obscure the fundamental truth that every thing is sacred.

Those who are non-pantheists often don’t appreciate a pantheist’s perspective. People who take their religious and secular beliefs seriously are put off by those who are laughing at them, though simultaneously loving them.

“Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear.” — Lao Tzu

In each body resides a self.

But the self is many selves, as each of our emotional states is a unique self.

The selves are like the grains of sand in a muddy pond, the mind.

They preclude us from seeing within the pond and reflections without the pond.

To clearly see within and without, the selves need to settle at pond’s bottom.

In this process the many selves turn into one.

Calming the mind let’s the selves settle.

This is the purpose of meditation.

With eyes open, our mind shows us the infinite manifestations of reality.

With eyes closed, we see one thing: nothing, the true nature of reality.

Everyone is brilliant in some way. The brilliance of those who seem dull is to remind us that we can seem dull too.

Those with microscopic or telescopic minds can see what few others can, but often can’t see what’s before their eyes.

If we are not one with the Everything, we are nothing; in life, relatively nothing; after life, absolutely nothing.

Loving some things even more than your self is selfish when you don’t love all things.

As 85% of disease-related deaths are a function of age. To stay healthy, don’t grow up.

When the wealthiest and most powerful man in the world, Alexander the Great, asked Diogenes of Sinope what he can do for him, Diogenes replied: “Yes, stand a little out of my sun.” .

The greatest gift is to escape the self’s shadow and connect with the source of all things.

Those who know the soul experience a peaceful death; for when the self and its home (the body) are no longer, they will be one with the Everything.

Yet, at their passing, their loved ones will grieve and mourn.

Newborns cry as they transition from one with the Everything into finite beings.

Yet, those welcoming newborns rejoice.

Those peacefully departing and those entering the material world know the joy and peace of oneness with the Everything.

Those distracted by the dualities in daily life are often oblivious of the oneness before and after the material world. They grieve when others leave or rejoice when others arrive, because misery loves company.

When good times lead to worse times and bad times lead to better times, that’s called “regression to the mean”.

When good times lead to better times and bad times lead to worse times, that’s called “momentum”.

The Way depends on identifying and balancing these countervailing forces.

In the play of life, we play many roles. The most coveted are the scarce and elusive roles of the wealthy, the powerful and the celebrated.

While talent and effort is needed, most actors awarded these roles are simply lucky.

Unfortunately, even for the lucky ones, all roles are temporary, ending before or by the time whomever plays them gets scripted out of the play.

Unlike other roles which require an actor to have a self, there is a role that’s only available to those who forego their self. It’s a role that’s easily obtainable, requires little effort beyond paying attention, and survives the length of the play. Yet, few players know this role is available.

The role of God.

As God, we know life is a play we produce for our entertainment. We are the actors and the audience. We recognize every thing is a manifestation of us, God, and we love everything accordingly.

In Judaism, God is nameless.

God is not one thing to the exclusion of other things.

God is the Everything: the now and what is before and after the now.

However, the Everything is not a thing.

God is not a static noun.

God self-describes as “I am”.

God is an unspecified verb, the process of the Everything.

We’re surrounded by an infinite number of things.

As we distance away from them, we see them as one thing.

We have freedom of speech as long as no one is listening.

The soul’s love and the self’s love are the same but feel different.

The soul has only one emotion: love.

The self has a multitude of emotions, including love.

The soul loves every thing, as every thing is a manifestation of the soul. Simply, the soul loves itself.

The self’s love is conditional, loving some things sometimes.

The soul’s love is unconditional, loving all things all times.

The self’s love is ecstasy; love sandwiched between other emotions in striking contrast to love. Ecstasy is joyful and energizing.

Love from the soul is peace; a feeling beyond words, as oneness with the Everything is beyond description.

Ecstasy and peace simultaneously is orgasmic.

All things are two things, a reflection of light and a shadow.

The sun creates the light, the thing creates the shadow.

Nothing is perfect, as there is nothing about which to complain.

Before and after the now is nothing.

Before and after the now must be perfect.

“When I was a kid, God often told me that only people create ugliness.” — Kanako Iiyama

Through the eye of God, the manifestation of God (the now) radiates beauty.

Through people’s minds, the beauty is often elusive or even made ugly.

The mind cannot see, it can only compare. The mind compares the now that’s now with the now that’s passed and the future now it imagines or desires.

Comparisons shroud the now with words; precluding a direct experience of the radiant now. As well, comparisons can make the absolutely beautiful relatively ugly.

The now is perfect; eternally now. Yet, none of the things in the now are perfect as all things are ever-changing; at best, perfect temporarily.

Focusing on things, people often complain about imperfections. Complaining is ugly.

Those who know all things in the now are one thing, the manifestation of God, unconditionally love all things as they do themselves.

Those who see things as other than themselves, connect to things with various emotions; many of which are ugly.

Life is a wonderful dream as long as we’re not oblivious we are dreaming.

The electromagnetic spectrum reveals the universe.

We see the universe through a pinhole: visible light is 0.0035% of the electromagnetic spectrum.

If we saw the universe through the entire electromagnetic spectrum, we would wish we were blind.

Love is love, but is different depending on its source.

There is love from the self and love from the soul

The self expresses many emotions, including love.

The soul expresses itself only with love.

Love from the self is temporary, as the self also needs to express other emotions.

Love from the soul is unending.

Love from the self is love of specific things.

Love from the soul is love of every thing.

Love from the self is conditional.

Love from the soul is unconditional.

Love from the self is demonstrative.

Love from the soul is ethereal.

Love from the self is finite like the self.

Love from the soul is eternal as it connects us to the Everything.

Love from the self is empathy.

Love from the soul is compassion.

Love from the self is joyous.

Love from the soul is peace.

Knowing who you are, you can make the best of your roles in life.

Knowing what you are is the best role.

“In the beginning…God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” —  Genesis 1:1-3

Every thing subsequently is a derivative or an illusion.

When we are grateful and love the now that is now, we are poised to be happy with the now that will be later.

“[C]ynic…a man who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing…a sentimentalist…is a man who sees an absurd value in everything and doesn’t know the market price of a single thing.” — Oscar Wilde

A cynic doubts the value of everything; hence, he accepts values based on market prices. For example, he accepts that a Rolls Royce is worth $400K because that’s the price at which a willing buyer and seller agree, regardless of the relative merits of the car or its cost of production. A sentimentalist values everything based on personal feelings and thoughts without regard to the reality of prices determined in the marketplace. For example, a sentimentalist might be unwilling to sell for $10K a ring received as a gift and replaceable for $1K.

The cynic values things empirically: it is what it is whatever it is. The sentimentalist values things based on concepts and theories that rarely comport with reality.

Successful traders are cynical. They tend to view the current price of something as the best predictor of its price in the immediate future. Thus, they buy and sell things based on price trends. As something is moving higher in price they buy more and more of it at higher and higher prices. When the price trend breaks, they liquidate their positions at whatever the prevailing prices. Thus they buy high and sell low.

Successful investors are sentimental. They believe the value of something is a function of its relative value and cost of production. That belief allows them to continue buying something as its price declines and sell when prices go higher. They buy low and sell high.

From a political perspective, a cynic is the capitalist and the sentimentalist is the socialist. The cynic applies a cost/benefit analysis to government programs, while the socialist considers the benefits without the direct, indirect and opportunity costs of the programs. Moreover, the cynic perceives government programs as self-serving to those espousing and implementing the programs, while the sentimentalist views the programs solely in terms of their beneficial objectives. Essentially, the capitalist is rational and self-serving, while the socialist is an emotional do-gooder. Ultimately, the capitalist is frustrated by the socialist’s inability to see what the capitalist feels is common sense (economics) and the socialist feels that the capitalist simply “doesn’t get it;” that is, we all live in a community and need serve the community (high taxes) which in turn cares for its members (welfare).

Individually, sentimentalists are emotional and cynics are practical; symbolically represented by fire and water. Fire hates and fears water. Water knows fires will eventually burn out, but not without causing great destruction.

As children we need to be loved, for we will surely die without the help of others who presumably will help us because they love us.

At the end of days, we need to love everyone and everything, for otherwise we will surely die if we don’t realize we are one with the Everything.

The winners in the game of life receive grand prizes.

But, every participant gets a consolation prize: the transition to heaven.

The winners who rejoice with their grand prizes often forget to pick up the consolation prize.

In the play of life, we are both the actors and the audience.

Wonderful entertainment for all but those who forget they are also the audience.

Someone who asks you a question wants to learn.

Someone who provides you an answer wants to teach.

Someone who asks you a question and provides you an answer wants to sell you something.

“He who doesn’t see God everywhere isn’t capable of seeing God anywhere.” — Kotzker Rebbe

Desiring what we don’t have distracts us from appreciating what we have.

Talking about others, we are talking about our self; for the self creates the others.

As no one has ever complained about the night sky, the universe must be heaven and Earth must be hell.

“You were born an original. Don’t die a copy.” — James Mason

Soulful love is the joy of feeling how someone emanating love feels.

Selfish love is basking in the love showered upon us by others.

The soul loves the light of the sun.

The self loves the warmth of the sun.

Ignorance is bliss.

Temporary bliss for those who think they know what they don’t.

Eternal bliss for those who are curious.

We cannot choose our future, but we can choose how we remember the past which frames how we experience the future.

Enjoy your self, otherwise it might make you miserable.

Those who hate the rich but want to be rich hate themselves.

Love makes all things one thing.

Empirical studies suggest eating “junk food” is a precursor for dementia. However, the relationship may be reverse-causation. That is, an early sign of latent dementia is eating “junk food”.

The rich think the poor are lazy and the poor think the rich were just lucky.

They are both right.

The key to success is luck. Those who work 40 hours/week get paid accordingly and receive 40 lottery tickets. Those who work 60 hours/week receive 200 lottery tickets. Those who work 75 hours/week receive 400 lottery tickets. As well, the rich are more conscientious in checking their tickets for winning numbers.

Love connects us with the everything, while the self separates us from the everything.

Unconditional love is loving everything. It is the peace of being one with the Everything.

Conditional love is loving some things sometimes and not others. It is an intense physical and emotional state as it’s preceded and followed by other emotional states.

All emotional states, other than love, are a form of selfishness. Love too is selfishness when it connects us with some things but not every thing. Soulful love is love of one thing: the everything.

No one is getting out of here alive, but those who realize they are the Everything.

Many a thank you is heard in the Rewards Department.

Many complaints in the Complaint Department.

God runs the Rewards Department and the Devil runs the Complaint Department.

Before and after the now, we are the eternal soul.

In the now, we are the self; a temporary expression of the soul.

The soul simply is, asking for nothing.

The self is selfish, demanding all our attention.

As the self denies the soul’s existence, we lose touch with the soul.

Ironically, the self will inevitably no longer exist and we will surely die

if we lose our connection to the soul.

Those who rejoice at reflecting the brightest light are often oblivious they cast the darkest shadows.

Praise takes little effort to create, is risk free to distribute and rewards those who dispense it.

Valuing praise at its cost of production, praise is worthless. Yet, most people love being praised and pay handsomely those who praise them, who often appear in the role of salespeople.

Criticism takes thought, effort and is a thankless job; often received as umbrage.

I feel those who criticize me love me and my criticism of others is given out of love. Maybe that’s why I was never much of a salesman.

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

Fake artworks are real, but real artworks are often fake.

Fake artworks are forgeries or facsimiles of real artworks.

For most, the experience provided by a fake or real artwork is the same.

As the prices of real artworks often more than 100x the price of fakes, the prices of real artworks are fake.

The now is the everything, yet contains no things.

The now is eternal, yet ever-changing.

The now is real, yet an illusion as what is now is now no longer.

The now is unpredictable.

The now is overwhelming.

We are the now, yet don’t know the now.

All we know is our reactions to the now.

When we observe the now from before and after the now we can we know the now.

With more than a glance at the rearview mirror, we are likely to have an accident.

Awakening dispenses with boredom, as every moment is unlike another.

“Questioning the fabric of reality can led you to either madness or the truth and the funny thing is that you won’t know which is which.” — Lex Fridman

Life is a play; at times a drama, a tragedy, a comedy. Upon realizing it’s a play, the dramas and tragedies are funnier than comedies.

A maze puzzle is a metaphor of our approach to life; focusing on achieving specific goals or a journey to freedom.

The conventional approach to solving a maze puzzle is starting from the edge until we find our way to the middle. This is a goal-oriented approach. Upon realizing our goal, we find ourselves surrounded by the puzzle.

Alternatively, we can start from the middle to find our way out of the maze. Once out, we are “free;” we find ourselves beyond the puzzle, though where we are cannot be described.

Going into the maze puzzle is descending into a rabbit hole. Coming out is arising to the light.

Google Bard describes mindset of those who start at the edge vs those who start at the middle:

Starting from the edge:

• Methodical thinkers: Those who prefer a step-by-step approach and logically navigate through challenges might start from the edge to follow a systematic path.
• Safety-conscious individuals: People who prefer to avoid dead ends and deadlocks might start at the edge to ensure a clear path forward.
• Traditionalists: Those who follow established norms and conventional methods might start from the edge as it’s the most common approach.
• Pragmatists: Individuals who focus on the most efficient solution might start from the edge as it offers a clear path to reach the destination.

Starting from the middle:

• Independent thinkers: People who prefer to forge their own path and explore the unknown might start in the middle to avoid any preconceived notions of direction.
• Risk-takers: Those who enjoy a challenge and are comfortable with uncertainty might find the middle a more exciting starting point.
• Holistic thinkers: People who prefer to see the big picture and analyze all options at once might start in the center to get a sense of the maze’s overall layout.
• Creative problem solvers: Individuals who enjoy unconventional approaches might find the middle a unique way to tackle the puzzle.

The mind can be a dark place, when we don’t open our eyes and see the light.

Some things are less perfect than other things which themselves are not quite perfect. Only the now is perfect, as there is nothing else.

Shit generally trades between $5 – $10/pound. When on a rare occasion it trades at $2/pound, it may be cheap but it’s still shit.

Money is a beautiful thing as it equates the value of all exchangeable things. Yet, money is often ugly in the context of our personal relationship with it.

Unsolicited advice might come from the heart, but often debuts as a bowel movement; a relief to the provider, but a put-off to the recipient.

The work of a man of wisdom is to make happy memories.

God sees God in every thing.

“With modern Western medicine, the upside is you’re alive; but at the cost of being a slave forever.”

In the now, every thing is what it is whatever it is.

Every thing, before and after the now, is the soul.

Before our birth and after our death, our sole identity is the soul.

Upon birth, we transition from being one with everything, the soul, to becoming a unique manifestation or expression of the soul; a seemingly independent entity.

To sustain our independent existence, we develop a self; a sense of being apart and separate from every thing that is not our self. The purpose of the self is to provide us with our needs of food, shelter, security and health. However, the self also engenders desires that become indistinguishable from our needs, putting us in an endless cycle; needs/desires to temporary satisfactions to needs/desires. Clearly, the self demands much of our attention.

Alternatively, our soul identity has us living a life of wisdom and compassion; wisdom, as we experience life not solely from the perspective of our self, but through the perspectives of the infinite manifestations of the soul; compassion, as we love and treat all that is not our self as we love and treat our self.

In the transition to life, we initially remember our identity as the soul as we in turn develop our identity as the self. In childhood, our soul identity embraces magical (animist) thinking as we feel every thing has a spirit within it that can be conjured for our benefit through our living harmoniously with its spirit.

However, over time, as we are educated and socialized, our self becomes our primary identity. While we are both self and soul identity in various proportions, many of us become oblivious of our soul identity.

Ultimately, no one is getting out of here alive. Our bodily death coincides with the demise of our self identity. However, before we complete our transition from physical death to our essentialness, the soul; if our soul identity is our primary identity, we realize we are an eternal being.

Love expressed by the soul is unconditional, unlike love expressed by the self which is conditional.

Love from soul is gold, while love from the self is fool’s gold. A simple acid test can determine whether love comes from the soul or the self.

The test is how do we feel when someone we love engages sexually with someone else. If our love is from the soul, we are happy for them and for whomever they were intimate, as how can we not be happy with the thought of people enjoying themselves. If our love issues from the self, we are angry, jealous, sad or have other unpleasant states of mind.

Love is love. From where it issues is of little immediate matter as love is love.

However, over time, love that flows from the self is temporary; at times running dry as it transitions into other emotional expressions. Love that flows from the soul is eternal, as the only emotional expression of the soul is love.

Moreover, love from the self is conditional, while love from the soul is unconditional.

Love from the self is proclaimed with “I love you.” Love from the soul is expressed as “We love you.” “We” are the gods. Those who don’t recognize everyone is god cannot love unconditionally.

Religions are like sheep.

Their wool warms and protects us.

Their bodies provide us sustenance.

But, beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.

They may make us feel comfortable and safe,

but their only interest is to sustain themselves.

There is a nameless place; before time begins; before we are born; before things become the now; a place of infinite possibilities.

While no one ever speaks badly of this nameless place, we often curse people and things that come from it. By doing so, we are not encouraging that place to send us something we will cherish.

We don’t need to worry about the future as that will be what it will be. However, we need to worry about the past, what we remember and how we remember it, as that will frame how we experience the present.

Those who appreciate life are on the way to happiness. Those who focus on trying to understand life may lose their way.

The luckiest are those who recognize they have been lucky, for they will recognize other lucky opportunities that come their way.

“Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself.”

When we see God in every thing, we are God.

“Art as Experience.”

We experience art suddenly, through our eyes (“wow, oh, hmmm”); and slowly, with our mind (words, thoughts and comparisons).

It’s a unique experience for each of us and a unique experience from one moment to the next; otherwise, our eyes are closed.

I am who I am.

I am various emotional selves in various roles in the play of life. Depending on perspective, I am in my play or other people’s plays.

I am.

I cannot be described otherwise as I am ever-changing. Any description is empty, as by the end of a self-description I am not the person described at the start. description.

I am a verb, not a noun, as I am everchanging. I am being, not a being.

I am what I am.

In the now, I am a who. Before and after the now, I am what, the essence of every thing.

I am the Everything.

I am the soul and its expression in the now.

I am eye.

I am what I see, as every thing I see is me.

I am 1.

I, like all seemingly independent things, am not an independent thing; just a facet of 1 thing, the Everything.

I is time.

The most frequently used pronoun, verb and noun are: I, is, and time.

Taken together, the most frequent sentence would be: “I is time.”

“I is time” is transcendental. I is a flow of events. I is infinite, continuous, eternal.

I am God.

God, to entertain itself, has created the play of life. God is the actors and the audience.

For the actors, the play is a tragedy as everyone is eventually scripted out of the play, dies.

For the audience, the play is a comedy, as the actors take their roles and themselves seriously.

I am 11

In numerology, “Victor Teicher” is the number 11.

Victor: V = 4 I = 9 C = 3 T = 2 O = 6 R = 9

Add the numbers together: 4 + 9 + 3 + 2 + 6 + 9 = 33

Since 33 is a master number, we do not reduce it any further.

Teicher: T = 2 E = 5 I = 9 C = 3 H = 8 E = 5 R = 9

Add the numbers together: 2 + 5 + 9 + 3 + 8 + 5 + 9 = 41

Since 41 is a two-digit number, we need to reduce it to a single digit by adding the digits together: 4 + 1 = 5.

Now we add the numerology for each name together: 33 + 5 = 38

Since 38 is a two-digit number, we need to reduce it to a single digit by adding the digits together: 3 + 8 = 11.

Therefore, the numerology of the name ‘Victor Teicher’ is 11, which is a master number in numerology. This suggests that the person with this name may have a special spiritual mission or purpose in life.

In numerology, master numbers are the numbers 11, 22, and 33. These numbers are considered to have a higher vibration and are believed to carry a special spiritual or energetic significance.

Master numbers are not reduced to a single digit in numerology, unlike other numbers. They are thought to represent spiritual enlightenment, heightened intuition, and a strong connection to the universe or higher power.

Those who have master numbers in their numerology chart may be seen as spiritual leaders or visionaries, and may have a heightened ability to manifest their desires or tap into their intuition. However, master numbers are also associated with greater challenges and responsibilities, as they require a strong commitment to personal growth and spiritual development.

Overall, master numbers are considered to be very powerful and significant in numerology, and are often seen as a symbol of great potential and spiritual evolution.”

I am Victor Teicher.

My role in the play of life is preordained by my name. In German, Teicher is one who ponders. In English, where two vowels together are pronounced as the first vowel with the second vowel silent, Teicher would be pronounced as “teacher.” In Japan, Teicher is pronounced as “taisha,” the ancient shrine where all the gods meet annually. Victor is “conqueror.” Since entering the play of life, I have long pondered the nature of consciousness which led me to where the gods reside. The revelations that have come my way are to teach us how to conquer the self (our personal identity) which imprisons us, precluding us from connecting with the soul and being one with the Everything.

True perfection seems imperfect,

yet it is perfectly itself.

True fullness seems empty,

yet it is fully present.

True straightness seems crooked.

True wisdom seems foolish.

True art seems artless.

The Master allows things to happen.

She shapes events as they come.

She steps out of the way

and lets the Tao speak for itself.

“True perfection seems imperfect, yet it is perfectly itself.”

What may not seem perfect in our mind is actually perfect as it is what it is whatever it is, undisturbed by our perception.

“True fullness seems empty, yet it is fully present.”

Even when we have all the possessions we may desire, we are still empty as the more we have the more we want. In the present (the pre-sent, where every thing is one thing before it is what it is whatever it is in the now), we are one with the everything; truly fulfilled and need nothing more.

“True straightness seems crooked.”

The way of a meandering river is the straightest way to the ocean.

“True wisdom seems foolish.”

Wisdom is the synthesis of many perceptions; some seemingly well reasoned, some silly.

“True art seems artless.”

Art is all that is art-ificial, manmade. Yet, wonderful art doesn’t seem artificial, contrived.

“The Master allows things to happen. She shapes events as they come. She steps out of the way and lets the Tao speak for itself.”

Being open, accepting and making the best of what comes our way leads us to harmony with all that’s about us.

The self and the soul have a symmetrical relationship, laughing at each other.

As the self cannot see the soul, the self laughs at those who identify with the soul; thinking they are fools.

As the soul sees people taking seriously the illusions created by the self, the soul laughs.

But, as the self is temporary and the soul eternal, the soul has the last laugh.

Before and after the now, the sole thing that is is the soul, the everything. In the now, every thing is the everything.

Upon our manifestation in bodily form, we assume a temporary self which disappears when our body is no longer.

As every thing is a manifestation of the soul, the soul is what connects every thing as one thing, the everything. This connection is called love.

Unlike the soul, the self views itself as apart and separate from every thing that it perceives as not its self. The self connects with every thing with ever-changing emotions like joy, hate, love, anger, indifference, envy, etc.

Our experience of life is a function of how we connect, through the soul or our self.

In a world inherently hostile to the self-sustainment of our bodily form, we need the self to survive. When we do so, we experience life with the emotions of our self. However, when we are not oblivious we are eternally the soul, we can return from the emotional rollercoaster of our self to the eternal love that is the soul; where there is peace beyond words and every thing is absolutely beautiful. That is the purpose of this blook, to guide us to the realization we are the soul.

Psilocybin mushrooms have been long and widely used, extensively studied and identified as having the highest success rate relative to other medicines and treatments for depression. How psilocybin scientifically works this magic is unclear, but below is a metaphoric explanation.

In our everyday life, we view the world exclusively through the light that informs our eyes. The light is interpreted by our mind which in turn creates stories and generalizations we accept as reality. That reality affects how we feel; happy, sad or a multitude of other ways.

Light is roughly 0.0035% of the electromagnetic spectrum. The spectrum otherwise consists of various wavelengths of energy; gamma rays, X-Rays, microwaves, radio waves, infrared waves, etc.

The psilocybin journey is a journey along the electromagnetic spectrum. The journey is hallucinogenic; in effect, we see things that do not otherwise exist as they are not visible to our light-receptive eyes. However, these things do exist, only revealed by wavelengths outside the visible light spectrum.

Viewed from outside the light spectrum, every-thing we see is unlike anything we have heretofore seen; energizing, engaging, beautiful. Everything is alive.

It is then we come to realize our mind heretofore saw the world through a tiny pinhole in the electromagnetic spectrum. Clearly, there are infinite views and interpretations that are equally valid to those we had previously unquestionably held; much of what we heretofore had taken seriously is now funny; hence, it’s silly to take our self too seriously. This is wisdom.

Realizing there are infinite views and mind interpretations of every-thing, a question arises: “Who am I?” As we know we can be perceived in infinite ways, we ultimately realize we must be one with everything and every-thing is an ever-changing manifestation of that which is beyond our understanding, the soul. As one with everything, we treat that which heretofore we viewed as other than ourselves as we treat ourselves. This is compassion.

After the psilocybin journey, we are not whomever we were before. Now, our reaction to what we see through the view of the light spectrum is like our reaction had been when viewing the world for he first time through other electromagnetic wavelengths; things are energizing, engaging, beautiful and alive. We are now free from solely experiencing life in the context of our earlier mind’s interpretations, stories and generalizations. We are free of thinking that everything is either us or not us.

An effective psilocybin journey frees the depressed from their pre-journey view of reality. Enlightened to the nature of reality, one is beyond temporal selfish feelings. With wisdom and compassion, one now has a deep appreciation for life. Gratitude is a key to happiness. One can’t be depressed when they’re happy.

“People like us who believe in physics know that the distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”

Everything is all at once. As that is overwhelming, our mind has created time to make it all a seemingly manageable to experience.

Much of what we undoubtedly think we see as reality is just a movie projected from our mind. To see reality we need to close our mind and open our eyes.

The universe is perfect but we see it otherwise when we see ourselves as otherwise.

“I used to think that everyone saw the same thing in a different way, until I realized everyone sees the same thing in the same way but describes it with different stories.”

An extraordinary genius is successful and celebrated by society.

A true genius is happy whether or not successful or celebrated.

Intelligence makes things interesting. Wisdom makes things funny.

“And God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness[.]'” — Genesis 1:26

Each of us is a unique face of God.

“I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.”

Having more questions than answers is energizing.

Having more answers than questions is tiring.

Those who claim their success came from luck are able. Those who think their success came from their abilities are bound to be unlucky.

The time before and after we are alive must be a happy time as no one has ever complained about it.

Awakening is the realization that all times past are a dream.

Those who want to work want work.

Those who don’t want to work want jobs.

In the world of collectible art, the tail wags the dog: the price of an artwork is more impactful than the artwork.

“It’s not a failure; it’s steps to success. There’s always steps to it. Michael Jordan played 15 years, won six championships. The other nine years was a failure? That’s what you’re telling me? It’s a wrong question; there’s no failure in sports. There’s good days, bad days. Some days you’re able to be successful, some days you’re not. Some days it’s your turn, some days it’s not your turn. And that’s what sports is about. You don’t always win. Sometimes other people win. And this year somebody else is going to win, simple as that.

This has to be the worst postseason ever. We have a number in [the locker room] and we were stuck on 15 [wins to the NBA Finals] … which is kind of hard to deal with. But at the end of the day, I feel like they were playing to beat us, and we were playing to win a championship.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo is the star player for the Milwaukee Bucs basketball team that was the favorite to win the NBA Championship this year. Above, his reaction yesterday when asked if losing in the first round of the postseason means this year was a “failure.” While an avowed Eastern Orthodox Christian, Antetokounmpo seems to be a Taoist as well.

.

When we identify someone as of our kind, we treat them with kindness. When we identify with the universe we treat all with kindness.

Each morning

I return from sleep-death

and ever so slowly separate

from being one with everything in a timeless place

to a finite and temporal self.

Before forgetting from whence I came,

I recite the Mourning Prayer:

Oh eternal universe

oh ever-changing universe

oh timeless universe

oh endless universe.

Thank God for creating the universe

and granting us consciousness to realize our oneness with everything.

The people I’ve been and the roles I’ve played in days passed,

my prior lives,

are illusions

Now,

I am who I am

and every-thing

is what it is whatever it is.

Regardless of circumstances,

I am grateful for however my life unfolds today,

hopeful to realize divine consciousness,

happy helping others likewise

and laughing at my efforts to realize that which is always here.

Shanti Shanti Shanti

Now awakened,

I reposition from horizontal pose, where all are of equal height, to vertical.

Footsteps away is the throne

for the ritual burial of what nourished me last life.

Then, shower calls my name

for washing and massaging the temporary envelope that holds me together

and, without mirror, mind concentrates on shaving the face.

Once dried and dressed for appearance on stage,

fresh-squeezed blood orange juice

seaweed salad

hardboiled quail eggs toped with anchovies,

followed by a Robusto-size cigar and black coffee.

My new life begins,

for which I already have much to be grateful.

With that in mind, it’s a wonderful day.

To live a life of compassion and wisdom, best to avoid those who lack compassion and their friends who obviously lack wisdom.

Apocalypse is the complete and final destruction of the world as described in the Book of Revelation. While most of us will not be around for the world’s collective apocalypse, each of us will have our own apocalypse/revelation, the end of our days in unitary bodies.

Apocalypse and revelation are used interchangeably, but are different. The etymology of both words is to “uncover, unveil.” However, apocalypse is more about the destruction of the world as we know it and revelation is about what’s revealed by what remains after the destruction.

Apocalypse/revelation is like the lifting of a bride’s veil to reveal her face before the groom kisses her to consummate their marriage. After the kiss, the groom’s unitary existence is over as he is now one with the bride. Likewise, at the end of our days we realize that we are no longer unitary beings; we are one with all that heretofore seemed other than us.

Apocalypse/revelation is when the truth is revealed about consciousness and reality. The veil represents our personal consciousness; the meanings, generalizations and stories we create that mask reality. When the veil is lifted, we see reality as it is: the nothingness that everything is before and after it is what it is whatever it is.

That’s who we are: The nothing that everything is before and after it is, one with everything.

For those who know the veil is illusory, the veil is translucent; allowing them to see reality. Thus, as they know they are one with everything, they treat others as themselves (compassion) and are able to see the world from many perspectives (wisdom). Moreover, when the veil is lifted, apocalypse, it is the time for revelation; to revel with laughter as the illusions are now clearly absurd.

However, for those who think the illusions are real, the veil is opaque. They live as unitary beings and when the veil is lifted the revelation is frightening as hell. Not a surprising outcome as taking our personal consciousness seriously is at times hellish, even before the apocalypse. Unfortunately, it is fear of reality than keeps us from seeing through our personal consciousness which is the foundation of our fear.

While a lie may initially hide the truth, when the truth is revealed the lie ultimately reveals more than it hides.

Every night at sleep-time we die. Every morning upon awakening we are born. Each day is not a day in a life, it is a life in a day. Thus, we’ve lived thousands of lives before our reincarnation today upon awakening.

Before sleep-death, we acknowledge each other with “good evening;” that is, “good even-ing” for in sleep-death everyone (the smart, the stupid, the rich, the poor) is even, equal.

In sleep-death, our soul leaves our body and merges with the universal soul, which in some traditions is called God. When the soul returns to our body, we are born.

Upon awakening, we greet each other and ourselves with “good morning;” that is, “good mourning,” have a good time mourning the people you were in past lifetimes (yesterday and all days now passed) by remembering them in the light of wisdom and compassion; but, don’t identify their life experiences as your own.

Upon awakening and before we assume the roles and circumstances of the person we were yesterday,  we recite out loud the Mourning Prayer. The Mourning Prayer acknowledges God’s creation, the universe, and expresses our gratitude for the life and consciousness we have been given which allows us to be one with God. Moreover, we declare that we are free from karma (our intentions, actions and consequences in past lifetimes (days of our life)) and look forward to realizing our purpose in life: to have a wonderful experience, realize our potential of divine consciousness and help others likewise.

Mourning Prayer

Oh eternal universe

Oh endless universe

Oh ever-changing universe

Oh timeless universe

Oh universe of infinite finite things.

Thank you for granting me today a role in the play of life.

The people I’ve been and the roles I’ve played in days passed,

my prior lives,

are illusions in the seemingly real form of memories.

Now, I am who I am

and every thing is what it is whatever it is.

Regardless of circumstances,

I am grateful for however my life unfolds today,

hopeful to realize divine consciousness before I’m scripted out of the play,

happy helping others awaken to their good fortune

and laughing at my efforts to realize that which is always here.

Shanti Shanti Shanti

We recite the mourning prayer aloud, again and again and again, until we feel it and truly awaken. Then, hopefully, we won’t forget who we are as we make our way through this day of life with the peace that comes from not taking our self too seriously; as we know that our self, which will die in the even-ing when our soul departs, is not who we are.

At day’s end, it is time for the Even-ing Prayer before our sleep-death.

Even-ing Prayer

Oh eternal universe

oh ever-changing universe

oh timeless universe

oh endless universe.

Thank God for my  role in the universe

and for now,

sleep-death,

when my soul joins God

which is what every-thing is before it is the universe.

Shanti Shanti Shanti

As few remember that every day is our birthday, we should remind whomever we meet with the greeting: “Happy birthday.” Whether they recognize today as their birthday or not, they will undoubtedly have a laugh. What better gift can we give someone on their birthday?

Intellectuals are mischievous entertainers. They make fools of those who take them seriously who in turn wreak havoc on everyone who doesn’t.

Empathy is giving a beggar some money. Compassion is giving a beggar a job.