THE MYSTERY OF INNOCENCE

Other titles for this post: ~ HOW TO BE A VIRGIN AGAIN 

"Great men are they who see that spiritual is stronger than any material force; that thoughts rule the world." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I really want to be a virgin again in more ways than one. In this age, we’ve seen too much, done too much, been too naked. Mortal life is getting too extreme. There’s too much hard-core violence and porn in the airwaves. But is it possible to become innocent again? Can we put the Genie back in the bottle? 

There is nothing in the physical world left to want, do or imagine. I don’t want one more luxury gadget to make my life easier except maybe the newest iphone or a flying car. Okay, and maybe a Jet-pack like the Jetsons had. Actually nothing in the material world impresses me anymore. Except seeing, actually seeing The Force, which some call "God" but which I often call Love. Imagine if love were a tangible force. What would it look like?

I was thinking about the tragedy and the terrorist bombings ~  Brussels, Paris, Boston, San Bernardino, 9/11, Oklahoma bombings, as well as Hurricanes, wildfires and mass shootings.. and the Indonesian tsunami – and of how many bodies have rotted and evaporated, and how quickly human life is snuffed out. It proves to me what I’ve always known: that flesh is not man's most important quality. This mortal life is but a dream, and man is not made of matter, no matter how real the illusion seems. Our lives are a reflection of our thoughts. 

As a culture we put so much emphasis on the body: on the cellular substance of a fetus, the death and burial of a corpse, the saving of an unconscious sack of flesh that contains no life force or spirit, as in the case of Terry Schiavo, who was brain dead, but not allowed to be taken off life support. This case became a political circus. We are focused so exclusively on the letter, not the spirit; the style, not the substance; the right hat, not the heart; the ritual, not the meaning... and the flesh, which can be wiped out so easily — that it must make me wonder: is flesh man’s most important quality?

At the risk of sounding like a crackpot, I have to say here that I no longer believe in the physical universe as being primary. The invisible harmony is what's real. In other words, the things I know are valuable and real are the things I can’t see with my eyes – the invisible qualities of love, truth, wisdom, soul, principle, thought, harmony, wisdom, compassion, beauty, strength and character – things that cannot be physically touched or scientifically proven. Man is spiritual; we are linked to the Divine and to each other by the invisible fabric of love.

As Emerson said: "this is a spiritual universe and thoughts rule the world."

Imagine if the human pageant were just a tapestry — and God sees the complete, beautiful picture on the finished side — but from our vantage point beneath, we only see dangling threads that keep disappearing as they are woven in and out. As people pass on, certain threads disappear because they are part of a grand stitch that completes a beautiful landscape or picture on the other side. We can’t see the whole picture. We don't know the reason for death and suffering; we don't know what's on the other side, but I'm sure there are many mansions and colors -- and the weave creates a majestic tapestry.

One of my favorite books is MANS SEARCH FOR MEANING by Viktor Frankl, who overcame concentration camp torture through the power of his mind. This is a universe of thought. Thought is energy and it is swift.

Here's the Catch 22: what you think about all day long, is what you become; what you focus on grows. So if you're thinking about how bad the world is, or how much you lack, you will get more of the same. Or as I wrote in the comedy film "Venus Conspiracy", "You can be attractive even if you're not good looking, because if you radiate love, you attract people." I know it's a silly line, but it is true. Beyond "The Secret" the best metaphysical writers who really know the truth are Eckhart Tolle, Mary Baker Eddy, Emmet Fox, Depak Chopra, Neal Donald Walsch.. actually there are many. 

Whatsoever things are good, pure, beautiful — if we think on these things we will bring these into our life in proportion to our thoughts. Our thoughts create our reality, and as Shakespeare said, "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."

I have the profound sense that we are doing the right thing everyday when we are loving to others, especially those who offend us and disturb us, and especially those less fortunate. Have you seen someone's face light up with just one kind word?

My sister went through open-heart surgery to replace a valve a few months after our brother’s death. Through the past few years, with the help of a pacemaker, she has gradually improved her heartbeat as she has became more spiritually attuned.

In December she started writing songs again. She wrote a song that was so beautiful, it had to come from the Source of love; it was pure inspiration. Her heart suddenly went into "sinus" or normal rhythm. The connection was clear.

When the troubles with her downstairs neighbor began to escalate, my sister developed debilitating pain in her feet, a form of arthritis. She could hardly walk. She was told not to hike anymore with her dog.

I believe her feet hurt because she was walking on eggshells. She was angry and hurt and unable to live freely in her own apartment because the downstairs neighbor kept harrrassing her about the noise upstairs with her dog.

The neighbor also harassed her because she was gay. This woman seemed completely malicious at times. What was more astounding was that she actually received mail from Trinity Broadcasting Network, the Christian evangelical station! We saw it in the mailbox. My sister tried to talk to her, but she refused. My sister tried to move, but couldn't find an apartment that took dogs and would double as a music studio.

She had to to work on this spiritually – seeing her neighbor through God’s eyes, as a child of love. She had to send love to her neighbor. This took a while, but she continued to return love for hate. Everytime the woman would rave and rant, or pound on the ceiling with a broom when my sister played music she was composing (in the daytime!) my sister would refrain from screaming back.

The situation turned around. My sister persisted in seeing the woman as a good person, and the woman became willing to talk. Now they actually wave to each other. This is nothing short of a miracle considering my sister was actually in fear of a hate crime at one point. She also thought her dog was going to be poisoned.

The Death of Adrienne Shelly: Neighbor vs. Neighbor

A few years ago, I was reading the list of Sundance films purchased for sale and was shocked to see that Adrienne Shelly, one of my favorite indie actress-turned-filmmakers, who directed "Waitress" had been murdered. She was murdered by a downstairs neighbor for complaining constantly about the noise he made. He finally marched upstairs and killed her. This was devastating, surreal.

I then thought of my sister and was grateful she had learned the spiritual lesson of getting along with her neighbor.

How to Solve Every Problem in Life ~ the Problem of Living in a Material World

So what is the code? Is there a formula one can plug in here for all problems in life? Yes.

What I've discovered is that the solution to any material problem is never at the level of the problem. As Einstein said: "No problem can be solved at the same level it was created on." You have to go to higher, smarter solution. You have to go to a diplomatic or spiritual solution. Problems are solved in the "gap" -- the space between. It always happens when you let go, or look away from the problem or get momentarily distracted. That's when you find your earring, or get the phone call. It's by “letting go."

No human power could relieve my alcoholism. It was not healed by dissecting the brain.

No military power can solve terrorism. We can’t fight fire with fire; we need to go above the problem and approach it from a different angle.

This hot-bead of hatred is something we actually started when we dropped bombs on Fallujah and invaded Iraq.  We fomented this hatred agains America years earlier when we got into bed with the Saudis and their oil oligarchy. 

But hating ones' enemies never resolves anything, as the Great Peacemaker said. 

All great spiritual leaders know that you must "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." And "a soft answer turns away wrath." Withdraw our energy from the situation and the situation will solve itself. We must withdraw and take care of our own side of the street.

PROJECTION: LIVING IN THE WRECK OF OUR FUTURE ~ LETTING GO ~ MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING 

On the Subject of Bigotry, Racism and Homophobia:

The more one pushes something down, the more it rears its ugly head in inappropriate places; perversions appear. This explains why celibacy in priests acts like a pressure cooker, often resulting in crimes of molestation. Celibacy is unnatural; too much pent up desire perverts itself. Like Pandora’s box, whatever is taboo becomes irresistibly tempting. People will sneak out of their cages to experience the forbidden.

So the Puritan, guilt-ridden over his own uncontrollable urges, cannot live with himself. Unable to cut out his own lustful thoughts, he looks outside himself for someone to blame and project his guilt onto. The easiest way to ameliorate his shame is to broadcast the evil, project it onto others where he can externalize it, see it as separate from himself – and lash at it with swords. This way he can feel morally superior. It's a quick fix. He investigates it, dwells on its dark side, inflates its evil effects until evil is all he sees. He makes the gay person into an object of disgust.

The only mystery left is innocence.