Miss Secret Agent

“The shortest distance which terrestrial man can take is the distance which is covered by the journey deep within- but it takes him longer to travel these relatively few millimeters than any other journey he will ever have to make.” – A Cosmic Adept

Kundalini is an inherent power that exists in every human body and sits as a dormant energy at the base of the spine at the root chakra. The rise and control of kundalini is achieved through a true meditative state that uncoils the powerful, pranic energy. What results is inevitably the goal of man: the connection to cosmic consciousness. 

Photograph: River’s Tide by David McFarland.

The Nature of Crime and Punishment

“Oftentimes have I heard you speak of one who commits wrong as though he were not one of you, but a stranger unto you and an intruder upon your world. But I say that even as the holy and the righteous cannot rise beyond the highest which is in each one of you, so the wicked and the weak cannot fall lower than the lowest which is in you also. And as a single leaf turns not yellow but with the silent knowledge of the whole tree, so the wrong-doer cannot do wrong without the hidden will of you all.”
– The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran

In the words above, Gibran writes in regards to crime and punishment and poetically speaks to a fundamental truth in sociology— as we are all a product of our social environment, both the best and the worst attributes in man are a reflection of all. As a society, we often forget that those who we deem evil or criminal are much more connected to us than we care to imagine. These individuals breathe the same air and walk the same earth, and yet they are often casted aside as something “other.” As I come from the sociological school of thought, I have always had a certain empathy for those considered to be on the “other side,” knowing that their upbringing, including the lack of love and guidance, are often factors that weigh heavily on actions and behaviors. It has been said many times that society reaps the criminals they sow- the opposite is also true in that positive change can and will happen when we collectively work to uplift the conditions of our social environment.

I believe a big part of this is to push those who are in the wrong to see the light, as opposed to punishing them. A push can be stern and direct, the goal is more for intellectual and emotional exploration- this would require a system of rehabilitation that aims towards love and nurturance. This drastically differs from the system of punishment that exists today, which relies heavily on austere incarceration, and breaks down an individual’s sense of self and nullifies hope. The approach to crime and punishment often have intentions that are as dark as the crimes committed. Where our society has faltered is that its aims have been redirected from the light, and this is where it must return.

Mary Mag showing some LA love…

from XXXII The Dance-Song, 
Thus Spake Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche

One evening went Zarathustra and his disciples through the forest; and when he sought for a well, lo, he lighted upon a green meadow peacefully surrounded with trees and bushes, where maidens were dancing together. As soon as the maidens recognised Zarathustra, they ceased dancing; Zarathustra, however, approached them with friendly mein and spake these words:

Cease not your dancing, ye lovely maidens! No game-spoiler hath come to you with evil eye, no enemy of maidens.

God’s advocate am I with the devil: he, however, is the spirit of gravity. How could I, ye light-footed ones, be hostile to divine dances? Or to maidens’ feet with fine ankles?

To be sure, I am a forest, and a night of dark trees: but he who is not afraid of my darkness, will find banks full of roses under my cypresses. 

Tonight I watched Baraka, a film that has one of the most breathtaking cinematography and is much more then just a film, but rather a poetic and visual story of life on earth. The word Baraka means the flow of Source energy, a force that can be seen as a blessing, and most notably used in Islamic mysticism. The film captures the quiet and poignant moments in existence in its non-verbal snapshots of various cultures and spans numerous geographic locations throughout the world. Baraka is extremely moving as it shows humanity in its most real and raw state. Each scene is shot as if it were perfectly cast and designed with the keenest of eyes, yet the beauty is that what is shown reveals true life, with many incredible facets of which are unseen by most of us. As it is silent commentary on the human condition, the film captures this in such a way that as you watch it, it is as if you were peering over the lives of men as though you were a heavenly spy.

Though this photograph is not from the film, I love it still as it is so perfectly ethereal.

Years ago, a close friend gave me a book. This particular book was given to her by a boy- a boy who loved her much more than she did he. She gave me this book as she believed that I would find much more appreciation from it. I took it graciously not knowing what to make of it; the author had such a strange name and as I skimmed through its pages, the words seemed even stranger- an esoteric combination of both poetry and prose. And so I set it aside and for years it lied buried under a pile of books.

Years past and life shifted in so many ways, as it often does. This friend I am no longer friends with. For so long I had forgotten about this book- until last night when I found it again- and remembered it for the first time in a long while. On the very first page, inscribed in delicate gold ink, the boy had written, “No words written on my own accord will compare to what is written in the following pages. Perhaps it is enough to remark that this book has an ability to say what often we have no words to say…”

This book is Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet.” And as I began reading it last night, I could not help but think of the story that led its path to merge with mine. I thought about the boy who had so sincerely written these words for his love- a love who had never known the beauty of it and had cast it away. What pursues in these pages are the poetic words of a mystic, but where it began was a tale of young love… of lost love… of unrequited love, and of life and it’s fleeting moments.

I’ve known that tempting feast of death when, while darkness filed the mind, the heart cried out. I know when the eye of truth is plucked from the head, only the blood of rage remains. I’ve known weakness and madness of the heart, the loneliness of travelers at night who came only near the fire to sleep. There are men grown weary and old among us, lost in their going; their heavy feet tramp the floor, passing in and out among the houses, going nowhere. I know the terrible truth of darkness, and I say, bless the darkness, for in darkness I stumbled and fell on the crystal road. After years of doubt, the dark mind turns again to light. In the black mountain of the heart, I found my way home again. I am that light in the darkness. I am a diamond, a bright secret veiled in black cloth. The light beyond heaven is the light within.

from Becoming a Light in the Darkness
Awakening Osiris, The Egyptian Book of the Dead
Translation by Normandi Ellis 

Photograph: Faith by Camilla Akrans

It is said that hidden within the Great Pyramid of Egypt lies the Emerald Tablets. The tablets are ancient scriptures written by Thoth, the great King of Atlantis, created by an indestructible alchemical process. Within the 15 green tablets are the secrets to alchemy, white magic, astral travel, healing, remote viewing, prophecy, and the nine dimensions of time & space.

from Secret of Secrets, The Emerald Tablets

Three are the natures of Mind, 
carrier it of the Will of the Great One. 
Arbitrator of Cause and Effect in thy life. 
Thus is formed the threefold being, 
directed from above by the power of four. 

Above and beyond man’s threefold nature 
lies the realm of the Spiritual Self. 

Four is it in qualities, 
shining in each of the planes of existence,
but thirteen in one, 
the mystical number. 
Based on the qualities of man are the Brothers: 
each shall direct the unfoldment of being, 
each shall channels be of the Great One.

On Earth, man is in bondage, 
bound by space and time to the earth plane. 
Encircling each planet, a wave of vibration, 
binds him to his plane of unfoldment. 
Yet within man is the Key to releasement, 

within man may freedom be found. 

Collecting Light by Guillaume Roche

A photograph taken inside the Karnak temple (Luxor, Egypt) of a local playing with light as it came streaming down through a ceiling hole. 

The Ethers of Existence

The word ether, also known as aether, is one that is infrequently used in science but is quite commonly referenced in spiritual subjects. The scientific understanding of ether stems from Nikola Tesla, a scientist and inventor who saw the world through the humanistic eyes of a poetic visionary. In the esoteric world, ether is the substance that binds all that exists on earth to all that lies in the universe. Tesla believed that everything in the Cosmos holds a harmonic vibration from which all matter stems from- this substance is what he called the “luminiferous ether.”

In the symphony of life, it is more often than not that science and spirituality intertwine. The ether exists as an energy that vibrates and streams unimpeded through all things, demonstrating the intimacy of how space and everything in between is connected. It is this invisible and energetic medium that breathes life into all of existence and thus the idea of oneness occurs when all vibrations become synchronic, creating a unified flow of energy and consciousness. Empty space does not exist on Terra or in the greater realms as everything is imbued with energy that comes from the ethers. Tesla speaks of this beautifully, stating that the universe is “composed of a symphony of alternating currents with the harmonies played on a vast range of octaves.”

As it is the “all-pervading, divinely-ordered, continuously-transmuting, energetic aether” particle that ties all in the Cosmos and beyond, it is thus the goal of mankind in his quest for higher conscious evolution to be in a perfect harmonious state with the ethers. This harmony can be done by raising one’s vibration through the expanded awareness and embrace of the following principles of love: peace, compassion, respect, forgiveness, wisdom, and service to others.


Art Installation: Makoto Tojiki, “The Man with No Shadow”

Life is a rhythm that must be comprehended. I feel the rhythm and direct on it and pamper in it. It was very grateful and gave me the knowledge I have. Everything that lives is related to a deep and wonderful relationship: man and the stars, amoebas’ and the sun, the heart and the circulation of an infinite number of worlds. These ties are unbreakable, but they can be tame and to propitiate and begin to create new and different relationships in the world, and that does not violate the old.

-from An Interview with Nikola Tesla 1899 

Sunday, May 20th, 2012

The state of things has slightly been in upheaval as of late, both mentally and emotionally. It has been an endless stream of thoughts and ideas but then the pendulum swings and at times, I find myself inundated by the crush of inspiration- momentarily weighted by the things that I have to do, the things I need to accomplish, not only for this moment, but beyond that, it’s learning how to appease this inner warrior that screams to do it all, and to do it loudly and flawlessly and in a way that is nothing less than victorious. Though with the manner in which my life flows, there always seems to be a natural turbulence that occurs before the water rests, quiet and waveless; in the end, this is why it is important to learn to breathe to pacify the moments of chaos. As it is often said, controlling one’s breath controls one’s destiny. And so I trust it’s course- this life- as I always have, knowing that it has never failed to guide me to where my path lies. And gradually, I have become more and more keen to the tiny beacons it leaves and am grateful for all the sparks of illumination it has given. 


Photograph: Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming