Begonia Plants Flowers

I awoke from a dream to write this.

The choice, I think, was between flower power and gunpowder in the 1960's. It was a choice between the potentially medicinal herb cannabis sativa and the very violent Pharmacological institutions. Between red meat (and burning old growth forests) and the continuation of life on this planet (yes Scientist's agree Global Warming will kill us all if we do not change).

Let's examine the possibilities. How have things changed since the 1960's? Here we are just a bit into the new millennium -- 2002 to be exact. Corporations are still in charge. The people are not. Fact.

Is the FDA still attacking herb and Health Food Stores? Yes.

Are our very freedom's and the Constitution threatened by and twisted around by the present Administration and the interests that tried to put him into office? (It took a Mob and the Supreme Court to do it). Yes.

Are Lobbies of fear and greed causing pollution, overturning hard won battles for humanity and nature all in the name of profits. Yes.

Are sacred old growth forests still being destroyed to grow cow burgers? Yes. Then read on because this is my vehicle to rant and rave and weave my thoughts and ideas with this event I attended on Sunday, May 1st, 1994.

A symposium -- A Mind Gym of the 1990's!

I walked into the event a lot late. In the 1960's it would be called "a happening." The name of the event was "Children, Our Ultimate Investment." It was a celebration of Aldous Huxley's birth. Ram Dass was on stage with (Alan Watt's cohort) Al Huang (of the Living Tao foundation). As Dass did his thing about Shiva and existence and bliss Al Huang danced spontaneously and these professional big kids were having a really good time as they carried Laura Huxley around the packed room and danced with her in their arms.

Aldous Huxley boiled it down, from a life of research to "God Is Love." (As many wonderful Saints and Gurus and Self Realized beings also have).

And it of course extends to service. To reaching everyone with compassion. Faith is trust. Spirit is Truth. The highest language -- that of the heart, is often silent.

Silence is not only golden in the right context it is also rainbow. Imagine fearing even rainbows as Right wing power moguls do, spreading a very anti-Christ message becoming the very beast they fear so desperately much. Brother David Steindel Rast a Benedictine Monk says Faith is Trust. Hope is openness for surprise. Love is belonging and saying YES. Esalen Founder, Michael Murphy stated Esalen is still trying to actualize itself. He said Esalen had to be a learning organization. (I say who doesn't).

Houston Smith, while getting his degree was a Naturalist who believed Science was the final oracle for Truth. That is until 5 months prior to getting his degree when he read page 2 of a book by Gerald Heard and then he stayed up reading all night long and by dawn his Naturalist viewpoint had collapsed. He didn't pick up another book by Heard until after he graduated. If people are suffering should not anything that ever worked to alleviate it be offered to them. Love, fresh squeezed orange juice or a Euphoric? But is that фокус too narrow?

I think various researchers found Truth but think that that Truth is the only Truth and theirs is the best. (As various fundamentalist religions believe -- "our way is the only way"). I say Truth can come in many different packages. Love comes in many forms. "Spirit is Truth" and no one has a monopoly on Truth! So Science too must watch itself and not become a crystallized dogmatic form (attached to the dead past when the present is so alive with possibilities).

Perhaps rather than dependence on chemicals and substances outside ourselves there may be other ways which are more effective in changing ones' consciousness. Permanent positive ways. These include prayer and meditation. (As well as movement and sound, touch and massage and yoga and hugs). Doctors should be allowed to treat their patients with ways that are effective and also the least harmful. Harmless even if they do not work. (So other ways can be tried).

Ashley Montague says Anthropology is the Science of man embracing woman (he was joking I think). We laughed at his statement of "certainty without proof rather than proof without certainty." He spoke of evolution by child-like traits rather than childishness. He said: "Psychosclerosis is the hardening of the mind." Montague spoke of investigation, testing and checking. He characterized psychoanalysis as the study of the id by the odd. Once again the audience was in an uproar. He said, "We have a dysfunctional educational system but cheer up for the worst is yet to be." I think he got a few of his lines from Robin Williams. Or maybe vice versa.

Dan Hertz a peace activist during the late 60's said "we are there already." One should explore and experience with more than just intellect. "The means determines the end." We must change and to do so we must develop human character. End suffering. Attention to here and now then come down from the mountain and provide water to the thirsty souls. No cult grew around Aldous Huxley. (Who incidentally died the same moment as John F. Kennedy). Huxley did not become a Guru. (Actually a Guru is a teacher and Huxley was that!).

"All words are dirty words when people talk about God." Words are not enough.

Other people spoke at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre too. But I had been talked out of using words by then.

I just wanted to dance under the sunlight for a little while. Do a little of the Tai Chi I had learned. I could almost hear the song of Whales and light flute music here in the center of Los Angeles, California. The usual whiff of noxious fumes was strangely not noticed. I sat on the green lawn drinking my soda doing a Yoga asana (stretching) and judging myself tremendously aloud to a woman next to me.

Huxley said once "the most important thing in life is relationship." To teach our children this is very very important. All is relationship. At Esalen one of the axioms left over by Fritz Perls is "Contact Is The Appreciation of Differences." "And Similarities," as co-founder Richard Price use to say.

Jean Houston apologized for coining the term "inner child." And mentioned how she raised $157 Million dollars for Bangladesh. I found her to be a great intelligence and very entertaining. With this array of great teachers one can know, perhaps, a future ever so slightly altered and perhaps is now moving, with your help, into an even finer possibility. A world of inclusion. As Werner Erhard might say "where no one is left out."

As Shiva's хэнд forever remains in the gesture "fear not, for all is illusion." One can almost hear Alan Watts smiling and laughing heartily with his British co-hort Aldous Huxley wondering what is taking us so long to find our heart song. The sunshine feels really good today on my skin. Think I'll take a walk. What a beautiful day. Thanks God.

Article Written by Rob Gustaveson copyright 1994, 2009