JADE

    I think a comparison can be made between the purest piece of jade and an enlightened being. Many ancient cultures valued jade and in some cases, it was more important than gold. I believe the ancients understood the essence of the human soul and made jade into a symbol, representing their highest aspirations of purity, beauty and strength.

    I said before that I consider courage to be a sort of "prima materia" of a fully expressed human being. It is the quintessential tool for expressing our true self. Without it we are unable to overcome fear and therefore we become weak and unbalanced. Now I want to go a bit further and explain what I believe makes us who we are. An enlightened human being is strong. With true knowledge comes diligence and colossal strength. This strength comes from our courage and conviction. It comes from understanding ourselves and knowing the true power of choice. After all, it is choice that makes us who we are. All of us make hundreds of choices every day but few of us understand what that represents. Too few people make true choices, based on true understanding and conviction. That is why I would like to divide choices into two categories: weak choices and strong choices. Weaker persons make mostly weak choices while stronger people make some strong choices. Wise people make only strong choices because they fully understand the meaning and impact of their decisions.

    So what makes a human being weak? Is it the environment or perhaps a genetic trait? Is it because he or she is truly helpless? NO. That is a great pile of HORSE SHIT. Individuals are weak by choice. Indeed, weakness itself is just another basic choice. Weak people are usually ignorant, which makes them fearful. As many of you know, in an age of free flowing information, ignorance is a choice for most of us. When you are ignorant of your body, mind or spirit you are weak. You don't make any strong choices and you are easy to manipulate. You bend to the slightest wind, following directions at every turn and you break at the first storm. As the saying goes: "If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything". Only a small percentage of people are capable of making strong choices while the others fall prey to situations and environments they don't fully understand. This may be a direct or indirect phenomenon. I believe that making weak choices is a natural part of our development, granting us valuable experience and determining how fast we achieve our true potential.

    So, what should a strong, enlightened observer do? Should he intervene promptly and inform the less knowledgeable individual of his weak choices? Is it his duty to step up and correct the behavior of others even against their will, if need be? Absolutely not. This is the most common mistake that well intentioned but inexperienced individuals make. It is also a common mistake that parents make. It is caused by frustration, which has its roots in fear. This is important to understand. Just like children, all human beings grow and expand their consciousness, following a number of crucial steps. These steps cannot be skipped, as each and every one of them is essential in the development of the enlightened being. Some people are naturally able to stride across these stages of development while others may never be able to fully rise. It is the duty of the strong to guide the weak and offer support while climbing, not to push them forcefully.

    The strong willed and wise have the moral authority to offer guidance. This authority is not self proclaimed and is granted by those they would lead. It becomes their duty to inspire others with their conduct, showing impeccable consistence and everlasting fidelity to their principles. They are like unshakable pillars, attracting respect and the hunger for knowledge. They must assume this responsibility willingly and happily, forever bound to continue their work for the benefit of all mankind. They must work in the spiritual realm, ever silent and humble, spreading waves of compassion to those around them.

    How do we become strong? How do we get to the point where we say: "I wish to know more and transcend my physical boundaries?" There are no magic formulas or universal answers. I guess that everyone must arrive at that essential point on their own terms and in their own time. Once they do, they will need guidance and seek the masters on their own. They will need no pushing because then, standing on that threshold, they made their most important strong choice. From there on, there is no turning back. Fear will slowly disappear and with it the illusion of anger, hate and envy will also be undone. After a while they will learn to read the signs around them, using both intuition and reason. They will learn what fidelity, courage and virtue mean and they will become like the strongest oak, reaching high into the skies but also equally far into the ground.

    What is the essence of that knowledge? What is the grand revelation. It is so simple and elegant that any one of us will smile and agree, but few will truly understand. To truly understand, you must set your roots deep in the unseen world and become like the oak. You must feel with your soul before you think with your mind and learn to see all things in a new light. You must brush away the hologram of time and space to see what lies beyond. You will see that matter does not determine us but, beautifully enough, we determine matter. Intent came before there was even an atom in the universe. You will see it inside you and inside all the things around you, no matter how small or large. At that moment, you will know God.

    Pause for a while and ask yourself these questions: Where do I belong? Why do we humans create these structures that promote gross inequality and competition instead of cooperation and equity? Is it because some of us are superior and better suited for decision making? Do any of us have the right to dictate to another human being what they should do with their life? Do we need to manipulate and deceive each other in order to gain meaningless so called"advantages". Is privilege a commodity to be traded and regulated, like silver and gold? Imagine a world where none of those things occupied our minds and wasted our time. Is this world even possible? The answer is YES. It is possible.

    Before we can achieve that, we must first know ourselves and love ourselves truly. Only then can we understand and love other human beings. Only by recognizing our divine nature and the limitless potential that resides in each and every one of us can we open our eyes and see the world and everyone in it as a whole. All life is connected and all living things are sacred. This is a fundamental truth that mankind seems to have forgotten over the past millennia. Never in our history have we been more disconnected from our world and from our own spiri-tuality. We have fallen so deep into the abyss of materialism that it has become hard to imagine that we were ever anything else. We are so much more than flesh and blood. Our bodies are just the vessels that carry our consciousness in this physical world. This is something the ancients seemed to understand. I will argue with anyone who tells me that mankind has evolved over the past five thousand years. We have done little to further our collective perception of balance, freedom and happiness. This fact is reflected in the current state of the world. Right now, our consciousness is limited and our perception of the world is impaired. Just like the veils of Isis that hid the divine essence of the goddess, so we have countless veils before our eyes, separating us from the truth. We must become strong enough to lift those veils, courageous enough to challenge our perception of reality and wise enough to understand what lies beyond. It is a journey that we can take separately as individuals or collectively as a society. In the end, when the truth is finally before us and all material burdens are unloaded, there will be only love. Indeed, love is the only force that consciousness needs to achieve creation. Because we are all acts of creation, we are also all products of love.

    Fear is the biggest veil that blinds you from this truth. It is the root of all negative emotions you perceive and unless you learn to control it and eliminate it from all aspects of your life, you will never be truly enlightened. Fear is in your self image, fear is in your hate of others and your false sense of superiority. Fear is in disgust, anger and envy. As long as you are afraid, you will never be free. Those who would lead you and who attempt to manipulate and control you know this all too well. Fear is the single greatest instrument of manipulation in history.

    Understand fear, love and the relationship between them and you will hold the key to your higher self. Understand that light and shadow are both parts of the world and you will achieve true balance. Understand that no shadow may exist without light and that light comes from within you, if you so choose. That is the ultimate strong choice you can make. Expand your consciousness and tap in to the energy of creation that binds us all. Then, as you learn to see behind the thin curtains of reality, you will begin to change the world.

    As for me, I'm setting my roots deep, like the oak. I will be myself, smiling in the face of every storm. If ever you are in need of shelter, come and sit beside me and you will never feel alone. I will put a piece of jade into your palm and tell you: "Be as strong as steel and as beautiful as an emerald."