Victoria S. Hardy

Victoria S. Hardy

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

The Dark Side of Love and Light

Years ago I began signing Love and Light with my signature, it wasn’t something I had read or had been exposed to previously, it just came to me. Later, I discovered that groups of self-professed spiritually enlightened folks were also sharing the words Love and Light and I began using it less and less. One reason for that reaction is I get a little nervous if I find I am following great hoards of people, because I do believe the path is very narrow. Secondly, I began noticing that the idea of Love and Light was being used as a weapon of sorts, a measure of superiority – a way to imply that the Love and Lighters were elevated above those around them.

The evolution into the odd time we are living has been subtle and pervasive and occasionally I am able to step back a bit and see the continuous thread of changes - from the free love and drugs of the sixties, the sexual revolution and drugs of the seventies, the self adsorption and drugs of the eighties, the self-help invasion and pharmaceuticals of the nineties into the chaos of the new century. We have lost our base, our footing, we are standing on crumbling ground and yet many of us are no longer aware it is dissolving under our feet.

It seems we believe we are evolving into this kinder, gentler Golden Era of time, yet we spew our Love and Light in a patronizing way, secure that those we are speaking to are less evolved than us. We have closed our minds and much worse, our hearts to hearing with compassion the experience of those we profess to love. We imply if they have suffered ill intent in their lives it must surely be their own fault – they called it into their life by their inability to control their own thoughts or by deeds done in a past existence. We read the self and spiritual improvement books pushed at us, never questioning the agendas behind the success of said books and then we simply take the whole book as fact. Our love has turned shallow, our good deeds simply a check mark on a list of goals and our light is being extinguished by hate and cliquishness called evolution and enlightenment.

Our personal boundaries are being pushed aside by this new political correctness and we have learned that there is no wrong or right, there is simply perception and karma. And this really works well for those longing to keep us in our place, if we can’t look outside and see bad or ill-will, then of course we have to accept that we are responsible for all traumas we endure, thereby freeing those seeking control from any responsibly in our demise. If a vaccine causes us harm, it’s not the fault of the vaccine or the maker of the vaccine or the agenda that makes us take the vaccine, it was something we brought on ourselves. If hundreds of thousands of people are homeless, it’s not the fault of devious mortgage practices, the greed of those making decisions with our money; it was the struggling homeowner who brought the loss onto himself. If a protester is beaten and maced at a peaceful protest, it’s not the government’s use of law that is suspect, it’s the person who is not happy with the way of the world that is guilty.

We are out of balance with the duality in ourselves and in the world. We can’t be all love and light all the time, it is a wasting and exhausting attempt to try and it comes out to others as both patronizing and passive-aggressive. We are dual; we were given emotion, a range of feelings to express our individuality. To suppress so many sides of our being in favor of preaching only one is like getting a box of 64 crayons and using only one color. We are meant to blend our special variety of feelings and emotions into a calming wave at times and at others, a formidable force - we are not meant to lap lightly at the shore - change, in this world, does not come from a gentle, tentative touch.

What we don’t see is that we are imprisoning ourselves, those seeking to manipulate us no longer have to prod us along the path, we are doing it in the name of self improvement, self enlightenment and the so called “approved” mental health and we believe it was our own choice. We hear wake up being touted by all who have an opinion and waking up is a good idea, but the message of what we are waking to is different with each voice that speaks it. We are told to wake to the delusions and lies, but who decides which are truths and which are lies? We are told to wake up to our spirit and our power, but how can we know our power if we can’t untie our own delusion and lies? What we must wake to is our darkness, as well as our light, our good deeds, as well as our bad, our arrogance, as well as our compassion and our intentions, both positive and negative. We must make the journey within and see all the colors inside of us before we can begin to discern the events outside of us.

We must ignore this wave of political correctness and ask the hard questions, express our opinions and understand we don’t just have to accept things because the world says we do – there is no power in idle acceptance. We must consider the objectives, with blinders removed, of those whose actions affect us. We must stop seeking gurus and become our own leader, take charge of our lives and our destiny and not just follow the one that speaks the loudest or claims to have figured it all out. None of us down here have figured it out; if we had it all figured out, we wouldn’t be here. Very few reach true enlightenment, but many of us are graced with it, briefly and tantalizingly, for a few glorious moments and then, as it was meant, the search begins anew. And the more we profess to possess this elusive truth, the further it recedes from our grasp.

There are a lot of vampires collected in the spiritual and truth worlds, ready to steal our energy and deflect our progression and we can know them by the way we feel after being exposed to them. We can recognize the hope and energy thief by the hardness, fear and lack of empathy that begins growing inside of us, hidden under pretty words of love, light, tolerance and acceptance. We can identify this draining force by the way our options appear to grow less numerous and our energy explodes and then is extinguished, leaving us fatigued. The light inside of us is full of depths, it is multi-colored and can flame up and burn like any fire, but we must free ourselves from believing the pre-packed and profitable ideas, laced with hidden agendas and handed to us as truth.

When we decide that bad things happen to another simply because in their weakness they called it upon themselves and the reality of that pain can have no outside motivations or no underlying thread of intent, we are punishing the victim and rewarding the power of victimizer. When we overlook the pain another is suffering and believe that as long as we stay focused on the positive and keep our own thoughts in order we can escape the trials of dismay, we are falling into the realms of selfishness and callousness. And when we see another in agony and conclude that it is their past existence coming to even the score, we are closing the door on compassion and freedom.

We cannot grow if we hide our eyes from the painful truths, we cannot blossom if we feel all bad things brought to the masses or the individual are deserved. How can we see the positive when we are covering our eyes in an attempt to avoid the negative? The positive simply can not exist without the negative and to be a whole, spiritual being we must taste both and not call it anything other than what it is.

Friday, October 17, 2008

A Political Rant


The divisions are getting deeper and wider and yet, we don’t understand it has been created. We don’t have to agree with each other and we don’t have to hate, but that is not what the flashing box and the talking heads teach us. I have lamented long and hard about the types of manipulation in this world, the hypnosis occurring with our televisions, the drugged and numbed state of the masses and the approved gurus collecting sheep on the Internet and I wonder if I have anymore to say. Is my job done? And still, here I sit my fingers poised over the keyboard trying to draw words from the source to sooth the ache I sense seething in the world.

I see everyone divided over the upcoming election and the factions are certainly angry. If we vote for McCain we are war hungry and want more Bush and if we don’t vote for Obama is surely means we are racists. Even among those of high intellect, the divisions are felt and even among those who claim to be free and critical thinkers, it seems they can’t see past the charade. It really doesn’t matter whom we vote for, it’s already been decided. Didn’t we see that in the last two elections, do we really expect it to be different this time? Keeping us polarized is part of the plan, there is no happenstance in this world - it’s too tightly controlled to allow for that measure of error.

Let me clarify, I am neither a Republican or a Democrat, I am registered as an Independent and frankly, I feel little call to participate in a system I see as broken and manipulated. Perhaps at one point elections were just and fair, but at this time, for me, abstaining from an obvious underhanded system is the wisest move. Many of us see this election as a fight between good and evil or evolution and devolution, but what we don’t see is that the things we believe we are fighting with this election are actually far more insidious and inside of our personal lives and each one of us. What we should be fighting is the manipulation that makes us hate our neighbors and coworkers over their choice of candidate. What we should be fighting is this ignorant, arrogance stance we have taken to be patriotic. There is an Us versus Them scenario playing out on our earth, but what we fail to see is that the Them we despise is not the guy standing next to us with a McCain or Obama button.

When we hate on the basis of political leanings we are certainly keeping things on the surface and truth is rarely found on the surface, it tends to be hidden in the nooks and crannies and the places we are least likely to look. Many people will be disappointed after this election day and we should not forget that is has been scripted and studied to understand what our actions will be -- they are prepared for our reactions. We are being played like mice in a maze, thinking we made the decisions, while those above us laugh at our gullibility.

I stated earlier that I would vote my conscience, but now my conscience is leading me to stay away from the herds lining up to express their anger and division. If I see this political circus arena as simply a farce and a deception, then why would I choose to participate in such deception? Whoever wins that prized seat in the big White House, has been chosen, has been shown to make compromises and be it the old white guy, or the young black guy, the path has already been paved. As I look at this sickening display on the flashing box and see the division among my brothers and sisters on this earth, some wise words from my dad remind me of a harsh reality – If you play with shit, it gets on you.

Rise Above

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Fear Sells Enslavement


Every now and again I have these sudden insights where things beyond my comprehension just fall into place – a moving picture. I don’t write about them often because there are too many false prophets out there selling their “visions” and it is not my destiny or desire to join their ranks. I don’t know where this awareness of the bigger picture originates and I have pondered it at length -- wondering in depth if I could trust these odd occurrences. Now, I hold them as possibilities and I don’t discount the idea that I may have seen the truth – a truth I don’t completely understand.

The Internet and mass media seems littered with predictions of doom and it appears to be a highly profitable career for some and the masses gather thinking they have discovered a savior of sorts, a guru to lead them into the darkness. I, on the other hand, figure it’s between me and God to know if I am on the right path, but I have to admit I struggle with the fear delivered by these popular messengers. And I believe that fear and profit are what motivates the message.

It should be no secret that fear is worth a lot of money in America. The horror, suspense and action flicks fill the seats by making us jump, cringe or cover our eyes. The television promotes murder, dressed up with fancy sets, locations and beautiful people. The War on Terror has us looking at our neighbors suspiciously, fearful of different cultures and beliefs and terrified that our children may be the next one shipped out to fight in an endless war. And the evening news encourages us to purchase security systems, surveillance cameras, GPS tracking devices and support growing militarized police departments. Fear sells and it benefits everyone, but us.

And despite the fear being pumped out on the wire 24/7 for our amusement, entertainment and enslavement, I see a different picture emerging. The other day I wrote a piece about rising above and I was frustrated by my inability to define it. Perhaps I even gave into my fear of being perceived as any weirder than I already am, so I’ve spent some time to put into words what I mean by “rising above”.

We have all heard the different theories of what will occur when the change happens from the Christian perception to the Native Americans to the New Agers and on and on and in the middle of all those beliefs, in my understanding, the same solid truth resides, hidden within semantics and confused through cultural divides. In many beliefs there is discussion of a darkness upon this earth, others refer to it as duality, but essentially we are to understand that there are two sides to the coin, the light and the dark, the good and the evil, the high and the low, the yin and the yang, the healthy and the sick - however we choose to interpret it. And although religious ideas vary widely, most belief systems teach that there is something on the other side, something grander, something worthy of our efforts to remain faithful.

It is my opinion that the power that has ruled and controlled for too many years to clarify is falling, I don’t know how or why, or if it is simply a part of the cycles we see occurring around us every day in nature. And as those powers recede, others will rise, whereas, until now the focus has been on deceit, oppression and control, the switch is being made to compassion, creation and peace. There are a lot of approved leaders on the stage and in the wings to lead us away from our god-given gift of freedom, but we must remember the only way to rise above the noise is by finding our own truth, by looking inside. And remember the words of a wise man who once said … the kingdom of God is inside of you.

You see, because the world is waking up, the power holders are toppling, but they are still at the helm and issuing their fear objectives at mind blowing rates to keep us blind and scared. They know what is going to occur because it has probably happened before, perhaps that is one reason the elite gather antiquities and hoard them away, hidden from the eyes and minds of the masses. And I would have to assume that whatever is going to happen, it will happen soon and I simply make that deduction by the increase of fearful statements appearing in the mainstream media.

Some speak of ascension as a rising up, others believe in a rapture, but I keeping getting an image in my head of separation, like sliding two pictures of the earth on transparent paper, one rising up and the other slipping away or perhaps a new earth rising from the old. I also have seen the image of millions of triangles in an ocean and the heavy, bloated ones, which have floated undisturbed for thousands of years, are sinking to the bottom, while the smaller ones, which have resided in the cold depths for a time untold are now buoyant and rising to the top. As I stated earlier when I first experienced these revelations, I did not trust them, but over the years and learning more and more, the images continue to reveal themselves in a way that discourages fear and instills hope.

Although the media systems expose us to doom, killing, torture, decadence, immorality and heartache on a constant basis, my view of the future does not contain such images. I see a world emerging more beautiful than all national parks, forests and great unsullied waters and lands gathered together in one endless landscape. I see people working together without fear and agendas. I see communities gathered for the benefit of all, not just the ones with the most toys. I see the need for leaders, money, attainment and social status dissolving almost overnight. I see each of us enthusiastically applying our trade, not for wages, wealth or fame, but because it is what we were meant to do, why we were created.

The problem is that we do not believe that such a world exists, or could ever exist, we believe that in change the same rules we’ve grown to know will still apply. In our mind’s eye when we attempt to understand how this change may effect us, the only images we can envision are contained in the same, tired, dark and deceptive paradigm that we accept as reality. And the leaders we look to for guidance are the same ones that have led us into damnation – the faces change, of course, but the self-serving desires have continued throughout history. Our leaders tell us what our world is and we accept their view, never understanding the lie.

I hear the word revolution bandied about a lot of late, but what we fail to understand is the revolution has to occur inside of us, negating any reason to pick up arms. I hear so often how we should fight, we have wars on terror, cancer, drugs, which of course, have led us to more terror, cancer and drugs. But life should be about more than avoiding death and living should be about more than finding another ruler to lead us.

I hear the conspiracy theorists and others speak of a bloodline of rulers that control the earth, but again, we have been led astray. There is a bloodline, but we, the ones called to seek, the ones awakening, are the ones that possess it, not the other way around. It was hi-jacked from us and we have been brainwashed and deluded into believing the lies and forgetting our gifts. The knowledge was stolen from us, but the spark of that truth still lingers within, undeniable and vibrantly alive.

I have no ideas as to how this evolution will unfold or even if I will live to see it, but I know it will occur and I know it is possible for each of us that possess that spark of knowledge to rise above the chaos now flooding the earth. We must quit investing our emotion, time and energy into fighting against what we don’t want, arguing about such unimportant issues like politics and spending valuable time worried about money. We must begin imagining what has always been perceived as impossible. We must recognize that although the world tells us we only have a couple choices, our choices actually are numerous and unending. We must understand that working within the system, especially the systems we have now, only keep us on the path to loss and damnation. We are meant to be in the world, not of the world and by defining our lives by worldly matters we become trapped – enslaved by something that doesn’t even exist.

And we must never forget that it is our differences that make us great - our creativity, our quirkiness and idiosyncrasies. These things are not meant to be dampened or drugged, our individuality and our talents - whether or not the world accepts them - are what gives us the power to be free. And when we set those things aside to fit into the world, we fall into the herd mindset and sacrifice a lot more than just our pride and dreams.

It is time to awaken, not just to the deceptions around us, but to that spark of knowledge that resides within and rise above.

Monday, October 06, 2008

It's Time To Rise Above


I’ve been out in the world this week, feeling a bit of celebration in my soul. Looking around the world, though, there appears little to celebrate - wars, raging storms, uncounted numbers of missing people taken by Hurricane Ike and of course, crashing financial statements across the world. And yet, knowing all that, I felt a joy inside that made little sense.

My week consisted of home cooked meals, playing music, interacting with people and I even threw in a little dancing on top of it all. There are things to celebrate in our life, like the release of our newest CD, but my joy seemed greater than that, disconnected from that accomplishment.

Of course, for me, celebrations always bring about a moment of sadness, of loss, as I remember my son and feel the emptiness left by his passing. Luckily, a good friend was there to remind me that both my joy and my pain are a testament to the power of my son’s life.

Although, I had interactions with very positive and loving people, I also, because the world is dual, saw darkness and a strange emptiness I don’t think I have ever before witnessed. There appears to be a weight on the world, on the shoulders of mankind, holding each one down and instilling hopelessness, recklessness and confusion. It seems we can no longer perceive the depths of light, our flame is being extinguished.

The fear running through society is overshadowed by an odd numbness of forced smiles, abrupt hatred and idle chitchat, a strange combination that leads us to exhaustion. The media and our elected officials are pushing the fear as though their very lives depended on it… and perhaps they do. And the campaigning for our next president is presented as though we actually have a choice and the different factions are indeed, different.

We have been inundated for years by media talking points, approved opinions and selected leaders and at some point we either surrender to the game, or we rise above it. I use the term rise above quite often and I wish I could define it more clearly for those sharing their time with me, but all I know is that it is instinctual and it is possible, despite how we are led to disbelieve it. We are more powerful than we know and while we are being driven to panic, fear and desperation, we grow further away from our power.

Darkness is falling, but we have a choice to step above it, we do not have to wear it on our shoulders and we do not have to become encapsulated in its gelatinous mass. And because the world is dual, even as the darkness descends the light is right behind it, waiting to be felt. If we reach down inside and find that joy, find the reason to smile, laugh and celebrate, perhaps, we will help usher in the light sooner.

The sad truth of the matter is that not everyone shares the spark and the flame that will lift him or her to higher realms, so in our journey and in our celebration, we must remember not to shine too much light into a bottomless pit. We can’t save this world that is rapidly crumbling, but we can save ourselves and others like us, if we remain diligent, unclouded by the electronic haze and focused on the light.

Over the last few years, I have seemingly run a little crazy, exploring the murk and the depths with no apparent rhythm or reason, but now it is time to trust that the knowledge I have sought is safely stored away. The harvest is complete, so we must not allow the television, radio, news, message boards or even the emptiness we perceive in our fellow man fill us with fear, we seekers must rise above, fully trusting that when we need it, the salvation of truth will be there.

Peace