OB reports

while i never seem to be interested in getting up for halloween's investment of costumedness at this time of year, i understand the usefulness of such an energy spree at precisely the irrational scorpionic time of year to disperse fear of the coming winter

here where i boogie surfed the ocean yesterday in 70 degree temps, there is no cold to shock us, only longer nights along with the conundrum of giving notice on my place tomorrow without a clear plan forward

yesterday i longed for just some land in new mexico to garden on, today i think maybe continued detachment from the ravages of my hyper-rational mind is the first task, and possibly a van to follow

the reason being that acting out of fear tends to generate the circumstances the fear is already projecting, and thus it is essential to distinguish heading-toward-a-garden from heading-for-the-hills

the project of helping to unfold a miracle of transformation amidst a beachfront of runaways with bedrolls may be too ridiculous to pass up

not to mention the previous absurd proposition of making it amidst this urban chaos with these hands and a fiddle

at least it continues the journey beyond my own head, into a world calling forth the very empathic response i seek to abide in

along with a journey of documentation i might accomplish right here, beyond reuters, until the movie comes out

for now, if you want to see where i hang out, try http://obhotel.com/webcam where for half a minute you can move around a camera to see the ocean, beach, pier, the parking lot my friends hang out in, bedrolls on the grass

and possibly a familiar rusty red bike cruising by

RESPONSE

perhaps the appropriate response to the world today

is full grieving

the wretched despair

as we watch the suffering caused by the inevitable

collapse of all the world's systems

nearly simultaneously

and the miracles that enter

only in its complete and absolute

loss of hope

like the basic reality:

stuff still grows

-----

in these times

any arrogance is daft

any effort

an exercise in futility

any externalization

of our personalities

fruitless and silly

this is no time for self-actualization:

why?

BECAUSE THAT MASLOW PYRAMID

IS AN INCOMPLETE

AND LIKE EVERY OTHER BIT OF INFORMATION

WE THINK WE KNOW

MANIPULATED

REPRESENTATION

OF HUMAN REALITY

LEAVING OUR THINKING USELESS

IN ITS INEFFECTUALNESS

-----

BEYOND SELF-ACTUALIZATION

THERE IS SELF-TRANSCENDENCE

ESTHETIC NEEDS

AND THE ENTIRE REALM OF MIRACLES

MORE SIMPLY:

WE ARE AWARENESS

WE LONG TO SERVE

WE ARE HEART-CENTERED BEINGS

THE FOURTH CHAKRA

IS OUR HOME

AND WHEN ONE REALIZES THAT

FEAR VANISHES

AND WE CAN EXPAND AGAIN

-----

CONNECT YOUR THINKING

TO THE REAL HIGHEST GOOD

THE NEEDS OF THE WORLD

BEYOND SELF-ACTUALIZATION

MIGHT QUALIFY

AND IF YOU'RE LIKE ME

YOU ARE BEST TO

FORGET MONEY ENTIRELY

WHICH BRINGS US TO

SUGGESTED COURSES OF ACTION

FOR RECKONING WITH ECONOMIC COLLAPSE

AND APOCALYPTIC BEASTIES ALIKE:

1. ALLEVIATE SUFFERING:

FEED THE HOMELESS

AT LEAST

START THERE

2. ENJOY NATURE ACTIVELY:

GROW STUFF

TRADE SEED

HAVE FUN GARDENING

AND BREWING BEER

WITH ACTIVITIES SUCH AS

#1 AND #2 IN PLACE, YOU ARE ALREADY ON YOUR WAY TO:

3. BUILDING COMMUNITY

GROW THE SOLUTION

a. TRY COMMUNITY CURRENCY

TO SEE IF IT HELPS

b. ESTABLISH COMMUNITY JUSTICE

CIRCLES TO DIALOG ON NEEDS

THE BEST OF NVC IS PROFOUND

-----

PERHAPS BEFORE ANY OF THESE

OR CERTAINLY AFTER

GET HIGH:

WHY?

VIBRATE AT A DIFFERENT WAVELENGTH

THAN THAT OF THE DISASTER

ONE INVOLVING GREATER AWARENESS

CHOICE AND JOY

BY RESTING IN A STATE OF CONNECTION

WITH LIFE

WITHIN THE FIELD OF DIVINE WE REMEMBER

OURSELVES TO BE WITHIN

NEEDS AS RESOURCES

ENJOY THIS MOMENT

BE IN NO OTHER

GODDESS BLESS!

THE NOW IS ABOUT THE ONLY SANCTUARY LEFT

FORTUNATELY THE FLOW OF TIME

CONTINUES TO EXIST

CMON WADDA WE GO BACKWUDS IN 2012?

-----

NOW THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO GET HIGH

OF COURSE

TANTRA HOLDS A LOT OF

USUALLY COMPLETELY UNREALIZED

POSSIBILITY

KUNDALINI YOGA MAYBE FRIGHTENS

FEWER READERS

CHANNELING AND DIRECTING

THE HORSEPOWER OF THAT ENERGY

WHICH IS LOVE AFTER ALL

UPWARD TO THE WORK OF THE HEART

THAT OF AN INTEGRATIVE

LOVE WHICH SERVES

AND MANIFESTS IN THE BROADER WORLD

IN ABUNDANT FLEXIBLE SWEET

RELATIONSHIPS OF

GREAT VARIETY

MAYBE I CAN EXTEND SUCH

EMPOWERED AGAPE

TO A BANKER:

THE WORK INDEED

post-punk terms

i await the morning light

to reassure me

that coffee will be served today

i'm improving after a rough 30 hours

centered around a surprisingly

re-traumatizing band experience

hard to describe the many negative ways

that gig hit me

but trust me i'm not whining for nothing

i know i need to simply detach

the 17 hours leading up to the gig

and the 10 following

all seem part of an educational package

reminding me i don't fit in an old-paradigm

egocentric rock band

any more than i'd belong working at a bank

-----

the temptation to indulge in cosmic sarcasm

and subsequent hedonism

has been irresistable

but not only is irony passe

i simply can't afford it

the negativity stops all forward movement

so now the question:

after playing well

and keeping the band mate mask on fairly securely

amidst the carnage

do i have the self-trust

to actually let the paying rock star gig go

in order to get back to integrity with myself?

well what's the other option--

force upon myself

a new form of slavery to idiots?

-----

it all triggers tremendous arrogance within me

for all its suck

i was able at least at times

to channel some of that at tj

into something useful

some productivity

self-expression and friendships

the other day i said angrily to a friend

i'll live on the street before i chase money again

but me, homeless?

history would indicate

i'd be psychotic in a week

besides i'm not the purist

some of my brothers on the street are

i will hustle for money

enough to stay sane

amidst this dying beast of global manipulation

and violence

called the dollar

the only integrity i can honestly claim

is that i will do it on my own

post-punk

terms

milagros

suddenly i am enjoying a whirlwind of acivity

it's all play isn't it

booking gigs

visioning what you wish to do

asking for it

offering service

being willing to offer a different form of service

if requested

so long as it meets a need for inspiration

around contribution

what's not to love?

i will bring my fiddle tonight

got an invite though not yet official

from perhaps the best local CZ band

that's Cajun-Zydeco

my shorthand

my shoulder's hanging low

so i won't mind playing it cool

but i will answer the call

open heart and strong belly

good thing i not only believe in miracles

i am seeing them every day

it's all a miracle really

taking flight

i am desisting and divesting

of money

and i am a freer man for it

it may pass through my hands this way and that

but i will give it no more energy than that

i will be contributing to others

and otherwise living beautiful visions of things

it is redemption day

after two years and some five odd months

the last five being the oddest

it was a good run

enjoyed quite a few of the crew

but when i'm done

i'm done

-----

happy birthday to everyone

it is a fine time to rebirth

it was my hands and the ocean

and other benevolences

who all lifted me up

i'd like to thank trader joe's

that we ended the current form of our relationship

amicably

i prefer being friends with exes

whenever possible

-----

today i welcome back a sense of sovereignty

of self-possession

i am speaking more clearly

and a little louder

and enjoying the sound of my voice

i have found the literal meaning

for the phrase

spring in one's step

it is to move through hoards of people

with speed and grace

skipping to a slightly latin groove

-----

or maybe brazilian

they overlap for me

the capoeira dance

and the salsa

shoot that reminds me

i'm late for my cajun dance

meetup

i was trying to get to the church

on time for dinner

but we stayed too long

watching the 528 hertz

green flash

over the ocean

at heart chakra vibration wavelength

at the coming of which i played

that celtic song of joe strummers

on the fiddle

so by the time we got over there

it was only ice cream

then free man ran away

-----

i thought i'd get the fiddle from the car

and find someone to jam with

but somehow here i am

taking space to celebrate

the abundant choice to leap

and grow wings

responsiveness practice

responsiveness is interwoven with awareness

that's one of the learnings

of today's responsiveness practice

i had gone down to see about my friends'

apparent break fluid leak

rather than saying

oh i can't help that/i'm not a mechanic

i thought

well i can at least visit see whats up

maybe help the process along

but they were sleeping

so i walked on the beach

with my feet in the ocean awhile

and explored some new verses to redemption song

replacing we've got to fulfill the book with

the future is unwritten

-----

they were still sleeping at 1 pm

unusual for them

so i meandered toward a cafe

and checking in with myself

thought maybe a smoothie

would be the most nurturing thing

but i was still not ready to sit

and my attention had been already drawn

to a young man sitting with a hungry sign

half a block down

and i felt a desire to respond

maybe it was his gentle clear energy

in any case i saw a brother there

with a need

and that he wasn't getting a lot of response

despite his clear request

and it just was more alive for me somehow

than filling my own slightly overfed belly

again

yet i realized i didn't have a strategy for pursuing this

within the cultural structures of domination/scarcity paradigm

and i am not yet fluent in the behavior of abundance

so i took my time

i wanted to sit with him and buy him a smoothie

that would meet a few of my needs

but it seemed i was putting strategy before empathy

or something

asking him to walk with me

without either of us knowing each other

clumsy

plus there was the ethical question

of not responding to another guy

with requests nearby

so i stood on the opposite streetcorner

doing nothing but

leaning against a wall

as pedestrians passed

liberating practice in itself

and a cop car rolled right up to me

and i thought hmmm

it turned out some other dude

had called them to help unlike his bike

and i was predicting a responsive outcome

-----

and it occurred to me

to just walk up to the guy with the hungry sign

get over this thinking too much

and worrying about what to do next

another rather insidious cultural preconditioning

particularly insightful for moi to see!

-----

and noticing someone else had begun

attending to the other man with a request

i walked over to the man with the sign

and we had a longer than usual moment

of meeting eyes kindly

even though i had still awkwardly placed my body

out of habit

directly across and because he was sitting

above his

and it at least occurred to me to say something to the effect of

hey brother

you getting any help

and i heard him say yeah some

and if i get another 50 cents

i can get the twine

to harness my shelves

so i inquired as to the meaning of this

and i guess he said shells or something

cuz turns out he's a jewelry crafter

so i said i was going to offer to buy you a smoothie

in response to your sign

but i probably have a buck if you prefer

and he said that's be great

and as i fished for a buck

a woman came by and handed him

a big ol frappacino

and i said hey man

special delivery eh?

and a small bottle of water

as i handed him the buck somewhere in there too

with good feelings

gratitude and celebration all around

the hour or two of mostly quiet walkbys

had exploded into a jubilee

-----

and walking on soonafter

the cafe's smoothies turning out to cost more than

i would enjoy paying anyway

(ha--i actually saved six bucks)

i got on the bike and headed home

reflecting on the way

along the lines of tired dualistic thinking

did i magnetize that event (ego)

or

nah just a cool coincidence

(an excess humility implying i don't exist)

and the truth of the matter is more profound

and simple

yet how many words does it take to describe

this phenomena of our natural abundance

not having gathered much press

the last couple thousand years?

-----

i was willing to allow my field of awareness to expand

along with the compassion that naturally ensues

to include people around me

which invited me into playing a better game

than isolation or ignorance:

connecting with someone

as a human being

without labels

allows a natural magnetism

to unfold

a field of safety and connection

and even magic

that grows even by empathizing silently

and really gets juicy and fun

amidst some active response

however simple

to the situation one's become aware of

magnetizing the energy of contribution

that is so enjoyable to partake of

whose character is active

and involves

simultaneously

choosing/creating freedom and safety

and i'm guessing someone else was having a similar experience

of responding to the Divine energy of need

i imagine their strategy was to just allow

an enjoyable generosity to well up inside them on a sunday

and at the starbucks counter

decide to order an extra drink

in response to a clear undemanding request

and for fun

make it an extra groovy frappacino

with chocolate chunks on top and such

for this young man

and a water--

the abundance and consideration of which

is particularly touching!

-----

i used to wonder as a kid why every day couldn't be like christmas

and you know it was never about the stuff

perhaps a practice is to simply make every day

a little more

Sundaey!

redemption

well things are getting quite shamanic now aren't they

big sur reporting sticky white webs 1- 3" across

falling from the sky

this could bump the chemtrail hypothesis up the charts

i'd been figuring everyone was alternatively agitated

ill and crashed out

because of scalar weaponizing of the atmosphere

not that the two theories are in any way

mutually exclusive

i mean if we are paying attention to things

the wacky bunch in charge keeps thinking it can

destroy evidence of their crimes by blowing things up

like WTC Building #7

but of course karmic/energetic imprints don't vanish

so everything just accelerates

and i hear one of the ancient calendars

kicks over in 2 1/2 weeks

i don't doubt it

still i am so tired and aching

i can only get up the hill anymore on bike

by way of simultaneous full-bellied singing

redemption song

passing it on

after reaggravating my wrist sprain yesterday

as well as observing the other hard workers

straining backs overworking the last couple weeks

something needed to happen

so i prayed last night

meditated and watched my dreams

they offered no indication

of desert or ocean setting

but provided some nice hugs

from my anima

so i began the talk with boss man

and ultimately agreed to stay

through the holiday season

and support one more push

for meeting some mutual needs

at the store

in exchange for his support

transferring wherever i like

if on january first i still wish to leave

plus increased safety prioritization

and perhaps a greater influence

generally in the store while i am there

this result meets a need for clarity

now may my empathy practice be strong

for the main work looks to be

to model to the big bosses

how mutual attention to one another's needs

not further criticism

is the key to transformation

-----

the most joyful moment of the day

illustrating exactly this

came in the midst of massive grouchiness

pre-boss

whereupon for no good reason

i felt near-absolute derision hearing

another mom baby-talking to her child

perhaps the most annoying phrase ever invented

variations of which are heard nearly every day at TJs

it's yummy for your tummy!

i don't know how long i was processing this funk

but observed i was still triggered a bit later

while stocking

near to a mom and child online at the register

who had at least been in the vicinity of such a conversation

and thinking to myself

in the first throes of some empathy attempts

probably good i didn't have kids

at least retail settings offer some safe spaces for

this mommy-vibe I admittedly don't get

and at least they probably don't notice me

all of which was interrupted by a loud

and sweetly intoned

hi!!

at which point i looked up to see

the joy-filled face of the two-year old boy

beaming from his shopping cart perch

gazing at me with full intention

a radiant smile

serene

and who in that moment

was not at all two

but simply a soul of indeterminate age

responding to another soul

as if to offer something like

may i take this moment to remind you this seeming reality is but another illusion...

at which point something inside me relaxed

and i returned an authentic smile

of amused gratitude

a hello and an offer of help out

politely declined by mom

not unaware of her son's generosity of spirit

leaving me to bless them silently on their way

and marvel on the miraculousness

of this simplest of

exchanges

10/10/10: GLOBAL PICNIC

when you realize it's not about you

it's a we-world we're entering into

no more time for karmic separation

we're all tuned to the same gratitude station

--mikeyp 2010

it is one thing to announce what is no longer

and another to pronounce what is arriving

the global picnic!

it is 10/10/10 and here in OB

special operations units will be forming

around bonfires on the beach

(shall we say around 10:10?)

initiating the global picnic tour

coming soon to a meadow near you

i know 2012 is supposed to be the big deal

but i say

why wait?

-----

come join the fun

as we hit the streets in the coming year

to educate the overly-washed masses

as to recent updates in the software package

not only can we stop by permaculture farms

nonviolent communication trainings

and old friends' porches

with our multidimensional dance party

but corporate headquarters

military hospitals and fire stations

if anyone in the world

needs a holistic donut break

you know it's these folks

-----

financing provided by

the barter banking non-cartel

recently initiated a moment ago

and spare change for a new paradigm

where here on john lennon's 70th birthday weekend

a working class hero is still something to be

we peasants and indescribable rainbow journeyers

would like to thank the many secret societies

for their participation in managing world affairs

as best they could amidst double-crossed bones

there will be no further need of such services

all future warring and intrigue has been called off

ah-yay-oh

it is potluck

so bring something for 7 billion to share

and come join the picnic!

grail is an odd word anyway

so i'm visiting all these groovy sites

connecting the dots between

the vikings and the celts

the jewish tribe of dan

the merovingian dynasty

egypt and the knights templar

the freemasons and 9/11

the mafia and global drug trade

catching up on the da vinci code stuff

that i first read about in the 80s

jesus having a bloodline through magdalene

the holy grail

and i'm seeing the whole conspiracy

of western civilization

coming to light

-----

i watch myself begin to obsess

for a 24 hour frame

well all very plausible

but it is true

what do i believe

i really need to figure this out

this insider wisdom explains a lot

but it's led to such evil

whereas the dogma of the church

has a certain spiritual purity to it

although its fruits have been mixed also

in this way

back and forth i went

into the night

-----

and then i realized

what do i care

i'm not a professed christian

i don't buy the entire paradigm of saviorism

and so why should i care whether

there's an actual bloodline

or just a million duplicitous fools

who've destroyed our planet believing so

convinced they are its true inheritors

and battling every rival claimant

either way

their secret societies

perversions and violence

are no longer needed

-----

it is useful to detach further

from the entire thrust of western civilization

between the inherent fraud

of the entire banking industry

indenturing all those

unwilling to collaborate

profiting by fomenting

and then funding

both sides of every war

along with crusades

diamond-studded princesses

kings and inquisitions

slavery and genocides

stolen lands

and masonic initiations into power

including presidencies and media ownership

poisoning every corner of mother earth

and murdering tens of millions of innocent people

it is a conspiracy after all

at least a couple thousand years running

and from here on the 33rd parallel

i can honestly say

to their armageddonist plans

i am quite finished with

such nonsense

YE-ME-LE-NE

WE