How Could This Happen Here…or anywhere?
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 by Maryam WebsterSo much has happened in the last month and few months that this post is more in the way of a documentary of the evolution the world, ideas and my further research into dealing with the Painbody. There are good lessons all around for those who are interested in cultivating greater Consciousness, sustainable living, international fellowship and personal evolution. This first one is potentially going to be painful for some of us. But don’t worry, there’s energy coaching to help us all deal. Deep breath…here goes…
“…..Freedom!”
Remember in the movie Braveheart, William Wallace’s final word “…Freedom!” as he was being executed? That word echoed in my ears as aghast, I watched along with the rest of the world, the horrific scenes coming out of Iran in the past month. It was chilling to see people who were peacably and simply demanding their right to free speech, be stoned, shot at, beaten and killed.
Forty years ago though, the same thing happened here, in America.
Are you old enough to remember the May 4th, 1970 Kent State Massacre? I was ten. It shocked, grieved and scared the hell out of me and everyone I knew. Even my parents and teachers went numb and wept openly. The National Guard had attacked our own people. Shot and killed four college students peacefully protesting injustices of the Vietnam War: Allison Krause, William Schroeder, Jeffrey Miller and Sandra Scheuer. Paralyzed another student, and wounded eight others.
As in Iran, some of those killed were not even involved in the protest. The National Guard, like the Iranian Basij, fired randomly into a peacefully demonstrating crowd, releasing 67 rounds over 13 seconds. Four dead in Ohio. As a result, students nationwide, eight million strong, went on strike, closing high schools, colleges and universities. How could this happen here, in America, the land that was supposed to be the best in the world?
Now when I see the footage coming out of Iran and recall the beautiful, creative young life and horrendous death on a city street that was Neda Agha-Soltan’s (1) Neil Young’s “Ohio” lyric automatically rolls:
“What if you knew her and
found her dead on the ground…
how can you run when you know?”
If like me, this brings tears to your eyes even as you read, remember that awful and heavy as this is, when it happens, you are plugging into a heavy, and seductively attractive Painbody. Remind yourself that your tears do no one any good, your Consciousness is NEEDED in the world, and you can just as easily choose to unplug.
Stop. Focus. Breathe.
Recognize the Painbody rising to feed upon your tears and grief.
Deny it firmly. With your breath, return to Consciousness & center.
Tap vigorously on your collarbone points, thymus or
under-eye points to aid your return to balance.
When asked about releasing the song “Ohio”, Graham Nash responded:
- “Four young men and women had their lives taken from them while lawfully protesting this outrageous government action. We are going back to keep awareness alive in the minds of all students, not only in America, but worldwide…to be vigilant and ready to stand and be counted… and to make sure that the powers of the politicians do not take precedent over the right of lawful protest.”(2)
Amen, amen, amen.
I have a very long history with Iran. I am not Iranian but while an honors English student in high school, taught Iranian students English as a Second Language (ESL) in the late 1970’s to help overburdened staff. I continued teaching ESL in college, learned Farsi to a first-grade level, and made many Iranian friends.
Despite the negative perceptions of western media on this country, I have found Iranians to be the same mixed bag as any culture, though predominantly hospitable, highly intelligent and kind. Plus which, ethnic Persian food rocks. Who doesn’t like kebab, rice, fresh veggies & yogurt dip? In addition to Farsi, I learned Persian cuisine, and make a ghormeh sabzi wicked enough to make your Persian granny cry. (Really.)
Recently I became involved in the struggle for civil rights in Iran through the horrific events surrounding its stolen election. This too happened here – remember our little “hanging chad” issue of 2000? Though there was an outcry, in America, people said “that’s terrible and I’m pissed about it but ultimately…whatever”. Our election too, was stolen. But what exemplary milquetoasts we were in response. Our new national motto might well have been “que sera, sera”. As for our middle eastern cousins, their slogan might well be -
Cry “Havoc!”, and let slip the dogs of war…
I can think of no more fitting phrase to sum up what happened in Iran than this famous line from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar – followed appropriately as it is by Antony’s plaint:
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.
Indeed. In Iran, people took to the streets and died in the still-ongoing fight to secure basic civil liberties most Americans take for granted. As far as I can see, agree with them or not, the people of Iran have solid stone cojones. Furthermore, as in the People’s Revolution thirty years ago, it’s the women who are leading the way. Here’s an amazing historical video from the 1979 Iranian revolution in which American feminist Kate Millet laments that it would take years to organize the kind of protests in the USA that in Iran were convened, successfully, in less than hours. A little over eleven minutes and well worth the viewing:
The Liberation Movement of Iranian Women – Year Zero
And in strong support of this thirty-year-old historical view, is Golbarg Bashi’s interview of Zillah Eisenstein, leading feminist theorist and professor of politics at Ithaca College, NY on the topic of:
For those of you who might be interested in one of the most feminist of Muslim countries, a timeline:
Chronology of Events Regarding Women in Iran from 1979 To Present
But back to the present. Ahmadinejad is elected, and Iran erupts into civil unrest, governmental violence and murder the like of which has not been seen since the Shah was deposed in 1979.
I thought this insupportable. So, on day two of Iran’s post-election carnage, like many other concerned people worldwide, I provided access to my computer’s IP tunnel (address) to Iranian bloggers and Tweeters whose freedom of speech was otherwise blocked by those in power.
My tunnel lasted almost 72 hours (a minor miracle I’m told) before the IP was blocked by the Iranian government. No matter, hundreds of others provided still more access and the IP numbers were passed around in an endless loop for the use of eyewitness reporters from the front in Tehran, Shiraz, Abadan, Qom, Esfahan and other Iranian hotspots.
@powerwriter on Twitter tweeted: “Iran is symptomatic of complete shift in consciousness being demanded of all of us.”
Spurred by the death of Neda Agha-Soltan and other protestors, plus Iranian eyewitnesses whose desperate cries for help we heard before internet and cellphone access was cut off, I tweeted and re-tweeted open IP access tunnels, first aid information, my own advice on how to avoid post traumatic stress syndrome and other useful items, for four days straight, barely sleeping. I attended Iran Azad (Freedom In Iran) rallies in Palo Alto and San Francisco and several dialogues in my attempt not only to understand what was at stake, but also why I personally was there.
It was about freedom…but it was also about something else.
I went to study an active cultural painbody (or “supermind”) at work & to trial methods of surmounting its influence. What a rich experience it was.
There were ample lessons for a consciousness researcher, some of which I invite you to partake of here:
Spiritual Lessons from the Resistance
And if you’re interested, here are more of my short videos of the rally:
Freedom In Iran – Palo Alto, CA protest & rally
I believe heartily in freedom of speech, and when I learned people were being shot in the streets for demanding civil liberties, I felt a passionate need to get involved. Maybe you did too. But even if not, the cause of Freedom is universal, and the struggle in Iran is ongoing. Repression is becoming harsher, governmental murder sanctioned and citizens have no rights.
This is also symptomatic of the struggle between Consciousness and the active, cultural Painbody. Consciousness is winning the struggle, planet-wide. We are witnessing the birth-throes of what Eckhart Tolle calls the “New Earth”. Iran’s struggle is a very visible symptom of this upwelling and transformation of the planet.
My .02 – and to speak for those who cannot:
CONSCIOUSNESS IN IRAN
And, insha’Allah (God willing) worldwide.
For those of us who want to help and aren’t there, what can we do? Stay conscious. Stay awake. Listen with awakened ears. Bear witness, bear witness, bear witness.
To bring it back down to brass tacks, a word on maintaining ongoing consciousness. Again another quote from the Neil Young blog ThrashersWheat.org:
- “Neil Young’s other anti-war anthem came with his group Buffalo Springfield. ‘For What It’s Worth’ co-written by Stephen Stills in 1966. The lines:
“Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you’re always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away”
speak of the control that the government had over the people of the United States, and how those people were feeling at the time. The chorus:
“I think it’s time we stop, children,
what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down”
speaks to the listeners and tells them to evaluate the war effort in Vietnam, and how futile it is.”
Or indeed, the “war effort” or effort to create war in America, Iran, anywhere. A futile waste of time, life and our young. Beware fear, for it is Unconsciousness made manifest. Paranoia is fear personified and given power over you, to keep you unconscious.
Stop, pay attention, don’t go to sleep again!
We truly cannot afford the luxury of unconscious living any more.
Wake up,
Breathe -
Live.
Remember: Any time you get caught up in shouting slogans with real fervor and deep feeling – you’re deep in the clutches of the Painbody. Any time you get involved in weeping for the state of things, of lost lives, of the injustice of it all, (or in your own life) you’re in the grip of Painbody.
To remain Conscious and in the place of limitless options, simply be aware of these things:
- Who’s Running You (you, your Painbody, or someone else?)
- What You’re Feeling
- Why You’re Feeling what You’re Feeling (genuine grief
over an immediate loss, or Painbody?)
Once you ask yourself why, you have a choice in whether or not to feed into Painbody. If you choose to feed it, you will go unconscious and be acting from an unconscious place. If you choose to breathe, come back to your center and break away from the Painbody, the reward is Consciousness.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
There is much, much more to share with you but this post is long enough. In posts to come, I’ll tell you about
- a new Consciousness Blocking Syndrome I’ve been researching
- a perspective on the swine flu you haven’t heard
- sex, money, the housing market and what they have in common
- plus new info on dealing with fears of all types that will keep you conscious
Wait for it…
See you soon!
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Here’s the shot worth a thousand words, right here:
…Or, "Pain-bodies On Parade"…
Hey there fellow Stillness fans. It’s not like Words can really capture an occasion like hearing Eckhart Tolle lecture, but I’ll try. I’m leaving in a few minutes for San Rafael, where we’ll hear Eckhart tonight from 8 – 9:30pm and Saturday from 1:30 – 4:30pm at the Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium. If you’re there and find me, we’ll meditate together.
The German metaphysicist Eckhart Tolle speaks about our collected personal negative experiences – fear, anger, pain, sadness, guilt and the like, operating as a form of consciousness inside of us. He calls this collection of experience the “painbody”.
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