Truly Magic Mushrooms – Breaking Down Pollutants
Sheeple No More
The term suggests people who are sheep, easily led to whatever fate. And such has certainly been true for most of us throughout history.
To be clear, there are forces at work that have contributed to our ‘sheepleness’ for a thousand years. Kings and wealthy merchants have little desire for a population that questions everything. “You be sheep, we’ll take care of everything” is a variation of the well-worn elitist mentality.
After the Awakening of the 1960s (Free Love, No More War, Equal Rights, EPA, etc.), the elites made a long-term, strategic investment to turn our institutions toward supporting elitist goals. Socialism bad, low taxes good and similar memes have come to dominate TV and news outlets. Look up Barry Goldwater to learn more of the regressive themes he initiated with the help of lots of money.
But last November’s election proved we are sheeple no more – at least a growing number of us. The first measure is turnout, where we had the largest non presidential election turn out in 40 years. Nice! Second, it was clearly a Blue Wave. Our new congress has such rich diversity it warms my heart. Third, we’ve learned just how corrupt the system is. Elites have seen their income clime hundreds of percentages since the 1970s. For the 99%, wages have been flat. 40 fucking years of flat. That gets your attention.
As we turn our political attention to 2020, we see more cause for hope. The Republicans are saddled with Donald Trump, and they may yet regret their feckless support for such a corrupt leader. The Dems have a bunch of folks interested in the job, many with very impressive progressive resumes. I don’t see how the Republicans can hold the presidency, or even the Senate in this political climate.
And it’s not just politics. The Women’s March in 2017 was the largest gathering in history. The March for Our Live, resisting gun violence, was nearly as large, and it was led by teens. Localism, organic food, renewable energy – we are progressing even against such odds and forces.
We have such a huge plethora of change agents and groups that it’s mind-boggling. Old stalwarts like the Sierra Club are joined or upended by the Sunrise Movement (again youth led). Black Lives Matter is joined by the National Black United Front. Peace activists are expanding like never before. The examples are countless.
So, hurray for us! We’re finally climbing out of the dark hole the old culture stuck us in. We don’t want that world any more. We want a world of abundance and freedom, where the world (Earth) itself thrives along with us.
Let’s keep plowing folks. Our task is in its infancy. We’ve got to end the domination of our ‘Corporate Overlords’ and begin to envision neighborhoods, communities, cities and states where the old mantle of giving all the breaks to elites and corporations no longer flies. In their stead, we do…
Restorative Justice
Now that we’ve cleared up a few things…
1) Corporations don’t care about us or this Earth
2) Our elite controllers will do anything to hold power
3) We must end militarism and bullshit about ‘security’
4) Republicans, and corporate Democrats do not help us
5) Addressing climate chaos is required quickly
We could make this a much longer list, but if you agree with the above, we’re already tracking together. And we’ve lost precious years with the Trump Administration.
Restorative Justice is just what the term implies, restoring justice to people, places and things that have been the victim of crime. These can be cases of personal injury or sexual abuse, families mistreating members for this or that reason, perhaps opioids. The healing that is enabled through restorative justice is remarkable.
Yet this post is not about that fine work, but the larger scale peoples and systems in dire need of restorative justice.
For the citizens/government of the United States, we have two glaring groups where restorative justice is needed. The indigenous people of this country, so called ‘Indians’. And the folks from Africa that we enslaved and terrorized for hundreds of years. We’ve called those folks a number of things, almost all of them derogatory.
From my perspective there is no debate on whether these two groups deserve restorative justice. The real question is the scope of making amends, and how soon we can get started reversing this 500 year travesty. I’m hopeful that the renewal of our politics we’ll soon be restoring justice to our federal government, ending the long standing corruption.
We note that some aspects of that restorative justice occurs when social systems are strengthened. Black Folk and Indigenous Americans benefited from Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid – which adds to the reasons that Medicare for All is such a fine idea.
African Americans and Indigenous Americans are two of the poorest ‘tribes’ to inhabit these United States. What our ancestors did to these people is beyond reprehensible, it’s hard to even imagine the cruelty of these European immigrants. Amends are in order.
Specifically, focusing on nurturing and education for the young in particular is a good start. And making sure elders have everything they need to be comfortable. Money please.
As crucial as restorative justice is for these two groups, they’re just the tip of the iceberg. Hispanic and asians have been targeted, abused and otherwise mistreated as well. We need to end racism.
Another pressing aspect of Restorative Justice in our times is how to restore our Earth. We call this Restorative Ecology. How do we help to heal our only planet from the blight of deforestation and desertification? From polluted soils and GMO foodstuffs? From our oceans being a dumping ground and a failing source of food?
It can feel overwhelming, and it may in truth be overwhelming to all of us. These are perilous times. But Life Never Fails. We may self-destruct, but Life will continue. So what’s our tact?
Same as it ever was. Resist war! Live lightly. Support minority populations. Eat organic food. Contribute as you can to bringing down fossil fuel and agribiz corporations. Engage politically. Democracy is not a spectator sport.
And one more thing…
Never forget that we are all Here together in Life, and that Life is miraculous. Hold Our Source, and we’ll get all this other business worked out.
This Central Truth of Life
When one considers the wretched condition of our lives and our planet, it’s hard not to point fingers, as I have surely done, at the forces I believe to be responsible. That blame typically goes toward elites, corporations and nation states. I still hold that these purveyors of power through their money and institutions are indeed, at the heart of our problems.
Yet there is something even more central to each of us that has held us bound and manipulated by the forces mentioned above. It’s the paradigm each of us live within. The way we view ourselves and our place within ourselves, our families and communities. This includes the impact of height or skin color, social status, genetics and upbringing – externals but part of us, and our thoughts, feelings, attitudes and belief codes – our internal world.
Each of us engaging with our own lives. And in the old culture, it pretty much ends there. Ignoring the central fact of our existence. The totality of Now.
Somehow science has neglected this, as a fish might neglect water, or we neglect ‘Mother Culture’. Where is the clear axiom in science that Now is the only time that exists – this sharpness where past and future collide, this point in time where everything happens.
It is useful to our Corporate Overlords that we consider ourselves alone, weak and powerless in the face of their excess. Indeed, they rely on our ignorance to further their agenda of control and domination, even to the point of destroying our Earth.
Is there any way an awake and aware citizenry would allow our endless wars, our GMO and sucky processed foods, the environmental desecration and destruction, climate chaos, extreme inequality, cruelty to the animals we use as food, abuse of Palestinians or Haitians, and on and on? Of course not. An awake and aware culture wouldn’t tolerate any of this bullshit – which proves we have a lot of work to do.
Yet it all starts – resets – when we awaken to ourselves Here in Life right now. This knowing clearly presents a second knowing – that we are necessarily all Here together. We cannot leave this moment of Life or each other. Sadly, the old culture keeps insisting on a paradigm that is far less real.
‘We Move From Here’, the subtitle to my book World 5.0, is intended to help furthering our awakening to this simple truth. You can’t find ‘Here’ by further thinking. The process of thinking tends to have us stuck in our heads and out of touch with our bodies and our surroundings.
We get it by being outside, by observing and interacting with our animal friends. We get it though a quiet mind which is a result from practicing meditation. We even ‘get it’ momentarily when caught in the high drama of a sporting event or film. We stop thinking and become present. Which is exactly where we are. This recognition moves us and our sisters and brothers further into an awakened state, something we badly need right now as the old world crumbles around us.
The Vast Impact of Legalizing Hemp
The Empire doesn’t understand yet what has happened. Legalizing hemp farming and hemp industries will have a profound impact on our local communities, our soil, our ecosystems and our culture at large. They don’t understand that legalizing hemp, part of the new Farm Bill enacted in December, is a tremendous catalyst for change. But we do.
Hemp was the first plant under human cultivation, some 10,000 years ago. Hemp farming and production was a staple of Europe and much of the world 1,000 years ago. Without hemp Europeans could not have colonized so much of the world, as hemp sails are durable and don’t rot. So we have some history with the plant.
William Hurst, the yellow news publisher from 100 years ago was quite the racist. He hated people of color, and while it was quite clear that hemp was a staple for poor folk, he intentionally confused hemp and marijuana, a favorite high of these minorities. He demonize both incessently in his papers until congress took the step of making production of hemp and manufacture of hemp products illegal, along with its cousin, ‘the heathen devil weed’. But why go after hemp?
Hearst happened to own millions of acres of forest that he wanted to leverage as paper for his ‘news’ empire. That would never happen as long as hemp was readily available and clearly a much wiser option. He removed that as a legal option, and caused unspeakable damage to our culture and country for nearly a century.
So that’s how we got here, and with this new Farm Bill, we reverse this travesty. And again, The Empire doesn’t yet know what it has allowed to happen.
First, a little clarity. There are hundreds of major strains of cannabis, the family’s latin name. They all share the ability to grow in less than ideal soils with minimal pesticide use. They have edible, oil rich seeds. Their stalks contain strong, durable fibers. They absorb heavy metals and radiation. Hemp has less than .03% of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
Yet each strain has its unique characteristics. Hemp grown for fiber is planted closely together, with large, spindly patterns than can reach 15 feet. Hemp grown for oil has more widely space plants, with far more side branches to encourage bud and seed growth.
Cannibus varieties grown for THC also prefer wide spacing, to allow as many buds to form and develop as possible.
So why the big deal? Let’s start at 30,000 feet. Much of our current malaise is due to corporate globalism, a trade system developed for profit, not to fulfill human need. Shoes from China, shirts from the Philippines or Indonesia, food from South America, fossil fuels from the Middle East – we’ve been globalized, without really seeing the problem even as us older folk watched this process take place over decades. Here’s a good reference on our oldest cultivated plant.
With legal hemp we begin to reverse this trend, we start strengthening local production and hence our local communities. This will be tightly coupled with the local food movement, which is already gaining influence in many areas. A great blow against The Empire.
How? Here’s a bit of a list…
Hempcrete – the Roman Coliseum and viaducts were built with hempcrete, the hemp fibers adding centuries to the viable ‘life’ of the concrete. As we begin the huge task of rebuilding US infrastructure, hempcrete can be invaluable.
Fuel – biodiesel and ethanal/methanal – the seeds are pressed and processed for biodiesel, the stalks fermented to create ethanal/methanal fuels. Both are efficient and renewable.
Food – hemp seeds have a refreshing, nutty taste. They are a great addition to soups, salads, burgers and more. Hemp oil can be used in food as well.
Clothing – hemp fibers are strong and durable, and through processing can become quite soft. The material takes color dyes well too!
Shoes – slippers and sandals are easily fashioned. Heavy duty work boots will require more processed forms of help.
Composites – Any number of composites can be created from hemp parts. Indeed, many cars now have composites with a hemp base for dashboards and interior molds, just like the first Ford’s did 100 years ago.
Plastics – While our abusive relationship with disposable plastics requires a cultural shift, bioplastics made from hemp are far less damaging to our environments and oceans.
Medicines – CBDs (cannabinoids) are the current rage, able to help treat PTSD, arthritis and other conditions. The plant contains over a hundred cannabinoids, many with medicinal properties. CBDs are not psychoactive.
Even if you’re not stoned, this is an impressive list. Your mission, should you choose to join us, is to aid in our transition to local, hemp based products. Farming, processing, distribution, new products, education and networking – there are tremendous opportunities. Fire logs, furniture, we don’t even know yet what we’re capable of being reunited with our old friend.
With hemp we gain a valuable resource for reducing the destruction of our already degraded home planet, Earth. We immediately reduce logging and its destructive footprint. The bleaching process to make paper from wood is eliminated as well. Imagine the boost we can bring to our communities with locally made clothes, fuel oils and food. Composites for the new 3D printing tech. It’s going to get wild folks!
Curiously, the corrupt Trump administration has enabled the most substantial farm bill in decades. Now, the new congress can further policies which support hemp, which will surely support us.
Embracing hemp carries deeper overtones. Such work is healing and has us in intimate touch with the Earth and its natural cycles. It encourages us to embrace a radical new relationship with our natural world. It encourages us to be present to Life itself.
Now that the government is out of he way, the speed with which we reintroduce ourselves to our oldest plant friend is up to us. It will take a few years to re-find the knowledge and machinery used in the past, and to find our way forward with new ideas and technology. But the time when hemp is again pervasive in our culture is coming soon.
Looking for work or a new enterprise? Think hemp.
Book Launch on the Solstice!
“World 5.0 – We Move From Here” delivers the truth about who and where we are, humans on planet Earth at this crucial moment in our history. And so we celebrate our new o/s coming alive on the Winter Solstice at Cafe DeSales in Walnut Hills, Cincinnati.
For too long we have have been subjected to a corrupt system that does not serve us. Corporations and nation-states have never been interested in serving their citizenry. They have offered us only crumbs as they abuse our rights and destroy our only home (yes, Earth). Their wars have decimated tribes and countries across the planet. This must end.
We end this travesty by abolishing the legal status of corporations, the thousand year scourge that came to pass through collusion between royalty and enriched merchants in Denmark and England.
We officially begin this monumental task with our Book Launch on the Solstice. Yes, we are attempting the impossible. But we’ve faced the impossible before, and some time later the impossible becomes reality.
Join us on December 21st at Cafe DeSales in East Walnut Hills in Cincinnati, Ohio at 6:00pm EST. Stay tuned as we will soon be offering ways to join us via facebook and youtube for those unable to join us in person.
This is what finding our freedom looks like.
This is a great opportunity to launch World 5.0 into the public sphere. I hope you’ll join us.
Life Is Our Meaning
And is not often found in words…
We’re Waving Blue
November’s Midterm Election ushered in the beginning of a new era – mainstream progressive politics. Right here in the good ol’ USA. We haven’t seen this kind of energy since the 1960s, which gave us the Equal Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, the women’s liberation movement and the EPA, for starters. Resistance to war and meme’s like ‘Free Love’ filled the air.
Okay we haven’t reached such a point yet in this new wave, but the promise is finally here. In the House of Representatives, we have the youngest member ever, the first Muslim women, the first Native American, and almost 100 new female representatives. This with everything corrupt Republicans were doing to disenfranchise voters in their gerrymandered districts.
Beyond the House we elected six new Democratic governors and switched a number of state legislatures to the blue side. And we’ve just learned that Democrat Krysten Sinema won in the Arizona senate race and we’re still waiting on final tallies from Florida and Georgia. All to the good.
Short term, we need to hold Trump and the Republicans that serve him accountable. While the Senate is still under Republican control, which will limit the ability to create progressive legislation, the new House will have Democratic leadership which means investigations into things like Trump’s tax returns and abuse of the Emoluments Clause. Not to mention why the EPA and other federal agencies are not doing their job.
As Indivisible and others are pointing out, this cycle was about stopping the Republicans from unlimited political power, which they’ve held since the Trump election. We’ve done that. We were playing defense this cycle, trying to recover some bit of what we lost in 2016. Now, with fresh energy and a lot of new faces in our politics, we can start thinking and strategizing for 2020.
Already progressive house members are shaking up the establishment Democrats. Nancy Pelosi is at least being challenged for Speaker of the House by Ohio congresswoman Marcia Fudge. While centrist (read corporate-owned) Democrats point to the loss of senate candidate Beta O’Rourke as an indicator that centrism works best, we know better. Beto made a terrific showing in deep red Texas. Stacy Adams in Georgia is still in the hunt, though not so much for Andrew Gillum in Florida. One wonders how a Nancy Pelosi or Chuck Schumer would have fared in battles like these – they’d get hammered of course.
What will be fun to watch is when these new progressive reps take on the corporate wing of the Democratic Party. There will be plenty of fireworks surrounding this. These new lawmakers are not shy and will make themselves heard. They stand on the ground of common good. Refreshing and long overdue.
There is finally hope that the long standing criticism of the Democratic Party – that they are nothing more than ‘Republican Light’ – may be changing. We have to give the new kids on the block a bit of time to see how this plays out.
Perhaps the greatest lesson from this midterm is that we must stay engaged. Voting is not enough. See what needs attention in your community. There are about a million groups that would love your time, energy and financial support. We must build on this new passion that so many regular folks in this country are feeling. We must recognize that democracy building is a huge job and dig in and get our hands dirty. And we must reach out, gently, to former Trump supporters and offer them a better way forward, as opposed to the hate and vitriol they get from the President.
And as Star Trek Captain Picard was so fond of the command, let’s end with it… Engage!
World 5.0 – We Move from Here | Book Promo
Where Do We Go From Here
After nearly two years of Trump, decades of war, corporations more powerful and insulated than ever, and our federal government a travesty. Where do we go from here? Recognize too that we have been beaten down and misled for hundreds, if not a thousand years. Elite use of the legal entity called ‘The Corporation’ has decimated our lives and planet.
We must create a culture of truth, and of first principles. Truth in recognizing that we all share Life right now, and no other time exists. Contrary to our conditioning, we are All Here Together forever. First principles are what we already know. We begin with integrity, because without integrity we do not have trust, and without trust we devolve into a culture like the one we live in Now. And this broke down shit must change.
The chief weapon used against us in our quest for truth and understanding is fear. It is fear that drove the bomb maker and the Jew killer last week. It is fear (and Trump’s delusional offer to relieve your fear), that presents him with his ‘supporters’. As Chris Hedges notes, these are cult followers.
We can’t fix them. At least not yet. Fighting them but infuriates them further. We’ll get to healing their trauma and teaching them a better way. But we must first do this for ourselves.
We may have little control over the world we find ourselves in, but we have control over our thoughts and feelings. We elect how we play this moment with our thoughts and feelings and belief systems. The belief codes that drive our behaviors. We can look more deeply inside ourselves to rid ourselves of the ugly monster of fear. The remedy is the peace and love inherent Here in Life.
You’ll have to understand our new operating system, World 5.0, if these words do not make sense. Because ‘we go from here’ is exactly this new construct. An idea whose time has clearly come. And again, check out World 5.0 if all this seems unclear.
We are in an unprecedented time in our history. The thousand years of elite rule through the legal entity of ‘the corporation’ is coming to an end. Our eyes are finally opening to the truth of our old civilization, and it will not stand much longer. It’s utterly unfair, ecologically devastating, violent and utterly corrupt. The profit motive is not a good foundation for culture. Life is.
In World 5.0 we find peace and love, based on Life itself. We demand integrity in our systems and encourage it in our people. We even now are coagulating into a New Age.
In World 5.0 we restore natural systems, ecologies, like never before. We enliven the already evident movement toward localism and organic food. Renewable energy, rooftop wind and solar, so much we can transform.
We can put an end to war, and the fucking permanent war paradigm. This sick perversion of inventing and antagonizing different tribes, ‘enemies’, and then blowing the shit out of them out of pure greed, must end. It’s our top priority here in World5.
So ‘where do we go from here’ is together. This together we share in time has to translate to together in remaking our culture. From one of war to peace. From one of scarcity to abundance. From greed to consideration. From fear to love.
The pace of this transformation is not our concern. Life handles such things. Our concern is awakening to our sisters and brothers, to our intent and to Life itself. To find ourselves in integrity, peace and love.