What Will it Take for All of Humanity to THRIVE? Watch This Movie Now!

       Yep. Yours truly finally got the chance to sit down and watch some of the movie THRIVE that everyone has been buzzing about over the last few months. I must say right upfront that if this kind of thing just happens to be your "kind of thing" then, like myself, you aren't necessarily going to find anything new in this film. But you'll love it just the same. I myself can now sleep. For the first time since observing and predicting that we were shifting into a new age, one I started calling "The Personal Expression Age" in 2004 for the book bearing the same title, I feel like I have finally seen something that truly has the potential to push us over the edge. So yes, it's that important. Regardless of how much of it you may already know. It's a damn good flick. One that has the potential to turn into an even cooler movement, or even better help the many movements already in existence continue to grow and expand.  
      We already know who not so secretly (except to the masses) controls planet earth, that UFOs exist and are being hidden from the mainstream by the governing few, that the 9/11 attacks on the US were an inside job and a hoax perpetrated to start several wars for oil and Middle East dominance, that various free energy machines have existed since at least the early part of the 20th Century and that all you have to do is follow the money to see clearly that through surreptitious private banking cartels disguised as government treasury departments (The Federal Reserve), corrupt Big Oil companies, the so-called "world religions", medical schools and health insurance systems designed and controlled by giant pharmaceutical companies with ignoble intentions and a few very wealthy and powerful families (Warburgs, Rothschilds, Rockefellers, Carnegies, et al.) and other power hungry groups (the British Royals, the Vatican) humankind is being controlled in a not so secret anymore pretend-democracy and has been for centuries. Cont.

Mike Wallace You Will Be Remembered and Revered For Many Years to Come

It's household news by now in the United States at least that 60 Minutes News Anchorman Mike Wallace passed away this past weekend. He hosted the show for more than 40 years and before that he was a host, announcer, journalist and even an actor since the mid-1950s. I personally have such a strong sense of Mike Wallace within me that it almost feels as though he is family, having grown up my entire life watching him every Sunday evening on television talk the tough talk and ask the tough questions that no one else dared to ask but we all dreamed we would if we were ever in such a position ourselves. Much like Peter Jennings before him, who lived just a few blocks away from us here in Manhattan and whose children went to school with a few of my close friends, Mike Wallace's passing marks another milestone in what appears symbolically like the death of real journalism. The kind Edward R. Murrow and even the less serious minded but equally sincere Jack Parr and Dick Cavett used to also represent to the world.

It is after all a new Age in Communications. Shock and Awe are the tools of today's journalistic trade, not honest journalism of value and integrity. There are reasons for this. Primarily the fact that due to technological advances, and the advent of the Personal Expression Age in general, we now face such an overwhelming abundance of information outlets and vehicles so numerous that the goal has switched from "quality and substance in news reporting" to "gaining the public's attention through any and all means necessary". This is more than unfortunate for us all. It is hard to discern what real news is anymore. But that's for another story later on down the road. For today, let us just remember that men like Mike Wallace and his colleagues at 60 Minutes did exist, and still do today. We will always remember their many great contributions to our lives through both information and entertainment.

Police Station Strip Searches Legal in the United States?

A recent question posed from an anonymous visitor:  "Doesn't everyone think that the only reason that the supreme court said it was OK for anyone arrested and taken to a police station in the United States to be strip-searched is so they can abuse the occupy people?!?"

     Though I'd love to agree with you, I would have to lean towards a more yes and no. The Supreme Court has had a relatively remarkable history of being surprisingly neutral in many cases throughout it's history. Though the historical stain caused by their (some might say) illegal and unconstitutional divergence from the election process by usurping the American peoples' power to choose the president by (s)electing GW Bush as the president of the United States themselves in the year 2000 is a dirty and deeply dug-in one; and perhaps signaled a change for the worse that we may never see shift back. As much as many feel that the Court shifts coyly left and right ala politics as usual between the two-party system that's taken over US government based on which judges happen to be registered Democrats or Republicans, they often come to uncannily fair and unbiased decisions on occasion.
      One could also argue that with the current threat of terrorism on US soil so glaringly eminent due to at least three overtly illegal invasions and deadly wars in foreign countries over the last ten years, that the need to be allowed to strip search anyone seen caught or suspected of any sort of trouble making is high right now, and maybe even downright necessary. This of course begs the question "just who started all this? Regarding the continuously increasing questionable event they refer to as 9/11. But regardless of who did what or how or when on that fateful day, the United States government's reaction(s) to it have caused more ammunition or "righteous just cause" for terror attacks against the US, in retaliation for these acts, than possibly any country in the history of human civilization. Thus "possible future terrorist attacks on US soil" seem more than just questionable, and rather more like downright definite. More a question of when rather than "possible?".
      If one views things with this in mind, from a more global perspective, historically looking forward in order to look back in time to the present day or near future, the United States seems to be acting quite lax in its stated attempt at "Homeland Security". Hence strip searches don't seem like that big of a sacrifice to make on all our parts if it might possibly prevent major damage or harm to a large majority of us or even a few. Granted, someone clearly American out protesting for the Occupy Movement shouldn't necessarily be treated like a suspected terrorist, no one "should" be. Except for the fact that so many "normal looking white Americans" have 'gone postal' over the last ten years shooting up schools and various other public places for no apparent reason and with no warning whatsoever.

New Alexandra Pelosi Documentary Flops

In a venture that could have had enormous potential to educate and heal, and a fortuitous forum of value (HBO and the Real Time with Bill Maher Show) to reach millions of viewers, Alexandra Pelosi (yes she's the daughter of former Speaker of the US House of Representatives) instead created a documentary that interviews the worst examples and extreme minorities of both the Republican and Democratic Parties.

In a worthless effort with not even much entertainment value and a perplexing waste of resources, the self described "documentary filmmaker" shot footage of Republican radicals from the deep rural South of Mississippi who "vote God first", have no teeth, can barely speak English and are overtly racist. In other words, blatantly poor uneducated folk with low intelligence who just happen to vote Republican. All joking aside, clearly Avery small minority of that political party.

Even less effort went into her attempt at revealing what the Democratic side of American politics looks like. She simply walked down the stairs of her New York apartment building and captured interview footage of a line of uneducated black men waiting to enter the food stamp and welfare office, all of whom claimed to not be interested in getting jobs, barely had any teeth, held a strong desire to suck up as much free money from the Federal government as possible, and all conveniently stated they are going to vote for Obama.

If Pelosi was trying to prove a point, other than how important it is not to allow wealthy politicians' children to play with cameras, it got lost in her filmmaking process. Every intelligent person in the United States of America knows that all political parties of the world have small minority groups of uneducated crazies in them. It's a free country here in the US and that just comes with our inclusionary territory.

On Recording the Song "Scene in San Francisco"

Originally from Facebook:
Yes, this is true, re Fernando Perdomo's comments above. And it speaks volumes about the often misunderstood and under-rated SoFlo/Miami music scene. Although slightly and temporarily misplaced and displaced geographically and/or demographically, the Miami music scene harbors some of the greatest undiscovered talent in the US. (I am now, sometimes sadly I admit, much less a part of any 'one' specific local music scene, but they're still an important element to a musician no matter how national or "successful" they become) And I know. Because I strangely & happily belong to three: Miami, New York, and Seattle -- all of which are uniquely special and amazing in their own right. When I start recording a new album, I still handpick the majority of the players from the old gang, down in Miami. If they've winced moved from Miami, we fly them back in. Maybe it's just nostalgia, or sentimentality... But I'd say that the love that we're basking in right now from all over the world based on the Ballad On Third Avenue and All Your Heroes Become Villains albums proves that it's gotta be more than just sentimental familiarity. Truth is, miami's music scene is as vibrant behind the scenes as its ever been. Thousands of brilliant musicians filled with passion and exploding with a love and knowledge of music from all over the globe. It just happens to be in the wrong place geographically right "now", now being the operating word; for there was a time when the Mismi music scene was all the rage and every weekend you could hop into at least ten different rock clubs after midnight on South Beach, listen to more than a handful of incredible bands and bump into any and every major record label talent scout in America, all of whom were down there for that exact reason, Miami music was smokin hot and they were down there to grab some. Ironically it was soon eclipsed by Seattle's scene. And then entirely replaced by dance music and the Latin music scene that dominates it now. But it still didn't kill off all the poppers and rockers. Me and the guys could have recorded the "Ballad..." album -- where the songs "I Walk Alone", "New Orleans Dreams" and "Scene in San Francisco" come from -- anywhere. But we chose Fernando's garage. It's home. It's meatloaf comfort food. With some Nerds sprinkled on top and a handful of Twizzlers on the side. And it also happens to be home to some of the greatest musicians I know. Greg Byers, Tony Medina, Roger Houdaille, Zach Ziskin, Mazzi Ricardo, Matthew Sabatella, Jorge Moreno, Enrique', Amanda Green, Tony Antonio Landa, Oski, Big Brooklyn Red, Jim Camacho, Derek Cintron, Sean 'birdman' Gould, Nil Lara, the list is obviously endless...
Now of course, things are getting a bit crazy. Apple and iTunes called US yesterday. ...

Israel Bombs Home of Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney for Harboring Iranians

Shocking news today. In what the UN called "one of the worst military blunders in history", Israel dropped two bombs at 4:30am local time, one each on the homes of Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, killing 48 people in total, most of them Romney's numerous wives (He's a Mormon) and Santorum's 17 children (he's Catholic and doesn't believe in contraception). Both candidates luckily were out on the campaign trail and thus saved from the deadly attacks. Israel had received intelligence, from the same source who had ten years prior supplied the United States government with information that Iraq had made several large purchases of "yellow cake to make weapons of mass destruction from Africa", that Romney and Santorum had several Iranian guests staying at their homes for weeks and that the candidates were in fact spies for the country of Iran and were planning an attack on Israel any day due to the fact that both men "were lifelong members of the NRA and had several "guns" in their homes, clearly a red flag that the State of Israel's demise was imminent if they didn't act quickly. When asked about the horrendous events later, both candidates stated that "although they would miss their wives and children very much, that they harbored no bad feelings towards Israel, that they backed Israel up one hundred and ten percent to defend themselves and saw absolutely no reason for Israel to apologize for the mistake they made, citing that it would imply weakness, something that a proud and powerful nation cannot afford to do in times of war and such rampant global terrorism." Republican mouthpiece and last place contestant on the hit TV series The Biggest Loser, Rush Limbaugh, telephoned both candidates to offer his condolences to the men reportedly saying "Better this way guys if you really want to win that White House. You know Mitt's wife was a slut."
Today I almost cried talking during an interview to a journalist about how terrifying it is is to have family in Iran and hear how casually arrogantly and ignorantly these GOP candidates speak about militarily attacking this beautiful country, as if they haven't a clue what they are saying, with no apparant human heart or public acknowledgement that there are living breathing people living there. They speak about being "pro-life" but with their views on capital punishment and pro-war stances it is highly unlikely that any of them know what being pro-life truly means. I cannot imagine how my wife feels every time our phone rings and it is one of her parents on the other end of the line. We never know if it's going to be "that call". The one where they tell us drone aircraft have begun bombing the beautiful city of Tehran where she grew up.
I agree with John McGlaughlin and Mort Zucerman's appraisal this Sunday of President Obama's speech as one of the best, wisest, most intelligent speeches weve ever heard from a US president. And no, he isnt "appeasing" "the enemy". Wise words when he spoke of the importance of taking a serious look at and intelligent comsideration of all the ramifications of the potential for human loss on both sides. Listening to these local yocal repubs beat their chest about how if they were president they would send troops into Iran or bomb their nuclear facilities sounds a lot like innocently dumb little children talking shit because they dont no any better. With dumb children we recognize their weaknesses, use patience and wisdom and mature guidance to help them eventually grow up into a responsible adults. With dumb politicians we elect them to serve and lead us. Go figure.
It amazes that they still wonder, as Time magazine asked on a recent cover, why no one likes Romney... It doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. It seems the only person asking the question as Time magazine reported is Romney himself. No one asks that about Santorum because its just so plain obvious, along with the fact that he will never be a US president, no one wants to rub it in or hurt his feelings... And thats the decent thing to do. But for God's sake man, stop talking about killing people in the same breath as you speak about respect for life and liberty. He truly gives Christians, and Americans, a bad rap. And unfairly so. No one who practices the Christian faith regularly according to the words and works of JC as told in the four out of approximately twenty actual Gospels the wicked Roman Empire (by then calling itself "the church") allowed to stay in the Bible would find it easy to reconcile classifying Santorum "one of us". It is also why so many people have turned away from religion, of all kinds, this type of extremism, and helps explain why so many Americans register as Independents now.
As an Independent myself, who is slightly fearful of Obama - and therefore not a huge fan, I can at least say I admire his bold willingness to be the only person standing up and saying what the majority of normal folks are thinking. We don't want anymore bloodshed. On either side. We don't want anymore 22 year old American kids coming home dead in body bags. And we are all very tired of this incessant march toward war (whether literally or rhetorically) in the name of ________(fill in the blank/flavor of the month excuse ever since 9/11) to try to show you're a tough guy. Real tough guys are very reluctant to start or send anyone off to war because they've been there and they know what a horror it is; and how ultimately no one wins in the end. Everyone loses. And what we lose besides respect and dignity is life itself. Diplomacy can work. Not always. But we are not being attacked or even threatened. And therefore it is a non-issue right now. Not to mention the fact that we are already doing great harm to millions of people through those economic sanctions.
I would just love to see in our lifetime someone do this to us, here, now, so some of these people could have a real world experience of what it's like to be bullied in such a fashion day in and day out, so they thought more before they speak or take action.
I also find it sad and insulting that not one of these people who speak of the danger of "Iran's nuclear threat" have ever been to Iran, spoken to the Iranian government, or know anything about their nuclear program, let alone their reasons for it. Which I'll cover in more detail in a future post in the Transcendene Diaries. But as both Presidents Ahmadinejad and Khatami told me in person, "Don't you find it ironic that the primary opponent to our country's desire to build nuclear energy facilities, claiming that if we have this technology we will use it build nuclear weapons in order to attack others, is the only country in human history to ever use nuclear bombs against another nation? Killing over half a million innocent people?" A powerful question. But no sir, not ironic. More like ELUCIDATING.
The other thing that bothers everyone who has had the privilege to go to Iran and meet with their government and talk about their nuclear energy plans, is that no one who speaks about wanting to bomb Iran to destroy their nuclear plants has ever spoken to anyone in their government about it, nor attended a conference by the IAEA to discuss it. They're going on hearsay at best; or worse and more likely, talking out of their ass in a lame attempt to appease certain small groups of radicals or Political Action Committees or dumb Americans filled with fear and loathing for anything not American.
I have had this privilege, and after attending a conference held by the International Atomic Energy Agency in Tehran -- attended by over sixty other countries around the world who do not oppose Iran's sovereign right to harness nuclear energy for themselves, I walked away with many thoughts and opinions. Some mixed. But fear was not one of the feelings I walked away with. In order to speak about something I believe one should have actual experience or at least knowledge about the subject, or else it's just hot air, or worse, a very stupid and dangerous person taking up valuable time and oxygen. In future posts I will share what I did walk away feeling and thinking.
Fact: There are more Jews living in moder day Iran than in any other country in the world today EXCEPT for Israel. (considering how many Jews live in the United States, this is probably a per capita statistic, or refers only to the Middle East). They are not Muslim or Islamic. They are Jewish. They practice Judaism. They have more synagogues there than anywhere in the middle east. They are happy. They are even allowed to drink wine during their service because they have freedom of religion, even though non-Jewish Iranians are not allowed to drink alcohol. The same goes for Christians. We visited many synagogues as well as Christian churches. What none of the war Mongering Republican candidates or politicians or others will ever bother to tell the American people is that if we bomb Iran we will be killing Jews, Christians, Buddhists AND Muslims. Along with Sufis, Hindus, and Zorastrians as well. Things are never as they seem in politics, especially American politics where the country is so young that the people have not yet toppled the government a few times to teach them who's really boss. It's all tricks and mirrors, puppets and circus acts. With the media playing into it nearly as much for ratings and access.
I'll never forget being in a synagogue in Iran after celebrating a Friday sabbath service and being surrounded by about a dozen beautiful little angelic Jewish Iranian girls... All of them about ages six to twelve. A middle aged man peeked into our little circle and introduced himself. I looked up at him and asked "Are you happy here sir?" "Yes, very much my friend. Did you enjoy the service?" "Yes I did. Thank you. Let me ask you, you're free here? You can practice judaism freely, and be a Jew? And you aren't afraid or anything?" "Why would I be afraid? You Americans..." he laughed. I felt embarrassed by how misinformed we are in the United States. "If you are free, then why don't you leave? Why don't you go to Israel?" I asked. It was an honest question, or so I thought. "Leave?!" he responded almost angrily, "why would I leave? This is my home. This is my country. I am Jewish. But I am Iranian. There is no difference between the two except my religion."
Obviously I could do or say no more but just sheepishly smile. Lesson learned. more later. Peace Love Freedom Beauty Humor and Happiness,
The Ambassador

Live From Daryl's House -- Inside the Indie Music Revolution

LIVE FROM DARYL's HOUSE. Who would've imagined it 20 years ago? Or even 10? Daryl Hall of HALL AND OATES fame hires a camera crew and starts his own reality TV series on the internet -- inviting musicians of all ilk, primarily singers, to come to his righteous pad and jam with him and a stellar band while people film it. The series was already 40 shows in when I first heard about it. But that's not saying much. I tend to be the last to know when it comes to these kinds of things actually. I once heard Eric Clapton say that one of the many "worst things about being a recording artist, especially being a touring one, is that you never get to see other musicians perform live because you're always on the road." I was taken by surprise when i first heard that. But it made sense as I got older and started to become busier. Now i rely on the recommendations of a select few to turn me on to the latest as I make feeble attempts to keep up with my own daily schedule. A buddy of mine told me "Dude check out Todd on LIVE FROM DARYL'S HOUSE" as if it were common knowledge. I remember innocently asking him "who's Daryl?" before discovering it was none other than Daryl Hall.
And so i did. Watch the show with Todd that is. Todd for those confused refers to legendary singer, songwriter and producer extraordinaire Todd Rundgren. When "Todd" does anything, musicians pay attention. Like his voice these days or not, he's still one of the path-clearers in music and technology after over 40 years in the business. Yep. Todd the God really was on Daryls show, but they filmed it live from Todd's house. In Hawaaii. A gorgeous spread, live half shell amphiteatre on his property and all. The music they made in those few hours that day sounded incredible. So I proceeded to watch about twenty more episodes of the show. Daryl wasn't fucking around. There were Christmas specials, family specials, cooking episodes. Frankly I couldn't believe it.
Most musicians or entertainers resort to playing fourth of July parties, Vegas, or Native American casions once their star begins to dim, all along hoping that some big new record company executive half their age will come along and sign them to another deal. Here's hoping. Last I heard from HALL AND OATES before this was some best of gig they were doing on... You guessed it, New Years Eve. I've never gone for that kind of thing myself. Neither as a music fan nor as a performer. I personally find it degrading to all the hard work they've done before that made them a big star in the first place. Go out in style or die trying. But for Gods sake never ever ever play Vegas; or worse yet reform your old group with none of the original members but still call it by the same name (Axl Rose... As only one example of this heinous crime). The only exception is if your singer has died before you were ready to call it a day. Which plenty of them do. That's the biz. Queen, INXS, Alice in Chains... It happens.
But lets get back to DARYLS HOUSE. So heres the man himself with a high budget truck full of camera and sound men (and ladies one assumes) making some new shit happen. Not exactly cutting edge musically, but definitely cutting edge from an indie music marketing perspective. I was surprised. Pleasantly so. And impressed. Older artists, what the business refers to as "Heritage Acts", have to make a living and still want to keep the flame of hope for their careers burning just as much as younger never before discovered acts do. Maybe even more. They've become used to it.
But let's face it, it ain't easy. And recording an "American standards" album has already been done. Too many times. (Sir Paul what were you thinking?) So too has announcing to the world that you're "now a classical music composer" (Sir Paul again...) The same way OK GO got their fifteen minutes of fame by creating a music video of them elegantly falling off of treadmills at the gym, or !!! (pronounced chick chick chick) earned their brief five minutes of fun in the sun by naming their band a bunch of punctuation symbols instead of with a word is the same kind of cutting edge, out of the box thinking and play-acting that just about anyone these days in the music business needs to do in order to reach enoug people to make a big enough noise to sell even a few thousand albums (remember those) or fill a decent sized venue. Major label or indie, it's all the same now. Think Nikki Minage or Lady Gaga or LMFAO or Chris Brown or Lil' Wayne. It's all about the gimmick that will grab that spotlight. And Daryl Hall, after over thirty years as a reigning platinum selling pop superstar, found a new way to do it.
I really like this show/concept. Besides being a very cool idea, the show itself comes off surprisingly real and free of pretension. This is the kind of 'out of the box' thinking that indie (and non-indie) artists of all kind should be brainstorming and doing all the time to keep "their thing" fresh. One doesn't have to already be famous. In Hall's case Hall and Oates were as big as it gets, (but that's not a necessity for this kind of indie revolution marketing). His model worked because he was Daryl Hall sure, but it never would have flown if the music wasn't good. I'm sure he was apprehensive about the idea at first. Who wouldnt be in his position? But he went for it. And looking back now, it feels like a much needed breath of very fine smelling fresh air in a busines environment where freshness, let alone oxegyn, is rare; or in the worst case scenario, like Mexico, just no longer avaialable.
U become a superstar, ur star rises and falls along the usual curve, and maybe u even lose ur record deal, but instead of moping about praying and grovelling for another record deal (a very misunderstood and arcane desire at this point in the biz; and a diff blog post entirely) u come up w a cool new idea, throw it up on the internet, stick to it, it catches, u get picked up by a TV network for ur own show, keep the Exec Producer cred, sign a new record deal but more on ur own terms, and pretty soon you're back on the map, new people are discovering your old and new music, and tons of others are copying u. Again! And ur star starts rising again. Daryl Hall, gotta hand it 2 the man. Really smart (besides being a gifted singer/songwriter/producer). Definitely a brilliant example of an indie music revolution success story worth noting as we make our way through the new music business (or lack thereof) labyrinth. Kudos to U Daryl.

Cleopatra... made me who I am today. I had never had that kind of support before. her excitement and her belief in me. it was blind. And it gave me the kind of support that I had never had before. God I loved her for that. forgot about it for a while. Do I now have it in me to do it on my own? do I believe in myself? Without the belief or support from anyone else? I can barely breathe at the thought of it, but I believe that I finally starting to believe in myself. All on my own.

LAST SCREENING: the last king. An A&E three hour movie about King Charles the II, truly, the last real king of England. This is a great movie. As soon as it is over you want to see it again. great history. Great story. Great acting. One has no idea how impactful the catholic church was in humankind’s history. England was the first country to stand up to papal rule. Because of them, we are all finally safe from that tyranny that was once so brutal and omnipotent. See this film.

Woody Allen is Back

Woody Allen arguably made some of the best films in cinematic history during the 1970's. Climaxing some would say with Hanna and Her Sisters after a brief exploration with his inner Bergman. Then like many artists he entered a surprising unpopular phase, comprised of small focused selfish films. Many people thought we had lost him forever. The 80s and 90s were diificult years for Woody Allen junkies. Then along came Deconstructing Harry and all was well in the universe once more.
On and off through the years we still see glimmers of that old philisophical wit and comic brilliance. 2003's Anything Else... his most recent Midnight In Paris... The point being that almost all artists go through our little phases, Some last longer than others. The 80s and 90s didnt treat Sir Paul very well either. But if we're lucky our lives are long, and these various phases come and go; and regardless of whether we make our art for the enjoyment of others or for purely selfish reasons, there's a damn good chance that if we keep at it and stay committed to that initial spark that first started our passion to create, we eventually come back.
Woody Allen's professional resserection and creative resurgence as a popular filmmaker over the last ten years has been a thrill to watch; as satisfying for the joy brought on by the pure love of his uniquely entertaining art as the encouraging rush of inspiration one feels when we see anyone make a comeback. The key is to never give up doing what you love most. And if you can help it, never stop loving what you do best. It may change and shift and morph over the years, but if you just stay consistantly working at it, no matter what that it is for you, Love and Death, or even Midnight in Paris may be right around the corner.

Touching the Divine - First Day of Lent 2012

Ash Wednesday

      Tonight was beautiful. One of those rare spiritually transcendent experiences... A small group, only 24 total, we're gathered in a tiny dimly lit chapel. No sit down stand up sit down stand up, but rather soft singing accompanied only by piano, set apart by a few touching and at times thought provoking (or confusing / challenging depending on how you look at it) readings, followed by a very simple but impactful sermon encouraging those in attendance to not give up anything (for Lent, as is the custom) but instead to remember that "the kingdom of God (think "enlightenment" if "God" isn't your thing) is near, here now, close at hand, and that we should/can keep it close to us, inside of us, at all times". 
      There truly wasn't a moment during the entire service that i personally felt bored distracted mentally or intellectually compromised or critical. In other words, I was present nearly the entire time. Meditative. This is rare for me in "church" I must admit, and I consider that a blessing in and of itself. I would never want to wake up one day and realize that my spiritual practices come from non-deliberate, non thought out indoctrination -- as in "i was raised _______(fill in the blank with a religion or non-religion of your choice. They're all the same). So I've always had a soft spot for healthy skepticism in regards to believing in a higher power, or religion or spiritual practices, especially any of the "big five" so called organized religions. Luckily for me, I've never had to worry about this. My path to the Divine was a windy one, filled with many questions and many answers, chock full of wonder, truth seeking, and a determination to accept nothing less than what i deem supernatural. Its been nothing less than deliberate. So when i do find myself questioning or thinking when in a church or any kind of religious or spiritual practice, i honor it. I know my aim is true and my heart is pure. I know my mind is a gift. 
      More on this subject later, in another future entry, for those who want more but haven't yet found a way to "get faith" or believe... But just so i don't leave you hanging: believing or having faith is NOT the answer, despite what 90% of those who call themselves religious may tell you or will claim when asked. No, blind faith, or even rational faith (an oxymoron if you ask me) is not the solution to the quest for spiritual enlightenment, and I don't care how many millions of scholarly books have been written about it. The answer is EXPERIENCE. You either experience profound spiritual transformation in your day to day life, or your just pretending, hoping for some sort of miracle or sign one day or worse yet hoping that your "faith" will get you into some special place after you've died or allow you some good karma while you're still here. 
       To me personally that road is paved with self doubt, guilt, regret and pretense. Up and down and up and down. Nope, faith is for pussies not courageous enough to admit to themselves that they aren't sure what they believe and afraid that if they admit it that they'll discover that there is nothing there to have faith in to begin with. Not feeling strong enough to go it alone, they use faith as an excuse to believe in a whole host of things that other people have taught them to, without ever taking their hands off the steering wheel long enough to see if they can drive the car themselves. Personally I can't live through faith. I need experience. Supernatural life altering transformational experiences that prove to me that a God-force exists, that paranormal supernatural divinely inspired events transpire in my life and the lives of others. And lucky for me I've experienced too many of them to count. 
      But a caveat: one needs to let go of two things: the thinking mind -- FEEL instead -- abandon thought for intuition; and faith -- let go of the idea entirely. You wouldn't use faith if I put a gun to your head and told you I took all the bullets out. You'd want to see it for yourself before I pulled that trigger. Well the universe and the Divine Force that created it, sustains it, and comprises it is as smart as you are. Trust that. You'll be surprised how smart God is. Ask for it. Be honest. Demand it. Not with faith, but with brutal radical honest humble but deliberate "I wanna know and I'm not going to stop asking until I get some answers" diligence and desire. 
      We are each and every one of us made up of nothing that was not already here long before we were. If you can think it, so too can God / the Divine / the Universe. After all, what do you think you're made of? So don't be afraid of the answers. Don't be afraid of the silent moments on the path of the search. If you want to know, sincerely and resolutely, and you do not allow your ego or your thinking mind or your prior indoctrination to get in the way, there is plenty to know. The answers will come. And they won't be in a book and they won't come through having faith. True spiritual enlightenment is downright cosmic. It is supernatural. It is paranormal. If it weren't, then it wouldn't be worth calling enlightenment or transcendent. I hope this makes sense. More on this later. I promise. 
      There was just something special about this evening and the simple somber atmosphere and the utter lack of pomp and glitter that we usually encounter in our home church in New York City. But from this point on in the service we entered a 20 minute improv new age like piano piece played by one man in while everyone sat silent and prayed or meditated... I fell into it with ease, all else fell away, just melted into this oneness with a divine sense of all that isness... The more I stayed centered and focused on nothing but this feeling, praying, connecting with this all encompassing love grace power beauty... the more joy I felt inside me and all around me. 
      I could tell I was kind of Stevie Wonder swaying a bit but I didn't care. My eyes were closed and I was just in it, going for it, soft subtle slow loving but deliberate almost mantra like prayer... I was reminded that to expand out to an outer bigger higher dimension is not from or through imagination, it is not envisioning anything, not "going somewhere else out there", but rather it is remembering that the outer bands of each smaller dimension touch the inner bands of the next larger / higher dimensions... And further, based on both intellectual flat-world / fourth dimension research and studies, and many supernatural experiential intuitive events from the past, I remembered that every dimension is contained withIN a successively larger / higher dimension, thus being and feeling right here/now IS the path to experience these higher dimensions where everything from spirits, angels, the deceased and the Divine must exist. 
       Even if they exist in worlds hundreds of light years away from "here", they still aren't going to be in 'this' dimension. And I'm not one who believes that traveling to and from and between other dimensions requires the death of the body, or mind altering drugs (though that's not a bad way to experience them initially when first starting out, as long as one recognizes that what's at play there is more neurologically induced rather than spiritually accessed), or through long hours of meditation, chanting, yoga or prayer, nor is a guru or a master needed. Accessing higher dimensions is a here-now experience readily available to us all if the desire is there and the will is strong enough. Not necessarily visible, or even audible. But certainly visceral, palatable, tangible. 
      So I sat, with eyes closed, and continued to meditate and pray, communicating and connecting, listening and feeling, until the piano playing stopped. A soft wide smile was on my face. I felt like jelly. I felt at one with IT; a soft beautiful merciful loving graceful He/She isness. It was comforting, encouraging. I felt content. Satisfied. I prayed for anything and everything that appeared in my mental space. I prayed for me, my family. I prayed for you. I prayed for us all. For world peace, for honest government, for the end of the bullshit and the beginning of the kingdom of Godliness on an earthly paradise. For an enlightened planet. I felt great. All is well. I ended. Slowly opened my eyes. I was surprised to see that we were alone in the small chapel. The others had all left. My beautiful new wife sitting quietly beside me smiling and patiently waiting for me to awaken. The pianist was packing up his few belongings. I walked up to him, thanked him and gave him a big hug. And we left, ashen crosses on our foreheads and unexplainable happiness in our hearts. 

Boys Just Wanna Have Fun Too...

What needs to be said? Except ladies and gentlemen please give a warm Transcendence Diaries welcome to Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake doing their "HISTORY OF RAP" skits!!! (applaud now)




Justin Timberlake Jimmy Fallon History of Rap... by PayeTaChatte

Here's a link to the FIRST one, and maybe the best. http://www.iviewtube.com/v/169225/a-history-of-rap-jimmy-fallon-justin-timberlake-
No "embed" links currently available unfortunately, but def worth the click.

Prepare for the US/Israel to Falsely Announce that Iran Has Bombed a US Aircraft Carrier in the Persian Gulf

     This just in. The date is February 18th, 2012. The United States media may soon announce that the country of Iran has bombed American aircraft carrier the USS Enterprise after Israel actually bombs it to bury it in the Persian Gulf where it is currently parked. The Carrier is ancient and no longer in use, and thus needs disposing of. Being in the Persian Gulf is an odd place for a nuclear armed American aircraft carrier; but not if the United States or Israel need an excuse to declare war on Iran or their nuclear energy facilities. It may be the perfect place for the United States military industrial system to conveniently have this no-longer-useful giant war machine parked. Time will tell.
     In the meantime, we can stop this plan -- if there is even any truth to it -- by simply calling them out on it before they themselves make the announcement. Watch the video(s) below, and do your own research, bearing in mind two well-known facts: number one, the US and Israel have already pulled off these kinds of false attacks on their own soil in the past in order to drum up support and declare war on other countries (including Iran) -- see the 1953 CIA coup d'etat in Iran which ousted their democratically elected president Mosadegh (or research the history of BP Oil), or the Gulf of Tonkin sham re the Vietnam/Laos/Cambodian Massacres, Pearl Harbor during WW II, or the false US Liberty attack as a few examples; some may even point one in the direction of the September 11th attacks as the most recent examples... but only time and more research will eventually shed light on that increasingly American suspicious tragedy;
     Number two -- just sit down and watch read or listen to the news for the next few days: something regarding the country of Iran is going down. The media is having a field day with it. New information seems to be leaking on a near hourly basis from various "sources" in the United States government and/or military attempting to scare the US populace and implying that Iran is "an immanent threat to the safety of Americans". Most recently there has even been talk, regardless of how silly and unlikely it may seem, that Iran is preparing to attack the United States from secret military sights in South or Central America. It appears that the oil pipelines that the United States military is currently working feverishly to build running from the Caspian Sea into the Persian Gulf (the real reason why US Service men and women are in Iraq and Afghanistan) are not enough for the US and that running a pipeline right straight through Iran would be the easiest and least expensive path. That's obvious. An attack on Iran would also satisfy Israel's fear of a nuclear powered Iran, though getting around Russia and China now is becoming a daunting task for even the once powerfully influential United States due to the ever weakening "dollar" in the world's currency market.
     Much more can be said about this subject, but here is not the place for it. Transcendence is simply rising above the rumors and circus of day to day political shenanigans in order to diffuse the lies and deception and the "right and wrong game" so world peace will eventually transpire on earth in a real sense. Much to the shame and chagrin of a few well meaning but ill intentioned people who call themselves "Christians" there is simply no logical reason why we the people of planet earth must endure yet another war, or an "Armageddon" or a "tribulation" in order for this world peace to ensue. They may want it, because it is supposedly predicted in their "Bible" -- but as a practicing Christian and Buddhist myself, I find even the fantasy of such ideas reprehensible and entirely non-Christ like. Nuff said. Check out the works and writings of more educated and noted authorities on the subject of why the United States and Israel is so desperate to militarily strike the country of Iran yet again.
     This last statement refers to the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. The US tried desperately to take over Iran through covertly supporting Saddam Hussein's Iraq during the eight year war with Iran in the 1980s, killing hundreds of thousands of innocent Iranians after the Iranian Islamic Revolution. When Iran proved too strong and resolute to defend themselves, the US started secretly backing Iran, selling them weapons at the same time as providing weapons to Iraq figuring both countries would eventually just blow themselves up and the US government could simply step in and take over both countries. That mission failed once the data started leaking to the international media and voila along came the forever damaging Iran-Contra Affair and perhaps even worse, a peace settlement between those two countries. Hence the US's eventual invasion of Iraq and the thinly veiled execution of Saddam Hussein. There was not a chance in hell the United States was going to allow Hussein to speak publicly in an international court of law. It would have been devastating to the reputation of the United States on the world stage. Though one presumes that most well educated people understand these facts. Again though, time will tell. 
     There are plenty of videos on YouTube already discussing this topic. Here is one. Here is the link: http://youtu.be/h52NF-AW49U