𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧 "𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧" 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐬 ...

Some basic facts of the matter ...
Chris Hedges writes:

In the spring of 2022, I penned the essay, "Unpacking the Invasion Narrative" in order to expose the fundamental lie that was used to justify NATO's war on Russia, using Ukraine as its proxy. Today, four years after Russia's direct military intervention to stop the escalation of violence against ethnic Russians and the primarily Russian speaking people of the Donbass, I stand by every word; in fact, revelations and events since then have only confirmed my analysis.

Nevertheless, at the time, for the record, this essay was submitted to both CounterPunch and Antiwardotcom, and they refused to publish it. We can only guess the reason why. It was during Biden's censorous administration, so they obviously were afraid of the backlash should they dare to publish something that challenges the core western narrative. They were afraid of being labeled a "Putin apologist" or "Kremlin stooge," etc. I've had several articles published in CounterPunch, so you'd think they'd want to publish a "counter" narrative, but it was declined without providing a reason. Well, judge for yourself what you think the reason was.

Unpacking the “Invasion” Narrative

Have you ever noticed that any time you encounter a Western media report about the conflict in the Donbass (formerly a part of Ukraine), it is almost always framed as the Russian “invasion?” This is not by accident. Well before Russia's military operation began in February of 2022, the US State Department and corporate media outlets were howling that Russia was set to invade Ukraine any day. They presented false timelines based on "intelligence" reports to try to predict exactly when this supposed "invasion" would take place. In fact, on February 24, Russia did attack, but why? What did the State Department know that we didn’t? Well, some time after Russia's direct intervention, facts began to emerge to indicate that the US knew Russia would respond militarily because a dramatic escalation of attacks were taking place in the Donbass by the Nazi-led Azov battalion. They "knew" because that's what they wanted, for once Russia responded to these violations militarily, they could then spin the military intervention into the "invasion" narrative, which had already been formulated and goes something like this: "One day Vladimir Putin woke up and suddenly decided that he wanted to reestablish the Soviet empire, so out of his lust for more power, he ordered the ‘unprovoked’ invasion of Ukraine."

The Greek tragic dramatist, Aeschylus, wrote that the first casualty of war is truth; hence, the first step towards peace is to expose the lie that started the war. And that’s why I don’t buy the Russian “invasion” narrative. I saw early on that this was the kernel of a lie being used to justify war in Ukraine, a war that did not begin on February 24 but in 2014 when the Russians speaking people of the Donbass did not accept the illegal, foreign led coup and so decided to break away; consequently, they were attacked by Ukrainian nationalists for eight long years. Then, in the week leading up to Russia's direct intervention, the attacks dramatically escalated, with some 6,000 violations of the Minsk Accord, as reported by the OSCE. Moreover, subsequently, new evidence emerged that the NATO-trained, neo-Nazi infested Ukrainian military was planning a massive assault on the Donbass and Crimea; Russia's intervention nipped this plan in the bud.

Take all context and history out of any event, and you can make up any narrative you like to support your worldview, and the compliant media will lap it up and propagate it to Americans, who suck it in uncritically because that's what they've been trained to do through war propaganda for more than a century. They've been trained to hate the Russians all their lives, even more than three decades after the end of the Cold War, as if it never ended. Well, the US military establishment didn't want this cash cow to end; so, in defiance of a promise not to expand one inch eastwards, NATO, a proxy of the US, began to methodically do just that during the past three decades, ignoring Russia's repeated warnings, expanding ever closer, not by inches but by hundreds (if not thousands) of miles towards Russia's borders.

Of course, the typical response is: "So what? After all, NATO is a defensive alliance." Oh, but is it? Why would a "defensive" alliance need to expand? And if NATO is so "defensive," why did NATO attack nations such as Yugoslavia, Libya, and Afghanistan, who did not threaten even one NATO member? Why were Yugoslavia and Libya heavily bombed by this "defensive" alliance? In the face of the indisputable role of NATO waging wars of aggression on these nations, the argument that NATO is a "defensive" alliance is absurd. For that matter, why does NATO even exist? It should not. Once Russia disbanded the Warsaw Pact in 1991, NATO should have likewise disbanded. Since the "enemy," the USSR, had collapsed, why did NATO continue to exist for three decades? Once one understands that without the backing of the US military machine, NATO is nothing more than a paper tiger, the answer to that question becomes quite clear: the sole reason for the continued existence of NATO is to act as a proxy for US geopolitical strategy and global hegemony.

Thus, in order to deflect from that truth, NATO desperately needs an "enemy," as its raison d'etre, to present to the public. So, why not resurrect the old enemy who served that role so well during the Cold War? In fact, Putin once hinted that Russia would consider joining this alliance, a suggestion that was, of course, unreservedly met with a "no way" response, closing the door in Putin's face. How dare he even think of such a possibility! Of course, this is impossible because if Russia were to join NATO, NATO would lose its raison d'etre and would have to disband. Despite Russia's many attempts to develop mutual relationships with the West over the years, it has always been rejected, for the sole reason that the West needed Russia to play its role as "the enemy.” That’s why Russia “needed” to invade Ukraine. The enemy must act as "the enemy" on the world stage for all to see, for only then can NATO declare that the invasion narrative is justified: "See, we told you so! Russia, unprovoked, invaded Ukraine! Russia is the enemy! Putin is another Hitler!"

But did Russia's military response constitute an outright "invasion," or is Russia's "special military operation" a more apt description? In order to answer this question, we must examine closely the context that the West conveniently ignores in its invasion narrative. Besides the dramatic escalation of attacks on the Donbass in the week prior to Russia’s direct intervention (approximately 6,000 violations of the Minsk Accords), one should also take into account the history of this conflict, which actually began in the aftermath of the US funded and orchestrated, illegal coup of 2014 (sparked by neo-Nazi sniper fire). As a result, the neo-Nazis gained positions of power within the government, military, and national security posts; subsequently, the undemocratic, illegitimate regime enacted anti-Russian policies that were unacceptable to the primarily Russian-speaking ethnics residing in Crimea and the Donbass. Crimeans voted overwhelmingly (97.5%) in a referendum to join Russia while the Donetsk and Lugansk regions broke away from Ukraine. Once Crimea was annexed to Russia, Ukraine would not dare attack it, so it focused its attacks on the Donbass, which was continually shelled for eight years, resulting in almost 15,000 deaths and one million refugees, who mostly fled to Russia. The breakaway states of the Donbass begged President Putin to give them the same option as the Crimea referendum, but Putin refused because he knew it would antagonize the West and only escalate the situation.

Nevertheless, after eight years of Ukraine's refusal to implement the Minsk Accords, using neo-Nazis in the front line of its ethnic cleansing operations, and then with the dramatic escalation of violence in mid February of this year, President Putin declared that Russia would recognize the independence of the two breakaway republics and then intervened to protect the ethnic Russians from further violence. Essentially, as Dan Kovalik argues in “Why Russia’s intervention is legal under international law,” the government in Kiev, and “… especially its Neo-Nazi battalions, carried out attacks against these peoples with the intention of destroying, at least in part, the ethnic Russians precisely because of their ethnicity”; hence, the intervention to defend the people of the Donbass from a Nazi led ethnic cleansing campaign was not a violation of international law. In fact, since the territory in question had broken away from Ukraine for eight years, one can argue that the Donbass no longer belonged to Ukraine; thus, the military intervention cannot rightly be called an "invasion" of Ukrainian territory.

Moreover, in the months preceding the military response, in order to avoid a military intervention, Russia desperately made diplomatic efforts towards the West to reach an agreement; however, all of its efforts fell on deaf ears. Its reasonable security concerns were simply and directly stated: (1) Ukraine must not be allowed to join NATO and must remain neutral, (2) The flood of imported weapons from foreign powers must cease, and (3) Ukraine must implement the Minsk Agreement. Had NATO taken Russia seriously and entered into negotiations earnestly, in good faith, this crisis could have been avoided. After all, NATO had already stated that Ukraine would not be able to join NATO in the foreseeable future; moreover, NATO members participated in the Minsk Accords, so they could have easily pressed Ukraine to implement those agreements, and in order to show good faith towards reaching a peaceful settlement, NATO could have halted all weapons imports into Ukraine.
So, why didn’t it take these actions? None of these steps were unreasonable and could have easily been taken by NATO if it actually were interested in stopping the Nazi led attacks on the people of the Donbass; however, by all indications, not only was the US proxy not interested in reaching an agreement that would satisfy Russia's security concerns and bring peace to the region, but it had been arming and training the perpetrators for eight years. Why would the global hegemony project suddenly change a geopolitical strategy that had been in play at least since the illegal Maidan coup of 2014 (if not decades before that)? It's not that they thought Russia was bluffing; they wanted Russia to react militarily, which would set off the "invasion" narrative and give them the excuse to issue unprecedented sanctions and provide further military aid to Ukraine, all designed to prolong a proxy war that would eventually drag Russia down and perhaps even break it apart, just as in the case of the former Yugoslavia. They are willing to do this - at the expense of the last Ukrainian - a cynical, reprehensible behavior that deserves condemnation.

Of course, Russia understands this, and contrary to expectations, does not faithfully play its “enemy” role and follow the script of the invasion narrative. Usually, if we think of "invasion," we think of toppling a government, replacing it with a puppet government, and occupying it long enough to make sure that the puppet government's power is secure. Such was the case of the illegal invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq by the US; evidently, the US expected Russia to follow this same invasion manual, so a great deal of projection feeds into this narrative. Instead, Russia countered it with its own narrative, the "special military operation," which has specific, limited goals that resemble its demands prior to the mid February response: (1) the defeat of Ukraine's military, (2) halting the shipment of weapons from abroad, (3) the recognition of the right to self determination by the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, and (4) the denazification of Ukraine's military, national security apparatus, police, and government. So, even though Russia has yet to achieve her objectives, she also isn’t playing the scripted role of the invasion narrative either. Yes, it’s true that Russia has not only been playing defense but has attacked Ukraine outside of the Donbass; well, from a strictly military standpoint, to only "defend" without targeting the enemy's military at its source is a recipe for disaster and possible defeat. With all the weapons pouring into Ukraine from abroad, a purely defensive posture would undoubtedly result in an endless war - a losing strategy, for sure.
Basically, the invasion narrative falls flat on its face because it does not correspond with reality, especially the expectations that usually flow from this scenario. Yes, from a technical standpoint, any incursion into territory constitutes an "invasion," yet isn’t this technicality absurd in light of the relentless, Nazi led ethnic cleansing campaign for eight years, resulting in more than 14,000 deaths and a million refugees? Instead, the "special military operation" narrative does seem to more realistically describe events on the ground during the past year and a half, and it sure beats the "Suddenly, one morning the evil Putin woke up in a bad mood, so that devil decided he'd regain the lost glory of the old Soviet empire" line.

Russia’s “special military operation” counter narrative has been consistently downplayed, dismissed, suppressed, distorted, censored, and banned by Western mainstream media outlets. Whenever media or thought in general is censored and banned, I'm reminded of "On Liberty" (J. S. Mill). All that the banning/censoring of opposing narratives does is reveal a fundamental insecurity in your own position. Banning Russian global media merely exposes a fear of Russian global media. If you have confidence that your ideology/worldview is truth based, then why fear opposing arguments? In fact, these arguments should be welcomed, for then you have the chance to expose the falsity of them; hence, fear is the only reason for banning/censoring - the fear that truth is not on the side of those who do it. This is foundational to Western political philosophy, yet people even in so-called Western democracies don't seem to get it. Banning and censoring merely exposes your own hypocrisy; it’s a suicidal act of betrayal of your own ideals. Throughout the history of thought, truth is usually on the side of the very ones who have been censored and banned - the very reason why they were censored and banned in the first place.

To conclude, the fact that this alternative narrative is being censored and banned says to me that it can't be countered with facts; instead, as I see it, the war propaganda of the invasion narrative was created as the first lie to justify a proxy war, which had been planned for quite some time. Surely, the special military operation narrative makes more sense than the "suddenly one morning" fairy tale about an evil devil.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐇𝐮𝐥𝐤 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥 . . .

From Will Johnson ...

The Incredible Hulk 

Walks into a Meditation Hall . . .

Dear Embodiment family,

So the Incredible Hulk walks into a meditation hall and sits down on a cushion. Maybe, he thinks, this will be the answer to my strange predicament. He sits down immobile, like a stone garden statue of the Buddha, and begins to observe his breath entering and leaving his nostrils. Certainly, he hopes, my mind will become calmer and clearer, and I’ll finally find some peace from that explosive . . . thing . . . that wants to keep erupting in my body.

Good luck with that, Hulk.

What fascinates me so much about the Incredible Hulk is that he’s unable to quell the powerful transformational energies that routinely need to come alive and express themselves through his body. You and I may not have the Hulk’s superpowers but, much like him, we have stifled energies, repressed sensations, and withheld breath that all want to cast off the noose of suppression, come alive, explode open, and completely transform us in the process.

Deep inside us lies our own private version of the Hulk, a magnificently potent and dynamically alive energetic core that our capitulation to the quality of consciousness that passes as normal— often lost in thought, out of touch with body, barely breathing—so effectively keeps under tight wraps. And, when we finally can hold it back no longer, it starts erupting through the entire body, popping open through all the constraint and resistance to what so wants to awaken.

think of body as something wrapped around a breath

but unlike a dead mummy’s wraps

our awakening back into radiant life

lies in letting the wraps flow freely like silk scarves on 

each breath like an amoeba expanding through the 

entire body on the inhalation retracting through the 

entire body on the exhalation almost as though body 

were a balloon that expanded everywhere on the 

inhalation retracted everywhere on the exhalation

sensations and energies that can no longer be held 

back explode open

Our task is not to quell the magnificent sensations in every cell of the body, the powerful energies that live at the very center of our centers, the breath that wants to come alive. The Incredible Hulk can’t suppress any of that. In truth, neither can you. Try as we might to keep everything neatly contained and under wraps, the suppression causes too much distress which is only able to heal itself and even transform into bliss if, again like the Hulk, we just surrender to who and what we are at the core of our being and let it express itself, sometimes gently, sometimes explosively.


Joy to the world,

Will

www.embodiment.net

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲-𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲-𝐈𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 "𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐉𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧"

This is a story of a World rarity. A Jade chain. THE Jade Chain. Ever hear of it? What is it? You wanna know?

Sorry ... but there's no picture. This is a story passed down from antiquity. Way, way back. While it is said to still exist in this present time no one in the historic time line of photographic imaging has seen it to take a snap. Yet.

So ... 

Visualize a length of chain — how long? ... you wait; we'll get to that — each link the most exquisite pure Imperial Jade. Oblong and straight sided. Each link a rounded shape 3.00 inch diameter in stone, the entire single link exactly 12.00 inches wide and 49.00 inches in length. With that 6.00 X 43.00 inch space taking up at center. Whether those dimensions are significant is still a mystery. [43 ÷ 6 = 7 ... 7 Chakras? ] Maybe the answer, as is with the deeper wisdom of the inscrutable East, may be to drop the question. Or, not. Do what you gonna do. Go figger.

That's it? Not even the fuzz you could blow off from the surface. Much less scratching the surface. Read on ... [and, you may be clever enough to mention dust accumulation. That surely adds weight. And some significant weight at that given who knows how long that Chain's been hangin' around. 

But, no! The chamber where it exists is such that not a speck of dust is even possible to enter. I could explain that technically, but the math on that would take up enough ink to fill a bath tub. A big bath tub, mind you. I think someone is trying to cook up something that does just that, and put it in a bottle selling to supermarkets and convenience stores worldwide. Sound good? I'd stock up. Luckily, in the meantime, I have enough help staff to take care of "dust" and such for me. Thank goodness for the "Little People".

Each link in the Jade Chain is inscribed. With symbols and images. The entirety on each link is unique unto itself in the depictions. Inscribed in such detail that you would need a super high powered magnifier to see it in its precise relief. So we've been told. Again, it's not available at present for general viewing. Or, anyone's for that matter.

Can you even imagine? Not to even getting into what its meaning may be. If you assume that there's a meaning. Or, maybe, many meanings. You know what I mean? Maybe the final word is ... "Don't be mean".

So, now for the big question. How long is it? [That's what she said!]

It's long. Really long. Word has it said that those who attempt to plumb its length are all long gone. There may be something lost in translation on that last bit. Point of fact, there is an Oriental fruit "Longan". Don't laugh. The other name for that tasty is "Dragon's Eye". Not too many who have had a chance to look into the Dragon's Eye have been known to have come back.

Well "come back" in the same piece, that is. Or, "as" the same piece. You dig?

So, speaking of digging, where's it? Don't know. Only have heard the lore. Maybe some kind of slanty Brigadoon, or Shangri La.

And ...

It is said that this "chain" — given what has been already related, the word "chain" seems rather twee and insufficient — hangs vertically from the top of some conical structure — think Pyramid-ish — by what connection is not known [same deal as with the length of the quite possible bottomless depth is not known]. It is also said that the connecting architecture at the top is so calibrated that any added weight would cause the whole shebang to come down. Thank goodness the collected weight of dust thing has been taken care of. But ... Do Not Touch! 

When you look down the Jade Chain hangs down a wide shaft, the top of which is sloped roundly toward its circumference. All that covered with equal squares of Jade, also Imperial; and filled in each on all sides with highly polished Gold. Each square of Jade exactly 3.00 inches sides to sides. Lining the whole vertical void as far as the eye can see. And, further than even the latest imagine technology's reach is capable of registering. Lots of Jade, huh? Who knew? And, the Gold! Oi!

So does this top level of the whole space show at street level? No, not even at ground level. It sits under the surface of a lake. Qinghai Lake to be exact. It happens to be the largest lake in China. Look into that if you want. Maybe in your noodling you can come up with an idea of how come that particular place. And, under water? Huh? How’d you do it, fellas?

And, by the way, that's just one of the locations. There are other such rarities, scattered throughout the Planet Earth. Some may be the same, others different. We do know of one other; in another location, and quite different.

It’s one of those things. The more you look into it the more questions arise. I guess the big one is ... What The F For?

Just like with a Fortune Cookie, Pilgrim, how come the message you had got got into your hand in that particular place, at that particular time, in that particular single friggin’ cookie?

Life’s a mystery, ain’t it? That's the way the cookie crumbles. Or, at least, it does crumble. Which gets into a discussion of impermanence. But, I defer to the Tibetans, not* the Chinese, for that understanding. 

* At one point in my life I had the notion that all Asians were imbued with the Essence of the Buddha. Buddha Essence, of course. But, the Essence of Buddha ... that is acquired. Never mind the Chinese. Take care of your own plot in Life. And, like I said, the Tibetans have some definitive pointers for along that Way.

It should also be noted, like I said, there’s supposed to be another such construction. This one located in an even rarer and even more inaccessible spot on Earth. It's not even hinted at where and under what circumstances. But, also ... this one, instead of a chain, this one is one solid piece of Imperial Jade — stressing "solid" —square on each side, and at a length which is also unknown. Unknowable. But wait! One sold piece of Jade? What are the other dimensions? 12 inches on the square, the same as the width of the chain. Certainly not a coincidence. The big question is how something as fragile as Jade can even exist as a solid thing just 12 inches square and at a length impossible to imagine, much less figure out. Even more amazing, this one doesn't hang suspended. It sits. On what? How? How TF? You tell me. The base has never been reached. Or, let's be clear, never been reported back from.

So, what are we gonna make of all this. A story? A tall tale. Well, at least on that second one, it is a "tall tale".

Tales-wise. It's in the telling. What it means ... You tell me.

Further ruminations ... 

One thing that is so obvious that it can easily be overlooked. Like water is to fish. Ask a fish, "How's the water?". Fish says, "What's water?". Or, if some other evolved creature of the sea, "What is this 'water' you speak of?".

That there "Chain" — still haven't come up with a better word — is straight up vertical. So also, that long "String", "Pillar" [? ... also needs a better word] of a single long, long hunk of Jade. Must've been a time when there sure as heck must've been a whole lot of Jade. And, the really good stuff too.

Anyway ... vertical. Which we all know is exactly what and how the Force of Gravity works. In an absolutely straight line. Okay, okay ... there are no straight lines in nature. And the Line of Gravity goes from the center of any one object of mass in the Universe, extends out to the farthest reaches, and then back again. Does the Universe have an edge? That's an "edgy question, yes?" By our present level of reckoning, that would be a "circle". Which is obviously curved. But, for practical purposes on Earth that line is pretty darn straight enough. Kapische?

Okay, but so what? If there's a message to that/those things maybe it's something about verticality. Like, you know, the Human body architecture is designed as something centered on a straight line. Maybe the straight line of Gravity has something to do with enduring. It has been around since the dawn of Creation. Talk about enduring. Also, "working". Didn't someone of the genius of pointing out a firm grasp of the obvious — talkin' about Dr. Ida P. Rolf, the originator of a definitive and peerless approach to true human balance known as Dr. Ida P. Rolf Method Human Structural Integration — the Human body is designed to evolve on the simple lines of the dictates of Gravity. "Plumb and Square". But, not in a rigid sort of way; but, dynamic. As an inner reference for living true and becoming truly Human. Yes, I said that. "Becoming" truly Human. Just on account that one is born with the descriptive parts don't of itself make for being Human. Nominally, yes. But, potentially ... that is an ongoing life-long process. Her message ... "Get with it!". Gravity, that is.

Just to sprinkle a little cheese on all that ... You know Gravity? Without it there would only be gravy.

𝐖𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐤𝐢'𝐬 𝐖𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞 ...

Wronski's Wramblings Home Page

So, here's the deal. I wramble. 

I like to ... wramble. 

Hope you like it too. If not, go ahead, you wramble on. Just know for the interested among you, my wrambling is about going into various topics and such; and ... allowing the telling of it to take side roads as they appear and seem worthwhile to look into. Maybe some rabbit holes. But, trust me, I'll always get you down the road. If not, give me a comment to get me back on track.

Now ... dig in!

DISCLAIMER: There is nothing that can be said which can ever come close to the inestimable value of silence. 

Yet, here I am with lots of words. Well ... call me pisher.

𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐲'𝐬 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞 ...

 

But, but ... Hillary?

What about? ... 

— USA assurances at the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union that there would not be one inch of NATO expansion East toward Russia?

— The perpetrators of the Maidan rebellion; specifically, the role of the CIA in instigating the overthrow of the Russian leaning Kiev leadership?

— Zelensky's 180 after being elected on a peace with Russia platform.

— The reneging on the Minsk Agreements where the West publicly acknowledged that it was to buy time on purpose for Ukraine to build up militarily?

— The actual NATO expansion toward Russia, with the prospect of adding Ukraine to the alliance? Which, by the way, is still a hold out condition for Zelensky and the European Union.

— The Kiev far right civil war persecutions against the ethnic Russians in the Eastern Oblasts? 

— And, in spite of the long patient history of Russia expressing it had a red line on NATO expansion to Ukraine?

Editorial Comment: One thing for Ms. Clinton, she sure speaks with conviction. Which in some circles is enough to garner agreement. In the interest of full disclosure, such posturing is also epidemic on all sides of the political divide. Like pols will say ... "I trust the voters". Translate: "... to believe what I say."

PS Our Secretary of State in 2009 famously visited the  Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. She offered a big bouquet of white Roses. The venerated Tilma [cloak of St. Juan Diego] was brought down to give her a close look. She inquired about who painted it. So much for sincerity and authenticity, some might say. "Who painted it" ... indeed! 

Whether or not you believe in the Divine miraculous appearance of Our Lady on that garment, to not know how deeply held is that belief is a telling insight into her credibility. Some say. 

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐁𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐝 ... 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐗𝐕𝐈

Pope Benedict XVI

I'm getting a newfound respect for his clear and wise pastoral message(s).

Particularly on his point that a self-made approach to life — where individuals attempt to create their own meaning, morality, or identity — ultimately results in a lack of true meaning. He maintained that genuine purpose and fulfillment cannot be produced by human effort alone, but must be received as a gift from God. He argued that a life constructed solely by human striving, power, and "self-creation" is ultimately fragile and meaningless. [Source: Internet search "Benedict ... the self made approach to life."]

It may not be fashionable in the secular culture to even speak of God. In any real way, that is. Well, Pilgrim, what do you wanna call That which is the Source of it all? Choose your own word(s).

BTW ... the 47th President of the United States of America has gone on record stating that he is guided by his "own morality" and his "own mind". Donny has apparently made his choice. He sees it in the mirror. Not perhaps the mirror of his own soul; the one on the wall.

So, were does that leave us? As was scratched on nearly every dern public pay telephone in New York City ... "Pray", "Repent".

Further discussion ... Link for more. 

The current President Donald J. Trump has stated for the record that he is guided by his "own mind", and his "own morality". Further asserting, "It's the only thing thing can stop me." What that actually means to him, no one seems to have inquired into that. Quel dommage. But, in our slogan saturated zeitgeist we somehow have been benumbed to take that utterance as meaningfully understood. So, tell me Pilgrim, WTF does he in fact mean by "his own mind" and "his own morality"? Who's steering your ship?

Benedict goes on ... “The theology of littleness is a basic category of Christianity. After all, the tenor of our faith is that God's distinctive greatness is revealed precisely in powerlessness. That in the long run, the strength of history is precisely in those who love, which is to say, in a strength that, properly speaking, cannot be measured according to categories of power. So in order to show who he is, God consciously revealed himself in the powerlessness of Nazareth and Golgotha. Thus, it is not the one who can destroy the most who is the most powerful ... but, on the contrary, the least power of love is already greater than the greatest power of destruction.” — Joseph Ratzinger, Salt of the Earth, Ignatius Press, 1997.

Key aspects of Pope Benedict's perspective include:

Not Self-Created: Benedict argued against the idea that man is entirely his own creator, emphasizing that humans are "not some casual and meaningless product of evolution," but are created and loved by God.

The "Ecology of Man": In a speech to the German Bundestag, he asserted that just as there is an ecology of nature, there is an "ecology of man." He argued that the human will is rightly ordered only when it respects its own nature and accepts itself as it is, rather than trying to manipulate it.

True Freedom: He believed true freedom and, consequently, true happiness are found in acknowledging this, saying, "Man does not create himself. He is intellect and will, but he is also nature, and his will is rightly ordered if he respects his nature".

Finding Meaning in God: He emphasized that life finds its true purpose not through self-invention but through an encounter with the living God.

Beyond Comfort: He famously stated, "The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness".

His teaching highlights that a self-made life often lacks the joy and purpose found in acknowledging one’s existence as a deliberate, loved, and, needed creation.

𝐂𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐒

Here's the straight scoop*:

When you hear someone leading with tropes like “Honestly ...”, “To be clear ...”, “The truth is ...”, “Let’s set the record straight ...”, “Would I lie to you? ..." let those be a red flags alerting you to whatever they are framing as being such and so, is not the truth. Not necessarily true; though if the speaker has some measure of your trust and/or support you are more likely to take it as true. Bias confirmation, anyone?

*[Did you notice the framing up front here?]

Thing is that what is said in such a framed lead-in may or may not be the truth, or factual. Trouble is that liars use this to slyly set you up to assume that it’s true. The tell is to observe how often such phrasing appears in their locution. Also, maybe to be up enough on things to be able to make up your own mind.

Pols are frequent purveyors of such narrative propaganda ploys. A favorite of mine is, "I trust the voters". Translate: I trust the voters to buy my line. All served up in a flattering piece of puff.

So, Pilgrim, how to be up and ahead of such things?

Look within yourself, into your own shadow world where all the unwanted and rejected and feared is hidden away. It is hidden in the sense that it hasn’t yet become integrated into waking consciousness, but it drives your life for wanting to be recognized. Until it is — recognized and reclaimed — you’re being presented with relationships and situations repeating endlessly until the underlying motives are recognized and healed. The shadow stuff is not evil; in fact it is your power which needs to be understood and reclaimed.

This is my own understanding. For the authoritative understanding on such matters I suggest Carl Gustav Jung. Believe me on that!

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐫𝐞 | 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐠

Video, and transcript ...

(0:00) Most people are taught to see sexual desire as something small, private, even embarrassing, (0:07) something to either indulge quietly or suppress with guilt, but that misunderstanding is precisely (0:14) why so many feel internally divided. Sexual desire is not a craving that begins in the body, (0:22) it is a current that moves through the entire psyche. It is the first surge of life itself, (0:29) the same force that pushes a seed to break open the soil and reach toward the sun.

(0:37) Long before it seeks pleasure, it seeks expression. If you pay attention, you'll (0:43) notice that desire appears before thought. It rises without asking permission.

That alone (0:50) should tell you something important. It does not belong to the rational mind. (0:55) It belongs to a deeper layer of you, a layer that speaks in images, impulses and longing.

(1:01) When people say they feel driven, restless or hungry for more, they are often describing sexual (1:07) energy without realising it. This energy is neutral by nature, it has no moral direction (1:13) until the conscious mind gives it one. The tragedy is that most people never learn how to guide it, (1:18) instead they allow culture, fear and shame to decide for them.

(1:24) When sexual desire is misunderstood, it becomes fragmented. It leaks into compulsions, distractions, (1:31) fantasies and addictions. It seeks quick relief rather than meaningful creation.

(1:38) This is why so many feel exhausted despite constant stimulation. The energy is being spent, (1:45) but nothing is being built. Yet observe what happens when this same force is met with awareness.

(1:52) When it is not immediately discharged, but held, felt and integrated, it begins to change its (1:59) quality. It no longer rushes outward, it turns inward and upward. Suddenly, it fuels imagination.

(2:08) Ideas arrive with intensity, focus deepens, the individual feels more alive, (2:15) more present, more capable of sustained effort. What was once labelled temptation reveals itself (2:22) as potential. This is why highly creative individuals often describe their work with (2:29) language that sounds unmistakably erotic obsession, passion, fire, hunger.

(2:36) They are not speaking metaphorically, they are describing a transmutation. The energy that (2:42) could have been lost in momentary pleasure has been redirected into meaning. This is not (2:48) accidental, it is psychological necessity.

Energy cannot be destroyed, only transformed. (2:55) When this transformation does not occur, the psyche suffers. Repressed desire does not disappear, (3:02) it becomes distorted.

It turns into anxiety, irritability, resentment or a vague sense of (3:10) emptiness. People then search desperately for stimulation, believing something outside them (3:17) will restore what feels missing. But what is missing is not pleasure, it is purpose.

Sexual (3:24) energy, when denied a higher outlet, revolts. This is why moralizing desire has never worked. (3:31) You cannot shame a fundamental force of life into obedience.

The psyche does not respond (3:38) to condemnation, it responds to understanding. Once you recognize that sexual desire is creative (3:45) energy, not merely physical appetite, your relationship with it changes. You stop asking, (3:52) how do I get rid of this? And start asking, what is this trying to build through me? (3:58) At that moment, responsibility enters the picture.

Not repression, not indulgence. (4:05) Responsibility. To carry strong desire is to carry strong power, and power demands (4:12) consciousness.

Without it, the individual becomes possessed by impulses they do not understand. (4:20) With it, the same impulses become fuel for growth. This is the difference between being (4:25) driven and being directed.

Look carefully at your life. Where do you feel restless? (4:30) Where do you feel an urge for intensity, connection or expression? These are not flaws (4:36) in your character. They are signals.

The psyche speaks first through desire because desire moves (4:42) us. It refuses stagnation. It pushes us toward becoming more than we are.

When ignored, (4:49) it becomes destructive. When listened to, it becomes visionary. The world is filled with people (4:56) who have learned how to consume, but not how to create.

They discharge energy repeatedly and (5:03) wonder why nothing changes. Creation requires containment. It requires the ability to stay with (5:11) the tension of desire without immediately resolving it.

This tension is uncomfortable, (5:16) yes, but it is also where transformation happens. In that inner pressure, the personality (5:22) reorganizes itself around something higher. So the question is not whether you have sexual desire.

(5:28) The question is whether you are unconscious of it, or in dialogue with it. Whether it drains (5:33) you or builds you. Whether it keeps you chasing sensations or leads you toward meaning.

(5:38) This force will shape your life regardless. The only choice is whether it does so blindly (5:46) or consciously. When you examine your sexual attractions honestly, without judgment or (5:53) justification, you begin to encounter parts of yourself that have long remained unseen.

(6:00) Desire does not choose its objects at random. It is selective, symbolic and deeply personal. (6:08) What draws you in carries psychological meaning, whether you are aware of it or not.

(6:16) Every attraction is a message from the unconscious, written in the language of images and emotion (6:24) rather than logic. People often believe they desire another person for who that person is. (6:30) But more often, they desire what that person represents.

Strength, freedom, tenderness, (6:36) danger, authority, innocence, creativity. These qualities stir something dormant within. (6:43) Desire is rarely about possession.

It is about recognition. You see something in the other that (6:51) resonates with an unexpressed part of yourself, and the psyche responds with intensity. This is (6:59) certain patterns repeat themselves in attraction.

The same type of person, the same emotional (7:06) dynamic, the same rise and collapse. These repetitions are not accidents of fate. They (7:14) are unfinished psychological conversations.

The unconscious returns to the same symbol until it (7:21) is understood. Until then, the individual remains compelled, mistaking compulsion for choice. (7:29) Consider how often people are drawn to what they consciously claim to avoid.

(7:35) They may admire kindness, yet feel magnetized toward cruelty, speak of stability, yet crave chaos, (7:44) long for closeness, yet pursue distance. These contradictions reveal a divided inner life. (7:52) Desire exposes where the personality is split, where traits have been disowned and projected (7:59) outward.

What you cannot live within yourself, you seek through another. Attraction also reveals (8:06) unresolved wounds. Early experiences leave impressions that shape the way the psyche (8:12) understands love, safety, and power.

Sexual desire often circles these impressions, attempting to (8:20) resolve them through repetition. The psyche is not interested in comfort. It is interested in (8:27) completion.

It will recreate familiar emotional landscapes, even painful ones, in the hope that (8:35) this time the outcome will change. This is why mere willpower cannot break certain patterns. (8:42) You may decide to choose better, yet find yourself pulled back into the same dynamics.

(8:49) The attraction does not come from conscious preference. It comes from unconscious identification. (8:56) Until the underlying meaning is brought into awareness, desire continues to operate as fate.

(9:03) But once you look closely, the spell begins to weaken. You start to ask not, (9:09) who am I attracted to, but what quality am I responding to? This shift is subtle, (9:15) but profound. Suddenly, desire becomes a teacher rather than a tyrant.

(9:21) You begin to see that what you admire, envy, or fear in others is something your own psyche is (9:28) urging you to integrate. If you are drawn to confidence, perhaps you have silenced your own (9:33) authority. If you crave intensity, perhaps you have numbed your own vitality.

If you desire (9:40) gentleness, perhaps you have been too harsh with yourself. Desire points toward what seeks (9:45) expression within you. It shows you the parts of the self that have been neglected, suppressed, (9:50) or undeveloped.

This understanding brings humility. You can no longer simply blame (9:56) the outside world for your attractions, nor can you romanticize them as destiny. (10:01) They become mirrors, sometimes flattering, sometimes disturbing.

And mirrors demand (10:07) courage. To see yourself clearly means to relinquish the comfort of illusion. (10:13) Many resist this moment.

It is easier to remain enchanted than to become conscious. (10:19) Enchantment allows projection. Consciousness demands responsibility.

(10:25) When projection collapses, the other is no longer charged with impossible expectations. (10:32) Desire loses its compulsive edge and gains depth. Relationships change because the individual has (10:41) changed.

This does not mean desire disappears. On the contrary, it becomes richer, more grounded, (10:49) more human. It is no longer fuelled by lack, but by connection.

No longer driven by unconscious (10:57) need, but by conscious choice. The individual moves from being possessed by desire to being (11:05) in relationship with it. In this way, sexual attraction becomes a path to self-knowledge.

(11:11) Each longing becomes a clue. Each fascination becomes an invitation to reclaim something (11:17) essential. What once kept you trapped in repetition now guides you toward wholeness.

(11:23) There is a quiet difference between a mind that is ruled by desire and a mind that has learned (11:29) to contain it. One feels scattered, pulled in many directions at once, forever reacting. (11:35) The other feels centered, deliberate, capable of sustained effort.

This difference is not a matter (11:41) of morality, but of structure. Sexual energy is powerful precisely because it moves the psyche (11:47) so easily. When it is left without direction, it fragments attention.

When it is given a channel, (11:54) it sharpens the will. Uncontrolled desire does not merely distract. (12:00) It weakens inner coherence.

The individual becomes accustomed to immediate discharge, (12:06) to quick relief rather than meaningful tension. Over time, this erodes patience. (12:13) The mind learns to escape discomfort instead of staying with it.

Focus shortens. Impulses multiply. (12:23) What appears as pleasure is often a form of fatigue, a repeated draining of energy without renewal.

(12:32) This is why compulsive stimulation rarely satisfies. Each release promises relief, (12:39) yet leaves behind a subtle emptiness. The psyche senses that something valuable has been spent (12:47) without return.

The will grows softer, less capable of resistance. Decisions become reactive (12:55) rather than chosen. One impulse follows another, and the individual wonders where their sense of (13:03) authority has gone.

But something remarkable happens when desire is not immediately acted upon. (13:10) When it is allowed to exist without discharge, the psyche enters a state of heightened tension. (13:18) This tension is uncomfortable, but it is also fertile.

It gathers energy. It forces the (13:26) individual to remain present with themselves. Instead of escaping into action, the mind turns (13:33) inward and begins to organize.

This is where discipline is often misunderstood. Discipline (13:40) is not suppression. Suppression drives energy into the unconscious, where it returns distorted.

(13:48) Discipline is conscious containment. It is the ability to hold energy without fear, (13:54) to remain in dialogue with it rather than be overwhelmed by it. In this state, desire becomes (14:00) concentrated rather than scattered.

Concentration changes everything. Attention deepens. Thought (14:08) becomes more ordered.

The individual experiences a growing sense of inner solidity. This is not (14:16) rigidity, but coherence. The psyche begins to trust itself.

The will strengthens because it (14:24) is no longer constantly undermined by impulse. Each time desire is consciously directed, (14:30) the individual reinforces their capacity for self-command. This self-con does not come from (14:38) force.

It emerges from understanding the cost of unconscious release. When a person recognizes (14:45) how much energy is lost through compulsive behavior, restraint becomes meaningful rather (14:50) than punitive. The mind begins to value its own clarity.

Desire is no longer an enemy to be fought, (14:59) but a power to be wielded. Directed desire naturally seeks higher expression. It moves (15:06) toward work that requires intensity, toward goals that demand persistence.

(15:12) The same energy that once chased sensation now fuels concentration. The individual discovers (15:19) an unexpected source of endurance. Tasks that once felt draining now feel absorbing.

Effort (15:27) becomes less about struggle and more about flow. Over time, this changes the personality. (15:35) The individual becomes less reactive, less easily provoked.

Emotional stability increases. (15:43) This is not numbness, but resilience. The psyche learns that it can withstand tension without (15:51) collapsing.

This capacity extends beyond sexuality into every area of life. (15:58) Challenges are met with steadiness rather than urgency. It is here that true strength develops, (16:05) not the loud strength of domination, but the quiet strength of self-possession.

(16:11) The individual no longer needs constant affirmation or stimulation. There is an inner (16:17) reservoir to draw from. Decisions are made with clarity because the mind is not hijacked by (16:24) unexamined urges.

This does not mean desire disappears. On the contrary, it becomes more vivid, (16:33) more integrated. Because it is no longer wasted, it retains its vitality.

Desire and will begin (16:41) to work together rather than against each other. The individual experiences a sense of alignment, (16:48) as though their inner forces are finally cooperating. When desire is directed, (16:54) the psyche feels purposeful.

There is less internal conflict, less self-betrayal. The (17:01) individual becomes capable of long-term vision. They can delay gratification not out of fear, (17:08) but out of respect for something greater they are building.

This is the mark of maturity, (17:15) not the absence of desire, but the mastery of it. Most people are taught to see sexual desire as a (17:22) fleeting bodily impulse, something to be either pursued or hidden away. Few recognize that within (17:29) that intensity lies a map to their own potential.

The very force they are tempted to fear, resist, (17:36) or deny is the same force that can ignite courage, creativity, and purpose. Every surge of longing (17:45) carries a message, a hint of what the self is capable of if it is understood rather than (17:53) suppressed. Many run from desire because it feels dangerous.

It feels untamed, unpredictable, (18:02) overwhelming. They mistake its intensity for something immoral or shameful, and so they (18:08) spend years trying to distract themselves, to numb the fire rather than understand it. (18:14) Yet the truth is that the energy is not the enemy.

Its danger lies only in ignorance, (18:21) in the failure to recognize it as a messenger, not a tyrant. Within its heat lies the spark (18:29) of transformation. The very force that draws you toward another can also draw you toward yourself, (18:38) toward your destiny.

If you pay attention, you realize that the most magnetic people, (18:45) the most influential, the most creative, are often those who have not rejected this energy, (18:52) but have allowed it to refine them. They have learned to move with it rather than against it. (18:59) The intensity that once might have consumed them now becomes fuel for action.

What they desired (19:05) in fleeting moments becomes a mirror of what they can embody in life itself. Sexual desire, (19:12) in its essence, is raw, unshaped potential. It is life in its most concentrated form, (19:19) asking for direction.

This redirection does not mean repression. Repression only bends the energy (19:27) into shadows, anxiety, obsession, or distraction. The individual may appear disciplined on the (19:35) surface, but internally the force is still driving them unconsciously.

Transformation occurs when the (19:42) energy is recognized, owned, and elevated. The same fire that once sought temporary satisfaction (19:48) is now harnessed to create, to speak, to lead, to innovate. It becomes a conduit for becoming the (19:55) person you are meant to be.

Think of desire as a river. When left untamed, it can flood, (20:02) erode, and destroy. When damned, it stagnates, losing vitality.

But when directed, it powers (20:09) mills, irrigates lands, and brings life to regions that would otherwise remain barren. (20:15) Sexual energy operates in the same way. It is the river of vitality within you.

Its current (20:22) can overwhelm or invigorate, depending on whether you guide it with awareness. Most avoid looking at (20:29) this truth because it forces them to confront themselves. Desire asks, Who am I? What have I (20:36) denied? What part of me has been hidden, neglected, or feared? It refuses to be ignored.

The psyche (20:45) does not rest until this energy is recognized, until it finds an outlet that is honest, (20:52) purposeful, and aligned with the deeper self. In running from desire, people run from themselves. (20:59) In embracing it, they find themselves.

This is why true personal power is inseparable from (21:06) the acknowledgement of desire. Courage, ambition, charisma, and even spiritual fire are all encoded (21:13) in this energy. It is raw life force, the most concentrated expression of vitality.

When (21:21) cultivated consciously, it transforms character. It sharpens perception, increases confidence, (21:29) and compels action. The person who has learned to integrate this energy walks differently in (21:35) the world.

They are no longer at the mercy of impulses. They are stewards of a potent inner (21:42) current. Yet this process is subtle.

It does not announce itself with fanfare. It appears in small (21:51) choices, the ability to delay gratification, the choice to act with purpose rather than compulsion, (21:58) the willingness to look inward instead of escaping outward. Each moment of conscious (22:04) engagement with desire builds mastery.

Over time, the energy is no longer scattered (22:11) but refined, no longer a source of distraction but of authority. It becomes the engine of (22:19) self-realization. The greatest calling you are seeking is hidden in the same energy you may have (22:26) feared.

The desire you cannot ignore is pointing to the life you were meant to live, the work you (22:32) were meant to do, the expression of yourself that will leave a mark on the world. What you (22:38) have been chasing outside of yourself is already encoded within you. Your longing is a compass.

(22:45) It is not about indulgence or avoidance. It is about alignment. It asks you to turn inward, (22:51) to recognize your potential, and to act on it.

Most people live lives of compromise, (22:57) never daring to channel their deepest energy. They may achieve success in conventional terms, (23:04) but there is always a subtle sense of incompleteness, of energy unspent, of power (23:10) untapped. Those who understand desire, who honor it as a force of life rather than a threat, (23:18) do not experience this emptiness.

They live fully, passionately, deliberately. The fire that once felt (23:26) dangerous now illuminates the path forward. And when you finally accept that the very energy you (23:32) feared holds the blueprint of who you are meant to become, you stop running and begin rising.

𝐀 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐕𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐎𝐧 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐧 ...

"If you move into pro-war or anti-war anger 

you're feeding the very density that's creating the war."

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬 ...

 

𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡 ...

KYABJE DILGO KHYENTSE RINPOCHE

"When we recognize a thought, that recognition alone will not liberate it. It is not that we should not recognize it; it must be recognized.

"But then when recognizing it, without grasping at the thought, the basis from which it arises – the unaltered natural state of mind pointed out by our teacher – should also be recognized.

"When we look at that recognition, the strength of the thought is broken, and the recognition of the intrinsic nature becomes stronger. Then no reaction can be produced. Once we cease producing a reaction, since thoughts in themselves are self-arising and self-liberating, we will find the source of that liberation.

"Being taken in by a thought is like being afraid of a man wearing a lion's mask. But if we know that the nature of thoughts is emptiness, like realizing that it is only a man wearing a mask, the strength of the thought will be broken and we will naturally relax."

"Oral Instructions on 'Three Words That Strike The Vital Point' – on Action – Collected Works, Vol III" 
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