A Prison Planet

I decreed my 'twin' into my life in early 1990. It is a story I tell in other books but I think even Edward House would have a hard time topping my gifts. She was the only woman with a brown card in California when she sat on the Governor's Blue Ribbon Panel on Prison Reform. A brown card allows you access to all Penal System buildings. She had once been put in prison because the FBI could not catch her Mafia bosses who had duped her and many others in a Huntington Beach land fraud. She would not testify against them until they were behind bars because the Mafia goons had threatened to kill her two young daughters. It is a horror story of corrupt bureaucracy to say the least.

There are many spigots on the societal trough that these pigs line up at for their piece of the pie. The guards and workers in the 'system' would not be happy without their free sex like Linda had to give them in order not to be continuously raped by the inmates. The money they get from drugs or allowing prisoners special favors is disgusting as well as illegal. What about the lawyers passing laws and then benefiting from those laws. The wardens get lots of 'kickbacks' from suppliers or for 'slave labor'. Who cares if the prisoners are fed horsemeat or something worse, instead of the U.S.D.A. beef that was paid for? The political cronies are happy and the politicians don't want the electorate to see the people in prisons as victims who never got a good education or had a fair chance to begin with. It is a great way to maintain the 'status quo' without having to produce results that would benefit everyone. The statistics in Canada show a much better prison system and it seems you have to go to prison to be taught critical thinking skills here too.

Jung's theme of the central human problem relating to fear was something we often agreed upon. She couldn't find a way of making it work for her in her personal life however. Much as I was perhaps too extreme in my faith that the 'forces' would 'bless' me or answer my decrees if I was operating with RIGHT THOUGHT she had a negative anticipatory framework. This lack of self-esteem in male relations that had included a doctor who played Russian roulette with her before committing suicide himself eventually led to her being the 29th victim of the Long Beach rapist that she fingered and testified against. Her dedication and social service is still a great inspiration to me. To say she is a good soul is almost patronizing. To say she was a great soul would not overstate her inner beauty. I LOVE my 'twin' now as much as I ever did.

There was a passage in Simone Weil's book Gateway to God that we read together and that she was able to see my favorite author's meaning through. Krishnamurti and Teilhard de Chardin say it in fewer words but Simone does a great job on page 39 of her book:

"To anyone who does actually consent to directing his attention and love beyond the world, towards the reality that exists outside the reach of all human faculties, it is given to succeed in doing so. In that case sooner or later, there descends upon him a part of the good, which shines through him upon all that surrounds him.

The combination of these two facts - the longing in the depth of the heart for absolute good, and the power, though only latent, of directing attention and love to a reality beyond the world and of receiving good from it - constitutes a link which attaches every man without exception to that other reality.

Whoever recognizes that reality recognizes also that link. Because of it, he holds every human being without any exception as something sacred to which he is bound to show respect... Whoever in fact does not feel this respect is alien to that other reality also."

So many people see their own point of view in these kinds of comments and don't look deep enough to see everyone else's as well. Ego often gets in the way of real thinking and understanding and most people would insist they are respectful as much as they need to be in order to be linked to the collective Simone is talking about. Linda and I never disagreed on 'Brotherhood' issues but I think her fears kept her from the 'blessings' of this 'reality' or world mind. She does so richly deserve all the happiness in the world but then you could say that she and I are too outer-directed. Jung correctly noted that Freud had a similar fear of metaphysics that justified his always negative view of the occult. I like to think my lady eventually got past this academic and religious conventionalism but I do not know it for a fact.

Whatever our disagreements as to the theological underpinning of the empire-builders or old boy network, we certainly agreed there was a real threat to personal growth and freedom that prevails in society. The abuses of power that were evident in the Page Boy Scandal or in the near demonic rule of J. Edgar Hoover and so many other instances of this evil ego were often the topic of our disgust. We could see that 'organized crime' was less organized and insulated than the bureaucrats and professional Bars or Colleges that form part of the hierarchy of the 'old boy network'. She knew full well that the educational system was not structured to maintain or foster a 'Joy of Learning' that we both had made our life's greatest pursuit. I guess we found our greatest common inspiration in Einstein although it was for different perceptions of his deep meaning. Sometimes there was no difference in the meaning and though few in this world might imagine it this is the kind of thing that sets souls who really care, to wanting to know each other more in every way including the sexual. When Einstein says (for example) that: "Small is the number of those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own heart." Linda and I were really able to accept each other were more than just 'twins' in some psychic or astrological sense, we KNEW the depth of the others' own commitment to something real and loving.

If we don't learn about ourselves including our soul, the sensual and physical nature of humanity, our aura or other conscious connections then our emotions become unwieldy and confusing. Brotherhood is all about breaking down the walls between people or their souls. Respect and inclusiveness or integration offers more to a whole and complete or self-realized personhood. These things are so complex and interwoven yet they do lead inexorably to the true potential of humanity. I guess my probative and pompous postulating about these things can get a little tiresome as I proceed much like The Man of La Mancha to fight never-ending windmills. Einstein is seldom thought of as a guru or great spiritual person due to his excellence in other fields. And many are the times when I quote him or his friend Buckminster Fuller, who worked with him at Princeton; that I find people willing to suggest it means nothing that what I say is supported by their thoughts. Consider seriously the following quote from Einstein and make your conclusion about my sanity or level of RIGHT THOUGHT!

"How is it possible that this culture-loving era could be so monstrously amoral? More and more I come to value charity and love of one's fellow being above everything else... all our lauded technological progress - our very civilization - is like an axe in the hand of the pathological criminal."

There are many people who can't even control their own anxious moments and have never learned the basics of meditation and diaphragmatic breathing. A great deal of emotional stability has a connection with the intake of oxygen and its' ability to lessen stress. Prolonged minor oxygen deprivation can build a stress level near to panic! Yoga has so much to offer in connecting the chakra centers and the soul or 'chi' and 'pranha' through our lymph system. Yoga also offers a large variety of other perspectives in its' different disciplines. There is the Raja or Fire and Agni Yoga of intellect that mirrors the Hod of 'The Tree of Life' from Hassidic or Qabalistic knowledge that I have always enjoyed. Who cannot benefit from Bhakti and Tantric pursuits in their sexual union (yoga translated means 'union') and spiritual oneness with the forces we often deify and give names to, like God? We do our fellow man a great disservice by encouraging the papacy or priesthoods control over the matter of our own part in the Divine Purpose of God. This purpose can be thoroughly understood by the soul 'within' or the 'I Am' or YHWH consciousness from the teachings of Jesus.

I love the attitude of Bucky Fuller in relation to thinking and growing. He said that whenever he felt 'complacent and satisfied' with an idea that he would 'bite his tongue'. Indeed we often draw circles around ourselves and I have drawn some very large circles that prevent me from 'fitting' into normal society. I continue to observe and simultaneously challenge all nature of authority in hopes of a more complete understanding rather than simple ease and happiness. Bucky spoke fluently and with passion about the consciousness and things like 'creative realization'. If one is reading him for the first time it is wise to keep a Dictionary and Thesaurus close to hand.

Author of Diverse Druids

Columnist for The ES Press Magazine

Guest 'expert' at World-Mysteries.com

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Palestinians pray over the bodies of  people killed near a United Nations school Tuesday, during their funeral in the Jebaliya refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009. Israel's military paused its Gaza offensive for three hours Wednesday to allow food and fuel to reach besieged Palestinians, and the country's leaders debated whether to accept an international cease-fire plan or expand the assault against Hamas. With criticism rising of the operation's spiraling civilian death toll and Gazans increasingly suffering the effects of nonstop airstrikes and shelling, Israel's military said it opened 'humanitarian corridors' to allow aid supplies to reach Palestinians.(AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)AP - Israel resumed its Gaza offensive Wednesday, bombing heavily around suspected smuggling tunnels near the border with Egypt after a three-hour lull to allow in humanitarian aid. Hamas responded with a rocket barrage.



People looks for jobs in front of computer screens at the California Employment Development Department in Sunnyvale, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009. The country lost nearly 2 million jobs through November and more bad news is expected this week when the government releases data on weekly jobless claims and December unemployment. No matter how bad those numbers are, and economists expect at least another 500,000 jobs were lost last month, the pain is stretching into 2009. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)AP - Pink slips are piling higher as companies scramble to cut costs even deeper to survive the country's economic and financial storms.



President-elect Barack Obama gestures during a news conference at his transition office in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, where he introduced Nancy Killefer, right, to the newly created position of chief performance officer. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)AP - Pointing with concern to "red ink as far as the eye can see," President-elect Barack Obama pledged Wednesday to tackle out-of-control Social Security and Medicare spending and named a special watchdog to clamp down on other federal programs — even as he campaigned anew to spend the largest pile of taxpayer money in history to revive the sinking economy.



Illinois U.S. Senate Appointee Roland Burris, left, meets with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)AP - Senate Democrats beat a hasty retreat Wednesday from their rejection of Roland Burris as President-elect Barack Obama's successor, yielding to pressure from Obama himself and from senators irked that the standoff was draining attention and putting them in a bad light. Burris said with a smile he expected to join them "very shortly."



President-elect Barack Obama is welcomed by President George W. Bush for a meeting at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, with former presidents, from left, George H.W. Bush, Bill  Clinton, and Jimmy Carter.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)AP - Confronting a grim economy and a Middle East on fire, Barack Obama turned Wednesday to perhaps the only people on the planet who understand what he's in for: the four living members of the U.S. presidents' club.



In this photo provided by the Washington State Department of Transportation, water rushes past a washed out road near Blewett Pass on U.S. highway 97 in Washington State on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009 in Washington State. (AP Photo/Washington State Department of Transportation)AP - Rain and high winds lashed Washington state Wednesday, causing widespread avalanches, mudslides, flooding and road closures as the heavy snowfall that has buried parts of the state began to rapidly melt.



Workers put bulletproof glass on President-elect Barack Obama's Inaugural Reviewing Stand on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)AP - The upcoming inauguration of Barack Obama is an attractive target for international and domestic terrorists, but U.S. intelligence officials have no information about specific threats to the Jan. 20 event.



Christian Bale accepts the favorite action movie award for 'The Dark Knight' at the 35th Annual People's Choice Awards on Wednesday Jan. 7, 2009 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)AP - Holy, People's Choice Awards, Batman! "The Dark Knight" soared away with every trophy it was nominated for Wednesday at the 35th annual fan-favorite CBS ceremony. The caped crusader flick won five awards, including favorite cast, superhero, action movie and on-screen matchup for Christian Bale's Batman and the late Heath Ledger's Joker.



Harvard's Jeremy Lin (4) drives for the basket in front of Boston College's Rakim Sanders in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)AP - Jeremy Lin scored 27 points to lead Harvard to an 82-70 upset over No. 17 Boston College on Wednesday night, three days after the Eagles upset previously top-ranked North Carolina.



In this  Sept. 28, 2008 file photo, New York Jets coach Eric Mangini gestures on the sidelines during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The Cleveland Browns have agreed to hire Eric Mangini as their head coach, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, File)AP - Eric Mangini is the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns, a week after being fired by the New York Jets. A person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press that Mangini will be introduced Thursday at a news conference at the team's headquarters in Berea.



An Israeli soldier stands next to blindfolded Palestinian prisoners after they were arrested during an Israeli military operation in the northern Gaza Strip January 7, 2009, in this picture released by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday she had pressed Israel to seriously consider an Egyptian ceasefire plan as the U.N. Security Council weighed action to end Israel's attack on Gaza. (IDF/Handout/Reuters)Reuters - Israeli warplanes bombed the Gaza Strip on Thursday and tanks pounded Palestinian guerrillas on the ground as U.S. backing for a proposed truce raised expectations of an end to the offensive.



A share trader reacts while checking share prices in front of the German share price index DAX board at the German stock exchange in Frankfurt, December 18, 2008. (Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)Reuters - A fresh wave of profit warnings and job cuts soured investor sentiment on Thursday after an employment report suggested U.S. job losses in December could be the worst in almost 60 years.



Senate-designate Roland Burris talks with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Reid's office on Capitol Hill, January 7, 2009. (Larry Downing/Reuters)Reuters - In an abrupt switch, Democratic leaders began talks on Wednesday to swear in Roland Burris, appointed by embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.



President Bush greets President-elect Barack Obama at the White House, November 10, 2008. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters)Reuters - The U.S. budget deficit will swell to a record $1.186 trillion in fiscal 2009, congressional forecasters said on Wednesday, the result of an economic recession that has cut tax receipts and caused massive government bailouts of banks and automakers.



Reuters - U.S. cities are vulnerable to an attack like the gun-and-grenade assault that terrorized Mumbai for three days and killed 179 people, the White House homeland security adviser said on Wednesday.

Ali al-Marri, who has been held for 5-1/2 years at a U.S. military prison in South Carolina, is seen in this undated photograph released to Reuters on January 6, 2008. An early test for President-elect Barack Obama will be the case of suspected al Qaeda 'sleeper' agent Marri, which will force Obama to take a position on his predecessor's claim that anyone the president deems a national security threat can be imprisoned indefinitely without charges in the United States. (Handout/Reuters)Reuters - The case of Ali al-Marri, accused of being an al Qaeda "sleeper" agent and held for 5-1/2 years at a U.S. military prison in South Carolina, will be an early test for President-elect Barack Obama.



Eggs are stacked up at an egg farm in San Diego County, July 29, 2008. (Mike Blake/Reuters)Reuters - An outbreak of salmonella food poisoning has made 388 people sick across 42 states, sending 18 percent of them to the hospital, U.S. health officials said on Wednesday.



Bernard Madoff is escorted in a vehicle from Federal Court in New York, January 5, 2009. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)Reuters - Accused swindler Bernard Madoff should be jailed for violating a court order by mailing $1 million worth of diamonds, watches and other jewelry to friends and family, U.S. prosecutors told a court on Wednesday.



A Palestinian protestor flashes the V for 'victory' sign in front of an Israeli soldier near Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's old city. Israeli warplanes bombed suspected arms-smuggling tunnels in southern Gaza early Thursday, as diplomats worked to secure a ceasefire in an offensive that has killed 700 Palestinians.(AFP/Ahmad Gharabli)AFP - Israeli warplanes bombed suspected arms-smuggling tunnels in southern Gaza early Thursday, as diplomats worked to secure a ceasefire in an offensive that has killed 700 Palestinians.



A woman looks at a manometer set on a gas pipe at a compressor station in the Ukrainian city of Boyarka. Envoys from Russia and Ukraine go to Brussels on Thursday for emergency EU-brokered talks to resolve a bitter gas fight between the two ex-Soviet giants that has engulfed Europe in a major energy crisis.(AFP/File/Sergei Supinsky)AFP - Envoys from Russia and Ukraine go to Brussels on Thursday for emergency EU-brokered talks to resolve a bitter gas fight between the two ex-Soviet giants that has engulfed Europe in a major energy crisis.




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