Lessons Learned by Billy Flying Red Horse Starnes   Every second that passes is a second you will never have again. Each succeeding moment brings you closer to your death. (With the exception of teenagers, that is. They, of course, are immortal.) Depressing, isn't it? Armed with the knowledge of your impending demise, how will you live the balance of your life? What will you live for? What are you willing to die for? Why do you do what is it you do forty or more hours per week to "earn a living?" Is it "all about the money?" Is your effort an investment in yourself or are you a simple wage slave? Is what you're doing worth the life force energy you give away every day? If not, it might be time to take stock of your situation and your priorities. Self-expression and personal fulfillment possess a value far beyond mere money. If you lack the skills to earn money doing what you love, why not take steps to acquire those skills? Make excuses if you must, but know this: whatever you do costs you a piece of your life, a piece you will never, ever get back. Only you can determine the value of your life; only you can decide if your course is true. Lesson learned? A lot of people live to perpetuate their beliefs, for their beliefs are all they have. So much has been invested in them that there is no option for the determination of their validity, their source, and the intent behind those beliefs. "What if my beliefs are wrong?" "What if I've wasted my time?" "What do I have if not my beliefs?" What do you have without beliefs? You have a clean slate and an opportunity to be Real! Beliefs don't come from experience; they are handed down like malevolent heirlooms from one person to the next. Beliefs are malleable. They can be (and usually are) molded and changed over time by the beliefs of others. What is the alternative to belief? The alternative is Knowing. Knowing comes by the acquisition of knowledge. Knowledge comes by questioning everything. Knowing comes in the living. If you find the Knowing slow in coming, that's okay. Be patient. Better to know nothing than to believe something. Don't fake it; pretending to know is as bad as believing. Knowing is unassailable. What you believe can be refuted; what you know is beyond reproach. How much blood has been shed because of beliefs? How many have died in defense of their beliefs and how many have slaughtered others because of their beliefs? We humans associate a perverse honor to the concept of dying for our beliefs. If you must die, die for what you know, not for what you believe. Few things can exceed the tragedy and absolute stupidity of dying for your beliefs. Adherence to belief is adherence to ignorance. There may be no sin greater than the willful clinging to one's own ignorance. In the words of Grandmother Estcheemah, "Belief is your enemy." Lesson learned? The mistreatment of women by men is historical fact, a sad reality that continues even in this modern age of "enlightened awareness." It's bad enough when a young boy is presented with the example of his own father treating his beloved mother like some second-class servant (or worse). This sets in motion patterns of behavior that can influence a young man for the rest of his life. As dreadful as this might be, it is even more tragic when women preserve and perpetuate the hatred of the Feminine, passing it on to their sons and their daughters, both young and old. What could be more heartbreaking than a woman being taught to despise and loathe who and what she is, to hate her body and her nature, only to have her extend this loathing and hatred through word or deed to another? That any woman would be the willing agent of her oppressor is evidence of the pervasiveness of the Lie of Feminine Inferiority. The world will never be a place of Balance until women and the feminine energy assume their rightful place as equals to men and the masculine energy. It is Sacred Law that Everything is Born of Woman. Nothing comes into existence in the human world except it pass through Woman. Nothing! Teach no guilt, blame, or shame to the little ones. Honor the Sacred Feminine. Is this not a worthy struggle? Lesson learned? There have been occasions when giants have walked this Earth, women and men impeccable in nature, possessed of integrity and dignity, who strive for Perfection in all that they say and all that they do. These Beings know why they live. They know for what they would be willing to die. So long as we draw breath it is not too late for us. As long as there is life, redemption is possible. Every moment precious, in every moment, reincarnation. Lesson learned? Copyright 2004 - Enright House Press