Christmas. 
I'm not the Grinch but I'm tired of the whole Christmas thing.  Maybe you are too.  Let me explain what I mean.
It's relentless and it makes us feel pressured.
Just after Hallowe'en, October 31st when you go into the stores, the items have made their way back onto the shelves.  As a good friend calls it, "the Christmas crap" is back.  Every time you go to get what you need in the store, there it is.  It is hard to ignore all the toys and giftable items.  And if you are a television watcher, the pressure is quite tremendous.  The children know which toys are the latest and the best and they want to go see them.  It is pressure to buy and buy and buy.  And the corporations are waiting in the wings to see how much money will fly out of our collective pockets and into their already bursting vaults.
Few of us are immune.
I must have antibodies against this kind of pressure because the effect it has on me is to keep me out of the stores.  For me the season always has begun after the end of November not after Halloween.  Anything more is overkill. 
For some it is a tradition which can not change.
But that is not accurate.  I understand the religious significance, at least the Christian religious significance of the holiday.  I have no particular quarrel with it but that is not an excuse for the commercial excesses of today.  Actually, it is an argument against it. 
Christmas tradition has in fact been changing
But just like a frog in a pot of water that has been slowly brought to a boil, we haven't noticed the changes.  For example it was only in the 19th century that we began to send Christmas cards.  And althought Saint Nickolas did exist and gave a gift or some coal to children he certainly did not give as many gifts as our children expect.  Santa Claus was brought in by Coca Cola in the early part of last century.  Since then the corporations have been picking our pockets and pressuring us to spend our money by raising everyone's expectations of how many gifts they should get.  It's another form of conformity and if you don't partake of the holiday, you are looked at askance.
It has become a source of stress and financial pressure
Every year there is a new this and a new that.  Pink and purple Christmas trees? Anything to entice you to not just drag out the old fake tree. You should buy a new one or go kill a new one, or buy one that someone else has killed for you and put the decorations on.  And of course, if you get the tree, you need some new decorations!
Then there are the lights, inside, outside, on the tree - you can just hear the people at the Hydro office rubbing their hands in glee at the the increase in revenue. 
Then you have to run around spending money on gifts, many of which are useless to the people you are giving them to and buy paper to wrap them with.  You need to live up to other people's expectations of what their gifts should be.  Never mind the payments in January. Then there are the parties and other fiorced appearances and family visits.
Is any of this really honest?
None of these things are wrong in themselves.  What I am done with is the lack of meaning and genuineness in it all.  If it is truly meaninful for you - carry on and more power to you!  But for myself (and I do not believe I am alone) I would rather spend some quality time with people who are meaningful to me and if we feel the need to exchange gifts, I would rather exchange home made gifts.  I guess I'd like to see a return to basics.  Just enjoying each other's company without such lofty expectations and traditions.  But most of all let's send a message to the corproations that we are tired of being exploited.
Stand up to being manipulated!
How is it that we have been pushed, pulled or dragged to this position?  It is really not to benefit anyone except the corporations.  It is not added value for us, the individuals.  So maybe it is time to stand up and say "No, thanks!" and take back your power.  I think it's time for people to decide for themselves when they celebrate, with whom, and how.  And if they exchange gifts to show that they value each other perhaps those gifts should reflect the person giving the gift rather than some corporation.  Will that affect the economy?  Yes.  But that is another blogpost.
Solstice - the darkness and the light
The date for the celebration of what we know as Christmas is the 25th.  The date was the same as the celebration of the Roman festival of Saturnalia, which was a Solstice festival.  The Solstice, December 21st, is the day with the least amount of daylight hours.  After the 21st daylight hours begin to increase, slowly but surely.  A cause for celebration indeed!  Celebrating the coming of the light - that's something I can see as important.  If you celebrate for another reason - I wish you a happy holiday and good celebrations.  Just know why  you are celebrating and why you have invested your time, energy and money into your celebrations.  That's all.

Tired of waiting?  Does it seem like you are striving but never arriving?  What is it with certain times in our lives that seem interminably on "hold".  It reminds me of that picture and the description so aptly given by Dr. Suess, - The Waiting Place.

Can you relate?
I have a friend who is waiting to get a job.  Don't misunderstand.  She is not simply sitting around waiting.  She is actively searching and out there putting in resumes, knocking on doors, answering ads, yet she is still waiting.  To her, the wait is a long one.  She would like to be out there earning money and doing something useful.  She wonders why this is happening to her.
Some of us will be able to relate.  If you have ever been, even for a short period of time, without a job, or a desired relationship, car, living place, you will understand completely how my friend is feeling. Yet on the other hand, she is at present enjoying an abundance of free time, something most of us might be envious of. 
Perhaps in our waiting place, the universe is simply presenting us with a time to gain perspective on where we are and what we might do differently.  If we take the time away from the frustration of waiting to notice, that is.

A nuisance or an opportunity?
Just like waiting in the grocery store line can send some people into a rage, while others manage to get their banking done from their phone or spend some time talking to a friend, it is our reaction to the situation which makes all the difference.  If you can not change your situation, you need to adjust your attitude.  The situation will eventually change. That is inevitable.

The real issue is what will you do with your wait time?
Will you fuss and fume?  Will you muse and reflect?  Will you act and advance?  Will you take a close look at your situation and see if it is working for you?  The first one will get you nothing except difficulty, while the others may help you change in a useful way.

Take the time to use your wait time wisely.
The next time you have some un-planned for "wait time", try the following:
1.  Ask yourself some hard questions.  Questions like:  Is this really the right job, partner, lifestyle, pastime for me?  Am I making the best use of my talents?  Take a look at how well you really know yourself and if the answer is not much, change it.  Get to know what you like and don't like.  The truer you are to your own essence, the better things will get.
2.  Do something you enjoy.  There are plenty of things that cost relatively little money and yet will fill your time and even lead you to learn that you have a talent for something you never knew you had.
Go to a local gallery, the library, the pool or the arena. Perhaps you have forgotten how much you really like to skate, swim or hike.  You may end up healthier and happier for the investment.
3.  Take a risk.  "When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose." as Bob Dylan sang.  If you are in a postition where you can take a risk, even a calculated one, why not?  Not anything drastic, like jumping off a building.  But applying for a job in a different field, starting a Youtube channel, joining a new club or singing or reciting poetry at an Open Mike.  Why not?  You have the time.
4.  Spend time with people you care about and even make new friends.  We are all so busy these days that having a bit of time on your hands can be disorienting yet investing in people always brings dividends. Spend time with relatives and friends. Maybe you can help them during the time you have and they don't.  At some point in the future they may return the favour.
5.  Devote some time to a worthy cause.  All kinds of volunteers are needed and there are so many good causes to support.  Get out there and just do it!  Who knows?  You may find that your good work gets you a new job opportunity.
6.  Get out in nature.  Unless it is the dead of winter and too cold, go outside and spend some time soaking up the wonderful outdoors.  Not only will you get your vitamin D but studies have proven that nature has an incredibly healing effect on us humans.  Improve your health, while you are waiting.

What to avoid?
The big no-no's when you have too much time on your hands are:
1.  Too much Tube time  Don't spend all your time sitting in front of the television watching the melodrama.  You will likely snack too much to relieve your boredom and have nothing other than a larger waistline to show for your time.
2.  Too much Screen time  If you are applying for jobs, taking a course or otherwise educating yourself, screen time is a useful thing. But spending hours playing video games, will not give you much to show for at the end of your wait time.  The occasional video game session?  Sure but don't use all your time that way.
3.  Feeling sorry for yourself.  We can all go to this part of the "Waiting Place"  I call it the "Boo Hoo" room.  When life doesn't go our way, we can all get down.  But get up and get moving so you don't stagnate.  You may be feeling frustrated, angry or sad. That's normal for the situation.  Acknowledge your feelings and take time to sort them out (with help) if need be,.  Maybe you need to do some emotional healing and the universe is giving you some time.  Do your healing and then move on.

Lessons learned?
Life is all about learning.  So the next time the universe drops some wait time in your path, use it to consider how your life is going and if warranted, make some necessary changes.  Then you will  somehow be able to "escape all that waiting and staying.  You'll find the bright places where boom bands are playing." as per Dr. Suess. 

"Summertime and the livin' is easy..."  as the song goes.  But why is it easy?  Theoretically, except for the actual vacation time that one has, work is the ever constant force that may or may not add stress to your day.  Is it just the temperature or the amount of sunshine during a given day?  Or is it something about the attitude we carry for this time of year?
People do tend to be happier and carry less stress in the summer.  My vote would be that their outside time increases, thereby decreasing stress.  For me that always works.  Anyone else notice that?
One encouraging thing to note this summer is the amount of people going old school with one particular thing - gardens, specifically vegetable gardens. Whether the gardens are raised bed, vertical, hydro - or aquaponic or container gardens, it is a good sign to see more and more people trying to get a handle on where their food is coming from.  In light of the many chemical additives and genetic changes to our food, this is the best line of self defence for your health.  I say, "old school" because most people used to have a small garden, two generations ago.  Sure it was because of war rations or at least in part because of it, but it made good sense.
Supermarkets, as we know them, made their appearance in the late 1940's and as people got used to having food readily available at reasonable prices, it was easy to hang up the garden gloves.  
In the same way that cheap hydro power convinced the farmers to give up their independence due to their own wind generators, the supermarket weaned people away from the control of what goes on/into their food and how long it is kept.
Flash forward to 2016... we have GMO's which are not labelled and have no long term testing to know how they will affect this, never mind the next generation, we have wheat being sprayed with glyphosate (a chemical which passes the blood/brain barrier and can not be washed off), we have high fructose corn syrup (otherwise used as ethanol, which is a poison to your liver) being masked under a variety of names in many products, and so many pre-packaged foods with a variety of dangerous additives.  So, yes, I have a garden and yes, I purposely bought a small acreage with a view to making myself more sustainable.  I think that if you are blindly trusting the food companies and the government to do for you what you should be doing for yourself, namely putting at least some of your food on your own table, then you can expect some health problems.  Not that I wish it on anyone...
I would encourage anyone and everyone to at least do a container garden or a intertior bottle garden this fall/winter if you missed the summer.  I have plans along those lines also.  But beware! 
Eating fresh food from your own gardening and getting down and dirty raising that food is habit forming and give you a great feeling of contentment.  (Never mind how it helps your health!)
Enjoy your summer!

What a tremendous show!  The U.S. elections have it all - the good (ish) the bad and the ugly!  It is theatre of the absurd on steroids! And people still waste breath on it - like it matters. Let's clear up some misinformation, shall we?

One thing that we have been lead to believe is that government is  for the people.  We elect, that is choose between a couple of people who have been put there for us to select, and we do this based on our estimation of whether they will represent our interests once elected.  Sounds great doesn't it?  The only problem is...they never do represent our interests.  Why is that?  Well, in part, it is  because while you and I are busy attending to our own lives and working (to pay taxes for those government officials we elected to pay for what we want them to do), some other factions are talking to those elected officials (and maybe, just maybe making it worth their while to look the other way while those factions get away with something a lot less than legal).  We have neither the time nor the money to assure that the politicians will be honest and represent our needs.  We trust them.  I think that most of us have figured out that by and large they are no longer (if they ever were) worthy of our trust.  They do not serve us - they serve someone else.

If it were just government that were untruthful and untrustworthy (check out the residential schools fiasco in Canada if you think I'm exaggerating ) that might be one thing.  After all the root words for the word government (as Michael Tsarion, Jordan Maxwell and others rightfully point out) are gubernare (control) and mens, mentis(the mind) = control of the mind.  Let's face it folks, an organization with the title "control of the mind" is not interested in truth or in letting you have any meaningful freedom.

So no big surprise that other institutions might be lying also.  I came across this videoclip today from NASA (as they put it Never A Straight Answer).  We know that after the Second World War with Operation Paperclip most of the "useful" high ranking Nazis were imported to the U.S. to serve in the arms race and space projects.  Werner Von Braun is the face but there were many more.  So maybe it should have been called NAZI  but I guess it wouldn't have gone over too well.  After all the government (control of the mind) had just finished convincing a public weary from the First World War and the Depression that one more sacrifice was in order to stop the German threat.  They couldn't really just turn around a import them openly to head up the Space Race.  But NASA is pretty close, isn't it?  Anyway this video is food for thought.  I have watched and read much about the theories that we have never left Earth orbit.  This video is extraordinary as they just put it out there.

 The big question as more and more revelations are coming about lies and coverup, about allegiances bought and sold, is, what are they still hiding?  What are they doing with all our tax money?
But Human Beings are incredibly gullible.  So many people will never look past the party line and will totally not want to believe that the government is not on the level, despite the mounting evidence.
We want to believe.  That is well known by those with power.  And because we want to believe that they have our best interests at heart, we will tend to overlook, ignore or outright deny anything that makes us reevaluate our beliefs.
The problem though with having your head in the sand is that you leave your valuables, shall we say, accessible?  Not a good position to be in, folks.
So what to do?  That's a good question!  Think, think, think....no point getting rid of something if there is nothing better to replace it.
So if our system does not work well, what would work better? 
I have my own thoughts and won't share them here.  If you are interested in contributing some thoughts, comment below.
Comments are always welcome - have your say below!

Do you know what you stand for?  Do you have certain principles 
you hold to, which guide your actions? Then you are a rare phenom-enon.
 
Most people don’t. Most people only do things that they must and 
they do those things out of fear of  punishment. Taking an action out of fear is a very low level of consciousness. It is a knee-jerk, con-
ditioned reflex reaction rather than an act borne of serious reflection and consideration of what you  truly believe based on your own exp-erience and understanding. It is a crowd mentality.
 
Individuals, who know their principles and live according to them, do not have a crowd mentality.. The individual stands in direct opposi-
tion to culture ( cult-ure = a cult designed to pressure you into confor-ming to a given way of life.).  The identity of each person needs to
 be expressed in order to enrich everyone.  The “normalization” pro-
cess in culture is designed to circumvent the individual realizing 
who they are and what they personally stand for. 
 
Why is knowing what you stand for, what your principles are, import-ant? If you don’t take the time to figure out what you are all about, 
you may be called to act and not make a decision you can really live with.  Life can put us in situations, where decisions must be made 
quickly.  If you are not clear what you stand for, you can end up with many regrets.  
 
Let me give you a case in point:  Many years ago, I was in a serious traffic accident.  I was hit and turned into the ditch by another car. I was not at fault in the accident but with the momentum of the other 
car and my own vehicle, I was hurtling through the ditch of the divid-ed highway and toward three lanes of stop and go traffic on the 
other side.  One of my principles is that I will do no harm to others if it is within my power to not do so.  I could not undo the accident.  
But it was within my power to not hit those people.  I put both feet 
on the brake and turned my steering wheel, flipping my own vehicle high into the air in the opposite direction.  It must have been the 
correct decision because I was totally unharmed and no one else 
was hurt either. 
So how do you know what principles you stand for?
Answer the following questions for a start.

1. Is truth important to you?  How important is it?  Will you stand up for truth, no matter what?
2. Is life important to you?  How important?  Should we preserve life at all costs?
3. Is non-violence important?  How important?  Will you stand 
   
4. for peace?
   
5. Is health important?   How important?  Will you dedicate yourself to your own health?
6. Is love//care important?  How important?  Will you choose to 
   
7. care for yourself and others even  when it is not easy?
   
8. Is spirituality important? How important?  Will you stand up for what you know in your heart to  be true?
   
9. Is learning/growth important?  How important?  Will you 
   
10. continue to learn and grow throughout  your life?
    
11. Are your connections to others important?  How important?  Will you show loyalty/solidarity?
12. Is your connection with Nature important?  How important?  Do you spend time furthering your  connection with Nature?
    
13. Is equality important?  How important?  Do you treat others as equally valuable?
    

 
Although these ten are not exhaustive, the answers will be a good 
start.  Principle driven life is much more fulfilling than simple confor-mation to what society tells you is important.  Conformity leads to 
the murder of self, which plunges one into depression. We are each here to live according to our inner compass, not to be outer directed for someone else to exploit us.  As the ancients said “Know thyself!” 

Preface
I do realize that any University or College professor, indeed any teacher of English or social science might consider my remarks here inflammatory bordering on the blasphemous, but stop to truly consider what I am saying.  The problem with the "Educational" institutions at present is that they consider knowledge and excellence to have become static.  Life goes forward and if we believe in linear progress, we should be studying the latest writings alongside the older ones (at the very least). 
Shakespeare wrote about the human condition; So did Gene Roddenberry. Shakespeare re-told existing age-old yet timeless stories of human suffering and joy. He told us of the human flaws and the lusts which corrupt.  In all of this there was genius.  Yet few of Shakespeare’s plays, even the comedies are truly optimistic. There is no real hope for the betterment of humanity.  Even in “to be or not to be”, you are going to lose somehow.  
 
Gene Roddenberry on the other hand used the existing human con-dition but aspired to a higher state, not just spatially but qualitatively. As his character Captain Kirk so eloquently stated, “Yes, we are killers.  But we can choose not to kill today.  That’s all it takes.” Star 
Trek episodes are morality plays - there is courage in the face of 
danger, there is love in the face of hate, and there is always hope 
for a brighter tomorrow.  Paramount is the learning.  With knowledge comes power to overcome circumstances.  With collaborative effort, problems can be overcome.  With everyone being the best they can be in their own uniqueness, the community is strengthened.  The 
very idea of the “no-win” scenario is so repugnant to the main chara-cter, Kirk, that after re-taking the test many times, he reprograms the computer to win.  “I don’t believe in the ‘no-win’ scenario!” he states.  I concur.
 
With an enormous list of firsts, Star Trek, (The Original Series) was before its time and had to wait for a new generation of children to 
grow up on reruns, demanding more before the movies of the origin-al Star Trek would allow for Star Trek, The New Generation to be 
aired.  But both the original series and the ones which followed were about working together as individuals committed to learning and ex-ploring, “where no man has gone before”.  They were fully conver-
sant with their technology, comfortable meeting other creatures and cultures without feeling threatened, and took hardship in stride, we 
could learn from that.  There was humour, fun and good camraderie - every episode.  And of course there were aliens - of all shapes and sizes.  
 
I love Shakespeare’s work but it tells us about who we were or who we are right now, not who we can become.  For me the latter is 
more important and more interesting.

I came across the above quote and it struck me that some people are experiencing some set backs right now.  I know that feeling.  It isn't easy.  Our society educates people to always expect constant upward dynamic.  This is not the way of things.  If anything life progresses in a spiral dynamic not a diagonal upward linear dynamic.  We see this pattern of spirals in nature through the growth of plants.  We know that there is always a plateau or consolidation phase of learning before application of new knowledge can happen.  Yet if something in our outer circumstances drags us down, we can get into a "fret" and think that it is a permanent condition.  But consider these points:
1.  Your thinking is important
Make sure your thinking doesn't get or remain negative.  You may be unable to change your circumstances in the present but you can think about better things for the future.  Be sure not to set your mind to a negative default.  The situation notwithstanding find things to focus on that are positive.  If you are out of a job, think about your perfect job and how great it is that you get to look for it now. Your thinking is critical when the chips are down and it is within your control.
2.  Be the boss of your emotions
Don't be on an emotional roller coaster.  Yoga can be helpful as can meditation.  Some people find that adjusting their diet can be critical to managing their emotions.   Spent time in nature. Find what works for you and do it.  Keep the good feelings flowing.
3.  Know that nothing lasts forever.
Your situation is temporary.  It will change. When things are not going well it is key to remember this.  I like to think of life as a sine wave.  Sometimes things are rising, sometimes they are falling - there are crests and there are troughs.  If you are in the trough, know that it won't last forever and your positive thinking and emotions can hasten your exit from the trough.

Most of all know that you are not alone.  Reach out to those positive people in your life who can offer support and good advice.  Search out uplifting videos.  Listen to good messages and relax.

Recently I watched an excellent Youtube video by Anthony West, writer of many books which rocked the University establishment about the actual dating of the pyramids and the Sphinx.  His work is wonderful reading BUT that is not my point here.
Wholeness and not compartmentalization
One particular comment struck me as I watched and like a random string held by electrostatic energy on one's clothes, would not let me go.  He commented that in the time of the building of the Temple of Carnac, art, science, math and all the other subjects were inextricably linked.  This wholeness, this integration of subjects mirrors life.  The earth doesn't compartmentalize. Can you imagine if the forest only dealt with biology but not geology?  Or if the fibonnachi spiral were not built into most living things?  It would be chaos and confusion.  Hmm...sound like what we have in modern society, doesn't it?
Modern education is based on compartmentalization
It begs the question then, why do we educate for compartmentalization and not whole-brained thinking?  The answer is simple:  People who have been educated in that way accept at an unconscious level the "need to know" mentality of government and the ruling classes.  Very important that, since it allows those structures to stay in place.  It allows for the "right hand" not to know what the "left hand" is doing.  Wholistic thinking would not allow for the short term decisions which are destroying our children's inheritance to enrich the few. 
21st Century Education - is it the panacea people believe it to be?
21st Century Education has been touted as the "cure" for what is wrong with education.  But is it?  It allows for a small amount using IBL (Inquiry Based Learning) of integration of subjects and personalization of learning.  Yet it does not truly address the issue of compartmentalization.  Often students are learning things, which are totally isolated from any meaning in their reality.  With all the icing the cake underneath still tastes largely of the original flavour. 
What can be done to create a more whole-brained approach to education?
This becomes almost a game of which came first the education system or the system which generated it and which it largely supports.  It would take  ashift in perspective to allow people with the possibility of changing things to put structures into place to move education into  a more humane and wholistic space and structure.  Some moves are currently being made in B.C. with their new curriculum.  Yet it is still subdivided - Language Arts, Math as distinct from Science,  Socials, Science and so on.  One point in their favour is that they did re-pair Physical Education and Health.  Despite the fact that they are obviously related, they were seperately taught for years.  Still the subjects are separate and the connections between them which are important and natural are often left out of the discussion.
What can I do?
Make connections.  For yourself or your child, be sure to see the world as wholistic.  Everything is interrelated and their can be an ever widening circle of ramifications for a small action.  It is important for everyone to realize this.  Many of the same skills that serve a scientist also serve and artist. Perhaps more emphasis on skills and connections would serve us better.  Or perhaps we do not yet know how to solve the problem that education currently is.  The quote attributed to Einstein is "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness on which it was created."  The education system was created by our current society.  Without major societal change and a shift in conscious perception, there can be no true improvement, no solving of our problems.
Be part of that change.  All change begins with self change. Examine your own compartmentalization.  When and how do you justify "little white lies" to yourself.  If you can confront those things which mar your own integrity, there will be personal growth.  If enough personal growth can take place within enough of the population, they will stand up to corruption.  Or perhaps you think it is only the people at the top who create the problems in our society. 
A Case in Point
The society is the reflection of the people in it and if ours is false and corrupt, are we not to blame.  If you doubt this I offer the following:
A recent video I watched had a woman on stage who asked a simple question of her predominently white U.S. audience:  "Which one of you would want to be treated the way a black American routinely is treated in this society? Raise your hand if you would."  No one raised their hand.  She repeated the question and again not one person raised their hand.  She then commented:  "The fact that you do not want to be treated that way means that you know that black Americans are treated less well than you are and you don't want that treatment.  It also means that you are aware that the treatment is not what you would find acceptable yet you accept it and  do nothing to change it.  You are therefore part of the problem.  You know it is wrong yet you do nothing to change it." It is the very compartmentalization inherent in our educational system and in the system as a whole which promotes this type of acceptance of wrong doing.  "If black Americans are badly treated, what has that to do with me as a white American?  It doesn't affect me at all.", might be some of this type of thinking.  This behaviour is typical for many people, who may not be able to make the connection to the wider implications of the injustice which they permit to exist.
Yes, it is your Circus and they are your Monkeys!
If you allow injustice to go unchallenged, you may be surprised at how the spread of corruption comes home to roost.  If you don't want society to be a circus, take issue with the small wrongs, so they don't proliferate.  Be authentic and honest, stand up for what is right and don't back down. 

I love Spirit Science.  Their videos on youtube and the whole community scene.  They forwarded SunGazing's super fun visual quiz. 
Here it is as an offering - a small quiz that I found fun.  I offer it as my "I'm not really celebrating but hey, here's something for y'all anyway" gift to you.
By the way, can you guess what I got?

Check out the quiz on this link:   http://www.sun-gazing.com/quiz-see-first-3/  from SunGazing.

In case you're wondering I got - You are a uniquely creative personality.  Yes.  Yes, I am.  Enjoy!