Thursday, July 30, 2020

The World's Latest Arrival


My niece Grace and her husband Cody, first time parents, today. Yup, today...
            ______
 
Well welcome here – welcome to this world
7 pounds 1 ounce – a healthy baby girl
So happy to see you, happy you came along
10 fingers and toes, almost 20 inches long
Born July 30, 2020, 2:10 in the afternoon
Right on time – truly not too late … and really not too soon
Gosh – what will be your story, your fairy tale?
Sweet little one … sweet Abigail

Your folks are so happy, smiles ear to ear
The world’s latest arrival – so precious and dear
The sky opens up; pathways stretch ahead
Memories of the infinite fill the heart instead
The marriage of your spirit has caused you to create
An extension of your love, destined to fulfill a fate
Born amidst harmony, among those cradling peace
Here comes the grand celebration of a great, great niece 

So what have you in store, any wonderful plans as yet?
I’m sure you’ll be funny and sunny, with gags you’ll give and get
Of course, it’s all wide open; it will ultimately be up to you
Everywhere you’ll go, and all you’ll see and do
Of course there will be the pratfalls, you know, those times to stumble
If anything like your parents, you’ll be gracious, generous and humble
There need be no opposition; there is no need for rival
For you, newcomer here, the world’s latest and greatest arrival
Gee – a lovely start to your journey, on into this chosen world
Born just this afternoon – a beautiful baby girl
Yes … what will be your story … your holy fairy tale?
Sweet little divine one … sweet Abigail

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

This Land


 
 
(A parody prose reflecting on current crazy events, as sung to the tune of “This Land is Your Land.”)

This land is your land, and this land is my land
From Left Coast Coolsville, to the New York mob squad
From the Congress fortress, to the deep still waters
This land was made for you and me

As I went blocking cars on a freeway
I saw above me a police copter
Saw below me a fallen comrade
This land was here for you and me

I rushed and rioted, and I've followed my stampede
To the sparkling fireworks thrown in the darkness
All around me a mom’s voice screaming
My child was killed for you and me

When the sun come shining, then I was so shocked
The buildings burned out and the dust clouds billowing
A voice was moaning as the flag was simmering
This land was torn for you and me

This land is your land, and this land is my land
From churning Seattle to burning Portland
From Chicago’s death march, to the lawless New York
This land was wrecked for you and me

When the bricks were soaring, then I was ducking
And the punches flying, the bodies piling
The propaganda chanting and the morgue was filling
This land was spoiled for you and me

This land is your land, and this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest, to the Gulfstream waters
This land was made for you and me

This land is made by you and me


James Anthony Ellis is a writer found at www.LegacyProductions.org.
 

Sunday, July 26, 2020

Discernment - The Final Frontier




"We’ll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false.”

         ~ William Casey, CIA Chief 1981

Today I had to do it! I could not wait or wonder any longer.

I so fervently needed the absolute truth, that I had to simply go to the ONE SOURCE of all things real.

Yup, I had to go to go there: to SNOPES at Snopes.com!

This online service is a one-stop shop for the recognition of reality, especially in these days of conflicting reports, haywire news-wires, social media memes and "conspiracy theories."
 
With a healthy appetite to get to the heart of the matter, along with my share of doubts, I've been a searcher and researcher my entire life.

I was 19 days old laying in a crib when our 35th US President was murdered in Daley Plaza, Dallas, Texas. Yes, that's my alibi.

And that also means for my entire life, I was raised in an open-minded environment with a father who dug into the JFK murder cover-up, basically offering me a foundation of intrigue, inquiry and suspicion. I grew up KNOWING it was OK - actually necessary - to question any official narratives spoon-fed us by those who could benefit from our lack of knowledge and awareness.

A “magic bullet” traveled to and fro - up and down and all around - before striking different bodies on that fateful November day in Dallas?

Ohhhh kay ... what - evah!

Whether that bullet bullshit is true or not - let's be open-minded about this - the very fact it can be questioned completely blows open a life of investigation and discovery.

If the JFK one-shooter non-conspiracy conspiracy theory is fake, then what else is fake? Oh man, should we even go there? It could be a scary venture to part ways from the commonly accepted broadcast. But what else can you do but GO THERE when searching out for the truth?

I remember when I was in third grade, we'd have these Thanksgiving celebrations. We'd have a meal or some cupcakes; we'd make turkeys out of the outlining of our hand, and hear the story of the Indians and the Pilgrims. I recall the story of how well the Europeans and the Natives got along, chowing down mashed potatoes and green beans and bread and maize-on-the-cob. I remember giving this quizzical look as if to say, "Are you sure it happened this way?"

I guess I was always wanting to burn through the BS and get to what's true, to something holding what could be called the "absolute."

But where could a human go for this level of knowledge: something without opposite, something that carried the underlying reality for all ... a rock to hold onto?

I went many places:
  • School - Teachers wouldn't lie ... would they? I mean these were adults, bigger people. They passed out the history books, the dustier the better, found also in libraries with big, long shelves, delineated through a Dewey Decimal System. But who wrote these books? Most likely humans who won the wars.
  • The Red Writing - I remember in reading through the Bible, that it was the red print that I was attracted to, believing this was divinely inspired expression, carrying the way, the truth and the light, beyond debate, or the failings of man.
  • Science - I learned about some laws of physics, ones that could not be bent by thought or belief, even if those pioneer scientists were executed by over-reaching royalties who didn't like such heretic-led discoveries.
  • Movies, TV and Art - Heck, the X Files told us "The truth is out there." Could that be so off base? Though some films truly opened the mind ("The Matrix") and the heart ("ET"), I'm a bit hesitant believing all that comes from La La Land Hollyweird. I mean yeah, aren't they paid to make shit up?
  • The News - As I was schooled in journalism, I held the industry in high regard for so long. That was until anyone with a blog, an opinion and an ass was a “journalist,” and anyone with an iPhone was a “reporter.” Plus any news media that takes sides is not true journalism.
  • Fact Checkers - Right now, this post may be checked for accuracy. If they find any of it "wrong," does that make me a liar? And who hires these fact checkers, and with what ground-rules?
  • Courts / Cops - In the old days these were the havens of black-and-white law and order, and "just the facts maam." Now I don't know. I went up against a judge who seemed more preoccupied with moving things along and covering his butt than getting to the rock bottom truth.
  • Politicians - God help us all.
  • Thought Leaders - Oh there are a ton. And if you ask them, they indeed have all the answers. One I actually have looked up to is a non-apologetic truth-telling seminar leader Justin Sterling. He really lays it on the line with some truisms about men and women that no one in the politically correct world would touch. So either he is right on or absolutely appalling. Or both.
  • Philosophers - My favorite along these lines is Descartes - this crazy mofo postulated that nothing from our limiting senses could offer us the truth, for these mutable five are, by nature, subjective and ever-changing. Descarte found within rational pursuits, such as mathematics, that there would be static and unchanging realities that did not alter over time and space. He may have been the first to utter: "Two plus two always equals four, dammit!"
  • Music – Ah, my albums, CDs and cassette tapes! I love them. They don’t make these any more, do they?
  • Mystics and Psychics - Hey, don't knock it until you've been around a true mystic who sees beyond the veil and brings some far-out realities no one could reasonably guess. These folks must be in touch with something bigger and something higher! Though then again no one is perfect, and rumor has it everyone on planet Earth, so far, is human.

So where does that leave me? In all of these endeavors in my search, I have desired a reality transcending opinion and belief.

This is why I decided, after all this time, to just bypass all these other sources and go towards the Big One. That's right: Snopes.com. I mean they say it themselves: "We are the internet’s go-to source for discerning what is true and what is total nonsense."

Thank God! They even sound beyond human, beyond mistake, beyond beyond.

Hoping to confirm a certain matter, I was researching this idea that Google was playing some tricky games again, with its algorithm searches. A couple weeks ago, some folks were saying that when you typed in ANY THREE DIGIT figure into a Google search, the first item at the top of the page would always be the number of reported COVID virus cases. Meaning, type in 223 or 432 or 695 and you would get THAT exact number as the number of reported cases in the top search. 

I recall after first seeing the claim, I did my own test on that, typing in my three numbers over and over again. I was amazed to see that it was true. IT WAS TRUE! What is up with this craziness? How could that ever be the case? After seeing the claim again yesterday, I wondered what Snopes had to say about it. Snopes noted that the claim was a “conspiracy theory” and labeled it all “FALSE.”

I went to test it again on Google, and the search no longer held the same results.

And so there you go.

My experience revealed indeed something to be true, and then Snopes went ahead and put its proverbial foot down with a big fat FALSE, while Google changed its algorithms for some unknown reason.

Now what?

Perhaps many of you have landed in this place. Now what?

What have we got to navigate our way through the world of form desiring some sort of absolute truth?

In the end, we may just reside in what we all were given since the beginning:
  • Our gut
  • Our intuition
  • Our discernment
Discernment - the ability to judge well - may just be our own go-to source for knowing what is true and what is nonsense. This just may be our one-stop-shop, our last-ditch effort. 
 
Our final frontier.

And maybe, as we make our way - manifesting the life we truly want here - that’s just how it should be.


James Anthony Ellis exists therefore he is ... and can be found at www.LegacyProductions.org.

Thursday, July 23, 2020

Second Nature



(For anyone who must go out into the woods every now and then to find themselves.)

Into the woods, away from the noise
The innocence of girls and boys
Searching for beauty, the one true goal  
A reminder of her very own soul
On the trail, through the brush
Strolling along, there is no rush
An eagle above, a squirrel, a bee
A stream to the right, a bended knee
Rushing by in effortless flow
This is home, here she’ll know
The return to a garden, the eternal one
An inner nature, second to none

Second nature
Second nature
As simple as a second nature

A song for you, her dear forest home  
It is here that she is never alone
Climbing a tree, looking down
The entire globe curving round
A far-off lake comes into view
Arising in mind, the old and the new
A landscape life on canvas art
A lifelong story from the very start
The mirror pool, reflecting like film screen
Movie magic, scene after scene after scene
The return to a garden, it’s just begun
An inner nature, second to none

Second nature
Second nature
As sure as a second nature

As an infant babe, a mobile zoo
Talking by the time she was two
Getting back up after falling down
The playground fun, merry-go-round
Games in the park, a playful heaven
Yet, nature spirits said goodbye at seven
Reeling and rolling, dodging bullies at school
Half the time trying to play it cool
Teen years became the lean years
Measurements, grades, judgments, fears
Graduating to jobs, freeways and cement
A purpose, a plan – why was she sent?
Through the static and chaos, she’s been lost 
Success in the world of form – at what cost?
Around and around the entire globe curves
Is belonging to nothing what she deserves?
Neigh … into the woods, away from the noise
The innocence of girls and boys
The bee, the squirrel, the eagle soaring above
Connection, unity, oneness … love
The yearn for the garden, the infinite sun
An inner nature, second to none

Second nature
Second nature
As pure as a second nature
Second nature


Why Not Mention It?




Who was it?

Who would think it appropriate?
Who would think it would match?
Who came up with such a response to a compliment?

At one point someone had to be the first to say it. Say what?

Say this: “Don’t mention it.”

Oh my, really? Don’t mention it?

You’ve been there. Perhaps you’ve heard it. Perhaps you’ve said it.

It comes at a time when someone, in some sort of inspired expression of gratitude, offers a word or two or three of appreciation. Some phrase like “thank you” comes flowing gracefully from a person, uplifted by some kind act of a pal, barista, clerk, stewardess, construction worker, barber, undertaker …

And what is the response to the “thank you?”

“Don’t mention it.”

Why not mention it? The gratitude was there to be expressed. It’s even a light, positive, happiness inspiring expression.

The real question at that point might be “why not accept it?”

Why will some folks simply not receive in the positive words coming their way?
The creator of verbal language even came up with a return phrase, found within the astute Webster’s Dictionary and other distinguished literature and documentation.

It’s this: “You’re welcome.”

Though there are many other such phrases to represent the receiving of the good, people may have their own barriers. Is it better for some to not receive gratitude, making the kind act a selfless one? Is it a sign of weakness to receive? Do they believe they don’t deserve it? Are they afraid if they say something like “you’re welcome” this will ruin their chances at a tip? Who knows!

There are some other great lines and strategies to discount other’s words of gratitude and shift attention away from some appreciation coming their way:
  • “It was nothing.”
  •  “Anyone would have done it.”
  • "No Problem"
  • “My pleasure.”
  • “Pshaw!”
  • “No, no ... thank you!”

I really believe we’d all be more uplifted if we participated in the mutually uplifting ritual of giving and receiving gratitude. It creates a synergy flow of the good that can feed on itself. I have a theory that those people who don’t receive appreciation end up those cranky old men and women who feel they have been left behind and that no one appreciates them.

Let’s not be that guy, that gal. Let’s be the ones who receive the appreciation, as well as receive our friends who see and acknowledge the good that we bring. It’s alright. It’s all good.

And as far as that other phrase … whoever it was, whoever came up with the silly ole misplaced statement; I just have one thing to say.

No, not “thank you,” but rather … “don’t mention it.”

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Is There Enough Light to Combat this Darkness?



It’s been so hard to watch the news of late.

Besides being confused about what is fact and what could be fiction, I find it so hard to watch the division, anger, polarization, fighting and violence.

It just seems so dark.

Born of the underbelly, thriving in the delusion, celebrated by forces opposing unity, peace and love, it appears the darkness is having its say and its way.

I’m not talking about a specific political stance or any certain campaign desiring fairness and justice. These point in directions of societal uplift. I’m talking about the strategies that incorporate absolute destruction – of buildings, businesses and even bodies.

Innocent, unsuspecting people being struck by a blinding blow to the head as they simply walk down the street. Bodies piling up in cities like Chicago and New York, victims of gunfire barely reported. Children … 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11 and younger being used to fulfill some sexual deviancy.

And worse.

The likes of these societal scenarios … so dark.

My reaction has somewhat surprised me. I’ve actually felt the need to turn away.
  • In disgust.
  • In anger.
  • In fear.
Long the proponent of prayer and a Higher Power … a long-term practitioner of healing modalities such as breathwork, I’ve always known in my heart and gut that the Light could easily extinguish any darkness. But of late I have started to question.

Is there enough Light to combat this darkness?

It all seems so out of control. Or it appears whatever or whoever is controlling these actions and acts has run amok – unaccountable, unstoppable.

A wave of negativity. A tsunami heading towards shore, with livelihoods and neighborhoods, vulnerable, laying in wait for the inevitable devastation.

Knowing I can’t turn away fully, for avoidance and denial has never assisted the transformation on any level, I look for solutions.

And so I pray.

In a state of surrender, in a humbling hope for help from sources higher, I am open to play any role I can in the resurgence of the Light. Aware of my limitations wherein alone I can’t create any semblance of a global shift, I do take steps in addressing the darkness in my own way: writing, meditation, energy work, healing work, light work.

All together – with those aligned with the Light deep within them – we shall indeed allow for the great shift. It will be a tall order, but a challenge that must be met. Perhaps we’ve all been led to this over our entire lifetime, perhaps over centuries and ages.

I recall what one mystic told me many years ago. She told me it is basically unfathomable what evil people can do to other people. The torture, the dark deeds. Most can’t stomach facing it, let alone embracing it with healing intentions. She said that there was one being who could embrace all of that darkness because of a connection to the source of Light – something that allowed this one to overcome and dissipate the darker forces.

I imagine as times become darker, the more we must expand into our Light.   

As a collective, or as individuals, do we have enough Light in our soul and mind and heart to actually observe and address all the evil acts these forces press upon other people, including the children? Do we have what it takes to transmute, transform and transcend it all, so we can all return back into a pristine and primordial state of our true home?  

Perhaps we will need to call in that help.

From the Light itself. 


Read about more projects of light at www.LegacyProductions.org.
 

The Sinkholes In My Mind




I found another one the other day. Darn it. How did that get in there? Every once in awhile, I stumble across one of these, and there I go: falling down this dark hole, spiraling and spiraling further down.

A sinkhole in my mind.

It looks like this: I have some experience in life, and in my claiming to know what is happening and why it’s happening, I justify some negative thought about myself. Not fun.

Case in point – the other day I happened to text my men’s team in a group thread something very vulnerable taking place in my life, something that had been upsetting me. In that same thread another man noted a great success he was having in his life – a promotion at work. The following comments in this thread included zero replies about my situation and about 10 replies of congratulations to this other teammate.

Danger – sinkhole approaching!!!

Even though I had previously spoken directly with my buds about the topic, and even though I knew I could reach out individually, even though I’ve done tons of emotional healing work in my past, I took this experience and RAN WITH IT … straight into the worst place.

In a matter of seconds, the spiraling fall tumbled thusly:

1.     They don’t care.
2.     Why am I on this team?
3.     Why am I even here?
4.     No one cares.
5.     Now one cares about me.
6.     My experiences are meaningless.
7.     I’m meaningless.
8.     I don’t even belong here … on the planet.
9.     They don’t care.
10. No one does.

Being hyper-aware of my subconscious mind can be such fun.

Though the logic and the intellect would easily discount such grand sweeping beliefs, somehow the lingering residual was a hurt, a wound in my heart.

These are emotions folks; no need for them to make sense. I guess that’s by definition.


Anyway, fast forward in the story, I talked myself down off the ledge, knowing these were most likely old wounds from the past surfacing so I can deal with them directly.

In a matter of a couple days, I received a half a dozen calls to see how I was doing. Though my mind was somewhat committed to holding onto the old beliefs, and keeping me down in the hole, I slowly started climbing myself out. Whether I received calls or not, whether I received a return text or not, the sinkhole of emotional wound may still remain. Though I must say, experiences like this – where my conscious beliefs are dashed through an alternate reality – surely does help.

The real kicker was when I asked one man directly, “Why didn't you text me back about my original comment?” His answer brought tears to my eyes.

“It’s because I cared too much.”

For him and perhaps others, it wasn’t something to text back about.

Well there you go. I went from “They don’t text back because they don’t care” to “They didn’t text back because they cared.” The absolute opposite nature to this situation, for some reason, brought the healing of the heart, the mending of the mind, the filling of this sinkhole.

It happens every once in awhile, these sort of un-holy experiences. Now it’s up to me:

·      To hold back on thinking I know anything too swiftly.
·      To hold off on jumping to conclusions.
·      To take a time out and be with my own inner experiences without judgment.
·      To check in with others with whom I am in relationship to see what’s really going on.
·      To be wary of those sinkholes, and maneuver myself around them whenever I must.
·      To reach out for help if I ever get lost in one.
·      And finally, to be kind and gentle with myself when I have these experiences, not making me wrong, but using it as an opportunity to see where an old wound - a younger me - needs some attention.

James Anthony Ellis and his mind can be reached at www.LegacyProductions.org.



Sunday, July 19, 2020

Asking the Question Why - Posed for Writer Friend Dylan



(This piece is in response to an earlier blog where I answered the questions posed by a writer friend, found HERE.) 

Returning the favor to Mr. Dylan Stewart, prolific writer extraordinaire, I have some questions. A couple days ago, this fine gent was kind enough to offer up some pointed questions to me about the craft of writing.

Besides being fellow writers, we are fellow Scorpios, and it is said (by my memory anyway) that those born under this watery sign are constantly asking the question “why,” if even subconsciously. It rolls under the surface in their minds. I find myself often asking aloud “I wonder why” to many situations. Well – in the spirit of the great quandaries – I ask these of Dylan (and anyone else who would like to participate):

1.     Why do you get out of bed in the morning?
2.     Why do you live where you do?
3.     Why do you do the work that you do?
4.     Why do you shave your head?
5.     Why do you like Paul Tripp?
6.     Why do you shame people who don’t upgrade their Macintosh computers?
7.     Why do YOU write?
8.     Why do you think people have populated planet earth?
9.     Why have you come to planet earth?
10.  Why ask why?

Note: Please use a #2 pencil. No cheating. This will be graded on a curve. ... Why? Because I said so.

ANSWERS AT THE BACK OF THE BOOK:

1.     I get out of bed in the morning because the other option creates bedsores.
2.     I live where I do because that’s where my bed is.
3.     I work at my job because stores demand that I use the current monetary system. And to possibly buy a new bed.  (Third reference to a “bed.” Due to the comedic “rule of three” I am not allowed to use any more references to a bed, UNLESS it’s an off
4.     I shave my head … to match the carpet.
5.     Paul Tripp would do anything for you if he can possibly do so. He would even pack your table on the back of his motorcycle and drive it all the way from Las Vegas to your town. Not that anyone would ever ask him to do such a nutsy thing.
6.     Mac Users who don’t upgrade gradually over time and instead wait until their operating system is incompatible should be shamed for the fools that they are. Upgrade dammit.
7.     I write because I am.
8.     Earth was populated to allow for the new souls or “sparks of the Godhead” to have experiences in manifesting their thoughts on the physical plane of existence. Or this is all a dream. Like your question.
9.     To dream and dream big.
10.  Why ask why? Ummmm … What?


James Anthony Ellis can be reached at www.LegacyProductions.org.