Connecting To Spirit - What Other Choice Is There?

I once was mugged. I guess that's what you call it.

Though maybe it was something else. What do you call it when you have a barrel of a gun pressed up against your neck and a couple of thugs are asking for your wallet and your money? Well, whatever that is - I had that happen.

At the time, I remember having two thoughts. And both of those thoughts were directed not towards the thugs or "muggers" but rather to spirit or what some may term "angels" or "spirit guides." I asked the question, "Am I going to die?" And then when I clearly received the inner answer "No," I then had the thought, "Well, that's a relief."

Amazingly, in what could have been one of the more terrifying situations, I was actually - believe it or not - quite relaxed. And I give credit to one very important fact:

I was connected to spirit.

You see, earlier that evening I had been, for all intents and purposes, meditating for about two hours. I had been facilitating a healing modality wherein I would dig deeply and fall into a connection with the higher powers that exist in the higher realms. I had surrendered to that higher will and felt the presence and peace that comes with that. The fact I chose to go to the store directly afterwards, be followed home by a couple of thugs and then proceed to have my neck invaded by a gun barrel, this somehow could not sway me from that connection to something bigger and brighter than anything this silly ole physical world had to offer.

So there I was:

A. Without a wallet
B. Without my car keys (though they threw them back at me as they left for some odd reason)
C. With my groceries (I offered to them but they weren't interested in my soup cans and bananas)
D. And with this stillness.

And it was enough.


Having a connection to source is vital as we walk the crazy landscape that is a world of duality, especially as the insanity is turned up with political campaigns, social unrest, racial tensions and regular and routine mayhem. If we can find a way to connect deeply within - to that still, small voice of absolute reason and unconditional love - we can uncover a sane mind that can see us through any and all turmoil.

In these states of connection, I can't be scared and I can't be upset. I even recently had the experience of guiding some healing energy towards our pooch who was sporting a sore on her paw. A few moments before "running" the light energy over her body, I had been perturbed by one of the 1.2 million things that can bug me in a day. But AS SOON as I turned my focus towards the light energy from above, with the intention of sending that energy through our dog ... that upset feeling INSTANTLY vanished. I could only sense the higher connection.


This told me that I have to make a choice. I can't have my cake and eat it too. I can't be mad and connected to a higher source at the same time. I would have to carry one or the other. Connection, love, light and harmony.... OR .... discord, upset, frustration and anger. Hmmmm. Decision, decisions.

In a world with enough upset and challenge to go around, I can now see the sanity of choosing connection. I have had the experience of focusing on spirit and maintaining peace in the most upsetting of situations. And this all leads me to the crossroads of choice - which sort of life do I want to live? What sort of energy do I wish to attune? What path is the one that will lead me to a higher ground of joy, harmony and peace?

I know the answer. A couple muggers, a needy pooch and the sweetest of connections to a grace beyond compare have helped me to discover it.

James Anthony Ellis is a writer and producer (and meditator sometimes) who lives in Lemon Grove (and bliss sometimes). He can be reached at www.LegacyProductions.org.

Freedom Over the Years

Freedom for all - that's the focus.

Each week, since August 2011, my wife and I have hosted an Internet radio show "Freedom For All" that has touched on topics related to inner freedom (meditation, healing, dreams, philosophy) and outer freedom (GMOs, vaccinations, government controls, human rights, etc). For almost all of the shows, we have had guests join us each week to bring us their own story, viewpoints and flavor of freedom.

Jim and Jennifer Ellis - Cohosts of Freedom For All Radio

Throughout these five years of shows, what has stood out to me is that everyone loves and cherishes the concept of freedom, and yet each explains it differently, according to their frame of reference, their career path and their higher purpose.

A few examples:

• Kendra Wilkinson, former Playboy playmate, defined freedom as "balance, being an all-around person." She noted that the different sides of a person makes them special, and those people who can carry themselves with head held high no matter what are the ones who truly know who they are. They are the ones who are free.  LINK. 
• Chiropractor Brian Garrett notes that when people get in touch with the origin of pain, and then get free of it, they are free to be who they are. "God didn't make no junk," he said. "The greatest machine ever is our bodies. Our job is to find our song and sing it until it helps us and helps other people."  LINK. 
• Patrick O'Neal - sports announcer for the Fox Sports West - sees freedom in the basic way he can live his life: riding his bike in beautiful Southern California, having peace of mind knowing he has a job, can love those he cares to love, can speak his mind, and can live the life he wants. LINK
• Investigative journalist Jon Rappaport sees freedom as the individual inventing his or her own path, apart from a reality invented for people by powers that wish to control and manipulate the populace.  LINK. 

As you can see, each person has a slight different take on this thing we call "freedom." The through-line though: an identity of self that can make choices based on truth with the result being happiness. Sounds familiar: "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Ah ya, that old saying. It's from some document that is designed to establish a countryman's freedom.

Another thing I noted over the years is how some freedom can mainly be defined through the lack of it. "Freedom" in a physical body can be realized when pain and sickness can make the body a prison for us all. Having a government dictate to us what chemicals we must put into our child's body pushes our autonomy to the forefront. Police and politicians who are held to a different standard than the common people heralds the beginning of a tyrant / slave relationship.  

In this light, the need for freedom arises when it is being pressed upon. So perhaps freedom is a natural state of being that can be recognized mainly when it's being taken away - as in limitations, controls, censorship, injustice and all-out abuse. We are born free, and we must find our way throughout our cultures and society to always maintain this state.

The backbone of any freedom in our society is something called "Natural Law." Support for this form of law came from the likes of: Ancient Greece, English common law, the US Constitution and a few enlightened philosophers. I'm not an expert on it, but to me a law based on nature - which would naturally be universal - would be a foundation for all of us at the humanity level ... where we are all equal and, believe it or not, connected. With a natural law respected, the notion of reaching over to another person and harming him or her is preposterous. The mere act of crossing over a boundary of another human or a territory of another people would break this law. Therefore breaking natural law would appear as: sexual abuse, physical abuse, rape, murder, stealing, lies, all of the deadly sins and pretty much everything on that tablet from Mount Sinai.

So for me, the litmus test for freedom and natural law is a phrase I ask myself often: Am I breaking another person's autonomy or natural boundary with this action? If the answer is "yes," then I think to either curtail my action, reframe it, or do the respectful thing and ask the other person's permission.

Freedom is a fascinating concept. I used to be afraid of the notion of freedom since I believed if someone was free than that gave him or her license to kill, maim and hurt others without care or consequence. But then, upon reflection, I realized that when people are free - with the associated emotions and behaviors associated with this - then killing and harming others is far from their minds. It is, in fact, impossible.

Let us all be free and then share the gifts with others when we are in that natural state, so we can indeed live in a world where we have "freedom for all."    

James Anthony Ellis is a writer and producer living as free as he can in Lemon Grove, California. He cohosts "Freedom for All" Radio with his wife Jennifer at blogtalkradio.com/freedomforall.  He can be reached at LegacyProductions.org.

There is Something About Friday

Friday is normally a pretty lax day for me. I tend to relax this day. My mind takes a break, and I can find some peace of mind.

I think it has something to do with the fact I realize that my brain doesn't HAVE TO connect to the rest of the routine, run-of-the-mill, hellish hamster-wheel upon which we are all supposed to be running.

Yeah, there is something about Friday ... I feel pretty good.

Such a relaxed state of mind also shows up whenever there is a blackout ... or a tsunami flood ... or a fire drill during 2nd grade in the late 1960s. Watching a baseball game also gives me the similar feeling.

Now wait! What does a blackout, a tsunami flood, a baseball game and a fire drill in 1969 have in common?

I believe they all represent a timeout from the ever-running hamster wheel, which becomes a form of a present-day prison.

• The prison is the routine.
• The prison is the set of patterns that keep us spinning.
• The prison is the tender mind trap that ends up killing our autonomy, enthusiasm, creativity and joy.  

We may not even recognize that the wheel starts turning. It may start out as a brand new job ... that ends up as the dead-end job. It may start out as a comfortable eating routine ... that ends up turning into some extra poundage on the scale. It may start out as a dream home ... that ends up being a money pit that holds you hostage at night. It may start out as an efficient way to drive to work or the store ... that ends up being a groove dug deep into the road between here and there.

The hamster wheel is also given to us - in the form of bills, taxes, low wage jobs, a high cost of living, and a limited amount of space and time to make it all balance out. As we accept what is thrust upon us, by people and debtors who don't give a shit about our happiness, we can find ourselves in places we did not want to be. And the beat goes on. And the wheel rolls on.

And then comes Friday: a window to a brand new world. Something called the "weekend" is upon us. It shone bright as a child when it meant the end of the school week and the chance to sleep in on Saturday and Sunday. It also shines bright as an adult, as the M-F workweek ends, and we're given a reprieve to focus our energy on other "more fun" parts of life.

But have we ever thought that on a deeper level, there really is no such thing as "Monday through Friday?" Have we considered that the workweek, the school week and "days" in themselves are man-made? Could that mean that we can create something new for our lives, and KEEP that free feeling in our minds each of the moments of our lives, as the sun rises and the sun sets? Could we escape the hamster wheels, without a need for a blackout, a baseball game, a tsunami or even a "Friday?"

I believe so. Freedom makes it so. Our minds can attune to what exists beneath it all: an autonomy that can have us drive another way home. A choice to eat a brand new meal beyond our creature comfort habits. A road-trip away from the safe haven of a house. A free moment in time where we see, feel and experience the deepest reality - there is no necessary allegiance to the workweek and there is no need for a hamster wheel at all. 

James Anthony Ellis is a writer and producer who likes to pick people up at the airport in the middle of the night since it's a way to break out of the normal routine of things. If you are traveling and need a ride, or you want to read more of his books and services, click here: www.LegacyProductions.org.

The US Senate Candidates - Uh-ohhhhhh

It’s that time of year again. Yes, today in California. This is when we – as voters taking part in one of our civic duties – get to truly review the options before us and make the choices to vote in our selection for proposals and candidates. It’s also a time when we get to truly be scared out of our minds.

Now, this piece here won’t cover the Presidential candidate selection. That is a whole other cartoon. This piece will cover the California selections of US Senators. I, like you other lucky Californians, have received the “Official Voter Information Guide” pamphlet in the mail and have reviewed it thoroughly. And I, perhaps like you, am horrified.

Actually, truth be told, when my wife and I first opened the mailer over a month ago, we had the laugh of our lives. We couldn’t believe the slap-dash, errant delivery of these candidates. These are unedited words from our potential CA Senators: 

Ling Ling Shi (No Party Preference) of Rancho Cucamonga says, "Run for God’s Heart and America’s Freedom, challenge 10 giant chaos in economy and economy-related sectors."

Yes, this is an exact quote found in the pamphlet. And yes it was chaotic just reading that statement. Is good grammar not seen as a valuable campaign promise?

President Cristina Grappo (Democrat) of Alameda, says “My education & expertise merits this prolific occupation in order to represent California… I am mainstream Facebook in social media! My core values drive America!"  

I don’t even know what the first sentence means, as it sounds like she did a “Right-click / Synonym” on a few of the words there. And I’m so glad something is driving America; little did I know it was Cristina’s core values.  

Massie Munroe (Democrat) of Glendale, says, "Through my national and international research and political activism, I identified ‘mind control slavery’ by satellite energy technology weapons and social engineering programs that have been in continual development for the past 50 years and facilitated their ‘declassification.’”

I do believe there is much going on beneath the surface, and conspiracies are not always conspiracies, but if you are going to have success outing some “mind control slavery,” have it make much more sense to the common activist… and humanoid.

Don J. Grundmann (No Party Preference) of San Leandro says basically "Fight-the-Power.org." 

You go Don! I’m sure that website will give me all I need. Though since it’s located on a physical pamphlet, there is no hyper-link. How about next time, take the effort to submit some content!

Herbert G. Peters (Democrat) says “Our first 70 years; our country grew and flourished. We had no income tax. Motto: Manifest Destiny. Democrat Presidents; were most wise: Andrew Jackson balanced budget seven of eight years. Franklin Pierce vetoed a federal welfare bill.”  

You must get some points just for knowing anything about a president (Pierce) that no one really recalls from history. But some points are taken away for simply coming across like a high school student. 

Karen Roseberry (Republican) of Palmdale says, "S.A.V.E. the future!"

That’s it Karen? Can you embellish just a little bit? Like what does the acronym S.A.V.E. stand for, if anything? "Say A Verb. Eh?" 

And last but surely least, Jason Hanania (No Party Preference) of San Francisco, said "01100101." 

Is that what unlocks the button for the warheads? Is he showing off, or did he simply get stuck in some binary code parallel universe?

So, in summary, we are in trouble. No, not all the US Senate candidates came off this bad. There are some candidates who wrote lucid, intelligent, clear missives of vision and purpose. But sadly, these were in the minority. The fact that so many of the candidates could scratch out such drivel, and given it could bypass any sort of vetting process either shows that we are indeed the land of opportunity for anyone … or that we have some real holes in our political system. 

And these would be holes that would be filled, unfortunately, by some really ding-dong leaders. 

James Anthony Ellis is a writer and producer living in Lemon Grove, California. He is considering running for US Senate, since he at least owns a spell-checker. He can be reached at www.LegacyProductions.org.

You Remembered the Pepper

The pepper.

Yes, it was remembered. So much so, I had to murmur the phrase "You remembered the pepper." Now, this may not seem like a big deal to some, but if you only knew the backstory.

And so here it is:

As a youngster, there were many comfort foods for me:

• Poptarts
• Lucky Charms
• Honey Combs
• Campbell's soup
• Pasta shells with butter and pepper

The latter was just your normal pasta shell cooked to softness, with the addition of butter and pepper. Sound simple? Well sure! It had to be - I even learned to make it (along with my younger sister) when I was in my early teens. The meal had to have all the parts - shells, butter and pepper. Without one of these elements, it JUST WOULDN'T have held the comfort that comfort food is supposed to hold.

Flash-forward a few decades, and I haven't felt very healthy for over a month. The wife presents some options for dinner. One of them was gluten-free pasta with some organic vegan butter. My eyes lit up. The main ingredients were there. Shells, butter. I then let her know about the whole "pepper" aspect to my comfort food dealeo.

Later on that evening, as the meal was being placed upon the table, my mind raced to this odd concept that "Oh no, she may have forgotten the pepper." I don't know why I thought this. My wife is quite the one with the memory and the ultra-consideration. But the doubt was there, if just for a streaking moment.

So, when the moment came - and I peered upon the meal in front of me, there it all was. Besides the other parts of the meal was the pasta in a bowl, and a pepper shaker right next to the bowl.

"You remembered the pepper."

This meant a lot to me, let me tell you. Again, may appear minor to some. But for this boy who recalls some old-time comfort, and for this man who is so very happy to have a wife who not only remembers what's important to me, but makes sure she does all she can to see that I receive it, I could not be happier.

Love you baby.  Let's eat!

I Can't Believe What Happened To Me At Work!

You are not going to believe what happened to me at work the other day.

Imagine this. This is all about imagination and all about analogy.

There I was working a good half-day of work. Four hours at $25. I did my best at the job and truly felt I earned my keep - a solid $100, a "Benji" as it were.

Upon my departure of my place of employment, a masked man, unknown to me, approached and
DEMANDED that I give up my money. WTF!





It seemed that he would want all of it, the entire $100. However he said, "I'll take half of what you earned in there." I don't think he had a gun, but I wasn't going to make too much of a fuss. He let it be known that those he worked for DEFINITELY had guns and could even come and put me in jail if I didn't give him half of my $100.

WHAT? I would be arrested if I refused to give up my hard earned money? That is ludicrous. He was the one demanding - pretty much at gunpoint (might as well have been) - the money he felt was due to him.

Due to him? I was the one who worked for it. I was the one who put the effort out and earned it. Why the fuck would he say that it was due to him? The amazing gall of such a prick.

Plus I wanted to say ... what the hell are you going to do with that money you're stealing? Now I didn't say it exactly like that, since I didn't want to rock the boat. I just said, kindly and gently, "So upon what will you spend the money you are presently acquiring?" He provided me with a pie chart, which I was supposed to believe. It actually showed that well over half of my 50 bucks would be spent on his own upkeep and then also the cost it would take to build up his empire, invade other people's property and blow the brains out of adults and children. 

Number one - I don't want anyone to take my money without any justification, other than their lie that it's due to them and they can legally do so. How can that be backed by a country based on freedom and equality, and the power of natural law found within the Constitution?

Number two - I don't want ANY of that money they are "appropriating" to be about overtaking other people in other places, destroying property and killing innocent lives.

But what is one to do? Tell me America, the land of the free and the home of the brave ... what is one to do?




James Anthony Ellis is a writer and producer sick of government overreach, living in ... I don't want to say now.  He can be reached, for creative purposes only, at www.LegacyProductions.org.

Sick!

Sick.

That's right; I've been sick.

And I am totally sick of it.

Started a month ago. That's right, a month ago. I have prided myself for years on being able to force out an oncoming sickness within a day. And I've been able to do just that. Whenever some sort of cold or sneezing has come upon me, I totally used the power of my mind, the power of my breath and the power of a surrendered rest to heal me.

Once I even was able to heal myself within an hour, when I HAD TO ... since I was at Magic Mountain and there was no time to waste on being sick. On that trip to Magic Mountain, I took a one-hour time-out in my car and did that deep surrendered rest that has helped get me back on my feet ... and back on the rides.

But this time - staring in early February - was different. And it sucks!

I think I let my guard down. And it cost me. I went on a binge - gluten, sugar, tons of food and then lack of sleep. This combination allowed my immune system to be in such a weakened state that I was susceptible to the evil forces of nature, to the Devil itself. At least that's what it felt like.

It started out with a bit of muscle aches. This turned into a three-day fever, which turned into days of little food as my hunger left me. There were days of a headaches behind both of my eyes, then days where I felt I could operate at about five percent capacity. I then started to feel it in my chest. Oh no, not the chest. This is the worst place that a sickness can hit me. It's here where I start to use the phrase "Oh, here comes the night." This is an ominous thought, seeing as the night brings uncontrollable coughing. It's the sort of cough that is relentless, especially when I lay my body down to rest.

WAIT A MINUTE! Let's figure this out. If you lay down to rest, and you automatically start coughing, then that means you never sleep. Oh man, this can't be good. And it wasn't. Imagine this: the only way I could get an ounce of sleep was to sleep sitting up. That meant creating a place on the floor next to the bed where I could prop up six pillows and attempt to fall asleep. With only the handy PC playing "Friends" episodes next to me as some solace, I was set for night upon night of torture as I coughed uncontrollably.

Over the three weeks of coughing (and I'm still not completely over it), I ended up losing 17 pounds. That is most likely 15 pounds of phlegm alone.

And so here I am, much lighter, still coughing (but not as much), but with a newfound appreciation for a few things:

1. Rest and sleep
2. The love and care of my friends and my ever-present wife
3. The need to fully boost and support the immune system
4. Health itself

Health itself! Yes, it's not the newest concept on the planet. But it sure is freaking true. Without health, you are nothing. You are nowhere. Without health, I'm a slumping, gasping blob on my bedroom floor. Without health, I cannot write; I cannot work; I cannot give; I cannot live my life purpose; I cannot live.

Let us raise our glasses high in honor of our bodies and our health ... and all that it takes to keep ourselves at our optimum health. The glass? A glass of water in one hand, with some echinacea and golden seal in the other. That's right. Let's learn what serves our body, and then give it what it needs. We are going to need this body if we are going to accomplish what we want in this life.

Yes, it sucks to be sick. But it sure has taught me a very important lesson along the way. May I get over this cough, but may I never forget where I got it ... and what it takes to keep it away...


James Anthony Ellis is a writer and producer when he can ever stop coughing. He can be reached at www.LegacyProductions.org.