Have You Ever Really Thought of our Planet's Name?

The name "Earth."

Oh my gosh. Have you ever really thought about the name of our home planet?

Earth.

We have heard the term so many times, we just take it at face value and let it pass on by.

But think about it. Compared to some cool names of planets - Venus, Saturn, Mercury - the name of our Earth is a real clunker. Say it over and over again, and you may start to hear what I'm hearing. It's like any random word ... if you say it enough times, it takes on a whole new identity, leaving you with the thought, "have I really ever thought of this word before?"

Now nothing against men with this name, but just consider how close the planet's name is to the word "Earl." It's like having a home called Earl.

• Space Being: Hey what planet are you from?
• Me: Earl.
• Space Being: Earl? Hahahha. What a silly name!
• Me: Hey shut up, its mother's name was Earl.
• Space Being: Back off man, or I'll zap you with my HypoLaserBeam. 
• Me: What's that?
• Space Being:  How would I know? It came from your head. 

While other galaxies have advanced sci-fi names like Plaeides and Andromada and Messier 81, with planets such as Roxemalia, we are stuck in the Milky Way with Earth. I don't see why we can't - like those new agey spiritual types - choose a new name if we want to. Something, you know, to make it more hip, more with the times, more elevated.

How about these ideas, just for the sake of brainstorming.

• Highlander 5
• Zorromeister
• Prema Sunshine

That's just some fast brainstorming for you. But you get the idea.

With some creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, we can come up with a planet name of which we can truly be proud, and not have to be saddled with a goofball word that has been thrust upon us without consent.

Do I hear an "amen" people of Prema Sunshine?


James Anthony Ellis is a writer and producer living in San Diego, who isn't as upset at the planet name as he leads on. I mean it could be worse, think of Uranus. He can be reached at www.LegacyProductions.org.

What Can You Do vs What Can't You Do?

This world is divided up into two MAIN realities:

1. Things you CAN do.
2. Things you CAN'T do.

Please see your mother, father, guardian, teacher, PE instructor, counselor, principal, clergyman, congressmen, law enforcement, truant officer and corporate-owned TV news for details on the matter in the physical world of rules, laws, jurisdictions, cultural norms, dogma and TV ratings.

For the remainder ... let's talk.




I wish to bring about the reality - what you can do vs what you can't do - as it plays out in our own minds, and within the communication we have with friends, family, coworkers and most importantly Facebook followers.

Here is the example. A friend calls you with a request some help moving. He or she needs help. What is your first thought? Of course it can depend on many factors, but I maintain that your brain is either programmed for what you CAN do in this situation or what you CAN'T do.

Imagine the face of the person with a CAN do attitude upon hearing the request.  The head is cocked to the side, a bit tilted upwards with eyes to the sky. They are asking themselves "what is possible" "what can I do" "how can I contribute to my friend?"  The face of the person bent on a CAN'T DO approach has eyes narrow, looking down, using most of his or her energy on figuring out "what can I do to get out of any sort of work, obligation or effort?"

This is subtle stuff!

It's way below the surface, but the effects are felt in a very profound way, especially within the give and take of relationships.

In our previous example, the CAN'T person will either quickly find an excuse not to help out on the move, or simply not reply if the request is in e-mail or voicemail. (Note: Though they will never say they "won't" do something, some may be simply open enough to say "nope," "no," or, of course, "can't."

The CAN people will search their minds to make it a "yes" on the request or - and here is the key point - they will open up their minds to see what is POSSIBLE as solution for the one requesting help. A true friend, a true support system, and a truly flexible and conscious thinker, the CAN person's mind goes into a direction of the need. These people consider ways in which their friends' needs can be met. A mutual friend? A local support group? A moving company? It doesn't matter what the solution is or could be; what matters is that the CAN person leans towards solution and care.

The CAN'T person dwells, even in the subconscious mind, on what is not going to work and what is not possible. The CAN'T person is all too satisfied with a "no" and then moving onto the next "no." In relationship, it's a drag, it's a drain and it's like having a conversation in a room with a 4-foot ceiling. The CAN person lives in possibility. He or she isn't a doormat or a "yes man" agreeing to whatever comes their way. This type of person is in touch with those around them and comes up with various options and ideas in this play we call life.

So moving forward in your own life, what are your thoughts around coming from a state of mind rich with options, possibilities and a connection to friend's needs and dreams?

Can you do it?

Or can you not? 



Jim Ellis is a writer and producer living in San Diego, California. He can be reached at www.LegacyProductions.org.

Yoga Stretches - What is the Goal?

I've done yoga, off an on, for about 10 years, not counting the two-hour weekly class I took in college circa 1985. I have had tight hamstrings since ... I was born. 

Now even though I'm no expert, I did have a realization about yoga the other day. It was a day I was doing yoga, after a week of experiencing a sore back. My wife and I were doing an online yoga class from this cool site called Yogaglo. I was truly enjoying the stretches as my sore back was appreciating the gentle movements into the soreness. As the teacher guided students into the postures (asanas), I realized I was only going to go as far as my body dictated, allowing for the stretch that best suited me, apart from the final posture by the teacher.

AHA! Here is where it really hit me.

Western yoga still leans too heavily on the results of completing a full posture, rather than the individuals’ experience within any of the postures. 

This is not possible to those with tendons.

Yes, many teachers do mention this concept in pretty much every class, but not enough of the teachers STRESS heavily and consistently that the individual stretch, and breath into that, is the purpose of a yoga session and the source of the pleasure within a practice. It’s frustrating to watch teachers in the West move deeply into an asana, mostly because they can, with the subtle, perhaps unconscious, message that the fulfillment of it is a goal. 

OK, I can almost do this.

There is no outward unified goal within a yoga class, except for the common understanding that each participant’s body is different and each person can learn to love the practice when he or she moves into a stretch at their own limit and then find the mobility to move gracefully further. Movement by movement. Moment by moment. 

Yoga is an individual practice, and teachers of classes must constantly remind themselves and each student of this truth. It will eliminate the frustration students have when they can’t apparently "keep up" or move as deeply into a posture.  

Let's stretch into this truth. It will only help.

Oh COME ON!!!!

James Anthony Ellis is an enlightened yogi who can maneuver his body into any posture within the practice of Hatha Yoga, thereby awakening each atom and molecule with oxygen flow, creating an environment of pure consciousness and bliss. He is also a talented creative writer, not above some fun and light-hearted fiction. His books and works are found here:  www.LegacyProductions.org.

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.