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The Center Pole 96 Bashan Road, East Haddam, CT 06423 • Tel: 860-873-3825 |
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  Our Vision Directions & Contact Founder: Greg Besek
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(concept of Terence McKenna) Perhaps it all begin before the last ice age when large grasslands existed in parts of the world. We can easily imagine an ancient ancestor foraging for food, peering into the openness of the unprotected plains from the tree line. Hunger pains pushing her to explore places that were taboo and even dangerous for her people, staring now at the gatherings of large and small animals running, fighting and grazing in the high grass. Their kind was so much more plentiful than hers and it seemed very dangerous to be seen by them. But something growing in the fields has attracted her attention. She could see a potential food source that some of the animals were eating. It was small, yet extremely plentiful and grew out of the animal feces that covered the environment. As she crept a little closer she could see that it was fleshy looking and appeared similar to something that she would forage on the forest floor, especially after it rained. They had little caps on the top of their stalks and some animals were consuming them at a great rate. As she crept around the tree line she finally came upon some feces that contained some of these growths and reached out and picked a handful. Running back into the safety of the forest canopy she leaned back and began to taste the growth to see if it was edible. A bitter yet palatable taste convinced her to eat some more. As she laid down back to the ground, something started to shift in her mind, her blood, her bones. Looking around, the world that she was so accustomed to seemed to expand and animate. Everything was alive in a different way than before. This new world wanted to communicate with her. We can only guess at this time if McKenna’s theory is true, but something surely happened which opened us to the realization that the world was alive and teaming with spirits. From what we know of history, we cannot separate mankind from religion; it has always been there. Religion is as important to us as our physical being. Through the use of either entheogens (plant substances), the sounds made by repetitious drumming, rattling or the grinding of rocks to produce meal, or perhaps through physical sense deprivation, something created an access for the ordinary creatures of the earth to expand their world beyond the physical into the greater consciousness that most refer to as God. The trainings offered by The Center Pole are designed to help those who long for this internal connection to the seen and the unseen world. “The Wasichus have put us in these square boxes. Our power is gone and we are dying, for the power is not in us any more. You can look at our boys and see how it is with us. When we were living by the power of the circle in the way we should, boys were men at twelve or thirteen. But now it takes them very much longer to mature. Well, it is as it is. We are prisoners of war while we are waiting here. The challenge of life is not to see if we can be better or worse than anyone else, it is in finding the unparalleled beauty and contentment in simply being.
Peace Peace in the heavens, peace on earth, peace upwards and permeating the atmosphere. Peace upwards, over, on all sides and further; peace to us, peace to all vegetation; peace to all that has form, peace to all causes and effects. Peace to all existence and to all intensities of reality, including all and everything; peace to us. Let there be peace on earth, the atmosphere and the heavens be filled with peace. Even further may peace extend. Peace to the waters, land and air, peace to all the deities of the universe, peace to all the deities within us. Peace to creative consciousness, peace to brilliant light, peace to the deepest darkness, peace to all, peace to everything. Peace, peace, all together peace, equally peace by means of peace. Thus by means of peace, ignorance is eliminated, violence is eradicated, improper conduct is eradicated, confusion and sin is eradicated, all that is, is at peace. |
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Epilogue
Volumes upon volumes have been written, and endless amounts of words have been said about spirituality, yet most of us still find ourselves groping for its meaning and application to everyday life. Unfortunately, many of us don’t even think about our commonality any more. We focus on being different, smarter, prettier, wealthier. Why we may ask? Original sin, misknowing and maya, according to some well-known religions, are the causes for our confusion and subsequent suffering. We may infer from these beliefs that when we are born we are helpless; therefore we immediately look to the outside world for relief from loneliness, pain and abandonment. Without proper guidance, we continue to look to the outside world to alleviate all our suffering and confusion. However, there is an INNER WORLD! Until man kind finds and learns how to negotiate this inner realm, we will be lost, in pain, with feelings of abandonment, and we will continue to be a cancer upon the earth, a disease which eats away at its own body. We don’t seem to understand that “we are cutting the same branch that we are sitting upon” Fortunately, we are not left in the dark since many who have known these inner realms have gone before us and have left maps. Many of us are trying to follow these maps today. When the Christians repeat one of their primary prayers “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ” we need to understand that “the kingdom of heaven is within” and that we should, “first seek it out, as everything else will be added on.” It is with our hearts, our “sacred” hearts that the word of God can be heard. In order to hear something, our minds must be still. The word of god is quiet, subtle and immense. We must become Divine Listeners. Each religion is birthed from the “spiritual experiences” of our ancestors quest for peace on earth. We all want to be safe in our environment, secure with our food sources and to be in tune and in a state of wonderment with the world around us and within us. All of the thoughts we create, the actions we take and the behaviors we develop are for these ends. We need vows to quiet our minds, and find the heaven/peace within. There, there is no cast, creed or country to belong to. Where there is the heart, we find love. Where there is the breath, we find the spirit, Where there is silence, we find God. When we find God, we realize that all is God. Only through this experience can we coexist with the world and each other. In themselves, religions are like cuisines. Every culture, depending on the external environment, develops there own way of nourishment. All cuisines can nourish and sustain the body. Religions provide spiritual food which may look a little different on the outside, but nourishes and sustains the soul on the inside. Unfortunately, in both cases, too much processing takes away the nourishment. Our religions need to be alive, vibrant and compassionate to all. To say that only one nourishes and sustains is absolutely egocentric, violent and blind. If you have read this far, you obviously have a yearning for what I have been writing. I ask of you then to take a vow of ahimsa, non violence towards yourself and to the world. Please step out of your own space where you are separate and step into a sacred space where everyone and everything is connected. Our ego defines our own space, our heart defines the sacred. Vow to yourself a million times over the view of non-violence. If the pen is mightier than the sword, write to those you know about non-violence. Talk about it, dream about it. Whether we like to admit it or not, we are a warring country whose economy is based on violence. We do violence to ourselves with the procesed foods we eat, the beliefs we carry and the actions we perform. We do violence to the earth as we continue to rape her to the bare bones. We are committing violent acts to other nations by telling them they should be like us. If we want the basics in life -- a safe environment, a secure food source and an internal and external wonderment about life -- we must not be fearful of exposing our wounds, our selfish acts. Although there only seems to be few, I firmly believe the vast majority of the world wants peace and abhors violence. Only ill people like to see others suffering and dying . Only ill people say that it must be our way or no way. Television needs to show the effects of violence more often. We need to watch people starving to death more often. We need to watch innocent people being bombed as they are constantly during war time. If we see enough of it, we will say NO MORE for once and for all. There should be no more genocide ever on this planet again. Wherever any epidemic breaks out it should be televised as much as the O.J. trial or the Peterson trial. The media world should cover it nonstop until all perpetrators are stopped. If the pen is mightier than the sword, how much more powerful is television and the internet? We must get out of our sterile environments to witness and to experience the world as it is. We must realize that what is fed to the American public through our news media is nothing more than sitcoms and dramas. They will not or cannot show us what the truth is because if they did, nobody would watch! We cannot blame them any longer. It is up to each individual to say “I want the truth”. How many of us actually can watch a “Save the Children” commercial? It is so painful but why are we so afraid of pain? Why are we so afraid of crying? We must demand our government, WHO ARE OUR SERVANTS, to stop the greediness, the heartlessness, the self-serving attitudes and start serving our children, our elderly, our needy. If you find yourself in a comfortable situation, with enough money to live in comfort, please don’t keep looking for more for yourself. But begin looking how you can help ease the suffering of others who are not as fortunate. Look first to the very old and the very young. We don’t need to go over the ocean to give to others. It is very likely that someone in your own neighborhood doesn’t have enough food to eat or enough money for proper medication to keep them healthy and/or pain-free. In the wealthiest country in the world, poverty runs rampant. You will not only help those you give to, you will also be carving a path to your heart and your soul. We as human beings are very powerful beings. Unfortunately until this point we have also been very unintelligent beings. If we are to have a future as a species much longer, don’t get mad, get smart. Create an altar somewhere in your living space. This represents the attunement of your mind, your heart and your soul. Humble yourself to it often. Find the quietness within your internal sacred space. Identify with it, for it is what you are in absolute reality. Become a divine listener! And then participate in this world in the form of service to all. Peace is not the absence of War, nor is it relaxation or contentment. Peace is an experience of its own. When we are at peace, the world is at peace. When we are at war, the world is at war. Therefore peace begins within you, with in me. Peace to all, Love to all
For information on trainings or other offerings from The Center Pole, please call: 860 873-3825, or email: thecenterpole@aol.com |
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