Lessons from Pacquiao-Marquez 4

It's barely a week since Pacquiao's devastating loss by knockout to Marquez last December 8 in the fourth meeting between these two boxing greats. Despite some sports writers saying that the law of averages favored Marquez and that he was most likely to get a win, no one expected him to win in such decisive fashion. Marquez didn't just beat Pacquiao, he ended the fight with a punch that reverberated around the world. It would have been different if Pacquiao lost on points, but to be sent sprawling out cold on the floor is something that calls either for retirement or a rematch. So far, Pacquiao has been making noises about a rematch but only time will tell if he still has it in him.

In any case, I'm not here to focus on the fight itself but on some life lessons I've observed even in the weeks leading up to the fight. These lessons may not be obvious, but it always helps to see the lessons inherent in any situation. Once we attune ourselves to see from these different angles, we become more sensitive to the lessons that can be found in our own experiences.

Here are the few lessons that I've seen:

1. "To get something you've never had, you need to do something you've never done."

Watching HBO 24/7, a short series that followed the training and preparations of both fighters, I saw that Marquez trained like a man possessed. He was obviously the hungrier fighter.

Pacquiao also trained hard but didn't really do anything new. Marquez, on the other hand, practically overhauled his strength and conditioning program by doing plyometrics, strength training and other modern sport-specific exercises designed to increase his strength, stamina and agility. Because of Marquez's resulting physique, the issue of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) has come up. The matter is not helped by the fact that Marquez's strength and conditioning coach is Angel Hernandez, who is known to have provided PEDs to top athletes in the 1990s.

But in fairness to Marquez, when I saw him training I really thought that it was highly likely that he could hurt Pacquiao because I've seen a similar program of exercises before. Where? Among MMA fighters. We all know how extremely conditioned MMA fighters are and how explosive and powerful they are. So Marquez was basically training like an MMA fighter but with a regimen tailor-suited for boxing. Marquez had one thing and only one thing in mind: winning decisively.

It was a lot of hard work that paid off. Marquez was giving as good as he got and even floored Pacquiao in the 3rd round, something that has never happened in their previous fights.

This brings to mind the virtue of constancy and one-pointedness of aim and effort, which according to Master Choa Kok Sui is one of the important prerequisites to achieving success. I'd say Marquez had that constancy and one-pointedness in spades.

2. Anything can happen

Pacquiao was actually winning the fight before the knockout happened. This is ironic because many experts were saying that Pacquiao had too many distractions while Marquez was really focused. You have to give it to Pacquiao, he has natural power in his hands and he was really going for the kill. If Marquez had shown up with the same physique he had in their first three fights, the match probably would have ended earlier, with Marquez on the floor instead of Pacquiao.

I feel that if the match had reached the 7th or 8th round, Pacquiao probably would have knocked Marquez out or at least earned a TKO. Marquez already had a broken nose and the problem with that is that it makes it hard to breathe. This affects the stamina and power of a fighter and it would only have been a matter of time considering the type of bombs Pacquiao was throwing at Marquez.

There are those who say that it was a "lucky punch" that did Pacquiao in, while others insist that it was no lucky punch but Marquez's skills as a counterpuncher that caused the knockout. I feel the truth is somewhere in between. According to some accounts I've read, when Pacquiao threw that fateful one-two punch and missed, he also happened to step on Marquez's foot. So aside from moving forward, Pacquiao was also off-balance and vulnerable at that moment. The luck part comes from the opening that presented itself practically on a platter to Marquez. The skill part is that Marquez was able to capitalize on the split-second opportunity to throw the "perfect punch" that spelled lights out for Pacquiao.

A quote attributed to Tony Robbins says, "Goals are like magnets. They attract the things that make them come true." Marquez so badly wanted to win. Did this desire perhaps manifest itself in the opening that made the knockout punch possible? Sometimes, life simply gives you the opportunity to get what you desire. And then it's up to you to use your skills and capabilities to follow through on that opportunity.

3. There are other arenas in life

Many sports writers have stated that Pacquiao has too many distractions. From a huge entourage, his duties as a congressman and politician, showbiz commitments and advertising endorsements, all of these eat up a lot of time and effort. Even the time he spends on Bible study was said to have affected his focus on training. Boxing experts have reiterated that boxing is a jealous sport. You need to give it your whole attention or you face defeat in the ring.

One writer even questioned whether Pacquiao still had his killer instinct. Pacquiao had given up gambling, womanizing and late night partying but while this is better for Pacquiao's health and future, the writer states that the same qualities that make a boxer a champion are those same qualities that lead boxers to engage in these vices. Supposedly, even boxers who banked on their clean image, like Oscar dela Hoya, admitted to having infidelities and other vices such as drug use. If you give up on these vices, then it's like you're giving up one important quality that led you to the top.

While the writer's opinions are hard to prove, the fact is that Pacquiao lost. However, while he may have lost in the ring, consider what Pacquiao has gained outside the ring: better health, wiser use of money, a saved marriage and peace of mind through a closer relationship with God. In my book, it seems Pacquiao already won the fights that matter most.

4. So what?

At the end of the day, we still need to ask ourselves: so what? Even if Pacquiao had won, aside from feeling good for a while, what bearing does it have towards one's development as a person, one's relationships with others, one's spiritual development and many other pressing issues that need our personal attention and effort?

Taken into perspective, whatever rivalry Pacquiao and Marquez have (or had), it's between the two of them. It's not our rivalry, it wasn't us in the ring, it wasn't us who sweated it out to train hard everyday for several weeks. And yet, because they are famous, it's easy to attach ourselves to their particular drama. Of course, Pacquiao lost and it's normal to feel sad, but again, it doesn't change the fact that we do have our own lives to work on without getting worked up about the lives of other people, no matter how famous they are.

And I feel that's the pitfall most of us are facing now. We identify with the lives of famous people, sometimes to the point of having our lives revolve around the issues these famous people have to the neglect of our own issues. If the famous person was an eminent spiritual guru it wouldn't be as bad, but right now a lot of people adore rock stars, singers and showbiz people. They're not necessarily bad people, but their lives are not the ideal for emulation either.

We can learn lessons from others' victories or trials, but we should always remember that it's our lives that we need to live, not that of others. In this time of great transition this becomes even more important as people will be put in varying situations that force them to introspect themselves.

Again, balance is the key. We should be careful against becoming too self-absorbed. Mundane situations can also hold profound lessons, which is why I chose a boxing match to feature in this article. This is why a certain level of mindfulness in our lives would work wonders as we seek to better ourselves.

The Soul Purpose of Your Life

I recently came upon the following quote by George Burns: "I honestly think it is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate." Does this statement strike a chord in you or does it sound like so much bovine manure? After all, how can you fail if you're doing something you love? Conversely, how can you succeed at something you hate?

However, the answer depends on how one defines success and failure. These days, the majority of people equate "success in life" with financial and material success. And that's how you may find financially successful individuals who are miserable at their jobs. They don't like what they're doing, but they're good at it and it pays the bills, so that's what they have to keep on doing. Many people stop themselves from doing what they love simply for the reason that what they love doing may not earn them the money needed to be successful in the way society defines it.

In the book Total Kabbalah by Maggy Whitehouse there is a chapter on how to discover one's soul purpose. According to Ms. Whitehouse, people who follow their soul purpose achieve a certain amount of satisfaction and fulfillment even if their lives become challenging because of it. Kabbalah in conjunction with astrology can provide important clues as to what type of calling would be consistent with one's soul purpose.

The Kabbalistic Tree of Life is composed of ten sefirot arranged in a particular pattern. Within this pattern, certain sefirot are connected to others by lines (refer to the image). The way these lines are connected, you can form a triangle among certain sefirot with a sefira at each corner of a particular triangle. This triangular grouping is called a "triad."

The particular triad we are interested in is called the Soul Triad. The interactions between the sefirot in this triad can give a clue as to what your soul purpose may be. The soul triad is composed of Gevurah-Tiferet-Chesed. Next comes the astrology part.

Each sefira has a planetary correspondence. In this case, Gevurah corresponds to Mars, Tiferet with the Sun and Chesed with Jupiter. Tiferet reflects your Sun sign. Your soul's strengths and weaknesses can be found in your Mars and Jupiter. As an example, I will quote directly from Total Kabbalah:

A sun in Virgo with Mars in Scorpio and Jupiter in Libra indicates someone focused on service, accuracy, and health (Virgo). This person can see right to the root of a problem through any illusion and is willing to act to destroy or save where appropriate (Scorpio); he or she has the ability to balance all points of view and find the most harmonious outcome (Libra). This soul triad would indicate a person whose soul's purpose was to discover and heal inner problems - whether as a psychiatrist, healer or surgeon.

Now comes the stickler. The sun sign is easy enough to find out since it's the sign corresponding to one's birth date. However, the Mars and Jupiter in sign needs a full astrological chart to determine, and skilled astrologers can be quite pricey or even hard to find.

Have no fear, because the site Cafe Astrology provides a free natal chart service. Just follow the simple steps and take note of the results. When the natal chart comes out, simply zero in on the Mars and Jupiter in signs to find out their characteristics. The site also has specific pages explaining each planet in sign. Of course, interpreting all three to come out with a conclusion about what career or life path best suits you is still a tricky thing.

Let's now relate this to pranic healing, since this may help shed more light on the interpretation of results. In pranic healing, the different sefirot also correspond to the chakras. Gevurah refers to the solar plexus chakra, Tiferet to the navel chakra and Chesed with the heart chakra. Psychologically, the solar plexus pertains to the lower drive, lower emotions and concern for what benefits the self. The heart chakra represents the higher emotions, the higher drives and concern for what benefits others. The navel chakra is a storehouse of energy and represents lower intuition, the gut feel.

Your Mars in sign, representing Gevurah or the solar plexus chakra, can give you a clue as to what drives you, how you express or go for the things you desire for yourself. Your Jupiter in sign, representing Chesed or the heart chakra, can give you an idea of how you express your desire to help others. Your sun sign, representing Tiferet or the navel chakra, can give you an idea of what motivates you or keeps you going. The interactions of these three can therefore help you gain insight on what would most likely give you fulfillment.

The above methods are not the last word on the subject of discovering one's soul purpose, of course. However, it gives one a chance to align with that purpose in an organized manner. Only you can say if the results resonate with your or not. The important thing is to make the effort, because the more we can attune with our soul and our purpose in life, the more at peace we will be with ourselves and with others. Regret is such a heavy burden to bear, so try not to let it get to that point.

Bridging The Gap - Kabbalistic Teachings in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus

The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus can be found in Luke 16:19-31. To save you the trouble of having to click the link or look it up in the Bible, here's the parable: 

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Jesus was Jewish and a rabbi. Rabbis more often than not are also Kabbalists, so it wouldn't be a stretch to suppose that Jesus was also learned in Kabbalah. Whatever the case may be, the above parable contains certain Kabbalistic, and even Hermetic, teachings. Teachings that give a hint of the subtle realities of both physical and spiritual existence.

I arrived at this inspiration while in the process of reading the book Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation In Theory and Practice by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan. Although I'm not yet done with the book, I can say that to date it's one of the most well-written books on Kabbalah that I have encountered. When I say well-written, I mean that the explanations are technical and precise yet easy to understand. Not an easy thing to do when writing about something as abstruse as the Sefer Yetzirah.

Going back to the parable, the following two esoteric laws are demonstrated in the story: the Law of Attraction (like attracts like; conversely, opposites repel each other) and the Law of Polarity or Duality. What does this mean? Spiritually speaking, distance has a whole different meaning. Two things of similar attribute or vibration, by the Law of Attraction, are drawn to each other. We can say that two things of similar vibration are spiritually close. And by that same Law of Attraction, two things of opposing attribute or vibration can never be joined together as they are literally poles apart. The existence of such a set up is the Law of Duality or Polarity. This is the "great chasm" that Abraham speaks of in the parable above, that cannot be crossed even if one wanted to.

And thus we get a hint about one of the reasons for physical existence. In the spiritual realms, for example, good and evil cannot interact since they are poles apart. The only place where they can interact is in the physical plane, which is how we say people have both "good" and "evil" tendencies in themselves. It is only in the physical realms that we have the opportunity to exercise the free will to overcome "evil" or "negative" tendencies and thus spiritually grow. Going back to the parable, it was only while the rich man and Lazarus were alive that they were in proximity to each other and able to interact (in that Lazarus was feeding off the scraps from the rich man's table). Yet when they both died, they were separated by the great chasm (Law of Attraction) due to their difference in spiritual vibration. This is why the rich man wanted his brothers to be warned while they were still alive.

In the parable, the rich man mentioned "five brothers" that needed to be warned. The number five is a cipher that can refer to the five powers of man, the five spiritual centers that form the pentagram (palms of both hands, soles of both feet, top of the head), the five senses or the five fingers of the hand and their elemental symbolism (in Indian mysticism and certain hermetic magical systems; this is why mudras or hand/finger positions produce certain effects). In the Sefer Yetzirah, it mentions setting the "five against the five" which is symbolism for the 10 sefirot with their counterpart opposites. In this system, each finger of the hand represents a certain sefira.

As you can see, the topic of ciphers is too vast to cover in one article. But on a more basic level, five represents the pentagram, which also symbolizes Gevurah. Interestingly, in pranic healing Gevurah also refers to the solar plexus chakra. The solar plexus chakra is the clearinghouse of energy that distributes prana throughout the whole body. Psychologically, in a positive sense the solar plexus chakra is the center for courage and drive and caring for the self, while negatively it is the center of lower negative emotions such as greed, anger and selfishness. Without taming these lower impulses, it is easy to fall into the same folly that the rich man in the parable lived out during his lifetime. Soul contact is the means by which one tames the lower impulses, and of course we increase soul contact when we live a more virtuous life. The virtues are nurtured through spiritual teachings that are transmitted through spiritual teachers or "Moses and the prophets" as symbolized in the parable.

But how does the physical plane fit into the greater scheme of things? Let's consider the relationship between God and Man. Obviously, Man is a being that is of much, much lower vibration than God, and therefore spiritually Man cannot be joined with God. In case you are wondering how this can be since we are all divine sparks from God, there is a key phrase in the Sefer Yetzirah (1:7): "Their end is imbedded in their beginning." The explanation would take up too much space, but suffice it to say that it refers to our journey towards God. But how do we undertake that journey?

Many esoteric teachings state that there are several strata in the spiritual world, with each subsequent realm being of a higher vibration than the one "below" it. By the Law of Attraction, one is unable to cross over into a higher realm unless one's vibrations match that particular realm. But if we remain in a purely spiritual state, again by the Law of Attraction our existing vibration would make us unable to interact with the higher vibration that we want to reach. Essentially, we would be stuck in place. Therefore, it seems the only way to interact with a higher vibration would be to encounter it in the physical realm.

This process whereby one steadily increases one's vibration through cultivation of the virtues and other good works is termed spiritual evolution. If one follows the spiritual teachings to the best of one's ability, by the time one passes over from the physical realm (i.e. once our physical bodies die), one's vibrations should already be high enough to enter the next higher spiritual realm, and thus the person is "one step closer to God" in terms of spiritual evolution.

T. Lobsang Rampa mentioned in one of his books that incarnation is one of the fastest ways to spiritually evolve. What would take a purely spiritual being millennia to achieve can be achieved in a few years simply by incarnating in the physical realms. I was wondering why this was so before, but now Lobsang Rampa's statement is starting to make some sense.

Of course, what we are seeing here is only one facet of the truth. What comprises the physical changes the higher up one ascends in the spiritual realms. In Alice Bailey's works, for example, the Monadic Plane (Anupadaka) where our divine spark resides is but a part of the Cosmic Physical Plane. The Cosmic Physical Plane actually extends all the way to the Divine Plane (Adi or Plane of the Logos). But at the moment, we need not boggle our minds with such terminologies.

What is important to consider is that physical life is the paradox that allows us to spiritually evolve. Life can be a burden and it can be confusing at times, especially when things seemingly go wrong despite doing everything right. But the fact of the matter is, life is literally a gift and an opportunity.

Americans recently celebrated Thanksgiving. But if we think about it, we go to sleep at night with no guarantee that we will wake up the next morning. The fact that we do wake up should already be an occasion for giving thanks, because we have been given another opportunity to live the life that would allow us to increase our spiritual vibration.

There are even more teachings that are embedded in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, but again discussing them would take up too much space. But hopefully this article would point the way towards taking another look at the teachings of Jesus the way a Kabbalist probably would have. In case this sounds challenging, it is. But let me end with the following words of Jesus that you can meditate on:

This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;
    though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. - Matthew 13:13, 16

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. - Matthew 7:7

Evocation

Wikipedia defines evocation as "the act of calling or summoning a spirit, demon, god or other supernatural agent, in the Western mystery tradition." These supernatural entities are usually summoned so that the magician may learn something about a particular subject that the summoned spirit is knowledgeable about or to order the spirit to perform a task for the magician.

Spirits have different specialties. If the magician wanted to know more about the making of herbal ointments and potions, for example, a spirit from that sphere of knowledge could be consulted. If a magician wanted to improve the sales performance of his/her shop, the appropriate spirit could be summoned to attract more prosperity and customers for the business.

The concept of evocation or summoning tends to sound diabolical because of all the horror stories we've been bombarded with about runaway demons and evil wizards (it's practically standard fare for Dungeons & Dragons adventures), but in its barest essence evocation is like consulting or hiring a specialist in the real world except that you're using magical means. But one aspect of evocation that many people would question is, why is there a need to summon demons or so-called negative spirits?

According to Franz Bardon, one of the foremost hermeticists of the 20th century, good and evil are concepts created through Man's limited understanding of the universe. From the perspective of the esoteric scholar, good and evil are expressions of the Law of Polarity or Duality, one of the natural laws that makes the universe possible.

One way to see how "negative" and "positive" are both necessary is to look at ants and mosquitoes. Ants can be negative in the sense that they can ruin our food, while mosquitoes bite us and can bring disease. But we know that both species are necessary for the health of the environment and wiping them out can imbalance the ecosystem to the point that it could threaten our survival. The concept of negative connotes destruction, while the concept of positive connotes construction. So another example of how both concepts work together is to look at digestion. If there was no negative (in the sense defined earlier), there would be no way for us to digest our food, because digestion involves breaking down the food (a "negative" process) to allow the body access to the nutrients to repair and sustain itself (a "positive" process).

Going by the examples above, we can expand our understanding of positive and negative to angels and demons. They are entities that have their specific roles in making the universe work as it should. Not everyone can understand what roles these entities may play, the same way not everyone understands how a mosquito is an important part of the ecosystem, but for the magician who has an understanding of these matters he/she can harness these forces in order to further his/her development and act as an agent of Divine Purpose.

That being said, there is a reason for all those horror stories about magical summonings gone awry. Just as no one works with high voltage electricity without proper training and preparation, one needs the same amount of care when evoking spirits. This shouldn't be surprising since one is directly accessing the hidden forces that run the universe.

Just consult any grimoire and you will see the same basic paraphernalia: the magic circle; the wand, sword and knife; the triangle; the magician's robe; the sigils, and so on. The aim of all these is to ensure that the magician doesn't lose control over the magical operation. If you want a more detailed explanation about evocation and the different processes, I suggest you read Franz Bardon's The Practice of Magical Evocation. Even if you don't have any plans of actually evoking spirits, Bardon's book is still good theoretical material and his explanations are clear and easy to understand, without the histrionics that commonly color the prose of classical grimoires.

In case you're still feeling apprehensive about this whole summoning business, it's interesting to note that we actually practice some sort of evocation everyday, most often unconsciously. How? Through the way we think.

The power of thought is a force. This is why we say that energy follows your thoughts. What is this energy? In pranic healing, this pervasive energy is called prana. If energy (prana) follows your thoughts and prana is life energy, the thoughts we put forth are enlivened by pranic energy. In a sense, thought forms are also lower forms of entities. A thought form can gain power when it's very clear and focused or through constant repetition, or both.

There is another esoteric law that states that like attracts like. So if you continuously send out angry thoughts, for example, you attract anger entities and elementals that will send signals to you to produce even more of the energy (in this case, anger) that they are so enjoying. This is true for every negative or positive thought that there is. Therefore, you "summon" the type of entity that is equal to the quality of your thought.

Repeated thoughts by a sufficient number of people can form an egregore, or a gigantic thought form not attached to any particular individual. These egregores have a power of their own and can be accessed through gestures, words of power or rituals. A negative example of this would be the Nazi egregore that engulfed the people of Germany prior to and during World War 2. The Nazi salute was the gesture that filled the person with the energy of the Nazi egregore and at the same time empowered the egregore as long as the person remained a devotee of that belief system.

It's interesting that the process that ensures a safe and successful evocation parallels the same process that helps one attain a happy, healthy and balanced life. During an evocation, the magic circle is not only a protective device. It symbolizes one's divinity or oneness with God. The summoned being is in essence "talking to God" and therefore has to obey the magician. In everyday life, we need to maintain this "magic circle" of our being so that we don't lose control over the thoughts and entities that we are bombarded with everyday. This "magic circle" also serves to remind us to consciously control our thoughts and direct the forces that impact our lives and those of others.

Consider for example the act of earning a living. When we are doing work, we attract entities of productivity so that we are even more energized and motivated to work. However, if we lose control over this impulse to work, these productivity entities can "possess" us and drive us to become workaholics. Same goes for eating. This basic survival instinct can all too easily lead to gluttony if we don't control our appetites. This is how bad habits and addictions are formed. That's why we sometimes end up asking ourselves, "What possessed me to do that?" Anything positive can quickly turn into a negative if we lose control over it.

The ancient Kabbalists say that there is no attribute that can be assigned to the Infinite Being because this Being is beyond all concept. However, if there was one concept that would come closest to describing the Infinite Being, it would be that of will. Will provides the volition or impetus that gives birth to creation. It is through the will that we gain control over the forces that would otherwise overwhelm us if left unchecked.

All of this is easier said than done, of course. But that's why life is a school that gives us all these opportunities to learn and practice. All the descriptions about magic and mysticism make it look like we are gaining the power to control and influence outside events, but in many deeper ways we are actually working to master ourselves.

The Hermetic concept of "As above, so below" is quite well known. So if we subscribe to the assertion that our body is a little universe, a microcosm of the macrocosm, then the concept of self-mastery as a path to God makes a little more sense. We effect change in the outside by first changing the inside. This is the essence that we can extract from all the rituals and practices of magic that exist in the world.

At the end of the day, we ask ourselves: Do we stand at the center of our own magic circle, fully in control of the forces within us so that we may better participate in the Divine Plan? Or do we become enslaved to the entities that we unwittingly call forth in the unguarded recesses of our own mind? That choice is always before us.

On Transcending The Physical

Mystic teachings of antiquity have always taught that we are more than just our bodies, that we are divine sparks undergoing a physical experience through the medium of our physical bodies. The main thrust of mystic practices has been to transcend the physical in order to realize the divinity within and experience the supernal realms of existence.

For most people, transcending the physical would mean denying many of the things that an ordinary person would consider normal, be it in terms of diet, material possessions, participation in everyday affairs, and so on. In this case, spirituality has been equated with self-sacrifice. For me though, while a certain amount of restriction and discipline is indeed necessary, living the life of an ascetic is not always the best path to enlightenment. In fact, too much withdrawal can leave a person ungrounded and out of touch with the needs and sensitivities of everyone else. This neglect can even lead to the failure to take care of one's own body.

However, everything in the universe has its place and this would include the physical world. This wonderful biological construct called the human body is a marvel of sacred geometry and the miracle of life, therefore it makes no sense to discard it while we are not yet done with our time in this world. While this may seem at odds with how many people would view spirituality, I found something interesting in the field of athletics that may help shed some light on the role of the physical in driving our spirituality forward.

We've all heard the saying that boxing is 90% mental and 10% physical. However, for anyone who has actually taken up boxing, it's very physically demanding to the point that one would say it's all physical. One boxing website I visited goes so far as to say that: Boxing is 90% mental and 10% physical. But that 10% physical requires 100% of your physical capacity.

Now here's the interesting point. According to the same boxing website I mentioned earlier, professional fighters have developed their physical capabilities and conditioning to the point that in the ring, they're not thinking or focusing attention on their physical body anymore, leaving their minds free to think of strategy and outsmarting the opponent. That's where the 90% comes in, after you've basically mastered your physical conditioning.

There's an interesting parallel in the selection process for special forces soldiers. If you've watched any of the military-themed shows such as Discovery Channel's Surviving the Cut or History Channel's Special Forces, you will see that prospective special forces candidates are run through a meat grinder of physical challenges such as forced marches with heavy loads or long distance swims, usually with little or no rest, lasting several weeks until only the toughest remain and earn the opportunity to be trained as a special forces soldier.

In one episode, one of the selection instructors was interviewed. The sergeant who was interviewed said that the selection process is structured such that physical fitness can only carry one so far. Beyond a certain point, pushing on becomes a mental effort. He said the physical body's limits can be pushed as long as you're mentally strong enough. And it's these soldiers that the instructors are looking for, those who can dig deep and push forward in situations when someone less mentally tough would have given up. Often it's not the big, muscular or athletic ones who make the cut.

In both the boxing and special forces examples, the way to transcend the physical is to fully engage it rather than to shun it. Again, the case of the famous Shaolin monks comes to mind. These monks develop themselves to the pinnacle of martial arts prowess, but only as a means to get to the next level.

Many modern esoteric authors categorize Eastern/Oriental mysticism as inward looking, or focused on detachment, while Western/Occidental mysticism as more focused on mastering one's surroundings and being participative. But actually, they are two sides of the same coin, because you can find elements of both inward and outer directions from both sets of traditions.

For instance, the several systems of Indian yoga develop particular aspects of the self. The more popular Hatha Yoga develops the physical/etheric body, and the early fame of Indian yoga comes from the extraordinary physical feats performed by certain yogis. Bhakti Yoga develops one's emotional body through devotion and this is furthered through Karma Yoga, or compassion in action. Rajah Yoga strengthens the mental body and increases soul contact. Every level is important, which is why the physical is not overlooked.

In the book A System of Caucasian Yoga by Count Stephan Colona Walewski, there is a passage that reads:

I am on this earth,
to reclaim the earth,
to turn the deserts into paradise,
a paradise most suitable to God and His associates 
to dwell therein.

Like any mystic knowledge, there are several levels of meaning to the above prose. On one level, the earth refers to this physical plane and we should also work to improve our surroundings and help other people when they need spiritual nurturing. On another level, the prose refers to the perfection of the body that the I AM presence is working towards.

The Freemasons refer to the self as the inner temple, symbolized as Solomon's temple that was built "with neither sound of hammer nor iron tools." But as with any building, the foundation has to be strong which is why if you look at the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, Malkuth (Kingdom) whose planetary association is Earth, rests at the bottom. But immediately above Malkuth is Yesod (Foundation) and it is on this Foundation that all the other sefirot rest.

A Spanish proverb puts it nicely: A person too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools.

As we go further on this spiritual journey of ours, we are called to realize the importance of every aspect of our being, and this includes the physical. Let us properly build our foundation lest we encounter instability on the path later on.

End Game Plays?

Last September 12, President Noynoy Aquino signed the Anti-Cybercrime Act of 2012 into law. While everyone's attention was on the RH Bill, the signing of the Anti-Cybercrime law took almost everyone by surprise. One may even be led to speculate that the furor over the RH Bill was an effective smokescreen so that the Anti-Cybercrime law could get through unnoticed and unopposed.

While there is a need to have measures to effectively address cybercrime, legal experts have cited several provisions of the Anti-Cybercrime law that are particularly problematic. For instance, one may find oneself in double jeopardy (being charged for the same crime twice). The provisions against libel are chilling because of the vagueness of what comprises online libel and who should be held accountable. Even "liking" or sharing something on Facebook could get one imprisoned for up to 12 years, depending on how law enforcement officials interpret the law. One article even says that the Anti-Cybercrime law makes SOPA look reasonable.

Nevertheless, the Anti-Cybercrime law is not the main focus of this article, so if you want a more detailed explanation on the nuances of the law and how it can be problematic, just watch the video interview below:



It's a 30-minute interview but it's really informative. I would say it's a must watch if you want to understand the Anti-Cybercrime law better. You can also read this article which describes some shortcomings of particular provisions of the law.

One other interesting event I would like to call attention to is the gold-buying drive that I consistently see being advertised in the newspaper. I first noticed the advertisements about 5 weeks ago but I suspect they have been running even longer than that. And these are whole page ads near the front page, so it's not a cheap campaign.

Supposedly, they buy gold, silver and platinum even coming from old watches, ruined jewelry and so on, and the buying locations are located in 4- or 5-star hotels. My wife and I checked out one location recently in order to have an old gold ring with precious stone assessed. Interestingly, the lady we talked to said that they're only interested in the gold. They're not interested in the precious stones, even if they're diamonds.

The whole gold-buying thing is interesting because it shows that someone is seriously trying to stock up on gold. It's more than just investing in commodities because someone wants to have physical possession of as much gold as possible (or, in a more sinister vein, deprive the masses of whatever gold they have).

The above two scenarios are interesting in and of themselves, but with both happening together, the picture takes on an interesting dynamic. I say this because in some of the conspiracy theories I've read, they say that some of the signs towards a run up towards forming a one-world government would be efforts by governments to suppress freedoms and control the flow of information in the Internet. Some theories also talk about a restructuring of the world economy preceded by the destruction of existing economic systems. During such economic turmoil, gold may again take precedence over paper money. Again, all these theories have something to say about December 21 and ascension and the positive spin on these theories is that all these dire scenarios are merely temporary and the shadow forces behind governments cannot enslave humanity through such means anymore.

It's too early to say if all this is idle speculation, but I do think these two events are worth noting. Let's see if other countries would experience similar developments like what's happening here in the Philippines.

Nevertheless, the inherent message is still there, to always be aware and ready to guard our freedoms and our rights. While freedom always entails responsibility, this has always been used as an excuse for people in power to control others in order to get their own way.

Balancing order and mercy is always tricky, but for the most part, people can still sense when a line has been crossed. Listen to your inner voice and let God be your guide.

Are We Ready To Go Beyond 2012?

We are now less than three months away from December 21, 2012. The supposed end of the Mayan calendar has been receiving a lot of attention lately precisely because the date is so near. National Geographic's Doomsday Preppers is up on cable and if you haven't made similar preparations already perhaps you're now wishing you did. Although at this point in time, there's really not much in the way of physical preparations or skills acquisitions that one can do on the scale that's needed to be totally "disaster ready." But that's certainly no excuse not to have some sort of readiness level against most common emergencies.

For all the attention that December 21 has received, that day is still an enigma. What will really happen? We've been bombarded with a smorgasbord of theories ranging from alien invasion, pole shifts, catastrophic direct hits by coronal mass ejections, worldwide economic collapse all the way to the other end of the spectrum involving dimensional shifts, a worldwide raising of consciousness and the end of evil in the world. If there's one thing these theories are consistent with, it's in saying that a big change is coming.

Still, I would advise people not to get hung up on the date because I've also heard from other sources that should something happen, it would happen in January or February 2013 (depending on the source). At this point in time, all we can say is what's in the Bible, that "only the Father in heaven knows the day and the time." But this also carries the implied message that we have to be ready anytime.

Be that as it may, whatever preparations we may undertake is no guarantee for whatever may happen in the future. It's not even a guarantee against the next few hours, because any one of us can suddenly die from an accident or other cause. So what message can we extract during this time of uncertainty about the future? For me, the message would be this: living in the NOW.

The esoteric concept of Now didn't only come from Eckhart Tolle. It is a deep esoteric concept that we can get a hint of in the Bible when God in the burning bush gave His name as I AM THAT I AM. In some of his books, Master Choa Kok Sui mentions that during meditation, some meditators may experience the past, present and future converging, at which point the meditator would be experiencing the Now. That's a very deep concept of Now, something that can hardly be understood without experiencing it. But in order to dissect this concept into something applicable for us, we need to look at other levels of the Now.

For our everyday purposes, we can confine our concept of Now to living in the present. We often remain regretful of our past and fret about the future, so much so that we may miss the opportunities in front of us right now, today, to really appreciate what we have, where we are in life, and undertake the actions that would improve our state.

What if we just finally read that book we've been putting off for some time now, or played with our kid despite coming home tired from the office? What if we just savored the taste of our favorite coffee this afternoon, or finally did that community service we've been thinking about for so long? Today is tomorrow's yesterday, so if we spent today doing good, being happy and being grateful, then tomorrow when we look back we can be content that we made the most out of the day that had just passed. And guess what, we can even do more of that today!

Does this mean that we just act without factoring in the future and other possible events? Not at all. What is important is that we do not waste the time we have right now, to make the most of what we can do during the day, be it in prayer, meditation, helping others, completing a project or spending time with a loved one. Be aware of the things that matter and then go for it. Keep in mind that money, while important, is not the only thing that matters in this world. However, it's up to the individual to decide what to give priority to, although of course it would be wise to pay particular attention to the things that would survive with you after death (knowledge and karma).

If you have the time and resources to do some disaster planning and preparation, then do it wholeheartedly. Just be aware of the need to balance one's time between important tasks (and this includes sleep and rest!), and of course to let go at the end of the day. There are some things that we cannot control nor plan for, including hurts and disappointments, and that's where a measure of detachment is necessary.

I believe the greatest regret is that of time spent unwisely. In that sense, by living in the Now, what may happen in the future does not matter as much as the satisfaction gained by spending one's time wisely and making the most out of the time and resources that one has. So while December 21 is indeed speeding inexorably towards us, let's not forget the most important time which is, as you may have guessed, right now.

Right Of Way

Many years ago (more years than I care to admit) when I was taking my driver's license exam, there was one test question that stood out and I still remember it to this day. The question was, "What is the most important thing to remember about right of way?" The correct answer is: "Don't insist on it."

Insisting on one's right of way can lead to road accidents when other drivers are not street smart enough to recognize who has right of way or if they simply ignore it. It can certainly result in road rage when one's right of way is not respected. How many of us have railed against unruly bus or jeepney drivers who just do what they want on the road and are even the ones who get angry if we scold them?

The concept of "right of way" can also be applied to living life as well. "Right of way" in one sense comes from a feeling of entitlement. A right to speak, a right to feel, a right to get one's way. While it's important to recognize and value one's rights, operating too much from a sense of entitlement can lead us to hurt others by doing what's "right" for us but hurtful to others, or can get us hurt in turn if majority opinion is against us or someone more powerful insists on his/her way.

Just as a sense of entitlement comes from being attached to the idea of our rights or what is due to us, not insisting on one's right of way is a reflection of detachment. And so we go back to the root of suffering according to the Buddha, which is desire (desire being a form of attachment). We suffer when we don't get what we want or we are not given what we feel is ours by right.

We need humility in order to detach and give way, but humility can be difficult if we think that giving way diminishes one's worth in some way, as if we got one upped. It all boils down then to a question of self worth.

This type of reflection is even more important for spiritual people, because humility is not necessarily a given for those treading the spiritual path. For people on the spiritual path, it can be so easy to feel puffed up by one's beliefs or by what we think we know such that the temptation to look down or get angry at "non-spiritual" people is there.

Yehuda Berg of the Kabbalah Centre once wrote that just as we can't be mad at someone for being a bad singer, we can't get upset with someone because they're not spiritual. Again, there is the sense of entitlement that spiritual people deserve the better things in life, so we can get angry if we don't get the treatment or recognition that we feel is due to us.

I've read somewhere that wisdom consists of knowing what to do, if you should even do it, and when to do it if it must be done. As we end the week let's reflect on where our sense of self worth comes from. Does it come from the "treasures we lay in heaven" or from the opinions of other people, especially those most close to us?

It's a question only each of us can answer and it can be a tricky exercise, but how we answer it will determine how easy it will be for us not to insist on our right of way.

One Is All, All Is One

I recently saw an episode of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, and who would have known that you could pick up something profound from a Japanese cartoon show (popularly known as anime)? Although Animax has had several re-runs of the show, the few times I managed to catch an episode I didn't feel like following the series because it was already late in the season. However, recently Animax started running the show again and I happened to catch the beginning episode so I decided to watch it whenever I could.

Like most anime, Fullmetal Alchemist first started out as manga (comic book series) in 2001 before being adapted into TV in 2003, and then again in 2009 with Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. If you want to know more about the Fullmetal Alchemist universe you can just check out the Fullmetal Alchemist Wikipedia entry. Meantime, I would just like to focus on one particular episode, Episode 12: One Is All, All Is One (the same title I decided to use for this article). This episode details the time the Elric brothers (the main protagonists) were left in a small island by their alchemy teacher so that they could learn to survive and at the same time puzzle out the riddle of "one is all, all is one." How they answered the riddle would determine if they would be qualified to continue studying alchemy or not.

At one point, Edward Elric was already hallucinating from starvation (they had very minimal survival skills that time) when he happened to look upon a trail of ants that started to look like chocolate candy bars in his hallucinatory state. The moment he ate the ants, Edward made the connection between eating a life and living. Earlier in that episode, the Elric brothers caught a rabbit but they couldn't bring themselves to kill it. After the encounter with the ants, Edward then realized that if he had died, the foxes and the rabbits would have eaten him. His body would have been assimilated into the soil, the grass would get their nutrients from the soil, and the rabbit would have eaten the grass (and have indirectly "eaten" Edward's body).

Death is the transition from one form to another, but this transition also allows other life to be sustained when the transitioned form becomes the food that feeds the other. Paradoxically, death gives life. It is a cosmic cycle of life, all of us flowing inexorably from one state to the next, everything interconnected, with our movements governed by a set of cosmic laws.

From the point of view of the universe, we are even smaller than an ant would be to us. We are just "one" within the vast all. However, it is only when these small and seemingly insignificant "ones" are gathered together can an "all" exist. Creation is the totality of all that is. One is all, all is one.

In the Fullmetal Alchemist universe, alchemy is all about discovering the rules that govern life, and then using these rules in order to break things down and rebuild them into another form. Since the natural order of things is already a cycle of breaking down and rebuilding into another form, then life can be said to be one continuous process of alchemy. Alchemy is life itself.

Now how cool is that? I've been reading many different esoteric texts and they pretty much say or hint at the same things that were said above. And it's also so amazing because those short statements summarize the underlying philosophy of these esoteric teachings. There's more to it than that, of course, but for the esoteric student such insights are quite refreshing when seen on TV.

In the Hindu tradition, there are three aspects of divinity. There is Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. As per the teachings of Master Choa Kok Sui, these three aspects of divinity correspond to Light, Love and Power respectively. Brahma creates, Vishnu preserves and sustains, while Shiva destroys and restores (also called "creative destruction" or breaking down in order to build up into another form). The interaction of these three aspects of divinity is what is being described in the above featured episode.

If you want to watch the episode itself, you can watch it through You Tube below:



It shouldn't be surprising that Fullmetal Alchemist contains a lot references to esoteric knowledge. Hiromu Arakawa, the creator of the series, once read about the philosopher's stone. She got so inspired with the idea of using alchemy in a manga that she read actual books on alchemy. According to the Wikipedia description, Arakawa was more interested in the philosophical aspects of the different treatises rather than the actual process, so understandably a lot of what we see in Fullmetal Alchemist will be the product of artistic license.

It's still interesting though that some hints of esoteric knowledge still bleed out into the series. For example, a couple of the sigils being used in the series (refer to the image at the start of this article) wouldn't look out of place with the Solomonic pentacles found in the Clavis Salomonis (Key of Solomon). I also saw a reference to the Tree of Life with one of the Names of God written on a sefira. But again, we shouldn't make the mistake of using Fullmetal Alchemist as a practical reference guide. It's interesting for its entertainment value, but to make it something more than what it is would be foolhardy and dangerous.

Nevertheless, a dose of insight in the midst of fun and relaxation is always invigorating. It just reminds me that life always finds an opportunity to teach us something if we knew how to take the hint. The lesson then is not to take life too seriously but remain sensitive enough to get whatever messages that life is trying to give us.

Here's to a fun-filled, but very informative, life!

Decoding The RH Bill

The RH Bill, officially named AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A COMPREHENSIVE POLICY ON RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOOD, REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, AND POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES, took the headlines as one of the most hotly debated topics in the local scene. This topic was relegated to the background by the recent monsoon floods and the tragic death of former DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo. But for sure, the RH Bill issue is just lurking below the surface, ready for any spark to re-ignite public debates.

As with any issue, there are those in favor and those opposed to the RH Bill. Unfortunately, while there have been reasonable arguments raised by both sides, these arguments have often been superseded by hysterical outbursts from the parties involved. It also didn't help that the public's attention was further diverted towards Sen. Tito Sotto's plagiarism-ridden speech. The emotionally charged atmosphere and name-calling under which the RH Bill is being discussed makes it difficult to make an informed opinion about this issue.

For the most part, I have been neutral precisely because of the difficulty in analyzing the information that is coming out of the media. Media can be biased in their reporting, and can often get their facts wrong. However, I discovered something in my readings that leads me to raise some concerns about the RH Bill.  The previous statement is the last thing that pro-RH Bill people would want to hear, but it's important to explain why I have reservations about the bill.

For the record, I disagree with the CBCP's tactics as well as the logic and statements they are coming out with in order to oppose the RH Bill. Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago says it best when she decried the threats the CBCP made against schools and professors as not only a violation of academic freedom but also as acts reminiscent of Church abuse of authority during the Middle Ages. But despite the clumsy public relations antics of the Church, there really are some issues that need to be clarified about the RH Bill.

It all started when I read an article by Jose C. Sison in The Philippine Star. Mr. Sison is a lawyer who writes an opinion article called A Law Each Day (Keeps Trouble Away) where he features different legal case studies in order to highlight certain aspects of the law. While the concept sounds boring, I occasionally read his articles and find them quite informative. He writes well enough that he gets his point across without peppering the reader with too much legalspeak.

In the particular article in question, Mr. Sison alleges that the RH Bill is being lobbied for and sponsored by foreign agencies such as the UN Fund for Population Development and Assistance (UNFPA), the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (incidentally, according to Sison the latter two organizations are global pro-abortion proponents).

Unfortunately, there is only sparse information about the existence of foreign lobbying for the RH Bill so unless the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism does its homework and tries to uncover any records of foreign sponsorship for the RH Bill, this particular subject will remain a matter of speculation. Something like the Freedom of Information Act of the U.S. would help in uncovering any transactions and communications from foreign lobbyists as they are not likely to want traces of their participation to be so obvious to (or easily traced by) anyone, but unfortunately the FOI Bill is nowhere near to being signed into law.

However, the idea of foreign sponsorship for population control measures is not just a product of idle fancy. The following quote from a Wikipedia article about the RH Bill may serve to shed some light on this matter:

According to the Senate Policy Brief titled Promoting Reproductive Health, the history of reproductive health in the Philippines dates back to 1967 when leaders of 12 countries including the Philippines' Ferdinand Marcos signed the Declaration on Population. The Philippines agreed that the population problem be considered as the principal element for long-term economic development. Thus, the Population Commission was created to push for a lower family size norm and provide information and services to lower fertility rates.

Starting 1967, the USAID started shouldering 80% of the total family planning commodities (contraceptives) of the country, which amounted to US$ 3 Million annually. In 1975, the United States adopted as its policy the National Security Study Memorandum 200: Implications of Worldwide Population Growth for U.S. Security and Overseas Interests (NSSM200). The policy gives "paramount importance" to population control measures and the promotion of contraception among 13 populous countries, including the Philippines to control rapid population growth which they deem to be inimical to the socio-political and economic growth of these countries and to the national interests of the United States, since the "U.S. economy will require large and increasing amounts of minerals from abroad", and these countries can produce destabilizing opposition forces against the United States. It recommends the US leadership to "influence national leaders" and that "improved world-wide support for population-related efforts should be sought through increased emphasis on mass media and other population education and motivation programs by the U.N., USIA, and USAID.

In 2000, the Philippines signed the Millennium Declaration and committed to attain the MDG goals by 2015, including promoting gender equality and health. In 2003, USAID started its phase out of a 33-year-old program by which free contraceptives were given to the country. Aid recipients such as the Philippines faced the challenge to fund its own contraception program. In 2004, the Department of Health introduced the Philippines Contraceptive Self-Reliance Strategy, arranging for the replacement of these donations with domestically provided contraceptives.

In August 2010, the government announced a collaborative work with the USAID in implementing a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy in favor of family planning called "May Plano Ako"

The USAID is not just an ordinary aid organization but is frequently a front for CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) operations in underdeveloped countries. As you can see from the above quote, while foreign participation in advocating population control may not be widely publicized, historically speaking it has always been there behind the scenes. But sovereignty issues aside, so what if there's foreign lobbying for population control measures such as the RH Bill?

I've read the text of the RH Bill and one thing I've noticed is how vague and general several of its provisions are. Because of this vagueness, how the bill's provisions will be implemented are quite open to interpretation. For example, Section 20 (Ideal Family Size) states that:

The State shall assist couples, parents and individuals to achieve their desired family size within the context of responsible parenthood for sustainable development and encourage them to have two children as the ideal family size. Attaining the ideal family size is neither mandatory nor compulsory. No punitive action shall be imposed on parents having more than two children.

One of the questions pertinent to the above section is: how exactly is the State to assist couples, parents and individuals? By what standards are "responsible parenthood" and "sustainable development" measured, and which agency is supposed to certify whether a couple, parent or individual is meeting these standards or not? If achievement of ideal family size is not compulsory nor mandatory, what is the point of measuring "responsible parenthood" and "sustainable development" in planning families?

A possible factor to consider when trying to decide if we should the adopt the RH Bill in its current form is the role of pharmaceutical companies. Should the RH Bill be passed into law, it will create a potentially big windfall for those pharmaceutical companies that produce artificial contraceptives. Of course, the letter of the RH Bill states that both natural and other modes of family planning will be promoted. However, there is a loophole here that can be exploited.

Section 24 (Right to Reproductive Health Care Information) of the RH Bill states that:

The DOH and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) shall initiate and sustain a heightened and nationwide multimedia campaign to raise the level of public awareness of the protection and promotion of reproductive health and rights including family planning and population and development.

If you will refer again to the quote from Wikipedia, Section 24 of the RH Bill is consistent with the agreement with the USAID to "implement a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy in favor of family planning."

The RH Bill however does not specifically limit the promotion of reproductive health to the DOH or PIA alone. This means that pharmaceutical companies can heavily advertise their contraceptive products and still claim that they are giving their support to the government's campaign to raise awareness about reproductive health (just imagine the advertising byline "So-and-so Company, in cooperation with the DOH, supports responsible family planning and reproductive health"), even if the result of heavy advertising may skew public awareness towards the use of artificial contraceptives.

In the United States, there is an advertising practice among pharmaceutical companies called Direct-to-Consumer drug advertising or DTC. The objective of this strategy is to get consumers so convinced of the drug's efficacy that patients themselves will ask their doctors to prescribe the drug in question. Ever since pharma companies adopted this strategy, drug sales skyrocketed, with a 2008 study estimating that every US$1,000 spent in DTC advertising produces 24 new patients who want to take the drug.

Of course, such "in your face" advertising is not allowed here (that I know of) but the reason I used the United States as an example is because U.S. consumers are supposed to be well-educated and critical yet they are so well taken in by these advertising campaigns. So you can just imagine how easy it would be to advertise to the Filipino masses. If you throw in a showbiz superstar or two to highlight contraceptive marketing campaigns, it's more than likely that the Filipino masses can be convinced that artificial contraceptives should be the preferred way to go.

Generally speaking, pharmaceutical companies spend about a fourth of their income - measured in billions of US Dollars - on advertising and other promotions, so they should be able to come up with many creative ways to make the most of any opening they have to promote their products here in the country. Another market opening can be seen in Section 10 of the RH Bill (Family Planning Supplies as Essential Medicine):

Products and supplies for modern family planning methods shall be part of the National Drug Formulary and the same shall be included in the regular purchase of essential medicines and supplies of all national and local hospitals and other government health units.

The passage of the RH Bill will potentially give a huge opportunity to open up a big market and demand for contraceptives, so it's really a great business opportunity if you happen to produce or sell contraceptives. The government will be required to stock up on contraceptives, and at the same time you can convince people (through advertising) to give preference to contraceptive medicines for family planning.

People may say, so what if some companies make a big buck out of it? Pharmaceutical drugs are rigorously tested before being released into the market, so they're safe for consumption anyway. However, there is an expose by a former U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) insider who stated that the U.S. FDA frequently ignored regulations in approving drugs for sale to the general public even before said drugs have been conclusively proven to be safe for human consumption. This is how prescription drugs result in over 125,000 deaths per year in the U.S. alone even when taken correctly as prescribed. You cannot even rely on mainstream media to inform you about incidents involving faulty drugs, such as in this specific case of the Wall Street Journal burying the story of the lawsuit against Merck accusing the pharma company of fraud and lying about the true efficacy of its mumps vaccine.

Such shocking practices as described above are not limited to the U.S. FDA alone. Monsanto, the GMO giant, also has strong lobbying power in Washington so much so that the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) is starting to look like the rubber stamping approval agency of the company. So if you still think that heavy corporate lobbying in government is harmless, think again.

My point is that the above are cases that have happened and are happening in the U.S. If U.S. Federal Agencies could be influenced by big corporate interests, then what more local Philippine agencies?

One may argue that this is all starting to sound like such a big conspiracy theory about corporate greed and sinister motives. Can corporate greed, particularly in the medical industry, really go so far? In order to answer this question, we need to learn how medical doctors keep abreast of the latest developments in terms of medical technologies and new drugs on the market.

Doctors rely on the reports of medical journals to find out if there are new drugs for a specific illness or if there are any new developments on threshold markers that identify one as healthy or not. For example, a blood pressure reading of 120 over 80 is considered normal. But if medical journals suddenly come out and say that based on the most recent studies, a BP reading of 120 over 80 is actually considered hypertensive (high blood), then doctors will use this as basis to start prescribing hypertension medication. That's how much medical doctors rely on these journals. But what if the medical journals themselves were somehow co-opted? This article seems to think that this is the case, and here is the specific quote:

Few doctors are experts in the chemistry and biological impacts of particular medicines, so they rely on honest studies and tests (as reported in credible medical journals) to give them an un-hyped, non-sales-rep picture of the pluses and minuses of the drugs they choose to prescribe to you and me. Unfortunately, this process, too, has been corrupted--drugmakers have regularly paid doctors and researchers to conduct studies and publish results without revealing their financial ties. Pfizer, however, sank this sales-over-science approach to new lows when it launched its antidepressant, Zoloft, in the 1990s. It hired an advertising firm to fabricate "studies," write them up as salutary reports about the drug, pay some big-name psychiatrists a couple of thousand bucks each to put their names on the reports, and convince major journals (read by thousands of doctors) to publish the ghostwritten "findings." About half of the medical articles about Zoloft at that time were ad agency fakes. Journal editors, embarrassed by being scammed, have since imposed safeguards, but many doctors and observers say that up to 20 percent of major journal articles are still being ghosted. 

A specific example of how the above trends have impacted medical practice can be found in the following quote from Dr. Mercola's article regarding the truth about high cholesterol:

Who Decided What Cholesterol Levels are Healthy or Harmful?

In 2004, the U.S. government's National Cholesterol Education Program panel advised those at risk for heart disease to attempt to reduce their LDL cholesterol to specific, very low, levels.

Before 2004, a 130-milligram LDL cholesterol level was considered healthy. The updated guidelines, however, recommended levels of less than 100, or even less than 70 for patients at very high risk.

Keep in mind that these extremely low targets often require multiple cholesterol-lowering drugs to achieve.

Fortunately, in 2006 a review in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that there is insufficient evidence to support the target numbers outlined by the panel. The authors of the review were unable to find research providing evidence that achieving a specific LDL target level was important in and of itself, and found that the studies attempting to do so suffered from major flaws.

Several of the scientists who helped develop the guidelines even admitted that the scientific evidence supporting the less-than-70 recommendation was not very strong.

So how did these excessively low cholesterol guidelines come about?

Eight of the nine doctors on the panel that developed the new cholesterol guidelines had been making money from the drug companies that manufacture statin cholesterol-lowering drugs.

The same drugs that the new guidelines suddenly created a huge new market for in the United States.

Coincidence? I think not.

Now, despite the finding that there is absolutely NO evidence to show that lowering your LDL cholesterol to 100 or below is good for you, what do you think the American Heart Association STILL recommends?

Lowering your LDL cholesterol levels to less than 100.

And to make matters worse, the standard recommendation to get to that level almost always includes one or more cholesterol-lowering drugs.

In the same article above, two experts, Sally Fallon (the president of the Weston A. Price Foundation) and Mary Enig, Ph.D (an expert in lipid biochemistry) have been quoted as saying that high cholesterol is an "invented disease." Sounds shocking? Read the full article to get all the gory details.

The point I'm trying to raise is this: as far as corporate interests are concerned, anything goes when the objective is to earn huge amounts of profits.

Some questions that need to be asked (and answered) include: Have any of the sponsors of the RH Bill attended galas or affairs hosted by pharmaceutical companies or USAID? Are any of the principal sponsors of the bill affiliated in any way (either now or in the past) with organizations who may benefit financially by having the RH Bill passed (this includes being a Board of Trustees member, or honorary memberships, etc.)? In the budget allocation breakdown, were any of the funds sourced from contributions by the UNFPA, IPPF or USAID? What is the market impact, in millions or billions of pesos, should the widespread sale and distribution of contraceptives be permitted?

I'm not sure how much of the above information can be gathered without the Freedom of Information Bill, but someone should at least try.

How you achieve a certain ideal is just as important as the ideal itself (just look at communism, great in theory, but epic fail in implementation). We all want the ideal of responsible parenthood and family planning. However, it's easy to take advantage of peoples' desires for a good thing in order to push forward a hidden agenda, primarily by playing on fear and shame. For example, how often have you seen a variation of this slogan: If you do (or don't do) this, so-and-so number of people will die; prevent more people from dying! Vote yes (or no)! This slogan makes it sound like anyone that disagrees with the slogan is an uncultured, immoral brute. This is why accurate perception is always needed so that we don't get easily taken in by propaganda and mass blind beliefs.

I'm not saying that the above scenarios I presented are the actual forces behind the RH Bill. And I'm not saying we should junk the RH Bill. What I am saying is that we should all take a cold, hard and critical look at the effect the bill may have not only on the population but what it means for big business. And blindly jumping on the bandwagon (whether pro or anti) is not the answer. This issue is more than just about labeling pro-RH people as "immoral anti-life ogres" or anti-RH people as "brain-dead Church clones from the Middle Ages." Whether one chooses to be for or against the RH Bill, everyone owes it to themselves to know what they are standing for (or against) and, just as importantly, why.

Only if these concerns are thoroughly addressed can we be reassured that we are not merely passing a law that gives vested interests carte blanche to make billions of pesos worth of profits at the expense of the Filipino people. To be fair, some news reports say that the sponsors of the RH Bill are planning to introduce amendments to address the concerns raised by opponents of the bill, but again such amendments must be carefully scrutinized to make sure that they are not merely cosmetic changes. Any identified loopholes must be addressed effectively.

I've seen a newspaper ad in movie theatres that claims they "Answer the Questions and Question the Answers" but so far I'm not seeing that type of investigative reporting on the RH Bill issue. To quote from Sun Tzu's Art of War, on the subject of Laying Plans:

It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.

For the sake of our families and for the sake of our health, someone sure as heck should start on those hard questions.

The Meaning of Fear

The dictionary definition of fear describes it as: a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid. In light of the current trend of awakening and empowerment that is sweeping across the world, fear is getting quite a bad rap. We've all heard that it's fear that keeps us down. Fear is what keeps us separate from other people. And so on.

All the above assertions are correct, but just like with anything in God's creation, there must be a reason why fear has its place in the universe. For this reason, I would like to use this article to try to gain more of an understanding of this phenomenon called fear.

If we sat down and thought about it, fear is part of what keeps us alive. It's what makes us look before crossing the street, and it's also what stops us from grabbing a high voltage wire. If we had no fear of death or injury at all, our instinct for self-preservation would be so low that a lot more of us wouldn't have made it past our teenage years.

From here, we can identify some important characteristics of fear:

1. Fear induces self-control (to stop us from doing anything that would cause pain or injury).
2. Self-control through fear is only effective in the presence of external stimuli.
3. External stimuli will trigger a re-action; you act again (re-act) in the previously programmed response that was induced by fear.

The above statements may come as a surprise, since you would think that in this day and age, self control comes from the exercise of our will resulting from logical and rational conclusions combined with a recognition about what is best for us. But society is hardly an example of self control. Why else are there people who get fat and sick as a result of uncontrollable appetites, and why else would we need the presence of police to make sure people keep within the bounds of the law?

There are people who say that fear is just an illusion, and they're right. Fear is an illusion in the sense that it's not permanent, or at least it's not supposed to be. Fear is supposed to be a starting point. It calls your attention about what is harmful to you or to the people around you when your mind is unable to recognize it or unable to control what you are doing. A related aspect of fear is that it teaches you to respect any power or force that can be harmful or dangerous if treated carelessly.

What, then, should come after fear? As said earlier, fear induces self control. However, this self control only comes from the presence of an external factor. For example, the watchful eye of a policeman would prevent a pickpocket from plying his trade, whereas the absence of a policeman would embolden the criminal.

However, external factors come and go, so the amount of self control they may induce in you is also transitory. In order to make self control permanent, you must first face the fear and find out why you experienced pain or injury in the first place. When you study the situation dispassionately this way, you are now dealing with the situation on the mental rather than astral (emotional) level. Then the situation that caused the pain (and evoked the fear response) becomes a lesson learned, and so your exercise of self control becomes more permanent, because self control is now exercised through the conscious use of your own will. You are now acting, instead of reacting.

The problem, as most life coaches and psychotherapists would point out, is that people get stuck in the fear. In more extreme cases, fears can turn into phobias that are buried deep within the psyche. Without examining and confronting the source of the fear, the person is unable to move on.

We now can see that fear is simply a process we go through in the act of learning. This is why psychotherapy has been helpful in removing phobias or changing negative behavior when people recognize the causes of their fears. Needless to say, self-honesty is needed if any progress is to be made. The first step is to recognize that there is a situation that needs to be addressed. Second is to find out what caused the situation. Third is to take steps to resolve the situation. You can see how easy it is in any of the steps to delude oneself that there's no problem, or that it's the fault of someone else, or that there's nothing to be done about it.

Up to this point, I've been discussing fear based on my own observations. But how do my observations stack up when compared to the teachings of an esoteric spiritual system? Interestingly, we can find something similar in Kabbalah. In order to take a closer look at this topic, we need to use the Kabbalistic Tree of Life as a reference.

If you refer to the image of the Tree of Life below, notice how each of the sefira (the spheres with names on them) are connected by lines. Now on the left side of the tree, take note of the three sefira of Tiferet-Gevurah-Hod. In Kabbalah, these three sefira are called the Triad of Pain. The opposite triad, composed of Tiferet-Hesed-Netzah is called the Triad of Pleasure.

The book Total Kabbalah by Maggy Whitehouse describes the relationship of the two opposite triads as follows:

The left-hand triad is focused on the need to hold back to limit suffering and the right-hand side on the urge to grow, improve, and perfect the Self. The left-hand triad keeps us safe in times of danger but can also cause paralysis that prevents us from developing. The right-hand triad is our wish to grow but can lead to carelessness over one's responsibilities. 

As with anything dealing with the spiritual and esoteric, the opposing triads must work in harmony in order to have a balanced life.

The Hebrew term for courage, justice and judgement is "Gevurah." It is expressed as self-control because the characteristic of Gevurah is limitation. In pranic healing, the chakra correspondence of Gevurah is the solar plexus chakra, the seat of lower emotions. In its positive aspect, the solar plexus chakra expresses itself as courage and the drive to succeed. In its negative aspect, the solar plexus is the seat of greed, vindictiveness, and fear. This is why some people, when they get nervous, experience a hollow feeling in the pit of their stomach. It's their solar plexus chakra reacting.

The polar opposite of Gevurah is Hesed, which is the center of love, generosity and compassion. When Gevurah and Hesed work in harmony, there is expansion, inclusion and love tempered by good judgement and the setting of proper boundaries.

In the eyes of Kabbalah, fear is part of the Triad of Pain. Through the proper interaction with the urge to improve (Triad of Pleasure), we go beyond the fear to transform it into good judgement, the proper Gevuric expression of self-control.

If you would like a relatively complete and overall look at Kabbalah, I really recommend the book Total Kabbalah by Maggy Whitehouse. The topics are introductory yet are still explained well and it's amazing how the author has managed to include the many different concepts in Kabbalah in an easy-to-read book for the price of a good paperback novel. You can use the book as a launching pad for deeper study into specific Kabbalistic topics while remaining aware of how the topic fits into the whole picture. It's the most complete book on Kabbalah that I've read so far. I've seen this book available in most branches of National Bookstore, so you'll find it easy to purchase.

Since we're on the topic of fear, some of you may have wondered how the "fear of God" fits into the picture. Within the context of respecting an incomprehensible and overwhelming force, the "fear" of God makes some sense. I'm sure you would "fear" a black hole or a neutron star especially if you were sent near one, so what more God, who is infinitely more massive and powerful than a black hole or neutron star?

But actually, some Hebrew words in the Bible may have been translated into English as "fear" when they could also have meant something else. For example, the Hebrew word yirah could mean fear but can also mean awe, reverence, respect and devotion. Same with the word yare, which can be translated as fearful but also means to stand in awe, reverence or honor. Another Hebrew word, mowra, was translated into the word fear but also means reverence, object of reverence, or an awe inspiring spectacle or deed. The mentioned Hebrew words are consistent though in expressing the awe, reverence and respect that one would expect when face to face with an all powerful force like I mentioned earlier.

In the end, there are many more facets to fear than we first thought. But however we choose to look at fear, one thing remains the same, and it's that fear should be faced and then overcome. Fear is what indeed holds us down, but it is a burden borne by ignorance and dishonesty to oneself. From what we have seen it seems that in the overcoming of fear, the old adage still holds: The truth shall set you free.