Did You KNOW That You CANNOT Make a MISTAKE..!!

TODAY'S INSPIRATIONAL “MYTHOLOGICAL MAGIC”

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In a recent post, I wrote about the gift of receiving a DO OVER from the Universe.  If you haven't had the chance to read it as of yet, I suggest doing so before continuing with today's entry.  Typically, the reason we are given these opportunities are to learn from our ‘mistakes’ so that we can move forward with a renewed sense of purpose and understanding.  However,    for many of us, we are forced to face a series of DO OVERS that could have been superceded had we not been so wary of making the same ‘mistake’ over again.  It can paralyze us with fear and anxiety.  Stop us cold in our tracks from making authentic choices with the limiting beliefs that we are somehow JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH to make better choices this time around.  Life is just too damn short to spend too much of it in a vortex of resimulated patterns of circumstances and experiences until we receive the understanding and Re-membrance they were presented for us to grasp.  I have seen too many precious Souls with so much potential who waste great periods of their life paralyzed with fear and worry, too afraid they may make a ‘mistake’ and screw things up, yet again, rather than reframing their past actions as NO THING less than MISSTEPS along their Journey.

So what exactly is the difference between a MISTAKE and a MISSTEP?  A Misstep is when you take an action that is not of the highest choice for the given situation you happen to find yourself in.  But, RELAX, because that is precisely how we learn. And it is proof that you moved past your fear and gave something a TRY!    In fact most Missteps are unavoidable because we have never been in that particular set of circumstances before.  As the saying goes, “Life is 10% what happens, and 90% the way we show up in its wake to handle it.”  A MISTAKE can only occur when we make the same MISSTEP over and over again with no course correction.  Most of the time this is caused by the EGO, which either cases us to beat ourselves up or  refuse to take any responsibility for the action in the first place.  It causes energy of self-judgement and fear.

But we live in a society that demands perfection.  I recently had a rundown of my Godson's nightly homework assignments (He is only 10) and I needed a drink just to contemplate how such a young lad could handle such a massive amount of information!  Aye dios mio!!  We are taught at a young age the importance of ‘being right’ and social media has made it critical for us to show the world a persona sans any signs of imperfection!  

But as the great master teacher Yoda says, “If no mistakes are you making, another game should you be playing.”  And he is so right!  In fact, most of the world's great visionaries used this reframing to their great advantage.  Take Thomas Edison for instance.  He tried to make that bulb in his office light  so bright from electricity over 2,000 different times.  Yet, he refused to ever say he made a mistake.  Instead, he reframed these attempts as missteps, each one actually a revolutionary success.  Because each time the bulb failed to light, he knew he had discovered a way that electricity would NOT WORK!   How many of us would have gotten frustrated, embarrased, or fearful that we would never succeed in the endeavour if we were in his set of DO OVERS?!  My hand is up in the air, is yours?!  lol

As long as we learn from them, mistakes don't even exist.  Harold J. Smith said it best when he declared, “More people would learn from their mistakes if they weren't too busy denying them.”  Amen!  I believe your best teacher is your last MISSTEP!  If you take the time to listen, and learn from what it taught you!

What pains my own Soul, is the thought of how many great works of art, poems, paintings, songs, architecture, books, and relationships NEVER came to be because  of those individuals whose fear of taking action steps kept them from ever completing their Hero's/Heroine's Journey!  It's absolutely sobering to contemplate!  If only they could have had the foresight to reframe any perceived MISTAKE as simply a MISSTEP on their path to soulful fulfillment. 

Please do not be one of the special Spirits who came here to bring their magnificent talents and gifts to share with the world only to become stifled for fear of making a MISTAKE along your Journey.  Instead, remember MISSTEPS are not only allowed, but essential for our learning process!    For you are a perfect emanation of God and as long as you stay aware, he will guide your MISSTEPS into the Re-membrace of why you came and the BLISS you are here to share!

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

Is Life GOVERNED By FATE or FREE WILL...?!?!

TODAY'S INSPIRATIONAL “MYTHOLOGICAL MAGIC”

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Like a lot of us, I am a HUGE Damon fan and his bevy of terrific films.  Interestingly enough, it is one of his lesser know films that has been popping up in true synchronistic fashion the last week.  The movie is called ‘The Adjustment Bureau’ and is an absolute thought provoking joy!!  In fact,  it is actually one of my favorite films he has ever done!  So as is usually the case when Spirit intervenes with such a confection of conscious serendipity, I PAY ATTENTION!!

Without giving away any SPOILERS for those who have yet to experience the film, Damon plays David Norris, a fast rising Congressman with a magnificent political future ahead of him.  He is all set to win the Senate race he is running in, when FATE apparently intervenes with a chance meeting of a beautiful and regal young lady he meets by happenstance in the men's bathroom while rehearsing his upcoming speech.  In the scene, the film completely captures the MAGIC of the KNOWINGNESS that rarely occurs between two souls who have no doubt they are meant for one another in an instant.  But Norris (Damon) soon comes into contact with members from The Adjustment Bureau, a team of Spirit sent forces whose job it is to ‘fix’ glitches in the scheme of FATE  when they go awry.   Norris was NEVER supposed to meet this woman who he believes to be the love of his life.  AND in doing so, he has the chance of changing the course and outcome of his political career and pre-determined DESTINY.  This quandary propels the narrative forward into a marvelous and truly thought provoking quandary about  not only the meaning of FATE versus Free Will, but how much of each plays a part in our actual lives!  Great stuff to ponder for any New Age Nerd!!

Based on a Philip K. Dick short story, in some ways I am amazed a film with such esoteric themes was greenlit by a major Hollywood production company.  And equally pleased that is was!   It's the EXACT type of conscious entertainment that powers the importance and influence of our modern mythology!  Hopefully I have given you enough of the story to entice you to seek it our for yourself!  

So my intention for bringing up this film in today's post has to do with the all age question of, ‘ Is life a Journey of pure Fate and Destiny, over which we have little choice.? Or is it a path filled with FREE WILL at every turn?  OR, perhaps, could it be a combination of BOTH!!

I think we have all spent numerous hours if not weeks at various moments in time pondering this very question for ourselves.  Does this sound familiar?!  You had the opportunity to go up to speak to someone at a party and couldn't muster the courage to do so.  Or, you had a chance to move out of state for a new job opportunity, but didn't ‘take the jump.’    And spent the next few weeks, months, hell,  even years rehashing your decisions in your own inner monologue wondering “What if?”   I know my hand is raised high in the sky with such experiences!

And truth be told , there is NO PROOF of either Paradigm being ‘correct.’  In my travels, I have met about an equal amount of folks who believe life is all about FATE and another faction that are adamant that we are all given absolute FREE WILL over our path on this Journey.

However, there is an all time favorite book of mine called ‘The Four Desires.’  And it truly enlightened me to the possibility that indeed our life experience consists of BOTH DESTINY and FREE WILL.  We are perhaps still too early in our development to have all encompassing free will over EVERY aspect of our lives.   Think what could happen if we were suddenly given all the answers to the vast amounts of power in the entire Universe for instance.  Given the current state of our world, can you see this causing some serious problems in power struggles, violence, greed, etc.  I sure can!

In the book, by Rod Stryker, he says, “The President of the United States, his holiness the Dali Lama, and Bill Gates are not above the earthly forces that are beyond their control, and neither are you.  There will always be someone or something to answer to.  Whether it is a group, or political party, or even God himself. Something holds at least some of the cards that determine your fate!”

He goes on to say that according to the ancient teachings of the VEDAS, this experience is a combination of FATE and FREE WILL.  Meaning we all have a pre determined Destiny, that we can accomplish through following our Hero's/ Heroine's Journey.  However, there is NO THING that will ever FORCE you to follow that predetermined path. That is still completely up to you.  And that truly resonates within the deepest part of my KNOWINGNESS.  It is also why I think it is so important for us to each awaken ourselves first, and then share that state with others.  Always and in ALL WAYS.  We can do this through assisting others in Re-membering who they are and help them to follow their calling.  To me, it's not so matter a matter of how FATE and FREE WILL play out in our lives, but rather fulfilling our purpose for manifesting into the human condition in the first place.  I do believe both play a part, but their purpose is to work TOGETHER to help keep us on our true path!

I would love to know your own opinions on this extraordinary topic.  For there is no right or wrong, just our own interpretation and personal beliefs.  And perhaps by having more of these types of dialogues, we can help illuminate one another to the TRUTH!!


Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

Life CHANGING Lessons From MR. ROGERS...!!

"When I say it's you I like, I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see hear or touch."

Fred Rogers


Two weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to accompany my mother to a screening of the new documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor?!.  It was an especially special treat for me given the fact that like so millions of other parents in the early 70's, my mother first introduced me to the absolutely MAGICAL experience given by a man who embodies every single aspect of living out The Hero's Journey!  According to her, Mr. Rogers was a staple of my daily experience for several years.   And she credits him for helping to assist and inform my own early Hero's Journey with a sense of calm and peace, not to mention planting the seeds of ACCEPTANCE an Unconditional Love of one's SELF and others that laid the foundation for my current Life's CALLING!

Like so many others, my early child hood was fraught with anxiety, fear, and a lack of inner stability. This is in no way a proclamation of judgement toward anyone in my family.   Life can be messy, complex, and full of trails and tribulations.   Even for a certain five year old, who at the time was desperately seeking a source and sense of PEACE, Kindness, and security.  Experiencing divorce at such an early age, if not handled with a sense of strident explanation and patience can create a foundation of unease that can truly last a lifetime.  

However, every so often, a SOUL of great Divinity steps out of the shadows and illuminates the darkness with the pureness of his LIGHT!!    Such was the case with one of the true LUMINARIES of our time.  Namely, Mr. Fred Rogers and his revelatory show, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.  For the uninitiated, Mr. Rogers (as he is still so remembered in complete REVERENCE) and his show that produced over two thousand hours of children's programming from the early 70's through the early 2000's is still considered a SAINTLY PIONEER and is perhaps one of the most beloved figures of the last 50 years for millions of children and adults around the world!

But I have a sneaking suspicion that there are many among the collective masses that are still unaware of the Spiritual impact his simple message of Unconditional Love, ACCEPTANCE, and Kindness continue to have on the world.  So as the lights softly dimmed in the theatre, I was completely mezmirized by the Saintly nature of this man and the manner in which he fully Accepted and fully realized his own Calling and the template his life has left for the rest of us to follow.  It is a treasure trove to be Re-membered and shared for many generations!

We are currently living in such divided times.  In my lifetime, I have never witnessed such confusion, disconnection, fear, anxiety, and a complete sense of hopelessness than what so many of us are facing each and every day.  And this documentary is absolutely an experience that will transport you back to the simplicity of BEING a child once again.  When we are still connected to our own sense of wonder and hopefulness abounds!  And Mr. Fred Rogers was a guiding LIGHT back to simplistic tenets that Re-minded us of our true nature.  All summed up in his daily offering that "I like you JUST the way you are."  

Mr. Rogers actually graduated Cum Laude from his undergraduate studies in music and decided his next step was to become an ordained Minister.  But after just one year, the invention and power of the mass media instrument of television captured his imagination and vision of spreading his messages to the massive audience that a church congregation could simply NOT  provide.  

And so he dropped out of his School of Ministry and got a job as a TV producer in a small Pittsburgh station and slowly worked his way up to having the cache to pitch his own idea of a new kind of children's programming.  He envisioned this still burgeoning delivery system as the perfect way for him to spread his messages of Acceptance, Love, and Kindness to millions of children around the world!  

His fervent belief in his Calling actually had him testify in front of Congress in order to secure the 20 million dollars he and the newly formed broadcasting  system still known today as PBS required as the funding for him to carry on with his life's mission of teaching his special brand of unbridled LOVE!!  His testimony won over the hearts of the money maestros that were then part of Washington, DC's elite and the rest as they say, became the things that deep dreams are made of!!

So what exactly made his TV show such a beacon of programming that was able to have such a deeply embedded impact on children and often their parents that still stands the test of our ever changing and ADHD riddled times.   I don't believe there is a magic bullet to that answer.  What I do know and learned on a much deeper level during the two hours of devouring the documentary on his Hero's Journey is that he had a spiritual philosophy that still resonates 50 years later.  He deeply believed that the most powerful way to benefit from our own sense of BEING and spirituality was to address life DEEPLY but with Simplicity.  He felt that life is currently being addressed by the masses with Complexity and Shallowness.  And that chasm is one important division that has and still creates the division we are experiencing in our current political and social economic climate!  That resonated with my core because I teach a simple Paradigm that life's most complex issues can be simply addressed by Acceptance and Gratitude.  It's all about keeping our thoughts, words, and actions in an energetic alignment of vibrational Acceptance that holds the present moment with NO resistance.  Now please understand that true ACCEPTANCE is much more than allowance and non-resistance of the present moment.  It means Accepting one another JUST THE WAY WE ARE!  And the Divine work of KNOWINGNESS that every single moment is one that is supporting that which we strive TO BE!   We work with that which currently IS!  And after giving ourselves the allowance of the dignity of our own process of accepting what life has dealt us, we move into the Miracle Realm of Gratitude.  Where our Faith is received with a sense of unadulterated MAGNIFICENCE.  And we see that The Universe is actually stacked in our favor, always and in All WAYS!!!   For we see that God sends us No Thing but ANGELS!!!!

Mr. Rogers felt that the demeaning of one another was an abhorrent act.  So he taught that we are absolutely PERFECT EXACTLY as we are!   He had been ridiculed as a child based on the fact that he was severely overweight.  And never felt he had an outlet to expresses his feelings of hurt and anger.  And these painful experiences informed all his adult teachings that we are perfect just as we currently are in this moment of NOW!  

What a juxtaposition of our current Tiger Mom mentality that we must prove our self worth!  While I see certain merits in this form of parental upbringing, I wonder how different a child's life experience  would be if reframed in an environment in which a Spirit's sense of worth would be ensconced with acknowledgment by the manner in which they treated themselves and others.  

There is one interview in the documentary that is especially precient given our current state of human intolerance and lack of basic decency.  Mr. Rogers espouses that if we could simply see one another for the perfectly loving beings that we truly are that there would BE NO NEED FOR CONCENTRATION CAMPS THAT SEPARATE ONE ANOTHER.  That our shared VISION of LOVE would supersede any form of human mistreatment, for WE'RE ALL ONE!!  And tears streamed down from my face as I thought of the borders and children being stripped away from their parents down at the Texas borders.  Yet Mr. Rogers spun tales of this type of human indignity 40 years before what we are currently experiencing on so many levels!  He was indeed a God Given Gift on so many levels!!

After the attacks on the NY Twin Towers he was asked to speak to the now adults that used to spend every morning in his television presence oh so many years ago.  He was at first reticent to accept.  But his inner HERO stepped up and he addressed a nation wide audience.  And as what was part of his pure essence, he spoke in a calm and relaxing nature with the exact same messages of Hope and Faith that had become the cornerstone of his essence for over four decades.  And his message still resonates as a balm we can use for the current state of unrest and anxiety that is increasingly becoming a part of the very fabric of our collective consciousness.  He simply said, "When we are afraid, and things seem to be going completely array, LOOK FOR THE HELPERS!"  AMEN TO THAT!!


Mr. Rogers felt we are here to LOVE ONE ANOTHER INTO BEING!  And I couldn't agree more.....   But what EXACTLY does that mean?!?!  
It means LOVING one another into BEING Kind, Present, Thoughtful, Grateful, of Service to Yourself and your Neighbor, and to assist one another into activating and UNLEASHING the Unique Person of Perfection that is your TRUE Essence.........

Many of Mr. Rogers contemporaries believed that there was absolutely NO WAY that his natural essence he brought to the millions of kids on TV for over four decades was the true nature of his Spirit.   Yet, Mr. Rogers proved time and time again that the person he presented every day was EXACTLY who he was at the very deepest part of his SOUL!

"It's not the honors and the prizes and the fancy outsides of life that ultimately nourish our souls.  It's knowing that the bedrock of our being is the good stuff."
  
Fred Rogers

To end today's post, I wanted to share my feelings about my own recent life experiences.  Because I truly feel in the deepest regions of my SOUL that they would resonate with one of my greatest HEROES, Mr. Fred Rogers!!!

What I learned is that Belief leads to Faith...and Faith leads to Knowingness...and Knowingness leads to Gratitude and Gratitude leads to Blissful Joy.... So for all of those currently in a predicament in which Faith is hard to muster ...Please KNOW that you are not alone.... and that one day...your pain will be unmasked .... with Understanding and Wonder....... 

Remember, YOU matter more than you will ever know!!



Mr. Rogers often asked people to think about someone who had helped them in a time of need during their life for thirty seconds...  So I invite you to do the same right now...I'll keep time....


AND I LIKE YOU JUST THE WAY YOU ARE!!!!


Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

Here Is EXACLTY What Others Will REMEMBER You For...!!

Today's “Mythological Magic”

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Unfortunately, I have attended more than my fair share of funerals the last three years.  We all know how fast life goes but attending the passing of a dear friend or relative truly puts us nose to nose with our own mortality.  As Steve Jobs often espoused, our own mortality is one of the greatest motivating factors to pursue your dreams.  

One common trait that I have witnessed during these celebrations of a Spirit's life is the manner in which eulogies of the beloved still left behind tend to be expressed.  There is usually VERY little time allotted to the individuals achievements, honors, created financial abundance, or how much ‘Stuff’ they accumulated.  Do you know the one common emotional trait that runs through nearly each and every one of these heartfelt expositions during eulogy time happens to be??  It's simple actually.  HOW DID THAT PERSON MAKE YOU FEEL is the resounding answer!!  And it makes complete and total sense.  Why you ask?!  Because FEELINGS are the guideposts to our Soul! So when we are engaged with compassion, reverence, respect, love, and loyalty it awakens our Soul and allows it to grow exponentially  so that it, in turn, can ‘pass it on’ and share that same kindness with others!  

In fact, most of the stories I have been fortunate enough to hear during these funerals (celebrations of life) have to do with how someone offered comfort and support during times of trouble and tribulation in another's life.  Or how they always had a knack of making a group laugh raucously during get togethers.  While the stories are too many to recall, the one thing they ALL had in common was that they touched in some way HOW THAT INDIVIDUAL MADE OTHERS FEEL during their co-creations together.  

Think about it for a moment;  when you tend to take the time to reminance about a loved one that has passed, what mental images do you conjure?  DO you think about how many houses they had, or the type of cars they would drive?  Or do you think of the deep soul centered  warm and loving feelings that are still a part of your Being?  I think I know what the answer may be!   ;0)

Rev. Michael Beckwith, founder of the Agape center in Los Angeles used to often declare with such conviction, “Be aware and very present with each and every encounter you make on a daily basis while on this Earth.  Because YOU may be the ONLY bible that person ever reads, and you have a responsibility to shine your light as bright as possible in every co-creation you have!”  Amen my New Age Nerds!!!

While it is in all of our best interests to BE HERE NOW, sometimes the stresses and complications of our busy lives tend to get in the way of that goal.  Perhaps Re-membering the fact that your most powerful lasting impression you will ever make on another is how you make them feel will be a wonderful reminder to stay PRESENT in every co-creation.  We never know what another person we meet may be going through and how the impact we can have in their life by the way we make them feel in that precious moment.  

There is a wonderful story told to me many years ago about a young boy who, to say the least, was far from popular.  On many days while he would make his way from school back to his home, he would be bullied by a group of unconscious bullies.  

Yet on one particular day, a member of the school's football team saw the bullying occurring and intervened by stepping in with his physical prowess and assisted this young man in collecting the books and papers the bullies had kicked to the ground.  

Many years later, that same young man, became valedictorian of his graduating class and told the story of the day he was helped by another student who cared enough to make him feel like his life mattered.  It was a monumental moment in his life, because he was courageous enough to say that he had planned on committing suicide later that day.  

So the next  time you come across a seemingly meaningless co-creation with someone, Re-member, you may be the only Bible that person ever reads.  And the massive effect you can have on one person at a time during your Journey!!

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

INSPIRATION For Unblocking The PATH To Your SACRED CALLING.. Your DESTINY Awaits..!!

At times LIFE can seem arduous and unfair.  Challenging and incredibly painful.  There are even times when we feel like giving up on our dreams and the way we envisioned our life to BE!  Hell, some days just finding the strength to get out of bed seems like a miracle within itself.  So let me ask you a question?  WHY DO WE DO IT?!?!?  Why do we endure the emotionally, physical, and spiritual pain and continue to move forward in our daily lives?  Do you want to know my answer?  I hoped so!!  LOL

I fervently BELIEVE it all comes down to our DESTINY.  I have a KNOWINGNESS that when each and everyone one of us manifested into the human condition, we were imprinted with a special purpose that ONLY WE CAN ACCOMPLISH.   In our own special, indelible manner!  Thats why frequent readers of The New Age Nerd know I am a GI-normous proponent of The Hero's Journey.  I truly and enthusiastically know that we are all here to follow our TRUE PATH that like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz will lead us to our earthly salvation.  And I know that it is easy for me to sit here in my underwear (did I say that out loud?)and type these musings while there is real suffering out in the streets.  Hell, even in my own circle of friends and family.  I have several members of my TRIBE who are currently in the hospital suffering from a malady of illnesses.  God bless them!  

But our wounds and pain lead us to our power.  And then once we realize just how powerful we truly are we can use that power to fuel our PURPOSE.  That is what the Hero's Journey is all about.  And it isn't until we realize this fact that life takes on whole new meaning.  We no longer look at life as a daily slog through a job we can't stand and relationships that do not serve us.  We start to realize that NOTHING IN OUR LIFE HAS EVER BEEN WASTED!!  All the loss, strife, missteps, and suffering has been to help us Re-member who we are and then transform into the superpowers to assist us on our Hero's Journey!  Pretty rad stuff, huh?!?

One thing that comes up pretty frequently with my clients is the fear that things have passed them by. That they had their chance(or plenty of chances) and blew them all.  THOSE ARE NO THING LESS THAN LIMITED BELIEFS!  TRUST....  ;0)  The Universe is absolutely UNLIMITED in its abundance and life is not a carnival that gives out limited amount of tickets to use along the way.   NO!  In fact, it is quite the opposite.  We have our own personal printing machine that allows us as many chances as we need to finish our quest.  And I LOVE THAT!! Two for the ferris wheel please!  :0)

In fact, here is a little something you may choose to incorporate into your daily morning practice starting tomorrow morning.  As you awake, and slowly shake off the night's cobwebs of consciousness, try sitting up in bed.  Take a few deep breaths and inhale GRATITUDE for being alive.  And then offer a prayer of THANKS for having woke this particular morning.  Why you ask?!?  Because it is a miraculous sign.  It is a tap on the shoulder from your spirit guides that your purpose has not yet been fulfilled.  And the proof in that preverbal pudding is because you came back from your night's slumber.  Your destiny has not yet been completely tended to.  It is a sign written in the sun's bright light that YOU STILL HAVE MUCH TO DO!! And if THAT isn't enough to keep you moving through the individual challenges of your life, I don't know what can!!

And for those in your TRIBE who are having a particular challenging time right now, please help them Re-member the words you read today!  It may just give them enough HOPE to continue on their Hero's/Heroine's Journey and fulfill the wondrous DESTINY and PURPOSE they came here to accomplish!!

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez