Saturday, June 15, 2024

A Father’s Day Tribute ….. πŸ™πŸΌπŸ‘¨πŸ»‍🦳❤️

 



Some believe that angels are ordinary souls who come into your life to help you believe in MIRACLES again.  If this sentiment bares any truth, than I met my first ANGEL when I was a young lad of just 3 years of age.   My birth father had abandoned our family while we were living out in California, leaving my mom with two small children, little use of her right arm from a horrendous car accident, and absolutely no money.  But as Napoleon Hill always said, “Within every adversity, every failure, and every heartache there lies within it a seed of an equal or greater opportunity.”

Opportunity comes in many forms.  And often NOT wrapped in the way we would have ever imagined them to be.  Such was the case with Roger Lee Poston!  I first met this slice of Heaven when my mom moved my sister and I from California to Washington DC shortly after my birth father left our tribe.  He was a young man of 25 and was friends with my mom's sister, as they were both teachers just starting out on their career Journey's.  Although we were in many ways an unlikely dynamic duo, it was absolutely ‘Friends at First Sight.’  He was a good ole' country boy from the pan handle of Virginia; think “The Beverly Hillbillies” sans the ‘Beverly’ part. He had thick, curly hair and despite his very best efforts, a dialect that was laced with the Southern twang while growing up in a little town called Saltville, known as the ‘salt capital’ of the Confederacy during the Civil War.  His face was quite pale; in fact I always teased him that he had three colors: white, red, and redder!  LOL  Pop was short and stocky with forearms and calves that rivaled those of Popeye.  

His aesthetic contrasted greatly with mine.  I was super skinny with straight, jet black hair and olive skin.  I was also painfully shy and introverted (hard for anyone who knows me now to contemplate) and due to the harsh traumas from early childhood,  TRUST was an emotion that felt foreign to my sensibility.  I had been surrounded and raised by women until this extraordinary man appeared in my life.  Suddenly, I was being thrust into the world of ‘guy stuff’ on a daily basis. From comic books and Slurpees, to movies and batting cages, putt-putt golf and Spiderman early morning cartoons. The world suddenly exploded into a cacophony of glorious geekdom and more importantly LOVE!  

And it wasn't just me, as he showered my sister, mother, and the rest of the Lapham clan with the same sense of love and reverence.  So when my mom set my sister and I down to let us know he had asked her to marry him, for the first time in my young life, my heart felt a sense of PEACE, and security.  I finally felt......... SAFE.  

I still remember the very first time I was able to garner the courage to call him DAD.   He was getting ready for work, and I paced back and forth just outside his bedroom door;  practicing all the while the manner in which I was going to approach him about it.  I placed my ear up to the door and could hear him just about to emerge into the rec-room.  My palms were so sweaty and my heart was literally pounding out from my chest.  Until, the door opened and as he walked out of the bedroom, I tentatively stepped in front of him and looked him square in the eye.   

I have a question for you,” I said in a hushed voice.  It took all the intestinal fortitude I could muster, my bottom lip quivering just a bit, before finally garnering the courage to ask “Is it OK if I call you Dad?

He stayed silent for a few precious moments, which seemed like a lifetime. He placed his right hand on my shoulder and said “Jeff, I have been waiting for you to ask me that for several years.  And there is nothing in this world that would make me happier!”  He then pulled me in for one of his well known bear hugs and he started to cry.  And then tears started from my own relieved core.

But it is what he said next that has been permanently imprinted into my reverence and re-membrance of him. “Jeff, just promise me one thing,” he said.  “Although I will ALWAYS consider you to be my son, if the day comes where you choose to try and meet Danny (my birthfather) I will always support you.  He was part of the process that brought you to me, and for that I will always hold a space of GRATITUDE for Danny in my heart, and I will until the day I die.”  

Now it's one thing to utter such good intentions, but my Dad did something I consider to be one of the most powerful testaments of reverence I have EVER received. Despite many of the ugly acts that Danny brought about us in the years that followed, Dad NEVER once spoke even ONE word of judgement or ill-will towards him. I knew it was out of respect and still ponder in a complete vibration of AWE whenever I think about this act of unfathomable reverence for a man who caused my family so much pain.  

I contribute SO MUCH of who I AM to this man of undeniable STRENGTH and authenticity.  He taught me what it means to live life as a MAN.  Here is just a sampling of his teachings to me:

~~  Never be afraid of your emotions Jeff.  One of the greatest signs of inner strength and courage is  to not be afraid to cry.  In fact, I think as a whole, we shed more tears at the movies to fill an olympic sized swimming pool!

~~Women are the greatest gift to this world.  And should be treated as such.  If I ever find out you have mistreated  a young lady, I will ‘kick you through the goalposts of life.’   If you want to find out what that looks like, test me!   lol

~~ Don't EVER let anyone confuse your kindness for weakness.  They are NOT the same thing.  Buyer beware!

Looking back, my Dad was the very first Superhero I ever met.  Not only did he work two, sometimes three jobs to put food on the table, but HE NEVER CALLED IN SICK IN 40 YEARS. I never ONCE heard him complain even when I could see the toll of working 70 hour work weeks for over 30 years wearing him down to the bone. He was a true warrior who lived a life that was completely personified by hard work and being of SERVICE always and in all ways.   

This may be hard to believe, but I never saw him buy ANYTHING for himself.  He was much more concerned with making sure his students had anything they needed, and was quick to think of others in a quick trip to the mall.  “Hell fire Jeff.  The only thing I truly need is the love of your mother, you and Sandy,” (my sister) was his superhero catchphrase!   

Always a man of his word, he never let me down ONE time during our 40 year relationship.  And he didn't even need a Batsignal.  His Spidey-sense was always set to surprise and service.  Back in 1997 when I spent almost a year in the hospital battling Crohn's disease, he came for a visit EVERY SINGLE DAY.  All while working two jobs.  And I mean it, Dad never skipped one day! Always sneaking in a tasty treat or a comic book or one of my favorite films.  

So in 2013, when he was diagnosed with a rare and devastating form of cancer, I had no problem leaving my job and moving into my parent's basement to help with his massive amount of daily care taking.  Although he fought the dis-ease so valiantly, the cancer eventually spread to his brain.  And he passed away in December of the same year.  

I was fortunate enough to be alongside his bed while he passed away. In fact, my mom, sister, aunt Rena, and my girlfriend at the time were all there holding vigil over him. The manner in which he transitioned was as close to a MIRACLE as I have ever seen. With only the use of one eye, he was truly able to connect to everyone there.  He stared lovingly at each of us as we said our individual goodbyes.  But when he got to my side of the bed, his one eye intently glaring into mine without blinking, I felt .....  HEAVEN.   His soul was almost fully there and you could feel the utter BLISS, while a precious piece remained so we could say goodbye.  While I leaned in close to him, thanking him for all the LOVE, support and guidance he poured upon me, something magical happened.  I received a quick glimpse of a future period of NOW.  Without saying a word, he was communicating with me in a manner far more clear than using any type of vernacular.  The best way I can explain it is to think of a portal opening up.  It contained images of what my life was to become.  And the message was crystal clear.  It was time for me to start committing to my own PURPOSE and beginning the next stage of my Superhero's JourneyI felt a sense of peace in that moment of what I needed to do.  

Dad took three, slow, deep breathes, and then transitioned back into the LOVE of BLISS.  And although I was understandably sad, he had, in those final moments, given me the greatest gift of all! KNOWINGNESS.  It was time for me to use my pain and suffering to become a Wounded Healer.  And for once, I wasn't afraid to take that leap.  My dad showed me a glimpse of the support behind the ‘Curtain of Oz.’ I would receive. And partaking from the SOURCE energy his transition provided to me in my dad's final breathes, I just knew the complete shift I was being asked to take in my life!

So today I honor you Dad. I MISS you more than you can imagine.  And know you hear my daily prayers to you.  And I have the complete understanding that so much of the amazing miracles and magic that have filled up my life since your passing is being orchestrated by you! Because your Love knows NO BOUNDARIES!

And to all the Fathers in the world, may this Sunday bring you a sense of your unmeasurable worth to us all!  There is absolutely no measure to the strength, courage, beauty, leadership, and LOVE you shower up the Cosmos...................

BE SUPER HEROIC!
LOVE-Laugh-SERVE-INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez 

Wednesday, June 12, 2024

MODERN MYTH MESSAGES: The Legend of Bagger Vance !

 



At the start of the Great Depression (circa 1930), Adele is trying to recover her family's lost fortune by holding a four-round, two-day exhibition match between Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen, the best golfers of the era, with a grand prize of $10,000, at a golf resort her father opened as the Depression struck. However, she needs a local participant to generate local interest. The young Greaves speaks up for his hero, Junuh, prompting Adele to ask her estranged lover to play.
Junuh is approached by a mysterious traveler carrying a suitcase, who appears while Junuh is trying to hit golf balls into the dark void of the night. The man identifies himself as Bagger Vance and says he will be Junuh's caddie. With Greaves as assistant caddie, Bagger helps Junuh come to grips with his personal demons and play golf again.
When the match starts, Jones and Hagen each play well in their distinctive ways, but the disengaged Junuh plays poorly and is far behind after the first round. With Bagger caddying for him and giving advice, Junuh rediscovers his "authentic swing." 

Bagger Vance: (to Rannulph Junuh) Put your eyes on Bobby Jones... Look at his practice swing, almost like he's searchin for something... Then he finds it... Watch how he settle hisself right into the middle of it, feel that focus... He got a lot of shots he could choose from... Duffs and tops and skulls, there's only ONE shot that's in perfect harmony with the field... One shot that's his authentic shot, and that shot is gonna choose him... There's a perfect shot out there tryin' to find each and every one of us... All we got to do is get ourselves out of its way, to let it choose us... Can't see that flag as some dragon you got to slay... You got to look with soft eyes... See the place where the tides and the seasons and the turnin' of the Earth, all come together... where everything that is, becomes one... You got to seek that place with your soul Junuh... Seek it with your hands don't think about it... Feel it... Your hands is wiser than your head ever gonna be... Now I can't take you there Junuh... Just hopes I can help you find a way... Just you... that ball... that flag... and all you are...
FROM DREAMWORKS PICTURES: The Legend of Bagger Vance




Much of life is all about re-membering our own ‘authentic swing.’ After all, each of us are spiritual beings having a human experience. And part of the agreement in order to secure one of the precious Tickets to Ride in this earthly extravaganza is temporary amnesia. That's right! We actually forget who we really are in order to have all the juicy experiences that can only come from the magical, miracle matrix of illusionary SEPARATION this world affords us. For instance, you can only have the transcendent experience of making someone laugh if there is The Other in your experience who is not laughing. This Illusion of Separation is actually a great gift. But once the illusion becomes your reality, the gift becomes your greatest nightmare! For you start to believe that everything in life happens TO YOU and not FOR YOU; which is the truth of the matter. 

And that's exactly why all of you SUPERHEROES chose to incarnate into this dense realm; in this exact moment of space and time. A journey which is certainly NOT for the faint of heart. Think about it. Being told you will have to ‘forget who you really are,’ in order to take full advantage of what the power of illusionary separation extends to you is Ethan Hunt (Mission Impossible) level, master spy stuff. Right?! 
Cue the tapestry laden mini-recorder: "Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is as follows-  You will incarnate in the Realm of Revelatory Wisdom on the 3D planet known as Earth. Upon entry, you will forget anything and everything you now know! Your job is to expand your own level of consciousness through expressions of loving service to yourSELF and all others. Through daily acts of random compassion and kindness. During this time you may be betrayed, abandoned, badly maligned; become disillusioned, lose everything and forced to both suffer and struggle. And the daily ass kickings, will NEVER stop. These jolts of ‘shock and awe’ will greatly assist you in your re-awakening toward TRUE PERCEPTION; to your own ‘authentic swing.’ Your own unique Super Heroic Higher Self! 

All so that you can further strengthen the eternal areas within your subconscious still searching for experiences to learn, grow, and then eventually expand its ascended state back into the Universal Force of unlimited SOURCE ENERGY. Garnering a 'Welcome Home' party of ethereal proportions! For oh the 'Top Shelf' stories shall you be able to share with your fellow galactic travelers! So that they too, can expand themselves through and as you did on your time within this concrete jungle. For the original understanding of being a HERO came from the root word HEROS.  Meaning two. That which I do for you, I do for myself. And that which I do for myself, I do for you! For you shall eventually re-member...................... WE ARE ALL ONE

The battle cry of all conscious souls when facing dire straits. As shall be the case upon your arrival. Something is coming. We know you can feel it. As strongly as does your conscious concierge service. But we KNOW you have been preparing youSELF for this moment through many lifetimes. Wonder Woman and Batman got nothin' over you! Although they will be right by your side when the time comes to fight the coming nemesis threatening to destroy this planet. Which CANNOT HAPPEN

This planet is a sacred holding space of Intergalactic Knowledge. Long ago, the Universe deemed planet Earth as the place to garner its unending understanding of expansive energetic growth! Meant to encapsulate the TRUTH that we made ourSELVES in the image and likeness of of the Grand Creator herSELF! For each and every experience any Soul  garners on planet Earth has been recorded and permanently imprinted deep within the core of its Universal Understanding. The eternal encyclopedia Britannica for the Cosmos family.  A library filled with energetic KNOWLEDGE so profound, each and every page has been seared with soliloquies of pure LOVE and unfettered BLISS!  So failure is obviously NOT AN OPTION

And oh how much you will grow! For in this experience, the more you know, the more shall you grow. And eventually, you will remember all that you already knew. Which is a ton! Your powers will grow to levels that will eventually allow you to BE and DO anything in the entire set of multi-Verses! And it's all in your contract! Signed, sealed, and delivered by your own personal Wisdom Waiter
To assist you on your mission, you will be encoded with a 'Spiritual Guidance System.'
Your very energetic essence will be connected to it at all times! It is called a Sub-conscious Mind. It is 1 million times more powerful than the 'Conscious EGOIC Mind.' The one you will be tempted to use as your default system. And through this Sub-conscious Mind, we will be in constant communication with you. It is non-verbal in nature, so your words will have absolutely no power over it. It is activated through your thoughts (images), feelings and emotions. We will send you daily remembrances of 'Who You Really Are', through intuitive hunches, synchronicities, pre-conceived plans, and the insertion of people, places, and things in the exact perfect timing they are of necessity. You will not be doing any of this alone! This planet is in desperate need of cosmic SUPERHEROES. And pronto! In fact, its very existence depends on this group of Super Friends we will be organizing and called 
The Legion of Love

And for your efforts, you will all become Galactic Legends! For since the illusion of time and space were conceived, never has there been such an opportunity for greater loving expansion throughout this Universe! You will create a permanent state of HEAVEN ON THIS EARTH! For billions of other souls to bask and play in for eons to come! No pressure, 
but the entire fate of this planet now rests in the hands of the greatest team of SUPERHEROES to ever assemble anywhere in the cosmos!  You have exactly 30 seconds to accept this Mission Possible before this tape self destructs. What do you say?"

And I know all you New Age Nerds said, "Hell yes!" And so it is! And so it ever shall be!

So please remember; especially when funds are low and your bills are quite high. Life is completely rigged in your favor. The Universe has got your back. Just as Junuh had Bagger Vance, you have your own set of Spiritual Super Friends at your side, ALWAYS! To help guide you on your own Superhero's Journey. All to remember that one of a kind CALLING you came here to fulfill and forever change the entire Universe as a byproduct of its completion! Gotta run, my tee time is up next. See you out there on the cosmic golf course. Never stop creating with that conscious club to find your own ‘authentic swing.’
The entire fate of this planet now rests within your collective Loving Hands.........

BE SUPER HEROIC!
LOVE-LAUGH-SERVE-INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,
Jeffrey Louis Martinez

Monday, June 10, 2024

STOP Chasing DREAMS Not Meant For YOU…!

 



Back in the mid 1980's, I worked for a video store my last two years of high school. Yes I am in THAT age range...lol   Every weekend was spent consuming all the newest films that were being released every Thursday evening at our particular store.  I would dream of one day being on the ‘big screen’ and having a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  But as a dear friend once informed me, fame and fortune IS NOT A PROFESSION!  LOL  

So I took the route most traveled and studied hard, got into a great college and started a 'stable' career in sports broadcasting.  Hey, it wasn't Hollywood but it was as close as I could get from the comfy confines of Northern Virginia/Washington DC.  Yet every night I would drive home with a solemn emptiness in my heart.  The dream of moving to Hollywood still tempted my heart and soul oh so badly.  And no matter how much I tried, there was just no thing that could quell that thirst.  

In the first few entries of The New Age Nerd I fleshed out the story of how I FINALLY ended up in LA LA land, so I will save you the intricacies here.  Needless to say, it appeared my dreams were coming true! I remember the first time I drove down Sunset Blvd, blaring the radio and singing to the Chumbawamba 's “I Get Knocked Down.”  This was living the dream I thought at the time. It was a dream alright, but after a few years I realized it wasn't a dream MEANT FOR ME!  You see, my desperate desire to be famous was pure EGO!  I didn't feel whole just as I was and I thought being anointed by the 'Hollywood Movie Gods' would fill my heart with a feeling of worth and value.  When in reality, I already had that worth and value in a manner greater than I could ever have possibly imagined just by BEING...well....ME!!   Just as you have the same worth in you. In fact there is absolutely nothing about you that isn't already pure perfection. You may have been conditioned to believe otherwise by friends or family, but that is THEIR story NOT yours.  

After a few years of auditioning for commercials and small parts on tv shows and movies, I decided that this DREAM wasn't all it was cracked up to be.  In fact, it was downright depressing.  Walking into a room and seeing 100 other guys who look very much like you, but a smidge taller, or slightly more attractive started to feel like I was selling my soul for something that was just a fleeting in nature.  

But I had a ginormous problem on my hands.  If the dream of being an actor was not a dream meant for me, than what was my CALLING.  And so I started to pray to Spirit that it would show me the way.  I asked for signs from the Universe to help guide my path.  And ya know what!?  I started getting these signs and magical synchronicities like a waterfall of wisdom. Everywhere I turned were sometimes subtle and sometimes undeniable signs that all my life experiences up to that point were leading me to be a teacher, coach and spiritual mentor.  

Now don't get me wrong.  There were OH SO MANY TIMES when I doubted the whispers from Spirit and walked in another direction.  And all that showed up was pure CHAOS.  NO FUN! Yet whenever I followed the path the Universe was showing me, magic showed up!  It wasn't always easy, because as they say, nothing in life worth anything is!  

So what about you?  Are you following a dream that isn't really meant for you? Do you experience nothing but a pastiche of pain, discord and discomfort when you try and take steps in the direction of this dream.  Then chances are it is not the path of your true CALLING! And that is OK.  More than OK.  It means that you can stop wasting time on something that isn't your true purpose and instead concentrate on your own unique Superhero's Journey!   

Believe me, the Universe ALWAYS has your back.  If something is truly meant for you, you will KNOW it.  You won't have to whine, cajole, and beg for what is rightly yours.  And that is a magical Journey where all the gifts and amazing talents you brought here to Earth can be shined and shared with us all!  

SUPERHEROES IN TRAINING TAKEAWAYS

A life filled with pure sensationalism has slowly taken a gargantuan grasp upon so many of the 'mind's eye' within our collective consciousness. And desiring to have a life filled with abundance is our very birthright! But a life built solely upon materialistic desires is a path that slowly pulls us away from our individual CALLINGSAnd toward a never ending search for external, short lived accoutrements that will NEVER fill the blank hole you may feel within your heart and soul. For THAT hole can only be eternally filled when we are brave enough to eschew short term blasts of bliss for the long term, joy filled happiness that comes when we decide to commit our lives to our individual soul filled CALLINGS.

BE SUPER HEROIC!
LOVE-Laugh-SERVE-INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

Friday, June 7, 2024

LEARN This LESSON. LOVE Is A VERB, NOT A NOUN ❤️

 




I think we can all agree that there is a huge paradigm shift back towards LOVE that must take place in our society and within our collective consciousness. But do we truly understand what that means?  The word LOVE itself has lost much of its meaning and in turn its potency for lasting change. Remember this quote from the film 'GHOST' starring Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze.  

                                                                                  

Swayze's character refused to repeat the words “I love you” back to Demi Moore when she uttered the sentiment to him.  He didn't want the word to lose its power and meaning by using it incessantly.  So instead, he would simply return the gesture by saying “DITTO.

I bring this up because I sense a very similar vibration surrounding the word in our current culture.  While it is heartwarming to see hundreds of people at the peaceful protests and memorial services for all the recent shooting victims holding signs of ‘LOVE NOT HATE’ and other various messages using this expression, I think it is critical for us to remember what LOVE truly means and stands for.  After all, it is the most POWERFUL vibration in the Universe and is the cause of most miracles in our experience.  

I believe one issue is that our culture is so mesmerized by the notion of ‘being in LOVE’, that we confuse this feeling and its proper usage for the highest good of all concerned. You see, LOVE is a VERB, and not a NOUN. It is a choice and it is an action. And before you claim me a cynic, I'll have you know, I am a hopeless romantic. Profoundly so in fact. I have a list of numbers of young ladies you can call for verification! I will even admit to having been ‘crazy in LOVE' on more than one occasion. The KING of grand romanic gestures! Oh the stories I could tell! And my therapist will be back me up to any naysayers.  πŸ˜Ž

Author Stephen Covey sites an encounter with a client in his book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” The client asks him what he should do about his failing marriage. He says that he’s tried everything and that there’s no love left between him and his wife. The client asked Covey what he should do about his wife and kids. “Have you tried loving her?” asks Covey. “I’ve told you, there’s no love anymore,” says the client. Covey reiterates, “But have you tried loving her?”  The client begins to get mad before Covey explains. “Love is a verb, it is an action. You must do things for her, listen to her, be there for her. It’s not about what happens in return but what you do to love her.

He tells his client that during the next three months, he is to LOVE his wife with the fervent ACTIONS and gestures like when he first fell ‘in LOVE’ with her.  And then he makes his client a deal.  If after three months of dedicated, consistent loving action towards her, he still wants a divorce, he will coach him through it! And you know what, the client returned exactly three months later with a renewed sense of passion for his relationship.  And thoughts of any separation faded back into the ether from which they came!  

Now obviously there are some relationships that have reached the end of their service toward both parties, and NO amount of actionable loving gestures will change that.  And that is OK.  As the saying goes, some people come into our life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.  There is no shame in making a decision on what is best for the highest good of all concerned!

But for the point of this post, I would like to help us all remember that the LOVE our world requires right NOW is in terms of its true meaning: ACTION!   And one of the most basic reframing tools of our actions is a fairly basic one.  I constantly tell my clients that they can choose to be RIGHT, or they can choose to be LOVING in any relationship, argument, disagreement, or confrontation.  BUT, they cannot choose to be both.  So I urge them to choose LOVE. And it is my wish that from this point forward, so do you!  

While holding signs and standing in protest is a magnificent gesture in conviction toward the change we seek to experience, one that changes our vibration from hate and fear to love, it takes more than that to truly cause a rift in our behavioral patterns back toward our true essence of pure awakened consciousness.  For you who are still racking your noggins on what I mean, here is a small list of actionable steps seeped in LOVE that any of us can partake in:

1.  Go visit a senior assisted living home and spend time with the residents.  You will be AMAZED at the sharing of LOVE you will be engaged with!

2. Volunteer at a food kitchen for the needy. One out of four people in the US go hungry EVERY day.  What would it feel like to contribute toward that atrocity?!

3.  Go check in on your elderly or disabled neighbors.  Even if it is just to sit with them so they know someone cares.  Last year, my mother and I assisted a neighbor who had diabetes, no left arm, and MS. And no family to care for her. Simply bringing her a morning coffee often brought tears to her eyes before she made her transition back to SPIRIT!

4. Stop and actually acknowledge the next homeless person you encounter.  You don't always need to offer them money.  Simply looking them in the eye and letting them know you see them and that they matter can make the biggest difference to these precious SOULS

5.  Choose one person a day to reach out to with a quick email or even better a PHONE CALL to tell them how much they mean to you and how wonderful and valuable you think they are to you.

6.  Visit a dog shelter and sign up to be a dog walker for the poor pups who are stuck in cages all day.  After all, DOG spelled backwards is GOD!

7.  Find a local church or community Good Will center and inquire to see if they need volunteers to help in any fashion.  Free help to institutions low on funds is always a Heavenly sent gift!

8.  Sign up to be a mentor for a young boy or girl who is in the foster system.   Teach them through your actions that the world validates their worth and assist them on a path toward a purpose that will give them HOPE and Faith on their Superhero's Journey.

I'm sure if you thought about it, you could come up with your own list of things that perfectly fit the sensibilities that form a passionate form of service.  And I hope that starting today, you do just that.  I know we are all busy, and that time is a precious commodity.  But if your intentions are pure, the Universe will create time where there was previously only chaos. As we New Age Nerds are aware, time is just an illusion. But the need for our collective consciousness to create long lasting change is NOT!

As Marianne Williamson says, “A miracle is a shift from fear to LOVE.”  And the fastest and most indelible way to create a Miracle is through the action of LOVE!!!


BE SUPER HEROIC!
LOVE-LAUGH-SERVE-INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

Modern Myth Messages: X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

 





Professor Charles Xavier is exasperated over failing to work his central system called Cerebro again after so many years. He has slowly fallen into a deep depression and has given up all HOPE in both himSELF and all of humanity. His team of fellow X-Men are trying to assist him in one last ditch effort to get the professor to Believe again!


Hank McCoy: I'll go check the generator.

Logan(Wolverine): It's not the machinery, is it!

Charles: I can't do this!

Logan: Yes, you can!

Charles: No, I can't!

Logan: You're just a little rusty.

Charles: You don't understand, it's not a question of being "rusty!" I can flip the switches, I can turn the knobs, but my power doesn't come from here [points to his head], it comes from...here [points to his heart]. And it's broken. I feel like one of my students. Helpless. It was a mistake coming down here , it was a mistake freeing Eric, this whole thing has been one bloody mistake! I'm sorry, Logan, but they sent back the wrong man! [Xavier starts to leave]

Logan: You're right! [Xavier stops, surprised to hear him admit this] Actually, it was supposed to be you. But I was the only one who could physically make the trip. And, uh, I don't even know how long I've got here. But I do know that a long time ago-well, actually, a long time from now-I was your most helpless student. And you unlocked my mind. You showed me what I was, you showed me what I could be. I don't know how to do that for you, you're right, I don't! But I think I know someone who might. Look...into my mind.

Charles: You saw what I just did to Cerebro! You don't want me inside your head!

Logan: [amused] There's no damage you can do that hasn't already been done, trust me!

Charles: :[reads Logan's mind and see his torture at the hands of Weapon X, his fragmented memories, the death of Jean Grey, and his hard life.] You poor, poor man.

Logan: Look past me.

Charles: No, I don't want your suffering, I don't want your future!

Logan: Look past my future! Look for your future. That's it. That's it.
[Charles reads Wolverine's mind and appears in the future, where Professor X awaits him.]

Professor X: Charles.

Charles: Charles. [looks around to see the dire situation that both mutants and humanity face with the Sentinels in 2023.] Is this what becomes of us? Erik was right. Humanity does this to us.

Professor X: Not if we show them a better path.

Charles: You still believe?

Professor X: Just because someone stumbles and loses their way, it doesn't mean they're lost forever. Sometimes, we all need a little help.

Charles: I'm not the man I was. I open my mind up and it almost overwhelms me.

Professor X: You're afraid. I remember. And Cerebro knows it.

Charles: All those voices…so much…pain.

Professor X: It's not their pain you're afraid of. It's yours, Charles. And as frightening as it may be, that pain will make you stronger. If you allow yourself to feel it, embrace it, it will make you more powerful than you ever imagined. It's the greatest gift we have: to bear their pain without breaking. And it comes from the most human part of us: hope. [shows Charles his school for Mutants, his own compassion, what he fights for which helps ease his past self's mind.] Please, Charles, we need you to hope again. 



HOPE! The Universal salve that when applied to our self doubt causes a magical remedy of inexhaustable perseverance that can move any mountain.  Hope builds our dreams, and carries us through the pain of our greatest nightmares. It allows us to see with TRUE PERCEPTION what others say cannot be accomplished! It is the very backbone of our inner will and intestinal fortitude to keep going against any odds stacked against us. 

Hope gives us the capacity to see that things happen FOR us and NOT TO US! And so we learn to fight on for another day. This time with more wisdom and hard fought knowledge. There is very little of significant nature that would have been created in this Earthly realm were it not for the steadfast application of "Heaven Sent Hope."

That's why SUPERHEROES, the ones you and I came here to be are so vital to our planet's continued vitality. At their very core, they offer us a valiant HOPE!  For when we are confronted with the most challenging of obstacles and challenges, the HOPE we carry in ourSELVES and all others will always prevail! Heck, the "S" on Superman's chest even stands for HOPE

In fact, I truly believe there are only two things stronger than FEARLOVE and HOPE! Sans none!
For when stared down directly in its eyes, FEAR becomes an unconscious coward. It is the "Devil's Mistress." And stays only when the party is to her liking. Chaos cocktails are her libations of devilish delight. And once they are in short supply, she leaves without even saying goodbye. Like an entitled, egotistical diva.

Yet HOPE never strays from our side. EVER! It will seek us out in the darkest of our nights. And pull us back into the light of our eternal essence. It will shield us from our own certain demise by re-minding us Who We Really Are! Especially when funds are running low, and bills are piled so very high. It injects into our imaginations the possibilities of all that can and will BE! If we just remain HOPEFUL!

The great Victor Frankel, while enduring the horrors of life in a Nazi concentration camp, discovered firsthand the extraordinary power of HOPE! He captured its empowering nature in his time tested tomb "Man's Search for Meaning." In one passage he writes, "The prisoner who had lost his faith in the future — his future — was doomed. With his loss of belief in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold; he let himself decline and became subject to mental and physical decay. Usually this happened quite suddenly, in the form of a crisis, the symptoms of which were familiar to the experienced camp inmate. We all feared this moment — not for ourselves, which would have been pointless, but for our friends. Usually it began with the prisoners refusing one morning to get dressed and wash or to go out on the parade grounds. No entreaties, no blows, no threats had any effect. He just lay there, hardly moving. If this crisis was brought about by an illness, he refused to be taken to the sickbay or to do anything to help himself. He simply gave up." As soon as all HOPE in the camps had been internally relinquished, so to was the will to carry on. 

But when even a just a spark of HOPE is kept burning within us, all things are possible! For she who carries the shards of HOPE within her being, shall sip from the chalice of Christ Consciousness. And his worries shall vanquish to the seas of serenity for all times. And your dreams shall carry the cherished vitality of valor! The welcomed appreciation of service done unto others, for you carried the belief in your own "God Given Powers!" Through the darkest of nights your torch burned brightly for all the world to see. An inspiration that now gives others the permission to do the very same on their Superhero's Journey! And create a world worthy of Heaven on this Earth!

BE SUPER HEROIC!
LOVE-LAUGH-SERVE-INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

Thursday, June 6, 2024

Is Your SOUL TRIBE Still Waiting For YOU ?!

 



During my time orchestrating various stints in Corporate America, I was fortunate enough to have a handful of ‘Business Buddhas’ show up along the way, usually when I started to get LOST in the accoutrements that accompany making lots of money.  Purpose, and callings, and journeys...‘Oh, My’!  More like Elton John singing...  “I've finally decided my future lies.... beyond the Yellow Brick Road!”  

One such spirited Soul and her wise ways appeared on my path just as I was truly starting to make real progress in TV advertising sales.  A potential vortex for sidestepping one's good intentions, all in the name of making your quarterly fiscal goal. In that world, “Coffee is truly for closers, baby!” and Gordon Gecko's run supreme.  I actually had a boss, when passing out our bi-monthly paychecks by hand, would start his cocky jaunt around the office by saying, "The goal of life, gentleman, is to have so many zeroes at the end of your paycheck, that the bank teller NEVER forgets to call you SIR!"  Not exactly an incubator for action and intention in the name of spiritual growth!  

Upon first encountering this bringer of the light, there was no mistaking that she walked to the beat of Spirit.  Even her last name, ‘Good’, imbued her sweet, soft nature and authentic demeanor.  The first time I walked into her office, I could feel an instant energy shift that was completely antithetical to the rest of the building.  Calm, caring, and centered, with whispers of service minded moxie.  Experiencing how she maintained her core vibration, no matter the level of corporate chaos outside her door, helped me truly put into perspective the power of practicing the notion to ‘BE THE SOURCE’.   Rather than complaining about what was lacking in spiritual based energy, she engaged her day as though one of her core job components was to BRING that type of feeling to all of us in the company!  

Over several years, we had numerous talks about Soul centered living, our spiritual passions and goals, and future plans for our Superhero's Journey.  Hers was an elixir of daily remembrance, and one that helped soften the daily blows that a career lived in the shadows of my True Path endured.  Like a daily slog of choosing the path most taken, over and over again. But it would actually take an impromptu chat, co-created long after our office visits ended, that forged a lasting imprint on my life.

In a previous post, I described my ‘Dark Knight of the Soul’, and it was during this period that I happened to be perusing Facebook one afternoon, trying to keep my mind off my current slate of life dilemmas.  I had never been a huge user of FB at that point, but was happily surprised to see her online and available for a live chat.  And boy oh boy did it feel ‘GOOD’ to connect.  LOL

As was usually the case, she kept the focus of our conversation on me, as we caught up on over four years of LIFE.  I told her of my continued plans to be a coach, writer, and inspirational speaker. All with the true desire to assist others in service.  Of course, it was basically a variation on the same speech I had perfected and practiced so many years earlier, in the comforting confines of her office.  The definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again expecting a different result.  So to her, I must have seemed like a patient straight out of One Flew Over The Cookoo's Nest.  But thankfully, Nurse Hatchet she was not.

After letting my current ‘story’ come to its fitful end, she took a deep breathe.  And what came next was a TRUTH BOMB that stirred my Soul and bristled my heart with a new found knowingness.  

“Jeffrey”, she uttered, “you need to know something.  All the Souls you promised to help before your Spirit took human form are still waiting for you.”  Tears.....  more tears....  until.....  tears galore.  

Then, she continued.  “Anytime you feel stuck, or fearful, or filled with self doubt, remember, your SOUL TRIBE is still waiting for you to come and help them.  That alone will be enough to assist and motivate you on your path. Especially when your debts are high and your bank account continues to keep you tied to a career than was never meant for you. At least not permanently. Your Universal bank account is truly something special. It will continue to rise in conjunction with the people you are able to lovingly guide with the God given gifts specifically conjured in your divine name. ”

And you know what, those words stay with me daily, and really have helped me move past the immense loss, and pain, and self doubt that has occurred on my own Superhero's Journey.  In fact, in my darkest and loneliest moments, it is those words that continue to fuel and guide me towards my mission.  Please don't misconstrue my musings. Since ditching my own corporate career to pursue my CALLING, it has NOT always been easy. And there have been times in which debts have outnumbered the zeroes in my bank account. But, in those moments, WITHOUT FAIL, whenever I truly needed financial (or any form of support for that matter) it has shown up, usually in the most unimaginable ways. And now, after many years spent perfecting my spiritual based crafts, the Universe has put me in the perfect position to truly level up! I have all the financial means to finally start a podcast, finish writing my books, and begin the journey as an inspirational speaker.  

So today, I offer Mary Good's message to you. It doesn't matter what your own Superhero's or Heroine's Journey may currently look like, or eventually turn out to be. Please simply remember, especially when all seems LOST,  that those Souls you promised to serve with your PURPOSE are still waiting for you..............


BE SUPER HEROIC!
BE LOVE-SERVE ALL-INSPIRE ALWAYS

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez