Ready TO Have YOUR Perspective Of THE WORLD Turned UPSIDE Down....?!

 

Back in 1996, I was caught in the middle of an incredibly vitriolic and spiteful business relationship that nearly cost me my life.  I had only been out of college for a couple of years and still finding my way in the wild and at the time wonderful world of television broadcasting.  After a two year stint working for WRC-TV (NBC-Washington, DC) as a sports producer for the ‘George Michael Sports Machine’, I decided that 80 hour work weeks and Holidays spent behind closed doors editing video tapes of college football games while chowing down on what I THINK was cold turkey and stuffing was not the things my dreams were made of!  

So I landed a job for a local TV production company in the suburbs of DC.  They produced a local half hour business program(that I shall refrain from naming for legal purposes) that promoted up and coming tech companies in the DMV area.  The first year was a total BLAST!  Here I was 24 years old, holding meetings with the likes of Steve Case of AOL, and Larry Ellison of Oracle.   This is when the technology revolution was in its infant stage, and simply being around the icons who were prescient enough to see the future was mind blowing!  And in the process I definitely got my MBA at the University of MIH- MAKE IT HAPPEN!  LOL  

During the second year of employment, my boss and then close friend asked me to relocate to San Francisco to start a West Coast version of the show in Silicon Valley, where most of the most influential tech companies were setting up shop.  I had been itching to to get back to the West Coast (I was born in LA) for years and jumped at the opportunity.  And for the first four months, I woke up every morning thinking I was in some sort of duplicate Universe where dreams ALWAYS come true. It was the Land of OZ for the tech set!   I had daily meetings with the CEO's of companies like Sun Microsystems, Yahoo, and Oracle.  Although I sometimes felt out of my league, I NEVER let em see me sweat.  And they accepted me as one of their own.  Meetings by day and parties at night, all in one of the most beautiful and eclectic cities in the world!  I was truly a STARGAZER collecting information and memories of a lifetime.  

And then, one October morning in 1996, I got an email from one of the companies I had met with the previous week.  They were calling me a fraud because I had told them that the sponsors of the show which was to air on the local ABC affiliate were The Wall Street Journal and Dunn and Bradstreet.  The company had connections at both companies and they claimed they were in no way affiliated with the show.  While reading the email, my heart began to pound arrhytmically!  I started having a minor panic attack.  They were threatening to send a letter to every tech company in San Francisco telling them that I was running a scam and to not accept meetings with me.  

I immediately called my boss back in Virginia to try and straighten out this unbelievable mess!  After all, he was the one who told me that those two entities were the sponsors of the show.  I was only repeating the information given to me by him and our company.  After an explicit tirade he fired me on the spot and told me I had 24 hours to vacate the apartment he had set up for me and the rest of the crew.  Needless to say, I was shell shocked.  What the HELL was going on, I thought.  

After having no other choice than to hire a lawyer, the TRUTH slowly unfolded like a guilty lover hiding his dalliances with the utmost discretion.  My boss had lied about the sponsors singing on to the show.  In his infinite wisdom, he believed he could get REAL sponsors signed onto the show before anyone found out.  In the meantime, I was the companies face man out on the West Coast.  The waiter serving food that had been screwed up by the cooks in the proverbial company kitchen.
To save his own ass, he blamed me for all the confusion and sent me to the awaiting wolves.

When I was fired I lost my health insurance and the massive amount of stress over the possibility that my reputation in the tech community was ruined, caused my Crohn's disease to spiral completely out of control.  By the time I was actually able to obtain decent health care, my doctors said my colon was so diseased that it was about to perforate.  Which meant, instant death.  I had lost an enormous amount of weight under the pressure of the previous few months and was actually too weak for the 12 hour surgery to have my colon removed.  But after a long chat with my doctor, I decided to take the risk of having the operation rather than waiting to regain enough weight and strength before going under the knife.  

The memories of the whole surgery and the almost 16 month recovery is still haunting to my soul.  It was excrutiating in ways human beings should never have to suffer.  And let's say that wearing a colostomy bag at age 27 is not exactly a hit with the ladies!  lol  Even though it was hidden underneath my t-shirts, every time I passed gas, the bag blew up like a balloon, scaring the shit out of anyone in arms distance of me.  Yeah, that's how I rolled!   :0)

While recovering from this nightmarish ordeal, you can only imagine the amount of anger and frustration I had toward my former friend and boss.  He went so far as to forbid ANYONE in the company to visit me while I was in the hospital.  There were days and nights in which I absolutely fantasized about ripping all the tubes from the hospital machines from my body and taking a taxi to his house to ummmmmmm...have a little chat!  With my fists acting as compassionate truth seekers!

I held onto that anger and pain of betrayal for quite a while.  In fact, at times it consumed my every thought.  Ironically enough, it was during this time that my current path of self realization started to take its core form.  While still in the hospital, a friend of mine gave me a book called ‘The Celestine Prophecy’, and for the first time in my life I felt like I was home. A few weeks later I was finally released from the hospital and went straight to the nearest Barnes and Noble with that book firmly in hand.

I excitedly asked the nearest store clerk where this book could be found in the store.  And within a few yards, I was in a row that felt like Conscious Christmas land.  Books after books of like energy to the one I had carried into the store.  I bought about twenty of them and stormed back to my car to get home as fast as I could to begin what I know now to be the start of my own Hero's Journey.

The first book I read is still the most influential on my own personal resonance with the world of spiritual divinity and Universal Law that felt like TRUTH to me.  The book's title was ‘Conversations with God’ by Neale Donald Walsh.  Page after page was filled with wisdom and knowledge that fed my soul and strengthened my faith!  This was as close to feeling Heaven on Earth as I had ever felt!

And then something that transformed my understanding of human interaction occurred when I got to the section where Mr. Walsh told the story of The Little Soul.  And that parable struck a cord so deep within my consciousness that it still informs my daily interactions nearly twenty years after reading it.  Here is the excerpt from the book itself:

There once was a little soul who knew itself to be the light.  This  was a new soul, and so, anxious for experience. "I am the light,"  it said. "I am the light." Yet all the knowing of it and all the saying of it could not substitute for the experience of it. And in the realm from which this soul emerged, there was nothing but the light.

 Every soul was grand, every soul was magnificent, and every soul shone with the brilliance of MY awesome light. And so the little soul in question was as a candle in the sun. In the midst of the grandest light- of which it was a part- it could not see itself, nor experience itself as Who and What it Really Is.

Now it came to pass, that the little soul yearned and yearned to know itself. And so great was its yearning that "I" one day said, "Do you know little one, what you must do to satisfy this yearning of yours?" "Oh what, God? what? I'll do anything!? The little soul said.

"You must separate yourself from the rest of us," I answered, "and then you must call upon yourself the darkness."

"You may choose to be any Part of God you wish to be," I said to the little soul.

"You are the Absolute Divinity, experiencing Itself. What Aspect of Divinity do you now wish to experience as you?"

"You mean I have a choice," asked the little soul.

I answered, "Yes." You may choose to experience any Aspect of Divinity in, as, and through you."

"Okay," said the little soul, then I choose forgiveness. I want to experience my Self as that Aspect of God called Complete Forgiveness."

Well, this created a little challenge, as you can imagine. 

There was no one to forgive. All I have created is Perfection and Love

"No one to forgive?" asked the Little Soul, somewhat incredulously.

"No one," I repeated. "Look around you. Do you see any souls less perfect, less wonderful than you?"

As the Little soul twirled around, and was surprised to see himself surrounded by all the souls in heaven. They came from far and wide throughout the Kingdom, because they had heard the little soul was having an extraordinary conversation with God.

"I see none less perfect than I," the Little Soul exclaimed." Who then, shall I have to forgive?"

Just then another soul stepped forward from the back of the crowd. "You may forgive me," said the Friendly Soul.

"For what?" the little soul asked.

"I will come onto your next physical lifetime and do something for you to forgive," replied the Friendly Soul.

"But what? What could you, a being of such Perfect Light, do to  make me forgive you?" the Little Soul wanted to know.

"Oh," smiled the Friendly Soul, I'm sure we can think of

something."

"But why would you want to do this?" The Little Soul could not figure out why a being of such perfection would want to slow down its vibration so much that it could actually do something "bad."

"Simple," the Friendly Soul explained," I would do it because I love you. You want to experience your Self as Forgiving, don't you? Besides, you have done the same for me."

"I have?" asked the Little Soul.

"Of course. Don't you remember? We've been All Of It, you and I.

 We've been the Up and the Down of it, and the Left and Right of it.

 We've been the Here and Now of it, and the Now and Then of it.

 We've  been the Big and Small of it, the Male and Female of it, the Good and Bad of it. We've been the All of it.

"And we've done it by agreement, so that each of us might experience ourselves as The Grandest Part of God. For we have understood that.....

"In the absence of that which You Are Not, that Which You Are, is NOT.

"In the absence of 'cold,' you cannot be 'warm.' In the absence of 'sad,' you cannot be 'happy,' without a thing called 'evil,' the experience you call 'good' cannot exist.

If you choose to be a thing, something or someone opposite to that has to show up somewhere in your universe to make that possible."

The Friendly Soul then explained that those people are God's Special Angels, and these conditions God's Gifts.

"I ask only one thing in return, " the Friendly Soul declared.

"Anything! Anything," the Little Soul cried. He was excited now to know that he could experience every Divine Aspect of God. He understood, now The Plan.

"In the moment that I strike you and smite you," said the Friendly Soul, " in the moment that I do the worst to you that you could ever  imagine---in that self-same moment....remember Who I Really Am. For I will have forgotten."

"Oh, I won't forget!" promised the Little Soul. "I will see you in the perfection with which I hold you now, and I will remember Who You Are, always."

~~~ from Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsh

And that is why Jesus the Christ, on the cross, looked to the prisoners also being crucified to his left and right and looked to the sky and said to SPIRIT, “Forgive them father, for they know Not what they do.”

That parable created a wave of conscious sensation that removed the veil of illusion from my shortsighted emotions toward my former friend and boss almost instantaneously.  He had given me an opportunity to learn the true and authentic power of FORGIVENESS.  And from that moment on, I decided to hold a space of LOVE and LIGHT for him for as long as I lived. 

In what way does this story touch your feelings about the possible intentions behind the actions and words of those who have hurt or wronged you on your path?  Could it be that there is someone in your past or even in your life currently who stepped up on YOUR behalf to allow you the exact experience you chose to have on your Journey?!  And more importantly, have you remembered WHO THEY TRULY ARE when they caused you that strife and pain, because they chose to forget themselves as the ultimate gesture of Love and Compassion?   

It might be something worth pondering  as you continue on your path and purpose!  I know it has saved me an enormous amount of resentment, pain and suffering.  And my wish is that it does the same for you......


BE SUPER HEROIC

BE LOVE - SERVE ALL - ALWAYS INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

For THOSE Of You Confused ABOUT Your LIFE'S PURPOSE.. PLEASE READ....!

 

In the Summer of 2005, the real estate market in this country was on FIRE.  Individuals were leaving their "day jobs" to become buy and -quick flip- house hunters.  Especially in the "City of Angels."  And I wanted in on all the action.  As did one of my best buds.  When the student is ready, the teacher will appear!  And our real estate instructors were coming into Long Beach, CA for a two day seminar on the art of buying, fixing, and flipping houses for a ton of dough.  Heidi ho, "heidi dough!"   LOL!

My partner in crime and I made the hour long trek down to Long Beach one early Saturday morning. We had already digested a handful of books on the subject like two, true, New Age Nerds. We were waiting and ready to receive whatever SPIRIT had in store for us that weekend.  

The first day's seminar was broken up into two parts.  Both four hours in length.  The two of us were so busy jostling down notes in our real estate journals that we barely thought about food. But suddenly, a co-facilatator of the event walked on stage and announced it was time for our one hour lunch break.  The event planners broke the audience of hundreds up into groups of four.  They desired each group to act as a mini-mastermind. To spend the lunch break not only eating, but "dreaming and scheming" with one another.  For where there are many, acting as ONE, the fruits will always be multiplied!  

Our fearsome foursome consisted of me and my buddy, as well as a dashing gentleman in his late 40's and an enigmatic woman of Middle Eastern descent approaching 60. (my guess) Small chat amongst us began in earnest as we walked across the street toward the culinary delight filled TGIF restaurant. No expense spared on my watch. LOL  

Given the crowd soon to come, we were fortunate enough to be seated quite quickly.  Our preferred choices daringly decided, small talk resumed as we awaited our food.  I chimed in to ask if everyone was open to sharing a quick story about themselves.  A great ice breaker I thought!  And the team was more than obliged to take part.  

My friend and the gent now seated to his right, told stories about their family.  Both obviously married with kids.  And then, our Middle Eastern friend slowly began to spin her tale. Through a thick accent, and a powerful essence, she had us hooked with the first word "well."  What followed was a story for "All Ages!"  MIND BLOWING in substance and nature!

Her magnanimous story began nearly 40 years prior.  When, as a 19 year old, she began to have fainting spells.  Apparently, she had fainted over a dozen separate times; down the stairs, and even once while behind the wheel of her SUV.  Her doctors were completely flummoxed!  They couldn't find one single thing wrong with her.  Despite the visitation of one specialist after another, she received nothing more than head scratching. 

Until one morning, when she fainted while walking down her home's tall staircase and tumbled straight down into the basement!  Thankfully, her father happened to be home from work at the time and urgently rushed to her side.  She explained to us in great detail what occurred next.

She could feel her SOUL leave her body as she watched from above as her father tried his very best to arouse her!  She saw him crying with desperate tears.  "It's OK dad," she attempted to shout.  "I'm alright.  I'm right here!"  Before she could muster the strength to utter another word (on the 'other side', we speak through our emotions, but THAT is for another day)  she was suddenly whisked through time and space! She described it in great detail.  It reminded me of the scene in the Jodie Foster film Contact. (If you have yet to see this movie, place it high on your Netflix binge list) When Foster's character is placed in a pod built from extra terrestrial intelligence and sent cruising through the Cosmos.  A vortex of vibrant lights bending into a matrix of illusionary images.  Spinning tunnels of SPIRIT filled abundance, wrapped in clouds of pure consciousness!  

And then, she said, everything came to a jarring stop!  What she uttered next still resides deep within my own spiritual, authentic self.  An energetic form, too beautiful to accurately describe, slowly approached her. And although the face of this sentient being never fully actualized, she fervently believes it was the essence of Jesus the Christ!  The closer in proximity this 'being' became, the more she described being bathed in LOVE.  She described a warm glow of UNADULTERATED JOY which came over her own soulful self, causing her to  gush pangs of winsomeness; layered amongst many years of hard fought wisdom.

Communication between the two began in earnest.  Resolute with each and every word, she uttered, "I was told that I would be returning, healthy and whole, to my human body.  And now had a MISSION to be fulfilled. I would be given an ability.  A special gift.  The power and ability to KNOW when someone was NOT following their own personal CALLING.  And it would be up to me to help them Re-member." We were all quickly jolted from our trancelike sensation, woven by this glorious gal, by the waiter delivering our tasty treats.  

Looking at the clock, we noticed our one hour lunch break was quickly coming to a close.  So we scarfed down our food and began to divvy up the check.  My buddy had to use the rest room, so he hurriedly shot off away from the table.  And then, just as I was turning to walk toward the establishments door, this "Wisdom Warrior" softly tugged on my shirt.  In her thick Middle Eastern accent, she softly uttered, "Jeff, will you stay back with me for a bit?"  

"Absolutely," I said.  And the next five minutes changed the course of my life FOREVER!

She moved in very close to my "personal space."  And looked me dead in the eyes before  explaining, "Jeff, you KNOW why you are here, don't you?"  

"Of course I do!  To learn to buy some real estate," I chuckled.  

She remained super stoic.  "No.  You know why you are here on Earth?" she questioned.  "Jeff, you are here to be a great spiritual teacher.  To help change the world.  And I know you understand this.  But why do you not do, what you came here to do?" she said with great intent.  Tears began to flow down my cheeks.  It was hard for me to maintain eye contact. She was telling the truth!  And I did know it.  I had since I was 17 years young.  Yet, 20 years later, I was still dabbling and circling my CALLING.  Never committing to it.  "I still don't feel ready," I told her.  

"You are more ready than you allow yourself to believe," was her sage advice.  

She grabbed both of my hands with a soft caress.  Touched my chin, and gently lifted up my face so that our eyes could connect intently.  "There are not hundreds, not thousands, but millions of people that you are here to assist.  You must follow this path.  The world is waiting for you.  I am here to share this remembrance with you. But it is you who must keep your promise."

My tears became something more akin to leaky faucets.  It struck me as so truthful.  I felt this prickly feeling that grew into BLISS.  It felt as though my own SOUL was "Jumping for JOY."  "Right on, Jeff!  I'm here, for you, and as you, for us all,"  I garnered from this inner, yet otherworldly sensation!  

I hugged her tight and she wouldn't let me go.  At least not before whispering into my ear, "Keep your promise."  Our embrace came to its close and I spent a few minutes trying to compose myself.  Looking at the clock, I was already five minutes late to the second half of that day's seminar.  I dashed back across the street and took my seat alongside my good friend.  At the close of that day's event, I searched and searched, but could not find this "Super Soul Saver," anywhere.  In fact, I NEVER SAW HER AGAIN!


SUPERHEROES IN TRAINING TAKEAWAYS

I wish I had a dollar for every time I have heard the utterance, "I wish life came with a guidebook!"   Well, it actually does!  We are often just to distracted to actually RECEIVE it. 
The Universe is constantly communicating directly with you.  Sometimes it is quite subtle in nature.  It may whisper its messages through the next song on your Alexa playlist.  Or the film,  book, or song you engaged for the 100th time.  Yet during the 101st replay,  you are relaxed and fully present.  And, BOOM, it jumps out at you.  Just what you needed to hear!  It was always there! (slap to the forehead)  

Remember Dorthy, from the Wizard of Oz.   Her lesson is OURS!   That's why that film will continue to transcend its place in time forever!  Her "super powers," along with all the answers she was searching for were right there with her the entire time.  She just needed to be remembered of them.  That's what we are all doing here my dearly beloved New Age Nerds! Assisting one another in remembering "Who WE Really Are,"  and why we are here!

Haven't you ever wondered why this extraordinary planet is filled with so many amazing creatures?!  Yes, its partly because all of Nature is where the garden of "Awe and Astonishment" is nurtured.  But it is also because it gives the Universe the most unimaginably wondrous ways through which to communicate with us!  As when a recently passed member of your tribe promises to communicate with you once "on the other side."
And the love of birds or butterflies that you both shared is the very sign that begins to show up on a daily basis!  

As for me personally, I wouldn't have it any other way!  Forget the guidebooks.  Give me the serenity of season's change.  The sense of emotionally charged power and ONENESS that imbues my heart and soul when synchronicity graces me with its magic! The wonder of NOT KNOWING, until suddenly, YOU DO!  All because someone carried a seed meant to be ever so caringly planted within the unique emanation of the ONE GOD MIND.  

Once the few begin to commit to awakening the many, so many of our insidious epidemics will be vanquished back to the land of the lost.  Because once you taste the sweet nectar from the chalice of your Super Heroic Higher Self, the high from any quick hits of materialism will feel emotionally barren.  I promise!  ;0)

So I think it's time for all of us to make a commitment to ourselves and others.  I pledge allegiance, to the flag......ummm  no no no.  Wrong pledge!  LOL!

Seriously, what would it feel like to commit to becoming a fully self actualized Soul on this planet.  Declaring to the Universe that you are ready, willing, and waiting!  You won't even have to do all the heavy lifting.  Because in leaving all the "HOW's" to the Universe, you will be free to see with fresh eyes;  listen with eager ears.  For all the magical manners in which the Grand Creator herself will impress upon you the soft signs, intuitive hunches, and in your face "wallops of wisdom" a dozen or more times a day!  Leading you to all your own answers.  And blessing you with the directions and plans to fulfill your personal CALLING.  And then never ending abundance in all its forms suddenly floods your daily experience; all for you to share these gifts in loving service with the world.  Sound groovy?!  It sure does to me!

BE SUPER HEROIC!

LOVE....SERVE....INSPIRE....

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

MODERN MYTH MESSAGES: BLACK LIGHTNING ....!

  

Jefferson Pierce has finally had enough! Years ago, he made the agonizing choice to hang up his Super Suit. And now lives a quiet life as the principle of Garfield High School in the South East town of Freeland. Where his much touted manifesto to all students becomes: 

"It's your life! Live it to the fullest! And by any means necessary!" 

When racist tensions once again return and invade his city from multiple angles, (including the shooting death of one of his female students) he decides it's his destiny to dust off and don the suit that concentrates all of his Super Powers, as he transforms back into BLACK LIGHTNING! 



Jefferson has just fielded the police call informing him of this needless tragedy.


Jefferson Pierce: (Black Lightning...  from his home office): Daniel, what's up?!

Daniel: (Officer) Jeff, umm.....I didn't want you to hear it from the news. Luanda (his former student) is dead. Just got the call a few minutes ago. (Several beats) I'm sorry.............

Close in on Jefferson's blank stare .......... As he slowly and incredulously hangs up the phone.

Jefferson: (several minutes later, watching the horrific TV news footage of Luanda's dead body being loaded into an ambulance) What good did it do Lynne!! She was my student! (starting to pace) I had a fantasy. That when they leave me, their lives are better! That they could transcend this neighborhood.....this city...this world! Yeah....I saved more lives as the Principle of Garfield High than I ever did as Black Lightning!!

Lynn: (his ex-wife and renewed neurosurgeon): It's true.....

Jefferson: It's a lie!! Luanda is dead!!

Lynn: She is...(very calmly) I know... I know. And....and it hurts. And I understand. And I feel it too.

Jefferson: But I could have saved her! I could have saved so many (lives).
But I've been living a lie. 

Living in the hopes that you and me...(voice trails off) and the girls (their two girls) could somehow live behind a white picket fence. A normal life! I'm not normal!! Never have been! Never will be!

Lynn: Jeff, listen to me, this is the addiction talking....

Jefferson: (with rage) There is no damn addiction!! (taking time to calm down)
Do you remember what you said? When we discovered my (super) powers? 
You said it was a gift....a blessing from God. It's still a gift. It's still a blessing from God. And I intend to use it. And NOT just for the girls. But for all the other people out there who need me!

FROM DC COMICS AND THE CW'S: BLACK LIGHTNING 

Just as Jefferson Pierce was faced with the challenging decision on the manner in which to live out his own life, so are we all given the choice of how to spend each and every precious moment of our existence. Right?! As Hellen Keller said, "Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all." 

I talk a great deal about the bevy of ways in which to live your life through Super Heroic means. For although this world is currently facing a battalion of 'close to apocalyptic' worthy challenges, I ardently believe that the ANSWERS to these adversities are lying within each and every one of us! That's right! Perhaps that is either Amazon-Alexa inclined music to your ears, or a cause for heart palpitations from the understandable pressure! ;0) Stay with me...  It's all gonna be OK!

Similar in vein to Black Lightning, the four decade seminal superhero Rocky Balboa is as perfect an example as one can muster towards a life filled with Super Heroism. The extraordinary appeal of the Rocky movie franchise continues to inspire a "largesse legion of fans" even after the first film's initial release way back in 1976. It's largely due to their innate ability in using the boxing ring as a metaphor to "the hard knocks of life" that is a grand foundational template of The Superhero's Journey. Rocky's path is very much the same as our own. Full of exasperating highs and devastating blows that often knock are asses back to the proverbial mat time and time again! 

His path personifies the motivating message: it is NOT how many times you get knocked down, but rather how many times that you "get back up!" Because one of the key characteristics of Super Heroic Success is perseverance.  As world renown ferocity expert and best selling author Steven Kotler says, "The ass kickings life gives you never stop!' PREACH! 

The opponents Rocky faces in the ring are direct metaphors for all the mountains we must face and climb in our own lives. One step, one punch, one round at a time! Always remember you are MUCH greater than any obstacle or situation life "throws at you." And what would it look like to transcend whatever challenge that currently stands before you as no thing less than a Soul Sent opportunity to learn, grow, and evolve into the next "Grandest Vision of YOU!" Because that is EXACTLY all that monster of a mountain in front of you truly represents. It is an opportunity for you to be further strengthened and forged in an area that still requires healing and inner growth, leading us towards a soul filled expansion so that we have the fortitude to complete our earthly mission!

May these words offer you remembrance to transcend your life's greatest mountains into MOMENTOUS MAGIC!

While there is absolutely no denying this experience called life is 'Chock Full O' Pain,'I think my favorite acronym for this feeling comes from the fabulous spiritual teacher Iyanla Vanzant.  She says that pain means : PAY ATTENTION INWARD NOW! BOOM! Couldn't have said it better myself, so I won't! ;0)

Pain is both a powerful and perfect Professor! And yet, most of us ignore our pain. And try and numb it with a pastiche of outer "quick hits of pleasure" such as drugs, alcohol, and materialistic pleasures. Numbing our pain also stunts our self growth. And leaves so many life lessons spread out all over the table waiting to be addressed like overdue bills. We know all to well what the consequences of not addressing unpaid bills becomes. A total nightmare that crushes our fiscal health. The same thing holds true when we resist our physical and emotional pain. For what we resist will ALWAYS persist, and what we are courageous enough to engage will melt away. Once we have learned what it came to teach us!

We are all SUPER HEROES.  All you New Age Nerds know that tune ever so fondly by now! Ever so strong and built to withstand all sorts of PAIN! That's why we all chose to come here at this time. For this dense realm will never stop giving you the most elaborately grand and complex challenges our Universe is capable of providing. The ass kickings keep coming! And Thank The Grand Creator they do. Because we KNOW that the bigger our life's challenges, the greater the opportunity we have to forge an even greater version of our Super Heroic Higher Self! We even get a few extra credit super heroic God filled nods along the way. One for every occasion! I mean, who doesn't like to rock their hard fought and earned super hero cape down every "red carpet" of their experiences?! ;0)

As one of my all time favorite, real life ( fingers in ears - la la la...la la la....  I can't hear your epithets ) Super Heroes, Deadpool learned from his personal trainer Rocky Balboa........

"The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows Deadpool. It can be a very mean and nasty place. And I don't care how tough you are; it will bring you to your knees. And keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is going to hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. Cause that's how winning is done!

Your unique pain points contain the map towards a one of a kind set of Super Powers only you possess. And trying to find and unleash them out into the world without sitting through a few classes taught by "Professor Pain" is simply futile. Remember, your pain points are filled with unlimited possibility!  For they came to teach you, develop certain super skill sets, and allow you to become the grandest version of yourself! The one now needed in order to find and fulfill your unique life's CALLING! The one that ONLY YOU can bring to fruition. The one that you promised to make manifest for both yourself and the betterment of saving/changing the whole World! Again, no pressure!  ;0)

What would it look like to start paying closer attention to your own pain points? Just as Jefferson Pierce (Black Lightning) was forced to do. Rather than shrugging them off for a "rainy day." Think of it this way. The quicker you address and heal your pain points, the faster you will re-discover your set of Super Powers. And who doesn't want to be in control of the vast arrays in which you can live a Super Heroic life! Cause that's when life truly becomes one giant EPIC ADVENTURE!

And as one of my THREE TENETS OF BEING SUPER HEROIC TOUTS (INSPIRE)-----
LOVE-----  SERVE -----  INSPIRE

Here is a poem I wrote to hopefully INSPIRE anyone still searching for their reason and a manner in which to BE SUPER HEROIC:


Day by day is the way they say to live....
One step at a time 
Until the mind's music...
Find's its rhythm and rhyme.....

Pull yourself up from your bootstraps.....
But what if your straps are no longer there...
Worn down from the disillusioned moments...
That often causes one not to care....

Every mirror shows me a reflection....
I often wish not to see...
For it causes me to face my TRUTH....
And my Soul's inner reality....

If I'm meant to be a guide...
A Steward of Remembrance toward other's paths
Then why does it now often seem...
That perhaps in another role I should have been cast....

A mountain stands before me....
One I am reticent to climb....
For I know the pain its crevices will find....
Deep within my Soul's fragile shine.....

But there are ethereal signs...
That this Journey will lead toward salvation..
That give me Hope and Strength....
To stay the treacherous course despite outward temptation....

So I daily forge ahead....progress top of mind....
Although setbacks do befall me.....
I simply pass them by.....
For my heart's goal is to be set free...

At times I am completely amazed...
As I find a trove of treasures along the way....
Gifts sent from Heaven...
That ease my core confusion and curb the constant sway...

The path toward peace and joy...
Still lies far above....which is completely fine
For a winged angel appears to remind me...
The gift toward eternal Glory is NOT a straight line....

It takes more than courage to forge through our Truth...
Thus Faith was created by His Heavenly touch.....
To be used as a staff of pure conviction..
When the burden seems to be just too much...

Silent whispers can be heard all around....
So many spirit guides wishing to aide...
For a CALLING I have yet to fulfill...
The very reason that I was made......

To give up now would be a blow to a Universal plan....
Which is to create and fill this world with LOVE and Light....
So the darkness about to overcome us...
Could not do so without a Heavenly fight....

I write a promise in the rocks as I continue to climb...
That no matter the circumstances that may cause me to frown....
Continuing to fight through the forces of my internal darkness...
Is my Hero's Journey, and my Soul Tribe I will never let down....

by Jeffrey Louis Martinez




BE SUPER HEROIC
BE LOVE - SERVE ALL - INSPIRE ALWAYS

Nerdmaste,

JLM

INTERESTED In Blasting THROUGH Into A New BLISS Filled Life..... Please Read....!

 

I want to shed some light on the framework of philosophy that forms the foundation of The New Age Nerd; GROUNDED SPIRITUALITY.  Perhaps in a future incarnation, I might come back with pure consciousness in tow, shedding all fear and disconnection.  But right now, I still have my moments.  Through the daily practice of grounded spirituality, I have become much more attuned to the nuances of being both Here and There.  And by that, I mean being connected to Spirit as often as possible, yet still allowing for the resonation of earthly illusions into my daily experiences.  And that is why we are all here, right?  To slay the proverbial ‘dragons’ along our path toward finding the Holy Grail of our Superhero's Journey!  Kinda tough to do that when we refuse to acknowledge that ‘dragons’ even exist.   

Perhaps John Lennon said it best, "I believe in everything until it's disproved.  So I believe in fairies..the myths..dragons.  It ALL exists, even if only in your mind.  Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the HERE and NOW!"  Amen!

During my life, I have attended numerous churches of various denominations.  You name it, chances are I have investigated whether it was for me.  I have studied at a plethora of organizations from the East Coast to the West.  All searching for something that made sense, resonated deeply within my heart and soul, and that when put into practice, worked on a consistent basis.  In doing so, I think I was trying to create something that could help me better navigate this thing called life.  And guess what? On my journey, I found out I was far from alone within a growing community looking for a new form of DOGMA. One that defused the confusion of man made rules, cloaked around and under the veil of inception from The One God Mind.  I have always espoused I am fully behind any form of religion/spirituality that serves one's highest good, and does no harm to others. But the spiritual philosopher and truth seeker that comprises the majority of my earthly presence, has always continued to search for a philosophy that consistently rang true within the pangs of my SOUL. And after over 25 years on this path, I now know I am far from alone.  In fact, in a book I absolutely adore, and highly suggest anyone of this ilk to read, called Soulshaping, by Jeff Brown, he says, “...my philosophy of grounded spirituality started to concretize.  I call it Ascending with Both Feet on the Ground.  It is the idea that our ascension to heightened spiritual consciousness can ONLY be sustained if it is an embodied unfolding from the the ground up.”  What a terrific definition.  I believe we are meant to courageously engage the pain, emotions, challenges, as well as the joy, laughter, and LOVE we encounter in this Earthly Matrix of experience. 

He goes on to give more details of his journey and how he had a great lesson about spirituality from one of his mentors, the luminary spiritual teacher Ram Dass.  After years of neglecting his body on his spiritual journey, he suffered a horrible stroke.  Pre-stroke, he preached that ‘we are not our body’.  A very common pronouncement in the realm of spiritualists.  His post-stroke experience, which he called FIERCE GRACE, shattered that notion.  This self named -stroke of good luck- grounded him as he later stated, “I came to appreciate, that as wonderful it is as a practice, ‘I am not of this body’ is only half the truth. The stroke brought me squarely in touch with the fact that, although I am certainly more than my body, I also am this body.”  Boy can I relate to that.  During my time with a colostomy bag, cleaning my own intestine several times a day, had anyone told me,  ‘You are not your body’, I would've flung poop at them like a chimp at the zoo!  I'm KIDDING....kinda!

So here are some of the basic tenets of how Grounded Spirituality has come to serve me and many other truth seekers I know.  But please always remember, that as a Course in Miracles states,  “There are many paths to God.” In addition, I would like to suggest that as long as your path begins and ends in LOVE, you will always be headed in the 'right' direction!

1-  Fully Feel Your Emotions
When I first started to passionately engage this world of self actualization, it seemed as though there was this taboo like energy towards many common emotions like anger, and sadness.  Some of the practices I was soaking up during my early journey transitioned into robotic in nature. Not to mention unrealistic in trying to sustain a Zen like stature 100% of the time.  I started to feel guilty to express or admit when profound vibrations of any emotion outside of LOVE would bubble up within me.  Worse still, I began to try and hastily force others through their own sacred process by reframing, or spouting a newly learned spiritual epithet.  There is a funny story behind what got me to finally change my ways.  

There is a wonderful spiritual temple called Agape in Los Angeles, which was attended by me and most of my like minded friends every Sunday for years.  Agape in Greek stands for unconditional love, and it is a true, non-denominational sanctuary of commiseration for those of us on this path back towards our authentic Selves.  During a weekend trip to Napa Valley, one of the friends in our group was going through the initial stages of divorce, and definitely having a cacophony of deeply profound and painful  emotions of various ilk. (Thank God for wine! lol) Rather than allowing her to truly feel that grief, I started in with a reframing soliloquy that was sternly met with,  “I swear to God, Jeff, don't you dare try and F&ckin Agape me right now."  I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  Although that line became a long lasting retelling, once defused of her anger,  in our group about giving each other the respect of allowing our individual emotional process play out, it also taught me a PROFOUND lesson.  I started to acknowledge the power of our feelings, and that NOT being in ALLOWANCE of them is doing yourself and others a great disservice.  

And ya know what?!  When I started allowing myself to fully enter into my own emotions, for a given period of time, I usually came out the other side with a new perspective, or plan for moving forward.  I began to understand that feelings are one of the most powerful tools we have to assist us in navigating our unique path.  They are truly the ‘guide posts to the Soul’.   So rather than ‘Apape'ing’ myself or others, now I remember that repressed emotions are actually unrealized spiritual lessons.   Just DO NOT make a Broadway Show out of them.  Cause nobody wants to buy a ticket to an event that has outstayed its welcome!  


2-Honor Your Body

Yes, we all know that this body is temporal.  It is ours for a finite time.  But is is also a precious gift.  That's why it is called the Body Temple.  It is sacred in that in houses our Soul while we are here.  As the book God I Am declares, “There were billions of other Souls around the Universe vying for the ‘ticket to ride’ that was given to you!”  That's right, YOU are that unique and special.  Everyone here already won the lottery!  So while you are here, be grounded enough to care for the body which brought ya!

3- Don't Take Yourself Too Seriously

By this, more than anything else, I mean learn to laugh at yourself.  This field is filled with people who take themselves so seriously.  Lighten up!  We all make mistakes, are infallible, and poop in our pants. (Or is that just me ?!  lol)  I have found that you will actually relate to more people with your story and message, when you can learn to laugh at yourself.  In fact, it is a scientifically proven fact of the transcendent power laughter can have over event he most insidious of illness!  So never miss a chance to show off those choppers whenever the situation presents itself!

4-  ACTION is Always Necessary

When the documentary The Secret first came on the scene with its teachings of The Law of Attraction, there was this huge ‘Wishful Thinking’ movement within the world of metaphysical teaching.  People actually started believing that they could simply sit on the sofa and think about money, and that checks would suddenly start appearing in their mailbox.  I believe it truly started doing massive damage to the real understanding of this Universal Law/Principle (The Law of Attraction is but one of several Universal principals by the way) and in my experience, caused a ton of frustration and disillusioned spirits in our community of truth seekers.  

Don't get me wrong, I am a fervent believer in the power of Universal Energy.  As Yoda says, “It's an energy field that is created by all living things.  Life creates it, makes it grow.  It surrounds us, binds us.”  And it is ALL powerful.  BUT, in this dense realm, it MUST be combined with ACTION in order to work.  And unfortunately, there is not enough inclusion of this crucial step toward manifesting your dreams/desires/goals within the earthly realm.  You can think all day and night to align your energy fields with your desires until the cows come home, but if they are NOT backed by actionable steps toward your plan/goal/path, the ONLY person you will be making rich is your therapist.  Trust me!  

For more pragmatic advice about the proper use of The Law of Attraction, I highly suggest reading Beyond the Secret, by Dr. Lisa Love.   She has such a grounded way of explaining the Law's principles.  For instance, she suggests one use it to try and attract the qualities for keeping and using money responsibly, rather than just acquiring money in the first place.  Great stuff!

5-  Stop with The Shame Game

This is perhaps the 'secret sauce' toward maintaining a lasting vibration in the healthy use of Grounded Spirituality.  There is a large component of people I have encountered along my path who insist that EVERYTHING that finds its way into your personal experience, including illness, is a byproduct of something you did to create it.  Talk about a shame game.  Aye Dios Mio!!

Yes, a great deal of our experiences are indeed brought about through a combination of our thoughts, beliefs, AND actions, but WE DO NOT LIVE IN A VACUUM.  We each share this planet with billions of other souls.  Don't ya think that sometimes, we just happen to be in someone else's path, and in the process receive their byproducts?  And the truth is, we can never really know what the exact cause of everything that happens in our life happens to be.  And I personally think we have much better things to do with our time than try and figure it all out anyway.  

My point is that in grounded spirituality, the shame game DOES NOT exist.  Rather than spend time on WHY something happened, we focus on HOW to show up to meet the challenge once it occurs.  We are not so much responsible FOR everything that happens to us, but WE ARE responsible TO IT.

For instance, rather than blaming myself for the Crohn's disease and/or Ankylosing Spondylitis I was diagnosed with, I try to listen to my body, and care for it with compassion, proper food, exercise, and rest.  Further, in meditation, I ask for the WISDOM to understand how I can draw any benefits from the illness that was brought into my experience.  Especially any form of understanding that would aid others suffering from similar maladies.

I hope today's post gave you a richer understanding of GROUNDED SPIRITUALITY and how it can be used to assist you on your own Superhero's Journey!

BE SUPER HEROIC!

BE LOVE - SERVE ALL - ALWAYS INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez