It appears to me that the system is rigged.

I don’t trust our politicians or most of the mass media.

People are selfish — not by nature, but often, by necessity.

Life isn’t fair.  “Fair” was created so the weak, talentless, powerless, unskilled, and disconnected felt they had a chance to win.  Those with some strength, talent, skills, and connections will often limit their power or advantage, because we’ve all been deeply conditioned to try to play fair.  But a few, very select few, don’t play fair — and soon end up running the game and creating the rules, if they’re not already.

Guilt is the worst, most effective, and most common use of manipulation.  Fear is a close second.

We are prisoners of our own minds and emotions.

Our current understanding of God is about as accurate as understanding Barney to be a real live dinosaur.  Killing each other over issues of God — with bullets or words — is stupid.  The world is watching.  Outsiders see your religion as being full of argument, fear, hatred, separation, and debate.  And mass manipulation.

Those who have a real relationship with the real Divine are naturally set apart.  They can advertise it if they want to, but they don’t need to.

You don’t know everything you think you know.  Just because you — or someone else — is very certain doesn’t mean you, or someone else, is right.

“Reality is an illusion” doesn’t mean this isn’t real.

Everybody’s got an answer.  Every spiritual teacher knows why we’re here.  All the experts know what to say.  Listen to them, but then carefully and consciously, intentionally, make up your own mind about things.

Becoming Wiccan as a way to rebel against Christianity is an insult to both religions.  NEVER choose a spiritual path out of spite, fear, rebellion, anger, lust, greed, guilt, emotional obligation, familiarity or old habit, or ANY OTHER REASON other than because IT MAKES SENSE first in your heart, second in your mind.

Above all, think for yourself.  Look for yourself.  Decide for yourself.  Feel for yourself.  This is the hardest work there is, because neither our schools nor our religious institutions teach us how to do this.  The rare exceptions are few and far between, and even then, don’t just accept what they say because they tell you to think and believe for yourself.  You must actually think, feel, act, and believe for yourself.  There is no short cut for this work.  But it is among the most important work any human person, of any age or type, must ever do.

There is no short-cut to wealth.  That is a lie.  People inherit fortunes, win lotteries, take companies public, find treasure, scam millions, and find all other sorts of ways — legal, questionable, and illegal — all the time.  But I’m pretty sure working hard at a job, saving what little you earn, is probably the slowest way to wealth and financial freedom.  Unfortunately, most schools, parents, and religious leaders teach no other method to financially sustain ourselves.  That is sad.

Get out and exercise, even if it is relaxing, doesn’t break a sweat, and takes little to no effort.  Simply moving the body around is excellent and vital to its health, physical and emotional.  We must disconnect from our computers, televisions, and couches at least once a day, even if only for a few minutes, to go “move around” outside.  Fresh air, change of scenery, and a little movement of the body does wonders.

I make no promises, save that one day, sooner or later, your body and mine will die.  If at all possible, no matter how remote, others will find a way to take any money left over that you still had, starting with the government.  It is wise to save and invest money, but it is also wise to spend it while you still can.

Everything is in circulation.  Everything is moving.  Some things are moving so slowly (to your perception) that they may appear to be solid — but everything is in transition.  Form is constantly changing.  Some of it changes quickly and significantly; some of it changes very slowly and minimally.  But everything is moving and everything — including you, your circumstances, your possessions, and your loved ones — is changing.

Wealth is not hard.  We are just taught that so that the wealthy and powerful have less competition in keeping their wealth and power.  To become wealthy, you must understand circulation — including the flow and circulation of money — and position yourself into that current.  But realize that it is still moving even then, and you may only hold onto it for so long.  Change is the only constant in the universe.  Still, we can change with change; we can stay active in the current.

Loneliness is worse than death.

Public speaking is not so bad … after you’ve done it a few times, gotten over your fear of embarrassment or saying something stupid, and/or learned to love yourself unconditionally no matter what.

Unconditional love is one of the most elusive things we seek in life, yet ironically, it’s something we all have immediate, constant, and permanent access to inside ourselves.  Sadly for most of us, we have been taught — and learned to believe — that love is something we must find outside ourselves.  This was taught to us by others who wanted something from us — usually our money or compliant behavior.

We don’t know what we don’t know — so why do we assume that what we don’t know must therefore be impossible?

Nobody’s perfect.  But we hear this so often we don’t even hear it any more.

Everything comes with risk.  There is low-risk, managed risk, deferred risk, assigned risk, transferred risk, and acceptable risk — but no such thing as no-risk or risk-free.  Unfortunately, typically, those things with the highest reward often come with the greatest risk.  It takes great risk to put our heart on the line and follow our dreams.  It takes great risk to open our hearts and fall in love.  But “playing it safe” is the greatest risk of all — for it has only a minimal, predefined reward (mediocrity), at the cost of never feeling truly alive, never being truly fulfilled, never experiencing real, vulnerable, honest, true love.

Those who argue with that last sentence are the most fearful — and greatest defenders of mediocrity — of all.  You cannot experience true, ultimate, unconditional love until after you have exposed your true heart and soul, become vulnerable, and revealed your true self, flaws and imperfections and all, to someone who has the power to hurt you but chooses instead to love and embrace you.

I have yet to experience that, because last time I was in that position, the person chose to hurt me.  Since then, I haven’t been vulnerable enough to give another soul a chance.

Some days I hurt, I feel lonely, I feel a little frightened about the world too.  Goddammit, I’m human … just like you.

Put me not on a pedestal nor treat me as your footstool.  Hold me and see me as your equal.

I am a mirror to you, and you are a mirror to me.  I am here to remind you — remind, not teach — of certain truths.  You are here to fulfill your purpose, which will impact my life too.  I don’t know what your purpose is.  Your mother or father doesn’t know what your purpose is.  Your religious teacher or astrological consultant doesn’t know either.  NO ONE ELSE knows … but you.  All those other people can only — only — confirm what you know to be true in your heart, if and only if they are tuned into the same Light and Truth that is within you.  Everyone has a purpose, no matter how big or how small, whether he or she is aware of it or not.  In God’s eyes, from heaven’s perspective, there is no size or scale to purpose.  For all is interconnected.  And all is interdependent.

I am full of fear and doubt and second-guessing just like the rest of you.  Sometimes, I really am scared.

I just want to be loved.  But I still feel I need to earn it. Earned love is not unconditional love.  And unconditional love is what I really want and need.  When will I learn?  When will I change?  When will I let go, open up, be vulnerable, and love myself?  Unconditionally, and all of me, I mean.

your friend,
David Michaels

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