Why I am against the drug war

Sharka Todd + 2001 (film)

I am against the drug war because I believe the individual should have the freedom to partake of the fruits of the earth in their own way and of their own choosing.  And this includes those things created in a science lab, such as the drugs MDMA (Ecstasy), LSD and ketamine, which have been shown to be useful for personal development.

A free market in these things would help drive the market towards the provision of safer and more effective forms of these substances, if that is the desire of consumers.  This may help reduce some of the negative effects the outlawing of mind-alterants has, which includes poor, unsafe, adulterated and unreliable products, unwanted deaths through inadvertent overdose, lengthy prison sentences and lives ruined for those caught up in the trade, and the empowering of criminal elements in society.

The legalizing of drugs would not erase the dangers of addiction and misuse which currently exist but through access to accurate, unbiased information on individual drugs and safe use, and the provision of support services for users who need them, these negatives could be minimized.

Meanwhile, the whole process would be under the control of society rather than being run by rogue criminal elements, and would therefore be more transparent and able to be changed to suit evolving community ideas.

Sharka Todd

Do we face punishment after this life?

Having read widely the accounts of near-death experiencers and the works attributed to the deceased (who are said to have spoken and dictated books through mediums) it becomes clear that there are 2 main processes at work to achieve the justice that is described in Romans 12:19:

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. [NIV]

These 2 processes are self-judgement as part of the life review process that seems to occur amongst the recent deceased.  The other process is the balancing of karma that seems to be required in future lives for our past deeds.  This "balancing of karma" is the process whereby we experience in our own life the quality of experience we caused another to experience in a previous life.  So, for example, the person who forcibly puts another to death against their will will experience something similar where their own life is forcibly taken away by another.

Current “best practice” in the logging industry

Stoodley Forest Tasmania. Photo by Sharka Todd

1.    Clear cut large areas of forest, shocking and disfiguring the environment and removing the home for a large number of plants and animals.
2.    Use heavy machinery to push remaining vegetation into piles, compacting and ruining the structure of the soil.
3.    Burn these massive piles, sending smoke and CO2 into the air for miles and polluting the lungs of all around.
4.   Replanting the area, adding artificial fertilizers that pollute water courses to make up for the nutrients removed by logging and burning.
5.   Planting poison baits in the area to kill native wildlife to prevent them from grazing in the area.

Sharka Todd

Illuminati are against talks with Iran

"After years of punitive measures against Iran for its nuclear development program, a series of talks between leaders of that country and others recently produced a framework for a diplomatic solution, with both sides making concessions to reach that initial stage of cooperation. Most in your world welcomed this as a positive albeit tenuous first step, yet it was soundly denounced by the increased negativity of individuals within Illuminati ranks or under their influence who want this issue handled with military might. Only the peak of the Illuminati still are holding onto the delusion that further destabilizing the Mideast will let them gain control of that region and continue their march toward global domination."

Matthew Ward

Toxic TV news

People who watch the TV news and read the newspapers have little chance of experiencing contentment and a sense of personal power in their lives, for these sources of information "drip feed fear" and present "endless unsolvable problems" (Stuart Wilde) and are really a kind of toxin to the human spirit.

For the human spirit is endowed with a sense of its own freedom and power which these news sources only seek to diminish! It is the recommendation of many spiritual and well being teachers that we avoid these things where possible and I heartily agree!

Sharka Todd

Blaming God for our mental suffering

I have heard people blame God, or even Jesus, for their suffering, when that suffering has been created by the thinking patterns they have fostered over many years. I find the blaming of some other being quite strange in these circumstances, when the fault lies clearly at their own feet!

If we accept the reality of free will then we accept that we are the creator of our mental patterns and any suffering or happiness that may go along with them.  Of course, our life experiences will impact on our thinking, but it is still up to us to decide what we wish to focus on, what we choose to ignore and how we choose to interpret the events of our lives. No one else can do it for us.

Thinking v. feeling one's way through life

 "Trust your feelings, you must!" Yoda

The two approaches to living are to think your way through life and to feel your way through life.  Thinking looks at the past and projects it onto the future when making decisions whereas feeling involves a moment by moment decision making process.  Feeling your way through life is a process of sensing the force around and within you and acting from there.  Thinking ignores the living force and acts on old programs, instead.

For a more detailed view on this topic: Using subtle feelings to navigate through life - STUART WILDE

Sharka Todd

The mysterious abandoned office

Photos by Sharka Todd

The central dynamic on Earth- KIM MICHAELS

Jesus perfectly understood the central dynamic on earth. This dynamic is very simple and can be learned by reading Jesus’ words carefully. The dynamic is that most human beings are trapped in an illusion. This illusion makes us think we are separated from our source, from God and the spiritual realm.

Some people are so deceived by this illusion that they deny the existence of a spiritual realm and spiritual beings. Others believe there is a spiritual realm, but they are convinced that they are separated from it by a barrier that they themselves cannot cross. Only very special people can cross that barrier and they themselves can enter heaven only by obeying a religion on earth.

What Jesus taught and demonstrated is that this is a complete lie. You are not actually separated from the kingdom of God because it is within you. What does this mean? It means that the kingdom of God is a state of consciousness.

Important things often happen to us, although we often pretend-

they didn’t!

Sharka Todd

It makes sense to vaccinate if...

It makes sense to vaccinate if you run a sizable risk of catching a serious disease for which there is a vaccine and you have faith in its effectiveness and safety.

It doesn't make sense to vaccinate if you have an low chance of catching a mild disease for which there is a vaccine, if the vaccine has a significant risk of adverse side effects.

Sharka Todd


See also: The decision to vaccinate or not

Creating fear is of the dark side

Using fear to weaken and control others is a dark use of the force even if we believe we are using it to achieve "positive" ends.  The means we use should be worthy of the ends we seek for our actions to be holy and good!  This means we don't project fear onto others or use fear to control them but instead, if they present a danger, they are contained using physical means!

Sharka Todd

I’m living forever, I signed a deal!

Cryonics.

Science has its realm, as does philosophy and art

Science is king of the measurable, outer, “objective” realm but it is a pauper in the unmeasurable, inner,  “subjective” realm, which belongs to the artists, poets and philosophers!

Sharka Todd

Healthy, natural young woman (PIC)

The chair Jack Kerouac built (PIC)

Photo by Sharka Todd

Religious division in a relationship (PIC)

Image edit by Sharka.  Original image from the movie "In Time".

The 2 processes for self-knowledge

1.    Observation/Meditation- Observation of our own mind, body and environment with a still mind, letting go of our train of thought when we realise we have become lost in it, focusing on something in the body or in our environment or on consciousness, itself, prior to content.

2.    Contemplation.  Thinking deeply about our meditative experience and the insights we gained from it along with contemplating deeply the words of others who possess great wisdom.

Sharka Todd

Science of the mind: Buddhism v Behaviorism

Observing the behavior of other people and animals may give us insights into their thinking process but the true science of the mind come from observing the only mind we truly have access to- our own.  There is where meditation comes in.  As Buddhism has been studying the mind through meditative practice and describing and analyzing the results for thousands of years, it’s fair to say it is the true science of the mind.  There is no other school of thought that has put as much time and effort into understanding the mind.

Modern, “scientific” methods are based on observation of behavior, not the mind directly, or on observation of the brain which is also not the mind.  Therefore, any of the methods of understanding the person are limited and are not dealing with the true primary reality we all experience- the mind, which is not the same as the body, although it works through it.

Sharka Todd

Millions worth of seashells (PIC)

Photo by Sharka Todd

The control and outlawing of mind alterants

Any new drug discovered is either owned and controlled by a pharmaceutical company or it's outlawed.  This is living in a “free society"!

The fact that you have to go though the medical establishment to get hold of the legal drugs makes them unattractive or out of reach to most people who don't have a serious medical condition.  After all, you don't need to be sick to benefit from a psychedelic!  But psychedelics are outlawed.  Heaven forbid you should gain an alternative view on life through ingesting a physical substance!  The sky might fall in!

Why there is a war against alternative states of consciousness facilitated through psychedelics is not entirely clear.  Whether there is a fear among the ruling elite that people broadening their mind through psychedelics makes them harder to control, I don't know.  It is also argued that purveyors of existing legal drugs pressure governments to outlaw competing drugs to protect their profits.  This seems a reasonable argument and shows how vested interests can work against the freedom and well-being of the people.

See also: Why I am against the drug war

Sharka Todd

Don’t ya rile ‘em-

but do asylum!

Going to the light upon death

The question to me isn’t whether we go to the light upon our death, the question is: what happens next?

Sharka Todd

Biology v. psychology of disease

Over attention to the biology of disease has led to a kind of tunnel vision which sees all disease as caused by one "bug" or another, and one chemical imbalance or another.  Therefore, the solution to disease is seen as taking physical actions to correct the chemical imbalance or to kill the guilty bug in question. 

To gain a broader perspective of disease we need to develop an understanding of the psychology of disease, not just its physical manifestation.  For, although physical factors such as diet and exposure to harmful substances can be important, we can’t forget that our mind is, to a large extent, the determining factor of how our biology operates.  It controls- or strongly impacts upon- our hormone levels, the effectiveness of our immune system and many other internal processes that we are not consciously aware of!

Without paying attention to our thoughts and their effects on our emotions and biology we may be missing a large piece of the health puzzle!  To truly understand disease and avoid it we need to pay attention to our mental processes and their physical effects in addition to what we expose our body to physically.  In this way we maximise our chances of leading a healthy life!

Sharka Todd 

See also: Mind and matter are interweaving processes- SETH

The problem with modern medicine

Medicine, as currently practiced, is the product of an unholy alliance between big business and government.  This doesn’t make all modern medicines bad but it does result in a skewed view of what is best for human health, in my opinion.  Treatments that contribute to the profits of big business are widely promoted while those that don’t are often ignored or even vilified.

Many say modern medicine is “scientific” but a deeper look into current medical methods and products reveals that very little of it has proven itself in truly independent double-blind trials.  The reality is that many methods and products are used because they suit a certain agenda and world view rather than because they have proven themselves truly effective in a scientific way.

Sharka Todd

"Come to Dust" by Boards of Canada (MUSIC)

Finally, a girl with her own spaceship!

Beck's song "Missing" (VIDEO)

Embrace Emptiness

The "unexplained" philosophy

The purpose of the unexplained philosophy is to mystify subjects that seem simple and straightforward.  By confusing people an opening can be made where a new view is formed, hopefully broader and more truthful than before!

SHARKA Todd

Observation without thought and analysis

Some people believe the key to understanding life is in gaining a theoretical perspective of it, like a scientist or philosopher does, whilst others believe understanding lies in paying attention to the present moment without thought, as the unmoved observer.

There are those who say that once a label is attached to something the label is false because it is a label and not the thing itself.  In other words, the description of something is not the thing itself.  This seems obvious but is ignored by the scientist who deals in abstract concepts and acts as if they are the real thing, themselves.  In this way, the whole universe has been reduced to an intellectual abstraction in the mind of the scientist. 

In contrast, the serious meditative observer realises that the thing they observe is truly unknowable, but that it can be seen and felt in the present moment through the mechanism of one's consciousness, and not in any abstract thought about the past!

SHARKA Todd

Visits to heaven (book)

For those interested in reports of spiritual experiences, may I recommend this book.  It contains a wide variety of unique spiritual experiences, many of them near death experiences, had by a number of individuals.  It is very fascinating and uplifting reading!

SHARKA Todd

Through the window (PIC)

Pic by SHARKA Todd.

The new trend to "double-team" religions

 
SHARKA Todd

Are we arguing over a false God?

Many arguments are had over a being that I don't think exists and that being is the controlling God- the one who punishes us for our crimes and intervenes in our lives against our free will.

The only God that I understand is a loving one who maintains an unlimited respect for our free will and does not interfere in our lives in any way except to support us and help us reach the goal of unlimited joy- as soon as is humanly possible!

Sharka Todd

The importance of observation without thought

Many people look at life through the veil of their thoughts- their projections.  Only by stilling our mind and paying attention to what is around us and how we are feeling, without initially thinking about it, can we gain an understanding of what we're dealing with!

SHARKA TODD

Are we judged after death?

It is common among monotheistic religion believers to expect to be judged by a God after their death.  This God is believed to be one who rules the heavenly world with an iron fist, ruling our fate and determining our destiny, independent of our own will.

 I'm here to tell you that this isn't the case at all.  God is a loving God who allows us to determine our fate forever!  We will be where we choose to be and where we focus ourselves to be.  If we feel punished it is only because we punish ourselves because we believe we are unworthy and deserving of punishment.  The reality we experience is an outcome of our mental processes and the beliefs we hold about the world and our place in it, during this life and in the world to come.

Many humans project their fears onto God, who they view as a demanding tyrant, but by all accounts this view is wrong and he truly is the loving father that we would wish him to be.

Sharka Todd