Month: November 2018

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The Unseen Side of Life [Post #11]

Ok, now we are getting into what some would call the “woo woo” stuff.  I think we all have a sense that there is more to life than the “visible” world that we live in daily.  But what exactly is beyond the visible world, though, is the question. And, of course, everyone has a different opinion about this.

First off, science says that we only see about 5% or so of what makes up the visible part of life as we know it.  So 95% or more of existence in “invisible.”  So that really is not “woo woo,” but rather science!  But, as I said, what is the invisible or unseen world, the unseen side of life?

Religions deal with this realm of existence and they seem to have lots of explanations for it all and often claim to have it all figured out.  Some are rather rigid and certain that they have the answers to what the unseen world is and are very precise in explaining it all.

I covered briefly in my blog post #7 my religious and spiritual journey, explaining how I wandered all over the spiritual map in my life from conservative, fundamental evangelical Christian religion, to strong atheism and back to an open spiritual outlook on life.  I explained how I always had a feeling that there was more to life than just the physical, material, visible and tangible existence we experience day to day.

It was just a vague feeling I had of something, I was not sure what, though.  I definitely had some strong beliefs in this area.  I absolutely did not believe in any “afterlife,” any existence beyond this earthly life.  Of that I was certain!  Life could not possibly go on after physical death, no way, no how.  Even though I felt a spiritual dimension was possible in this life, even real , there was nothing, I was convinced, once this life was over.

Well, that belief of absolute certainty got totally blown up about four years ago for me.  Through a dinner conversation with a friend one night, I made the bold decision to have a session, a reading, with a medium, one who claims to be able to have contact with those who have died, or as thy would say, passed over, are behind the veil, on the “other side,” etc.  My friend told me of an incredible reading he had with a medium and I was intrigued, though an absolute unbeliever in such stuff.

I figured this was the time to do some research and see what all this stuff was really about.  I figured I would waste my money and have a “reading” just to fortify my unbelief and skepticism on the existence of life beyond this earthly one.  This would be money well wasted, I guess you could say.  So I plunged in a set up a reading.

Now this was really an unusual situation for me, as the reading was to be over the phone with a medium in New York State, someone who knew nothing about me and was just a voice over the phone.  

The session lasted for an hour and a half, but immediately after we started, I was blown away.  For the entire session this person told me things no one could ever know about me, my family, my friends, and my life.  Family and friends came through the medium and communicated with me, in the exact way they would have spoken if they were right beside me.   Over the next three years I had two more readings, each one just as amazing as the first one (one session was shared with a good friend also on the phone with the medium).

So, my belief system about continued consciousness after death was been absolutely turned upside down.  That experience has totally shifted my life in new directions.  I have since had several “psychic” type experiences and had to look at life very differently than I had in the past.

So, now I know. I know that there is the unseen, invisible, spiritual world for certain!  Do I understand it?  No, I do not.  It is a mystery, that’s the way it is.  I deal with that as best I can.  It really does change everything when your belief system is totally overhauled like this.  I see things differently, I live differently.  I do see more “wholeness” in my life now.  It’s easier to trust in life, or as some would call it, to have faith.

So, there is an unseen world out there, or rather, in here, or right here.  It’s truly a mystery.  But, I am not going to fall for anyone who says they have it all figured out.  It is a mystery.  Always has been, always will be.  We do have to trust the mystery if we are going to have the good life we have been given.  A good life we have been given for some reason, often a mystery for most of our lives.  So, I would just say, “just go with it, trust and let life be, it works out eventually, even if you don’t see it all now.”

In future blogs I will probably get more into the invisible world and the religious and spiritual worlds we all have some experience with.  Topics I have been tossing around in my mind lately have been things like: what is God?,  Sin (yes, sin), death, etc.  You know, the light topics of life.  Anyway, we’ll see what develops as I ponder things.  I hope you’ll check in regularly to see what’s up as I let my mind meander.

Wally 

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Traveling the World [Post #10]

I am a very lucky person in that I was able to realize my dream of traveling the world after finishing my education.  I had decided that that was what I wanted to do as I drove away from Chicago, leaving seminary in 1972.

In 1973 I started my airline career and after six months I took my first  trip as an airline employee and  literally went around the world.  We had an around-the-world flight at the time and I jumped on board for a three-week journey heading east, averaging three days at each stop along the way.

I went with a friend from work that I didn’t know well, so it was quite an adventure.  Our first stop was Portugal.  Our first night there I discovered that he did not care for foreign food.  I thought well, this will be interesting, traveling the world and trying to find American food everywhere we go.  Like, what’s the point of going around the world and not sampling each country’s cuisine?  Oh, well, on we went.  We visited Italy, Greece, Israel, India, Thailand, Taiwan, Okinawa, Guam and back to the U.S. through Hawaii.  All in three weeks.  For a twenty-five year old, that was quite an introduction to the world.  It’s one of those things you are glad you did when the opportunity presented itself.

I of course learned a lot regarding the different cultures and people that make up our world.  Learned some history.  Learned that traveling the world with someone you hardly know can be interesting.  Learned a little about sexual addiction as my friend found a hookup (female) in almost every port.  Yes, quite an education.

After that big trip I traveled a lot.  I would take a few extra days off every month or so and go to Europe for short stays.  I also traveled the U.S. a lot.  It was a lifestyle I really enjoyed in the early years of my career.

When Terry came into my life we kept up the pace of my travel bug.  Fortunately he loved traveling also.  We did trips to England, Scotland, Iceland, as well as much domestic travel.  It was nice to have a travel companion and we traveled well together.

I’m so glad I did all the traveling I did when I was younger as I would not want to travel like that now.  Times have changed so much.  Flying was not the hassle that it is now with crowded flights and cramped seating.  In the old days it was much more comfortable and I was often able to travel in first class.  Oh, well, I’m glad I took the opportunity when it was available  and I had lots of energy to go, go, go!

At this point in life I do not have the same interest or energy I had back then.  I’ve seen a lot, done a lot, and really have become a homebody in a sense.  We still like to travel but enjoy car trips and train trips more.  A five-hour plane trip is my limit these days.  Hawaii makes a nice break from routines twice a year and the beauty there is as good as I’ve found anywhere.  We also have our other favorite places to visit like Sedona, Branson, Charleston, Edisto Island (S.C.), Savanna and others.  We also try to see a new place every year.  But the pace has slowed.  Lots of places I haven’t seen, but that’s fine with me.  I’m glad I started early with this travel thing.  Life does change.  Life’s been good.  I can’t imagine what life would have been like if I had never done the traveling I did do.   I’ve lived my dream and I am living my dream, just the pace has changed.

Wally

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Hate and How We Handle People We Hate [ Post #9 ]

Well, There’s a word that packs a punch, that throws life off-center, that destroys and kills, often literally.  It’s a word that’s very topical in our world today.  I wish it wasn’t so, but, as they say, “it is what it is,” and we are living in a very hate-filled, hate-obsessed world if one focuses on that aspect of life.

As a child we probably didn’t think much about the emotion of hate.  In childhood we would casually say we love something or we hate something. No big deal.  We love our parents or we hate our parents.  We love or hate our siblings.  We hate or love broccoli, etc.  We love school or we hate school.  I don’t think we were taught the potential damage hating could have at that stage of life.

But advance to the later years and we see hate is a very destructive energy to live with.  Gangs thrive on hate as do most criminals.  Left unchecked, hate just becomes a way of life or at least a part of life.  Yes, it has always been that way.  History is a continuous story of war and killing.  Look at religion, another continuous tale of wars and atrocities.  

Looking over my life, I do not recall actually hating anybody.  There were a lot of people I did not like, people I did not see as good or nice people.  But “hate,” I don’t know if I would say I hated anybody.  I do recall one time when a supposed “friend” all of a sudden decided he hated me.  We were co-workers and I thought good friends until one day in casual conversation I mentioned I was gay.  Kaboom!  He flipped out and started screaming at me how I was evil and God was going to kill me.  God was surely going to kill me, no question about it.  I deserved to get AIDS and die, and soon!  Wow, I did not see that coming.  He hated me ever since that moment.

Now, I grew up in an environment of hate.  I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s, in an all-white area of Los Angeles.  In my immediate environment I was taught that we hate Catholics, Jews and ni**ers.  I did not understand this attitude, so of course I was called a ni**er lover by family members.  I, of course,  was confused as I did not understand this concept of hate that was so natural in the people in my environment.    I guess I was the proverbial “black sheep” of my family and environment.  Over time I’ve been labeled a communist, un-American, bleeding-heart liberal, etc.  Wow, all because I was not hate-filled in my attitudes and thinking.

So now, here we are in later adulthood, and it just doesn’t change much, does it?  Look at the world, look at how people are treating each other. Turn on the news.  I was at the grocery store recently and two people were going at it, screaming awful, nasty things to each other.

So, how do I handle the people I hate in my life.  Well, for starters, I don’t feel that I hate anybody.  Really, I mean that.  Can’t stand some people, that’s for sure.  I find some people awful, disgusting, even evil, but I would not say I hate anyone.  I think hate is a line I will not cross.  I find hate to be too destructive and harmful and dangerous in my life.  My getting worked up and hating people is not for me.  I’ve got enough to do making my life work out how I want it to be.  I don’t have the energy to hate and be distracted from all the good in life.  I will let karma and God work out dealing with the awful people in this world.  Really… as they say, “it’s not my job, man!”