Many countries in Asia don’t come off well in discussions about animal protection, though humans around the globe bear responsibility for our endless atrocities against animals. Still, Asian traditional medicines and dietary preferences get the blame for lots of horrors, including:

• torturing moon bears for their bile;
• killing off elephants for their tusks;
• slashing rhino populations for their horns;
• slaughtering sharks to eat their fins;
• brutalizing dogs and cats for fur and meat;
• endangering whales in violation of international law to eat them;
• and hunting tigers to use their genitals in medications.

There is more, but I’m depressed enough already.

Here’s the good news: individuals in these countries are taking up the fight to protect animals.

The stereotype that several Asian countries, and China in particular, are the root of countless evils for animals makes the following fact surprising: there are more vegans and vegetarians in China than in the United States — 50 million versus 30 million. That growing meat-free population could help make a dent in statistics like the four million cats China’s residents eat each year.

The Chinese trend against meat-eating is particularly heartening because many of the veg folks are motivated by concern for animals and are taking action to implement and spread their values. In one recent example, Chinese animal rights activists launched a huge effort to put an end to an annual dog meat festival last month.

South Korea also has a home-grown animal protection movement. In 2010, activists raided a covert dog farm and rescued as many dogs as they could. Then they went back and persuaded the owner to relinquish the remaining dogs and raze the farm’s buildings.

Even people who are not risking arrest like the South Korean rescuers or changing their diets like the Chinese vegetarians often care about animal welfare more than international headlines might suggest. An insightful initiative against ivory in China was based on the realization that locals weren’t stubborn or indifferent to animals’ suffering; they were just lacking key information.

In Chinese, the phrase for ivory literally means “elephant tooth.” This gave consumers the impression that elephants dropped their tusks the way other species like humans and, notably, sharks, shed and replace their teeth. People assumed that ivory suppliers collected and sold discarded tusks while the elephants went on about their lives without injury.

So the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) launched a publicity campaign to raise awareness that the only way to get ivory is to kill elephants and remove the tusks from their corpses. IFAW achieved striking results: the number of people who said they definitely would not buy ivory doubled, and their primary reason was the slaughter of elephants.

Activists in Hong Kong are reducing local demand for shark fin soup. “Several hotels offer discounts, cheaper room rates and other incentives for couples that choose not to serve shark fin at their wedding celebrations,” and “campaigners persuaded Citibank Hong Kong to withdraw a promotion offering new credit card holders discount on a shark fin dinner.”

There is no denying that Asian consumers are responsible for the misery, death and possibly even the endangered status of countless animals — or that all of us, in every country, make choices and assumptions that cause just as much horror. But the image some animal advocates may have of Asia as a hidebound monolith on animal issues is wrong. Determination is growing among many Asian residents to save animals by changing their countries’ habits and shedding light on the grisly consequences if they don’t.

Related Stories:

Some Chinese Losing Their Taste for Shark Fin Soup

Heroic Rescue at Korean Dog Meat Farm

Dog Meat Festival Must End, Say Activists in China

Are Rhinos Safe from Poachers When They Wear Pink?

A Side of Rabies With Your Dog Meat in China

Read more: asia, cat fur, cat meat, china, dog fur, dog meat, elephants, ivory, rhinos, shark fins, South Korea, tigers, vegetarian, whale hunt

Photo credit: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Changes in the Divine Plan: The Case of the New Governments – Part 3/5

Posted by Steve Beckow on July 30, 2013

(Continued from Part 2.)

The Containment of Negative Souls

Containment is a policy administered by the celestials by which recalcitrant souls in major leadership positions whose actions are causing significant harm are placed in light boxes where they’re bombarded with love, except when they do something harmful.

Archangel Michael described the process of containment early in July of 2012.

“We have a process that you do not understand, because you tend to think in terms of your reality on Earth, of course.

“But you can think of it as a process of containment and of restraint so that these beings are restrained and contained, and for all intents and purposes, for your purposes and references, they are taken out of action.

“Or the actions that they are permitted to participate in are mostly illusion, and they do not affect the collective. In fact, if anything, they simply bounce back at the individual.

“Each of you is fully aware of the bubbles and the shields within which you operate. And the purpose of those containers, or those layers of protection, which we have spoken very often of, is that nothing that is less than love is allowed to penetrate.

“But we have never spoken to you, or we have not spoken in such a public forum, let us put it that way, of putting restraints or containers around those who do not wish to contribute to the growth and the evolution and the shift of Gaia and of the human race.” (1)

He described what containment was and how long the dark figures would remain in it.

“Think of a box, think of a storage box. Think of a box that you see coming off the large ships, containers. Only these are containers of light, these are containers of pure energy, these are containers of love.

“And the individual – or the group, by the way, because there are several where we have simply put an entire group; it is easier that way, and more rapid, by the way – we are placing these beings in containers of light and love.

“Their energies that may be disruptive or based on the old paradigms of hatred or greed, control, cruelty, just plain nastiness, my brother – they’re placed in these containers and that energy has no way, because they are sealed, and they are sealed by the mighty ones – myself, Michael, Raphael, Uriel, Jophiel and Gabriel. They are sealed. And in that sealing, their negative actions, emotions, et cetera, cannot escape.

“They remain there, continually and constantly penetrated by love and light. Now, the reason we tell you, ask you, guide you not to do this – first of all, you are not strong enough, and this is something that is done only in very extreme cases.

“If you look closely at one of these who are contained, sometimes you will hear screams, cries for mercy, false promises of good behavior, but they remain there until such time as the purification is absolutely complete. And that decision of removal lies in the hands of the Mother and Father.” (2)

He acknowledged that the Divine Plan had been changed and advised us not to expect a mass round-up and arrest of the Illuminati. That’s not the way this Ascension will proceed, he says.

“If you are looking for storm troopers, dear one, if you are looking for the activation of forces, then you are looking in the wrong place, because what you have need to do and what I am asking you to do is to begin to look with your third and fourth eye, and to begin to witness and to observe how these beings are being restrained and contained. And how what you think of as their sphere of influence is simply disappearing. …

Archangel Michael identified Jamie Dimon as one person who was contained.

“So this I ask of you. Do not become entrenched in what you think is going to be a third-dimensional quasi-military maneuver to go to people’s homes and put people in jail or in contained environments. The containment is on a whole, completely different level. …

“This is a method of bringing peace that has not been utilized – well, it has been utilized by a few select people, human beings that we have given this to, but it has not been used as a strategy, let us put it that way, since the time of intergalactic wars.

“Even when we removed what you have thought of as the, hmm, negative forces of the ETs, those who were abductors and slave masters, … to a different universe about a decade ago, we did not utilize this method.

“So that is what we are doing. That is the methodology that we want you to understand. … we are helping to simply contain those who have need to be contained so that things can go forward.” (3)

He explained why the Company of Heaven was using this approach:

“It is an act of love. We only do this because we know these beings and these groups deserve, just like all deserve, to be fully embraced in love. And they have been so reticent to do so. We are not altering their free will. They can act out or not within these containers. But it will not go anywhere.” (4)

By late-December 2012, Archangel Michael was declaring that the cabal was effectively contained.

Steve Beckow: Well, we certainly could use some flyovers and all the rest of it. Is there any problem now that the cabal is in containment?

Archangel Michael: No, there is no problem. The cabal is contained. That is not an issue. (1)

By March of 2013, SaLuSa was recognizing that the plan had changed and he identified containment as one reason why such measures as mass arrests had been abandoned.

“In the past there have been many references to arresting those who are the ringleaders of the dark Ones, and steadily they have been rounded up. You have also heard of ‘Containment’ and in this way we have been able to severely restrict their activities. Mass arrests were considered likely to evoke panic amongst you, as few would have had any knowledge of why it was happening.

“So we have opted for gradual changes and placed our representatives who are our allies, in positions that give more control to those of the Light. However, once we can come out openly, you will then see rapid changes taking place for which we have long been prepared. We assure you that you will eventually enjoy all of the benefits that have been promised to you, and we will be doing all we can to assist you.” (2)

The Pleiadian Council through Wes Annac discussed the new plan of rehabilitation of the cabal in April 2013:

“Souls in your mainstream media who display malevolent or service-to-self-based agendas will be kindly taken away from their positions and, depending on what their higher selves and their guides wish for them personally, will perhaps be rehabilitated of the negativity that would drive a malevolent perspective.

“This rehabilitation we speak of is not anything that will be forced onto anyone and rather, will be an optional choice that we are quite confident many souls steeped in negativity will accept.

“We speak (in part) of the souls who you refer to as ‘criminals’ who have entered into a specific archetype and way of Living for their current Earth experience.

“They will be offered the choice to rid themselves of the negativity that has driven many of their perspectives for so very long.” (3)

In May 2013, SanJAsKa and the Pleiadian High Council discussed the manner in which the dark cabal leaders were being worked with:

“We speak of these souls {Cabal} existing in a holographic reality wherein they think or assume they are pulling a massive, malevolent deed off, only to find that the events they planned so rigorously have not happened at all.

“This is one of the strongest aspects of the containment the cabal heads are experiencing at this time and along with this, they are fruitfully contacted in their dream state and are being worked with so that the malevolence that’s closed off their hearts for so long can no longer have the effects or cause the massive suffering and hardship it has.” (4)

What Archangel Michael said about Vladimir Putin and Russia could perhaps be said about other governments and their leaders emerging from containment:

Steve Beckow: I think a lot of Russian readers and listeners are wondering if they can trust Vladimir Putin.

Now, you’ve said he was in containment and he’s coming out of containment. Can you direct yourself to Russian listeners, please, and tell them what they need to know about Vladimir Putin, please?

Archangel Michael: Well, I will say that he has been gradually coming out of containment, and reintegrated, shall we say, into society and into his role and decisions. So what I say to you is be vigilant and be the observer. Do not get caught in what appears to be the drama of this readjustment of power. So, allow the shifting of the core and the centers of power to be adjusted.

Russia has a very important role to play in the future years, as I have said before. So, stand back, my friends. Be the observer. I am not asking you to extend your wholehearted trust and empathy to this individual. What I am asking you to do is to extend trust to your own discernment, because it is not 100 per cent clean, but it is not dirty either. (5)

But not everyone is in containment and those who are not, Archangel Michael tells us, can still occasionally throw a spanner in the works.

Archangel Michael: A great deal of the free-energy people are still slightly, can we say, underground, under cover.

SB Aren’t they in containment Lord?

AAM Not everybody who is wealthy from these enterprises is in containment. And do not even forget that not even a middle level manager, we are not talking about brutality or murder, but we are talking about sabotage and the ability to throw a spanner in the works.

So there is some residual fear on the part of those that are working on free energy to completely go public. But they will be there shortly. (6)

So the containment of negative souls, which was not an element of the plan years ago when the mass arrests and change of governments were considered, may also be an example of a change in the Divine Plan. Tomorrow we’ll discuss a third element: the rising energies.

(Continued in Part 4. You’re welcome to read ahead.)

Footnotes

(1) “Archangel Michael on the Containment of the Cabal,” July 3, 2012, athttp://the2012scenario.com/accountability/the-process-of-accountability/archangel-michael-on-the-containment-of-the-cabal/.

(2) Loc. cit.

(3) Loc. cit.

(4) Loc. cit.

(1) “Archangel Michael on 21/12/12 and Other Ascension-Related Matters – Part 2/2,” Dec. 26, 2012, at http://the2012scenario.com/2012/12/archangel-michael-on-211212-and-other-ascension-related-matters-part-22/.

(2) SaLuSa, March 1, 2013, athttp://www.treeofthegoldenlight.com/First_Contact/Channeled_Messages_by_Mike_Quinsey.htm.

(3) The Pleiaidian Council of Nine through Wes Annac, April 29, 2013 athttp://aquariusparadigm.com.

(4) “SanJAsKa and the Pleiadian High Council, Pure Love Creates and Sustains your Realities,” channeled by Wes Annac, May 27, 2013.

(5) “Archangel Michael on the Reval, NESARA, Putin and the Boston Bombings,” May 14, 2013, at http://goldenageofgaia.com/2013/05/archangel-michael-on-the-reval-nesara-putin-and-the-boston-bombings/.

(6) Archangel Michael in a personal reading with Steve Beckow through Linda Dillon, March 8, 2013.

Archangel Michael via Ronna Herman: Perfecting your Skils as a Co-Creator. Channelled through Ronna Herman, July 29, 2013, at: http://www.ronnastar.com/messages-aam/latest.html

Beloved Masters, for many years now there have been so many new inventions and scientific breakthroughs, along with an overwhelming amount of philosophical and spiritual information bombarding the minds of humanity, that the human brain can hardly absorb the countless theories and new concepts without going into overload.

You are in the midst of a monumental process – a complex procedure of choosing and manifesting your destiny for the New Age, which will gradually become your more refined, expanded reality of tomorrow.

Your choices – the focus, clarity and power of your thoughts and actions will determine how quickly your desires will manifest in the material world of form. It is vitally important that you learn to discipline your mind, strengthen your concentration abilities, and stay in control of your emotions and mind chatter. The gifts and opportunities or Divine dispensations that are being offered to you require/demand a corresponding strong, personal discipline, along with a high level of responsibility.

Becoming sharply aware of your emotions and your thought patterns is a critical component within the process of co-creation, for it will determine the quality of the vibrational patterns you will send forth into your personal Twelve Ray Creator Wheel. The frequencies of the Seed thoughts you plant in your personal Wheel of Creation will determine the quality of what you will manifest, and will also determine what you will experience in your everyday life – whether positive or negative.

These occurrences will be your barometer as to what kind of vibrational patterns you are sending forth into the world of cause and effect. Your primary task/goal at this time is to develop a state of mindful awareness, as you move deeper and deeper into the core Seed Atom of your Sacred Heart and Sacred Mind, where you will find all the strength and guidance you will ever need.

As you develop your co-creative abilities and become more proficient in your personal mind control and visualization abilities, you will understand how important it is to constantly monitor the frequency patterns you are radiating forth out into the world.

Always be mindful that you live in a world of vibrating, neutral, cosmic energy – the forces of Creation – which are waiting for you to mold them into anything you can imagine. You create your own Heaven or hell. You cannot blame anyone else for the reality you are presently experiencing.

You are a Spark of the Divine Creator, and when you were given the gift of individualized consciousness, an awareness of your Divine, independent nature, you were told, “Go forth and create worlds without end in my name.” From that time beyond remembering, you have been experimenting, striving, learning, succeeding at times and failing many times as well; yet, you have steadily made progress and are now being given an opportunity to become a full-fledged participant in the creation of a new Golden Age.

Integrating and perfecting the virtues, qualities and attributes of your many Higher Selves is a gradual process. The multitude of Sparks of your God Self contains a wealth of information, and each individual facet has many wondrous experiences and successes to share with you, along with a great infusion of Divine Love, bliss and joy. Each Seed Atom of your Higher Soul Self that you integrate will supply you with more wondrous gifts of God Consciousness – abilities, talents and wisdom beyond your wildest imagining.

It is vitally important that you learn to be a conscious, directing agent of all life forces. In order to become a proficient co-creator, you must hold an idea in your mind long enough for it to register clearly within the brain. All events and created manifestation of form are evidence of energy and mind force: the use or misuse of force.

Remember, the breath is the conductor of the vital Life Force energy. In the years to come, humanity will understand that the breath is sacred – it is the gift of life – and you will learn not to waste it. As you inhale each breath, be aware that it is the only breath you are assured, for it may very well be your last breath.

Beloved Ones, it behooves you to take time to ponder on and integrate the important concepts of Creation that we are relaying to you. You, the Star Seeds, who have attained the required level of harmonious frequency patterns, are now ready to put all you have learned into practice.

As you do so, those around you who are still struggling within the confines of the restrictive lower-dimensional environment, will be awed at what you are accomplishing, and gradually they will begin to follow your example. As you are aware, teaching by example is the most effective way to get the attention of those around you. A truism from the past also applies: “By the fruits of your labor, you will be known.”

Study these concepts until they are firmly entrenched within your memory, for they are part of the “laws of manifestation” and they are critical components for your successful attainment of the status of a “master of manifestation.”

• Become a bystander, an observer, not a participant in all the negative drama that is constantly going on around you. It is the state of your emotions that draws you into the maelstrom of negativity, or if you are radiating harmonious, higher frequency patterns, you will be immune to the discordant energy around you.
• You are in the process of expanding your conscious awareness of what is occurring around you, and so it is vitally important that you maintain a detached state of mind. You are developing a new way of thinking, which is based on personal mind and emotional control.
• First comes Self-awareness, then Soul-consciousness, followed by Galactic-consciousness and eventually Sub-universal-consciousness. You are striving to tap into the streams of Infinite Awareness, as well as the vast Light Pyramids which contain the Cosmic Manifest for the complete Divine Blueprint for this Sub-universal experience.
• You are also developing a heightened, controlled sensitivity to those you interact with, which includes an empathetic, but somewhat detached viewpoint. This is an integral part of developing non-judgment. You will diligently seek, claim and live your truth to the best of your ability, and you are to allow all others the same right.
• Do not allow anything or anyone to disturb your serenity. Develop a high level of forbearance and sensitivity, and diligently practice being patient and slow to anger.
• While seeking Self-mastery, part of your testing will be that you will have to experience, overcome, and possibly even move beyond some of the trying relationships with the people in your life who are not ready or willing to move forward on the spiral of conscious Soul-awakening. Each and every Soul must choose the path they will follow. You are only responsible for your own spiritual evolution.
• It is imperative that you do not abdicate your search for personal Spiritual-awakening and Self-mastery out of a false sense of duty or loyalty to those who are seeking to continue to draw on your energy or those who demand an unreasonable amount of your attention and time.

So many of you are still struggling in your relationships, which are the source of a good percentage of the present pain and suffering of the human species. If you are willing to face the truth, it is time for you to go into your fifth-dimensional pyramid of Light, and to solicit the assistance of your Higher self to help you review and analyze, from a higher vantage point, the reasons why you interact and react as you do with your mate, your family and those with whom you have a close relationship. Are you afraid to state your truth and stand firm in your decision to become the master of your own destiny?

• Are you learning to only give of yourself that which you feel comfortable in giving, as you learn to adhere to the laws of balance and harmony in giving and receiving?
• Are you still afraid of being alone, losing your job or your security?
• Do you still doubt that you can handle success, power or responsibility? Many of you will be led to the edge of the abyss during these coming years. It will seem as though there is only darkness, a great void or sure destruction before you, but actually it will be your Spirit Self nudging you forward – tempting you to try your symbolic wings and testing you to see if you are ready to soar.
• Because you are in a very critical phase of your illumination process, a time when you are most vulnerable and your trials and tests are not as dramatic as in the past, you are quite often confused, and you do not know what the next step is or what the next truth is that you are to incorporate into your ever-changing reality.
• Remember, when you state, “I surrender all that I have and all that I am for my greatest good,” or “I align my will with the Divine Will of our Father/Mother God for my highest good and the greatest good of all,” it does not mean that you are giving up your worldly possessions or your free will. It is about trusting the wisdom of your OverSoul/Higher Self and your God Self, for these wise, higher facets of your Divine consciousness always know what is best and most beneficial for you at any given time.

Beware of falling back into the old patterns of allowing others to do your thinking, to lead the way without question, without validating what is your truth by going inward and connecting to that infallible source, your own Divine Presence.

Many of you are still seeking outside yourself, turning to those you think are more powerful or more knowledgeable than you, hoping they will lead the way so you will not have to step to the forefront into untested territory. We tell you, Beloved Ones, this will not work. You, as Wayshowers and Pathfinders, must Lighten your own path, draw on your own precious inner wisdom, which has been paid for and won through many long ages of experience, trials and suffering, and ultimately, success.

I tell you, my brave Ones, you cannot be faint of heart or timid in Spirit, for the next step on your path toward full Self-mastery is to take dominion of your personal world, to step forward with courage and determination as you reclaim your Divine heritage. It is waiting for you, but you must draw it to you, integrate and activate the Creator Essence – Adamantine Particles of Light – the Divine substance of all Creation that you will use to mold and create your wondrous new world.

You have always been destined to become the catalyst and director of your own future. You must infuse your vision with emotions of excitement and daring; you must be bold and courageous as you go against the tide of commonality, and move out from beneath the stranglehold of mass consciousness.

You must speak words that resonate with the vibrations of success, and you must bear the stance and take the actions of a triumphant winner. You must dare to risk your all as you prove to yourself that when you are in harmony with Spirit whatever you give freely with loving intent will be returned a hundredfold.

You all have an integral part to play – no longer will you be able to abdicate your authority or to follow meekly where others lead you. You must take an active part and play the role you were assigned by your Divine Self, that which will be your gift and contribution to the whole. You must fulfill the oath you took before incarnating into this most critical time on Earth.

Now, more than ever, you have the tools of manifestation at your fingertips. You must step out of your comfort zone, and release all that no longer serves you – you all know where this applies in your personal life – it has been staring you in the face for months and even years, and will become even more unbearable until you finally relent and release that which is holding you back.

Beloved Ones, as you become more proficient as inspired Co-Creators, no longer will you focus your energy on creating the small, mundane desires of the past. You will have established a constant flow of Adamantine Particles into and throughout your physical vessel, with the remainder flowing out into the world of form.

You will have programmed in the smallest detail that which you wish to manifest for your personal comfort and enjoyment, and your constant mantra will be, “All my needs and desires are fulfilled even before I realize what they are, which will always be for my greatest good and the most beneficial good of all.” You will have meticulously outlined your path of service to humanity, which will be in perfect harmony with your Divine mission for this new era.

You will have a constant, clear and beneficial connection with your resident OverSoul-Higher Self, and you will graciously and easily follow the Path of Light that ever winds higher and higher into the more refined realms of existence. Be assured that I will always guide, direct, inspire and protect you as you journey forth into the unknown. I radiate the eternal love of our Mother/Father God to each of you.

I Am Archangel Michael.

Transmitted through Ronna Herman http://www.ronnastar.com/ * Copy freely and share. However, I claim the universal copyright for this article in the name of Archangel Michael.

Sri Chinmoy lifting 7,063 lbs

A recent channeled message from Jesus inspired Randall Eaton to share the following. Readers may remember his article on the Dogon and Nommo, published here.

Moving Mountains

By Randall L. Eaton, Ph.D.

In a message channeled by John Smallman (Golden Age of Gaia, July 28, 2013), Jesus said,

“Remember that the environment in which you are presently experiencing life imposes severe limitations upon you. It is an environment of limitation, and so what you might like to do is often beyond the capabilities of your body. That is the motivation behind all those who drive themselves physically, either in their quest for perfect personal fitness or to set new records in sports. They know that they should be capable of much, much more, and so they push their physical boundaries as far as they can.

“Some of the results they achieve – even though they may be using drugs that have been defined as illegal – are very impressive. What they are also doing is showing that limitations can be overcome and thereby opening minds to the possibility of removing limitation entirely, and that is quite an expansion of your consciousness. When you awaken you will find that there truly are no limits; anything you can conceive of is always possible.”

In addition to a professional life as a scientist, professor, author and lecturer, I have been a competitive athlete and champion power-lifter. At age 45 I took up body-building and for five years won physique contests against men half my age.

As a professional trainer and fitness director, my clients have ranged from NFL players and Ms Galaxy contestants to collegiate athletes and seniors.

At 32, I broke the end of my femur playing basketball. Leading orthopaedic sports physicians told me I would not be able to walk by the age of 50, but at age 70 I not only walk but also train vigorously 10 hours weekly without a knee replacement.

Like many older athletes, I have had to contend with other maladies including a lower back injury incurred in basketball. I have spondolothesis, slippage of the lumbar spine where a disk has completely worn away. I also suffers from kyphosis, curvature of the upper spine caused by a compression fracture of the cervical vertebrae from body surfing in Hawaii.

These injuries are potentially crippling, but I have refused surgical intervention in favor of therapeutic exercise, proper attitude, nutrition, prayer and application of principles of sports psychology. I receive no therapy, do not take hormones and use no prescription drugs for pain.

I am convinced that attitude is the single most important factor in health and fitness and in all of life. Our potential is limited most by the beliefs we hold. Beliefs are powerful causes. Placebos work because of the power of belief which means that the real power lies in us.

Larry Scott

Nine years ago I conducted questionnaire surveys and interviews of senior fitness stars including famous body-builders, swimmers and runners. The most remarkable was Larry Scott, the original Mr. Olympia, who at 65 looked exactly like he did at 27, from head to toe, even his face.

I also was impressed by Bill Pearl, former Mr. Universe, who at 71 was getting up at 2:30 every morning to train for two and a half hours.

Beside strenuous exercise, I discovered only one common denominator among senior fitness stars: everyone of them believed in a higher power.

Pearl and former Mr. Olympia, Frank Zane, introduced me to Sri Chin moy, a yogi living in New York City who was inspired to take up weight lifting in his 50s and who achieved the impossible.

A whimp by anyone’s standards, this man exemplified the power of faith.

He did a 2.5-inch calf-raise with 8,600 pounds! That’s more than five times what had ever been done before, by one of the strongest men in the world who had used steroids for years. Equally incredible, Sri Chinmoy held up with one arm 7,900 pounds.

Officials from the British Weight Lifting Association scrutinized Sri Chin Moy and gave him a stamp of approval. So did the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons which invited Sri Chinmoy to their annual conference sure they would prove him a fake.

The conference was attended by Dr. Larry Pedagana, sports physician, who told me, “The only thing I can tell you is that we don’t know how the man is still walking around.”

When asked why he performs seemingly impossible feats of strength, Sri Chinmoy explained that he was showing people there is an easier way.

When asked how he could lift so much his answer was, “I do not do these things with my mind, but with my heart. My faith in God gives me the strength.” He meditated for two hours before he attempted a lift to break his old record.

Positive thoughts and feelings lead to positive action and results.

The feelings we associate with the outcome empower the vision and help manifest it, an ancient form of prayer among the Essenes and Polynesians, practiced today in sports psychology and made famous by The Secret book and video.

When athletes visualize performing a task and mentally practice it by imagining themselves doing it, they are more successful. There is a well known experiment in which college students were divided into three groups. One group practiced shooting free throws, the second group sat in a classroom and imagined themselves shooting and making free throws, and the third group did nothing.

After an hour, all the groups were tested in their ability to shoot free throws. The group that performed best was the one that imagined themselves shooting and making free throws.

When I exercise at the gym I close my eyes and imagine myself lifting the weight a certain number of times, then actually lift it, and that is how I get stronger.

I am convinced that life is a game we play first in our head and heart. Imagination is the key to success. Someone said that if you can imagine it you can create it.

Without positive thinking in the form of faith, prayer, creative visualization or imagination, we may be defeated by doubt, fear and uncertainty.

A potent path of spiritual evolution, the highest meaning of athletic competition is not wining, but to be the best we can. My cousin, Stormy Eaton, was a national and global champion in gymnastics. Before he died in a private plane crash he had been chosen as the next Olympic coach for woman’s gymnastics.

Thousands of people attended his memorial service in Scottsdale, but additional memorial services have been convened by a Frenchman who barely bested Stormy in an international competition. Why? Because during the actual competition, Storm coached the man [Steve: i.e., the man who bested him], who claims he never would have won without Storm’s help.

The goal in life is not only to be the best we can, but also to help others be the best they can. ”All win” is an expression of Christ consciousness. We are One.

NESARA will bring Peter the new system he yearns for, which I’m sure he’ll welcome and a be a big part of. Thanks to Laurie.

The Charitable-Industrial Complex

Peter Buffett, New York Times, July 26, 2013

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/27/opinion/the-charitable-industrial-complex.html

As more lives are destroyed by the system that creates vast amounts of wealth for the few, the more heroic it sounds to “give back.”

I HAD spent much of my life writing music for commercials, film and television and knew little about the world of philanthropy as practiced by the very wealthy until what I call the big bang happened in 2006. That year, my father, Warren Buffett, made good on his commitment to give nearly all of his accumulated wealth back to society. In addition to making several large donations, he added generously to the three foundations that my parents had created years earlier, one for each of their children to run.

Early on in our philanthropic journey, my wife and I became aware of something I started to call Philanthropic Colonialism. I noticed that a donor had the urge to “save the day” in some fashion. People (including me) who had very little knowledge of a particular place would think that they could solve a local problem. Whether it involved farming methods, education practices, job training or business development, over and over I would hear people discuss transplanting what worked in one setting directly into another with little regard for culture, geography or societal norms.

Often the results of our decisions had unintended consequences; distributing condoms to stop the spread of AIDS in a brothel area ended up creating a higher price for unprotected sex.

But now I think something even more damaging is going on.

Because of who my father is, I’ve been able to occupy some seats I never expected to sit in. Inside any important philanthropy meeting, you witness heads of state meeting with investment managers and corporate leaders. All are searching for answers with their right hand to problems that others in the room have created with their left. There are plenty of statistics that tell us that inequality is continually rising. At the same time, according to the Urban Institute, the nonprofit sector has been steadily growing. Between 2001 and 2011, the number of nonprofits increased 25 percent. Their growth rate now exceeds that of both the business and government sectors. It’s a massive business, with approximately $316 billion given away in 2012 in the United States alone and more than 9.4 million employed.

Philanthropy has become the “it” vehicle to level the playing field and has generated a growing number of gatherings, workshops and affinity groups.

As more lives and communities are destroyed by the system that creates vast amounts of wealth for the few, the more heroic it sounds to “give back.” It’s what I would call “conscience laundering” — feeling better about accumulating more than any one person could possibly need to live on by sprinkling a little around as an act of charity.

But this just keeps the existing structure of inequality in place. The rich sleep better at night, while others get just enough to keep the pot from boiling over. Nearly every time someone feels better by doing good, on the other side of the world (or street), someone else is further locked into a system that will not allow the true flourishing of his or her nature or the opportunity to live a joyful and fulfilled life.

And with more business-minded folks getting into the act, business principles are trumpeted as an important element to add to the philanthropic sector. I now hear people ask, “what’s the R.O.I.?” when it comes to alleviating human suffering, as if return on investment were the only measure of success. Microlending and financial literacy (now I’m going to upset people who are wonderful folks and a few dear friends) — what is this really about? People will certainly learn how to integrate into our system of debt and repayment with interest. People will rise above making $2 a day to enter our world of goods and services so they can buy more. But doesn’t all this just feed the beast?

I’m really not calling for an end to capitalism; I’m calling for humanism.

Often I hear people say, “if only they had what we have” (clean water, access to health products and free markets, better education, safer living conditions). Yes, these are all important. But no “charitable” (I hate that word) intervention can solve any of these issues. It can only kick the can down the road.

My wife and I know we don’t have the answers, but we do know how to listen. As we learn, we will continue to support conditions for systemic change.

It’s time for a new operating system. Not a 2.0 or a 3.0, but something built from the ground up. New code.

What we have is a crisis of imagination. Albert Einstein said that you cannot solve a problem with the same mind-set that created it. Foundation dollars should be the best “risk capital” out there.

There are people working hard at showing examples of other ways to live in a functioning society that truly creates greater prosperity for all (and I don’t mean more people getting to have more stuff).

Money should be spent trying out concepts that shatter current structures and systems that have turned much of the world into one vast market. Is progress really Wi-Fi on every street corner? No. It’s when no 13-year-old girl on the planet gets sold for sex. But as long as most folks are patting themselves on the back for charitable acts, we’ve got a perpetual poverty machine.

It’s an old story; we really need a new one.