Spiritual Climate Newsletter MAY 2006 INTRODUCTION

The Institute of Spiritual Climate

Is proud to present

the newsletter

SPIRITUAL CLIMATE®

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

“Instead of attempting to Fit the Facts into your perception,

why don’t you Expand Your Knowledge to understand the Facts ?”

anonymous

Dear Readers, Students, Friends and Family,

We would like to extend a very WARM welcome to the readers of SPIRITUAL CLIMATE: students, colleagues, friends and family. The summer solstice is fast approaching, signaled by the observance of Memorial Day this past Monday. Hopefully you had the chance to take a moment to reflect upon and honor those men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice of giving up their lives in an attempt to preserve that which our country stands for. In the turbulent times we are facing now the upholding of those ideals upon which the Founding Fathers based the establishment of this great country are being shaken and challenged, both internally and externally, as Dr. Strickler’s prediction had indicated in 1994. It is my heartfelt hope and prayer that the restoration and preservation of the true spirit of this country will quickly come to be, for we are in a time of crisis that threatens to usurp the rights and privileges that so many have fought and died for, and the sad paradox is that this is being done NOT by a foreign entity, but by the very system which is entrusted with the checks and balances to protect us, our own government. Enough on that topic! On to brighter news!

We are excited to announce that Dr. Strickler opened a third evening of classes in Glendale, Arizona, on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 PM. The series began on May 2, the Boss’ birthday! A fellow colleague of mine from The Children’s Center, Cathy, and her husband Greg have graciously opened their home to Dr. Strickler as a gathering place for Meditation and Potpourri exploration to be held every other week, at least until Dr. Strickler’s body adjusts to the additional activity of another night of teaching, with the possibility of this becoming a weekly event. So far we have had great evenings of enlightenment, camaraderie, knowledge, meditation and sharing of experiences, ideas and questions. We are looking forward to the expansion of the class as the word spreads and more people make the choice to take the plunge! Thank you, Cathy and Greg, most sincerely for your graciousness and hospitality. Welcome as fellow travelers on a most fantastic voyage!

Dr. Strickler continues to heal and adapt to the new discoveries of strengths and weaknesses in the aftermath of the major stroke his body endured almost two years ago. As a mother of three children, I find his process similar in expression to watching a baby grow and learn, discover and explore. The dynamics and power contained within his process of transformation, however, go far beyond that of a child. I find it touching, amusing, and at times tinged with sadness as he struggles to remember what he was like prior to the stroke while attempting to integrate into the now, with his new experiences of limitations and expansions, from the observations of those of us around him. Indeed there is a new version of Dr. Strickler arising from the ashes, much as the story of the Phoenix, as he continues to heal and grow.

As always, we welcome your one time donation to the efforts of The Spiritual Climate Newsletter and The Institute of Spiritual Climate to aid us in our outreach to WAKE PEOPLE UP! Please click on the secure Paypal link below:

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Also, Dr. Strickler is constantly revising and revamping our site on MSN Spaces: AlcyoneMagi®. Be sure to visit our Spaces site AlcyoneMagi® for a visual, auditory and educational discovery by clicking the last two highlighted names of the site or just click this full link: http://spaces.msn.com/alcyonemagi/ . Past Editions of SPIRITUAL CLIMATE NEWSLETTER are up for reading and as always, PLEASE FEEL FREE to FORWARD this newsletter to whomever you wish.

And so, finally, we invite to pull up a chair, grab that favorite COOL beverage, and come on down and join us as we explore our May 2006 Edition of THE SPIRITUAL CLIMATE NEWSLETTER, with contributions from:

Wendy Ford, as she humorously compares the seemingly treacherous territory of selecting a bra with that of seeking a Spiritual Mentor in “Bosoms, Bras, and the Spiritual Path”.

Adam Crosthwaite, as he presents his personal tightrope walks along the path and a small portion of insight he has gained from Dr. Strickler and Dianne in “The Balance of Thought”.

Christine Ford, as I take over the rant section of the newsletter this time, with a new slant on technology and mind control vs. human touch in “A Touchy Subject”.

And finally, Dr. Strickler, as he takes us for a walk down memory lane, honoring those people who have touched his life with their Souls, in his article entitled “Memorial Day”.

Welcome to the May 2006 Edition of The Spiritual Climate Newsletter.

Christine Ford

Editor, Spiritual Climate Newsletter

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you know you want to do it:

Spiritual Climate Newsletter MAY 2006 Part 1 THE BALANCE OF THOUGHT, by Adam Crosthwaite

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The Balance of Thought

By Adam Crosthwaite

I have come to notice something about people as I expand my awareness in this world, people don’t know how to think! I am starting my third year in my “internship as an adept” with Dr. Stickler and I have barely come to grips with the fact that I have a long way to go before I can claim mastery over my own thoughts! Every time he asks me what I think I feel myself cringe. A voice in my mind says, “What do you mean think? He is still learning how to think”. Then I scramble to process the information to present it in some tangible fashion. I bite my tongue in order to with hold the very comment in my mind from vibrating out into the physical world. I offer the response, “I can tell you what I see…” knowing full well that part of the time I mistranslate the pictures that present themselves to me.

Since we are usually in the car during these exchanges I find myself pausing to catch a slight smile from him out of the corner my eye. The sure sign of acknowledgement that he knows that I know that he knows that took way to long for me to respond. Two years and my ego still has not caught on that it can’t hide behind a steering wheel. It is at these times I feel like a gyroscope whirling across the room out of control. Usually it helps to recall some of the revelations Dr. Strickler has used to guide me with in our past dialogs.

The revelatory process of watching may grant elucidations to a mind that understands the energies in motion within a given space. Watching people in the world reminds me of a gyroscope at times. I see David and Dianne holding fast to an intense center of balance like a gyroscope spinning at its maximum speed. It stands poised and vibrating at a rate that keeps it tightly aligned on its axis. Never stagnate always in motion the gyroscope stays on the axis and can travel along a path without losing velocity or balance. It takes a long time to learn and master the techniques to maintain such a velocity especially in this world. And needless to say it takes a tremendous amount of focus and balance of thought to maintain this delicate form of equilibration with the storm of horizontal pressures ravaging the physical plane of existence.

Gyroscopes are interesting little creations. A sphere within a sphere, one wheel in the center supported by an axel reaching from above to below; the gyroscope is the perfect metaphor for the operation of Spirit and Soul through Consciousness in the physical plane. The initiation of motion by pulling the string is much like the exercises and tasks given to the student by a Spiritual master. The task in this case is to make contact with the Subconscious, likened to the threading of the string into the axel, then to draw the momentum out of the core of the Subconscious into the Self-conscious. This would be like pulling the string. The spinning of the disc attached to the axel could be seen as Self-conscious action in the field of operation created by the two spheres. I am not the inertia of the axle’s motion that keeps the instrument in balance. Rather it is the disc connected to the axel that supports the balance by its rotation around through the space created by the surrounding spheres. Now I SEE why Dr. Strickler uses the metaphor of the gyroscope with his students.

I see myself, at the times when I am able to step out of my fixated perception and see with out bias, as an off balanced gyro. It is at this point that my field of operation is open to the process of thinking with the application of questions. That is the proper questioning of the internal as well as external variables in this equation of balancing thought and motion.

I watch the alternating position of the gyro with its slight tilt on the axis it struggles to keep speed. Slowly it starts to osculate from one side to the other as it searches for balance. Many times we find ourselves searching for a balance in our lives as we move from one polarity of negative or positive to the other and then back again.

At times it may seem that people bump into the barriers that exist on the periphery of our field of operation. Although the boundaries may be non physical at times the friction of colliding energies is felt through out the conscious mind in operation at that moment. Here we find the limitations of our knowledge as we struggle top gain the momentum we lost with that first contact with the barrier.

Now stop scathing your head for a moment and let me explain how this is possible. Time! Is time not a nonphysical barrier we find ourselves colliding with on a continual basis? As the constraints of time approach dose not the twinge of panic grow into a full spasm? It would be the equivalent of the night before the final paper, a trap I personally have been caught in far too many times to count. The negative aspect of time, as in the lack of activity in my space before the encroaching deadline collides with the positive aspect of time, being the finished product from activity taking place. This has been a constant and frustrating barrier for me along my path for quite some time now. The consequences of this friction are easy to see, another B on my transcripts instead of an A. Or even worse, a public record of my work which fails to reflect the true potential I could be presenting if only the positive energy of my space was applied correctly.

The lack of foresight or rather the inability to think clearly and accurately is what leads to these collisions of energy. The art of thinking is ever growing in clarity as Dr. Strickler teaches that thoughts are nothing more than energy in motion. This tends to shed a new light on thinking.

In my experiences with overcoming my personal issues with the help and guidance of my mentor, David, I have found that the right questions have a way of pulling the right string so to speak. It never seizes to amaze me how David knows what question to ask to motivate a person. I can be sitting there in his living room talking about a personal issue I may be struggling with at the time. Than a question is asked, “Why did you do that?” or, “What are you going to do?” One question leading to another the tension builds like a string being wrapped around a cylinder or rather an axle. Suddenly the answer comes poring out like a string being yanked sending thoughts out into motion spiraling into action in the physical world.

As I catch myself in the spasm that signals the lack of balance in my space I have found that remembering that thoughts are energy in motion refocuses the picture so I can see more clearly. Once I understand what I see the process of organizing thoughts becomes much more fluidic.

Perhaps it would do us all well to remember that energy in motion never dies. It never goes away. Rather it transforms into another form of energy or is redirected. An example of this can be seen in the verbal cortex of the human brain. Once a child reaches the age of seven the verbal cortex starts to mature. As a child increases in verbal acuity the brain starts pruning unused portions of the surrounding cortex. This interaction of negative and positive energy allows the brain to balance its self out in the stages prior to puberty.

What an amazing feat if one could reach into this Subconscious process and draw it forth into their Self-conscious field of operation for working through and within boundaries. What if we can all balance our selves by learning to think as clearly as our Super-conscious Self? Well that would have to be a later article seeing how the Sub-conscious is the beginning of our link into Super-consciousness, you know the two rings on the outer parts of the gyroscope that I haven’t mentioned much until now.

Not every one is as blessed to have a teacher to show them how to pull their own strings. Not everyone is willing to admit they haven’t the faintest clue on how to think clearly without barriers. And while some barriers may be useful and at times necessary, the mind is one place were barriers can be a hindrance.

With guidance and great patience hopefully we all someday be will be able to pull our own strings as suavely and with great ingenuity as Dr. Strickler and Dianne. It is within us all to think in clear and balanced terms. It is when the barriers of thought slow us down that we get in the way of our selves.

Until the seeing of thought is clear and balanced we will continue to watch the world osculate in and out of chaos. The pendulum like motion gives the illusion of the spiraling out of control. Take for example the Earth. If it were to move 90 degrees on its axis to the opposite 45 degree angle it would appear to circle its self as it vacillates around to its opposite side. The spiral motion we experience in our personal vortex of expression in this plane is also expressed in the world as things seem to change over night from bad to worse and than gradually back to the opposite end of the spectrum. It will only change if the right questions are heard in order to facilitate an honest and balanced train of thought. Only then will an equilibrated mind function and maintain an order of balance both in our own personal expressions and as a society.

So what do I mean by knowing how to think?

Tell me what it is you can see first, and then we can talk…

Blessings,

Adam Crosthwaite

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you know you want to do it:

Spiritual Climate Newsletter MAY 2006 Part 2 BOSOMS, BRAS and the SPIRITUAL PATH, by Wendy Ford

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Bosoms, Bras and the Spiritual Path

By Wendy Ford

The first part of this article is germane to any female who has ever had to buy a brassiere. Gentleman probably can’t relate but neither has the purchase of an athletic supporter or jock strap been in my experience. My husband tells me the two experiences are not dissimilar.

Driving down the street my palms started to sweat, my stomach was heavy with dread. My mission: the purchase of a new brassiere. Having put the task off for far too long it was a trip of desperation. The girls needed help. Badly. As the old joke goes: What did one boob say to the other? “If we don’t get some support around here soon they’ll think we’re knee caps.” Anyway, as I pulled into the local Wal-Mart several deep breaths were needed and the fight against just driving to the dentist instead was a tough one. Finding a parking spot went fine, letting go of the steering wheel was a little harder. Once out of the car and pointed in the direction of the front door I breathed a huge sigh. “OK, this isn’t so bad. Just put one foot in front of the other and move.” Entering the store was easy as the nice older lady greeting me managed to distract me with her friendly smile. She had no idea the terror lurking just behind my smiled greeting back.

Gripping the handle of the cart as if it were a lifeline I pushed the cart ahead of me wielding it like some great shield heading into battle. My approach to the lingerie area projected an air of confidence not felt. After all, thousands maybe hundreds of thousands of women all over the country do this every day right? Certainly I could accomplish this simple task. Seeing the intended target area I turned my cart and entered the appropriate aisle. (Cue the music from the shower scene in the movie Psycho.)

Bras to left of me, bras to right of me, bras hanging higher than I could reach and lower than anyone cares to comfortably go to read the tiny tags. Just to reach in and look at a tag means one is accosted from left, right, above and below by the cups of other bras that seemed to take on a life all their own. It was like entering the Enchanted Forest and the tree limbs were reaching out for me. There were bras with plain or elastic shoulder straps, spaghetti straps, wide straps, flat straps, round straps and no straps. There were bras that hook in the back, the front and some that just apparently were attached to nothing with no apparent way of staying on a human form. There were bras with one hook, two hooks, three hooks and ones that looked like they could be worn into the gladiator ring. There were bras in every color of the rainbow and in so many designs it was dizzying and dazzling. There were bras with padding, without padding, bras with under wires, bras that squished ‘em together and bras that lift and separate. There were bras that support for eighteen hours and ones that appeared to be worn with the intention of not being left on for very long. Some didn’t have hooks at all, and some had these little sliding things that looked like the plastic bread wrapper doodads hooked together. The materials varied from the very utilitarian white cotton to the wispiest of laces to something that looked like it could stop an armored bullet.

It all became too much. I was overwhelmed. Retreat was sounded. Clutching my cart for dear life I started to execute my escape plan and made it to the end of the aisle only to discover there were actually four aisles and three of those round racks that stand on the floor all filled to overflowing with more bras and all standing between me and the sock aisle which was my target for refuge. By using the sock aisle adjacent to the underwear aisle as a shield I was able to evade the millions of bras that were now threatening to bury me alive. My escape was to be to the main aisle where the books were but they had rearranged the stock and I came face to face with a wall of, oh no, cookies! Gulping in air like a diver going down for a second time with the theme song from Mission Impossible now pounding in my head, I made a hard right avoiding eye contact with the cookies eventually finding the main exit. Struggling to maintain a cool composed manner the cart was dutifully returned and placed in the cart corral. After having made it to the safety of the fortress of my car I just went home.

Good God. It’s enough to traumatize the strongest among us. No wonder young men’s palms begin to sweat when they think about venturing under the outer covering of their date’s ensemble. Who knows what lurks beneath? In the old days some young men practiced unfastening the mysterious bra using a bra attached to the back of a chair. Back in the old days a bra was of white cotton and had two hooks in the back. Some became so skilled in the maneuver they could flick open the bra one handed. Or so I am told. Not so today. My sympathies to the dating males of today!

Eventually I went to a Foundations department of a ladies store where a very nice, patient and knowledgeable sales lady guided me through the process. She made sure she understood my needs by asking the pertinent questions, took measurements then made suggestions as to the most appropriate garments. She guided me to the correct area of the department where my size and style were located then left me to choose what I would purchase from the appropriate selections. She answered my questions never once making me feel ignorant or stupid. Did you know that over fifty percent of women are not wearing the correct size of bra?

All right, all right. What in the world does buying a bra have to do with the spiritual path? Quite simply it is this: It is not possible to grow spiritually or find Truth without expert guidance. Without a True Spiritual Teacher, without being in that presence the spark of the Divine that lies in potential within each and every one of us cannot be nurtured and brought to full flame.

One can walk into any metaphysical store and run into the same problem as the discount house lingerie department. Books everywhere on topics from A to Z, self study and self help books and literature and tapes and CD’s, crystals and lotions and potions, amulets and necklaces, finger rings and toe rings, oils and waters, chimes and fountains, incense and potpourri, readers and advisors, aura photographers and palm readers.

But is rare to run into an expert within those walls. By expert I mean a True Spiritual Teacher who can provide guidance and direction. A Teacher who has the skills and gifts that enables him/her to be in contact with your soul. The Teacher who in very short order knows the true you better than you. The Teacher who, in reality, your Soul has petitioned for assistance in opening your access to communication with IT.

Once you have come into contact with your True Spiritual Teacher and have chosen to step onto your spiritual path you can be given access to skills and tools to use on your individual journey. These tools and skills will promote the development of the ability to open the communication with your Soul. Over time, if you keep asking, the “expert” will continue pointing you in the right direction giving you a nudge now and again when you stray, metaphorically shoving the mirror under your nose forcing you to look at what is going on when you refuse to see, clapping his hands sharply right next to your ear when you refuse to hear, rapping your knuckles soundly when you refuse to let go of some cherished misguided belief or opinion, yelling “get up” when you stumble, yet ready to hold out an open hand and heart to gently lift and support and nourish when needed, even when you might not realize you need it. For without the “expertise” your journey toward spiritual growth and development is impossible to accomplish. It is a paradox: It is a solitary journey yet it cannot be embarked upon or continued alone.

How does one go about finding a True Spiritual Teacher? Generally, if you ask and seek the Teacher will appear. The very fact that you are reading this newsletter indicates some part of you is asking questions. Dr. Strickler is my Spiritual Teacher. He may not be the one for you. The only way to find out is to get in contact, ask questions with a genuine thirst for knowledge and wisdom. Be willing to admit you might be wrong in some of your beliefs and opinions, be willing to admit you have areas of ignorance and arrogance, be willing to look beyond false self imposed boundaries and be willing to let go of your attachment to the idea of being limited to just this physical form. Be willing to shed a few tears, willing to lose some sleep, willing to shed the old you as the new you pushes outward from within. Over time, be willing to be filled with a joy and wonderment at being alive, be willing and prepared for the death of the old you and the birth of a new and truer you.

Over the years, under the guidance and direction of your Teacher, the layers will be peeled away and the spark of the divine hidden in potential will be provided with enough spiritual oxygen to flare into flame. The communication lines with your Soul will have been cleaned of sludge and misconnections through the use of Divine Draino. The divine seed of potential hidden deep within will begin to soften and sprout eventually allowing for the growth and unfoldment of who you truly are: a child of the Elohim. A jewel in the crown of Creation.

Don’t be afraid to ask. This is one area the do it yourself method won’t and can’t work. Find an “expert”.

Blessings,

Wendy Ford

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you know you want to do it:

Spiritual Climate Newsletter MAY 2006 Part 3 A TOUCHY SUBJECT, by Christine Ford

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A Touchy Subject

By Christine Ford

The beginning of this article might seem like a bit of déjà vu to those of you who read my article last month in the Spiritual Climate Newsletter. I just got another nudge via that great talking box of consumerism, advertising, societal engineering and subliminal programming otherwise known as TELEVISION! Please keep in mind Dr. Strickler has assiduously taught us that the Lord of Life speaks through the fabric of everything around us, and will use any and all people, places, things and experiences to get through the thick hide of our MISperceptions to drive home a point. When Soul and Spirit are demanding to be heard, there are no holds barred when it comes to using any venue for communication.

It just seems kind of incongruous in a twisted sort of absurdly paradoxical way that the very medium I have come to abhor is giving me ideas for my articles; especially considering the extremely limited to the amount of time I allow brainwashing from the Boob Tube (HA! A reference to Wendy’s article!) to interfere with my process! WHEW! Consider for a moment the amount of time YOU allow your attention and focus to be bombarded by the finely tuned and engineered opinion altering media bullshit and the influence it may be having on your thought processes, growth, habits and life. . . But that’s sort of heading in a direction that would be an entire article in and of itself, so back to the point at hand!

The fact that I have no cable hook up permits me to receive the audio portions only of two very static ridden, almost unintelligible channels, providing I position the rabbit ears just right; one touching the sliding glass door, the other resting on the doorknob of my apartment door. I listen this way each morning to the local weather report and traffic tie-ups as I get ready for school. It has been a blessing on several occasions when I have changed my route to school to avoid highway accidents, grabbed a Benadryl if the pollution index is astronomical, or tossed a jacket in the back of the car given the rare report of COOL weather in Phoenix!

On the morning of May 16, however, I heard one of those quick news blurbs that made me rip the curling iron out of my hair, run into my living room naked and stand with my mouth open in front of the wavy lines flipping around on the screen. Shouting like a crazy woman at that box of delusion, I borrowed a cherished line from Dr. Strickler’s cell phone ring options, “What the Hell do you think you are doing?”

Upon first hearing the report this one blasted me even more than “Youth-anasia”, but in hindsight, I can hear my inner voice saying to me much in the way Dr. Strickler has in past instances, “So why are you so shocked? You have been fine-tuning your discrimination and are in the process of learning to read the writing on the wall before it’s even there, right? So what’s the fuss, Gus? When are you going to get over being astounded by the stupidity and blind unquestioning acceptance of the herd mentality? Just how damn long is it gonna take you to realize that the majority of the “talking monkeys” (Credit for THAT descriptor to Christopher Walken playing the Archangel Gabriel in the Prophecy series of movies) out there are just waiting for the next sensational technological deliverer of information to come along? Come on now, you KNOW they are just drooling in anticipation of what ingenious device will come along next to occupy every waking moment of their Borg driven lives. That way they do not have to stop and ponder what LIFE is, what their Soul and Spirit might be holding in potential for them, or what Truth there may be within this infinite plane of manifestation.”

So, as you can surmise from the impending rant looming in the offing, this one was a biggie. Are you ready? The news announcer was singing the praises of a new form of programming which a parent can subscribe to that runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, called BabyTV. . . special programming for day time and night time, geared towards entertaining and educating YOUR child, replete with music, pictures and soft voices! Just park your little one in front of the Boob Tube and you’ve got that perfect babysitter! No joke. I’m not kidding. Please check it out at this link BabyTV! I hope you are as appalled as the psychologist who was making a strong commentary and warning parents about this program being detrimental. I was and I am hoping you advise your would be parents to consider the same.

If you are a long time reader of the Spiritual Climate Newsletter, then you are familiar with my extremely strong positive bias about stay at home moms. In my book, if you can’t make ends meet by scrimping, saving and giving up the luxuries that two incomes are a “necessity” for, PROVIDED you are not a single parent, then you’d better damn well NOT have kids. What is the purpose of parenthood if you see your kids for an hour in the morning, an hour at night and MAYBE on the weekends? Who the hell is raising them, nurturing them mentally and emotionally, establishing a code of morals and ethics which will mold the rest of their lives, touching them, holding them, teaching them love, self esteem and respect? Kiddieland Daycare? Give me a break!

Okay, so as if that’s not enough, voila! Enter stage left BabyTV to fill all those other moments before and after daycare! Are you really so desperately in need of a few spare minutes that you are willing to sacrifice the rare, precious gems of “quality time” that you DO have to instead expose your child to the programming of consumerism, negating the joys of real live personal encounters and experiences? Doesn’t something about the extreme of programming of this type for BABIES totally scare the Hell out of you? If it doesn’t WHY doesn’t it? To quote again, “What the Hell do you think you are doing?” Better yet, “What the Hell do WE think WE are doing?” or are we even thinking at all?

When my kids were little, much to the chagrin of grandmas and aunts, I NEVER allowed them to “cry themselves to sleep”. The comment I heard over and over was, “Just let her cry. She is fed, dry, not sick, and all she wants is attention. She JUST WANTS TO BE HELD.” Well, excuuuuse me! Could someone please tell me what is wrong with wanting to be held, to be comforted, to be snuggled and talked to? Where is the extreme sin in wanting to have human contact, to be touched, especially considering the past nine months were spent in that warm, dark womb being soothed and comforted by the motion and the sounds of the Mother’s body?

My kids are grown now, and I can assure you, I am not still rocking them to sleep at night. I do, however, have beautiful memories that I will cherish forever of the intimate moments I spent with each of them, communicating in an expression that preceded and far surpassed the spoken language they later developed. And I must admit that the need to “be held” is something that I still on occasion cry out for, even at the ripe old age of 57. Touch is undeniably the sense from which all other senses spring.

In Qabala and the Tarot, the sense of Touch is embodied in the ninth Hebrew Letter, Yod, the Hermit. Yod is the letter, the impulse, from which all other letters of the Hebrew alphabet are formed. Yod exemplifies the mode of consciousness of the Intelligence of Will, The Primal Will to Good that permeates and sustains the very existence of all that we are within this physical plane of manifestation. The sense of touch is the sense from which all other senses flow, as vibrations “touch” the organs of physical sensation – ears, nose, eyes, tongue, and skin – resulting in the creation of our perception of the physical manifestation around and within us.

Without touch, babies fail to thrive. Without the touch of the Sun, plants wither and die. Without the touch of a voice, a hand to hold, a shoulder to cry on, a smile, this world becomes inhuman and even colder than it is now. We are turning the precious interactions of parents passing on their humanity and love to their children into a televised series of hypnotic mesmerization of scientifically produced color and sound. We run the increasingly evident risk of becoming dehumanized, trapped within our own little boxes of video/sound stimulation thereby losing that very essence of our being. It is my fear that we are allowing those very qualities that make us human – the need to be touched, to be held, to be nurtured and to be loved – to be programmed out of the human psyche to accommodate some farcical coercion of certainty.

What ever happened to the HUMAN interaction between parents and kids? When did hugs, kisses, intimate verbal exchanges, songs sung and silly made up games played between parents and kids turn into the impersonality of a TV screen singing lullabies and ABC’s? Will the babies born in today’s world be brutalized by the incessant bombardment of technological video influence so overbearing and hypnotic that they become part machine themselves, not knowing where to even begin intimate emotional interactions, not even desiring touch or human companionship? I truly fear that this is the future our civilization is headed towards. Yes, I know it sounds extreme, but if I had a panic button to push, I would be POUNDING it right now. When will enough be enough?

May you be stirred by the touch of the outpouring of your Spirit and Soul and in turn reach out and extend the touch of beauty and grace to those around you before there is no time or space left in which to make contact.

Christine Ford

Editor

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you know you want to do it:

Spiritual Climate Newsletter MAY 2006 Part 4 MEMORIAL DAY, by Rev. David Strickler, Ph.D.

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MEMORIAL DAY

By Rev. David Strickler, Ph.D.

It would be my hope that amidst the preoccupation with sports, booze and trivial celebrations on this particular holiday there are people who take into account the foundation and deeper meaning for Memorial Day. Those of you looking for some background to communicate to your children or friends much history and links honoring the sacrifice to defend principles of humanity can be found here: U.S. Memorial Day History and Information on U.S. War Memorials. I use the word principles as to bring forward a comment that Franklin D. Roosevelt made to Winston Churchill and the British government before World War II as the United States of America was to embark into a genuine war:

"We Americans may have some disagreement among ourselves as to what we are fighting for, but one thing we are sure we are not fighting for is to hold the British Empire together. You can’t understand us at all unless you realize how much principles mean to us. We fought you on principle in the first place." — Franklin D. Roosevelt, "Open Letter To The People of England", published in LIFE magazine, October 12, 1942.

On this memorial day I have to pause and ponder whether the understanding of the word ‘principles’ that FDR used resonates with any greater strength, understanding and meaning or is it now just regarded as a word that holds only value in the preoccupation of doing business and making profits, instead of the principles represented within the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Historical record states Benjamin Franklin voiced his concerns about the duration of the SOVEREIGNTY of this Nation against the madness of Monarch’s, Feudalism or anything resembling King George III, the Land Owners or the John Locke type Financiers when a question was posed to Dr. Franklin in the following anecdote:

A lady asked Dr. Benjamin Franklin Well Doctor what have we got a republic or a monarchy — "A republic," replied the Doctor, "if you can keep it." Anonymous, from Farrand’s Records of the Federal Convention of 1787

I have sincere doubt that the principles that were fought for, defended and built this Nation are the same ones used by the current Globalists who are quietly using their large repository of purchasing powers in this Nation and in others around the world toward the reemergence of slavery, Neo-Feudalism. For a brief overview about the Globalists from a religious point of view start here: Father Malachi Martin – Interviews: April 18, 1996 Part I. Indeed, in a day and time when we literally need to Send-A-Brick – Secure our Borders! to our representatives in order to get a point across, I believe there are plenty of Americans who will defend the Principles upon which this Nation was built, before it is sold to the Globalists manipulating, suavely and with great ingenuity, some our representatives and politicians in power, like well kept Sadducees of the Globalists during the time of Rabbi YHSHWH (Jesus).

Memorial Day, for me this year is a strange holiday in some respects because it partakes of memory and boy has my memory undergone some resorting and changes since the stroke I experienced in my body little over 20 months ago. I can’t remember much of what I was like in terms of my personality characteristics and behavior when I look into the past of my memory to find a relation point for what I am sometimes feeling and experiencing in this new now. I do remember many of the events and occurrences that happened in my life stream that is called David Strickler, but I cannot ‘feel’ what he was like I cannot seem to summon up anything. I can recall what appear to be other people’s responses and feelings they displayed, but not my own in those situations. This is about the best way I can describe it as I watch people pause to my presence or behavior in this current now at points of conversation. Maybe this is just part of the reassembling process. It is a strange feeling though let me say that.

This Memorial Day I will remember my mother’s parents who came over from Europe before their countries were consumed by war. I will also remember my dad’s parents because my grandfather on my dad’s side served in the U.S. Navy. This will explain the picture I used for this months Spiritual Climate newsletter, an ore freighter on one of the great lakes, which I imagine to be Lake Erie. My mom’s parents both worked in the steel industry: I can remember grandpa, when I was but a child, showing me his little notebooks that he used to keep track of how many bars he rolled in the mills as he used his machinist skills he brought over from Europe. I remember my grandpa on my dad’s side, who served in the NAVY, taking me down to Captain Nick’s marina when the Naval vessels came into port in Lorain Ohio. He took me through the ship, it was huge. I understand why he enjoyed being down at the marina and how proud he was of one of his boats, the mahogany ChrisCraft speed boat. I will take the time to honor my grandparents, from my dad and mom’s side, all of whom have passed away.

I will also take time to remember my late mother, Patricia who died at age 42, who passed on February 28, 1978 for the gifts of empathy, compassion and listening that she gave to me. I will also remember my dad who lives in Florida from whom I gained my penchant for discovering the truth and living the principle of honesty to the best of my ability.

This Memorial Day also represents a fond recollection of having ‘recovered’ my brother and sharing time and communication with him and his son in this life. I also miss not being able to see my sister and her husband and family, as I recall my niece Chelsea whom I once held in my arms as a baby who is now grown and going to college. It is good I had a chance to meet my nephew and niece when my sister and I had some time when I went back to visit my dad when he lived in Ohio some years ago.

Memorial Day also represents the musical group INTRINSIC FACTOR which was composed of the musicians, Tom Maruschak (bass guitar and sound engineer extraordinaire), Dottie Thompson (background vocals) and myself (main vocals and guitar). I recall the gigs and still cherish the relationships with these two great musicians and skills that I gained from that profound musical experience in my life as a guitarist and writer from the interpersonal relationships with these special people and other professionals I encountered such as Dave Glen, Rick Wagner and my jazz teacher, guitarist John Simsic or other great guitarist’s such as Ron Zehel (link: RON ZEHEL GUITAR CENTER).

I also have thanks to give to those who fought for me and my becoming in the Oral Tradition, my mentor and teachers, all without whom, I would not be where I am today with my ability to teach and convey the spiritual principles that I have come to hold regard and live by to the best of my ability. It is from this tradition that I draw the vast unseen support of those who have gone before me and who took the time to teach me principles, their analysis and expression of the mysteries that come from consciousness being the source of physical nature.

To Dianne Krall, whom I admire and hold in friendship and respect, for her help and tireless support, from whom I learned much in how to communicate and connect with people and more than I could give here in such a short summary and for my ‘crew’ who have hovered and supported me through my healing crisis since my stroke, thank-you.

For all other people too numerous to include in this short article, who are either alive or who have passed on whose lives I am touched by and learned from.

We are at a cross roads where I believe we will have to choose between having Freedom and not having Freedom. It is my sincere wish and hope, that we continue to honor the Freedom that the great spiritual leaders brought into this world along with its political impact; that we hold onto those principles that FDR so tenaciously fought for even against those business leaders in this country who sought to bring to an end to this nation.

In close, I am posting lyrics from a song I finished just last year in July of 2005, called ONCE MORE, to which I dedicated in fond memory of my cousin Doris who helped me get through my mother’s death. Doris was murdered in Florida when she was 35, in front of her two year old daughter, back in the early mid 1990’s. Doris came with me in 1979 when I first went into the recording studio with Tom Maruschak (bass), Gary Chopchinski (drums), Dottie Thompson (back up vocals), in Lorain, Ohio to watch us record the first song I had written, Lonely Lady and the rough cuts of my second song entitled Bright Morning. My cousin Michael had also come to witness the birth of my first songs, even offered the use of his reel-to-reel TDK when the studios reel-to-reel broke down.

ONCE MORE

By David Strickler

Reproduction prohibited without consent in writing

Maybe we could chat for awhile about all the things we’ve done

Before the shadows cast along the bay

Draping my life up in the sweetness of your sound

Your voice became the sunlight of my day

And if I knew where you were going to

You know I’d like to be with you

Once More

Maybe we could chat for awhile beneath the setting sun

The stars announce the night has come to stay

I shared your life that wrapped us through that walking town

With starlight from your eyes to light my way

And if I knew what we were growing to

I’d change my life to be with you

Once More

Staring at the water’s edge I see you start to frown

Your hopes and dreams had somewhere washed away

Clouds of darkness stirring winds and wicked spells

Within your heart all doubt was making waves

The rushing tide about to swallow you

And drown the life that harbored you

Once More

Maybe we can chat for awhile about all the things we done

Before we say our good byes today

Maybe I can tell you about all the things we would have done

Instead of placing flowers on your grave

And if I knew where you were going to

I’d want the chance to shelter you

Once More

And if I knew where you were going to

I’d take your hand and walk with you

Once More …

Once More.

Here we are at another Memorial Day. It is my fervent hope for your life that you uncover the source immanence, its principle and the understanding of how it freely brought about the vast expanse we witness within the physical fabric of life from its non-physical articulation. We can track the true nature of Freedom back toward this source referred in Ha-Qabala as represented by the symbol of ALEPH, freely expressing within the confines of what is known by the Hebrew letter YOD.

May you remember the power of Life and the ways in which it has touched you,

Rev. David Strickler, Ph.D.

Qabalistic Teacher & Minister

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