Rainbow Sunglasses

 

    Each one prays to God according to his own light.
                                                                                                                         -Gandhi

A Rainbow Warrior tribe EMBRACES all colors of the light.  White light is all-inclusive.  It is the spectrum unified.

One of the amazing gifts that living now, at this point in human history, brings with it is that we have access to massive amounts of spiritual wisdom.  The wisdom of many enlightened beings and spiritual pathways lights our path.  All that has come before us, is within us and this unprecedented age of communication has brought with it keys to an amazing storehouse of wisdom.

When we choose to embrace rather than to divide we open ourselves and others to jewels and treasures.  We have countless shining examples of enlightened beings that have used a particular religion to gleam the light, but have then gone on to transcend religious borders and to use the power of compassion and love to effect positive change.

      “Basically, after I had more interaction with followers of
      different traditions, I developed a firm conviction that in
      despite of different philosophies, all carry the same message
      – a message of love and compassion” -Dalai Lama

Think of Martin Luther King (Christianity), Gandhi (Hinduism), the Dalai Lama (Buddhism),  Black Elk (Lakota Sioux) as four clear modern examples of spiritual leaders who were able to use their particular faith as a tool in the face of great oppression and were then able to radiate light based in compassion to teach others.

It has been a helpful visualization for me to see all religions as sunglasses with different color lenses.  Each helps to see the blazing glory of the sun, which is difficult to stare at directly and each offers a unique perspective of the same light.  Never before in human history has man been able to try on so many pairs of sunglassses and thus been able to access so many beautiful visions of the one light.

Those who take no part in the making of
World division by ideology are ready to
resume life in another World, be they of
the Black, White, Red, or Yellow race. 
They are all one brothers.  
                                –Oswald White Bear Fredericks

In this rapidly transforming world, where political leaders and their "you're either with us or against us" mentality too often manipulate and inspire fear rather than love and where corrupt spiritual leaders stoke the fires of hate and greed by encouraging separatism, it is possible to focus on the gray clouds rather than the rainbows that are smack in the middle of them.

It is an integral part of the conscious parenting mission to not only be tolerant of other paths, but to embrace them, for we are surrounded by spiritual treasures. Ultimately, by giving our children access to rainbow sunglasses, they will learn to see the sun without glasses, with their eyes closed, directly with their heart.

What is a Rainbow Warrior?

I love this painting of a Cretan Warrior which comes to us from the ruins of the Palace of Knossos on the Island of Crete.  I love it because it reminds me of several things.  Firstly, it reminds me that 2,500 years ago, humanity was concerned with beauty, grace, honor and courage.  This warrior reminds me that what is great and essential within us, is not necessarily found in so called progress.  It reminds me that creating beauty is precious and that walking with honor is eternal  and that it transcends cultures and nations.

It is a curious phenomenon of our modern day life that not only the creation of beauty and walking with honor have been left behind in the pursuit of material wealth, but so has our ability to perceive wonder and magic in our daily lives been dulled and faded.  I say curious, because in many ways, our children, this beautiful blossoming generation, have the ability and potential to realize, collectively, humanity's greatest and most divine potential.  They certainly have within them the ability to create beauty beyond measure and they are born with shining integrity and radiant love that is the essence of honor.  And their ability to perceive magic and wonder is innate, it will expand if exercised and wither if it isn't. So it is curious that at a time when humanity is collectively sinking under the weight of mass greed, that a generation is being born full of divine potential.

It is, of course, no coincidence that as humanity has become further lost in the concrete jungle of the material path and further disconnected from a direct connection with the living planet and the delicate eco-systems that sustain it, that we have simultaneously drifted away from emphasizing the pillars of the spiritual path, compassion, integrity, love and light.  It is no wonder that in a shiny skyscraper world littered with  flashy mobile distractions that is focused on economics and motivated by greed that we have forgotten how to perceive the magical realm and the empowering rainbow colored lights of the spiritual realm.

It is also no coincidence that now, at a time when humanity is set to face the challenges and consequences of major collective wrong turns, that we are blessed with a generation born with a soaring, powerful warrior spirit that is sourced in the deepest well of human potential.

The concept of Rainbow Warrior is an ancient prophecy whose time has come.  Hinted at from diverse and widespread cultures, it is most clearly expressed in the worldview of the Hopi nation, but the vision is a shared vision that by its very essence transcends any one ideology..  The vision of Rainbow Warriors, is a vision of  a tribe of warriors whose common bond transcends race, color, ideological and religious beliefs and draws wisdom from diverse cultures.

It is a vision of a tribe of leaders who are equipped with diverse gifts and are connected through deep compassion, courage and integrity.  It is a vision that understands the emergence of this spiritual warrior tribe would come at a time when humanity most needs them, at a time when man's focus on the material and economic would dominate the spiritual and thus create an unbalanced shift that would effect all life on the planet.  That time is now.

Make no mistake about it, magic is in the air, everywhere.  All that is built on faulty foundation is crumbling.  What is emerging is the profound. These are amazing, trans-formative times we are in the midst of.  The Rainbow Warriors are amongst us, their gifts are being revealed.  As parents we have meaningful, essential work to do. We must:  Lead them straight, with integrity.  Nurture their heart wisdom which is as ancient as the human heart.  Challenge them, so that they have the strength to rise up in the face of adversity and injustice.  And love them, so that they may love themselves and thus unlock the key that allows it all to flow: compassion......

Stormy Weather, No Coincidences

Many of us around the globe, especially those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, have been dealing with intense weather patterns this week.  Here, on this ancient Greek Island, where my ancestors, our ancestors, were tuned into nature on a much deeper level than modern techno man has the patience to comprehend, we have had some flash flooding and heavy rains.

Nothing, thankfully, too intimidating, but strong enough to remind me of the words of Choyam Trungpa.

From his book, Shambhala the Sacred Path of the Warrior,

"The Warrior's approach is that rather than trying to overcome the raw elements of our existence, one should respect their power and their order as a guide to human conduct."

Man has strayed from an intimate connection with the natural World, the living earth and the cycles of the cosmos and in so doing, we have, as we are all well aware, wreaked havoc on the delicate web of life.  We have seriously knocked things out of balance.  Our children face within their lifetime an onslaught of environmental challenges and massive transformation.

Trungpa's words point the way towards a valuable tool we can equip our children with to help them overcome the obstacles and unlock the opportunities. 
Our disconnection from the Earth and our increasing lack of attunement to the language of the natural world parallels our decent into collapsing eco-systems (and for that matter, collapsing economic systems).

My son is studying Homer's The Odyssey in school.  It is arguably the oldest written text we have, an epic poem passed on to us from thousands of years ago.  It is common within the tale to hear of sages being able to interpret the flight of birds and other natural phenomenon.

Of course it was not only the ancient Greeks who were aligned to the Earth and stars in such a way as to be able to decipher meaning. Native Americans, Hawaiians, Mayans, Aboriginals, Egyptians, Buddhists, Taoists, Jesus all were in tune to the subtle signs and changes in their environment.  In fact all ancient tribes and cultures had some sort of system to understand the cycles and movements of the natural World.  They all balanced their steps and actions accordingly.

Modern man is more in tune with the cycles of the Wall street casino, than the flight of the Eagle overhead, or even the cycles of the Moon.  This skewered perception is at the heart of the massive shift of balance that we are in the midst of.

If we, as a global culture had maintained our sensitive connection to our environment, to the migrations of birds, to the rumbles of the Earth and the flow of the Rivers, rather than allowing ourselves to be so fully absorbed by the force of greed and the acquisition of material wealth, our children would be facing a much different looking future.

Their task now is to reverse the damage and to establish a more sustainable future for their children, and all life on this delicate living garden, we call Earth.  Equipping them with the tools and wisdom they need to accomplish their task, is our responsibility.  The cold winter winds have a message, as does every tree, every bird, every star.  Understanding those messages, doesn't require any specific degree or training.  What it requires is awareness.  We need to develop and refine our self-awareness and a subtle awareness of our environment that doesn't rely on others to tell us what is happening.

We have become accustomed to neon lights and TV news anchors pointing the way and telling us what is significant and important.  We must develop our awareness in such a way as to read our living environment with the same interest that we give to the internet and facebook.

By accompanying our children on journeys into nature and by entering into conversation with them regarding their and our observations, we begin to equip them with insight and wisdom that will serve them on a deep level.

It doesn't even require a step outside your home.  The next time the wind is howling and your plans for the day have been uprooted by a storm, consider the power.  Consider your steps, your integrity and humbleness, your power and your actions.

And share those thoughts with your children.






Papa's Tribal Cafe: A Single Parent's Guide to Nurturing Rainbow Warriors, by Odysseus, is now available through PhoenixVision Press at: http://www.eliterainbowwarriors.com/book Page.html or electronically through Amazon.