Turn on, tune in and drop out...

I feel like a lot of people are starting to not only recognize the defects of character within our society but that individual responsibility is really the only way to truly lift the collective to that next level we all seek and crave, yet somehow are still afraid to admit to. Humanity in general is riddled with envy, anger, frustration, disappointment and pain. The best thing about this fact is the opposite of these feelings are wonderful and abundantly available to us, only we have been programmed to live and operate in fear because we are easily controlled when working from a scared and helpless stand point.

Recently my interest in the world of philosophy and mind/body connection has increased immensely based on my spiritual development as a result of being sober almost 5 years. I was reading something that equated the stages of sobriety to the bases of a baseball diamond which I found to be brilliant in its simplicity and accuracy. Getting the booze out of my system was the first part of the game, then it was all about clearing my mindset, rewiring , re-framing and generally reconstructing the foundation of my mental state of being and doing WITHOUT the debilitating affect of alcohol clouding my thinking, judgment and decision making skills. Looking back at my journey so far I really feel like that was the first year and well into the second year that maintaining the abstinence was primarily the focus.

Mental sobriety; what is that exactly? Well I like to think of this part as being reacquainted with my Jiminy Cricket or the angel on your shoulder that encourages you to do the right thing. Most of us were taught right from wrong as children, though some might ditch those guidelines in order to satisfy an immediate craving or perceived need with little to no thought of anyone else or how they may be impacted. If you drank like I did, the rules and consequences didn't deter, for I thought I could outrun it all, for as long as needed. Turns out that isn't true and making amends with self is a critical step in this portion for how can you move forward without acknowledging your part in your own suffering? Exactly.

Moving on to emotional sobriety, this is the where the rubber meets the road as it were, becoming accountable to one's self and others is hard and rewarding work but worth every second. Allowing the myself to fully embrace whatever emotions are stirred up is challenging to say the least, however understanding the "purpose" of an emotion gives clarity and makes space for grace. An "e" motion is energy in your body with nowhere to go because it has yet to be noticed, acknowledged or been paid attention to. This is also your intuition alerting you to the energy or vibe being "off" around certain people, places, things and situations.

We are electro-magnetic beings and our bodies let us know when something or someone doesn't "feel" right. The biggest issue with this internal GPS system is that from a young age I learned "because I said so" from an adult overrode my inherent "bullshit meter" and need to question authority. I also learned that adults don't like being put on the spot because they too were often told " I'm the adult and you HAVE to do what I say" so of course the carousel came around just with a new paint job in the form of a "22yr. rule" in my house.

I am currently between 3rd base and home plate playing tag with the basemen and catcher. Emotional sobriety is an everyday focus for me due to the fact I am susceptible to lower vibrations when not in a balanced state. I know anything involving my son will be difficult while I still work on forgiveness and releasing the guilt of absence in his early, formative years and when he needed his mother most. 0/10 stars would not recommend missing your child's childhood. Being aware demands accountability and action, otherwise you're just ignorant.

How does Timothy Leary play into this whole rant? The idea to turn on (critical thinking), tune in (follow your intuition), and drop out (exit the Matrix) was TERRIFYING to the powers that be. Now I understand why the whole point of making things like mushrooms and cannabis illegal was so important to the government of the 60's. Without getting political, I do want to say this was a missed opportunity for our fragile nation to turn a capitalistic stance into one of empathy towards it's people, in their entirety.

If you're reading this maybe you're just waking up, it might be the darkest night of the soul that you're currently traversing, I don't know but I do know it will get better, raising your self awareness is NEVER a bad thing. When you heal yourself, everyone around you benefits too. We each have a unique "shine" yet we sparkle together in brilliance sharing love, acceptance and tolerance for all.