Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Now Year Resolutions: Attracting and Creating in Real-Time

It's the Time of year when the media is abuzz with talk of Resolutions, which implies that people might be talking about them as well. One can never be certain though, that what is important to the media is important to the people. Anyway...

Most of the media talk we've encountered speaks of New Year Resolutions. New Year's Resolutions are the same Old thing: focus upon traditional ideas of undesirable behaviors - such as smoking - that one is determined to Quit; or undesirable things - such as weight - that must be Lost.

Alice, wise beyond her ears, last night suggested that I consider making Now Year Resoulutions. (There she goes throwing the extra "u" in there again, like she does in the word Absoulute.) Here's some of what she said...

You know how I feel about New things Gregory - they immediately begin to get Old. Stick with Now things. 'Nuff said...
As far as the word Resolution goes, it is directly speaking of re-solving something - coming up with a New solution to a familiar problem. This reflects the traditional human tendency to ignore Life's Opportunities, always unfolding Here Now.
As you know, Gregory, every perceived Problem can also be perceived as an Opportunity. Hence the idea of a Resoulution - a fresh perspective towards Life and it's Opportunities.
We were watching The Secret last night with some friends, and I recall the part where Esther Hicks was talking about "just looking at what is". (Esther appeared in early copies of The Secret.) She pointed out that most people just focus on what is, and so they get more of what is. And then they focus again on what is, and get more of what is.
And you wonder why things never change...
It's like looking down at your feet when you walk, Gregory. Progress this way is very very slow. Your eyes should focus where you want to go, just as you taught young motorcycle riders and racers. Remember Summit Point, where your eyes looked to the Exit of Turn 9 as you were Entering Turn 7?
And so you can move into the idea of Now Year Resoulutions, Gregory - Resoulutions that honor the Human Creative/Attractive Principles and allow you to manifest your Dreams.
**
It's pretty easy really. I used this approach a year and a half ago, when I chose fresh air over cigarettes. I didn't "quit". I simply choose fresh air these days. "These days" began in June of 2007, and I am pleased that I explored this Opportunity. In a sense, I am pleased that I got "my story" out of the way of "me"...
An interesting shift is that cigarettes were no longer the enemy. Cigarettes were fine with me. I just chose not to smoke one. This one. But when the craving came - that little voice, and that "taste thing" that only a cigarette can satisfy would come along, I would agree with them. I would say - sometimes aloud - "Yup! A cigarette most certainly would taste great right now! I have to agree with you. But I choose fresh air, right Now."
Perhaps when I treat a habit with respect, and don't call it names, it realigns more easily whenever I choose. This would make sense, since it is my habit...
**

The idea of Now Year Resoulutions also serves as reminder that This Here Now is it! The Good Thing! This Here Now moment is to be regarded with Gratitude, as a reflection of the Joy of Being.

So consider Now Year Resoulutions.

Instead of that same old pledge to "lose weight", Express your intent to Experience the Opportunity of Physical Enlightenment!!

Instead of your umpteenth attempt to "quit smoking", Express your intent to Experience Fresh Air!

Every cloud has a silver lining, and every perceived problem has an Opportunity.

Here Now.

**

Happy Now Year, always!!!

Greg and Alice the Canine Messiah

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Expression of Gratitude

This Time Overthrown thing is frankly about celebrating the situation of Being Human.

It’s about celebrating Humans Being. It’s a beautiful idea when it comes down to it – that Being Human is a Divine form of Existence, which is comprised of Expression and Experience.

It’s a terribly optimistic attitude, worthy of adopting, for the Present Moment, Experienced as it is in human form, is a Gift. It is to be celebrated. This Here Now IS the Good Thing!!

It was a year ago I chose to "give up" spirituality - perhaps "seeking" is a better term... You see, spiritual traditions offer Relative Time - clock Time - as the answer. Time to learn things and add things and become things and on and on and on, and eventually "get There". The good thing is always over There in the future, in Time. Good Time, they even call it. “It’ll get here in its own good time,” they say. “Be patient.” It also has a great deal to do with Them - Their living situation, and how They speak and act.

The Holidays are a great Now Time in which to move beyond this primitive idea of Time as a means to an end. Time is where we have long Dreamed of Being, and Being Here Now, In Time, is a Gift of the Highest Order.

The holidays are a great Time to simply Express, Here Now, the sort of Human Being-ness you'd like to Experience in the world. Share. Be kind. As Alice says, adopt An Absoulute Attitude...

~ I Am with my Fellow Beings as I would have my Fellow Beings Be with Me ~

It’s a wonderful Life Experience for all when we Express our Appreciation thru our very Being, Here Now. It makes for a wonderful Existence.

Happy Holidays to you all.

Best of Now, always,

Greg and Alice the Canine Messiah

www.gregallenmusic.net

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Taught, Learn, Choose

There's a wonderful evolution about the choruses in the Pierce Pettis song Legacy.

The song is about racism, and the first chorus says "What we're taught to believe, we never question these things..."

The second chorus observes that "What we learn to believe, we never question these things..."

And finally, the third chorus: "What we choose to believe, we dare not question these things..."

This evolution directly relates to the chat I have been having with my friend regarding the idea of "Loving What You Hate". She responded to me yesterday by saying that People are taught to hate, and that is what shackles them.

And our point is simply that at some point we are choosing.

To point back to our childhood and blame the teaching for our current behavior is childish, and in my mind rather ridiculous.

**

I went back and looked at my posts from a year ago - the Holidays 2007. I found that this is about the Time I announced that I was giving up spirituality, and I recalled that this sort of attitude is precisely why. Spirituality likes to focus on That There Then. And on Them. Other.

Spirituality has little regard for its own obvious teaching that This Here Now is all there is, and that Life is a journey of Self. In deepest truth, there is no Other.

There is simply The One Thing going on, and on and on and on....

And we are blessed to Be, Here Now.

And we should act like it.

Now.

Dance In the Moment...

Happy Holidays!!

Best of Now, always,

Greg and Alice the Canine Messiah

Monday, December 22, 2008

Assuming Form Empowers Divinity

As a followup, we have been dialoguing with the friend that sent the "Love What You Hate" thing, and she has been pretty adamant defending her right to choose to hate first, and then love it. Of course we never argued against her right to do so. We just offered a choice.

She basically cites her "inherent human weakness" - the idea that humans are flawed, and oh so challenged and disempowered and so forth. The idea that we tend towards hatred and the negative, and we must struggle to overcome ourselves.

Alice has pointed out before that the very act of Being, of assuming human form, does not hinder divinity. Indeed, taking form is the only manner in which "What Is" is empowered to do, or be, anything.

The only way One can Express or Experience (which are the two constituents of Existence) is in some form of form.

You can't take flight without taking form, points out What Would Dog Do?: the Canine Messiah's Handbook.

**

Ultimately it's all good of course, but it is rather sad-funny that so many spiritual paths lead round and round and back again to the same old grim dim outlook of humanity - that we are flawed, that we must struggle and struggle to get to the Good Thing, and it is never assured.

The idea of being doomed to a life of hateful things and situations that one must learn to love hardly seems spiritual to me these days. It seems anti-spiritual somehow.

I'm reminded that it was the Walsch Messenger's Circle board that first prompted Alice to show me The One Exercise and introduce me to The Now Exspirientuality.

Hmmm...

Best of Now, always,

Greg and Alice, the Canine Messiah

Instant Here and Now

An online friend I met thru Neale Donald Walsch's "Messengers Circle" last year sent an email a few days ago, forwarding a spiritual sort of thing she had received. I guess it came in the spirit of the holidays, which I must say seems more and more odd to me these days...

The writing was about "Loving What You Hate", and offered this as a method of "transformation". In fact, it claims that loving what you hate is the great transformer.

I read it a time or two, noting peculiarities such as the idea that love is the best tool available to "combat hatred".

I noted that it says hatred is very hard to overcome because it reinforces itself. This appears from the writer's view to be an advantage that hatred has over love.

Alice and I got together and responded to our friend:

Hi T,

Happy Holidays - hope you and yours are doing well!

You know, we are advocates of the idea that It's Time That Time Was Overthrown. Time is never going to get us to the good thing...

Loving what one hates seems a "long-way around" sort of idea to us these days, for it simply gives Life and longevity to the idea of hatred. It adds more Time in order for the Good Thing to arrive. It states once again that This Here Now is not the good thing - it's less than acceptable.

"Thanks God, but No Thanks! I hate This Here Now crap, God. How dare you. But (sigh...) okay. I'll pretend to act as though I 'love' this thing I hate."

By simply adopting what Alice the Canine Messiah calls An Absoulute Attitude we move into the Joy of Being, akin to that elusive "peace that passes all understanding"...

By choosing to See One Thing we move beyond the possibility of hatred, Here Now. Instantly. No Time, nor transformation, needed.

You see T, folks like to believe that Time is going to eventually get them to the Good Thing. They like to believe that This Here Now sucks, and eventually, in Time, we'll get to the Good Thing of which we Dream.

But This Here Now is precisely where we have long Dreamed of Being. Being, Here Now, is the original Dream Come True.

And Here Now, in Time, we can Experience and Express Becoming Dreams.

This is how we Experience it, these days.

We wish you Peace.

Best of Now, always,

Greg and Alice the Canine Messiah

www.gregallenmusic.net

Friday, December 19, 2008

The 2009 Time Overthrown / Audience Inclusion Tour

Alice and I are finishing up the first book in the Conversations with Dog series, and are beginning to plan a 2009 Time Overthrown / Audience Inclusion Tour to promote the book and the CD.

As Do-ru's* we'll of course be promoting ideas like Time Overthrown, Audience Inclusion and The Now Exspirientuality in Real-Time, as we go. We'll also be sure to share Alice's One Exercise for the benefit of those interested.

Our visit to each new town will involve three aspects of what we do as Do-ru's...

1 - A SongSharing On Tour Audience Inclusion musical performance at a Community Venue such as a senior home, facility for developmentally disabled, or a hospital.

2 - A Time Overthrown / Now Exspirientuality Presentation in an intimate setting such as a spiritual bookstore, coffee shop, yoga studio or the like. 70 - 90 minutes, a mix of presentation, performance and questions

3 - A House Concert and/or an Acoustic Venue or Festival Performance.

It would be great to hear from any of you regarding places that we could potentially schedule any or all of these events in your area. Leads on spiritual/new age bookstores, studios and other gathering places is helpful - especially if you are connected with them somehow.

We're far better at finding and setting up the Community Venue shows than we are at arranging House Concerts and public venue gigs - so this is where your help is especially important, as it helps us cover costs and pay the bills!!

Questions welcome!

We look forward to hearing from you.

Best of Now, always,

Greg and Alice the Canine Messiah

**

* Do-ru's live the lyrics.

This Is It

This is it.

We can’t be more sincere.

This Here Now is The Now Exspirientuality - you are indeed having the spiritual experience right now. You are in the presence of God, so to speak.

The Old Man is looking out thru every set of eyes you encounter, with a smile and a wink. It’s all good.

That’s a funny thing to consider, for yesterday's experience had a decidedly “Old Man” sense to it. I used to work with a baker in a restaurant whose nickname was the Old Man. He was such a presence. It’s an experience I am long familiar with, of being watched. I know it now as Jewel describes it when she sings “God is watching us… from a distance.” It’s a gentle watching – detached but not disinterested; accepting; allowing.

But I wonder why, for me, it seemed yesterday a masculine sort of presence, instead of simply a presence…

Now, to be clear, yesterday was an experience while I was alone, in the van.

It must be attributed - something I attribute. I can see that I ascribe these traits – even to the canines, and imagine the girls to be girly

And so it is simply the yin and yang of The Now Exspirientuality – that it will have dualistic qualities in the Experiential / Expressive plane of Existence. And sometimes they have the grandpa feel, and sometimes the grandma...

Yes.

This is it.

Best of Now, always,

Greg and Alice, the Canine Messiah

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Book Focus

Greetings,

Alice and I are closing in on the publication of our first book on the subject of The Now Exspirientuality and The One Exercise. We plan to get material to the online publisher by the 21st.

We're also beginning to schedule a winter/spring Time Overthrown / Audience Inclusion Tour to promote the book and the CD, The Now Exspirientuality and Audience Inclusion.

We've had a great deal of interest from folks posting at various forums, and we look forward to continued interaction with them!

Best of Now, always,

Greg & Alice the Canine Messiah

Thursday, October 30, 2008

an Alice poem

Know No Know.
No it is and isn't so.
Know enough to let it go.
When No is Yes and Yes is Know.
Now Go.
Go. Go.
Yo.

**

Alice the Canine Messiah

Saturday, September 20, 2008

The Collective Insanity

The Collective Insanity is quite simply looking out and seeing a Collection of Independent Things.

Thus it is like all Self-Help topics and concepts, it is a Phenomenon of the Self, and not the illusory many.

There is nothing that Other needs to do. There is No Other.

The only way to rid OurSelf of this Collective Insanity is with a Unifying Vision that recognizes The One Self, through OneSelf. In concert with OneSelf.

It's to look out, with The One Self, and See Only The One Self. To proceed with gratitude and wonder, and not a need to keep telling me I am an idiot that needs to explain this a bit better, or that I am some haughty spiritual guy who implies I am more advanced.

Stop demanding proof.

Celebrate as though This is the Garden, and you appreciate it.

What Is a Joy Body?

In Eckhart Tolle's book A New Earth he gets pretty in depth about something he calls a Pain Body. That's a fine enough idea, and we do appreciate the concept but we admit to being rather taken aback by the fascination with and focus upon the pain body we were seeing at Oprah's book club forum. Alice and I got to talking about it and she said it is too bad he did not get into discussing the Joy Body.

So I've brought that up a handful of Times in the forum and other places and folks have no idea what I am talking about. Some folks even ridicule me, and get personally offended when I suggest that Eckhart likely did not intend for people to make a case study of their pain body and get all hung up on how to "get rid of it".

Eckhart would not do that to you, for it is rather like the old Indian joke that says that if you visit a certain place and lay your hands upon the base of the fountain you can have your Dreams come true, provided you do not think of a green elephant. It's like atheists who think they have gotten rid of god by virtue of having defined god as precisely as the religionists and then saying "That god. That's the one I do not believe in. The one I just made up."

Anyway, I thought we should get a bit more informative as to precisely what a Joy Body is, and how to get in touch with it, which we'll do here in a bit...

Thursday, September 18, 2008

The Exercise

Alice pointed out the other day that The Exercise is perfect for folks who are ready to gain a better understanding of the popular idea of Living In the Now, or from a Place of Greater Presence.

The popular spiritual / self-help notion is one of letting go of the traditional "ego-sense" of who one is and quieting the mind chatter about what is being observed. Eckhart Tolle's wonderful book The Power of Now elaborated the idea beautifully, and his recent work A New Earth is about realizing the benefits of this Now state of mind in one's phenomenal Life.

The Exercise is thus perfect, for it is precisely about discarding one's small idea of what a self is, and adopting the Unifying Perspective of Seeing Only the Grand, Glorious and Mysterious Self of the Universe. In fact, it instantly points to one's receptiveness to the idea of, uh..., well, receptiveness. If one is not ready to give up one's small idea of personal identity for one's self as well as the others in one's world, well, then, one clearly is not ready to live the message of these powerful "Now" philosophies.

It's been frustrating to me to encounter the resistance I have to The Exercise from folks who claim to "get" the message of books like the above, as well as works like Walsch's Conversations with God. Alice pointed out though that these folks are defining themselves as resistant to what is, and need not be argued with. They will see when they are ready to see and not one second before. As Alice says...

Anyone that chooses to continue with a perspective that divides what they see into more than One Thing, One Self, is making a deliberate Creative choice about Being - their Very Existence and Life Experience. It is an easy choice to See Only The Self - to Live from a perspective of gratitude and wonder that sees the world through an Active Unifying Vision - for the idea that "what you see is what you get" is actively true. Human eyes are projectors of their most consciously known truth. They both Express and Experience from their unique seat in the Creative Studio/Gallery of the Universe.

We're trying to pull our first book together to have to a publisher by the end of the month.... It occurred to me why I was holding back - I get it Now - it's truly a Self-Help book - nothing to do with Other, or That There Later. They don't exist...

Best of Now, always,

Greg and Alice the Canine Messiah

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

The Joy Body

We have been hanging out at Oprah's Book Club forum where there is a sort of kinda discussion about Eckhart Tolle's wonderful book A New Earth. If you have not read it, please give it a whirl - great stuff!

One of the craziest things though, that we wonder about, is the intense fascination with and focus upon what he labeled "the pain body", there at the forum.

We may be the only ones there who wish Eckhart would have written about the Joy Body...

If you read the book, definitely reflect on what he is presenting with this "pain body" idea, but we suggest not setting out on a crusade to rid yourself of it.

We suggest that you simply then begin to identify your Joy Body, and identify with your Joy Body.

The way we see it, the Joy of Being is found in the simple fact of Being. Here Now.

Being is the original Dream Come True.

Being is awareness of the Eternal Now moment.

In Time, Being Becomes.

What does Being Become?

The stuff of Dreams!

Row Row Row Your Boat...

**

Best of Now, always,

Greg and Alice the Canine Messiah

Friday, August 29, 2008

Freedom

We become free in the world when we become free of the world.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Leroi Moore

Very sad to hear of Leroi Moore's passing. Thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fans.

Best of Now, always Leroi!

Greg & Alice

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Each Day

Each Day (Katy Knortz)

Each day rising,
Each day ending.
Another night impending

Sending a message through the skies,
that the sun as we know it has died.

And the moon doth shine
All through the dark blue night
Only to die as the sun has died.

Come to find, exploding with light
The sun reincarnate shines over
the night.

Sending a message
through the skies
that the Moon as we know it has died.

**

Each Day is a poem by my young friend Katy Knortz. Katy is a wonderful poet and singer/songwriter who plays guitar and violin mostly and dabbles in a few other instruments. We've been working together in a teacher/student situation this summer and are writing a book for young people featuring many of the ideas we'll share in seminars during the school year. We're also working up songs together as a duo - a few of hers, a few of mine, and a couple of our favorite covers. Katy's a shaman; a Dream coming to Life. It's a real honor knowing her and getting to work with her!

Here's her MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/smoker4life

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

To See The Worlds with One's Head In the Sand

I was accused yet again of having my head in the sand, and of not being from this planet (true), because I said to someone that the world is Divinely Perfect as This Here Now. She had said that one day we will walk as gods and goddesses, and I said "That's what we are doing Now, awakening into understanding This."



So she came back and got a little condescending about telling me I am dangerously, or harmfully anyway, ignorant and so forth. (It was kind of cool - my little hackles were still dead asleep - they seem to be thinning out...)



Anyway, this morning, whilst shaving my head in the shower, it occurred to me that maybe the way folks could try looking at it is from this perspective: If One can "see a Universe in a grain of Sand", Then imagine what One can see by completely immersing oneself in the Sands of One's Own Life - This Here Now Sand.



You know, walk a mile in 'dem shoes...



Instead of calling me not so nice names and telling me I am dangerously ignorant, right after I addressed you as a god or goddess, divinely perfect right Now.



Who knows. People will do what they do, and I love 'em for it more and more each Now Day, here on A Now Earth.



Best of This Here Now Sand, always,



Greg and Alice

Monday, July 28, 2008

Buddha Molding

Alice and I are sending in a patent application for a Buddher Mold - you know, butter in the shape of a Buddha.

We were cracking up about this one, at the thought of a bunch of deep southern US monks saying "Hey maw, pass the Buddher..."

**

In the instructions it will emphasize that you MUST grease the inside of the mold before adding the soft butter.

Otherwise, when it hardens, the mold will have trouble letting go.

We crack us up...

Patent Pending - pre-orders being taken.

Dum-da-da-dum....

Fit for a sage...

Okay, enough...

Peace,

Greg and Alice

Questions

When we Ask Questions we receive Verbal Responses.

When we Live Questions we receive Life Answers.

Alice shared that last night as we were preparing for a meeting with some young students later today.

Best of Now, always,

Greg and Alice

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Giving Up Power

We were engaged in a discussion for awhile at the Oprah board about whether or not humans have any personal power.

Alice said last night that any philosophy or religion or spirituality that gives, or takes, away personal power over one's life is like a 12-step program for recovery.

I wondered today what it is so many humans are addicted to and/or trying to recover from by giving away personal power...

Strange, huh?

Best of Now, always,

Greg and Alice

In the Beginning

...is This, Here, Now.

**

Best of the Beginning, always,

Greg and Alice, the Canine Messiah

Friday, July 25, 2008

The Linguistic Basis of Human Equality

Wow. There is something quite absolute in our language, and it happens to point to the basic equality of humanity.

The verb "To Be". Conjugate it.

The word "be" is never in the conjugation of course.

And what does it begin with?

The basic creative phrase of the universe...

I Am.

And it equalizes The Universal Creativity inherent in simple Beingness with You Are, He/She/It Is, We Are, You Are, They Are.

Wow. This just hit me this morning. It's important. I know it.

Best of Now, always,

Greg and Alice, the Canine Messiah

Friday, July 4, 2008

Being Floats

At dawn we find Her, floating Her Being gently along the stream of Time.

She is Becoming Every Dream she ever Dreamed.

As She Becomes She Awakens To Dreams She never Dreamed She had been Dreaming.

On She floats, into the sunset of Dreams She has yet to Dream of Dreaming.

We lose sight of Her, and we wonder. We rest, and we Dream of Her.

And at dawn, we find her...

--

from Alice, the Canine Messiah

Being Becoming

BEING * * * * * * * * * * * * * BECOMING

Absolute * * * * * * * * * * * * * Relative

Now * * * * * * * * * * * * * * from past, thru present, into future

Unity/Unification * * * * * * * * * Duality/Multiplicity

Joy with No Other Side * * * * * * Happy/Sad and all in between

Love with No Other Side * * * * * * Loving/Hating



.... and so forth.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

On Enlightenment, Enlightening and Enlightened

Alice points out that the "quest" is not necessarily to attain an enlightened state in which one lives.Life is a process - of Enlightenment and of Enlightening.Enlightenment has to do with sharing the Now space (in which Relative Time unfolds) with, and basking in, the light of other souls.Enlightening has to do with the fact that our souls bring our light into the Now space (in which Relative Time unfolds).

**

In one sense, there are no enlightened humans*. Only enlightening ones, experiencing enlightenment.

A common spiritual pitfall is to believe that some people are enlightened, and to aspire to one day be like them. Lately, with writers like Tolle, it is kind of sadly humorous, as he is telling these seekers to live Now, not for some imaginary future condition.

This is the mindset that also believes that "I am now awakened and my friends/family/lover/boss/neighbors/countrymen/world citizens are not. What is an enlightened soul to do?"

What you are looking for Gregory is the simple fact that Humans are Equal in the very fact of their Being.

The things perceived and labeled as differences among Human Beings are actually differences in Becoming.

Becoming occurs through the process you know as Relative Time, and naturally all folks are at different points on the "Becoming scale" so to speak. But you are all pure perfect equals at the level of Being.

Until you see that, and look out from this Being space of Pure Equality, you will look "above" you to ones you call enlightened, and "beneath" you to ones you call "lesser than", and you will never experience the simple Joy of This, Here, Now - Being. The Soul's prayer is to Be, it's Dream is to Become.

**

This has a lot to do with (Grasping At Laws of) Attraction actually... enlightening folks are Attractive to those experiencing enlightenment...It is why we are awakening into This, Here, Now.

Every awakening one of us!!

Peace everyone,

Greg & Alice


*In another sense, the idea of "Being enlightened" simply means a mental "load" has been removed - Life is not perceived as a burden. Life begins to be perceived as an enlightening experience of enlightenment. Thus, in this sense, an enlightened Being is one who proceeds to engage Life from an unburdened mental state. Being unburdened, this Being moves into Becoming, fully - sharing the light and basking in the glow... We are all doing this - sharing our light and basking in the glow of others' light. However, many of us are mentally burdened by our idea of Life - and even our idea of what it means to be "enlightened".
That's a little ironic - that the idea of "losing the burden" becomes a burden to some of us... But hey, that is part of the fun of the Game we signed up for...

On "Getting Through" Life Situations

From Alice the Canine Messiah:

The centering element of Relative Time (a past through a present into a future) is Absolute Time - the Eternal Now moment in which all experience occurs.

That simply means Beginning with and maintaining an attitude of "This, Here, Now is precisely where I want to Be."

When you ask the question "Is it always going to be this way?", it indicates that perhaps - just perhaps - you do not enjoy Being the experiencer of your current This, Here, Now Experience - whatever it may be.

Perhaps you do not perceive this Experience as a Gift of the Universe. one you long ago expressed a Desire to Experience. Many of us do not perceive any, or many, of our LifeTime experiences as Gifts, as Opportunities we have - ahem - Attracted to our Human form...
What, exactly, IS your Time for, when an Experience arrives? To Dance With It, Live It, Be It, Experience It, Run With It - to allow IT to Dance With You, Live Through You, BE through You, Experience You, and Run With You???

Or are you looking for a way to "get through" this Experience that you don't quite understand, that seems painful or unpleasant?

Wishing you peace,

Alice

Alexis, Row Your Boat...

Last night was so cool.

Tom Proutt showed up with his electric guitar, Braxton brought percussion equipment, and the three of us played music at Dr. Ho's Humble Pie in North Garden, VA. Great Great Pizza!

A couple and their young daughter Alexis come in and sit at the front table, right in front of us. Alexis was very much enjoying the music, and she made sure we knew that with her applause. We had fun interacting for awhile.

She got a real kick when I spoke of Alice the Canine Messiah, and showed the stickers and t-shirts with Alice's picture - she had seen the back of the van when they pulled in.

Just before they left Alexis showed the paper plate she had been coloring to her mom, and her mom smiled and encouraged Alexis to show it to us. She did. It said "You Rock", with a heart drawn between the two words.

A couple minutes later she came up and held the plate out to me, as a Gift. I took it, and thanked her, and then asked if she would please sign it for us. She did.

I gave her a couple of Alice stickers... She seemed pretty thrilled about that.

And then... I said...

"Alexis, do you know the song Row Your Boat?" She nodded.

Dr. Ho's had about 20 customers, and the place fell strangely quiet.

"Alice showed me that song is true Alexis." I glanced at her parents, a gentle fierce glare suggesting they pay attention. They were. Smiling; gratitude in their eyes.

"You have come to Life with your own little Boat Alexis, perfectly prepared to Row thru the Dream of Your Life." She was really tuned in, eyes locked to mine.

"Row Your Boat Alexis. Gently, merrily, downstream - with the flow Alexis. This is It Alexis. Have fun!"

She smiled. Her folks smiled.

As they got up to leave they all said "Thanks!" and I said "Thank You!" and her dad lost his smile, looked me sternly & gently, in the eye and said "No. I mean Thanks. Thank You."

I think he meant the Row Your Boat discourse...

What a night. I have the best job!

Peace,

Greg & Alice

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

I's, Heres and Knowses

It is I, following my Knows, that I might better Here, Now, Always.

Babies, Being and Becoming

Alice says babies are a good example of a few things. One, she says, is that they demonstrate the equality of Human Beings. Babies are perfect Human Beings.

Naturally, they have a great deal of Becoming to experience in the Relative Time of from a past, through the present and into the future.

But Now, in every Now encountered, a baby, like each Human, is a perfect example of a Human Being, and a perfect example the diversity of Humans Being.

Alice says that many folks cannot see babies as equal. These folks, she says, also can not "see" an oak tree when they hold an acorn in their hand. It's that kind of seeing she says.

She says babies also show us about Being / Becoming. They are the embodiment of pure Being. They need help - as do we all - to Become. Becoming, Alice says, is like Rowing One's LifeDreamBoat...

She says this has to do with the phrase "Becoming, again, as a child." It's about Becoming from a pure state of Beingness, a childlike state that is fresh in the unfolding Now.

She reminds me that I until I know deeply that This, Here, Now is where I want to Be, I cannot Become the Dreams.

People who have trouble seeing babies as pure essential equals in the highest most glorious ways, have trouble seeing the equality of all mankind.

They miss the fact that, as she puts it:

No One needs help Being, EveryOne needs help Becoming.

When we see them on the level of Being as needing help because they are part of a huge group of "lesser thans", or "other thans", we lose the Human Beingness of our approach, the perspective of basic magnificent equality of all.

Best of Now, Always!

Greg and Alice

PS: Don't forget that lots of Alice's wisdom appears on our CD It's Time That Time Was Overthrown. Get your copy today... Thanks!!

Unrequested Song

...is the title of a song I wrote some time ago. This morning, strumming through the creation of a set list for tonight's show, it came back and presented itSelf for consideration.

I have not played it in awhile - over a year I bet. So I dusted off its memory and began to play and it all came back pretty easily.

In many ways it never made sense to me, the words. I always liked them, and left them as they were though.

This morning, it made quite a bit of sense...

I'll play it tonight.

**
Unrequested Song

In the forest, the age-old question. My guitar and my voice are around.
A tree is breaking, a song is making, there's no one here to hear the falling sounds.
And there I found an unknown meter an unheard of sense of rhyme.
Stunning chords and words; like words you know but haven't heard in quite some Time.
-
I played it there, I sang it there, then I left the sounds alone.
If no one cared, or no one was there, to hear it, then I wonder...
My heart aches to sing it with you, my head: to leave it alone.
I played it once that seemed enough and no one's ever asked. Unrequested song.
-
I'd bring it here, I'd sing it here, but I left the sounds alone
If someone cares, or goes back there to hear it... I wonder....
My heart aches to sing it with you, my head: to leave it alone
I played it twice just to get it right and no one ever asks. Unrequested song.
**
copyright 2002 Greg Allen

Monday, June 30, 2008

Democrats dot com Disappointment

Just to note...

Today I received an email from Democrats dot com.

First: It asked if Monticello should allow George Bush to speak there on July 4th.

Second: It called him a war criminal, and cited that statement to support their protest.

Third: They are staging a protest at Monticello.

How odd, I thought.

They ask if one of the most basic rights, that of freely addressing the public, should be afforded our President.

I am not even sure how to characterize the "war criminal" thing. Huh? When did that come down? Isn't there something about due process as the basis of taking away a civil right?

What is in that kool-aid over at Democrat dot com Headquarters?

Finally, they are going to go fight the fighter, and try to holler louder and close their ears to "his side" tighter than he closes his to theirs.

I am not defending Bush. I was thinking today if they ever let me play him at chess or cards or something, he might be the only guy I would ever sucker punch - wait 'til he was focused on something, then just haul off and punch the crap out of him. Just because. I mean really, if anyone deserves it, maybe it's him. Maybe. Anyway. That was violent wasn't it? But in a spirit warrior kind of way? Maybe? I mean, who wouldn't have punched Hitler, given the chance? I would've.

Anyway, I already thought the Democrats were a sorry alternative to what we have now - best chance I know, and I am wearing my Mr NOvember shirt with Barrack on it - but jeez, y'all.

What kind of wrong crap is that - denying basic rights and presuming guilt on a non-existent legal charge.

Grow up kids.

No wonder this country is such a freakin' mess.

Go make love kids - go engage each other in the "Joy Loves Company" game.

Please.

Best of NOW, Always!

Greg and Alice

Grasping At the Law of Attraction

I am somehow amused that their is today a link at the Oprah website that asks Can the Law of Attraction Work for You?.

As though it is not already working for you.

As though your deepest ideas about Life, and your Life, have not manifested exactly the way you think they will.

As though you have not attracted every single thing you have ever known.

I always wonder if they really don't know that, the gurus who keep picking people's pockets then selling them back their watches? Do they really think there is a Law that people need to buckle down and begin applying, and then they will begin to "attract" their deepest known desire?

Or do they pretend to be asleep, to sell mo' books and such?

Alice says it might be both, and some in between...

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily...

Peace y'all,

Greg & Alice

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Socks and Tiptoes

It just struck me.

I was responding to someone at the Oprah board who said that they are waking up, and their friends are not awakening.

I was reminded of childhood vacations at Va Beach, in a huge house full of people - three or four families.

And some mornings I would wake up, and everyone else would still be sleeping.

And I would smile as I looked at them, and feel that warm feeling in my heart.

And I would think of how much fun we will be having when they wake up too.

Then....

I would put on my socks, and very very quietly tiptoe out of the room, and allow them to sleep, and dream, and wake up when they were ready, and then come play with me.

I would never ever start hollering things like "Hey. Yo! I am awake now! You all better wake the heck up right NOW and come play with me"...

Suddenly I feel a bit silly.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Pinkies Out Liberalism

Pinkies out liberalism...

That's the phrase the editor of the C-ville used regarding the town of C-ville in this week's issue She was writing about the closing of a privately run homeless shelter that the city forced. Said she is tired of C-ville's pinkies out liberalism.

I wrote to say that she could count me in - only in my case, I have had enough from C-ville musicians and their inability to find Time in ten years for the first Community Venue audience. Ten years, not one hour. I've offered pay, promotion, and more. I've found crazy ways to get folks like Billy Joel, Dolly Parton and REM/Athens involved to help fundraise. But very few have found even one hour, in ten years of Opportunity. Nor has community support in general been impressive. Very few folks or businesses in our community consider seniors and "challenged" folks to be worthy of much attention, consideration or concern.

Most certainly we cannot consider them equals, as in Golden Rule sort of equals... The Golden Rule is just one of those things we know about and vaguely advocate, then sigh and comment on how sad it is that we cannot Live from It's perspective Now.

It's sort of amusing, considering that C-ville is supposed to be some big haven for folks to retire to and grow old in...

Editor Ms. Harding wants the city of C-ville to walk the walk, as homelessness is on the rise. She wants them to do something, Now. Not just jabber on and on about the problem/Opportunity and never get 'round to addressing it.

Alice and I have been wondering for awhile why C-ville musicians won't live the lyrics they write, lyrics of getting along, caring and sharing. The senior population is on the rise, and the population of developmentally challenged folks and kids at places like Kluge Children's Rehabilitation Center are not dwindling, to my knowledge. Community Venue audiences abound in a town with a small handful of traditional venues.

Of course we know why - same reason C-ville's populace won't get off it's ass and do something substantive for homeless people. They believe that Time will take them from where they were, through the undesirability of the moment, to a place where finally things are made right and all is well. But that will always be later. For now, we have other things to study, or tend to, or become. Later we can actually experience this ideal of which we speak.

Likewise the musicians believe they were not musicians in the past, and really aren't successful musicians yet, but one day when they are successful musicians they will indeed have Time for these audiences.

The truth is, stereotype. These audiences, like homeless people, are considered to be charity cases. Not equals. Not brethren.

Anyway, thanks to Editor Ms. Harding for her cool phrase pinkies out liberalism. I picture a horde of C-ville love and peace musicians strumming away with visions of DMB-hood dancing in their heads, and their pinkies held out, just so...

You should see the van - Alice's pic plastered all over the back of it! Got the windows tinted so we can go travelin' down south. Goin' for a remote start/security system so I can leave it running with A/C on if need be...

Peace y'all,

Greg

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

REM at Walnut Creek

Wow.

What a show! Modest Mouse and The National opened things up. I wandered around mostly during their sets, and drank the requisite $12 beer. Oh boy, was it $12 good...

REM kicked off just before 9:00.

Energy, energy, enthusiasm, love.

I had a great seat, right on the end of a row in Section 4, I stood there for the first set, then walked back to the lawn for the second set.

What night.

Bad Day
Fall On Me
Welcome to the Occupation
Man Sized Wreath
Houston
Accelerate

Those were a few of the highlights.

What a night.

What a show.

Gotta get an Atlanta ticket...

Peace,

Greg, and Alice

Audience Inclusion Tour - Raleigh Day 2

Alice was a huge hit!

We started the day at Brighton Gardens of Raleigh where Alice received a warm welcome. The receptionist at Brighton Gardens is named Alice, so when I told her my dog's name was Alice she said "She better be cute." The ladies were all laughing when Alice told them the dog's name was Alice.

Well, then the princess made her entrance... Within minutes Miss Alice the receptionist is bopping around telling everyone proudly "Her name is Alice." :^)

I brought her soft crate in and set her up next to my performance spot, and we launched into a great show. The folks were wonderful, as was the show.

The afternoon affair was at Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities. They had graduation that morning, so I was afforded the honor of playing for an audience of graduates! The children were fantastic - sweet, quiet, and most clearly having fun. A few went to sleep, which is always a good sign to me. We started with about 8 kids and staff, and when we were finished the crowd was easily 25 or 30.

It's so much fun to think back on the songs I chose, and how they went over. REM's Fall on Me worked well, as usual, and I even had a request for another REM song toward the end. I saved It's the End of the World As We Know It for the next to last number. Jolene had 'em singing along, and I Will Survive - the disco classic - had some feet tapping and shuffling, and more singing along.

I am so fortunate. I love my Life. I love Alice.

Dance In the Moment,

Greg

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Audience Inclusion Tour - Raleigh

The Raleigh NC leg began yesterday afternoon. Alice and I arrived in Raleigh around 1:00, got some lunch and checked into the LaQuinta in Cary. Our first floor room was not ready, so we thanked them for having a second floor room ready for us, and I got Alice inside and comfy. I wasn't sure about taking her with me to Sunrise at North Hills, but I do wish that I would have. Today she'll go with me to the shows.

Sunrise at North Hills was a blast! The assisted living folks were having Happy Hour with wine and beer and snacks while I entertained. What a fantastic group of folks, and what a wonderful Time we had - I played for about 35 minutes. I told them a bit about the Audience Inclusion Tour and Time Overthrown. They got a big kick out of the Dooly Parton story, and they were singing along on Jolene. I have the washboard with me - I think today I'll take it into the shows with me.

I headed down the hall at Sunrise of North Hills and played for 35 minutes in the Reminisces section, for the Alzheimer's folks. This was unbelievable. The 2 ladies working in that section were so sweet, so full of Life and fun - we had an absoulute blast! They were clapping and carrying on, getting the residents dancing, clapping and singing. I thought they might get worn out, they danced to nearly every song!

I have the most incredible existence, I gotta tell ya! I'm so grateful for my Life, and my friends and family.

Today we visit Brighton Gardens and the Tammy Lynn Center for Developmentally Disabled. I'm looking forward to both shows. The folks at Tammy Lynn are really geared up for the event - I've gotten email from them every day sinmce we arranged the show!

Peace y'all!

Greg and Alice

Saturday, June 7, 2008

The You-Man Experience

Alice told me today that Life is like the You-Man Experience. Says that's where the word Human came from. Hyou mon, yuman, are some of the word origins that pre-date the ones we know about.

There is only The Self, Gregory. There is No Other. Only Perceived Other, which is how The Self Experiences ItSelf. The quickest way to this experience is to recall that whatever you see, or hear, or enounter in any form is You Man! That's You - it's The Self, and YourSelf is observing and interacting with ItSelf.

She's a wise little girl. Wise beyond her ears, I say.

Enjoy the You Man Experience today!

Best of Now, always,

Greg & Alice

Friday, June 6, 2008

TIME OVERTHROWN AUDIENCE INCLUSION TOUR


Upcoming Private Performances for Residents & Staff


Monday June 9 - Raleigh, NC: Sunrise Senior Living at North Hills
Tuesday June 10 - Raleigh, NC: Brighton Gardens and Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities
Wednesday June 11 - Raleigh, NC: Morningside Assisted Living

Sunday June 22 - Athens (GA) Heritage Home
Monday June 23 - Athens, GA TBA
Tuesday June 24 - Athens, GA TBA
Wednesday June 25 - Athens, GA TBA

**

Alice and I are leaving Monday morning for two nights in Raleigh, NC. I'm going to play four Community Venue shows and also attend an R.E.M. performance at Walnut Creek Amphitheater - they're supporting the Accelerate record - a great CD! I'm psyched for that. Alice traveled to Athens and Nashville with me two weeks ago and had a blast - she wants to travel more and really get the Audience Inclusion Tour in high gear - she says It's Time...

We'll see about bringing her to each Community Venue - not sure if I'll have a handler for her - she tends to get preoccupied with the shadows and be kind of distractingly silly sometimes, so we'll see... I'll bring her in afterwards maybe to meet the audience.

The whole simple idea is to practice while I share - no preaching - only something to offer to musicians, and anyone that would like to find more Time for the things they love at the deepest level. Alice says many musicians, and folks in general, are caught up in Relative Time - Time that will one day get them to where they want to be. She says Time IS where we want to Be. "Now, what are you Being?", she asks me alot.

The idea of Audience Inclusion seems so basic - to music I mean, and the visionary musicians. As REM says in Man Sized Wreath, "I would've thought by now we would be ready to proceed". I apply that line to the musically propagated ideas of equality, caring, sharing, living a golden rule sort of existence.

The music business model however has little Time for an aging or challenged population that cannot come to traditional venues. They are considered charity audiences. Our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, brothers, sisters, neighbors. Charity. We are doing them a favor to interrupt our busy scheule to share an hour with them once in awhile, and not think we should be exalted as high-value folk stars. What is a folk star anyway? I don't get fok starness.

"I'll get around to it." "I am too busy trying to be a musician to play music for those audiences." "I do not have Time for that sort of music." "I am trying to become a succesful musician. I'll share later, when I can give your organization a big check." I have heard it all. Not an hour in ten years, some of them. Wow. They really believe they do not have Time.

We suggest that Life is about being what one is and has been all along, and growing into Professional Childhood. That is definitely what folk/rock musicians are aiming for.

We also advocate a focus shift back to Soul Currency, which is truly why we play. It's truly why we Live. Music has become about other forms of reward, ones that define success as a future thing, not a Now thing.

We are about Now. Live the lyrics. We know there are lots of cool musicians waiting to hear that Dolly Parton, REM, and Billy Joel support this idea & behavior and have supported our fundraising with autographed items. This is a market with infinite potential, waiting to be tapped, not stereotyped.

Our book is coming along nicely - trying to keep it short and to the point right now. Something to supplement the shows and share some of Alice's insights. Of course the CD booklet has some of her wisdom and stories. Hopefully we'll finish it up in the next few weeks and get a few self-published online to travel with. People have expressed a great deal of interest in the CD, the lyrics (which will be in the book), and The Now Exspirientuality(tm), and An Absoulute Attitude (tm).

Below is a press release I sent out today - am looking forward to the trip and to meeting some great new audiences.

SongSharing On Tour and Time Overthrown Visit Raleigh, NC

(Ruckersville, VA June 5, 2008) Alice, the canine messiah, and Virginia based singer-songwriter, writer, and “Now Exspirientuality”™ DO-ru (not guru) Greg Allen bring the Time Overthrown Audience Inclusion Tour to Raleigh, NC June 9 – 11 with private performances for residents and staff at the Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities, Morningside of Raleigh, Sunrise at North Hills, and Brighton Gardens of Raleigh.

Allen has been personally advocating Audience Inclusion for nearly 14 years and is the founder of SongSharing, a VA based 501c3 non-profit dedicated to Making Music More Accessible™. Allen encourages musicians to go beyond traditional acoustic and light electric music venues and perform at Community Venues such as those he’ll visit in Raleigh. “These are some of the most attentive, enthusiastic and appreciative audiences one can interact with. They continue to be stereotyped. Musicians simply do not know what they are missing,” says Allen. “The traditional model for musicians is overlooking a huge, growing opportunity. The U.S. population is aging, yet musicians and the music business model seem to have precious little Time for them. It’s Time that Time Was Overthrown.”

SongSharing has enjoyed participation from a number of dedicated local musicians in Central VA, and touring musicians including David Wilcox, Slaid Cleaves, Rishell & Raines, and Dana & Susan Robinson among others – each of whom have taken an hour out of their Charlottesville day to share an unplugged set in a nearby Community Venue. Notable artists such as Billy Joel (autographed piano), Dolly Parton (autographed washboard) and R.E.M. (autographed items and CD’s for the Troops contributors) have provided in-kind support for SongSharing in support of Audience Inclusion. SongSharing On Tour began to move beyond the Charlottesville area in 2006.

The Time Overthrown Tour promotes Allen’s new CD “It’s Time That Time Was Overthrown” as well as promoting Audience Inclusion to the musicians in each area he visits. “It’s an incredibly simple idea whose Time has come,” he says. “Audience Inclusion is a basic for so many musicians that sing about a better way to Live; caring and sharing and treating each other as equals. This is about living the lyrics.” Allen is finishing a book with Alice (Dog is my Co-Writer) about his experiences with Audience Inclusion, which he plans to release this summer.

The Time Overthrown visit coincides with R.E.M.’s performance at Raleigh’s Walnut Creek Amphitheater Tuesday June 10th, to show SongSharing’s gratitude for the past support of the R.E.M./Athens organization. The Time overthrown Tour will visit Athens, GA June 22 thru 25, coinciding with R.E.M.’s June 21st Atlanta show. (Please Note: there is no affiliation with R.E.M./Athens – this is an independent effort on SongSharing and Greg Allen’s part.)

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Tornado Watch Alley

Welcome to Tornado Watch Alley - here in the foothills of the Blue Ridge.

A snowstorm can barely make it over the mountains to our west. But they call them all the Time, for grins I guess. Brought to you by the Bread and Milk Council - don't get snowed in hungry, I reckon.

Now, every time there are thunderstorms on the horizon, we are under a tornado watch. No kidding, like the last 5 weather forecasts.

The one night it actually rained and carried on with lightning and such, I had the local station on, and of course they had pre-emped programming to cover this non-life-threatening non-event. At one point weather guy has police guy on the phone, discussing the imminent threat, and evacuation plans for people at the downtown pavilion - and the weather guy says to police guy "Have you been outside lately? I've been in the newsroom." And cop guy says "No, I have been on the phone with news reporters and weather guys for the last few hours.

It could've been sunny and warm and they wouldn't have known it...

So now we are under a tornado watch - we had one last night, as rain fell gently and lightning flashed dimly out back, distant over the woods. The thunder was soft peals in the distance. It had stopped by 5 am, but the watch went until 10 a.m. Now the birds are chirping and every now and then a gust of a breeze swishes the trees.

"We aren't out of the woods yet", they like to say. It's their new phrase to ensure extra bread and milk sales I think. Must be something George Bush says, or Scott McLellan?

What a funny media we have here.

Dance In the Moment,

Greg

Friday, May 16, 2008

Sending Out Beacons

(originally posted at Oprah dot com blogs)

I've learned something interesting at the Oprah/A New Earth message board, as well as from my experiences on the Conversations with God - Messenger's Circle board last summer and fall. It's about "those who accept" and "those who reject" - the lovers and the fighters, to assign a pair of words.

When we visit these sort of places and speak our mind on something near and dear to our hearts, such as our philosophy, religion, beliefs, or what have you, we are sending out a beacon of very bright light - a signal beacon. The messages I mostly refer to here are the ones that state that "I Know the Way to Peace, let me share some thoughts" - or some variant of that.

Each of us has our own "peace story", and strong convictions about it's correctness, so we know that in the end, for us, it will all be good. For Now, as far as we are each concerned, it's all good. Because it is all good in the end, it makes not a lick of difference what the message is or whether or not everyone agrees. (This applies of course to those whose message is that Life is mostly, or all, bad too, for they are coming from a place of being all good with the fact that it is bad. Weird, I know.)

When we send out such a beacon fellow travelers are drawn to it, and the gathering crowd consists partly of those in support of the beacon's message - fellow Lover Beacons- as well as naysayers - Beacons with Their Own Message. Since their beacons point a different way, we could call them the "Dim Beacons" - no offense here, just working the analogy. Generally these Dim Beacons are perceived as the enemy, and hence the term "the fighters". The Message Beacon sees them as fighters of the Proper Message, in other words.

A third, usually smaller portion of the crowd consists of little flickers of light - the Leaning Toward Lovers, I call them. Imagine little Bic lighter sized beacons way in the back of the crowd of Dim Beacons, standing on tiptoe, trying to get close enough to bask in the glow of this attractive bright Message Beacon, and the Fellow Lover Beacons. Trying to hear the Message Beacon's message...

Here's the funny thing, to me. The original beacon of light, the person with the message of salvation for Others, tends to engage the darkness! Generally fellow beacons come to their aid, and generally the darkness swells in response and pretty soon it's gettting pretty ugly. The original message - I know the way to peace, or some variation - is immediately lost.
And here is the sad thing to me - the Leaning Toward Lover Beacons are completely overlooked by the big Message Beacon and the Lover Beacons. They're too busy fighting and arguing with those who may never hear them, many of whom love to fight too. It's why they came when the Message Beacon lit up.

Why do the Message Beacons totally ignore those that are receptive to their Truth? Odd, from where I stand.

And, ironically, they have demonstrated for the Leaning Toward Lover Beacons that their Loving Way of salvation through peace is the long way 'round - LifeTime engagement in a chosen fight with legions of naysayers. Not only that, but when one legion has dissembled, they will call new legions to them, that they may carry on the fight.

Interesting, to me. Good for a chuckle, and a shake of the head...

I told this to a poet at an open mic last night - he was a poet of doom and gloom - a really nice, laughing guy, pre-occupied with Gloomy Rain people. I commended him for that, but said it is the long way round. You complain of the people that cannot stand the rain, and how they darken a potentially bright world. You say they need to fix their outlook on the rain and become happy, so that you too can then be happy, with them.

I said, "Dude, you're totally ignoring those of us who love the rain already, and choosing to walk alongside the gloomy-rain people and try to beat them into loving the rain. It's okay to do that, but what about someone who is beginning to think that loving the rain is a good thing. Will they learn that rain-lovers beat on gloomy-rain people when it rains? Is that the way in which you celebrate this rain that you Love? Just a question. IYou are a beacon, you know." He nodded. He knew.

I smiled, and bowed, and thanked him for his poetry. I had an umbrella, but never opened it. I walked out into the pouring rain, whistling.

**

You can see this at play on this board. Eckhart has sent out an intensely bright Message Beacon. A huge crowd has gathered, and the fight has ensued in many corners of it.

The stunningly bright exception is that Eckhart has engaged no one in battle, for that was His Stupidly Simple Message of the Way to Peace.

Eckhart knew all along he was not the Beacon, allowing him to walk away from it, for it has a Life of its own. Indeed it is Life ItSelf.

Dance In the Moment - Rain or Shine...

Peace,

Greg Allen

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Is There Absolute Right?

The question was asked on A New Earth message board at Oprah dot com "Do you believe in right and wrong?"


In other words: can we judge other people's behavior from some absolute standard of right and wrong that people really oughtta live up to and quit being "wrong" so much of the time, and living their lives "wrong"?


I believe this question can be better asked. I believe the question is an irresolvable linguistic decoy, a lure of sorts that somehow keep us distracted from the true matter at hand, and arguing amongst ourselves.


Everyone who has asked this question through history, and argued for and against a mental position to identify with, seems to be asking: Is there Right that applies to everyone, and Wrong that applies to everyone?

Restated, the question's not so obvious flaw becomes glaringly clear:


Is there Absolute Right and Absolute Wrong?


This is clearly, upon inspection, a Relative Question seeking an Absolute Answer. Linguistically, it is beyond resolution. Historically, we can see that.


Conceptually it is not however.


The concept of Absolute is at the same time inclusive and exclusive, and it first and foremost requires an agreement. It includes everything, since it is Absolute. It's all there is or ever can be, ultimately. Thus, by definition, it excludes everything, that is it allows nothing else. It even precludes coneptualizing anything else. Once we agree to conceptualize something as Absolute, we agree to not conceive of it possibly having a polar opposite. It can have aspects, like it is both inclusive and exclusive - but it cannot itself be opposed. That's the linguistic agreement. (It may be the one alluded to in the mythological story of Babel and the confounding of languages. I'm not sure - just a thought.)


In other words, If there IS Absolute Right, there cannot, by definition of Absolute, be Wrong.


Is There Absolute Right and Wrong? is a silly question, linguistically. We've agreed linguistically that Absolute is One Thing, Unity. It would seem a trifle dopey to get into a big discussion of what it's two aspects might be.


(Especially two thousand years of discussion, sometimes agreement, lots of disagreement, fighting, and so on... I was just noticing this. Perhaps you've noticed too.)


You see, Absolute Right would be All Right, Just Right, Only Right, Nothing But Right - that is, Right with No Other Side.


Thus, you have to choose one word of the two. You get to ask "Is there Absolute _____", and you can only choose one word.


Remember, we only get one question...


So there I am, it's my turn to ask my one question. Personally, I am not going to ask if there is absolute wrong. It seems a not so grand way to ask, given the grand and glorious moment of Grand Presence.


Nope, I would ask:


Is there Absolute Right?
Is there Right, and nothing but Right? Is there Right, with No Other Side?


And actually, I would substitute a word.


I would ask:


Is there Absolute Love?


Is there Love, with No Other Side?


Having finally figured this out, I've asked. I've had the answer confirmed countless times now. I see it confirmed everywhere I turn. This, for sure, is my question. It's the question I live, for as we are reminded in the song Grasshopper "When you live the question the answer is today."


CAUTION: This may not be the question you want to ask. Be careful. You see, if the answer comes back "YES!" - if there is Absolute Right - then it means that the Absolute Idea of Right applies to everything going on here and now, everything you can imagine or have ever witnessed. Everything you ever felt guilty about. Everything you ever condemned too.

Ev. Ree. Thing.


It means that you can go ahead and see Creation as perfect. Right now. NOW.


It means it is all good. Including you. You have nothing to attain. Nothing to add. Not even anything to understand.


It means, in other words, that you are looking at, and standing smack dab in the middle of your little piece of.... drum roll, please....


A NEW EARTH!!!!


Smile. A.N.E. is looking back at you, at every turn.


It's Time That Time Was Overthrown,


Greg, with Alice...

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Now is Good Times

I got an invite from the Charlottesville Center for Peace and Justice, asking me to come down and sing some songs in May. They’re having a salon – their term – and the topic is Getting Thru Hard Times.

And then, I think just to be sure (unconsciously) that we’re sharing their pain, they added a clarifier: Getting Thru Hard Times (That’s Now Folks).

I got to thinking about it because frankly I do not believe that Now, the only Life moment we have available to experience, is hard times, nor should be considered hard times.

I know the traditional argument – “look around, man – these are hard times”. Recession, a stupid president, war, a stupid president, George W. Bush, a stupid president, a ridiculous congress, a stupid president. I understand all of that.

But I got to thinking about how I don’t ever have anybody on the street come up to me and start asking for help, and telling me their story of hard times. I don’t have one person do it, nor dozens, nor hundreds.

I only hear these stories on the news. In the media. And from organizations that want to wage war based on their story. The War on Hard Times. Oh no. Not again…

It struck me then, as I made coffee – a very patriotic Americano I might add – that perhaps by being proactive, inclusive, and nonjudgmental in my art/career/outlook for the past so many years, perhaps I have developed a different perspective. The folks I primarily share music with are seen by most in our society as living through hard times. They’re seniors, tucked away in nursing homes and living facilities, disabled adults and children in hospitals, care and day facilities. I used to look upon their Life situation as something akin to a hard time. I used to get that “what a good boy am I” feeling as well, fighting the good fight to make these poor folks forget about their hard Life for awhile.

The thing is I outgrew that point of view. I evolved beyond it. I understand now that all of humanity is truly created equal. And so I share my music with all men, all audiences, without judgment. I don’t judge their condition anymore. Would they tell you, if asked, that they would enjoy more visits from community members like me? Sure they would. But would they start up a society to recognize, broadcast, dwell upon and wage war on their Hard Time Lifestyle? No. Not to my knowledge. I don’t know of any such organization.

I don’t ever get to see the side of these folks that complains. They don’t complain. Others do that for them, pointing to them as miserable, less well off, and needy. Calling them all sorts of questionable names. Names I have for sure never heard them call themselves. Perhaps it’s because I simply love them as they are, and share with them as they are. They don’t have to drive designer cars, drink designer beers and hang out in a trendy nightspot to be in my audience inclusion model. And they don’t have to be a special, suffering charity case in my mind either, before I will share my music with them. Perhaps because I do not judge them as lesser than, or worse off than, I do not experience them that way. I don’t know.

But it occurs to me now that I also should not judge anyone else’s Time, or Times, as being hard, or harder than mine. Nor should I decide that someone else made my Time harder than it should be, and I now need to get through this awful Hard Time. And could they please change their ways so my Time will be less hard?

Time is mine, to do with as I please and choose, which means to perceive as I please and choose. I perceive there to always be only one useful moment in Time, and that is Now. I do not perceive it to be useful to decide that Now is somehow harder to “get through” than it used to be.

I just can’t do it.

I think I’ll go sing One Choice Thing for them, and explain to them that Time is a choice, not an obligation.

It’s an Opportunity.

**

One Choice Thing

When I said this before, somebody called it cliché
but there’s one choice thing about love I come to relate
Well all I can do is all I can do, & it’s all that I could have done then
if love’s the end I desire, isn’t it the begin?

There’s one choice thing about – peace that I came to suggest
But whenever I do, the fighters are put to the test
The best I can tell you is all I can do – basic. simple. clear.
if peace is what I would have, I won’t start a war.

There’s one choice thing about – changing the world I can say
But whenever I do, blame gets in the way
Well all I can sing is all I can say, & all I can play is my part
if change is the end that I would have, maybe it’s also the start

There’s one choice thing about – god I was charged to remind
But whenever I do, ideas go on trial
Well all I can do is all I can do, God knows I continue to try
if god’s the track I am on, is belief the train I should ride?

There’s one more thing about – love I come to share
But whenever I do, I wonder what do they hear?
Well all I can sing is all I can say, I’ll probly sing it again
if love’s the end I desire, doesn’t that make it the means?
if love’s the end I desire, isn’t it the begin?
if love’s the end We desire…


**

from the CD It's Time That Time Was Overthrown

copyright Greg Allen

Friday, April 18, 2008

R.E.M. - Accelerate

Accelerate - What a great new CD this is from a great band. I'm enjoying every minute of it - as I did, by the way, with Reveal and Around the Sun. I don't understand critics - I thought those 2 albums were great - their diversity was part of the greatness. Anyway...

R.E.M. again have some great things to say on Accelerate and some great ways to present their visions, ideas and experiences. The record is a continuation of their fine presentation of valuable insights.

Which makes me wonder about people saying that Accelerate is some sort of return to form for R.E.M. I never thought they lost form, and I re-e-e-ally don't think this record is anything like Life's Rich Pageant or Fables of the Reconstruction. Those two records were stunningly practical metaphysical treatises of sorts; some "Life & How to Live It" glimpses into the R.E.M. that would eventually get'round to Accelerate a couple decades later.

Accelerate continues the tradition of poignant, often pointed, generally tongue in cheek lyrical observations of what is and what obviously might be - well, obvious to some of us...

The musicianship is R.E.M., 2008. I'm grateful for that. That freakin' keyboard thing on Houston is bitchin' - and it's wonderfully interesting to note that they proceeded without the keyboard for the filming of the TakeAway Shows. Going forward it's nice to know that they don't have to shy away from Houston in situations where they don't have Mike's keyboard handy...

Someone please post chords for Sing for the Submarine, soon. :^) email them to me. I'm awful at figuring stuff out.

If you have not seen the TakeAway Shows done by Vincent Moon - go HERE
and download them, especially Sing for the Submarine.

Sing for the Submarine is my favorite -the backing vocals are priceless, as is Michael's percussive contribution.

**

It's quite clear to me that R.E.M. is about having fun and being sincere about their music, but none too serious about themselves. I respect that. The world could use more of it.

I'm gonna DJ at the end of the world....

What a great CD - thanks fellas!


p.s. I'd have never guessed that Michael smoked cigarettes...

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Untitled

I just gotta say...

It's really something to tune into the media these days. On the one hand you get global warming, on the other you get endless examples of how society has no intention of changing - car shows, China and coal and petroleum, the US and coal and petroleum, US business' staunch refusal to simply do something different.

For crying out loud - it seems right clear that ethanol is horrid for the environment, not to mention the food supply, and we're just plowing right ahead with developing the stuff.

It should be clear by now that we are where we think we have been going.

But it isn't. We're still trying to get here, and killing off everything to do it.

Ain't Life grand?

**

Today's hint/reminder:

Time is not going to get you where you want to be. Time is where you want to be.

Now, what are you being?

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Time is a Choice

Dear sleepwalking Charlottesville musicians,

I do love you, but you're acting sort of asleep - no, actually, you're acting in a terribly discriminatory fashion.

Time is a choice.

For ten years most of you have been telling me you do not have Time to play in Community Venues.

Yes, you do.

Please stop discriminating against these audiences. It's very unbecoming of you.

It also explains to me why the traditional music business model is sucking wind right now.

I've been hearing people sing beautiful ideas from a place of inaction for 50 years. Thousands of you. Peace, love, get along. Share, care. Now, not later.

Now, you're doing it. Please...

Yo.

Live the lyrics.

Stop discriminating against old people, retarded people, sick children, and anyone that cannot drive a BMW to the club and buy a designer beer.

You really look and sound pretty stupid with your lame excuses.

I am just telling you this because I like you - it's like having a little booger at the end of your nose, and no one will tell you...

I'm telling you.

Time is a choice.

You have Time. In fact, you CREATE Time. You didn't know that, did you?

If you need some help with creating Time, let me know. I'm a shaman.

Best of Now, Always,

Greg & Alice

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

I Have A Question

I have begun to understand less and less the media's tendency to rely on quoting people that they will not identify.

I guess whatever they do is fine, but why do we tend to believe any of it? I mean constantly you see in the news that someone said something extremely pertinent to the story being reported, and then "...who spoke on condition of anonymity because..." whatever reason. My favorite is "they are not authorized to speak to the press".

Maybe there's a reason for that... ??

It just strikes me as funny because so often I have run into the media's tendency to shun input from local or unknown contributors because we are not experts, not "authorized to speak" on this subject. Even though we'd happily put our face and name out there, we are not afforded the same respect or opportunity that someone who is speaking without authority (or some coward hiding behind anonymity, spewing bullshit?)

Yup. It just seems funny...

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Sing the World Unified

I can
Sing about Changing the World,
or I can
Change the World with the Song of My
Life.
Alice once pointed out to me that I was affecting the world
with every song I sang, whether I was aware of that or not. The important question, she said, is
"How are you affecting it?" Are you
influencing it with Belief that your Life Dreams are Dreams of Now, or Dreams of Later?"
"You can't have future visions," she added. "You can
only think they are."
Last fall I joined an association dedicated to something they call "positive music". A group of Virginia members are now planning a concert near me, in Charlottesville, where SongSharing was born.
When we had a meeting about this a month or so ago, I suggested that members might want to do some SongSharing Community Venue shows in association with this "positive" show, regardless of where it took place. I mentioned the positivity in action aspect, the live the lyrics aspect, as well as the added media appeal. The idea never got mentioned in the announcement made by the association later that week, as I am fairly certain the Virginia members did not pass it along. They did however pass along some misinformation, which I asked to have corrected in future.
I wrote to these Va. members several days ago when a confirmation of venue came through for the May Charlottesville show. I asked if anyone would be interested in arriving one-hour earlier than planned and doing a brief Community Venue show. One hour.
It's been 3 days. No responses. No questions. No acknowledgements.
From the new CD, It's Time That Time Was Overthrown, I am reminded of
One Choice Thing
When I said this before, somebody called it cliché
but there’s one choice thing about love I come to relate
Well all I can do is all I can do, & it’s all that I could have done then
if love’s the end I desire, isn’t it the begin?

There’s one choice thing about – peace that I came to suggest
But whenever I do, the fighters are put to the test
The best I can tell you is all I can do – basic. simple. clear.
if peace is what I would have, I won’t start a war.

There’s one choice thing about – changing the world I can say
But whenever I do, blame gets in the way
Well all I can sing is all I can say, & all I can play is my part
if change is the end that I would have, maybe it’s also the start

There’s one choice thing about – god I was charged to remind
But whenever I do, ideas go on trial
Well all I can do is all I can do, God knows I continue to try
if god’s the track I am on, is belief the train I should ride?

There’s one more thing about – love I come to share
But whenever I do, I wonder what do they hear?
Well all I can sing is all I can say, I’ll probly sing it again
if love’s the end I desire, doesn’t that make it the means?
if love’s the end I desire, isn’t it the begin?
if love’s the end We desire…
It's so easy. So easy to change the world right Now, as we sing about it. I wrote to someone the other day that Our Life is our "Show Me" answer to the question "How would humans act in Your pefect world?" It's the "put Your money where Your mouth is answer". It's our chance to Walk It, to Live the Lyrics.
That's what the Now Exspirientuality(tm) is about - simply creating/having the spiritual experience, Now.
I'll try to remember to keep you posted on what the Pozzers decide... I'll likely not be part of the show if no one will participate in SongSharing shows. It just doesn't feel right anymore.
Talking the talk is fine, it's good stuff. But it is the same old long way 'round that humanity has been taking down a self-destructive path. Many institutions have been talking the talk of humanity changing behavior for centuries, millenia.
The problem with every one of these approaches is that they are Other-focused - talking and singing about what a great place the world will be when Others - listeners I guess - begin to do things differently.
The spiritual seeker movement, and new age, and new thought, and new spirituality, and all of these rapidly soundling like the same old thing disciplines are Other focused.
Funny, to me, considering they speak and sing to ideas like Unity, One-ness, the Absolute.
Funny, they even believe they are singing and speaking to Others.
In the "who gives a musical hoot what I think" category, here's One word of experiential advice to them, and any musician - the traditional music model is suffering because it is about talk, not walk. It's about later, not now. It's about business, not music. It's about audience discrimination.
There is no later, kids. Poets should know that.
And frankly, there really is no talk. Whether we are aware of it or not, we are walking our walk right now. What are You walking? A Life of Later or a Life of Now?
A Life of Love with No Other Side, or one where Love has positive and negative sides, speculative sides and actual sides?
Please, if you're a singer, bring Your Dream to Life's Stage through the Song of Your Life, Now. Artists, Paint It! Dancers, Dance It! You get the idea...
Wishing you the best of Now, Always!
Greg, and Alice the Canine Messiah

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Bible Babel

You too can converse with god on a cruise ship.

I keep getting these emails telling me what god wants me to know today. I wish they would stop. In the sender's books he tells us there are no special messengers, then he keeps giving me messages that god gave to him, for me and millions of what he calls "others". Strange. Anyway...

**

Lord.

I am developing a new respect for the Lord (god). What a goofball! What a joker! I had no idea. Why do people make The Lord (god) out to be such a stickler for kindness and perfection and getting along and all that?

Monday I picked up a copy of a Holy Bible, placed by the Gideons, which I purchased at a used bookstore many years ago. I wanted to read the creation part again.

I began reading it, and learned firsthand that by page 5 god was so upset with god's creation that god was ready to flood it out and start over. Page 5! 1,103 pages to go... I guess I thought it took longer than that for god to realize the mistakes and want to try a do-over.

But that's not the point.

Here's the point. So there's the Noah thing, and the flood, and then the favored humans get off of the ark and start over. They agree to build a city & a big tower - whose top may reach unto heaven - in a place called Babel. Notably, when they state their intent to build this city and tower, the humans said "let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth".

So they are building away and The Lord (god) comes along to watch and The Lord (god) sees that a) all of mankind is getting along, and b) all of mankind can communicate, as in they speak the same language and c) all of mankind has agreed on a goal and is working towards it together.

And what does The Lord (god) do, according to the Holy Bible placed by the Gideons, swiped and then sold to me at a used bookstore? The Lord (god) sees that "the people is one" (sic) and "...now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do."

And then the Lord (god) decides to confound the languages and scatter mankind abroad upon the face of the whole earth!

Now, that's funny! God screwed it up, intentionally! And the humans sort of seemed to ask for it - as though they knew god would jump in if they were getting along...

Of course this has nothing to do with peace, love, getting along and all those images that Lord-people say The Lord (god) is all about. It has ZERO to do with the golden rule, as I understand it.

God did not do this to sinners, god did it on page 8 of an 1108 page book to Noah's people, who had found favor with god! God had just finished wiping out all of the bad elements on earth, leaving the one good element! Then, when they start getting creative, god does the Babel thing...

Weird huh?

Or maybe not. Maybe this is what we are supposed to get around to figuring out. God is a joker, and Life is the joke - a glorious joke of course - the humour of the divine! To be taken sincerely, but lightly, with laughter and joy. And Love.

Which is why I advocate It's Time That Time Was Overthrown.

Peace.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Time Overthrown - What I've Learned part I

The beginning of the Time Overthrown Tour has been a trip.

The 3rd week of January I traveled by mySelf for two days and played three Community Venue shows in the Greensboro area.

The following week Tom Proutt traveled with me. We stopped at Golden Living in Martinsville, VA for a show on the way down to Greensboro. Golden Living is a skilled nursing facility.

This past weekend, the 1st one of March 2008, the fine duo known as Tom & Emily traveled with me. We made the Martinsville stop again, then traveled on to Greensboro where we played one show Saturday afternoon and another on Sunday afternoon.

What a blast!

The message of the Time Overthrown Tour is pretty simple - Time is yours, to do with as you please. Time does not control you.

It began with local musicians in Charlottesville, where I have been busy Making Music More Accessible since 1994. The idea is ridiculously simple, to me anyway. I am one of those songwriters who has something to say, something I'd like the world to hear. I am not unique - there are millions of us. Hundreds of us in Charlottesville, each with something to say, looking for ears.

The idea is simply to create and share my music. Wherever and whenever someone would like to listen. (It's deeper than that in a way - it's about "being" the music, "living" the lyrics, for me. But we don't have to get into that now...)

For ten years or more I have been inviting Charlottesville musicians to come play in these Community Venues I have been credited with creating. (Actually I discovered them. They've been there all along. There are many more waiting to be realized.)

For ten years or more Charlottesville musicians have been telling me they do not have Time. Ten years. Not one hour. Damn. That, my friends, is a bummer.

Musicians without an hour to play for an eager, appreciative audience. My heart aches for these musicians. Hence...

Time Overthrown! Give Time back to the musicians. Help them remember. Help them wake up to the truth that Time is theirs to do with as they please.

The Tour of course is a learning experience - I knew that going in. I know I don't know it all, just this thing Alice told me about Time. So I am going in with an open mind.

Yesterday, we played at a place in Greensboro, a very well-appointed senior community that has retirement living as well as assisted living and nursing care. After the show one of the younger residents came out to chat - I'd guess early 50's, maybe even late 40's. He's in a wheelchair. I don't know why. Early in the chat he sort of stopped the conversation in that awkward way when someone said "How you doing?" in that generic greeting sort of way, and he said that he was doing okay, but "really didn't want to be here". He meant the senior home I reckon, and likely the wheelchair.

But I was struck by the commonality of the phrase - the sentiment. "I'm doing okay... but of course I'd be better off if I wasn't here."

That would describe most of the musicians I know who don't have Time to play in Community Venues. They long to be elsewhere and are miserable in their "here-ness". "Here" to them, is a town with hundreds of "other musicians" with whom they "compete" for very few performance slots at a very limited number of "legitimate" music venues. The competition is of course to become "the next Dave" or something, by following a dated and clearly floundering traditional music model.

Then this nice gentleman told Tom how much he liked his guitar playing, as a lead in to "I used to play guitar", and went on to imply that the wheelchair coincided with the end of guitar playing as he knew it. Awkward again, for none of us knew if it was a direct physical disability that kept him from playing. Of course we all wanted to encourage him to play if he could.

Then he said the magic words... "I suppose I should pick it up again, but..." He shrugged, and his voice trailed off in that sort of "what would be the use" direction.

On the way home I brought it up in the van. I told Tom and Em that I wondered what he did with his Time. He obviously can play the guitar if he chooses to - he told us that. He led us to believe it would bring him joy. We'd witnessed the joy that our music and sharing had brought to the residents, and I cannot help but think that if he'd learn to play and share music with his friends at the senior home, and even others, well... what then? For him, I mean. Would he want to "be here" if that was going on?

And this morning I woke up recalling that I personally have never seen a guitar player in a wheelchair. Seems like there'd be an opening in the market, for sure. Then I wondered if they even make wheelchairs that would accommodate someone holding a guitar, which opens the possibility of another product/marketing niche.

Anyway, Emily told me that I did not know what his situation was really like, and maybe I shouldn't just assume that his attitude has something to do with his situation, or at least his attitude towards it.

She's right of course. I don't know everything there is to know. But I know this.

He has lots of time on his hands. He is physically able to play the guitar. He doesn't want to be where he is. Music allows him to transcend where he is.

I can't help thinking of the musicians in Charlottesville, somehow. They don't even have wheelchairs, but they tie themselves down with dozens of reasons why they cannot play music, and why they do not like being where they are.

I can't help thinking it's time that all sorts of ideas are overthrown. Mostly alot of the ones I've held for a LifeTime...