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“He who has to walk with fools has a
long journey of sorrow, because to be with a fool is as painful as to be with
an enemy; but the joy of being with the wise is like the joy of meeting a
beloved kinsman. If you find a man who is constant,
awake to the inner light, learned, long-suffering, endowed with devotion, a
noble man - follow this good and great man even as the moon follows the path of
the stars.”
- The Dhammapada 15: 207-208, ‘Joy’ (translated by Juan Mascaró,
Penguin Books, London, U.K., 1973, p.65).
Hong Kong Phooey (1970s cartoon, written by Fred Fox and Seaman
Jacobs, Len Janson and Chuck Menville, Larz Bourne, Jack Mendelsohn; Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc., 1974).
"In the beginning, God created
man, but seeing him so feeble, He gave him the cat." - Warren Eckstein.
Hong Kong Phooey is a ‘lowly’
janitor in a police station, the kung fu crime fighter being the alter ego of
Penry (Penrod Pooch). He transforms himself into a martial arts ‘superhero’ by
running and jumping into the bottom drawer of a filing cabinet and springing
into action as he emerges dramatically from the top drawer wearing a bright red
karate outfit (kimono) and black Zorro-like mask. The top drawer always gets
stuck and he requires help on the outside to release it. As he exits, he often
congratulates himself on breaking free all by himself, not realising that
something always happens, be it a few thumps from Spot’s paw or a
‘coincidence.’ This process is clearly symbolic of the ‘lowly’ cleaner’s shift
from his lower to his higher mind, from his feeble and fumbling personality to
the activation of his higher potential , from his lower self to his Higher
Self. With Spot in the passenger seat, Hong Kong Phooey cruises cheerfully down
the street in his green Phooeymobile discussing the adventure at hand. This
vehicle is a kid’s dream and is capable of adapting to any off-road situation.
The superhero is also something of a conjuror in this regard and simply tailors
it to his needs by transforming it with a magical spell.
“Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that
everything in life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all
events are blessings given to us to learn from.” - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross.
Proud of his successful
crime-busting capers, Hong Kong Phooey is such a dork that he never even
notices that Spot, his mute sidekick from the station, is the brains behind
each operation. Everyone always just assumes that he is responsible for the
capture of yet more criminals. Ah, the power of celebrity! To be fair to Penry,
his heroic alter ego does manage to capture some crooks on his own. This occurs
more by chance than skill or intelligence, however. He is his usual dopey self
sprung into action and animated by the power of his inner spirit. He bumbles
along and makes foolish mistakes which end up scuppering the crooks’ plans. In
this respect, he is like the kung fu version of Mr. Magoo. In the world of
appearances, he is as ineffective and incompetent as usual. Yet, his intent and
self-belief alone seem to produce results regardless. One might also suggest
that Hong Kong Phooey’s faith itself moves mountains; that is, his faith in
himself as being more powerful than he appears to be, or his courage and
willingness to apply himself and make an effort, attracts, or summons,
assistance from the universe in unseen or unexpected ways. He is all ears: he
is sensitive and attuned because he cares. He is discreetly at the very heart
of the crimefighting world, watching and waiting for his next tip-off (usually
from Rosemary, the miniskirted telephone operator with her thick New York
accent). And his honesty and sincerity show that his heart is open and he
genuinely cares and wishes to help. There is a Russian doll effect at work here
as well in that the Police do not suspect Penry of being the crimebusting hero
Hong Kong Phooey and the dog himself never suspects Spot’s more intuitive,
perceptive and intelligent intervention.
“I caught those crooks so fast I
didn’t even see myself do it!” – Hong Kong Phooey (‘The Gumdrop Kid.’ In
another episode he declares similarly: “Wow, Spot! I’ve got to learn to slow
down a mite – I whooped those crooks so fast I didn’t even see myself do it!”).
Rosemary, Penry and the Sarge
Hong Kong Phooey summons all of his
energy using what he calls his ‘kung fu concentration.’ This involves, er,
pretty much nothing but momentary indulgence in fancy. He believes that he
draws upon his magical internal chi powers through mental concentration but Spot
then executes the common sense required to secure an effective solution. Spot
himself, as a personality type, portrays the detached observer, relaxed but
alert. He sees the big picture and therefore uses minimal effort, acting at
just the right time. The superhero also consults a kung fu manual in a simple
and childlike way that gives him hope and a fresh start, or outlook, that
rarely has anything to do with the actual words themselves. The act itself
allows a shift in his thoughts and energy to occur. It is a source of playful
inspiration rather than useful wisdom, of feeling rather than thought, even
though it does contain some food for thought. One can feel the power of ancient
wisdom and one’s connection to all of that potential waiting to be tapped, which
people developed over aeons of time and continue to master in a far off place.
There is a sense, for men, that taking up kung fu might be the answer to all of
one’s prayers. This is still true today but, back in the 70s when oriental
martial arts were still a novelty, there was more of a collective hope and
innocence in this regard. And, naturally, a male who is outwardly shy, clumsy
and downtrodden might be wont to relieve some frustration by conjuring a new
self-image as a channel for his hidden powers and exploring the possibilities
in his mind. I used to fantasise about having magical powers and using them
heroically a lot during my childhood. I felt so vulnerable and powerless that
this was compulsive self-therapy when prior to falling asleep at night. The
world does not see or value who we are inside. A sensitive introvert with an
amazing imagination and latent psychic powers is unlikely to get on well in an
industrial society. If only he were able to apply them in the external world!
Penry’s secret alter ego, of course, parallels the archetypal comic book hero,
such as Batman and Superman: someone who is awkward and geeky (or Peter Parker,
the boy who is obsessed with thoughts of ‘rejection, inadequacy and loneliness’
and, after being bitten by a spider, becomes Spider-Man) or whose childhood
contains a dark secret that has scarred him for life and opened up some magical
power through his unconscious mind. While Batman, however, has identified with
his projection as a source of inner power, Superman has projected the dithering
form of Clark Kent in order to conceal his true identity and power and fit into
society.
Many people are attracted to martial
arts but many quit when they realise how much discipline and hard work is
involved. The idea of developing ourselves in this way, however, can awaken a
sense of our own promise, our own natural power, our latent gifts and
invincibility. We have all of this anyway because we are powerful, creative,
eternal beings, gods and goddesses. We all have so much unexpressed potential
and have merely forgotten what we are capable of. The prospect of finding an
external method to access it can liberate us from our own conditioning and
limitations, at least for a while. It gives us a buzz. It particularly appeals
to the child within us. Studying a martial art can boost one’s confidence and
invoke a bit of long-forgotten magic. It therefore provides not just our Inner
Child but also our Higher Self with an opportunity for greater expression in
our lives – especially, of course, if our chief focus is on serving others and
bringing peace, harmony and justice to the world.
“But when I said that nothing had been done I erred in one important matter. We had definitely committed ourselves and were halfway out of our ruts. We had put down our passage money -booked a sailing to Bombay. This may sound too simple, but is great in consequence. Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, the providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets:
‘Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!’”
-
W. H. Murray (The Scottish Himalaya Expedition, Dent, London, U.K., 1951). [1]
Hong Kong Phooey, who happens to be a dog, is full of himself. Loud and demonstrative, he is an over-confident clown who takes action. His genius begins and ends there. Or does it? Perhaps he just feels so chuffed after summoning his powers again and can be forgiven for getting a bit carried away. After all, it is such a contrast from his ‘usual’ self. One could argue that it is the soul, and the cosmos (including the spirit world) itself, represented by the discreet cat lurking in the background, which responds to his brave will-to-action, his purposeful intentions. He is the conscious ego, the physical identity, while his partner Spot is the subtler, less definable layers of the unconscious that make us more whole. They – the dog and the cat - represent two parts of the individual, outer and inner, expressive and receptive: masculine will and feminine consciousness which is a silent witness but possesses the power to influence situations through the invisible world within and around us. Hong Kong Phooey is also assisted by a mother kangaroo on one occasion. He is the superhero who works in partnership with the Goddess through his childlike innocence, humour and purity of soul. Indeed, unbeknown to his work colleagues, he is an old soul. Hermann Hesse’s short novel Journey to the East is founded on this Eastern notion of the leader serving all so that no one knows who the real leader is.
“The martial arts are ultimately
self-knowledge. A punch or kick is not to knock the hell out of the guy in
front, but to knock the hell out of your ego, your fear, or your hang-ups.” –
Bruce Lee.
The will is simple but vital. It
initiates action, judges and decides where to go, what to do, etc. It affirms
self and pursues its goal. It has a purpose and is always on a mission. But it
is direct, not subtle. It is ‘unknowingly’ dependent on support from the inner
world of the subconscious and feeling, through which the higher self connects
to the world and supplies universal intelligence - and basically, makes things
happen, or work out. During the Patriarchal age, consciousness has all but
dried up. Consciousness is the foundation of oneness. It is also through
feeling that the heart can open and unite our conscious minds with our higher
levels of being and will (thus uniting us as individuals as well). Without it,
we remain separated from our true selves and consequently, stuck in low density
and experiencing duality as reality which it is not. Hence, ‘behind every successful
man is a woman.’ The feminine soul is closer, or more receptive, to the spirit,
than the physical ego (or intellect).
"When an inner situation is not
made conscious, it appears outside as fate." - Carl Jung.
It is feeling and imagination which slap
paint on the canvas of life regardless of the brush. Further, they do a better
job than a brush in the hands of an amateur or egoist with an untrained eye.
Ultimately, however, we develop the skill and awareness to balance these
masculine and feminine qualities. We could suggest that the female is innately
superior to the male. Yet, the potential of this natural balance, while
self-sufficient, is limited. Similarly, a group can flourish without
encouraging full expression to its individual members. Yet, a team of fully
conscious individuals working in harmony and borrowing/learning from each other
can accomplish far greater endeavours. It’s just that, until we have developed
our individual potential (as expressions of the Creative Source) adequately our
communities are likely to be something of a shambles: autocratic rather than
truly democratic, discordant rather than harmonious, competitive rather than
loving, separatist rather than intimate. It is the difference between sparks,
which spit at each other and in all directions in petty, proud reaction and
fearful projection and flames which grow and express themselves together
purposefully and in harmony as full, majestic expressions of fire (creative
being) itself.
The Little Prince
“Your mind
and actions go on way while your feelings silently and passively contradict
you. Over long periods of time, feelings always win because reality comes to
you in response to your inner feelings, not so much to your thinking. So if
your innermost reality and your thinking don’t match, those inner messages will
always undermine and depreciate the quality of your actions. You’ll constantly
miss the target by an inch or two, or you’ll get less than you expect, or even
nothing at all. If you miss once or twice, you may only need to adjust your
approach, or you may need to intensify your intention, but if you miss
repeatedly over long periods of time it’s a sure sign that your inner feelings
and intellect don’t match.” - Stuart Wilde (Whispering Winds of Change. Perceptions of a New World, Hay House, Inc., Carlsbad, CA., U.S., 1993, p.234).
When an individual is motivated by
the heart the will is directed positively, towards a good cause, without harm
to others. Everything falls into place. The conscious part of us is part of a
double act which works whether we are aware of our role or not. Whether we
believe we are the centre of the universe and whether we are the high-achievers
we think we are does not really matter too much providing we are living from
our hearts and endeavouring to express our full potential. The other layers of
consciousness, and our guides, can assist us if we are living in harmony with
our higher purpose. At least in theory! Hong Kong Phooey is phenomenally
successful but his own efforts may only represent 10% of his achievements
because his Higher Self (Spot) has pulled out all the stops (through the
intuition of his feminine soul). Individual purpose with higher motives is
attuned to the flow of the universe (feminine). Thus, the individual
(masculine) realises more of the God Force: one has more strength and energy -
hence, Hong Kong Phooey feels superhuman. It is his will alone which makes his
missions successful. He has a good heart. He receives both greater energy from
his inner spirit and the intelligence
of his Higher Self pulls strings he is unaware of.
Spot, the cat, works in the background, in
subtle realms, proving that magic can happen if one’s will is strong and bold,
if one is confident and prepared to take on challenges and adventures whilst
being in harmony with the subtle universe in which we are all essentially one.
Hence, too, Hong Kong Phooey has this Chinese martial arts persona. It is
irrelevant that he doesn’t really know any kung fu (or karate). In fact, it is
just as well he can’t because that would restrict his powers and limit his
achievements. Those kung fu moves are warm ups - energising, exercising his
will. He tries. He does the leg work. He has the power, and the acclaim. But,
it is not the bold actions themselves that accomplish the desired goal. That is
merely the first part, the desire and acting on it, the willingness and
identity, the purpose and intention: the hub which sets the wheel in motion and
turns the spokes. Simplicity itself.
"Once
you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen." - Ralph
Waldo Emerson.
Be positive and purposeful, be
enthusiastic and believe in yourself, and life might just reward your actions,
be they examples of pure buffoonery.
A friend told me that his boss was a
very aggressive, domineering type of person who enjoyed being antagonistic and
getting others upset. Each time they met, they would have a heated argument
because my friend always reacted. He took the bait and grew angry and his boss
always seemed very satisfied because the battle was perpetuated and he could
release his anger and feel a sense of power. Then, one day, a friend of his
advised him to stay calm and refuse to play ball and see what happened,
predicting that his boss would have no opportunity to strike up a heated
argument. He tried it, just smiling calmly and not engaging when his boss tried
to press his buttons and flare up with his ego. To his surprise, his boss went
quiet and didn’t know what to say. His fire could not find any fuel and
therefore simply petered out. There was no target to strike. My friend remained
relaxed and felt good. He was on top of the situation. So, that was his
approach to dealing with the agitator from then on.
"If you have learned how to
disagree without being disagreeable, then you have discovered the secret of
getting along - whether it be business, family relations, or life itself."
- Bernard Meltzer.
[Retrospective note: And one may
observe that these are opportunities to let go of our own fear and pain: a. we
are reminded how ugly violence is and b. we are reminded to be kind and gentle
towards ourselves, to love ourselves, to feel good and be at peace, to smile
and lighten our load when reactions well up inside of us. And, in so doing, we
are able to show compassion, or true unconditional love, towards those who want
us to feel afraid, defenceless and victimised. “Everyone
is always trying to share a gift of some kind. When people trigger us, it's
usually a sure sign there is a very special gift in there somewhere for us; for
us and them. The whole idea is to be conscious of it. To look deeply within, to
communicate our real needs.” - Marshall Rosenberg.]
The Divine Melody
by Osho (Chapter 1,
‘God is dwelling everywhere,’ 1 January 1977, Buddha Hall, Rajneesh Foundation,
Pune, India, 1978).
“THE SIMPLE WAY - not complex methods, not
yoga postures, not very complicated rituals. He teaches simple ways, very
simple, that anybody who wants to do it can do it right now. His ways are so
simple and spontaneous that you will be surprised why you did not discover them
yourself. They are so simple! Once the Master has taught you, once you have
known the beauty of them, once you have tasted a little, you will be simply
surprised why you could not discover them - they are so simple.
The
real Master is not technical, he is simple - because there is no technique to
achieve God. God is not somewhere at the end of a technique, no. God is already
available to you. You are in God; you just have to shake yourself a little so
that you can become a little more alert. Just a little more alertness, that's
all.
Sometimes
you do become alert, but you become alert also in a very unconscious way. You
are driving a car and suddenly you see that a bus is coming and the driver
seems to be drunk or mad and you see no possibility of avoiding the accident.
The accident is going to be; it becomes almost a certainty. In that moment you
become alert, very alert, but that alertness is unconscious. You are alert, but
you are not alert that you are alert.
In
some dangerous situation you become alert, but that alertness is unconscious. A
Master simply teaches you how to be alert with full consciousness. He teaches
you conscious awareness. Now you may be a little puzzled, because...conscious
awareness? You think consciousness means awareness, awareness means
consciousness. No. There are moments when you are aware but not conscious.
If
somebody comes suddenly with a pistol in his hand and forces the pistol on your
chest, you will be aware but not conscious. Thinking will stop. The shock is so
sudden, so unexpectedly sudden, and cannot figure out what is going to happen,
and death is so close...in that shock, your mind stops. Your constantly
spinning mind spins no more. Your constantly chattering mind is simply shocked
into silence: you become aware. But this awareness is unconscious.
The
Master teaches only one thing: how to be consciously aware. And that's a very
simple thing. You can start doing it any moment; you can apply awareness,
consciousness, to any activity that you go on doing. If you are walking on the
road, just walk consciously. Take each step in deep alertness.
Listening
to me, right now, listen attentively. You are listening attentively but that
attention may be unconscious. Become conscious of the attentiveness, and
suddenly you will see a tremendous blessing descends in you.
Out
of nowhere, suddenly it is there. Just a moment of conscious alertness and your
doors open and God enters in - as if he was just waiting there at the door,
knocking and knocking and knocking. But you are so much preoccupied...”
Retrospective
inserts.
“If you notice a negative response coming up toward any experience,
shape shift it immediately to a desired outcome regardless of what your lower
mind, ego or past has to say about it. Don't listen to them anymore. They are
delusional. They are not invested in who you have chosen to become now, what
you have chosen to accept as true now, or how you have chosen to get out of the
herd of mass conscious conditioning. Make of your life a glorious game, and
play it like a Master.
Patterns are broken
when you retrain the way your brain responds or reacts to experience. What you
are doing is trance breaking. You are breaking the trance that the mind has put
you in for lifetimes. Once you do this, the mind game is over. You will notice
your mind palpably retreating.
Once you do this
once, a Divine sense of power comes alive inside of you. (That's Me in you.) It
engages you with its new power of suggestion that you do have the creative power and ability to shape shift
anything; any current experience, any oncoming experience, any relationship,
any job, or your health. There is nothing you are unable to shape shift. Take
that in. Furthermore it begins to dissolve victim and martyr consciousness,
both of which must stay behind if you are climbing dimensions.
Here's another way
to look at it. Whatsoever you don't feel in alignment with, unplug from it.
Feel where a former belief system is plugged into your former third dimensional
consciousness, and unplug it. You can do that, because you have the
power.
Track it all the
way into your life experience, as a witness. Don't create another story about
it, just track it and pull the plug. What you are unplugging yourself from is
an auto-hypnotic state that you and others put you into.
Proclaim aloud that
you can no longer be hypnotised because you are a Divine and conscious being,
not a belief systems puppet. When you consciously unplug from a former state
you instantly shift the frequency field of that belief, making it easier to
choose up on a consistent basis.
Now, what
belief system do you choose to plug into? State it out loud. Feel the energy
flow through your body as it begins to wrap itself around your new idea. Feel
how it pulses. It's like having a blood transfusion. Something new is entering
you. It's a new suggestion, so grab it. Don't argue with it. Don't use former
logic to disown it. Get into alignment with it. Be grateful for it and go with
it. Let it take you on a new ride. Plug it into your new consciousness, and
keep it stabilised with your thoughts and actions.”
– God (channelled through Maureen
Moss, ‘Breakfast with God, Part 3,’ 2010, www.worldpuja.org and www.maureenmoss.com).
Abraham-Hicks teaches us that our
emotions indicate our ‘vibrational content’ absolutely and therefore reflect
our current point of attraction. We should therefore pay attention to the way
we feel because our emotions are such valuable indicators of whether we are or
are not allowing our desires to be fulfilled. Well, my theory is that emotions
and the subconscious, or ‘feeling and imagination,’ might require some
refinement. They perhaps equate instead with the water in the paint thereby
supplying the foundation or current for life experiences. In other words, they
flow in response to thought on all levels and provide a medium for form and
substance to manifest. They carry and transmit energy and lend momentum to
direction. It is not that our emotions themselves create, adds Abraham, but
that they act as a good gauge of whether or not we are allowing ourselves to
connect fully with the stream of energy that flows from Source. We can see if
our choice of thoughts is taking us in the direction that we desire to go by
checking how full the metaphorical fuel tank is, suggests Abraham. If the fuel
is running low we need to do something about it: “Replenish your connection by
choosing better-feeling thoughts.” - Abraham (Manifest Your Desires by Esther and Jerry Hicks, Hay House, Inc., Carlsbad, CA., U.S., 2008, p.101).
“And every time you step back from your own melodrama, the cosmic
humour gets higher and higher.” - Ram Dass.
Foot note
1 According to The Goethe Society (www.goethesociety.org/pages/quotescom.html),
the quote which is customarily attributed to Goethe is not, in fact, a direct
quote but a passage of his play Faust
(Part One, 214-30), written in 1808, which was paraphrased by John Anster in
his 1835 translation. The Manager in the ‘Prelude at the Theatre’ sings:
“Then
indecision brings its own delays,
And days are lost lamenting over lost days.
Are you in earnest? Seize this very minute;
What you can do, or dream you can do, begin it;
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”
And days are lost lamenting over lost days.
Are you in earnest? Seize this very minute;
What you can do, or dream you can do, begin it;
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”
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