The Beguiled

Happiness is a state of being we endeavor to achieve. It is one of the unalienable rights in the US Declaration of Independence, which recognizes it as given to all humans by their Creator. Whatever strategy you choose to pursue it the aim is for a positive, wholesome way of life. However, some folks never get there. Instead they fester over perceived wrongs and quickly blame others for their failures. I want to focus on what the media nicely labels their “grievances". Are they really legitimate concerns?

Most of their apparent problems center on deep rooted racism mixed in with white, masculine, and a peculiar form of Christian superiority. Oh, these aggrieved religious types can talk scripture but the teachings of Jesus has long been abandoned by them. Unable to psychologically move on from the middle ages towards an ecumenical, joyful, and modern lifestyles, they are inspired by revenge. When a charismatic Republican politician comes along who speaks about retribution, he seems heaven sent. The grievance-filled folks glom on to his presidential campaign, albeit contrived just to please them. Their dear leader is a con artist who sees truth as a disposable commodity. When his “marks” are all in, Donald Trump will swindle them out of their money and their vote. He craves a kind of power to let him do it over and over again.

Certainly, those who commit heinous crimes, or have maliciously plotted and planned to harm others are Evil People. However, over these past 10-years when the Trump protection racket has operated openly, I realized a new fact. There are many, many people who are "Evil-Lite". They form a large constituency of MAGAts. (Make America Great Again trump supporters) On their own they might not be capable of inflicting great bodily harm but collectively they have a high tolerance for a man who goads others to abuse or even kill his perceived enemies. He manipulates his supporters away from the truth with the dark fairytales they want to hear. Not surprisingly, he alone is always the hero. At worst, he instigates brutish behavior his followers relish in. Frankly, I am surprised how many MAGAts are beguiled by him. 

Arthur Brooks in an article for The Atlantic titled “The Sociopaths Among Us-And How To Avoid Them”  asserts we are “bound to come across the 'Dark Triad' type of malignant narcissists in life—and they can be superficially appealing. . .The term “Dark Triad” was coined by the psychologists Delroy Paulhus and Kevin Williams in 2002 for people with three salient personality characteristics: narcissism, Machiavellianism, and a measurable level of psychopathy.” Brooks goes on to state, “But at least these people are rare, right? Wrong. Dark Triads counted for about one in 14 people in an international population sample, a proportion that means all of us will meet them on a regular basis in love, in work, in politics, and—most obviously—on social media. For the sake of our happiness, well-being, and wallets, we need to understand them, learn how to identify them, and steer clear of them whenever we can—so that we can find better companions instead.” A link to the article is on this website’s Side Street page.

We cannot fool ourselves about the existence of these Evil and Evil-Lite people anymore. Obviously, not every Christian, male, or Republican fall into those two demonic categories and other political parties have bad actors in them too. Back in the days nefarious individuals sheltered under hooded cloaks or functioned in the underworld of crime and underbelly of corruption. Surely times have changed. Now a hard core, convicted criminal openly leads the formerly grand, GOP. Trump and his allies provide permission to the worst of us. We witnessed his failed attempt to seize the US Capital and hold onto power, his fear-mongering, his gazillion lies supported by party leaders, and how he deliberately destroys people’s lives in his wake.

“And the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” - Genesis 6:5. This verse set the stage for the biblical flood which wiped out all living things except those saved by Noah and his family. God made a covenant to never destroy mankind again, as the rainbow reminds us. Nevertheless, wickedness still persists. Evil acts done all the time are at the extreme end of a psycho-sociological continuum that begins with bad minded people who infect our everyday work world with fear, gaslighting, and hate. It invites conflict and the potential for harm, which may lead to crimes committed by those who believe our laws do not apply to them. At the extreme end are intentionally odious and premeditated violent acts. Unlike with bad conduct, it is not easy to forgive evilness. Only when the Truth is admitted by the perpetrator can Reconciliation become possible.

If this is the case, than how do we deal with Evil and the Evil-Lite? I am reminded of the tarot card, The Devil. Generally, it is depicted as a horned being that is half-goat, half-man. It can mean the evil inclination, and violent, revengeful behavior. In my experience evil people do not usually seek tarot readings. Nevertheless, many of my tarot clients have picked the Devil card. In this context it can suggest unwitting involvement in unsavory business practices and relationships with an evil person, or one's creative talent is wasted on selfish, immoral endeavors. It may take a tarot reading to open people's eyes.

In a traditional deck, which is numbered from 0-21, The Devil is the XV or 15th card in the Suit of Trumps. However, I prefer the tarot's association to the Hebrew alphabet that goes from 1-22. The Devil card alines with the 16th Hebrew letter, Ayin. Symbolically, she means "eye" as in seeing or vision, and consciousness. It includes the ability to discern and ward off the "evil eye". To learn more check out the Street Smarts page on this website.

The mystery within The Devil card indicates a transformational approach to a more productive, happier way of life. It encourages a person to replace harmful actions with humorous ones. Devilishness can be endearing if you can laugh at yourself while mildly pranking another. Slap-stick, and physical comedy comes to mind. Sit-com writers have a gift of turning anger and tragic events into comedic opportunities. Sometimes canned laughter sets the pace. The Devil’s lesson is to develop a sense of humor. Most importantly, stop tormenting yourself and others. Start laughing.

The Sefer Yetzirah, a classic Kabbalistic text, states that people have 12 foundational qualities which includes: speech, thought, motion, sight, hearing, action, coition, smell, sleep, anger, taste and laughter. Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan notes, “These attributes do not have opposites. They can either be present or absent, but their absence is not the opposite of their presence.” Laughter is an internal tool to remedy anger and repel an evil eye.

Light is a biblical metaphor for consciousness, especially heightened awareness that enables us to discern good from evil. To see clearly gives one the ability to choose wisely. The Devil teaches us to laugh at our dark side and in the face of an evil person. Instead of a defeatist and terrified attitude, humor can inspire a new perspective. It can render evil powerless. I am not addressing the emotion of love, in particular. Although, humor can be a vehicle to express loving kindness. In this vein of thought, at times it is best to not take yourself too seriously either. It’s a good idea to let negative opinions "roll off your back” and better to “pick your battles”.

Of course, this sounds easy to do and is harder to put into practice. Inch by inch we move forward. Be happy and don’t make it complicated. Light, delight! In addition, be careful. Do not overdo it when laughing at someone. Humiliation can affect their sense of pride and be a difficult pill to swallow. If the other person is not capable of self-reflection and more inclined to self-deception, you might kickstart a Dark Triad’s cycle of hate, revenge, and violence.

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Prophecy

We live in a time when a self-proclaimed tyrant, now a convicted felon in New York and under indictment in three other jurisdictions, is the presumptive presidential nominee for the GOP in the 2024 election. To make matters more pathetic his supporters proclaim Donald Trump a messiah, albeit he is a severely flawed human being. If the world was ever in need of a prophet adverse to corruption and grift it is now.

Prophecy is defined as the ability to reveal, foretell, or predict the future. If each of us is made in the image of the God then we all have the potential for prophecy. It is not dependent on one's religious persuasion or gender, although there is a direct channel to the divine. In pre-Talmudic times, the Jewish priest, Pinchus was asked about prophesying. He responded, “I testify by the Heavens and the Earth, whether non-Jew or Israelite, whether man or woman, whether a male-slave or a female one, all is according to the merit of his or her deeds - so the Holy Spirit rests upon him or her.” - Eliyah Rabbah, Parsha 10. Many folks understand the notions of propensities and probable consequences. These concepts demonstrate our capacity to conceive of and plan for future events in the form of possibilities. They provide a hint at our prophetic capabilities.

Some folks might not be familiar with the Talmud. It is a discipline and texts for studying the principle religious writngs on Jewish theology, law, oral tradition, and rabbinic commentary from the 2nd-5th CE.  In one of the texts, the Gemara, a questioned is asked: If there are more than the forty-eight prophets and seven prophetesses mentioned in the Bible? The Gemara answers yes, and the correlated number exceeds 1,200,000 men and women who arose amongst the Jewish people. However, only a portion of their prophecies were recorded. Only those which could help future generations were written down in the Bible. - Talmud, Megilah 14a. By the way, the seven prophetesses identified are: Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Hulda, and Esther.

The Jewish philosopher, Maimonides asserts a person must train and prepare in knowledge and temperament to be fit for prophecy. Although God can intervene at anytime for anyone, he cites dicta in the Talmud to support his position, “Prophecy only rests upon the wise, strong, and rich”. Babylonian Talmud,  Sabbath, 92a. He also maintained there were levels of prophetic ability with perfection in both temperament and training as the ultimate. He criticizes the charlatans and soothsayer who call themselves prophets for egotistical and monetary advantage. He felt it was better if prophets were wealthy to remain incorruptible. For example, the prophetess, Deborah was also a judge, and a leader. She lived in the city of Atarot and owned, “palm trees in Jerico, orchards in Ramah, oil producing olives in Beit El, and white ground in Tur Malka.” - Targum Yonatan, Shoftim 4:5

I want to focus on the relationship between prophecy and Kabbalah. The Hebrew word means received knowledge and the sages derived their understanding of what constitutes a supernal human being from the first chapters of Genesis. These verses express the 7-days of creation but also reveal the attributes of heaven, earth and humankind through ten divine utterances. “God said”, “And God said” or similar sayings are expressly stated nine times in the Torah. An implied utterance signifies the tenth as God’s initial will and desire to create. The other nine emanated by divine fiat. Get a hold of a Bible, read through these verses, and while you take a count envision God's articulations extended through your inner voice.

Kabbalah calls this tenfold array the sefirot. It aligns with the six divine emanations or energetic centers situated on the human body and four hovering close to it. (see below) The ten shefirot, along with 22-pathways connecting them, is known as the Tree of Life. The system is somewhat similar to the more familiar 7-fold Chakras situated along the spinal column towards the top of the head. We’ll discuss the Tree of Life and the sefirot in more detail in future posts. For now let’s recognize the seats of prophecy are in the area of our two hips and thigh bones. Created on the 4th and 5th days in the Biblical cosmology, these “days” correspond to the 4th and 5th sefirotic centers on the human body, respectively: Netzach, eternity or victory is on right side (colored green); and Hod, majesty or splendor is on the left (colored orange). The Zohar, an ancient Kabbalistc text, states different forms of angelic beings were created on those specific days rather than the fruit trees, birds, and fishes as commonly understood. In his book "Guide for the Perplexed", Maimonides claims a function of angels is to act as go-betweens for all divine prophetic messages. Most of us will experience their visitations through visions of prophecy or in our dreams. Direct divine communication with God was reserved for Moses.

Tree of Life, 10 Sefirot, the Human Body

The notion of prophecy reminds me of the tarot card, the High Priestess. She is often depicted as a woman dressed in religious regalia who is seated behind a thin veil that hangs from two pillars on either side of her. She represents the concealed, inner world continuum that starts with our instincts, moves into intuition, ends with our higher self receptive to divine messages as prophecy or oracle. The term "oracle" applies to the person, the sacred place, and the prophetic utterances. A familiar example is the ancient Greek's Oracle of Delphi. Here and now, in Kabbalistic terms the person is you, the sacred place is your body-temple, and the prophetic utterances occur from the divine whisper, prophetic visions, and dreams when you are prepared to listen and pay attention.

In a traditional deck, which is numbered from 0-21, the High Priestess is II or 2 in the suit of Trumps. However, I prefer the tarot's association to the Hebrew alphabet that goes from 1-22. This card aligns with Gimel whose numerical value is 3, she vocally sounds like "give" and her symbolic meaning is a camel. This implies a self-sustained wellspring of wisdom. Most importantly this desert animal signifies movement. You must act on your inner voice, lucid dreams, and prophetic visions. Follow their guidance, no matter how irrational the cryptic form may initially appear.

Action on our part is imperative to inspiration and ideas becoming reality. Like in the realm of scientific discovery where conceptual and fantastical thoughts about numerous dimensions don't count unless they become grounded in the everyday world of succesful experiments. Whether you endeavor to develop your prophetic aptitude is a personal calling we each must answer and in our own way. At a minimum, follow through with your insights. Hence the hinges of our legs are the power points of prophetic abilities. In turn, people will "walk" to you for advice and guidance, even if it's necessary to use a wheel chair, or a computer and cell phone for a virtual connection. The focus is no longer on your personal ambitions or issues, hence, it is imperative to be ethically-minded. It is the time to step into the role of leader and others will righteously follow your words towards a better life.

The world needs prophets now. We need authentic contributors for a peaceful future. Whether your messages will be preserved for posterity is up to someone else. Prophets do not have ulterior motives. They are not motivated by power, prestige, or to grift their supporters to pay for personal legal fees. Own your integrity and cultivate impeccable, moral behavior. There is no such thing as a messiah or prophet who is an uncouth mob boss. We all make mistakes but start to honor yourself and your internal messages by taking both seriously. Integrate your received knowledge with proper, purposeful action.

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Let's Talk About Agency

The notion of “agency” has captured my attention. The term means being in control of one’s life and psychologically grounded in who you are, even in the face of change or challenges. It requires self-reflection and a concerted effort to stay focused on your standards not someone else's, even a parent. Many people are dependent on another, or crave approval and recognition which can make this self-regulating condition more difficult. As a twin, I understand the confusion around one's sense of self. Often, we don't know who we are deep down inside or what we really want.

The strength of our agency comes from within. For most of us it is a process of continuous development, regardless of the circumstances. Admittedly, there are degrees of self-assuredness. If expectations are too high there is a tendency to become overly critical and empty oneself of confidence. If you are a sucker who gets pushed around you have zero agency. For example: Many House Republicans knowingly communicate false narratives to appease Donald Trump. They are useful fools for a wannabe dictator but unsuitable leaders for American democracy.

Let's talk about people who exhibit having agency. Taylor Swift is a global phenomenon. Yet she has spoke about her isolation and personal struggles. Houston Texans' quarterback CJ Stroud took his team to the playoffs and made the Pro-Bowl in his NFL rookie year contrasted to Johnny Manziel, a stellar college football player for Texas A&M whose off the field controversies contributed to an unsuccessful career as a NFL quarterback.

Most of us are not superstars. Some are inflicted with low self-esteem and relinquish their agency to a person who may take advantage of them. I have empathy for people whose lack of self worth haunts them with sleepless nights. When you recognize an opportunity to make decisions for yourself or not seek someone's approval: Just do it!

Inch-by-inch, step-by-step, a key to reclaim one's agency is to be a better communicator. Here, I address my readers and "talk" in a figurative sense. Although, some might even hear the words in their head while reading. David Abram in his book, "The Spell of the Sensuous" considers this is a form of synasthesia, where "sensory information in the brain triggers unrealated senses that are experienced simultaneously". Humans have this profound gift of language which helps us to survive, and more. It is imperative we find our voice and personal style of expression to get what we need. Most folks do not resort to the uncivilized behavior of murderers or thieves to satisfy their desires. In our everyday work world conversations are a two-way street but not in an armed robbery.

Let's consider the situation of an over abundance of agency. It can lead to smugness, and apathy for people. "According to David Brooks, author and columnist at the New York Times, a mere 30% of people worldwide are adept question askers. He attributes this deficiency to a lack of basic curiosity about others. The skills of listening well, expressing oneself clearly, asking open questions, and being able to respectfully engage in conversation are critical to learning and life." - Adam Fischer, Head of the Rashi School, a place of Jewish learning for children.

I am reminded of the tarot card, The Magician. Its beneficial aspect is manifestation through effective communication which helps us achieve our goals and connect to people. Generally, this card is depicted with the symbols of the four suits of the tarot displayed on a table before a practitioner. These demonstrate his or her resourcefulness. In turn, the figure represents a divine messenger: the Greek god Mercury, an angel, or prophet whose intentions are for the good. A bad aspect of this card is in the misguided use of the power of speech. How we talk to others and especially to ourselves can be destructive or transformative.

In a traditional deck this card is numbered I or 1 in the Suite of Trumps. However, I prefer the tarot's connection to the Hebrew alphabet. Each letter has spiritual, and inherent magical properties of a highly technical nature, not like birthday parties or circus act magicians. The important point is to be mindful of what you say. "Scholars who support the Hebrew etymology say the incantation "abracadabra" is a corruption of the Hebrew, ebrah k’dabri, meaning 'I will create as I speak,' ie that the act of speech will magically create new realities" (Rabbi Julian Sinclair's article in The Jewish Chronicle, 2018).

The Magician card lines up with the 2nd Hebrew letter, “Bet". Her numerical value is also 2, and she sounds like "b" as in book or at times like "v" as in "vault". Symbolically, she represents a house, a profoundly personal term which can signify protection. Decades ago one of my anthropology professors, Charles Laughlin likened a pseudoscientific therapeutic method to modern day magic. It initially arose from studies of "excellent communicators and agents of change" such as Milton Erickson, and Virginia Satir. It's approach to wellbeing is through altering one's thoughts and behavior, such as pay acute attention to how you talk to others and what you say to yourself. Another technique is to perceive and understand the subtle clues gleaned from non-verbal communication. For example notice a person's facial expressions, posture, tone of voice, and eye movements to give you a more complete picture of what they try to convey.

However, this method also has a dark side. If you're unscrupulous about gaslighting other people, and have the ability to read body language, an adept practitioner can manipulate the thoughts and behavior of those who are impressionable and vulnerable. Be extra careful of people who enjoy dominating others. Trust your gut instincts and intuition about these individuals. Stay far away from them, or minimize your contact as best you can.

There are visualization techniques to help you claim your agency. One is to imagine nestled in the hollow of the Hebrew letter Bet. Feel you are at "home" and decorate it as you like. It is a safe haven to express yourself in imaginary talks with people you have a troubled relationship. It is where you can develop, rehearse, and prepare for any possible backlash you may get when you do meet up in real-time. Contemplate a positive outcome. Now, you are ready to speak up for yourself. Also, for those folks who remember their dreams pay attention to images of houses, buildings, or what seems to be homes. Notice the mood and atmosphere accompanying these structures too. These symbols in your dream-theater can indicate your inner state of security, and sense of agency.

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