Tavish drops such gems in conversation that it's sometimes challenging to remember all of them. Recently, she said that we were both ground zero for Our Raw Material. She asutely reasoned that ORM has altered the foundation and trajectory of my life...particularly the chips I proudly (and at times LOUDLY) on my two shoulders. The fact that shoulders contains its own word pun 'should' in it gives me the smiles...if I've learned anything this past summer, it's been how insidious our egos can be. Mine had been strongly attached to what my Mentors taught me about family and being a 'good Christian boy'...this self-image damn near took me out in June...no drama here, right? Spring Season of 2023, I proudly declared that my life needed a 'reset'. Little did I know (hello, Pillar Four-Ignorance), that by the season's end, in Wholeness Week, that Tavish and my mother would be taking me to KU Med. During a LGBTQ Pride parade, nonetheless. I had lost my appetite and 30 pounds. Western medicine and swift action pulled me back from the 'light' (oh, go ahead and laugh)---after all, the Cosmic Consciousness has jokes---drop the 's' in 'Cosmic' and you get 'Comic'. Finally, I had developed one of my greatest fears, diabetes. 'It runs in the family'. My father died from pancreatic cancer. Amazing how our egos keeps certain stories going on as background music. Presently, they are unsure of what type of diabetes I have. Multiple theories, of course---and stress is at the center of each theory. BTW, I don't 'have' a disease. The owning of a 'dis-ease' treats our bodies as mechanical. My Values and Ideals (Week Seven) show me a way to see our bodies as whole. What I've learned is that medicine and our ego/soul connection is an art form. Our souls in an effort to remind us to stay on path while realizing from its viewpoint you're never 'off path', viligently creates situations to awaken us to the reality of Wholeness (Pillar 12). And, as such through deep reflection we can get to the root of all causes of dis-ease. One aspect I continue to concentrate on---how to live a life full of joy, wholeness and gratitude. This begins with ridding myself of all 'self-images'. These are based upon ego and its projections---usually begun in Pillar One of Mentors. I plan to learn and practice to NOT end my life as my father did---almost exactly six months before Senator Obama became President Obama. You see my Dad as Mentor/Tormentor was definitely a political operative. He helped Coleman Young become the first African-American mayor of Detroit. He started the first African-American beer and wine distributorship in America. with the help of Jesse Jackson. All I had to do (in his eyes) was to return to Michigan and pass the bar (talk about torment---being surrounded by lawyers would have been like being in hell for me). He had my life's path charted out. I chose differently. Obviously. However, our mentors' voices have strong roots. The lawyer in me will stipulate that I unknowlingly brought the judge-ments of what it would have meant had I become a practicing lawyer. These voices can make the difference in living a life of 'quiet desperation ala Thoreau' and one where Wholeness is central and embodied. This summer I learned just how much more reflection I choose to do to keep in Alignment with Intention (Pillar 11) to live with Wholeness in my heart and soul. It's not that my ego's voice aka my linear, separting energy doesn't still recognize race, gender, class, sexual orientation, hell, even being born in Detroit of a shorter stature, but I don't dally in these perspectives anymore. ORM has aided me in staying present in Wholeness. ORM is like parenting---it has to be experienced to know what it means. It's also like a 'coming out' process for LGTQ+ folx too. You have no way of knowing what another's response will be when you begin to discuss the benefits of ORM...hello, Week Four of Ignorance and Week Eight of Conflict. Add in week six of Listening which automatically becomes easier with an open and unpredujiced mind. And, there's a soulful recipe of tolerance blooming into acceptance and compassion...for yourself first and given freely and easily to others. The practice of ORM particularly in the fourth week of Ignorance aids all of us in getting comfortable in 'not knowing'. Week Eight of Conflict has supported my belief in recognizing that all Conflict exists inside of me. To continue with the Physical Weeks, the first two lead us to Pillar 12 of Wholeness. If there's a goal, it is Wholeness. To feel our soul's emanation of protection. Some call this--grace, goodwill or providence. However your mind sees this, you feel it--our soul knows and re-members how we are rooted together. Fall Season of 2023 we plan to focus on Music for each of the 12 Pillars! I look forward to this season. Almost all of my Mentors have a personal story about Motown!