2.7
August 18, 2012

Transforming Tyranny: Pussy Riot, Julian Assange & Humanity. ~ Darren Austin Hall

illustration: Nate Cepis/ANIMALNewYork

In mere days, we’ve witnessed two heinous acts by governments—in the United Kingdom and Russia—that have revealed the true nature of their power.

Though Russia is still in the growing pains of appearing democratic, the United Kingdom should know better.

Either way, this has been an interesting revelation, seeing that geo-politically, both of these countries often find themselves at odds at the United Nations Security Council table—and yet, here we are, witnessing moral collapse and nefariousness, in both.

It seems that the geopolitical conflict façade has fallen in some ways, as they both stand united against free speech and democracy.

What are we to make of this? Well, we make of it what we make of all adversity: galvanization.

Pussy Riot and Julian Assange are, by the day, winning over more and more people to their causes, because the illusion that the state is prosecuting both of these parties for justifiable means grows in absurdity the longer their rights are violated.

photo: flickr/Lorena Cupcake

Ultimately, the persecution of them is becoming ever more stridently clear, especially as the state is provoked to react with increasing furor and, thus, put on increasing display the belligerence toward democracy that it attempts to otherwise keep in secret.

This was no more revealed when Britain sent a veiled threat, recently, that they may raid the premises of the Ecuadorian embassy to seize Julian Assange. What a reprehensible thing to even consider, as it would put the whole concept of embassies into question, the world over.

Many people are feeling quite saddened by these events, even helpless, cynical and utterly despondent by the actions of these two countries.

Let this not be so; let us remember that the fight for freedom is not easy by any means.

And, it is something countless people have died for.

We have certainly come along way and it is my hope that we are close to gaining a certain moral leap forward in our globally-connected world, where more and more people—and nations—are realizing the basic needs of humanity and are striving to create a new culture where we let go of many of the issues ailing us today.

photo: flickr/OperationPaperStorm

Issues like having a disharmonious and destructive relationship with the planet earth; political corruption and the power of profit, economic disparity and the anathema that is elitism and the suppression of information, especially in science and technology.

It’s as if the world is going through a massive detoxification.

Relate this to a detox perhaps you have gone through yourself and recall that there was a certain storm of symptomatology that we often have to drive through, before we start to feel increased wellness and radiant, whole vitality.

This doesn’t mean we sit passively on our laurels.

A detox is sustained through will, tempered by skillful efforts for balance (like gentle exercise, meditation etc.) and ultimately consummated through faith in the natural order, (namely the ability of the body, through perhaps some friendly help from our plant friends in the form of herbs) to restore, renew and even recreate itself.

When applied to the macrocosmic events of the world, this would mean that we must continue to press for truth and freedom, that we must be skillful and varied in how this is done—and that we must have faith that culture, sustained by the essences of human nature (of what we truly are), will be one of ever-evolving goodness and thriving.

Do not lose heart.

Pussy Riot will (hopefully) not sustain any injurious acts while in prison in Russia (which is known to be of atrocious conditions in some places) and will come away incredibly strengthened from their experience.

photo: flickr/Ben Sutherland

Recall that many of the great heroes of liberty and consciousness had to spend time in prison and they all spent that time honing their soul-power to greater degrees (Sri Aurobindo was imprisoned in India for fighting British colonial rule—and it was then that he began synthesizing his remarkable theories on integral yoga; Gandhi was, of course, periodically incarcerated his entire life, ever-emboldened by adversity).

Perhaps it’s part of the journey of some freedom fighters to get a whole sense of the apparatus of the tyrannical state by being inside its greatest lair of repression.

I don’t even have to hope…I know so. Time has shown me that human nature is a powerful force beyond anything we can imagine and that it’s made all the more powerful through adversity and the harsh initiations of life.

Actually, I would daresay that one of the great failings of Western culture is that all of our material and convenient comforts have made life too easy—almost sterile—and anasthezised.

The fight for freedom offers a whole wealth of initiations to reveal our power—only the powers that be have us convinced it would be a miserable thing to do.

But who are we to believe, some lost soul like Stephen Harper or a shining mahatma, like Gandhi?

The adversities set forth by tyranny may be the ultimate force of initiating us into our true power and identity as the human species. But, in order to go through such a gateway of transformation, we must face it; we must break on through to the other side.

So many people get overwhelmed by the cause for freedom; we think we have to overthrow a whole dictatorship all by ourselves.

We forget that the fight for freedom begins—and is sustained—as an intimate affair: that of our relationship to our own freedom of being, freedom from fears, anxieties and other sicknesses of the soul that keep us limited in our power.

We can fight for freedom by looking more and more into our interior states of consciousness and by becoming aware where we are being dictators and waging tyranny on ourselves.

As we begin to unblock the flow of our life, overcoming our own repressions and self-abuse, we start to have more liberated energy to give to other wholesome endeavours, such as being more social and sharing the light with friends and family.

In my own spiritual development, I have often witnessed that when I go through periods of great inner work, where I am able to liberate myself from old holding patterns that would hold my development back and even regress it, I am suddenly more enthusiastic to be with people, to listen and uplift them, as if the nature of this freed energy is to seek and embolden unity.

This doesn’t stop at mere social enthusiasm; this is but one signpost along a mighty path that I am just barely treading.

What is becoming clearer to me is that to forge a new culture is truly within our grasp, when we acknowledge that it starts with people aspiring to be more free and authentic in their own lives, connecting with others who are doing so and setting about to recreate and revise the world from those perspectives.

Ultimately, change begins in the interior dimension and unfurls out from there. This is the same for us all and demands that the revolution become one of consciousness not of politics.

photo: flickr/Abode of Chaos

We also need to consider that those who are statically attached to the old world order need to be coaxed into seeing this human and universal perspective.

Bold as it may sound, I am convinced, as a long student of spiritual and mystical traditions, as well as science, that we are all part of a universal reality that obeys universal laws for all life. The ancients called it dharma.

By investigating this deeper sense of reality by deepening our sense of self, we can come to a species identity that can salve many of the divisive challenges of our fragmented cultural world.

This is no easy task and begs to be explained in more depth, which I will do so at a later date as it would require much more expression. But for now, a profound consideration would be becoming more interested in what is the same in us rather than what makes us unique.

We should not allow Pussy Riot and Julian Assange to be treated the way they are being treated, by people that we voted into power.

The world should be structured so that the people have a constant ability to check their leaders and oust them in collective consent when something of moral suspicion, of such a grand level, such as these two events occurs.

The world should stop and all things should be considered; we should not rush to the next news story, sporting event or gossip—we need to pause to consider all depths of what is happening.

These people do not rule us; their rule is an illusion, a black magic spell made of propaganda, psychological warfare and other insidious thought forms, woven by the wand of a wood made from holly.

Awakening is a constant vigilance to be aware of as all of these currents of cultural programming seeking to subdue us, distort our natural instincts, pitting us against ourselves and each other, taking humanity’s evolution off course.

I do not accept the actions of the United Kingdom and Russia and I denounce them both.

We have not yet the power in an instant to overturn these actions and set the parties implicated of moral corruption under investigation and rehabilitation. However, we have the power of our voices here and now—and our indomitable will to see freedom and humanity evolve us much as possible, in my lifetime.

We have the ability to work for this cause, to change our lives and the world around us to create something better, more humane, more truthful. And we are, day by day, moment by moment.

What has been set forth by the tyrannies working within the governments of the United Kingdom and Russia is a force desperate to hold onto power, to curb any dissent, to control freedom. It is fear of human nature itself;  it is the actions of a dying thing, thrashing about, fighting transformation.

There is no need to fight this, my lost brethren—this new culture of freedom is happening, whether you like it or not.

The force of consciousness cannot be denied and to do so is like trying to put out the fire of the sun. Come and die with us, die of these old, limited ways that have set us apart; that have made our hearts cold and sick; that have put walls between us.

Come and let go of the old—leap and dance with us together, arm and arm, into the unknown of rebirth into a world of unity, where defensive postures are not made with nuclear arms but a reliance on what comes forth from the heart, in an instant.

In an instant…

 

 

Darren Austin Hall is a modern day Druid, meaning he somehow integrates being a healer, poet-sacred musician and mystic teacher, all in one. Formally, he has training in Chinese Medicine and some eccentric Shamanic Arts and informally, life has initiated him in a plethora of other wisdom ways, thanks to a cacophony of extraordinary teachers, friends, and experiences. He is especially passionate about indigenous culture and the earth as a living being that loves us all dearly. Darren is most renowned for his work as sound healer and sacred musician; he performs his unique quartz crystal singing bowls and intuitive chanting for yoga classes and in immensely powerful concerts that also combine other exotic instrumentation and spiritual textures. He is currently studying to be a yogi at Octopus Garden and is clearly a Gemini. Visit him here.
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Editor: Bryonie Wise
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