tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106182492011-11-30T10:09:18.916-08:00Ramblings and rants by a 50-something earthbound galactic citizen, a bit world-weary, but still fascinated with fellow human timeline travelers--our dramas and triumphs as spiritual beings having a human experience.Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-9895704143303506962011-10-03T12:32:00.000-07:002011-10-03T12:32:19.340-07:00

You Are Your Life There is an ancient Mayan greeting, that roughly translated is, "I am another yourself." When I first heard that, I kept thinking about it, and what it actually means. And as I continued down that rabbit hole I realized that within that simple statement sits the core of all the forbidden, secret spiritual knowledge. Because, if I am really you, then I know everything

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-9446637903785758882011-09-06T14:58:00.000-07:002011-09-06T14:58:55.826-07:00

A Progressive's Lament by Boyd Martin I'm not by nature a political person. The closest I've come to being classified pretty accurately by someone it was by a channeled entity, Anttarr, through the late Levi Longfellow. Anttarr delivered a long diatribe about how I was a "Psycho-Social Naturalist." I've mulled that over for years, and have finally come to a definition that relaxes me.

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-83621021753691791812011-08-27T15:57:00.000-07:002011-08-27T15:57:02.323-07:00

by Boyd Martin I still see that bumper sticker around: "Practice random acts of kindness." And every time I see it, it makes me feel good. Lately scientific research on human behavior has revealed why. Did you know that even simply witnessing and act of kindness creates endorphins in the brain? Biosciences are starting to conclude that humans are hard-wired to experience pleasure from kindness

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-43450109308204194732011-08-20T13:04:00.000-07:002011-08-20T13:04:44.022-07:00

by Boyd Martin I usually get really fired up when the subject of corporate medicine violating personal power comes up. But, I admirably held my tongue the other day, when a musician friend of mine came into a gig all stooped over, in obvious pain, looking pale and weak. From years of abusing his own health, he has ended up at age 52 with degenerated lumbar discs, which cause him so much pain,

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-79137611819704632402011-08-15T15:04:00.000-07:002011-08-15T15:04:05.184-07:00

In Part 1 of this article, I asked Earth to show me what to write about as I sat barefoot upon Her. I was somewhat surprised where I went with the article, as it wasn't my initial intention to go there. But, as with most inner explorations I believe Earth directs us to the areas in our psyches where there is the most potential for growth. As a result, it was a cathartic experience, not

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-37513062299584480192011-08-05T13:29:00.000-07:002011-08-05T13:29:41.102-07:00

Today it was a warm, luscious morning, so I decided to eat my breakfast outside. I had moved one of the patio chairs yesterday onto the grass to make way for the sprinkler, so I decided breakfast would be nice sitting in that chair. I walked onto the lawn with bare feet. I hadn't been barefoot yet this year because the weather here had been so cool and wet, so the sensation of bare feet on

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-3922580761326287612011-07-22T10:50:00.000-07:002011-07-22T10:50:22.838-07:00

Fairness usually comes onto the radar of very young kids, and probably shortly after they know enough language to begin to sort out the family politics. "That's not fair!" was one of the first complaints I remember making. It usually had something to do with comparing what I had with what my sister had, and when there was a difference, feeling slighted. As I grew older, I suspected that the

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-77181279364921189942011-07-15T18:35:00.000-07:002011-07-15T18:36:43.544-07:00

I always say that drumming is my favorite thing to do, and I've been very lucky (as well as enough of a maniac) to do it professionally for over 25 years. I've travelled the world because of it, and have made most of my closest friendships around it. I have most of my joyful moments doing it, and have been healed and transformed in so many ways by drumming. I do also enjoy participating in

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-90839137614280454352011-07-10T13:33:00.000-07:002011-07-10T13:33:35.245-07:00

Last week I endured two ordeals that confirmed a theory I've had that everything we need is available right now to get what we want. Now, I have come across this theory many times in my life, and have had it confirmed often enough to keep it on my back burner of Useful Ideas. Usually, when "stuff" happens to me is when I'm in a hurry. And this was one of those times. I had a drumming gig at

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-5070602485462412022011-06-30T17:05:00.000-07:002011-06-30T17:05:22.567-07:00

I stepped outside one day last week into one of those rare sunny northwestern Oregon days, and paused taking a long slow breath, reveling in the sunshine. Everything smelled so alive and abundant. Just then, I noticed pine cones all around gently broken loose from their parent tree nearby scattered everywhere, blossoms were bursting out on several trees--each blossom to become a plum, or

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-62284840349398850802011-06-16T12:31:00.000-07:002011-06-16T12:31:11.168-07:00

I was marvelling today how sometimes there is an instant acknowledgement from the Outside Universe when I have an inner experience. I was mulling over how to summarize what I'd been thinking about this week--for this article, as a matter of fact. The phrase, "living inside out" just appeared in my mind, and instantly a small blackbird swooped down right in front of me as I sat having my

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-4183651224064315802011-06-09T14:43:00.000-07:002011-06-09T14:43:47.621-07:00

I had the opportunity to play music with a very talented singer/songwriter last weekend. His songs and arrangements are world class and could easily be ready for any national media, right up there with any of the most popular artists today. He, in fact, has had a couple of songs that "charted" on Adult Contemporary radio formats several years ago. He continues to write new songs, and perform

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-59551970307494126692011-06-07T16:41:00.000-07:002011-06-07T16:41:00.621-07:00

Carlos Castaneda quoted his shaman-mentor, Don Juan, "A warrior takes his lot, whatever it may be, and accepts it in ultimate humbleness. He accepts in humbleness what he is, not as grounds for regret but as a living challenge." True acceptance itself requires humility, because true acceptance is about accepting the reality of one's self, one's situation, and one's gifts, unimpaired by the

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-57497858435895209442011-05-26T14:08:00.000-07:002011-05-26T14:08:10.723-07:00

I watched Bill Maher's Real Time on HBO last night. His interview guest was Amy Chua, author of "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother." The point Maher zoomed in on from her book is that parents these days are so concerned about a child's self-esteem that they "over-reward" them for doing the least little thing right. Chua maintains that children should earn their self-esteem by doing difficult

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-14592260668855385692011-05-20T11:56:00.000-07:002011-05-20T11:56:28.988-07:00

It's time to deconstruct stress. Why is it everywhere we turn? Financial stress, health stress, family stress, car stress, pet stress... just about any object, place, person or thing can get "stress" tacked onto it. One experience in particular tipped me off to the structure of stress--its scary exterior with its illusory core. Several years ago, I had a European band tour coming up in a

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-71451236392971820962011-05-13T13:32:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:34:19.916-07:00

The Metaphysical Significance of the People in your Life by Boyd Martin As a young man contemplating the purpose of life and what may be my role in it, I asked my dad that burning existential question. He wasn't what I would call a spiritual man, but I did respect his experience and "street smarts." He leaned over to me and said in a confidential tone, "It's all about who you know," and then

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-90063191169185701592011-05-06T17:32:00.000-07:002011-05-06T17:32:00.130-07:00

My first contact with the Tattvas Essential Oils was about two years ago, while visiting the oils' benefactor, aromatherapist and alchemist, Candice Covington. I took in the exotic scents of these oils, most of which are from jungle areas of the world. The fragrances transported me to wild and alien terrains that felt nonetheless like home. We had made the decision to add the oils to our

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-50523417409280050512011-04-28T15:44:00.000-07:002011-04-28T15:44:09.587-07:00

After 4th Grade I grew up in Fairfield, Iowa, a small farming community and college town. Fairfield garnered national attention in 1974 when Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (the Beatles' guru and founder of Transcendental Meditation), bought the entire campus of defunct Parsons College. The Maharishi re-purposed the college campus into T.M. University to teach the finer points of his meditation method,

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-35099460350880021732011-04-14T12:15:00.000-07:002011-04-14T12:15:25.719-07:00

by Boyd Martin I remember when I was kid in school back in the 1950s in health class they were warning about the dangers of smoking. They rolled out the famous picture of the man with no teeth sporting a rather gruesome looking laryngectomy hole in his throat. On top of that, a local man was invited to speak to us who also had had this procedure done because of the smoking. I did vow then and

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-72718755600043144292011-03-31T00:33:00.000-07:002011-03-31T00:33:52.413-07:00

Albert Einstein once said that time is Nature's way of keeping everything from happening at once. And if you've ever tried to "make something happen," you probably wished that rule could be suspended. Time can be your friend, and can be your foe, depending on your expectations. As a child, I remember my dad getting so frustrated because things didn't work the way he expected them to. One time

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-69308361350737108362011-03-19T12:36:00.000-07:002011-03-19T12:36:31.234-07:00

In the series of books by Carlos Castaneda, the Yaqui Indian shaman, Don Juan, would hit Castaneda sharply on his back between the shoulder blades in order to send his student into the "Second Attention." While in this Second Attention, Castaneda was able to experience a much richer, deeper world, where shamans could do amazing things, and what seemed impossible happened right before his eyes.

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-30013458713028035622011-03-03T21:29:00.000-08:002011-03-04T12:47:47.925-08:00

The word meme (meem), has only been around since 1976, first discussed in a book by Richard Dawkins entitled, "The Selfish Gene." He took the Greek root of “mimeme" and shortened it to meme, to be more suggestive of gene and how genes seem to transmit information. It hasn't been until the last few years that meme has broken out of more esoteric scientific circles and into the mainstream. The

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-40109831310052243292010-09-29T15:54:00.000-07:002010-09-29T19:22:14.720-07:00

It started last night around 11 PM. I was in my 5th hour of commercial TV--images blasting out in 1080p HD surround sound. It made me squint and squirm a bit, and I found myself realizing I didn't have anything else to do but go to bed. That realization kind of freaked me out. How about reading a book? How about meditating? Listening to music? How about writing a letter, or blog post? I

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-19111087166401007112010-09-19T23:55:00.000-07:002010-09-20T00:01:15.915-07:00

I woke up realizing I had slept nearly through the whole night. The heavenly aroma of coffee did it. Shay had made some in a coffee press, had poured herself a cup and was outside at the picnic table in her pink bathrobe and flip flops. I quickly got dressed, poured myself a cup and joined her. It was about 7:45 AM, and the sky was a beautiful dappled patchwork of empty blue, grey, white and

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-68815396492594564552010-09-18T09:27:00.000-07:002010-09-18T10:36:32.928-07:00

I slept intermittently, and there was no good reason for it, other than the sharp pinging of large raindrops dripping down on the roof of the RV from overhanging lodge pole pines at Beverly Beach State Park.It felt like I was waking up about every hour, and the ironic thing is that when it wasn't raining, it was QUIET. We were far enough away from the highway and deep enough into the forest of

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-32329919875776349612010-09-17T12:11:00.000-07:002010-09-17T12:26:45.460-07:00

For the first day of our 4-day RV trip, we hosted some guests from Switzerland at the family beach house in Newport, Oregon. They were family friends going back three generations and involving some 50 relatives. Thus, we had never met them. After getting them settled in, Shay and I made a run to Safeway to pick up items for dinner and breakfast, and to a you-bake pizza joint for the main course

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-80501540634541651032010-01-31T11:49:00.000-08:002010-01-31T12:46:27.391-08:00

At my request, my brother sent me a couple of hours worth of family videos. I was feeling a little stuck, and usually when I feel that way, it's time to do some "shadow work"--to take a look at the dark side... And what better way to do so than by looking at Super 8's of childhood.I saw how helpful, yet kind of condescending, I was to my younger (2 yrs) sister, as I helped her with her Christmas

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-58328374947443155232009-12-05T13:45:00.000-08:002009-12-05T13:46:56.542-08:00

In my continually changing world view I've noticed there are some perceptions with underlying values that have remained constant throughout my life. They have served as my overall life intentions for this earthly world, and despite my own character flaws and physical and mental imperfections, spiritually, I remain committed to these, at times seemingly unrealistic, visions of a future. This

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-55656528271216842212009-01-11T19:57:00.000-08:002009-01-11T20:01:48.877-08:00

If you start getting grumpy about how things "aren't going your way," or feeling frustrated because of a series of small disappointments, check out this guy. It'll put things in perspective for you...

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-7778298017158047752008-12-04T02:19:00.001-08:002008-12-04T02:24:00.548-08:00

World's oldest marijuana stash totally busted - Discovery.com - msnbc.comHumans are truly hard-wired for pot. As Terence McKenna, world renown ethnobotanist has pointed out, there are receptors in the human brain specifically for the THC molecule...Posted using ShareThis

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-25999723240275916612008-11-02T18:07:00.000-08:002008-11-02T18:13:39.842-08:00

My 56th birthday marked my 44th year performing as a professional musician, and though I've been kicked, burned, beaten and slammed by the music "business," my hope for it was never really destroyed. Many of you may remember back to the late 80's when I published the monthly rag, The Portland Live Music Guide. Although I was a competitor for the same advertising dollars as Ms. Carter was with

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-48651231015203538902008-10-29T17:12:00.000-07:002008-10-29T17:42:20.096-07:00

I come from the generation that as hippies said, "Kill your TV!" And, for the most part, after the initial ideology of that view faded away, there remained a cynical take on TV media that has carried over into the 21st Century. And, it's a good thing.Today, I received an email from a musician friend of mine who is living in Branson, Missouri. He owns a music store there, and he works with his

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-33309023639405235442008-10-17T13:11:00.000-07:002008-10-17T13:28:58.647-07:00

Hey Bobi, Well, I've been watching videos (below) like this (BTW, they were talking about this in 70s), and reading even more over the past 20 years, and I've come to the conclusion that if it was that easy to bring the world to its collective knees, it would have been done by now. There are always people with too much power, but they end up getting corrupted by it, leading to their demise. It's

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-83002547100062661052008-03-24T15:18:00.001-07:002008-03-24T15:18:53.296-07:00

RADDATZ: Two-third of Americans say it’s not worth fighting.CHENEY: So?RADDATZ So? You don’t care what the American people think?CHENEY: No. Watch - http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/19/cheney-poll-iraq/Wow, this really sums up the entire misguided evilness of Cheney's desire to be a "big dog" on the world stage by throwing the weight of America's good image to the propaganda machine of psycho

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-43599991553393183672006-12-22T02:48:00.000-08:002006-12-22T02:52:13.327-08:00

I'd have to sum up the year using two seemingly opposing concepts: Peaceful and Challenging. It was peaceful in the sense that it was my overall average emotional state, and challenging in that in my quest for self-revelation, my universe was only too happy to mirror back to me my own broadcast. It was riding the ripples the challenges created in my peaceful spiritual pool that led me through my

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-1144090879350977312006-04-03T11:59:00.000-07:002006-04-03T12:01:19.363-07:00

When do YOU say, "OK, that's far enough down the Rabbit Hole?" -- START

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-1134678332830803092005-12-15T12:23:00.000-08:002005-12-15T12:25:32.850-08:00

Here are some highlights from the past year in my humble little life of rock 'n' roll, enlightenment and cybersurfing...Boyd's 2005 Year in Review

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-1120509378906547642005-07-04T12:58:00.000-07:002005-07-04T13:44:26.086-07:00

Every once in a while, I'll be blabbing along in response to some email, usually to a friend or relative, and something comes out that's bloggable. Here are three recent ones:To Brother John in response to his friend suggesting seriously to him that he should start a religion (7.3.05): "Ha! I think Sean's having a mid-life CRISIS! Religion... hah...!@#$%^&*()??? Actually, though, in my travels

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-1108722889616413332005-02-17T23:48:00.000-08:002005-02-19T11:58:52.063-08:00

Well, I've gotten involved in a new metaphysical/shamanic initiation. I've touched on this one before several times, and every time I have, it's been nerve-wracking, disappointing and emotionally destructive. This is probably because the truth in it is perhaps the HARDEST thing for us planet-bound humans to come to terms with.Here it is: We are completely capable of manifesting anything we

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10618249.post-1107510261799351882005-02-04T01:43:00.000-08:002005-02-04T01:44:21.800-08:00

Breaking out of the company consciousness, I've set up my own personal blog where I can have my own personal thoughts, and probably no one will care...

Boyd Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14589514283235251357noreply@blogger.com0