The Neuro- Marketing Fear in a chaotic world!

I'm hearing from people all over the world and here in Greece that many are having struggles with jobs and employment and money. These are signs of the times even more than individual stories, though obviously these are all individuals living them. Yet most are still finding many reasons to be happy, to celebrate, and maybe even to find a lost appreciation in deeper values and the smaller yet so importance blessings of life. It's not that we can't live well and still connect with these, but many lost their way in focusing only on 'work' and 'making money' and so on. Some did it out of greed, and many I think did it out of fear and unconsciousness ... sort of like cultural hypnosis.

But unlike the news stories, most people in trouble financially aren't in that position because they lived wildly above their means. They're many who were hit suddenly by job layoffs or illness (their own or a family member for whom they were primary caregiver), or had home loans or business loans that they were diligently making the payments on. It looks like there is no real safety net for these folks -- only for the very poor or very wealthy are those sort of institutional safety nets or 'loop holes'. Most people fall in between those poles. These are the people, very often these days, who are struggling and are fearful now.

The news in the early morning or late evening is a huge, long listing of what the stock market is doing, what's up or down, where unemployment is, etc. It's like an obsession. People start their day with that junk and just keep on going like little hamster-rats on a wheel in a cage!

And now we have this "swine flu" thing which is a psychological operative. “This is a beta test. They will push the real thing and some time soon we will be in martial law” – as a friend of mine said!

What’s next?

Aeschylus the Greek Father of Tragedy has described this very well through Prometheus words: “where there is Kratos (government) there is force and where there is force, there is violence”.

It has the feel of the 'dark before the dawn'. Systems have been created to serve the greed of a few via the manipulation and fear-mongering among many ... like sorcery and people having spells cast on them or hypnotized, in a way. Now those systems are collapsing under their own weight and people who've been hypnotized are suddenly being shaken free from the 'spell', which is frightening. I say 'spell' because in my opinion, corporate and governmental marketers have used fear ... it's called 'psycho-marketing' or 'neuro-marketing' that purposely triggers people's fear responses, post-traumatic stress responses, etc. This in my book makes it a very different situation from people making poor choices.

They've literally been manipulated -- anyone who's been subject to the marketing, which is everyone to some degree and many people to a huge degree if they're listening to or watching mainstream television, etc.

Am I afraid? No, not really. I do, as an empath and sensitive, feel the anxiety and fear of others and on the collective mind. I'm aware of it, I should say; I'm increasingly trying not to 'feel it' on others' behalf but just be aware of what I'm picking up. And feeling that, if I get too far out of the present moment, that anxiety does increase. But when I'm really closer to the present and realizing that needs get met along the way and that I feel quite blessed in many areas of my life, any fear or anxiety evaporates like mist in the sun. Mostly, anything like that I feel is related to what I'm picking up from others or the collective vibe. Other sensitive friends say the same.

Many challenging things have occurred in my life and I've seen circumstances turn around in rapid order – from plenty to lack, and from nothing to something. Things come and go, go and come. I've seen blessings arise at 'just the right time' to avert the very thing I worried so much and lost sleep about. And that's pretty amazing.

I've always been able to pay my bills on time. I've experienced far worse, in

terms of health challenges. So maybe that helps me to keep things in perspective, as does the fact that along this whole way, means always arise. Sometimes they're not what I'd describe as my 'ideal', but they've come up none the less to meet needs.

The more I remain anchored in Spirit, and the closer I am to right where I am, the less fear or anxiety I feel, even in terms of what I pick up from others which then tends to just pass right through. And I admit that I don't immerse myself daily in the gloom-and-doom or catastrophe thinking, whether by reading the newspaper or watching television -- I do that very rarely now. It's a discipline, for sure.

Some virtual friends from different work nets asked me why they do not see me in there anymore. The first thing that comes to my mind is that there’s been nothing really to 'lure me in'. I don't feel inspired to go in and do more there. I've heard many people talking about Twitter, where you literally only have space to write a sentence. This is what things are coming to ... little blips and sound bites and people pretend it's connection while feeling more and more isolated. People hardly know how to communicate with one another anymore. There is certainly an element in our nowadays culture where people can be very narcissistic and disconnected from empathy, compassion, or even awareness of one's effect on others, and so on.

Lately I feel a restlessness to connect more personally rather than just on line. What I yearn for now is a new level of activity in my livelihood; I enjoy sharing what I've learned and letting Spirit come through me. So that's often what I desire or pray for these days, along with great gratitude that all of my basic needs are met.

From the dull browns and grays of winter to the beautifulo colors of spring in all their abundance.

This places has become the new banner of " Our Soul Journey" group.

This is where I live and where I spend my mornings walking along the beach.

Love, light and joy