Writing the World

Posted on | July 30, 2010 | No Comments

I want to Write the world. I want to spread ideas through simple letters, share them with people who can understand them, who will share my vision, and help create the world that the two of us imagine. I have so much to say. I often put it out in the wrong order. Some of it I am afraid to put into words.

Finding Normal

Posted on | July 29, 2010 | No Comments

I spent the last several years trying to find my place in life. I began searching for it through the Church; in allegiance to God, I sought to be a servant. I searched for it in other people, entertaining them, serving them, and knowing them. And I searched for it in myself, only to find that one of the reasons I couldn’t find my place was due to what this society deems a neurological disorder. I was damaged, unfruitful, and unable to function properly in society without continuous medication and treatment.
I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder earlier this year. The truth is that I don’t believe in ADD in its most popular form. It’s not that I don’t believe in it exactly, I just don’t consider it a disorder. A “disorder” is considered to be anything that would impair the way you operate in a “normal” society. I guess the question has to be, “what is normal?” For me, normal has been considered modern American Capitalist/Consumerist society.
There is little compassion in normal society. There is little fairness, justice, or peace. If I can’t function properly in this society and don’t mesh with society’s desires and systems, maybe there is another one in which I can. And for that, I must explore. Through all of this searching to understand God, others, and myself, I have realized that I may never find my place if I don’t continue to search. The answers I’ve been given so far have not brought me peace.

This is an excerpt of The Rucksack Letters by Steve McAllister. Buy your copy of the eBook on Amazon.com.

Category: Uncategorized

Meeting the Mentor

Posted on | July 28, 2010 | No Comments

Image via Wikipedia

In the Hero’s Journey, one of the most significant stages is the Meeting of a Mentor, that sage advisor who acknowledges, supports, and spurs the hero onward. Luke Skywalker had Obi Wan and Yoda. Bilbo and Frodo Baggins had Gandalf. King Arthur had Merlin. The Karate Kid had Mr. Miyagi.

But a mentor can be more that a wise old man with a flowing white beard. Though the textbook adventure might paint him as such, the mentor can often be found in those we least expect. I’ve talked to many parents whose children have offered them unparalleled wisdom. Sometimes, even the challenge from a would be enemy can spur us on and help us to realize our full potential.

Additionally, few of us are given a singular mentor for we are often on multiple journeys without even realizing it. For each role we fill, we are faced with new challenges and have the capacity to act with heroic abandon. In our roles as parents, employees, employers, artists, athletes, statesmen, we are given abounding opportunities to both accept the help of mentors that we meet and to serve as mentors to others who are on their own hero’s journey.

There is an old axiom that states, “Every man is my teacher and every man is my student.” As we go forth on our journeys of excellence, let us be thankful for those who share their wisdom with us, and let us also be open to encourage others on their paths. A big part of being a hero is being a mentor.

Category: Uncategorized

Erickson’s Identity Crises

Posted on | July 27, 2010 | No Comments

Erik Erickson devised his own stages of Human Development and is known for founding the term “identity crisis.” Erickson theorized that every person goes through eight stages of development from birth to death, each of them marked by confict, the resolution of which determines progress to the next stage by learning the value of virtue. He stated that in each stage an individual must come to understand each extreme of the conflict to find this resolution.

Trust vs. Mistrust
Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
Initiative vs. Guilt
Industry vs. Inferiority
Identity vs. Role Confusion
Intimacy vs. Isolation
Generatively vs. Stagnation
Ego Integrity vs. Despair

The first stage of development, according to Erickson is the confict between Trust vs. Mistrust. According to his teachings, this is when the infant leans to belive in his caregivers, optimally gaining the virtue of Hope. However, I believe that in every endeavor we undertake, we start a new life for ourselves. And in each new situation, we face this same conflict about the people with whom we share our journey.

Do you have Hope in the journey that you are on? Have you grappled with the ideas of Trust and Mistrust in your coworkers, employers, or employees? How about with your customers? Or your family and friends? Do you have Hope?

Category: Uncategorized

Playing CARDS

Posted on | July 26, 2010 | No Comments

Image of Gale Fulton Ross

A few years ago, I was approached by an artist by the name of Gale Fulton Ross. She said that she wanted to write a book that could serve as a guideline for artists who wanted to make a career of their craft. She called the book Artists Must Play CARDS, the anagram representing the five things that the professional artist needs in order to be successful.

Commitment
Ambition
Resourcefulness
Dedication
Solitude

I will be discussing these elements more in further blogs as I find the Solitude to work on my own art. But suffice it to say that I marveled at the idea and was almost instantly drawn to how her concepts (minus the Solitude) aligned with the four cards of the regular playing deck.

Spades
Clubs
Diamonds
Hearts

Furthermore, I was engrossed in the idea of how these aligned with the four elements of material being.

Air
Fire
Earth
Water

I began to see how these four concepts further aligned with the four aspects of humanity

Mind
Spirit
Body
Heart

I was drawn back to the concept of cards. Though it recommended that I fear and shun it as a young Christian, the deck of the Tarot cards have been a source of much wonder for me. Though there are many different styles out there, I’ve tended to stick with the classic Rider-Waite deck. I find the artistry in the cards very telling, the way they interpret both the numberology and the meanings of the suits.

Swords
Wands
Coins
Cups

Looking into the many self help gurus and business consultants, I began to see more of this occurance. For instance, Wayne Dyer has his Pathways to Mastery.

Wisdom
Surrender
Discipline
Unconditional Love

Stephen Covey discusses the four modes of creativity

Pathfinding
Modeling
Aligning
Empowering

As well as the four styles of leadership…

Directing
Coaching
Supporting
Delegating

And the four human desires…

To Live
To Love
To Learn
To Leave a Legacy

The actual CARDS book will be out soon, but these four principles, in whatever words describe them, are also the basis for my new book The McAllister Code and I am very grateful to Ms. Fulton Ross for making me aware of them. Go to www.themcallistercode.com now to be a part of the adventure.

The Way of Four

Category: Uncategorized

Power vs. Force

Posted on | July 25, 2010 | 1 Comment

Cover via Amazon

David Hawkins, in his book Power vs. Force, describes the levels of human consciousness based on his study of kinesiology.

Shame
Guilt
Apathy
Grief
Fear
Anger
Desire
Pride
Neutrality
Courage
Acceptance
Willingness
Reason
Love
Joy
Peace
Enlightenment

Shame is the lowest stage of consciousness, completely devoid of truth. It is the first thing Adam and Eve felt when they betrayed God by eating of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. As they were punted out of Paradise, their consciousness spiraled downward and felt the full fury of evil, Shame.

This is the state many of us feel when we are attacked by our former wrongdoings, be they intentional or only erronious. This is the state of mind which engulfs us when we are so embarrassed by our own actions that we despise who we are. This is the stage where we are most unaware of who we truly are, beings made in the likeness of God.

Each of us have lived in these moments at one time or another. Some of us live in it entirely, that feeling of not being worthy of the life we long for. Shame is often used by those in power to subdue others into abdication, by religions, by governments, by employers, even by friends and family members. It is an awful, hopeless state in which to live.

Regardless of what any of us have gone through in the past, regardless of the actions we have taken, this is a new moment in time, full of all new possiblities, especially the possiblity of redemption. Move in the direction of that.

Power vs. Force

Category: Uncategorized

The Supreme Crown of Kabbalah

Posted on | July 24, 2010 | 1 Comment

Image via Wikipedia

In Kabbalistic teachings, the mystical aspect of Judaism, the actual being of God is beyond understanding. However, he is represented by a collection of traits known as the sefirot into what is commonly called the Tree of Life. There are ten sefirot that make up the Tree of Life, each of them playing off of each other in triads and as methods of achieving balance as phases of God revealing Himself to man. They are the building blocks of creation, the archetypes of existence, the traits of God, and the primary values of the world.

The Ten Sefirot are
Keter (will)
Chochmah (wisdom)
Binah (understanding)
Chesed (sometimes referred to as Gedolah or Gedulah) (mercy or loving kindness)
Gevurah (sometimes referred to as Din (justice) or Pachad (fear)) (severity or strength)
Tiferet (harmony or beauty)
Netzach (victory)
Hod (glory or splendour)
Yesod (power or foundation)
Malkuth (kingdom)

Keter Elyon is the highest of the Sefirot and the one from which all of the others are formed. It is understood to be beyond all existence and is nonetheless the cause of all existing things. It is the hidden potentiality of divine wisdom before it is revealed. It is called the Supreme Crown and represents Will, that which inspires creation even before thought.

Will is the greatest power that we have. When we realize our will, we begin to conjure and manifest ways with which to achieve our goals. Through our will, all of the other aspects of our soul are brought into alignment to meet our desire.

Keter, or will, is most fully explained in the quote, “the end is buried in the beginning.” For within the will is the vision of its goal, and it generates every aspect necessary to achieve it.

Category: Uncategorized

Set This House in Order

Posted on | July 22, 2010 | No Comments

Matt Ruff is a really great writer. I just finished his book ‘Set this house in order’. It was about two people with Multiple Personality Disorder. I learned a lot about myself. At any given time, I may be filling one or two of dozens of roles as a Person, as a Community Member, as a Servant, and as an Artist. Currently, I’m a Writer describing to you the character you have met and the multitude of people that live in the body he assumes. Let us assume that this character is like a house. (Thank you, Matt Ruff).

On the first floor, this particular character has a screening room, there are several seats of all shapes and sizes, and new ones are added every day because they each provide a different perspective of what actually occurs in the House of Steve. There is also a great kitchen, expandable dinner table, living room, board room, den, library, and a wonderful view.

On the second floor, there are a number of studios that house the various artists that frequent the downstairs area. There is a Filmmaker and a Writer, obviously. There is also a guitar strummer, a singer, and a drummer (They’re thinking of forming a band, but they’re waiting for a bassist), then there’s a Sculptor (whose last great piece crumbled before he could get it molded and he hasn’t been the same ever since), then there’s the Teacher (who pretty much just rearranges the seats downstairs while he’s waiting for students to arrive). Then, of course, there’s the Student who seems like he’s quite a know-it-all, but is actually just very excited about pleasing his mentor, the Teacher. The Student lives next to the Photographer who had a Pentax stolen several years ago, then dropped his Canon while hopping trains in New Mexico, and hasn’t gotten a new one yet.

The Publisher has a corner studio with a bay window, but he is so behind in all that’s one his desk, he doesn’t have time to look out of it very often. Across the way in the far corner is the Producer. He’s been underground for a while and had to go take a sabbatical but he has a new film called ‘The Film Vault’ that the writer gave him, so he’s ready to pounce. The Actor is gearing up for on original play called ‘Hay Day’ by Jenny Beres. He’s excited about it because it’s his first true straight play, after playing the title role in ‘Hank Williams: Lost Highway’. The Editor just finished a film that the Actor worked on a couple of years ago called ‘Yearning for Light’. You can watch is at www.yearningforlight.com.

The Politician has been quit for awhile because he was bludgeoned to the point of hopelessness by the last administration, but he is pretty hopeful now and is starting to speak out more. His last campaign involved teaming with the Filmmaker on ‘Lesson Learned’ and then supporting the Obama campaign. He shares a suite with the Environ-mentalist, who is always thinking up new ways for the house to go green and trying to convince the others to go along with it. He and the Politician don’t always get along.

The Painter just finished some really cool chairs that are on sale at Everything But the Girl on Central Avenue in Sarasota. The Marketer is working with the Writer to develop ‘The McAllister Code’ a serial novel about how aliens turned Sarasota into a Marketing Mecca. They’ve all just been waiting on the Designer to get the website going.

Category: Uncategorized

Word – a poem in eleven parts

Posted on | July 21, 2010 | No Comments

I wish that the letter
were big enough
to encompass
all of my thoughts
Yet
in what it is
as a
limited
single form
unit
of direct information
encompassing so much
in so little
the visual equivalent
of DNA
only
a
or a
b
or a b
or abc
or abcdefg
or abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxy
and z
merely 26 shapes

or is there more there
?
for in the symbols that preceded them
the pictures
that were drawn on wall caves
and on parchment
before our accepted letters were accepted
before they were first written
before they were imagined
and before that
when the images existed
as life around us
all that was
all
all that what
which we encapsulated
in the image
which we sketched
as the letter
and what we created
as what we create
with our acceptance
as the word
logos
truth

Word
Logos
Truth
abcdefghijklmnopqrustuvwxy
and z
our 26 letters
the building blocks
for our interpretation
of the world
and before those
Alpha to Omega
the beginning and the end
of a lost civilization
of an old world
but here
in this world
in this new earth
where we serve as cocreators
with our God
and gods
and thoughts
and actions
and words
and letters
we write

we write the world
we use the symbols of
thought
interpretation
manifestation
of meaning
the
purpose of interpretation
the necessity
of communication
of connection
of agreement
of growth
with these few
most beautiful
symbols
we write
the world
letters
poems
stories
essays
stories
speeches
stories

Stories
we acted them out
we told them
with our bodies
we re created what we saw
moving our bodies
in action
and in dance
in emotion
and passion
in gleeful splendor
we have played
we have played these roles
we have told these stories
we have created new realities
in our actions
even before letters
before words
after thought
after emotion
because
we could
because it was fun
because it was engaging
because it brought us together

what stories do we still tell
?
what actions do we take
what roles do we play
what stories do we tell
what realities do we create
in our actions
with our letters
through our words
after thought
after emotion
because
we can
because it is fun
because it is engaging
because it brings us together
be it
religion
be it entertainment
be it compassion
be it anger
be it sorrow
be it joy
be it peace
be it love

be
after a
b
bea
be beautiful
engage us
bring us together
be it
be it religion
be it entertainment
be it compassion
be it anger
be it sorrow
be it joy be it peace be it
love

Love
what we do
what we feel
what we speak
what we write
how we act
how we feel
how we speak
how we write
why we do
why we feel
why we speak
why we write
why we act
we act
out words
built from letter
built by feeling
built by speaking
built by writing
built by acting
out
what was in
what thoughts were
what words became

1
that which unified us
we were all
one
with the word
with the words
with the letters
we agreed
we were one
in our thoughts
in our actions
in our symbols
we added 2
345678
and 9
to our 26
letters
35
3+5
8
plus 1
9
of our 26
of our 35
i

I
ink
and soul
ink
of soul
inken
soul
ink
for soul
inkensoul
I
will
put together
these letters
these sacred 26
and these new 9
to do
to speak
to write
to act
to create
to write my world
as it is
and how it will be
I

Gee
what else can I do
Where are the other nine
what can they do
what can they create
what can they write
of how it is
and how it will be
let’s
see
let’s play
let’s write
let’s create
the world
how it can be
so that
we can play
we can write
we can create
the world
we

Category: Uncategorized

Seeking Mental Health

Posted on | July 20, 2010 | No Comments

After years of turmoil over my battle with what is commonly referred to as Attention Deficit Disorder, I have finally decided to look once again at my diagnosis and take adequate steps toward its treatment. When I was first diagnosed in early 2001, I decided to slough off the criticisms of those who said I was disordered and jump fully into my strengths, taking off on a cross country adventure to survive by my wits and pen alone. Having completed the manuscript for ‘The Rucksack Letters’, I settled in Los Angeles thinking that the mass of stimulation would give me a suitable environment to celebrate my differences with the rest of the world.

Finding myself facing the same me that I left with, I met with speculative successes and soon returned home to Sarasota where I have faced the same trials, changed only by time. As it is defined, insanity is repeating the same actions again and again and expecting different results. So I have finally gotten myself to the point of accepting the idea that this phenomenon known as Attention Deficit Disorder has truly brought about the stigma of insanity in me.

Nevertheless, I still refuse to allow this diagnosis to bring me down for I will be hard pressed to allow my mind’s relationship to the world around me and the world within to destroy me. Having returned to a community that loves and supports me, I realize where I stand now. Having published ‘The Rucksack Letters’ and taken part in some truly wonderful creative endeavors of word, music, and film, I realize the strengths I have to offer. And having encouraged people to reach their own successes, I realize the weaknesses that can be overcome by truly appreciating the strengths that coincide with it. Through all of this, I seek and accept full mental health.

Category: Uncategorized

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InkenSoul

Write the World

Writing the World

Finding Normal

Meeting the Mentor

Erickson’s Identity Crises

Playing CARDS

Power vs. Force

The Supreme Crown of Kabbalah

Set This House in Order

Word – a poem in eleven parts

Seeking Mental Health

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