Is Obama an enlightened being? Spiritual wise ones say: This sure ain't no ordinary politician...

[bridgit]

'You buying it? (now don't be sad, or mad, or a hater, be happy...you will imo need to be willing to transcend to proceed, yes? very well.........proceed :))

I find I'm having this discussion, this weird little debate, more and more, with colleagues, with readers, with liberals and moderates and miserable, deeply depressed Republicans and spiritually amped persons of all shapes and stripes and I'm having it in particular with those who seem confused, angry, unsure, thoroughly nonplussed, as they all ask me the same thing: What the hell's the big deal about Obama?

I, of course, have an answer. Sort of.

Warning: If you are a rigid pragmatist/literalist, itchingly evangelical, a scowler, a doubter, a burned-out former '60s radical with no hope left, or are otherwise unable or unwilling to parse alternative New Age speak, click away right now, because you ain't gonna like this one little bit.

Ready? It goes likes this:

Barack Obama isn't really one of us. Not in the normal way, anyway.

This is what I find myself offering up more and more in response to the whiners and the frowners and to those with broken or sadly dysfunctional karmic antennae - or no antennae at all - to all those who just don't understand and maybe even actively recoil against all this chatter about Obama's aura and feel and MLK/JFK-like vibe.

To them I say, all right, you want to know what it is? The appeal, the pull, the ethereal and magical thing that seems to enthrall millions of people from all over the world, that keeps opening up and firing into new channels of the culture normally completely unaffected by politics?

No, it's not merely his youthful vigor, or handsomeness, or even inspiring rhetoric. It is not fresh ideas or cool charisma or the fact that a black president will be historic and revolutionary in about a thousand different ways. It is something more. Even Bill Clinton, with all his effortless, winking charm, didn't have what Obama has, which is a sort of powerful luminosity, a unique high-vibration integrity.

Dismiss it all you like, but I've heard from far too many enormously smart, wise, spiritually attuned people who've been intuitively blown away by Obama's presence - not speeches, not policies, but sheer presence - to say it's just a clever marketing ploy, a slick gambit carefully orchestrated by hotshot campaign organizers who, once Obama gets into office, will suddenly turn from perky optimists to vile soul-sucking lobbyist whores, with Obama as their suddenly evil, cackling overlord.

Here's where it gets gooey. Many spiritually advanced people I know (not coweringly religious, mind you, but deeply spiritual) identify Obama as a Lightworker, that rare kind of attuned being who has the ability to lead us not merely to new foreign policies or health care plans or whatnot, but who can actually help usher in a new way of being on the planet, of relating and connecting and engaging with this bizarre earthly experiment. These kinds of people actually help us evolve. They are philosophers and peacemakers of a very high order, and they speak not just to reason or emotion, but to the soul.'

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/06/06/notes060608.DTL

[Norrin Radd]

1. He'll be, and our thoughts projected toward him, the hand pointing toward the moon.

We are meant to look at the moon, not the finger.

[2rth2pwr]

2. When he points at the seas, and they begin to recede.

[grantcart]

4. very funny lol

[Danger Mouse]

26. When he points at the heavens...

it rains fish and sesame cakes.

[Fridays Child]

3. Interesting.

A lightworker? Hmm. A charismatic leader, for sure. His demeanor, intellect, temperament...he'll be a great president.

[opihimoimoi]

5. He is the only one projecting POSITIVENESS to the Level of Polarity Change...

[FarrenH]

6. Fluffy new age waffle

but the sentiment is sweet anyway.

Obama is an able politician, not some kind of spiritual superhero.

I was quite fluffy for a while but age, experience and sincere seeking of truth has made me a skeptic. When people couch charisma in terms of auras and souls, they actually obscure reality, which is far more interesting. Obama is a good orator with sincere and intelligent beliefs and his oratory style, sincerity and obvious intelligence are sufficiently out of the ordinary to inspire feelings of upliftment.

Yeah, I'm "rolling my eyes and scoffing". Not at Obama, just at the fluffy stuff. Sorry. People like the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, who have inspired millions as spiritual leaders, are more practical and plain-spoken than new-agers who carry on about "light workers".

Don't get me wrong, I've lived with and loved a lot of latter day hippies who speak like this. They're generally very tolerant, compassionate and interesting people. But I've come to the realisation eventually that rather than being in some sense enlightened, their use of language indicates a failure to parse reality more clearly and the desire to live in a magical world rather than the mundane one that constitutes actual reality.

And no, I wouldn't say this face to face to most of them, because I like most new age hippies sufficiently not to want to kill their buzz. I'd rather let them find their own way to the truth. But on the Internet, without the awkwardness that physical presence creates, I'm willing to say it in the hope that some new agers will read, it, realise its written in the spirit of love, not hate, and start to see the world as it is, not as the fantasy land they want it to be.

[Silent3]

17. Thank you for this! n/t

[EstimatedProphet]

24. Well put.

[boppers]

40. I'm fluffy. Some former "skeptics" recognize, and enjoy, this path.

"Aura", and "soul", can be quite convenient terms for the discussing the complexity of an underlying reality, without having to bog down in the details every single time.

First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, than there is. ;)


edit:tpyo

[izzie]

7. Well he does seem to see the world as pretty good and that

he just looks at what could be and hopes. I would say that is not how McCain, and the Clinton's see life. I frankly see life as Obama does, or how I think he does, and think we can always make things better. And I am an old lady and it is just my make-up to think like that.

[symbolman]

8. He's one of the Signs

of what's coming, a new generation sick of hate and bullshit, intolerance, even how fucked money makes everything.. I've Been feeling it coming a long time, it happens when the Fear/Hate get too thick, directions reverse, like a self righting mechanism..

Been writing if this in my book for seven years now, The Jesus Bolt, that bit of metal at the top of a helicopter that keeps all the chopper blades from flying off.. As the pilots say, "when that falls out, the next person you'll be talking to is Jesus, himself.."

Its a metaphor for what holds everything together, the Universe, the planet, ecosystems, even a person..

I spent two summers in 1970's Alaska prospecting for Uranium for Los Alamos in the deep bush in a mobile chopper camp, piloted by wacky Vietnam Veterans.. A lot of story in the book, as well as the Jesus Bolt theme, and the beginnings of Global Warming, which may have saved my life when I crashed in the tundra..

Obama is a Jesus Bolt politically, and will do great things, if the rest of the "parts" US work WITH Him.. I know I'm ready, as corny as it sounds, to usher in a new Era of Peace, and Love..

Its coming, get ready for it.

[parasim]

9. You know what? I hope you're right.

I really hope that Obama is the enlightened one. Because we certainly need an equal counter to the "endarkened" one.

For a while now, I've been wondering what the human race could have possibly done so wrong to deserve somebody like Bush to be our leader. It's like ever since 2000, the skies have darkened and certain danger seems to loom at every turn. I've been hoping for some time that someone would come along that would bring balance back to things, right the mechanism, as you put it.

Maybe you're right, maybe this guy's the one to do it.

btw, I like the idea of the book you're writing, the Jesus Bolt. Interesting concepts there. Hope it makes it to print sometime soon.

[symbolman]

10. Good post

and thanks for thinking of my book, it actually is "printed", had some copies made to send to some pals in the film industry, trying the reverse route, movie - then to print :)

If you go to thejesusbolt.com you can see the cover my wife and I created ..

LuLu.com does incredible one off printing, though expensive, best quality I've seen yet.

When I ever get to announce some kind of contract on the DU remind me and I'll send you a copy :)

Think Hunter Thompson meets Kerouac with a dash of Hemmingway and a pinch of Bukowski set during the Alaskan "wild west" atmosphere of the 70's pipeline construction :)

I think its a lot of fun besides having a message..

Appreciate it, look for better times, the clouds will open up and Celestial Beings will Sing (per Hillary herself, I'm paraphrasing) :)

[AZBlue]

33. Great post!

Can't wait to read your book!!!

[roseBudd]

11. Like Morpheus he seeks to show us the door, we are Trinity, Niobe, Neo etc. & must choose whether to

walk through it.

[SarasotaDem]

12. Like a spiritual magnet

I agree ........ and a lot of people I know see it too.
Maybe it is new age fluff ... maybe not.

You have to agree that he is a perfect focal point for a new movement
away from the fear and negativity.


Peace :)

[all.of.me]

13. This is a dupe.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6300238

[rug]

14. He shits nuggets of gold.

[MonkeyFunk]

15. no

he's just a skilled politician.

I find this kind of thinking scary and dangerous.

[OzarkDem]

46. Me, too

Very creepy.

[QC]

16. Somebody posted this yesterday, got more than 100 replies. n/t

[rug]

18. He transcends duplicity.

[QC]

19. He is himself a duplicate of the Divine Essence.

When I think about it I get so excited I have to hold my crystal and recenter myself!

[2rth2pwr]

27. Essentially he is a copy of the Divinity.

[Shakespeare]

29. Y'all havin' fun in this little subthread? Because you're completely missing the point.

But don't let that stop you.

[2rth2pwr]

30. Would you, as one of the lighted people, enlighten us?

[Shakespeare]

31. Check some of my other posts on any of these threads.

The first hint is to read up on Morford, and ratchet down your outrage accordingly.

[2rth2pwr]

34. Is Morford in the New Testament or Old?

[Shakespeare]

36. Gee, I'll miss you after next Wednesday.

Second hint: Morford specifically said he isn't calling him a messiah. But don't let a little thing like truth--your nick notwithstanding--get in the way of your bullshit shoveling.

[Canuckistanian]

20. Has anyone ever tested his midichlorian count?

No! It's a conspiracy by the Empire to conceal his true nature.

He and his unborn sister will rule the world some day, freeing millions with their Weirding Way.

[jazzjunkysue]

21. Enlightened only means one who does not suffer, not one who is magical.

Birds don't suffer. Cats don't suffer. They're not magical, either.

I don't subscribe to the metaphysical associations in enlightenement. But there is a very real human enlightenment that requires absolutely zero belief in anything.

Some people have simply decided not to sweat the small stuff, and that almost everything is small stuff.

That certainly is evident in Barack's behavior so far.

It bothers some people that he never seems to be bothered by anything. He lacks a malicious edge that most of us have to curtail. No matter what is said about him, it doesn't seem to rattle him.

This is enlightenment. Very simple.

What does that imply? A lack of ego, and the fear that all egos live with: Fear of loss.

So, without the fear of loss, he does not suffer. It's a choice, to react to the world with drama and fear. He chooses not to do that.

That is the sum total of his enlightenement, and I do believe he has attained that. There's nothing like a national political campaign to bring out the fear and loss in anyone, so, watch, and decide for yourself.

But, no, he's not above other human beings: He simply doesn't fear the losses. He'll be fine, either way, win or lose.

And that's what makes him so compelling. His lack of fear.

[EstimatedProphet]

25. Personally it doesn't bother me with that definition of enlightened

What bothers me is that most of the people that are calling him "enlightened" are using a much more mystical definition. They say they aren't, and then go right on and refer to him in mystic terms.

I don't want a mystic for a president. I also don't want to be around a populace that wants one so badly that they overlay mystic qualities onto a human personality. Obama is charismatic, a good speaker, and hopefully will make a good president. It scares me that there's so many who believe that that isn't enough, and have to make him into a holy man of some sort. That will end badly.

[jazzjunkysue]

37. Agreed. Simply overcoming one's insatiable ego is a monumental task.

I don't find any comfort in non-human mystical events. It was bad enough when Nancy Reagan claimed to consult an astrologer. Let's not go there, again.

I'm just happy everytime Barack rides the waves of the little things with calm and confidence. That's what you want in a president.

If a president spends his/her time defending a reputation or image, how much time will be dedicated to the large issues?

Of course, we don't want another buffon as a figurehead, but a real leader knows which crap to ignore and what issues are presidential.

[Bluenorthwest]

22. That is sweet...but

Most of what you see is showbiz. Talent, skill, ability and planning. Enlightened beings don't need strategy and advance men to set up the showing. Enlightened beings also tend to have unlimited understanding of the human condition, something Senator Obama, as fine a man as he is, does not display. I wonder if an enlightened being would vote for the Patriot Act and the war funding? For funding a crime, actually. I think a politician would. A bohdisatva would not.
On the other hand, Obama's skills as a speaker, as shining as they are now, are not yet fully developed. He's going to get even better at it. He's still improving daily as a speaker. When he is speaking about issues, instead of about Primaries, he will really take off. As President, he will be able to drop the few things that hold him back, the postiton itself will empower him to greater things. I know he's a great speaker now, but as a pro in that field I tell you, his talents are not fully in play as yet. He's going to be one of the best ever.
But enlightened? Not from where I stand. I see a guy who is eager for approval that he still is seeking from his absent father. He has needs that are not met. An enlightened being does not have those needs and voids. From my point of view, he is a great politician, but many of his personal foilbles are not so charming. He is a more mature and full man than he was at Primary's start. But he still lacks understanding of many human condiditions, including his own.
None of this is intended as criticism. We need a strong statesman, with political skill, not a guru. We have a White House not an ashram. An enlightened being would not wish to be President, nor would they be any good at it.
The President is nothing more than the highest of public servants. And that is what Obama will be, at our service. In our service. And his job will include the constant improvement of himself, not some notion that he moves in a divine way and should not be questioned. Our job is to question the President. We do not look to the President for Darshan or blessings, we look to the President to serve the people.

[LaurenG]

23. Well in the big picture

we are all lightworkers and yeah the term is off putting. I'm not fond of trying to divide us by egocentric lingo so I'll just say that as in all walks of life there are those who are more balanced and better leaders than others.

The semantics don't work to help people understand the thought behind the comment.

IMO Obama is a representation of how the world needs to work now. It needs to change and he has enough vision to know that trying to make new paradigms work with old "tools" or thought processes isn't going to cut it. Talking to people and helping them to see the course that is being set is the mark of a good leader.

He isn't super human, he's an ordinary man but he is a progressive one. He's not willing to go down another long unproductive course with the outdated and out moded thought processes of war mongers or egotists with ulterior motives. If that's a lightworker then fine, most of the progressives on this board are lightworkers.

[Shakespeare]

28. **NOTE** Those of you unfamiliar with Morford should go read several of his columns...

....before flipping out about this. It's just his vernacular; he's not proclaiming him a messiah. Just pointing out that he's 1. a good person, and 2. his success as a candidate is more a reflection of us than anything else.

I've been reading Morford for years, and some of the reactions to this column here on DU have been hilarious. Usually, it's just the wingnuts he gets up in arms.

[AZBlue]

35. I love Mark Morford.

I subscribe to his column because I think he's a fantastic writer. He's bold, he's passionate and he pushes the envelope - good for him.
And he's a hottie! :D

[AZBlue]

32. He's one of the most enlightened people today.

I don't mean that he's going to walk on water or turn water to wine (although if he can do that, I'll go out and buy a couple of cases of water for him to work his magic on, LOL). To me, enlightenment has nothing to do with your specific religion or who you pray to, or even if you pray at all.

By enlightened I mean someone who can see a better future and work toward it tirelessly. I mean someone who not only doesn't get mired down in the backstabbing and name-calling that is prevelant in our society today, but also doesn't allow it to continue. Someone who can bring out the better part of all of us and motivate us all to work to change our futures and our lives. Someone who reminds us that nothing is impossible and that we can have the country we hope for. Someone who is book-smart and, more importantly, stree-smart and in touch with everyone on those streets. Someone who will point all of this out to us and lead us to recognizing it within ourselves.

To me, that's enlightenment.

[Guaranteed]

38. I actually agree with this in many ways- BUT- we must remember that change comes

slowly.

The world will not flip upside-down on January 20th.

Obama will be leading us, but he will have to work with others, too.

He will get us out of Iraq, but it will take time.

He will put us on the path to energy independence, but it will take time.

He will put universal healthcare in place, but it will take time.


I just don't want people to get so excited that they start to believe all of this will happen overnight- and turn on him when it doesn't.

We will have to be patient, as well.

[marions ghost]

39. We're just not used to anyone

who goes into government --who is also visionary, philosophical, inspirational, & capable of uniting a diverse nation.

We're just not used to this...which may make it appear magical. In fact Americans deserve a much higher caliber of individual as leader in the future, and the rest of the world deserves to benefit also. These qualities of wisdom and insight are not found often in politicians and go way beyond chat about first woman, first black & all that. We should not settle for anything less in the highest offices than thinkers of Gore quality, Kennedy quality, King quality... there are precedents. Let us hope that Obama rises to that level. It's possible IMO.

[IsItJustMe]

41. I can see where people would get that idea. Hear is why:

From my observations, Obama has a deep humility and graciousness about him. He has displayed that throughout his campaign. I would compare his qualities to Abraham Lincoln's.

Most people, when struck with ego blows, instinctively strike back. Obama just don't. Some see this as a weakness. A wise person knows different. Obama is following the golden rule, which so few of us can even come close.

In addition to this, you can tell that he is sincere when he talks about reaching across to all people. He is genuine. This simply can't be faked.

He also talks about transformation and a new way to govern. I sense and see these things in him. Maybe others do also.

[Shine]

43. A reincarnation of Abe Lincoln, perhaps?

I've heard that elsewhere, too.

Hmmm....interesting idea.

:hi:

[IsItJustMe]

45. Old Abe is by far my best president. I read once that he put a General, who utterly despised him,

in charge. When asked why, Abe said that the General was the best man for the job. Most people operate at a ego level, and would have never never done that. It takes a mighty big person to override their egoic responses. Better than me, that's for damn sure.

[Shine]

42. It's no accident he's showing up NOW, at this moment in history

I agree, he's a completely different type of politician than we've ever seen. His message of Hope, Unity, and Change has become a MOVEMENT, let's face it.

People are resonating with what he has to say b/c he speaks to the underlying desire that we all have to come together and rise above our differences, regardless of color, creed, gender, or political party.

It's the progressive foundation America was built on.

I think, in many ways, our collective consciousness creates the type of leader we manifest, as a nation. The presidency of George W. Bush has, on some level, been an important (albeit destructive) influence that was a necessary step in getting to where we are today.

I choose to believe we have "awakened" enough to pull in the type of leader that can bring in real and positive Change to this country and the planet.

:thumbsup:

[NorthernSpy]

44. maybe we can get the fundies to believe that voting for Obama will bring the Rapture...

You know -- it's the will of God, it fulfils prophecy, it'll speed you to where you want to go whereas voting McCain will only prolong your misery, etc.