Teen Practical Life Lessons It’s a quiet Sunday morning and my son and I are up early to do bi
Teen Practical Life Lessons It’s a quiet Sunday morning and my son and I are up early to do big loads of accumulated laundry at a local mat. After about two hours, clothes are washed, dried and neatly folded. As I begin to pack them, my son initiates the loading process in the car. Minutes later I step outside to see a police patrol car parked directly behind us — engine running while he sits in his car. I make no direct physical or eye contact. I only see the figure behind the wheel but can not make out any details. There is rising uneasiness about it all. We are in a parking lot. So why has he pulled up behind us? I remain quiet and choose to ignore him. But soon, I check in with my son because I begin feeling his tension. There is something rather unnerving and a bit intimidating about law enforcement appearing unexpectedly and intrusively that is difficult for anyone to easily ignore these days. Police officers (and the entire judiciary system) are a prominent Saturn figure in society. They represent structure, the establishment, discipline, rules and regulations, law and order, boundaries and limitations within societies and the world. There image speak of the planetary aspects unseen. Note: they are symbols, portrayals, metaphors and in character. Otherwise, they are also very human like anyone else. These Saturn representatives are stiff, serious and uniformed in more ways than their attires. Control and power is what most seek which is why many of them become police officers. They may struggle with or lack it in many ways resulting in being the most clever domestic violence perpetrators. According to Diane Wetendorf, life-long advocate who pioneered the field of police officer-involved domestic violence abusers and author of Police Domestic Violence: A Handbook for Victims, talks about how police abusers differ from other abusers only in that they are tougher and more dangerous. They have training, a badge, a gun and the weight of the police culture behind them. Smart police do not hit, slap, kick, or choke their partners. It is not necessary. They exercise their power by intimidating, isolating and terrifying the victim. Those are usually the ones that are terror within their own order. And though fewer, there are ones that do have integrity and sometimes exemplify some of the higher qualities of Saturn’s mission. Saturnine workers carry an air of authority that also comes with its bag of skeletons that we see today through crimes committed by those who should be enforcing the so-called laws. They carry heavy skeletons dumped upon fallen preys and innocent victims that are labeled and stereotyped and even targeted. Police are trained to walk in and take control of any situation. Their mere presence, voice and stance are used to establish their authority. They learn a full range of information gathering techniques ranging from interviewing and interrogating to vigilant surveillance. The proficient use of these investigative techniques requires the ability to be manipulative and deceptive, says, abuseofpower.info Much like anyone taking their personal problems to the job or their job stress to their home. We know the story. But this story you are reading is about the other side of a story that we see but don’t consider every day. After a few minutes of nothing. No moves. Just a watcher, bidding his time? Basking us? Cooking us? I check in with my son to see if he is straight. This 6ft tall, slender chocolate skin man child of mine who has Pluto sitting on his ascendant can project the Plutonian powers in ways even he is unconscious of. A natal placement of his, visible in his physical appearance that I continually observe and study. “I’m good. But this guy makes me uncomfortable.”, he answers. I take another careful glimpse to meet his cream color car still in place with headlights only a few feet away from my tail lights. Nonetheless we forge through our mess shifting and organizing, making room for the remainders of our clean laundry. My mind drifts like a butterfly and lands on our out-of-state tags and my bumper fender that carries a black and white sticker that says, “Children Need Presence, Not Presents!”; a blue and orange one that says’ “Agnihotra: Heal the Atmosphere, Heal the Planet” and a small REI sticker. I now wonder if bumper stickers truly offer insights into the nature of their owner and if those values meant anything to a uniformed cop. Nonetheless, we continue to clear and organize. I am deliberate in my effort to ignore the “Poe Poe”. But who really can ignore such a presence that opens cans of worms? In moments like these, tricky ones in deed, gaps in which many, especially young ones fall into the traps they should have already seen coming. It is one played out again and again almost with predictability. A dark skinned human with hands behind their back, cuffed. Then the blame and victim tunes follow and the song and dance repeats itself again. It’s a well oiled illusive machine. Yet, the psychological shifts and mental twitches, the emotional disturbances are real if you live in a society that judges you by your skin color or the race you compete for. A priceless innocence stripped from the souls of our children because they lack the awareness and skills required to interact and deal with such authority. ReBirth of the Mother says, you’ve tried to change the system, why not try changing the way you see and respond to the system, as well as the system that is within. Children must learn how to deal with the current order with critical thinking and creative skills but first they must see the world in a new way and with new eyes and heart. This is a fundamental aspect of our unschooling. “You can’t change laws without first changing human nature.” I sing my new song line which immediately offers us comfort and peace in the knowing that this is not real, it is a trick that I and my son will not fall for. “Life is but a dream…nothing’s what it seems…” I continue to sing. Breathing in and out with greater awareness of my inner space and the immediate experience, of the spiritual and energetic aspects of this encounter. “It’s a test,” I remind my son. One that you may be subjected to in the future. You must be prepared, I offer. And you must play to win, always aim to pass with flying colors. An officer stops or approaches an innocent teenager who has had a rough day at home or at school, who may be sleep deprived, or maybe under a brutally negative spell derived from his diet, relationships, environment and his mental state of mind or all the choices he has made until now. He’s packing. And it is not light. And he is very well drawing the experiences to himself. But there is something to be learned. Most times it is missed so easily. He or she fails, receives a penalty and the lesson must be repeated until he passes his life’s examinations. Do not project! Do not send the quality of energy that you do not want to receive. Become neutral. It is an intense moment. Silently recite a loving mantra to yourself, stand in your power, so as to instigate a positive outcome, I sing to my son. “Life is but a dream…nothing’s what it seems….” On the other hand, I remind him that we can also look at other possibilities. Could this officer be on a totally different stroke, unconsciously aware? Keeping that in mind helps ease the tension inside. We refrain from getting caught up in the language and thoughts of the systematic way in which polices are seen and addressed behind their backs. The mutual hating and the power play could create something out of nothing. This happens time and time again. Consider this my son, if he had an issue with us or my truck, he would have approached us a long time ago. He’s had enough time to run my tags. I know that nothing came back. But in many cases, they are instigators, creating something out of nothing. I begin to guide my son to feel his body, become aware of where you stand and stay out of the head. Breathe and stay clear and solid, with the protective shield around you let no external force break through. It was another perfect practical unschooling lesson. A lesson on the energetic dynamics of interacting with law enforcement. I have interacted professionally, casually and not so pleasantly at a few other times. enoughknow firsthand and foremost that they are humans with functions like anyone else. I like to remain keenly aware of the bigger picture and how in this rat race everyone is pigeonholed, stereotyped and unconsciously and consciously living up to those labels and expectations in more ways than not. It’s a game, I remind him. You fare well when you learn how to play from a higher place. You must use all your senses to discern and decipher. You must command respect but must also give it. Neptune is the planet of illusion, of deception and the unseen spirit world. We need our natural spiritual tools to navigate and rise above the fogginess of living. I believe that it is imperative that kids are schooled on how to deal with the structures of society that demean and damage them. That kind of schooling is missing from the curriculum of institutions. Family wounds are one part of the picture. Then there are also the wounds of society which have caused deep pain and suffering for generations. Neptune wants us to look past the material and sense what lies in the other field. But right now humans are dense and distracted by the rapid pace of technology while old programmings of the past remain outdated. When we recognize the power of choice in the immediate experience, we can begin to choose wisely by simply being in the experience, feeling our way through it, raising our thoughts around it, one breath at a time. For the moment will point the way if we fuse with it. That is the magic we can teach our children. The magic of choosing consciously. Energy is the basic unit of our existence. We operate, communicate, move, think, breathe and live from that foundation. Everything is energy, especially our thoughts. So next time and in any given moment, we can ask ourselves, “What is the energy reading right now?” When we become aware of and live from the field of energy, we can see the hidden factors and we can see that nothing is what it seems. This begins to open the third eye that can see beyond. “Life is but a dream….nithing’s what it seems!” Limitations and boundaries are two of Saturn’s symbols. Authority and respect are two others. Law enforcement officers are ruled by Saturn and they naturally operate under the laws and symbols of this planet. For good and for worse. We are up against that in our selves. So I choose to question myself: How can my son (and I) establish healthy boundaries and implement limitations in necessary areas of our lives? How are my personal laws of living working for me? How can there be a maintenance of mutual respect in probable interactions that are challenging and those that may be life threatening? As a Capricorn mother, I am constantly and naturally teaching the principles of respect through the successes and errors of my own private deeds and public relations. My belief being… If I have to choose between “being liked” or “being respected” I always choose the latter. My greatest qualm with police officers is the bullshit hassle, the drama that is time robbing, and the authoritative chip on their shoulders they come with. As well as their ability to push and push all your buttons or ‘make’ you push back. And you are done for, if you lack constraint or restraint (a Saturn or Capricorn thing). As a Saturn girl I have had my share of police friends and police enemies in this lifetime. Yet, I empathize with innocent ones who get pushed over into the dark side as unconscious self-defense kicks in and they end up going through the systematic theatrics and tree wasting paperwork. From the eyes of a road trekker like myself, I fear patrol officers are probably the only ones in society able to directly attempt to overstep my boundaries and limitations at their will while I stand and watch them. A feeling of being spiritually rapped. I face and sit with this insecurity, vulnerability and with fear whose roots run deeper than this episode. These emotional building moments go way beyond and before this groovy Sunday morning momentary and sudden interruption (Uranus) by Mr. Saturn. “Life is but a dream…nothing’s what it seems….” Pulling on the emotional strings between the past and the present of this longstanding unconscious mystery unfolding before me, silently I scream out loud inside my head….”You are mistaken officer, we are not who you think we are!” Seconds later, he shifts into reverse gear, backs away from the bumper of my truck and goes on his way. Photo credit: news.vice.com Cops wrestle a black teen to the ground for walking in the street. -- source link
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