Greetings From Beautiful Sedona, Arizona

Sedona, AZ (4/26/10) -- What an interesting time for anyone to be in Arizona, but it's especially interesting for a journalist, because of all of the recent newsworthy events that have occurred, and are occurring, here.

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There are a lot of interesting things going on all over the country, not least of all in Florida, my home state. But Arizona definitely seems to have more going on than most places. There's the ongoing political battle between J.D. Hayworth and John McCain, and there's the recent passage of SB1108, which eliminated the need for a concealed weapons permit, and this past Friday, Gov. Jan Brewer signed SB1070 into law; America's toughest anti-illegal immigrant bill. Emphasis on the "illegal." My "problem" is that I'm stuck in beautiful Sedona -- better known for its awesome scenery, spiritual vortexes, and art galleries, then for cutting edge politics -- although I did spot a group of about a dozen people protesting SB1070, alongside Highway A89 in West Sedona, yesterday. Hardly the sort of stuff worthy of a news flash to "Canada Free Press" though. So what to do? I'm far removed from the "movers and shakers," and action in Phoenix. I guess I'll make the best of a bad situation, and write about events here in Sedona. First of all, why am I here? I flew out of Tampa last Thursday to Phoenix, and then drove up to Sedona in a rental car, so that I could hear a lecture given Saturday in nearby Cottonwood, by Dr. David R. Hawkins M.D., Ph.D. I've been reading books by the good doctor for a number of years, but this was the first opportunity I've had to hear him live. Should this interest you? I think it might. Dr. Hawkins mentions two concepts in his teachings that I believe are of great importance to any patriotic American. Let me tell you a bit about him before getting into his teachings. Dr. Hawkins is a US Navy WWII vet, who has been a psychiatrist for over fifty years. At one point he ran the country's largest psychiatric practice (in NYC). He wrote "Orthomolecular Psychiatry" with Nobelist Linus Pauling, and has lectured at Westminster Abbey, Notre Dame, Harvard (we won't hold that against him), Oxford, UCLA, and numerous other schools. He has been a consultant to Zen Monasteries, Catholic and Protestant ministries, and other churches. He has been interviewed by MacNeil/Lehrer, Oprah, and Barbara Walters, among many others. He is known in the Far East as Tae Ryoung Sun Kak Dosa ("Foremost Teacher of Enlightenment"), and has been knighted by the Sovereign Order Of St. John's of Jerusalem of Denmark, and nominated for the John Templeton Award. A detailed bio can be found in "Who's Who in America." A list of his books, CDs, DVDs, and other items for sale, can be found at the Veritas Publishing ( veritaspub.com) website. You'll also find his speaking schedule for 2010. Dr. Hawkins introduced his "Map of Consciousness" (MOC) to the public at large, in his book "Power VS Force," which is easily available through most book retail outlets. The MOC is an incredibly useful and pragmatic tool, but believe me when I tell you that it takes some time and effort to grasp it fully. Nonetheless, a brief description of the MOC will allow me to make the two main points that I wish to make in this article. Very briefly, the MOC shows a hierarchy of various states of consciousness on a scale from zero to 1,000, with 1,000 being the highest, most spiritual, state of consciousness. Of crucial importance is the state of consciousness that is reached at level 200; the level of Courage. It is called the level of Courage because this is the first level of consciousness where people start taking responsibility for what happens to them in their lives -- and that takes courage. People who are in any of the states of consciousness below level 200 play the "blame game," where everything is always "their" fault (whoever "they" may be) -- there is no feeling of personal empowerment or personal responsibility. At level 200, the level of Courage, people start "owning" their actions, attitudes, and life experiences. Below 200, one is a victim, at 200 and above, one knows that they are personally responsible for their life experiences. Can you see level 200 as a possible divide between the conservative and liberal mindsets? Just asking. I wanted to bring the MOC to your attention, just in case you're not familiar with it. You may find it to be a helpful tool -- then again, maybe not. One of my favorite books by Dr. Hawkins is "Truth VS Falsehood," which has a number of interesting lists, of various subjects, rated on the MOC scale. Which brings me to the second topic I wish to mention -- the U.S. Constitution. One of the many things rated on the MOC scale in "Truth VS Falsehood," is the U.S. Constitution. It may interest you to know that the Constitution rates at 700 on the MOC. That is pretty darn close to the ratings for holy scripture, and is phenomenally high for a man-made document. That may not mean anything to you, but it impresses the heck out of me. To me, the U.S. Constitution is sacrosanct, and not to be changed in any way, shape, or form. Period. So that's my news from Arizona. Laus Deo.