FOUNDING FATHERS' INSIGHT: Natural Law in the Declaration of Independence

Three centuries ago humankind embarked on the greatest evolution of consciousness and civic direction yet to be realized. Respect for the individual. Respect for that which is contained in eons of physical evolution and survival. Imagining an opportunity for freedom and dignity, a few smart Englishmen, our early American fathers presented a case for self determination. Blood was shed and suffering ensued, but in the end a nation, moving forward in imperfection, was forged to allow the flourishing of potential by any human willing to take on the challenge.

Democracy lives here imperfectly, but has produced brilliant children. IF we should stay close to the guiding light of words penned by Thomas Jefferson, we will succeed in moving towards a better democracy for all who can really conceive of it.  To conceive properly, the foundation of the document of the constitution must be understood and the republic for which it stands must understand its profound beauty in that it honors individual rights, liberty and justice for all and the insight of separation of powers.

Our American Declaration of Independence of 1776 states in the first paragraph that the course of events impels this nation to separate from "Political Bands" and "to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind..." Re-appreciating and studying closely the tremendous POWER of these words, the decision is made to adopt the finer and higher road that "Nature's God" has determined for mankind from the very beginning; from the Source to which Jefferson refers taking us on a journey back to our original birthright. He capitalizes the key words realizing the core of the Truths in his words. The Laws of Nature entitle Respect to the Opinions of Mankind. In other words the Laws of Nature govern the ascent of Mankind, not the laws of man. And he is stating here that the laws of man now to be determined by the new nation will be in Honor of the deeper Laws of Nature from which man derives all he has and not from a prescribed set of rules determined by a tyrant for his own purpose.

This beacon and example of Nature is the original oracle by which we are led. We forget this more often than we can remember or even know, but the words in this Declaration have forged themselves in American identity and guidance for as long as the Nation survives. And this Nation will survive if it stays true to the great DNA from which we have evolved. We are Entitled to our individualism and self determination. The drama played daily as the American Experience is proof in action to Jefferson's words connecting the undeniable Laws of Nature.

The second paragraph reinforces the first with the logical conclusion that "All men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." Created equal for the entitlements above stated and implied with the word "among" that Nature/Creator has bestowed other rights to be accorded to human being, leaving open the exploration of Democracy. The Declaration goes on to describe a government that is build on these concepts derived through "Nature's God". They are not referring here to any religion, but to the Source connecting all.

From these wise words we can be truly inspired and freely guided to deeply understand the Laws of Nature. Studying the Natural world we can see the process and beauty of survival and that Nature is kind and giving but has rules. Learning about the Natural world we free ourselves to progress using correct language and insight to Know on a deeper level what Source is telling us. We have no other source as we cannot trust the interpretation of a few who contrive words and deeds and color them for an ego-centric purpose.

So as the Declaration honors the INDIVIDUAL, each of us has the responsibility in the study and learning process to the highest level in order to form this "more perfect union". The POWER here is given to the INDIVIDUAL. When the individual steps up to their greater responsibility, the leadership will be decided and determined upon greater expectation and the leader will lead following the elevated demands of an educated population.

It is very important to remember and understand that "created equal" means in opportunity and assurance for the "'Pursuit of Happiness". Our constitution guarantees liberty and the right to become the best person we choose to be. We come into the world with varying qualities of financial opportunity, health, intelligence, beauty and so on. We are entitled only to Life, Liberty, working toward our own Happiness, and Respect according to the specifics described in our Declaration.

As we as individuals pursue real knowledge and uncover the Example in the Natural Creation, more ancient than man and much wiser and successful, we will create a more cohesive, sustainable, useful and livable world. We can get there if we honor these principals and use our minds and bodies in useful and generous ways. The ego has its place, but unity with the guidance of the Natural World will bring us towards understanding that we live inside a Miracle and we are the biggest part of it.

The Founding Fathers understood our need to honor something greater than ourselves and to work toward understanding that. The Laws of Nature, of Creation are at the core of our connection to survival and they validate our pursuit of Excellence. The American Nation was founded on these principals and it is now up to each individual to understand this Truth on a deeper level and get moving in the direction that is beckoning us to where we all really want to go. Being a part of the great Soul of Creation, it is in our DNA to work to really Know this.

The words of Jefferson were well thought out and reflected the thoughts of the leaders of the time or the Declaration would not have been ratified. Ancient wisdom has guided mankind for thousands of years, but before the conception of America, had never really been put into practice. With the insight of these remarkable words and guidelines, and dedication from a critical mass of American citizens, we can rediscover the deeper meaning and become aware again of the prose and its deep connection to Natural Law. Shared responsibility begins to have a beautiful tone when married to the study of Natural Law and the words of the Declaration. Those who become successful have a great opportunity to teach and those who need to learn have the opportunity always to do so, even if on their own. Entitlement is not found in Nature and those who construe to assist persons in need must do so within the general guidelines of the Declaration and Natural Law. Charity also does not exist in Nature, but with mankind as the greatest creation the concept of charity was conceived and is our best remedy for assisting those in need to help themselves back into thriving. Human populations will always have those dependent on society, but when we make it easy for dependence on society rather than self, Natural Law is obviously violated. Security is not a part of Natural Law, yet we are entitled to defend our liberties against tyranny. In fear of losing liberty, we must guard against building an over sized military rather than building security through inner strength and be an example of this to other nations.

Our America has grown in the centuries since its conception due to the solid foundation on which it was build, but it has gone astray with complex solutions to problems that require more simple common sense attention. The key to our success will come from what is True in our being. We have our guiding lights and we have only to understand the connection that was understood at the founding of the great nation we live in. The human mind can extrapolate from simple wisdom readily available to keep creating the world imagined by those early leaders. America is still attracting people desiring freedom, individualism, and self determination. The American ideal

is a birth right blessed by a Knowing nation and guaranteed by the Laws of Nature.

UNDERSTANDING THE FEMININE

The feminine/masculine energies are expressions of the Natural world. In Nature that balance is constantly achieving itself. If the feminine energy can be described as nurture, quiet, growth and transformation and the masculine as deliverance, provision, action, and accounting then we can, as earlier cultures did, assign the earth as the feminine and the sun as masculine.

Looking at it with this physical form and example, it is an easier concept to begin to understand rather than using a man/woman example as both embody these masculine/feminine energies in varying proportions. As winter moves into spring, warm air masses from the south meet cold air masses from the north. A tornado can result. This is not conscious Nature out to destroy, but the forces of the Natural world achieving balance; the natural state. For the sake of illustration we can think of the calm (feminine) being adjusted for accounting by the wind (masculine). The air masses have to adjust, so each energy is balancing the other. After the storm, the earth returns to calm and each energy has expressed itself in its necessary way. Looking again at the example of earth representing the feminine and the sun the masculine, vegetation needs the sun to produce. All life is dependent on a food source and the feminine and masculine are contributing equally to the balance of life on earth.

This example is necessary to divorce the idea of woman/man as solely representative of the masculine/feminine principal.

Our world has evolved (or the word devolved may be a better description) to a place where the masculine has taken on a more important role and the feminine is misunderstood and the feminine energy finds itself imprisoned and dishonored. The sun has 4 billion years to burn out, but the planet earth is fragile in its relationship to life. Human activity imbalanced with masculine energy, provision (over building), action (unnecessary wars), deliverance (egotistical control over woman's lives and reproduction) lead to the serious accounting imbalance in our "civilization" today. Civilization appears to be increasingly uncivilized. While all the masculine attributes are necessary for a prosperous world, we need to take a serious look at the devaluation of the feminine and review this principal. Life on earth is becoming seriously stressed and indicating to the human family something is very wrong and out of balance. Though the sun will continue without the earth, it will have less to do. The earth will continue and do very will without human ignorance and exploitation. Our Mother Earth does NOT need us. The relationship of the sun and earth is in natural balance because that is what they know how to do in their perfected state of being. They are our examples The human family needs both the sun and earth for life to continue; masculine and feminine for life to continue and for the joys it brings.
If man desires an end to life, it can continue its ways of the ego and disregard for the delicacy of the earth continuing on the path that will eventually lead to the destruction of life as we know it.

If we can begin to go back and understand the Natural world, we have a perfect example to guide our path. Ironically many of our problems arise from women who see themselves as having less value than the masculine. This cannot be denied as women often give their sons more value and expect less of them when it comes to family responsibility. While this statement needs more official study, the outcome in the larger world is obvious. Men are in power in all areas of our culture with women seemingly content to take a lesser role. Some studying Nature and science are brave enough to uncover some interesting findings though. Our Judeo/Christian story of Adam and Eve has come into question with discovery of mitochondrial DNA being passed through the female telling us that it was Eve who came first. Adam's rib it seems is a story passed down through generations that are now challenging the myth.

OUR IMBALANCED WORLD

Doctors, mostly men dominate medicine and dictate to nurses, mostly women who are paid less and do the physical caring of patients. With high incomes their work mostly consists of prescribing drugs promoted heavily by the drug companies headed by men who advertise heavily and possibly invent conditions to sell drugs and keep the feminine nurturer/healer in chains. By studying Nature for a narrow purpose, they degrade and repackage it and sell it back at high cost and often false promise. In health and healing men dominating in an area mostly associated with the feminine principal of nurturing is most especially alarming. As health care costs increase, here in the USA, the health of our society is actually deteriorating.

In government our male dominated "leaders", continue on the path of cronyism awarding their backers with rewards that serve their narrow needs. This is a world wide phenomenon and is less a problem in the west than in heavily male dominated cultures in the Arab world and parts of Africa and elsewhere in the third world. But though evolving, the problem persists in the west with the developed world the most prolific consumers and polluters.

In education, the emphasis is becoming more and more about tests and degrees. Teachers in early education (mostly women) are less educated with science knowledge woefully lacking, though science and technology are bringing greater knowledge and awareness of our natural world. Those in positions of power and decision making though in early education are mostly men. As education goes from elementary through higher grades then onto college and post graduate, we see again the dominance of men in prominent positions. We see education which should be a nurturing experience, one of competition.

Religions are founded on male experience and thought. Many have rid themselves of the sacred feminine altogether relegating the female as merely a servant of the male. Extreme orthodoxy in some of the Muslim faith as an example, has wrapped the female totally in black as if she does not really exist at all aside from serving the needs of men. In Catholicism, the Virgin Mary has a high position and for some Catholics a prominent one, yet the hierarchy of the Catholic church is male dominated and powerful. Judaism passingly mentions the female and also consists of male dominated hierarchy. Buddhist belief honors the feminine through meditation and respecting the silence, but those who would be recognized in the religion are male.

Pointing out the imbalances we could mention other institutions, but the point to be made here is one of observance. Certainly men evolved to positions in society of power as women were nurturing the family, but the feminine energy has been put to jail and this is where we need to review and revisit the idea of the feminine.

Again if we can look at the example of Nature as teacher and the representatives of Earth as feminine and Sun as masculine we can draw up an example to follow and learn from. The answers are there. We have only to look, study, honor and learn. As population increases (masculine overseeing of reproductive rights), problems grow with it. Nature does not support imbalance. We are on fragile ground and it is up to us to undue the darkness we have brought ourselves to by honoring masculine energy over the feminine energy. Natural Balance says they are both equal.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF TURMERIC

Turmeric has been used for over 2500 years. Common in Indian, Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines, its active ingredient, curcumin, a strong antioxidant has been shown to have many healthful benefits. Known for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, it is now being studied in the prevention of Alzheimer's disease with research studies indicating positive results in removing the amyloid plaque build up in the brain that is associated with this disease.

If these benefits are not enough to consider using this spice in cooking, just taking a small amount (a teaspoon full) two times per week is an easy way to reap its many healthful benefits. Capsules are available widely in health food stores, but a good result can be had from just the spice shelf.

Turmeric is a rhizomatous perennial plant in the ginger family. The rhizomes are collected and ground into the powder commonly used in curries giving it the deep yellow color familiar in Indian cooking.

With its anti-inflammatory properties and a powerful cox-2 inhibitor it has been shown to relieve arthritis symptoms and for its positive affect in minimizing irritable bowel syndrome. It may be helpful in alleviating psoriasis. As a natural agent it has no side effects.

As an antibacterial it has been used for centuries in the healing of wounds and is currently reported as useful in healing damaged skin.

In Chinese medicine is has been used to treat depression.

It is not surprising that turmeric is being studied as a role in the prevention of cancers with its antioxidant capacity and ability to address so many afflictions within its numerous healing properties.

Turmeric can aid in digestion and fat metabolism possibly leading to weight loss.

As with any intake product, care should always be taken. Though a benign product, pregnant women are cautioned as it can be a uterine stimulant and can be problematic for those with gall bladder disease.

Another miracle of the natural medicine chest, turmeric offers health benefits yet to be discovered.