Murder in the Pearl District (Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Series Book 5)

by Dianne Harman

  “With all this happening, awareness goes for a toss. You dream and brood even more of the 'good life' or the lack of it, and the cycle repeats itself for eternities - your dream state continues unabated,” said the chairman.

  “Nize explanation,” said a young gun.

  “Yeah, it does make a lot of sense,” said a woman. The rest nodded their heads - none more vigorously than the young man awoken from his daydream.

  Chapter 4

  Empty Yourself First

  "Ok, let's move on," said the chairman as he gazed around the room. "Does anyone know the most important instruction one has to keep in mind if one has to move forward in life?” asked the chairman, with a quizzical look on his face.

  Everyone stared straight back at him, barely moving a muscle physically or mentally.

  “Empty yourself, empty yourself of your memories, your conditioning. Your inability to let go of the past poisons your body,” the chairman proclaimed.

  “Remember how you said 'That would be asking for too much',” as he pointed to our dear daydreamer, now almost fully awake. "That’s what I’m talking about, there’s too much memory, too much baggage, too much conditioning that keeps you chained to the same spot.

  "Before I go on I would like to add that we're specifically talking about your conditioning, your superstitions, your warped view of the world etc. We're not talking about erasing good memories."

  "Why is memory the culprit?" asked an elderly woman.

  "How many of you have seen 'the walking dead'?" asked the chairman.

  "What do you mean by 'the walking dead'?" asked a middle aged man.

  "Those who have suffered a set-back in the past and are emotionally scarred by it, to the extent that the incident controls them for the rest of their lives and they can't go past it," said the chairman.

  "My aunt suffered a terrible tragedy, she's alive but only physically," remarked a young girl.

  "So how many of you belong to this group called 'the walking dead'?" asked the chairman.

  A few hands went up. The Chairman waited some more. A few more hands went up. He waited some more and after a while almost all the hands were up.

  "Yes, you there young man, haven't you experienced an emotional setback that tore through your heart like a hurricane?" asked the chairman.

  The young man thought for a moment. He had suffered more than a few setbacks that had numbed his senses to the point of no return - frozen like a glacier. At that moment he began to realize the gravity of his situation. He raised his hand slowly.

  "Well, that's the story of humanity. All of us are shackled to our past, our memories hold us hostage until awareness sets in and begins to untangle the emotional knots," said the chairman.

  “Just the sheer weight of your memories keeps you rooted to one spot forever," said the chairman. "It leads to resistance and resistance leads to failure. 99.9% of your thoughts are just outpourings of your memory (energy) that bubbles up and expresses itself.”

  "How do we get out of this self-marinating pickle?" asked an elderly gentleman.

  "Good question," said the chairman. "Periodic use is the best form of maintenance. The more active you are, the healthier your body is. If you were to rest all day in order to preserve your body, you would shrivel up and die.

  "It's the same with memory - keep it active and it gets stronger and stronger. Stop using it and its gets weaker and weaker until it is forgotten due to inactivity.

  "So you're saying that the key is - to forget bad memories?" said a woman.

  "Yes," replied the chairman. "And how do we do that?" she asked.

  "There is an indirect way which works pretty well," said the chairman. "Your body is a chemical factory and when these chemicals are at optimum levels life is bliss. One example of such a chemical is glucose.

  The body is the staircase, the roof is paradise. Once you reach paradise, the staircase is of little use, but to reach paradise, you need all the help the staircase (body) can offer.

  "When life is blissful you automatically focus on 'the present and the pleasant' rather than 'the past and the unpleasant'. To be in a state of bliss your body must be in a position to maintain these chemicals at optimum levels day in and day out. The moment there is an imbalance 'the past and the unpleasant' take control of your mind.

  ”For that you need three things - good food, sound sleep and vigorous exercise. If you screw up in any one area then life will turn ugly. It sounds beguilingly simple but it's not. Many have perished when this simple yet delicate balance has been disturbed.

  "Sleep and exercise are for free. If you want to get out of the muck you're wallowing in, then a large part of your budget will be spent on quality food - skip this and all bets are off. You'll be amazed at how much money you'll spend on quality food when you get started.

  "For those who say that they have no time for sleep and exercise, the simple answer is - focus on 20% of your tasks (the most important ones) and the rest will eventually take care of themselves.

  "It's hard to work on the 20% because you have to use your brain. So people choose to do the remaining 80% which is repetitive and requires almost no cerebral activity.

  "Good food, sound sleep and vigorous exercise will set off a chain reaction that will result in bliss, and this bliss will ensure that you remain in the here and now and live a great life, free from the burden of the past, free from your memories that have haunted and imprisoned you for so long."

  "I've always bought cheap, unhealthy, processed food to lower my grocery bills. I never realized my foolishness until now," said a young man.

  "A lot of us know about sleep and exercise but never really cared about food, and never really understood how intimately it's tied to success and well-being," said another.

  "I really want to get out of this 'walking dead' club as soon as possible. I didn’t even know I was a member until you brought this whole memory stuff up," said a young woman.

  "Well, as we go deeper you'll begin to realize that moving up the ladder is not tough or difficult, it's tricky. A sound foundation and common sense will take you far; there's nothing complicated about it," said the chairman.

  “Ok, so let's move on. Back in the day and to some extent even today, in some parts of the world, couples are matched sexually based on the group they belong to - a dog, horse or elephant,” said the chairman.

  The young were smiling and the old were blushing. What had sex got to do with money, everyone wondered? And the chairman went on to explain 'resistance' in more detail, once he had obtained assurances from his audience that they would do their best to empty themselves of their memories and their conditioning.

  CHAPTER 5

  Resistance Explained

  In some parts of the world men and women are divided into 3 distinct groups, namely – dog, horse and elephant. Now, in the wild elephants don’t ride horses, and dogs are not enamored with horses either. However, when it comes to human beings plenty of examples exist where such mismatches can be observed, if one cares to pay a little attention.

  When the resistance of the source (man) is equal to the resistance of the load (woman) then the maximum amount of energy/power flows, and everyone is happy. When resistances match, then everything is in “harmony” or “in resonance”.

  The source and the load must always be matched, as closely as possible, for maximum energy/power transfer to take place. This law of the universe is a fundamental law (Impedance/ Resistance Matching) that covers all engineering disciplines. Failure to follow this law always ends in a fiasco.

  The universe offers no resistance to the flow of energy. It can transmit infinite amounts of energy, instantaneously. However, most of us have very high amounts of resistance (when it comes to embracing change and accepting new ideas and possibilities).

  If you have built up a lot of resistance (primarily stored as memories, most of which are of no use) you will obstruct the flow of energy. So in this case the universe is the elephant and you are a h
ousefly. The universe wants to and has the resources to give you so much, but you've made yourself so small that the resistance is too much. So you get a little.

  Ultimately, you will be surrounded by people who have more or less the same energy/resistance levels (as yours), hence dogs are with dogs, horses with horses and elephants with elephants.

  Ultimately, the lower the resistance the better your growth prospects!

  "So how do we lower our resistance?" asked a middle-aged man.

  "Great question," replied the chairman.

  “A human baby is born with very poor eyesight, it is almost blind. It relies more on touch and sound during the first few weeks of its life.

  “When it opens its eyes, light streams in. The brain senses this, resulting in a rush of neural activity. New pathways are formed rapidly that result in good eyesight. Here’s the important point,” emphasized the chairman.

  “The only thing a baby does to develop its eyesight is - open its eyes.

  “This act of ‘opening up’ plays a critical role in helping you lower your resistance. The universe does the rest. The universe is just a mirror - whatever vibe you emit is reflected back to you. The openness of your heart and mind will break down your walls of resistance.

  "Every ugly duckling has the ability to turn into a beautiful swan, if you just let go of the resistance; it'll happen sooner rather than later. So how many of you now understand the concept of resistance?” the chairman asked.

  Everyone nodded a yes.

  “Ok, so let’s try something out,” said the chairman.

  “You can be at two places at the same time,” said the chairman, much to everyone’s astonishment. They all looked at each other not knowing what to say.

  "That's bull freaking shit," said one man.

  "Well, that's resistance for you right there. I'm not here to change your beliefs, but wouldn't it better if you investigated the matter further rather than dismissing it so abruptly?" asked the chairman.

  “So this is for real?” asked another.

  “Yes,” said the chairman.

  “Nice. We could all work two jobs at once and no one would know,” said a senior gentleman. “Woooohoooooooo,” all of them screamed out loud.

  “But if that’s the case, then why doesn’t everyone do it?” asked one guy, with a puzzled look on his face.

  “There was a man sitting on the bank of a river who was hypnotized (plugged into the matrix) by the upside-down reflection of a tree, shimmering in the crystal clear water. He took it for reality. Someone tapped him on the shoulder and told him that the tree was right behind him and upright," said the chairman. "He turned around, saw it and then immediately turned his head back towards the reflection, happy that everything was the same once more.”

  “Always remember that the world is upside down. Your external senses will mesmerize you until you wake up. Till then one mirage after the next will be taken for reality.”

  "Is sex bad?" asked a young man.

  “My grandmother used to say - don’t talk about sex at the dinner table or you’ll get a pregnant pause,” the chairman replied. “The world has moved on. No, sex is not bad, but excessive sex will result in a wretched life," replied the chairman.

  "Very interesting," remarked one woman.

  "Yeah, and the old ones are as horny as the young," added a young gal, who was known for her outspokenness, much to the embarrassment of the older folk, most of whom went beet red.

  "That's a good topic for a Ph.D thesis," chuckled the chairman, as he deftly maneuvered the topic in another direction. "So let's move on to the next big topic that sucks the life out of you."

  CHAPTER 6

  Sin, a Wretched Invention

  “There is no such thing as ‘sin’," said the chairman. "The whole concept of retribution and heaven and hell is a figment of your imagination. Sin gives birth to guilt, and guilt kills you. It literally snuffs the life out of your being. You do something and someone says you have sinned and you will be punished.

  “This guilt gets buried deep within your bosom and never lets you live freely. You expect to be punished for as long as you live because this guilty memory haunts you forever. Any surprises as to why most humans are like dodos that became extinct because they couldn’t fly?” exclaimed the chairman.

  He waited for an answer. The chairman possessed the limitless patience that teachers and bosses often lack: people need plenty of time to hear a question and answer it.

  “Any clue as to why most humans are like dodos that became extinct because they couldn’t fly?” the chairman repeated.

  “Escuse me, shir,” said a toothless old man. “What does a dodo and flying have to do with the money you promised to talk about?”

  The chairman’s poise was momentarily ruffled by the old man’s question.

  After a pause, he reached down and withdrew a large-denomination bill from his pocket, which he slowly folded into a paper airplane. He tossed it gently into the air, and after a respectable flight, the green bill landed on the floor near a young gal’s feet.

  “Money can fly,” said the chairman. “The dodo couldn’t.”

  The crowd chuckled. The toothless man cackled that his money flew, all right, into the hands of the income tax and bill collectors.

  Before all the laughter had subsided the chairman resumed, “If you don’t start living, then you’re headed for dododum. In the Dodo world, one dumb Dodo told the rest that flying was a sin, and anyone who flew would be cursed to a life of hell once they died.

  “Well, when the hunters came the birds were rooted to the ground, not because they couldn’t fly, but because of the guilt that imprisoned them, because some idiot dodo proclaimed that flying was sinful,” said the chairman.

  “That's a good one,” said one gal, giggling.

  "Human dodos abound, the world is full of them, and to make things worse - they love to hear the sound of their own voice. So their mouths are open 24/7," said the chairman.

  Between giggles, the young girl glanced at the paper airplane on the floor.

  “Can you give us an example of imaginary sin?” a young man asked earnestly, and wondered if someone was going to pick up the bill.

  “If you don’t fast during certain times of the year you are labelled a sinner," said the chairman.

  “Even though you refuse to accept the concept of fasting and put up a brave front, internally it's eating you up. You tell yourself you are a sinner. To hell with it you say; you’ve committed so many sins that you might as well embrace hell with all guns blazing. In this way you condemn yourself to a living hell right here and right now. If you do not conform to the dodoisms of society, then you are gifted with the ultimate status symbol – there walks a sinner.

  "The irony of the situation is that when you condemn someone else you are committing a sin - which is nothing but the absence of goodness. At that moment you are spewing venom. No one likes to admit it but that's the truth. We all turn into the devil every now and then.

  "There's nothing right or wrong about fasting. If it suits your spiritual path then embrace it by all means. But coercing, castigating or intimidating someone to do something they cannot 'relate to' nor are 'comfortable with' causes a lot of harm to both parties," said the chairman.

  "So evil is the absence of goodness?" asked a young woman.

  "Yes, in the heat of the moment when you lose your sanity because of a lack of awareness you become a sinner.

  "It's so deceptively simple. When 'goodness' leaves you, however fleetingly, at that moment in time you become a sinner," said the chairman.

  “Are non-vegetarians sinners?” asked an elderly lady, with a worried look on her face.

  “That’s a good question,” said one girl.

  “Hmm… ok here goes,” said the chairman.

  “If there is one sin then here it is – emitting a negative thought. It does the only thing it can - it comes back and bites you,” said the chairman.

  “Billion
s of vegetarians spew billions of negative thoughts on a daily basis and a few even harbor thoughts of killing, looting and plundering on a global scale (if their interests are harmed),” said the chairman.

  “In many cases, vegetarians wholeheartedly endorse murderous decisions. In this way both vegetarians and non-vegetarians kill hundreds, maybe thousands in conflicts, skirmishes and wars that take place on a daily basis,” said the chairman.

  “So both are on the same level, slightly above that of animals. Animals walk around naked, you have clothes on - internally both are looking to survive not thrive. You think that turning into a vegetarian makes you ‘spiritual’ automatically. How smoothly you delude yourself!”

  “Lottsa things are beginning to take on a whole new meaning,” said one man.

  “Looks like we have much bigger issues to deal with,” said an elderly gentleman.

  “Your thoughts are diametrically opposite to ours,” opined one woman.

  “Since sin doesn’t exist, we can party a lot harder from now on,” said a young guy. Everyone screamed: “Wooohooooooooooooooooo.”

  “So what you're saying is that we can commit a crime and get away with it?” asked an elderly gentleman.

  “Good question. Since there’s no retribution, it’s a free ride, right?” asked one gal.

  “Well, it’s not that simple,” said the chairman. “When you commit a crime your conscience gets jolted. This jolt results in the formation of a negative imprint, which gets added to your memory bank, which is already overflowing with billions of such imprints.

  "This imprint is similar to the one made in molten metal. When you get hot under the collar, these imprints register deep grooves into your psyche. Is it easy to erase them? No. It takes a long time and until it exists you'll project the same reality over and over again. You’re helpless.

  "So prevention is better than cure. Don't lose your bearings. Keep cool. You'll end up paying a heavy karmic price if you don't.

  “These imprints give out a certain type of energy just like a magnet. This magnetic force attracts you to people, places and things vibrating at the same energy level. You can steal a piece of paper, a pen, a book or money from a bank; it’s all the same.