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I once stood in line in at Wal-Mart behind an attractive woman who had a tattoo of a dragonfly on the small of her back. I asked her if she knew the significance of the dragonfly whereupon she asked me if I knew the significance of minding my own business.

 

As relationships go, it was remarkably short.

 

Dragonflies, much like tattooed women, have their fair share of weirdness. They make themselves invisible to airborne prey by using a system called “motion camouflage.” It tricks the victim’s retina into perceiving the dragonfly as a stationary object blending into the background. Thus, the dragonfly becomes “invisible” even though it’s moving forward. Often, the pursuing dragonfly will fly away from its target rather than toward it to maintain the disguise.

 

I had become familiar with the dragonfly years earlier when I lived in Arizona where a man who claimed to be a shaman gave me a reading using 44 Native American Indian medicine cards. He explained that as we come into the Earth Walk, there are seven directions, each aligned with a particular ability or challenge, surrounding our bodies: East, South, West, North, Above, Below, and Within.

 

Then I drew seven medicine cards representing the seven directions in my Earth Walk.

 

1) East – Wolf. The wolf awakens the teacher within to understand the Great Mystery of life.

2) South – Armadillo. The armadillo teaches us to define our boundaries or space.

3) West – Dragonfly. The dragonfly reveals the illusionary facade of physical reality.

4) North – Hummingbird. The hummingbird encourages us to enjoy the succulent nature of life.

5) Above – Bat. Bat medicine teaches that to become your future, you must die and be reborn. 

6) Below – Whale. Whale medicine people have the psychic ability to tap into the universal mind.

7) Within – Antelope. The antelope empowers us to honor the gifts sent from the Great Mystery.

 

The West medicine card reflects the internal solution to your present life challenges and reveals how to reach your desired goals. In my case, this is represented by the dragonfly.

 

According to the shaman, this world is full of nature spirits. Dragonfly medicine indicates knowledge received from the spirits of the four basic elements of air, earth, fire, and water. Dragonfly medicine is the essence of the winds of change. Messages of enlightenment were supposedly being communicated to me, especially during the dream-time, causing a transformation where illusion was being replaced by true wisdom.

 

I was indeed going through a transformation at the time.

 

The physical world seemed more like a robotic world of worker bees toiling in a giant rat race to maintain an economy that seemed more like a pyramid scheme than an intelligent way of life.

 

Humanity was being duped into a self-perpetuating system of servitude to a formation of governments and mega-corporations whose only purpose was to ensure their own growth.

 

For a government or mega-corporation, it meant survival.

 

To an individual human being seeking peace of mind, it was madness.

 

When I returned home from Wal-Mart, a dragonfly was perched on my mailbox, reminding me to always be aware of the world around me.

 

For example, a woman who wears a tattoo is a woman who wants to be noticed. And a woman who wants to be noticed is a woman who wants to be admired. But the moment you express a hint of admiration, the same woman will instinctively reject you.

 

Men may rule the world but women rule the men.

 

A dragonfly tattoo is a subtle form of camouflage – you can admire it but must pretend you don’t notice it.

 

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Quote for the Day – "Just what you want to be, you'll be in the end." Moody Blues (Knights in White Satin)

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In 1982, I was living in the Hollywood Hills overlooking Universal Studios. I had recently been divorced, was doing occasional computer programming contracts and writing screenplays trying to break into the movie business.

 

One night, I went to bed fairly early. I was sleeping soundly, having a very vivid dream about a woman with dark curly hair and thunder thighs. She was with a French poodle that was giving birth to four puppies, one black and three white.

 

All of a sudden I awoke and sat upright as if lifted by an invisible giant hand. My head turned to the left, as if it were compelled by some unknown force, until I was staring at my digital clock.

 

The clock read 11:11 PM.

 

Two days later, I was in the middle of a short-term computer assignment in Woodland Hills. For absolutely no reason, I turned around and glanced at the digital clock on the far wall of the office.

 

It was 11:11 AM.

 

At that moment, the manager walked into the office and introduced me to a new employee, a woman with dark curly hair and thunder thighs. The new employee told me it was a bad day to start a new job because her dog just had a litter of puppies the previous evening, one black and three white French poodles.

 

This was a major turning point in my life.

 

This 11:11 phenomenon triggered a series of remarkable precognitive dreams and continues to this day. My life had been transformed. I became very introspective and started living a more simple way of life.

 

I moved into the mountains above Malibu, switched from writing screenplays to writing novels, cut back on the computer work and spent much of my time studying metaphysical phenomena, such as the art of dreaming, ancient prophesy, reincarnation, shamanism, remote viewing, auras, telekinesis, parallel dimensions, spirit guides, ghostly apparitions, Edgar Cayce, Carlos Castaneda, etc.

 

My first novel was about a person who had a similar series of 11:11 encounters that changed his life. I wanted to see if other people were having the same experience.

 

Over time, I learned that my 11:11 experience was not unique. My first discovery was a commune of 11:11 people in Eureka, Montana, led by a woman named Solara. I had some e-mail correspondence with them, intending to travel there and check them out, but they changed locations a few times and I lost track of them

 

If you do a Google search on 11:11, you'll get about 300 million hits. Similar events have happened to many other people around the world. Psychic Uri Geller, also an 11:11 person, believes the 11:11 people all have a common destiny but it has yet to be revealed.

 

I believe 11:11 is the gateway to a higher plane of existence, the key to the mysteries of the universe and beyond. It's a signal that awakens the subconscious mind to the revelation of the greater reality of an ultimate oneness, thereby compelling you to reflect upon your life and seek a higher purpose.

 

In any event, I was slowly evolving into escaping the rat race of L.A. and discovering my purpose in life. Perhaps this was my midlife crisis moment.

 

I quit working, sold my possessions, bought a 4X4 pickup truck with a camper shell and acquired all the necessary equipment to become a gold prospector. My objective was to roam around the southwestern USA to find a place to settle down and start a new life of peace and solitude.

 

Then I left Los Angeles in the summer of 1986, at age 42, with a dog named Shadow at my side, and headed for the hills. I never expected to strike it rich, but I had this romantic notion that the adventure would be the real treasure.  If I managed to stumble upon the Mother Lode, it would only be frosting on the cake.

 

I spent about 8 months moving from one remote location to another in the northern California gold country, western Nevada and northern Arizona.

 

I liked the Arizona territory the best and spent most of my time there.

 

At first, I found some nice areas in the wilderness east of Dolan Springs, where I camped among the Joshua trees. During the day, I hiked into the hills, taking samples along the way. At night, I sat by the campfire, staring at the stars, wondering whatever possessed me to live in a big city in the first place. It was a bit like being in heaven.

 

For the next several months, I camped on the low desert northeast of Wickenburg or up in the mountains near Prescott, depending on the weather. I actually found a few traces of gold now and then, but preferred to spend most of my time staring at campfires and discussing philosophy with Shadow.

 

It was a glorious experience.

 

The most important thing I learned was that the purpose in life is to discover the purpose in life.

 

And in order to discover the purpose in life, you must realize that you are of paramount importance and total insignificance, both at the same time.

 

You must become fearless in order to become whole. Suffering and injustice can only be overcome with grace and courage. Patience is the key to inner peace.

 

The most important thing Shadow learned was where all the bones were buried. His purpose in life was to hang out in the desert with some crazed loner who kept staring into campfires, boring him with philosophy.

 

Eight months after I started my midlife journey, I bought a home in the desert a few miles outside of Wickenburg where I began to live a simpler life. I did occasional computer work, just enough to keep the bills paid. I also continued writing novels and prospected the desert, scratching for gold, eventually filing two mining claims.

 

Through some fateful circumstances and coincidences, I sold the mining claims for a tidy profit six years later and moved into the Ozark Mountain region of Arkansas where I continued writing and found a publisher for my four novels.

 

Life is simple. Decide what makes you happy, figure out a way to make it work and do it.

 

For many years, I thought my purpose in life had been fulfilled, and I could go to my grave with a smile on my face and no regrets. But life goes on and new challenges keep popping up.

 

I started out with nothing and still have most of it.

 

My riches are my memories.

 

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Quote for the Day – "The difference between one who seeks to discover their purpose in life and a lost soul is that the Seeker sees everything as a challenge, whereas the lost soul sees it as a blessing or a curse." Bret

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ACT III OF LIFE

 

This fleeting existence called life is basically a three-act play – introduction, conflict, resolution.

 

For me, Act III starts on August 10, 2009 – my 65th birthday. I will spend the afternoon listening to all the great music from my past, gracefully graduating from cougar bait to old fart. On August 11, I will be recovering from a massive hangover.

 

ACT I – Introduction (childhood)

 

ARKANSAS (1944-45): My father was conscripted into the U.S. Army during World War II. He became an officer and a flight instructor. My mother was part bobcat. I was born on August 10, 1944, on an Army Air Force base in Blytheville and entered this world with much reluctance. I will probably exit this world the same way.

 

OHIO (1945-46): I had my first birthday in Columbus. I took long naps and burped a lot. I still do.

 

WISCONSIN (1946-54): After my father was discharged from the service, we moved back to my parent’s hometown of Stevens Point, a college town with its own brewery and one tavern for every nine residents. My father returned to his civilian job as a transmission supervisor at AT&T. In grade school, I learned how to read, write and hustle marbles at recess.

 

KANSAS (1954-56): My father got a promotion when I was in the middle of fourth grade and we moved to the Kansas City suburbs. Lots of highs and lows. I returned a punt for the game-winning touchdown and someone stole my bike. Everything was flat, including most of the women.

 

MINNESOTA (1956-64): My father got a promotion after I finished fifth grade and we moved to the Minneapolis suburbs. I went through high school, and two years of college at the University of Minnesota as a math major. Plenty of highs and lows along the way.

 

FLORIDA (1964-65): I went to college in Miami for a year, majoring in computer science, a new field of technology opening up. I took every computer course they offered during both semesters and all of summer school. Every other waking hour, I would hang out in an Italian pool hall. If you want to learn everything about life, hang out in an Italian pool hall.

 

ACT II – Conflict (adulthood)

 

MINNESOTA (1965-66): I arrived back home in Minneapolis on August 10, 1965 -- my 21st birthday. The following morning, I had a massive hangover. I soon found a job as a computer programmer in St. Paul. In April of 1966, I was drafted into the U.S. Army. There was some sort of skirmish taking place in a far-away land called Vietnam and my country needed me to help bring it to a conclusion.

 

MISSOURI (1966): Basic training in Ft. Leonard Wood. I’m now an employee of the U.S. Army, learning how to do squat thrusts and clean toilets. I’m not a happy camper.

 

GEORGIA (1966-68): I spent the remainder of my two-year military obligation in the Third Army Data Processing Company at Third Army Headquarters at Ft. McPherson in Atlanta. I was given a Top Secret clearance, issued a desk and two blue pencils, and worked for a civilian employee during night shift, coding documents for computer processing. I shared an apartment off-post with three other draftees – John Ballas from New York City, John Valentino from Chicago and Frank Bernardi from Cleveland. Ballas was a life guard at the post swimming pool, Valentino ran the post gymnasium and Bernardi worked at the post library for a civilian employee. I'm not sure exactly how helpful we were in bringing the Vietnam Conflict to an end, but we had a fairly good time doing it.

 

MINNESOTA (1968-75): Returned home after my discharge and kissed the ground. Went back to my old job in St. Paul for a few months, then returned to college at the University of Minnesota to get my B.S. in Business and M.S. in Management Information Systems. Got a job in the suburbs as a computer programmer/analyst. Later, I got a better job as a Senior Programmer & Project Leader in downtown Minneapolis. When I hit age 30, I decided I had enough of the cold Minnesota winters.

 

CALIFORNIA (1975-86): I landed a job as senior systems analyst for a large computer installation, but hated it, so I soon landed another job as a programmer for a small computer software company, which eventually led to becoming Vice President & General Manager. Later, I became an independent contractor (hot-shot programmer for hire). I lived in many different places around Los Angeles, including (in order) a hillside rental house on stilts in the Hollywood Hills (Harrison Ford was one of my actor neighbors), my own house with pool in N. Hollywood, got married, 8 months on a yacht parked in the Pacific Ocean, our own condo in Sherman Oaks, a rental chalet in Topanga, our own house near Toluca Lake, got divorced, garage apartment in Hollywood Hills near Mulholland Drive, a rental house in Topanga, a rental mountaintop cabin above Malibu. I also studied screenwriting under various big-time professionals during this period and wrote 3 screenplays. If you go to L.A. to be discovered, you will soon discover you want to go elsewhere. On my 42nd birthday, I decided I had enough of the Rat Race and headed into the desert wilderness.

 

ARIZONA (1986-87): I spent 8 months in a 4X4 camper with a dog named Shadow, roaming the California gold country, the Nevada silver mining areas and mostly the desert region of central Arizona. I had lots of gold prospecting equipment with me. I needed to get out in the middle of nowhere, and stare at a campfire. I eventually found a piece of property (6 acres of cactus & nice small home) about 60 miles north of Phoenix and made an offer on the place. While the property was in negotiation and in escrow, I went back to California.

 

CALIFORNIA (1987): I spent about 5 months in my ex-wife's house in Laguna Niguel, watching the place for her while she was in Boston on business. I did a computer contract in Torrance during this period, making a nice chunk of money to help with my new Arizona property. After much hassle, the Arizona property finally closed and I escaped the land of fruits and nuts once again.

 

ARIZONA (1987-92): Lived in the desert 60 miles from Phoenix. Most of the time, it was like living about a half a mile from the sun. I prospected the desert on occasion, eventually filing two mining claims. I also did an occasional computer contract for old clients in Los Angeles. Was in L.A. working a short-term contract and happened to finish the contract during the peak Rodney King riots. I drove back to Arizona through an intersection where buildings on three corners were on fire and angry goons were harassing motorists in the streets. It was my last time in California.

 

ARKANSAS (1992-98): Due to some unforeseen circumstances (destiny), I sold my mining claims and Arizona property, and moved to the Ozark Mountain region in northern Arkansas. I rented a cabin on 400 remote acres that I shared with a dog and a mountain lion. The dog was with me. No TV, no telephone lines. Wrote my 4 novels there on an IBM-compatible 286 using an old version of WordPerfect. No windows, no spell checker, no Internet. It was a peaceful time of seclusion and reflection.

 

TENNESSEE (1998-99): 10 months in Memphis, doing a Y2K computer contract. I rented a top floor apartment overlooking the Big Muddy (Mississippi River). Memphis is okay if you like cities. I don't like cities. During this period, I found a publisher for my four novels.

 

ARKANSAS (1999-2009): Moved back to Arkansas and bought a nice mobile home on 8 acres a few miles away from a small redneck town (population 1,400 – the biggest town in the county). No neighbors. Paid cash for the place from the Y2K contract, but still had to make ends meet. Worked on the 2000 U.S. Census. Landed a gig writing a weekly newspaper column (2001-2007) where I won multiple awards. Also landed a gig teaching computer courses at a local college (2001-2006). In 2006, I became eligible for early Social Security. Since the early bird gets the worm, I accepted their fine offer of supplementing my existence until the day I expire.

 

ACT III – Resolution (unknown)

 

ARKANSAS (2009-2012): Blue Monday – August 10, 2009. My life starts over once again at age 65. I am now officially an old codger. I will write blogs and tweets, just to maintain my sanity. I will goof around with my dog, grow tomatoes and watch sunsets. And if I'm lucky, one of these days I will figure out what to do with my life.

 

BEYOND (2012-????): The great astrological age ends on December 21, 2012. Beyond that, the future is unknown.

 

Ain't life grand.

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Quote for the Day – "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." Bill Shakespeare

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Bret Burquest is an award-winning columnist and author of four novels. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a dog named Buddy Lee and has resolved to resolve irresolvable issues. His blogs appear on several websites, including www.myspace.com/bret1111

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