What Is Not

A dissenting vote
is a blessing,

but a dissenting person
is a curse.

A wise person
will cast a dissenting vote
in favor of what is.
But, a fool
will follow the herd
to the slaughter.

What is not?
Not is the evidence
of a soul in deep bondage.
Not is the law of ineptitude.
Not is the absence
of will.
Not is a dark chasm
of inactivity.

Not is the subtle process
of the destruction
of the person.

Each time a person says,
“I am not ...”
a conflict arises.
For, certainly,
one is.



For many years
I lived in
“I am not ...”
I was confused.
Today, I am clear.

I am

can

do

will.

When I was
“I am not ...”
“I can not ...”
“I do not ...”
“I will not ...,”
my soul was quite sad.

I wasn’t,
couldn’t,
didn’t
wouldn’t.



But, now,
I am ... can, do , will.
These are powerful terms.
Apply them to your life,
and, prosperity comes.

The person who lives
in not
is dull and impoverished;
languishing in lack of being.


I’ll tell you,
on the other hand,
what is not.

Not is knot.

You tie a knot.
A knot binds something.
If you say
you are knot;
you are bound,
tied up body, mind and spirit.

If you say
she is knot;
you bind her as well.

If you say,
“I will knot”,
then what I wish
is knot.

My friend calls,
“Hey, Wildfeather,
want to come with me,
and sail on the bay?”

“I’m a little tied up,”
I say, “knot today.”

“I’m knot going.”

Imagine that?
A two hundred pound knot
going nowhere,
the epitome of bondage,
doing what ?

Who knows?

Can knot.
Do knot.
Will knot.



The knots get convoluted;
one for every task,
idea, or purpose;
twisted, curled, twirled
in every direction,
but, up.

Knots keep going
around and around.
Pull on them;
they get tighter.

Those who are
the most severely tied up
are the religious folk
who are trained to
love them nots.

They have special nots
for each minute of the day;
make their home in nots.

They have created
an abstract realm
they call “not”,
and, believe it is spiritual,
when all the while
what is spiritual
is what truly is.
Them religious folk
believe what is spiritual
is what is not,
without knowing
what not is,
even though they
believe it.

Living in not
is a place of unawareness.
Unawareness is fear,
guilt and shame.
Many lies find a home
in the kingdom of not
which is nowhere.

In the land of not
you have not,
should not,
might not;
ought not.
All these coupled with:
you will not.
You believe
the other guy
is gonna run the show.

This is why
religious folk believe
they must be under
the authority
of a leader
who is not.

A leader who is not
is exactly
what them religious folk want.
When they search
for a leader
they judge the knots
to see how many,
and how tight they are.

The more knots,
and the tighter they are,
the more religious
their leader will be,
since the word religious
comes from the word
which means to tie up.

Not knowing,
he will teach them.

Not seeing,
he will lead them.

Not feeling,
he will touch them.

Not listening,
he will hear them.

Not joking,
he will humor them.

He will,
but, they will not.
He will refer to
their assembly as church;
the assembly of knots,
where each not
will be tied
in the name of the Lord.

Here is the birth of nots,
and the death of freedom.
Here is where you save the nots.
This is “not” conservation.
This is an utter waste
of humanity.

It amazes me, how,
often I untie a few nots;
how quickly those deeply religious
retie them.
First , they seem joyous and happy,
but, next day
all the nots are back,
even a few new ones.

The nots
are always in the middle
of two opposite ends;
something tied in the middle.

When the not
is in your head
your face is in the middle
where the not shows up.
It wrinkles around the nose;
puts deep creases and furrows
in the brow;
causes the chin to quiver;
the eyes become constricted,
glassy, and distant;
tightness is the overall effect
with age.

The mirror reveals the not,
and the effects upon the face.
Therefore, every form of cosmetic
is employed to cover the not.
The religious cover up the face;
the head; the body; the heart;
the soul.

Although the face
reveals the tightness
of the not,
every other aspect of the person
suffers as well,
and eventually reveals itself
in many forms of
physical restrictions;
ill health, and deformities.

Therefore, the religious
who are engaged in many nots
become so constricted
in all that is not,
that they become twisted
in their bodies, and minds,
and feeling so ashamed, and embarrassed,
they cover themselves up
and require all to do the same
to remind them always
of what is not.

The mask of not
is the mask of naught;
naught and naughtiness.
All is naught
among the relig ious.
All they do
they do for naught.
Therefore, they cover up
their naughtiness,
so that everyone
may know
because they are
proud of the not.
They boast of not.
They wear the not
as a cloak;
a cloak with a long train.
At times
they drag it through
long p rocessions
requiring others to
gaze upon the long cloak
of not and naught,
idolizing its meaning,
and, thus, the people of naught
give it power, and authority
over them to rule them;
to rule them in all
that is not.
Therefore, likewise,
they cover themselves,
concealing what is naught.
They smile covering the not.
They say nice words,
covering the not.
They make promises,
and commit to cover the not.
Being in the not,
is their mentality.
And, living in that mentality
they seek to appear
pleasant to others
on the outside
while covering the naught
on the inside.
They act the not
instead of becoming real.
They act in and under the cover,
rather than showing up
what is within,
that all may see,
and know the truth.


The not has become
the world of abstraction
posing to be reality;
the ultimate lie,
the treacherous betrayer
of truth
posing to be the truth
when it is naught.

Speak the truth.
Speak what is.
Speak what you are.
Speak what you can.
Speak what you do.
Speak whatever you will.
and, be your truth
freely
first.

Learn to distinguish
between what is,
and what is not.

- Jeseppi Trade Wildfeather
7/3/05