Let the Mounts of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse Starve. Facing the One True Conspiracy - The Human Ego

Quite a few people bump into this almanac because they googled up ‘sword ali zulfiqar’. And it is good because the Muslims (and non-Muslims, come to think about it) should always learn more about Muslim lore. There are also quite a few hits arising from search words like ‘dajjal’, ‘antichrist’, ‘Obama’ and of course, the inevitable favourite - ‘jihad’.

CONSPIRACIES. This obsession however, with the so-called conspiracies and grand designs of 'the Bad Guys' in coming to the end of time is worrying. Simply because a large chunk of what is out here in the worldwideweb is rubbish. The internet casts the illusion of knowledge. It builds a façade of information in the absence of real life experience. Like the television, and religion to a big segment of humanity, the cyberworld has become an opium of the masses. A disinformation superhighway, and the car crashes and wrecks are piling up, my friends.

THE HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE. If you want to look for anti-Christian sites, they are all here. If you want to drown in a sea of hate for the Muslims, they are here. If you desire to read about the anti-Israeli sites, you need only press a button. If you want to bask in the glory of your faith, ideology or country – it is all here, splendid in their sanctimonious and arrogant postures. Hate, fear, despair, envy and hubris – all these Horsemen of the Apocalypse, they are all here. And the tragic thing is these websites or Facebook pages all portray themselves as being the saviour. The warner. The superhero that is warning humanity of the impending doom and how the problem is never ever ‘us’ but always ‘them’ and ‘the others’. THE EGO. Things never change. From the year dot, mankind has been troubled by the most cunning and wily adversary. And no, I am not talking about Azazil the Accursed (you can call him Satan or Bezelbub or Iblis or Mephisto). My prying mind is addressing that thing which all of mankind carries in their pocket. Our ego. And I do not wish to talk to your ego. I wish to talk to you. Can you tell the difference?

192. An Egologue II
Ego! These words are not for you.
They are meant for that poor fool
You have bound and trampled
Under your cloven hooves.

THE ENEMY OF ALL. It is through the human ego that the very worst of our nature arises. Ego is the fodder that fuels the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It is from the ego that all our hate, fear, despair, envy and hubris manifests itself – in all things. Each second of the day, each moment of your life is an ego-moment, unless you are rightly guided and have the conviction of your conscience to overcome it. Even in Sufism, even in your highest aspiration to goodness and servanthood to God, whether you are a Hindu priest, a Jewish Rabbi or a Christian Pastor – your ego will seek to misguide you. For a Muslim, especially those dutiful aspirants of the Tariqah order, shelter under the protection of the Master is no guarantee of safety from the ego.

13. Beware
Even the ego
Will love the Shaykh,
But for its own
Selfish reasons.

THE CUNNING OF THE EGO. It is easy for us to grasp upon the big conspiracies to validate our smallness in the face of the vast cosmos. The bigger the Masonic conspiracy, the bigger the Illuminati plans, the bigger our egos grow to meet our so-called enemies. Such is the delicate test which this life has to offer us. Even when we think we are learning, when we are acquiring knowledge, we are in truth only feeding the human ego – whose appetite has no limits. For the Masters of the Tariqah, what is more important? Is it the so-called devious establishment of the New World Order? Or is it about how you brush your teeth or button up your shirt? You will be surprised by the answer.

THE HUMAN CONSCIENCE. The only hope that mankind has rests within them too, it is the human conscience. Just like the ego. But our ego, encouraged by the what’s-in-it-for-me generation and mass consumerism has grown to such proportions that we have become confused where we begin and our egos end. Instead of our ego being submissive to our conscience, it is our conscience that has adapted to fight a guerrilla war against our dominant ego. But thank God – the Conscience is winning. Indeed, the Conscience must win. Otherwise, the future will be black for our children and grandchildren.

157. Dear Man-Ego
You think you are on your own,
You think you will have it all your way.
But your soul, your secret name
That common man call conscience,
Is already planning his next trespass.

So do not be fooled, sunshine. Do not take part in the mass hysteria of despair, crusade and jihad which is being fanned by the extreme religious and economic zealots on one hand, and the mass media on the other hand. It is all lies. It is all a pack of lies.

Today, the Sun is still shining. And I have just sent my son to school. Shortly I will be going to work. And it is my prayer, that I will be guided in all that I do by my conscience. For this is what my Prophet Muhammad is teaching. Religion of the Conscience, of which Love is the Highest Law.
LET THEIR HORSES STARVE. I offer my hand, though it is sinful. I offer my eyes, though it has seen many bad things. I offer my heart though it is unpolished, to you. You must make a difference in this world. You are the hope on which all Creation rests. So do good in the name of Love, God, Beauty, and in the very best etiquette of Servanthood. Even if it is simply brushing your teeth or buttoning up your shirt. Your ego will hate you for being concerned and taking pleasure in such mundane things. And that is the best way to take away the fodder from the black stallions of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Let them starve, I say.

Have a conscionable day, pet.

Pax Taufiqa.

A Guide to America, Obama, the AntiChrist, the End of Time and You

Poor old Devil. He does all the work and the USA gets all the credit. Personally, I do not think that the America is ‘the Great Satan’. I wouldn’t even call her “the Evil Minion’ or ‘Igor’ (as in “Fetch the braaain, Igor!”). It is simply a big country, a rich nation with loads of guns and tanks. But above all, America is a country of ideas, ambitions and dreams. And simply put, it is so big economically and politically, it is still the defining country of the world. A country that good or bad, defines the worldview of a large segment of mankind, regardless of their faith, creed or masonic credentials.

I have bushels of stuff about the Devil. Indeed the very identity of this funny fellow is interesting and deserves attention. The names of Satan, Iblis, Azazil, Lucifer, and Beelzebub are just some of his more common aliases.

So is Obama the AntiChrist? In Christian and Muslim lore, there is some shared perception that the AntiChrist can be depicted as a person. An individual (man, djinn, hybrid?) foretold to do a lot of not-very-nice-things on Earth. Mr. AntiChrist is probably not a guy you would like to have as your neighbour. And clearly, you wouldn’t be happy if he was your President. Well, rest easy. I don’t think Obama is the AntiChrist. I could be wrong of course, but it’s my gut feeling. And as my gut is bigger than average, you can depend on my observations more than average.

According to some Muslims though, the AntiChrist (or Dajjal) may be personified (also) in a system. The much maligned ‘New World Order” rang the warning bells of many conspiracy freaks, not just amongst the Christians, you see, but Muslims too.

For me though, I don’t really care about that. My attention is centred on an enemy far more personal and far more intimate than either a global world government or the current incumbent in the Oval Office. It is myself, and in that context, I recorded a parable (circa 2004) about the AntiChrist, the End of Time and our egos…

97. Do I Look Familiar?
Do you think the anti-Christ shall come garbed in black,
With black crows on his shoulders,
And a robe of black on his back?

No.

He shall descend as a man of God,
Calling himself Christ,
And come to you,
As you,
Offering paradise.

O’ self-indulgent one,
Will you be able resist yourself?

So, my friends. if you seek the enemy, you need not look far. He is there with you. That is why the teachings of ‘mystics’ in all religions require your immediate attention, whatever your faith may be. For in their traditions and wisdom, are ancient lessons that all humanity must learn in order to recognize, appreciate and control our supreme nemesis – our ego and Nafs (roughly translated as our earthly desires – such as our physical and sensual needs).

Hmm? And how is my own battle with my Ego and my Nafs getting on, you ask? Well… *sigh*, its still getting on and going on. Every freakin’ day. So, really, we should thank God for making each day different and always challenging! And what about the AntiChrist? Don't you worry (too much). He will just be another footnote in the Story of God and the Good. Ya Huu!

Pax Taufiqa

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p/p/s Obama pic is courtesy of frontpagemag, the ego t-shirt is courtesy of zazzle.

Post Script 2.11am, Thursday, 14/10/10. It is just too hot to sleep, and my a/c is kaput. So I will share a bit about my earlier googling for Obama and AntiChrist pics for this posting -Basically, I came across a whole world of hate against the dude. Obama with horns, Obama in a turban and a beard, Obama with backdrops of fire (of Hell presumably). Obama as Hitler, Obama as a Fascist, Obama as a Communist, Obama with '666' tattooed on his forehead, Obama captioned as the AntiChrist, Satan's choice and etc. ad infinitum ad nauseum. All these emotional commitment and creative energy being poured into a single crosshair aimed at Obama. If I was the Secret Service, I would increase the protection around POTUS. Who knows what these people would do in the name of their hatred and anger. Come on, by their belief, if they are up against the AntiChrist himself, surely almost any act is justified right? May God save us all from the loonies, they are all the same, from any religion. Amin.

Obama and the Most Audacious Hope of All

The dew on the grass in early morning makes me happy
The puddle of water left by the evening rain leaves me merry
The Sun glimmering behind a veil of green canopy keeps me cheery
And God is most-pleased with those who smile
Whatever the hour
Who have the audacity to be happy
When all life seems sour.

Before Obama, I thought of Audacity. This prose is from the Dam.SunSun.Ana collection circa June 2004. Alas, since then, I didn’t manage to become a Democratic Presidential candidate, got Oprah on the band wagon and became the first black American president in the line of ‘cool’ Presidents like Kennedy and Clinton.

My aim of Audacity was (and still is) ostensibly much lower. To wake up in the morning feeling thankful for a new day and to bury yesterday’s sadness and mischance. That is quite enough audacity for me.

Between me and Obama, I do not know who is luckier. For I am not weighed down by the burdens of Iraq and Afghanistan. I don’t have a crippling national deficit to wrestle and of course, my life and work is not being constantly criticized by right-wing fundamentalist capitalist fruitcakes.

I do not have a nation to lead. I only have my conscience. And on this nice Monday morning, my conscience bids your conscience “a very good morning and have a nice day.” So you see, even my conscience is not very audacious.

But I hope God is indeed pleased with you and with me. Of all hopes, perhaps that is the Most Audacious of All.

Pax Taufica.

(p/s forest pic is from of trailpixie.net, Obamapic is from NYMag.)