My life could be viewed as quiet, unspectacular, even boring, compared to others. I don't socialize much, spend a lot of time alone. I like it that way. People have called me a recluse... but that's only a surface impression. I actually live a full and adventurous inner-life of observation, reflection, and self-exploration. It helps being older – I believe I understand now how it works... I'm not chasing dreams – I let them come to me; I don't seek recognition – I see myself; I don't need to prove myself – I'm perfectly me.
I get up early because it feels like I have the whole world to myself. I enjoy evenings for the stillness and the space to reflect on the day. The human experience is too often a circus of distraction – it makes me dizzy, and I prefer a clear head. That way I can watch the show and really appreciate the work that went into it.
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Funny how priorities shift. Since I got the idea for this video series, I haven't worked on any of my stories (WEIRD KIDS) and I haven't done anything more with Smashwords. But there's plenty of time, and this new project needs a kick-start.
Goals for this month is: 1) to get LUCID up on Smashwords (at least - and the rest will follow). 2)Get at least ten episodes for the video series written, in preparation for recording. 3) get back to writing the short stories for WEIRD KIDS. Also spending time on GAB - such a refreshing change from facebook... lots of interesting alternative information on there. Any way... to give a taster of the video series, here's the text for the first episode... THENEW EARTH - EP. 1 - INTRODUCTION 1) “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future. ― John F. Kennedy ... Hi there, and welcome to this series of video talks called - THE NEW EARTH In this series I'll be covering many of the current issues and topics of our time but I'll be doing it from my own perspective, which I'll explain in a moment. First though, let me tell you what I hope to share and convey with these videos. The world is in enormous turmoil at the moment, and every one of us is trying to keep our heads above water in this swirling river of chaos. And whether we agree or not on the why's and hows of it all, one thing is certain - we're all in this together. And regardless of who's to blame, who's guilty, who's running the show, and regardless of which side of the divide you stand on, it's clear that the world is changing and society is not going to get back to what we used to know as normal. And Whether thats a good thing or not depends on your opinion and point of view and belief system, and I'm not going to debate any of that - instead I'm just going to share my point of view, my opinion, my perspective on this global upheaval, and hopefully present a positive angle, and an inspiring narrative to provide a balance among all the propaganda, all the debate, all the bickering, all the division and frustration and anger and fear and animosity that is a thousand times more toxic than any virus out there. Personally, I've not experienced any profound or detrimental effects from all the events of the last rear and a half - my only discomfort has been having to wear a mask to go shopping. But then I live a pretty secluded lifestyle so it's been easy to adapt. But like everyone, I've witnessed the devastating effects its had on the people I love and care for. And what's worse is that I haven't been able to comfort them as I would like to because they're so wrapped up themselves in the global narrative that they're not open to my way of seeing things. So I've had to play along with their misunderstandings and basically keep my mouth shut, because I'm not prepared to create a rift between us for the sake of my principles. Some have said it would be kinder in the long run to awaken them to the truth, and if I thought they were in any real danger, that's what I would do, but I believe that its not yet necessary, I believe the truth will be revealed to them shortly, and my task then will be to support them as they learn to deal with it. And that goes for everyone who, as yet, is still not fully awakened to the agenda that is currently being carried out under the guise of virusses, vaccines, climate change, economic collapse, racial disharmony, political correctness, wokeness, and pretty much all the rest of the mainstream talking points that we've been told is all our fault. There are hundreds of millions of people around the world who still believe the mainstream narrative and still have trust in their leaders and their tvs and their newspapers and the scientists and experts they are presented with, and have absolutely no idea, no concept even, that there is an agenda taking place. But there are also millions who have awakened, or were already awake, to this agenda and are busy trying to inform the masses despite being cancelled, censured, name-called, vilified and worse... they are warriors in a war that most people don't see. And there are more millions who understand part of the picture and support these warriors and join them on the streets in defiance of tyranny and yet more that sit at home and just want it all to end. And we are all in this together. But there are many many levels to being awake, and everyone has their own time and their own AHA! moment... and in the meantime we just have to keep swimming while the storm-waves are crashing around us and threatening to take us under. So what do you do? How do you find calm amidst the storm? How do you save your own mind amid the propaganda? How do you deal with frustration and anger and fear and hatred and despondency? How do you retain clarity when sanity seems to be disappearing before your eyes? How do you kindle hope amid the distress? How do you find peace within the war? How do you find the light within the darkness? Well, thats what I hope to be able to offer you with these videos. An oasis of peace and reflection and quietude - a bigger-picture perspective - a solid rock to hold onto while you get your breath back - an understanding of who you really are and why whats happening in the world right now is actually a positive thing. And I hope to share a vision of the wonderful new world that is awaiting us when the storm-waters have receded. This is not any new-agy type utopian dream, but a real promise of dimensional ascension. We are living in extraordinary times. We are witnessing the beginning of a new golden age. An age of freedom, prosperity, and harmony like we've never known before. Its something we should not want to miss, and certainly something we should be grateful to be a part of. And that's the key to this perspective... seeing all the positive aspects of our present upheaval, understanding that it was destined to happen, and being happy that its happening in our lifetime so we and our children can enjoy the benefits. And when this change is complete, when this war has been won, we'll look back and realize that what we had before, what we used to call NORMAL, wasn't normal at all, and what we called freedom wasn't freedom, and what we called peace and democracy was actually slavery, and we were being lied to about pretty much everything all along, and by all the same people... You thought you had it good before? You aint seen nothin yet! Just imagine when everyone is awake- and everyone will awaken sooner or later - imagine the unity thats going to create - we've gone through the darkness together and come out into the light... its going to be glorious, and we're going to celebrate like never before - and together, as one world, but a world united in freedom and harmony, not in slavery. Knowing this, and focussing on this, and understanding that its the evolutionary destiny of mankind, makes all this turmoil worthwhile... because you'll be able to see the bigger picture and understand that you actually chose to be here during these times, to be part of this story - and that the story was already written, and that it has, as with all the best stories, a happy ending. So I'm going to leave you for now to ponder over this awhile and prepare yourself for a journey into the light - a journey of the mind, and heart, and soul, and spirit... a journey towards the new earth. ...and I'll see you in the next video. As if it's not enough to be writing novels and a blog - now I've had an idea for a video series - sort of podcast - called THE NEW EARTH, in which I can share my thoughts and beliefs on reality and the current state and events of the world.
It's what I was planning to do anyway on this blog, but the idea to do it on video, as simple voice-over narration with pleasant background images and music, came to me out of nowhere and inspired me. So I've spent the last few days practising with a microphone to get the right atmosphere and get used to talking again and it's getting good. And now I'm busy writing out the texts for my narration. The plan is to get at least ten videos worth recorded and produced as videos before I upload them onto the video platforms - YouTube for one, but I'm more interested in Bitchute, Tumbler and GAB videos... to find an alternative audience that is already awake and open to the topics I intend to discuss. So that's the plan for this month - along with writing more stories and getting my books up on Smashwords. One of the main reasons for doing this video series though is to help build an audience for myself that I can then steer towards my books - turn video watchers into book readers. We'll see how far I come. *This is an old article, published previously in 2016 on my other site: The Multidimensional Perspective. I'm not publishing on that site anymore, though it is still accessible and there's lots of interesting stuff on it, but I thought it would be nice to re-publish all the old stuff now and again, along with new stuff because it's still relevant. Click on the site link on the right to access them all.
FREEWILL - IF YOU WANT IT YOU'VE GOT IT. I've decided I have freewill. Some people would say it's illusion, it's delusion... I don't care. I've decided I have the freedom to believe I have freewill and to act accordingly. I have chosen to make all my decisions under the premise that I have freewill, and I accept the consequences of this choice - for there are always consequences. With this freewill I have chosen to explore my persona, look at every aspect of self, review all my beliefs and values, my emotional and psychological conditioning and habits, and research alternative perspectives on life, reality, humanity, religion, society, custom and culture, health and sickness, authority, history, conventional knowledge, and everything else that plays a role in my experience of "being". And it's all incredibly fascinating! I've come to the conclusion that there is so much we don't know, so much we are not being told, so much we are being told that is deceptive, that I've decided not to trust any information I receive, from any source, as unquestionable fact or truth anymore. I choose to believe what serves me, what empowers me, what liberates me and makes me happy. Yes, I could be deceiving myself too... but at least I'm happy! By doing this I have become free of the restrictive norms and values of my society, free of its expectations and judgements, free of the fears and worries it would load upon me, free of the game it plays with me, and free of any guilt associated therewith. I claim my freedom, I claim my freewill - my right to be my own unique and authentic expression of being, as a child of this earth and this universe - as a flower, a river, the wind, clouds and waves are free to express themselves. To conform to anything less would be using my freewill to surrender my freewill. I do not choose that. Who would? I gave up TV long ago. But now I don't even watch many movies anymore because no movie script gets even close to the plot of what's happening in 'real life' at this moment. It's the greatest show possibly in the history of mankind. Certainly modern times - let's leave out for now the Jesus story and the 'hidden' history of mankind.
So most of the people I know in my daily life are convinced there's a pandemic and the governments of the world are doing their best to save the masses. Trust is a virtue - but unchecked it falls perilously close to naivety and pure stupidity. Once you've been down one rabbit-hole it opens up a whole labyrinth of networked chasms and there's really no escaping, save trying to brainwash yourself back into ignorance. I consider myself 'awake'... but I'm not so naive that I think I know what's really going on. I've been following Q's anons since Trump first became president and it's been a wild ride - I've been hooked, and I want to see how it all turns out. I never watched 'Lost', or 'Game of Thrones', but this show has really got me. I trust in 'The Plan', I understand the tactics of the 'White Hats', and I've heard and been convinced of all the 'Deep State' atrocities. But more and more I'm hearing that many of the bad actors are already arrested, or executed, and what we see playing out around the world is all part of a massive pantomime, filled with clones and deep-fakes and CGI, and all with the sole purpose of waking up the masses. It could be true - I don't know. I know how it would be possible, and why it would be necessary. And I really don't care if it's true or not - I'll find out soon enough. Unlike those still asleep though, I won't be shocked or surprised when the truth is exposed. Bring it all on I say - deep state, one-world-order, blood-drinking sociopathic elite pedophiles, reptilian aliens... I can accept it all. Why? Well... my belief is that all of reality, all realities, all existence, is all a dream anyway - an imagining in the one universal mind that some may call God, and others may call the universal field of consciousness. I've never been very active on social-media - partly to do with the fact that I'm not very 'social' offline. Not that I'm antisocial - don't get the wrong idea - it's just that I really enjoy my own space and time and I'm hesitant to give that up for social get-togethers with people who don't share my particular interests and understandings. I have a small group of people I see regularly, where we make music and discuss deep themes on 'being human'. Apart from that I don't keep contact much with anyone.
I have a profile on Facebook - a couple of hundred 'friends' - ex work colleagues, a few remaining contacts from my life in England, and diverse contacts made online and through various groups I got involved with here in Amsterdam. But I rarely post on FB - it seems most of the 'friends' are left-leaning in their viewpoints and I find their activist comments rather tiring and predictable. Mostly, I use FB to keep up on the activities of my son, and my nephews in England. Also, given the rampant censorship of all the big social-media sites over the last year, I'm pretty reluctant to support such platforms. I still watch a lot of content on YouTube (threw the tv out years ago), though I turn to Bitchute more and more for deeper content, and I have a Twitter link but, again, I'm reluctant to support Jack Dorsey's tyranny. The only reason I keep FB up at the moment is to keep the contact with all those older aquaintances who are still important to me, and to see what happens with the platform (and with my friends) when the big event takes place - disclosure of the deep-state and democrats, election fraud, covid plandemic, and the return of Trump to the Whitehouse... But now I've discovered GAB. An FB type platform with the emphasis on free-speech. And boy... was I ready for this. What a breath of fresh air! I'm going to delight in making new friends and aquaintances there. So, once I'd decided to publish my books directly onto Wattpad, I got to work designing covers. It took about a week to think up the concepts, and it had been a long time since I'd done any graphic work on the computer so it took me a while to get used to the program again (I use Gimp - easier than photoshop and free).
I didn't think of format or size, just formed the basic shape of a book. I was happy with the results, but when I researched Wattpad I found I had to adapt my covers to fit their upload requirements. So... back to work on Gimp. This worked ok, though I lost a little of the edges of one of the images. Not important. Also I had to diminish the images to about a fifth of the size. Which I did, but forgot to save the originals. Stupid, but that's how you learn right? I'd also made double examples, one with my own name and one with Levi Dulce - wasn't yet sure which I was going to go with. Anyway... then I discover Smashwords... and they have a different requirement for size and format of covers. And so I had to adapt them again - this time somewhat more difficult because I had to expand the width. What I ended up doing was clipping the middle and squashing it so the top and bottom would be closer. Luckily, it worked. At least now I know what to do with any new covers... I'm going with my own name, and the Smashwords format. Easier next time. So, look at the examples here, see if you can spot the difference. Just ended a month free from my work - now I'm back to the grind and missing all that wonderful free time to write and post and dream... So now I have to make sure I get to bed earlier so I can get up earlier so I can post my book chapters on Wattpad as scheduled... and I still have to get back in the swing of things so I can get back into writing the stories I'm presently working on. Phew!
Latest thoughts on Smashwords... wondering if it might be a good idea to pay someone to format my manuscripts for me... it's a lot of work. I'll make a decision this weekend. Well, now I've got to head out to my day-job... I set up this blog with the name Levi Dulci - it's an anagram I was going to give one of the characters in one of my stories, but I liked it so much I considered using it myself.
Why? Well... probably like most people I find my own name less 'enticing' on a book cover. It's a mouthful: M. Monaghan, or Michael Monaghan, or Mike Monaghan... doesn't sound like a writer. Now i know a lot of writers use pen-names for various reasons, so I thought it might be fun to do that too. When I was creating my book-covers, I did examples with both names, and the Levi one looked better. Now though I realize it's just not worth it. If you use a pen-name you have to register it legally and I can't be bothered with that. Another reason I was thinking of a pen-name is that there are literally millions of Mike Monaghans in the world. really. I come from Irish roots, and Monaghan is a common name. But there's a custom among the Irish to keep a christian name going through the line of 'first sons'. So Michael would be the name of the grandfather, the father, the son, and so on through generations. Now... My grandfather was a Michael. His oldest son was a Michael. But he died in WWII. So the youngest son, Joseph, my father, took it up and called his oldest son Michael... and that was me. The point is that, as I said, there are millions of Michael Monaghans all over the world. I was afraid I might get lost among them. But I just did a search on Google for 'Mike Monaghan - author'... and surprisingly it brings up only a couple of results - one of them is a musician who does some magazine writing, another is just mentioned in the title of a book. Also, if you type it in images, I'm right there too on the first page. Probably because I illustrated a lot of kids books in Holland and that's made it's mark. So, if I do my marketing and self-promotion well enough, it shouldn't be too difficult to stand out among the millions. Suddenly, I like the idea of using my own name. But I'll stick to Mike and not Michael. I spent most of yesterday reading through the info on the Smashwords site. I'm not through yet. Gonna take me most of the week to get through it all. But you can't rush these things.
So far, besides being more and more pumped up about starting this, I've identified only two main areas that I'm going to have to study deeply: 1) formatting my manuscript(s) correctly for the platform; 2) taking the necessary actions to market and promote my work so they actually get noticed among the hundreds of other books on offer. Now the formatting just requires time and attention - I've got both. Already formatted my first book according to the requirements of agents and publishers - now I've got to undo what I did and start again. Nothing too complicated, and once I've done it for one book, it'll be easier for the second... and so on. The marketing aspect though... Well, that's not my strong point, and something that always deterred me in the past about self-publishing. But the advice on Smashwords is really good, and sets out all the tips and tricks you need for success. And I'm looking forward to it now. But first I gotta get my first book up... and before that I've still got a ton of reading to do. |
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