Howard Falco Interview

Summary:

Full interview, edited for readability

Rick: Welcome to Buddha at the Gas Pump. My name is Rick Archer and my guest this week is Howard Falco. Howard lives down in Scottsdale, Arizona and has an interesting story to tell and has written a book entitled “I Am – The Power of Discovering Who You Really Are”. So we’re going to find out from Howard who we really are, but let’s start by finding out from Howard who he really is.

Howard: Okay, that sounds good. Well basically, my background is I grew up in Chicago. On a family trip out west, I was drawn to the west coast for some reason, maybe the energy of it? and decided that that’s ultimately where I wanted to be. It was also pretty cold in Chicago. So I decided that’s where I wanted to go to college and that’s where I wanted to settle in with my family. So that’s where I ended up going to. And that’s where I got married and ended up having a couple of kids and then ended up writing the book. But the story to eventually the information that all came by, I guess the only way to put it is Amazing Grace, is a little bit different. I didn’t really have a background in spirituality or deep religion, theology. My first experience really questioning all of this came when I was 14 years old. And it was the first time I was taken away from the Chicago city lights. My uncle took me with my cousin and my aunt on a fishing trip out to northern Minnesota. And we were very deep into the woods, less than probably 100 miles from the Canadian border up in the north part of Minnesota. It was about a 10 hour car ride from Chicago. And we got there at about dusk. It was getting dark out. We unpacked the car and everybody was tired from the drive and wanted to go to sleep. I was 14 and I wanted to check out the surroundings. So it was dark out by this time. The first thing I did, we had a cabin that was sitting on the lake was just go straight to the end of the dock that stood out amongst this huge lake. And I just stood there. And I’ll never forget the unbelievable sound of silence that just pierced my being. I’d never experienced that kind of silence before. And I was stunned by it. It was also one of those nights where there wasn’t a breath of wind. The temperature was like indoor temperature. And I was just standing there taking this all in. And then I started to see them. And what I started to see were across the entire lake, I started to see these lights that looked like they were shining up from under the lake. And for a split second, I was confused because I couldn’t understand what all this was across the entire lake. And then I looked up. And like it was yesterday, I can remember this. When I looked up, every bit of breath or oxygen in my lungs just escaped. And I just sat there, pun intended, starry-eyed, looking at this magnificence above me. And I saw it. I saw the Milky Way as it stretched from one end of the night sky to the other. I didn’t know what it was at the time. But something shifted in me in that moment. And a whole bunch of questions about all of this flooded my mind. And it was my goal one day, after seeing that, to hopefully understand what all that meant, how it got there, and what my place was in relationship to it. And then after that, I went back into my life, a normal life. I graduated high school, went to college out at Arizona State University, got a business degree, entered the financial world, fell in love, got married, had two great kids, started to do well in my business. And it was as if all these things were being checked off, check, check, checked. But the one thing that wasn’t coming was this full sense of peace of mind, this full understanding, when I look at the news, of what’s going on in the world and why. So I thought that the idea and the route to happiness was the accumulation of things like we’re sometimes cultured in the United States through media and just our general culture of capitalism. And it’s not that I didn’t enjoy these things, I did. But my journey led me to a place where I needed to understand more. And I was holding on to this last thing, Rick, that I thought, “Okay, it’s got to be millions of dollars, that’ll do it, right?” That’s the answer. And one day what happened was I realized that no amount of money was ever going to replace some of the things that I had in my life. No way. Not my relationships, not my ability to breathe, not my life. It was not going to do one single thing to add to that. And that’s when I got scared. And that was a turning point for me in life because I realized in that instant, when that last excuse was taken away from me of what it is that provides happiness, that I did not have the answers anymore. And that’s when the cry went out, if you will, where I just stopped in one instant in the middle of my house and just threw my hands up and sort of looked up and said, “Okay, I am ready. I want to know the answers to it all. And I don’t care what the cost is because it doesn’t matter. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to go back into life without these answers because I don’t have them anymore.” And it was a very, very intense moment. I sort of asked these questions in my mind, out to the universe, to whatever one’s concept of God is, but I simply and earnestly said, “I’m ready to know.”

Rick: Did you say it out loud just out of curiosity or was it just a silent prayer of sorts?

Howard: You know, thinking back, I think I actually said it out loud, even if I did mumble it under my breath. I may have said it out loud because I remember I was listening to my wife make dinner and my kids were toddlers at the time and they were playing in the family room and I heard them laughing and playing and I was in a hallway adjacent. And I think I actually did say it out loud. I said, “I’m ready. I want to know.”

Rick: And you weren’t an unhappy person, right? I mean, you were a happy guy, but you realized there was something more that you didn’t know or have.

Howard: That’s what was interesting about it. You see so many people that have so many issues that they’re confronting that’s “their reason,” and not taking any empathy away for what they’re going through. These are some tragic things, but that ultimately ends up being the reason. I didn’t have a reason, which made it, I don’t want to say worse, because there’s a certain grace in not having that kind of tragedy before you, but it was as if the reasons were all gone. So it was pretty intense and that’s what led me to my first experience.

Rick: Had you always been a fairly intense, determined person when you set your mind to something? Were you like a pit bull in the pant leg of opportunity, to quote George Bush?

Howard: Yeah, I was intense. I was not particularly tall growing up, played sports and always was a grinder and worked really hard to achieve. I think I always worked really, really hard. When I set my mind to something, I went after it and I was very focused on it. This was a big one, but what was interesting about this, Rick, was that once I asked the question, I let it go. I just went back into life, because there was nothing to do at that point after it was over. I just intensely asked, I let go and I went back into my life. A few weeks later is when the answers started to make their way into my experience, or I became conscious of the answers that were already there. Let’s put it that way. Which is really one of the most exciting and fascinating things and why I was so excited to write the book. I was in a seminar for work in the financial markets and the guy was talking about the nature of dealing with financial markets and the mindset you have to have to be in the most clear place to deal with markets so you can see opportunity and what affects opportunity, what shuts you down from it. Because you’re creating so much of the experience in that arena. As I’m in this seminar with about 20 or 18 people, I’m listening, but I’m not looking at this information as it relates to financial markets. I’m looking at it as it relates to my life and actually my question. In one instant, I realized that this happiness, what I was looking for was this idea of perfection. As I contemplated this more in the middle of the seminar and when I left about the nature of how we perceive things, I realized the power was always within me to determine what any of the stimuli means on the outside. So that was a great sense of relief. But the real thing that did it was I realized that I was searching for an idea of perfection that already is. That already is. Now I don’t mean that from an egotistical, narcissistic idea of perfection. I mean it in the way that things unfold, that I was always doing the very best I could possibly do in every moment. There is no other truth than that, and that is what shot me into this state that I never experienced before, which has been called many things.

Rick: And would you say that is true of everyone?

Howard: Oh yeah, it’s true about everyone and everything.

Rick: Everyone, the criminal, the drug addict, everybody is doing the best they can at that particular moment.

Howard: There is no other truth. There is no other truth. Now what the mind tries to say is, well they could have, would have, or should have done better. But there are no three bigger lies than would have, could have, and should have. There is only what has been done. Now I don’t care what you knew intellectually, what you thought in that moment based on all the reading, teaching stuff. It doesn’t matter. The truth is self-evident always. And the quicker we understand that, the quicker we eliminate the poisonous guilt, shame, and regret of the mind that keeps us from the experience. So this shot me into this state, and when I came off of the state, my first thought was, “What the heck just happened to me?”

Rick: Shot you into what state exactly?

Howard: For a week, I had a smile that wasn’t coming off. I don’t care what it was, I don’t care. It was a state of mind, a feeling in my body, a place that people would pay a lot of money and have tried a lot of different ways to get to, inorganically and organically. But it was just an incredible state. But when I came off it, it wasn’t so much the state I was wondering if people knew about, it was more the understanding. Do people get this? That there’s an answer to happiness. There’s a way that you can understand it and look at it that can shift everything in an instant. The second thing that struck me, which was really exciting to me, was that I had asked a question with this intense earnestness, and my reality delivered me the answer.

Rick: That’s fascinating, actually. And I’ve heard other stories like that too. In fact, this one friend of mine, he put the same intention out there that you did basically. His was like, “Maximum evolution toward enlightenment. I just want it. Pull out all the stops, hold no prisoners, let’s go for it.” And then it’s like he started going through hell, and he talked to a friend of his, and he said, “You should modify it slightly. You should add the phrase ‘with comfort.'”

Howard: That’s excellent. I actually have a really funny story about intention and how specific it has to be. And it relates exactly to that. When I was a kid, I was a big fan of the game of golf itself. I loved it. I watched Nicholas when he was younger, and I really enjoyed it. And one day I said, “God, one day I want to be standing there holding the US Open trophy. That would be just so awesome to win that and hold the US Open trophy.” So about four years ago, a friend of mine invites me out to his place, which happens to be the club where the guy who won the US Open that year had won the US Open, and he kept the trophy in the club’s trophy case. And so we’re the last ones in the clubhouse, and we’re leaving. And I’m looking, and I said, “Is that the actual cup?” And he said, “Yeah, so-and-so leaves it here. He gets to keep it for the year, and he’s left it here at the club because he’s a member.” I said, “Oh my gosh.” So the shoe guy comes up, and he says, “Hey, you want to take a picture with it?” And I said, “Sure.” And I thought he meant stand by the case, give me your phone or your camera, I’ll take a picture with you. He opens the case, takes it out, and hands it to me, and there I am standing there, holding the US Open trophy. I can feel the telekinesis in this thing. So I thought to myself later, “Boy, if I’d only said, ‘After winning the US Open'” But anyway, it’s a funny story.

Rick: It’s a story about Jim Carrey, when he was a young man, he was living in Las Vegas, and he drove up in the mountains, and he was on this mountain road, and he just sat there, and with such intensity, visualized himself receiving a check for $20 million for an acting career. And then later on, of course, the exact same thing happened. There’s that clarity of intention, and also obviously, being able to entertain that intention from a deep enough place that it can actually come to fruition.

Howard: That’s exactly right, and you have to participate. There’s an old saying they use in religion, “You have to pray, but you also have to shuffle your feet.”

Rick: Right!

Howard: So you have to actually follow through with unwavering, unwavering intention to make it happen. So when I realized that reality was here to answer my questions, that was the whole point, was the expansion of awareness, I started firing off questions because I was in such a state of presence, I was judging nothing, still don’t judge anything, and just completely said, “Okay, this is what I want to know, and this is what I want to know.” And I was like a kid in a candy store, “Show me this, show me this, show me that.” And what was happening was, I would ask a question, and a few days later, someone would say something, maybe my kids, my wife, a neighbor, and I would see it. I would see how that answer was connected, because I wasn’t judging what they were saying. I could see the underlying meaning as it related. Even though it wasn’t so up front, I still saw how it was related. And so I’d ask a question, the answer would come in. I’d ask a question, the answer would come in. I’d ask a question, the answer would come in. Well, about four months after the first experience, I’m at work, and I’m sitting there, and all of a sudden, “Wow, that’s really great.” So I’d write that down, and then boom, another one, and then boom, another one. And it was like they were dropping in. And what was happening was, I was getting these great pearls of insight that, once it started, it wouldn’t stop. And before I knew it, it was just pouring.

Rick: Were you ever tempted to try to use it to play the stock market or anything, or did you feel like it couldn’t be used for such a mundane purpose?

Howard: I don’t know if “mundane” is the right purpose, but I think that … This is where it gets … I have to make sure I offer this correctly. When it becomes about the expansion of “I” over the service of “we,” you can get yourself into a pickle with it, and it can backfire. So I had to be … You have to understand, as this happened, and didn’t stop, the overwhelming nature of it, to this day, nothing will get … I will be very vigilant about nothing getting in front of the information and its service. That doesn’t mean you can’t achieve and have things in life and use it for a benefit creatively, personally. But I think there needs to be … you have to be very conscious of how it is being used, because there have been many throughout history who have fallen from grace. So I think there is a certain honor that has to be bestowed, and I think it is important for myself to always keep recognizing that as I go through the process.

Rick: There are all these stories in the Vedic literature where it is taken to a great extreme, where a sage, if he says something, it has got to come true. And then sometimes sages will utter some curse in anger, and then it has got to come true. And they will think, “Oh, I shouldn’t have said that, but it is too late. It has got to happen now because I said it.” There are whole huge scriptures built around that kind of incident.

Howard: Yeah, but that is a misunderstanding of infinite possibility, because the minute that you start to put an idea or a notion of certainty, you can be sure that that will change. Because the whole idea is to offer the notion of change, and the notion of any possibility. So the minute that you try to harness it into one certainty is the minute that the suffering will entail in order to push you towards any possibility. So that has been my experience. So anyways, just to sort of wrap up this story. So this happened, I was overwhelmed, I didn’t know what was going on. I left my office and just sort of had to get out of there. I didn’t know what all this meant, and I ended up just driving and parking at the public library and following my feet, and ended up in the section dedicated to spirituality, religion, philosophy, stuff I hadn’t read a lot about throughout my lifetime, and just pulled a bunch of books that just sort of looked like they meant something. And they happened to be some of the bigger books, whether it was the teachings of Lao Tzu, or Plato, or Socrates, Jung, Freud, Buddha, the Old Testament, the New Testament. And I took this stack and sort of went to the back of the library, just opened up the first one and put my finger down. And what stunned me was that what was a foreign language to me, what I couldn’t understand or interpret before became clear. And it was being validated that something had shifted, some sort of insight had been graced. I sort of lose words when it comes to this point always, because it was a moment of great humility, and I thought, “Okay, what do I do with this?” I spent a couple of years just trying to absorb it all, and really the most important thing, I guess, Rick, was to accept that this experience did happen, because your mind tries to tell you that you’re crazy, or no one’s going to believe you, or it’s not for you, it’s for so-and-so. One of the things that I realized, which really was a tipping point and the whole reason I’m on this journey now, is that I realized in reconciling this, because I asked, “How do I reconcile this wanting to share it, but this fear of taking a platform?” And I didn’t want to go anywhere one step beyond humility, because I realized that’s what graced the door opening, and I was so afraid to move past that. And the answer, and the way it came in in so many words and ways and feelings was, “Howard, you don’t have to worry about it. The information, it’s not for anybody special, it’s for everybody.” So once I knew that, then I was like, “That’s it. I’m going to go write, I’m going to go share this, I’m going to go explain how I interpret it in a modern-day context, and offer this great understanding and power out as much as I can to anybody who’s interested.” So that is the short story of the five- or six-year journey. Or I should say thirty-year, thirty-five-year, because it happened at thirty-five, so thirty-five-year journey.

Rick: So now you’re about forty, forty-one?

Howard: I wish, forty-five.

Rick: Oh, okay. So, that’s interesting. And do you still work in that financial company?

Howard: No, I’ve been over the last few years sort of cutting it down more and more and more. I’ve been speaking and teaching more with the work. And so that’s the path for me right now, is to continue to work and teach and speak in this area.

Rick: I can see your book in Spanish on the shelf behind you, “Yo Soy.”

Howard: Yeah, yeah. It was published in the Spanish world in about nine countries last year. It was just put out, so yeah, that’s been fun.

Rick: Great. So let’s get into some of the stuff that you talk about in the book. Your very first part is “What am I?” And then you go on to define it, so let’s have you talk about that for a bit.

Howard: Sure. I start the book at the most fundamental principle that we all are, which is energy. And the idea is to offer a foundation that because everything is energy, that means we hold all the principles of energy. And because we hold all the principles of energy, that means that we are going to be acting like other energies act. We have a polarity to us that shifts back and forth based on the stimuli that we experience from the world.

Rick: Now hang on a second. There obviously are various different kinds of energy. There is kinetic energy and there is electrical energy, and there is various atomic energies, and so on and so forth. So when you say we are energy, what do you mean by that exactly?

Howard: I mean that we are made up of the exact same thing that everything else in the world is made up of, which is ultimately, when you get down to a certain level, atoms and molecules and protons and neutrons, they are all spinning and responding in a different way based on some intention.

Rick: Some laws of nature, or something you might say. Some principles that govern their functioning.

Howard: But the principles that govern their functioning, there has to be a certain intention.

Rick: Whose intention?

Howard: Well, let’s take something very simple. Why does the rock remain a rock? Why does it stay as it is? I often say to people, if you don’t think a rock has an intention, pick one up and try and break one in half with your hands. You will see where that threshold of tolerance on its intention to be as it is, is. To express itself as it is. Now, it is not as a consciousness as we know it. And sometimes it can be difficult to jump out of our own sense of awareness, “Well, the rock has an awareness.” But it does. The mountain, the planets, the stars, they are all exhibiting an “I am,” is what I call it.

Howard: Yeah, your book got me thinking along those lines a lot. Let’s take the rock. Obviously it is very solid and dense and rigid, and difficult to pull into two pieces or whatever. But if you start going more microscopically into it, then you begin to get to this energy you are talking about. But if you keep going, you get to a point at which it is really unmanifest. There is nothing there at all.

Howard: Yeah, welcome to the modern conundrum called quantum physics.

Rick: Yeah, yeah. And I suppose that is what you would say the same applies to us.

Howard: Yeah, there is no question. And what gets interesting in the first part of the book is that I offer that we are really the ones making matter.

Rick: We in some deep sense. I mean, here is my pen. This was bought at the store. In what sense did I make this?

Howard: You went to the store and you bought it. In that sense, yeah.

Rick: But it was obviously made in some factory, the materials brought from various places.

Howard: Out of consciousness’ intention to have a tool to write with, yes, it manifested. But for your reality and for your universe, your intention to have a tool to write, and your ability to drive or desire to drive to the store, is what actually created it. Now, if you take that tiny analogy of the pen, and you look at every other thing in your life, you will see something very powerful, very powerful. S

Rick: o you are saying that everything in everybody’s life is of their own making? Or are you?

Howard: On some level, yes. Yes, there is a purpose. I am saying there is a perfection for it. There is an intention behind the synchronicity of its connection, of its happening. Two things can’t connect in a coincidence. Two angles that coincide cannot connect without a matching intention.

Rick: Yeah, there is a lot of implications to this, and we want to make sure to present it in a coherent way. Obviously one could bring up all kinds of examples of dire circumstances that you can’t imagine people having chosen. But I think what you are implying is that life isn’t dumb, that there is a sort of a pervasive intelligence that is orchestrating things, and that ultimately we are that intelligence, and therefore everything is of our own making.

Howard: Yes, in so many words, yes. There is an unbelievable divinity to the way everything is unfolding. I often say things don’t happen to you, but they are always happening in some way for you. Now, I have great empathy, respect for anybody that has experienced anything tragic in their life. But the whole ladder out of the suffering comes when you can have a glimpse that there may be something in this for you as it relates to your journey, and the effect you are going to have on everybody’s life that you touch by your being able to walk through this fire. And when you give someone a glimpse, you are giving them the ladder, you are giving them the opportunity to crawl through it. It is when we can’t see meaning that we get stuck, and we have confusion. And when evolution changes, creation slows down to where time feels like an eternity, and suffering becomes greater. But what perfection, the intention of the intensity of the suffering ratcheting up is the beauty of the divine universe nudging us, nudging us, nudging us, to a place where we will finally submit to what is trying to be offered in so many different subtle ways prior to this, based on what? Based on our questioning. So we question, it is why so many millions, it is fascinating to me, so many millions question all over the world, and the answers are all there. And yet, what time really is, this is what gets me really excited, is this, you can see me getting all jazzed up here, is this pace that we are each saying, “This is the cadence, this is where I am comfortable, this is where it is tolerable for me right now to take information in at this level.” But when the questioning intensifies, when we want to know it more and more and more and more, we go through days and weeks, finally it shows up. It finally shows up where it cannot be denied anymore. And my message, what is so hopeful, is a couple of things. Not only is that it can happen in any single moment, any single moment for you, and you don’t have to, there is not a litany of a check-off list where you have to have done this, you have to have done this, you simply have to be ready for the answers and the way it is going to change the way you look at yourself and the world.

Rick: Yeah, although of course there is a certain stability to life, which is valuable, you could call it inertia, like a rock has a lot of inertia, but that we rely on that stability also. If things were completely malleable, the whole universe would be chaotic, so things don’t turn on a dime. And there are certain things that may take years to come into actuality, right?

Howard: Maybe.

Rick: Yeah, I mean let’s say Howard needed brain surgery, and I think, “Hey, that’s cool, I always wanted to be a brain surgeon, let me study up on it this week and he’ll be my first patient next week.” I don’t think you’d go for that, you know, you’d say, “Wait a minute now.”

Howard: Rick, that’s an interesting example, except it’s not applicable to this. And the reason why is, when you’re learning how to manipulate matter in the world, like brain surgery, there is a certain path of awareness, and certain teaching and studying, and cadaver work, and all the stuff you have to do to go through to gain an understanding.

Rick: Yeah.

Howard: With this information, it can turn on a dime. It doesn’t have to, and everybody’s path is different to it. But I don’t want to take that possibility out of the equation. And I just want to make sure that it’s offered that it can turn. And yes, there are many, many different paths. And whether somebody studied for 50 years, 80 years, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that they’re ready in this moment. And if they’re ready in this moment, it’s there. And back to the malleable or the chaos, the mind loves to jump to that as a way to put its foot on the brake, which is okay. That’s just a way to say, “Hey, if I do that, chaos erupts.” It’s just the opposite.

Rick: But give me a specific example of the kind of thing you’re referring to, because I can think of a million things that couldn’t easily be accomplished in my lifetime, no matter how ardently I wanted them. Like the people I’m watching in the Olympics right now, I’m never going to be there in this lifetime, any of those people. So what kind of things are you referring to?

Howard: I’m talking to the expansion of awareness that creates a sense of greater peace, love, compassion with one’s own self, and then allows them to have the vision, allows them to share that more with their world.

Rick: Okay, so you’re not talking about specific achievements or manifestations of physical?

Howard: No, no. I’m not talking about …

Rick: You’re talking about more of a state of consciousness and the accessibility to that.

Howard: Yes, I’m not talking about like in the Matrix, where they put something in the back of your head and say, “Okay, put in a taekwondo level 20,” and the guy becomes a taekwondo master. I mean, who knows? That may be our future. I don’t know what our future is going to be, but I’m talking about the nature of consciousness itself. I’m talking about as it relates to what we’re talking about here.

Rick: Okay, that’s good. I was a little unclear on that. I thought you were maybe talking about accomplishing things and setting goals for yourself.

Howard: State of being.

Rick: Yeah, you’re talking about accessibility to that state of being.

Howard: Yes, it sits before you.

Rick: Good. And there are famous examples of people who were practically suicidal, who had an abrupt turnaround into a very blissful, profound thing, like Eckhart Tolle, for instance. So it’s not like anyone is debarred from that because of the state they seem to be in at the moment.

Howard: No, that’s exactly right. And that’s why one of the points is it doesn’t have to get to a state where you’re suicidal. It doesn’t have to get to a place of intolerance where suffering is so great. It can happen at the moment of your choosing, when you are truly just ready to entertain it. And do not fear the change.

Rick: Yeah. Now here there’s a kind of a debate that goes on in spiritual circles between those who say that you don’t have to engage in years of practice and move progressively toward a state of enlightenment. You can just be enlightened now. And then there are others who say that these people are just talking about an intellectual concept. For the full maturation of enlightenment, there is definitely going to be a progressive development. What would you say to that conundrum?

Howard: It can happen in any way, shape or form. I wouldn’t put a path on it. The only comment I do have on it is that I think one of the many ways that people have been confused on this path is even using the “E” word. Because what happens is you search for an experience. And when you search for the experience, the road becomes longer. Because what’s happening is you are attaching yourself to the idea, not unlike what they did in the 60s when they experienced this, where you get the experience. But my experience has taught me that search for the wisdom. And the by-product of the wisdom, your allowing in the wisdom, will be the experience. But you can’t even think about the experience, so the advice that I would offer to anybody on this path is look for the wisdom. Really look to contemplate of mind what’s being presented to you at any given moment, because that’s where it always is.

Rick: Okay. And in your own case of course, the floodgates opened and you just became inundated with wisdom. And every single question you asked, something came to you. And you weren’t asking … I mean, all you really did it seems, was you had that little epiphany in the hallway in your home, where you said, “I want it, let me know what it’s all about.” And then something happened. Do you think anybody can do that? Or were you somehow …

Howard: I have to be careful in how you just expressed that, because you said all you really did was have this sort of asking in the hallway. That is really putting it lightly. It wasn’t all I really did. It was …

Rick: It was intense.

Howard: Listen, there was an abyss I was staring into. The abyss was, “I don’t know. I don’t know anymore. Show me.” And it was intense, it was very intense, and then the second part was really letting it go. Now, ultimately what happened was, the door swung so wide open because there was no more fear anymore about, and no more judgment of my own self. Here’s really the path, and a big part of what’s in the book. When you get to a state where you’re no longer judging yourself, that’s the only way you’re no longer going to judge your world. You have to, you can only offer as much love to the world as you offer to your own self. When you do that, you open yourself up to the greatest state to be able to experience information, and what it means directly as it relates to your questions. So, what happened was that the time between question and answer was collapsing, until it completely collapsed. And the information that was coming in, was coming in at that point before I felt I’d even asked the question in many cases. Which was, you know, it still is to this day. Words, they stop. They stop when I talk about this, or think about it. But that grace is available to everyone in every moment, but it has to start from a place of self-understanding. That’s why “Know Thyself” is such a huge statement. And that’s why the book is titled the way it is, because it has to start from that understanding, from that place. Because when you understand yourself, that is when you can understand, truly love and understand your world.

Rick: Okay, and so I’m always interested in the practical question of “how?”. Everyone listening to this is going to hear what you’re saying and say, “Sounds great, how do I do it?”

Howard: You’re doing it right now.

Rick: Just by putting your attention in this direction?

Howard: Everything you’re doing is leading towards it. Every single thing that you’re doing. And the intensity is ratcheting up. And for those that are listening, by clicking on and just listening, and I’m not talking about it because it’s me or my context in the way I’m delivering this material out into the world. It could be anybody. But the point is your intention is focused on it, or you wouldn’t be listening to these words. And here’s the beauty, here’s the sacredness in this moment, is that you are always heard. You are always heard by the universe, because it is a self-loving, self-supporting universe. And so here’s the shape and the form that you’re being responded to now in. This up front, this personal. Sometimes it’s when you say, “I want to be clean,” and you’ve got water running on you and you’re taking a shower, or you’re hungry and you’re at the local fast food place. Whatever it is, this just happens to be more pointed in a certain direction of intention that you have, or anybody listening has, for information. And so that’s the sacredness of this experience. So the how is always in whatever you’re doing at the moment, wherever you’re at.

Rick: So you’re saying that that to which you give your attention grows stronger in your life, and the very fact that someone is listening to this interview means that they’re putting their attention in the direction of knowing themselves and unfolding fuller potential in that way, and so they’re on the right track? And it can be ramped up the more you …

Howard: It can be ramped up, it can be slowed down. I got goosebumps on that. This has happened over the last eight years, and what’s cool about it is it’s like a little litmus test for words, as they’re tapped into greater truth, or whatever you want to call it, greater consciousness. But yeah, they can put their foot on the brake, on the gas. There’s no obligation. None. No obligation. Everybody’s right where they’re supposed to be. There’s a beauty in just accepting that, that you’re right where you’re supposed to be, exactly, perfectly.

Rick: Yeah, that’s a good thing to understand and to accept. I’ve had times in my life where I was struggling against where I was, and over time have learned to just realize that this is perfect, and this is exactly where I’m supposed to be, and this is exactly what I need. There’s a lot of verses in the Indian literature about being in your dharma, and not coveting the dharma of another.

Howard: Yeah, that’s exactly right. And for the moment, you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. Now, don’t get this wrong. It doesn’t mean that in the next moment, that that can’t change dramatically, and it can’t ramp up faster, or you can’t experience something even greater. But for this moment, this is exactly where you need to be, exactly where you’re supposed to be. But again, it doesn’t mean it can’t change. It doesn’t mean that you don’t want the situation to change. Oftentimes, when people are struggling with some very tough situations in life, the ego wants to jump in and protect the beliefs and where you’re at, and say, “No, I can’t accept this, because if I do, that means I’m accepting the situation.” What’s ironic is it’s just the opposite. By the acceptance of it, you are liberating yourself from it, because that’s what it’s begging you to do, is accept that this is. Once you do, that’s when the healing starts to happen.

Rick: Yeah, there’s a lot in your book about people being at odds with the reality. And you can elaborate this better than I. Maybe we can get into that a little bit. There’s all these “I am” statements, “I am such and such,” and all that.

Howard: Well, yeah, the idea behind the “I am” statement, and this is really the core of the book, is that your reality is driven ultimately from that true identity. Not who you think you are, but really where you are, whatever is going on in your life at any moment, is the expression of “I am” in many different ways, shapes, and forms, that have been created from your nature, from your nurturing. It’s been passed through DNA, and it’s also part of the way that you’ve been nurtured, a big part of the way you’ve been nurtured. And this forms these beliefs that you have, and then these beliefs then seek to be experienced in the world. Now, my experience has led me to the idea, to the truth, that mind must become matter, thought must become reality, “I” must become “am.” So these beliefs need to be validated. The bridge to their validation is the ego, your best friend, in my experience. It is there to serve you. It’s there to protect, defend, create, do whatever it can to make sure that those beliefs ring true, and are validated. When you’re in threat, the ego goes into high alert mode, and starts to try and manipulate matter, or your mind, or the way you perceive things, or your shape of reality, or other people, in order to make sure that that belief is protected, until it finally releases the belief to something new. And that’s transformation, that’s change.

Rick: So let’s take a concrete example or two, whatever ones come to your mind.

Howard: OK. Let’s say, “I’m not worthy of this position in my company, even though I’ve worked my butt off, and that’s the next logical rise for me. I don’t feel that that’s, in my mind, where my identity and who I am is. I believe I’m only this worthy of it, because I was told this many things from my parents or friends or whatever, and so I’m just going to stay right here. But why am I staying here? Why can’t I make more? Well, the job’s sitting right there. It’s not that you’re going to get it from walking in there and presenting yourself, but that’s who you are, and that’s what you want. Because that’s the only difference between you and the other guy who’s getting it. If you guys are equal in your work efforts, same thing in a relationship.

Rick: Then of course there’s the Peter Principle of rising to the level of your incompetence. Have you heard that? Remember that book?

Howard: Yeah, that’s exactly right. You match it perfectly.

Rick: So there might be some certain amount of humility or acceptance of one’s limitations or true capabilities that is a good thing.

Howard: Yeah, there’s an acceptance, but the truth is in your state of mind.

Rick: Yeah. Like I would be a lousy President of the United States. I don’t have the skill set, so if somebody put me in that position …

Howard: Do you have the desire though?

Rick: No.

Howard: Okay, well then it’s irrelevant. It doesn’t matter.

Rick: But some people have that desire who certainly don’t have the capability. We’ve seen a number of those recently.

Howard: Yeah, well, again, that’s from your perspective. And I’m not saying you’re right or wrong about it. I’m just saying that from theirs, that’s their journey. One thing you don’t ever have to worry about is, again, because of the nature of the unfolding of perfection, justice or circumstance, it all takes care of itself. You don’t have to worry about it. But if you trust it, wow, wow, it gets powerful, really powerful. And you become more powerful in relation to what you ultimately intend because you’re trusting it, not resisting it. Very powerful.

Howard: Okay, good. So getting back to practical, effective methods of bringing everything you’re saying to fruition, you’re saying, number one, intention; number two, not being duped by self-limiting beliefs which aren’t necessarily true, right?

Howard: Right. Well, if you’re asking, Rick, what the path is to creation for your own self?

Rick: Well, I guess there’s two elements here. There’s knowing who you are, which you, I think, rightly put as the foundation of all this, and then there’s being able to materialize or actualize things.

Howard: Right. And that path, what happens is, by the set of your intention, whatever you’re looking to do, be, create in the world, on your particular personal journey, you’ll be confronted through self-awareness because ultimately you’ll bump into a limitation at some point. And that’s when the work really comes in. That’s when the reflection, the self-awareness, the “Who am I?” the “What am I creating?” has that. And the key is identifying the thought that is limiting you. Once you can identify the thought, now you’ve got a real chance. But when you keep yourself deluded to who you have been that has created everything up to this moment out of fear, out of the idea of regret, or some other false idea, then you can’t see it. But once you realize the nature of your perfection, then you’re willing to look at it. Then you’re not ashamed of it, you’re just saying, “Okay, I’ve done the best, now let me see if this still serves me in this moment.” Does it? Maybe not. Okay, what is something I can step into? What is a new identity I can step into? A new “I am” of who I am?

Rick: So in your case, was there a certain amount of fear involved in phasing out of your secure financial services career?

Howard: Oh yeah.

Rick: And becoming a spiritual teacher, or whatever you call yourself? That must have been a little bit of a scary transition.

Howard: Yes. That is when I saw where my real fears ended up becoming. It’s interesting, you know, I grew up in a rocky financial childhood. Two wonderful parents, but it was rocky, and it’s not by happenstance that I ended up in the financial business, you know, to try and overcome that fear. So here I am, faced again with it, you know, walking through it. But that’s my journey and my path, but I have so much faith in moving forward in the ability to create that I’m doing whatever is necessary. Now, it doesn’t mean there’s not going to be bumps in the road, and different ups and downs, and I’ll face those as they come. But yes, at each level, you’re going to see what you need to step through, and where it is. And a little hint I’ll give anyone is that if it feels uncomfortable, it generates a sense of fear, you’re on the right path. You’re on the right path. And if you can push hard enough and long enough, you’ll be able to stick that flag in the top of the mountain. But, you know, the higher you try and climb, it’s why very few get to the top, as far as for mountain climbing, because they’ve got to withstand a lot of fears. They’ve got to break through mental barriers and limitations in order to achieve that. We’re seeing that in the Olympics right now. So it’s important to know that the place of uncomfortableness is a signal that you really are in a place of transformation and change.

Rick: Okay, so what next? You have this whole beautiful book with a lot of things. What should we talk about next?

Howard: We talked about the ego.

Rick: So you’re not obviously of the ilk that says the ego should be eliminated, or there is no one there, there’s no personal self, and so on and so forth. It’s not your experience.

Howard: It’s not my experience. Look, I understand that teaching. I respect it, but it hasn’t been my experience. The only thing that is real is this moment, and here I am. And to deny that, I think, is really a very, very subtle and sneaky way for the ego to protect itself from responsibility, or acceptance, I should say. Maybe not even responsibility, it even sounds like a burden, because it’s not. It’s just the acceptance that this is where you’re at in the state of the unfolding of consciousness. And the quicker you realize it, that’s when real empowerment comes in, because you’re not denying anymore. And that’s why the ego… any type of teaching that involves some sort of resistance, I think you’ve got to raise your flag just a little bit to say, “Okay, what am I resisting?” Because if everything is perfect and there’s a divinity to everything, then maybe there’s another way to look at this. And that’s why I discovered the ego is here to serve us. So there’s no more fight with it.

Rick: Yeah, it’s like a faculty, like our eyes, or our mind, or our intellect, or all those different things, it’s a faculty.

Howard: Exactly. But the difference with this faculty of the ego is once you become a witness to it, you get to peer into what you believe is true.

Rick: Well that’s an interesting question. I had another one in the back of my mind I wanted to ask you, but maybe I can ask both somehow. What do you mean by “become a witness to it”?

Howard: Become a witness to your own behavior. When you’re around somebody, how do you feel? Why do you get angry? Why do you get upset? Why do you get joyful? When the thought of doing one thing, you run to it, and the thought of doing another, you hold back and you resist, even though you know that path is what you need to do in order to get to what you say you wanted. So you’re just sort of becoming a witness to where your ego is holding you back, because it’s protecting something. It’s protecting something. And oftentimes the belief it’s protecting is the limit.

Rick: So you’re saying that most people do what they do without much self-reflection, without much self-scrutiny, they just sort of behave this way, that, and that way. But becoming a witness means shining a mirror back on yourself a little bit and beginning to try to determine why you’re reacting and behaving the way you do.

Howard: Yes, yes, very well said. That’s truly what all the buzzwords, “awakening,” “waking up,” “becoming more conscious,” “becoming a conscious creator,” it’s about finally turning the eye on yourself to see how this is all unfolded. And it’s interesting that we’re at a time in humanity when the eye is turned on us, whether it’s the camera in everybody’s hand, whether it’s the microscope of reality TV that’s trying to put us in every lab experiment possible. I mean we are really as a consciousness at a stage and a phase where we are really turning the eye on ourself. Obviously the synchronicity of the title of the book, it’s interesting to look at it that way.

Rick: Maharishi used to talk a lot about self-referral consciousness versus object-referral consciousness, and how, you know, emphasizing the value of self-referral.

Howard: Well, since all object is an expression of the ultimate way you view your own self, ultimately how it’s all come together, very accurate.

Rick: Another question I wanted to ask you, and forgive me if I’m sidetracking you because we’re taking this kind of a route. But do you regard or perceive yourself as being somewhat multi-dimensional? You know, we were referring to the rock earlier and how the rock on its obvious level is this hard, rigid thing, but then from the standpoint of physics we go deeper and we see that it’s not hard or rigid at all. And we speak of the ego and the personality and the individuality and all this stuff. Do you regard yourself as having all those things as much as anybody else does, but being open to deeper dimensions in your experience, even to the point where there’s a level which is not personal, which is not individual, which is not bound by space and time in any way?

Howard: Yes, based on my perception of the world. When I’m not in the day-to-day operation of my life, when I can sit, meditate, or just relax, that experience becomes more malleable, more real.

Rick: But isn’t there always a flavor or an undercurrent of it, even when you’re driving through Scottsdale or doing busy things, jogging or whatever you do, there’s some level of that that’s still lively?

Howard: I think that’s beautifully said, and I think that’s what I would refer to as walking meditation, where basically you’re in the process of life and being able to see the perfection of divinity and the timelessness of what’s happening. And that’s it, that’s the state, because that’s the grace, that’s that infinite space where you know that no matter what, it’s a space of no fear, it’s a space of there’s nothing to worry about, ever. That’s that place of how incredibly loved you are, and how important you are as the observer of the world. So yeah, that’s the intention every day, to be in that presence through it as much as possible.

Rick: Yeah, and it grows over time.

Howard: Yes.

Rick: You seem like a very inspired person, not only because of all this intuitive knowledge that has been flooding you, but just moment to moment as I talk to you, I can sort of sense this thrill of life that almost brings you to tears every few minutes, this kind of lively inspiration that animates you. Would that be a fair description?

Howard: Yeah, I do feel that. I’m humbled and graced beyond belief, and I’m very excited to be able to offer this. And nothing is more fulfilling than seeing it transferred, and seeing somebody else get a piece or even a larger part of it, and hopefully even larger than I have someday, where they can go out and light millions of candles. I mean that’s the whole point, that’s the ripple. And I’m honored, I feel humbled and graced, and so I guess that’s what’s coming out of me, in the space of being able to share it.

Rick: I’d say that’s why it was given to you, and by making use of that gift, you’re giving it even in greater abundance.

Howard: Wow, thank you.

Rick: I think Jesus had said things along those lines, which I don’t know if I can quite quote at the moment, but it’s like you could take the example of throwing a bunch of corn in the mud. Why would you do that? Well, you’re going to get a lot more corn that way. So the more you give, the more you receive.

Howard: Right, right, and that’s exactly right. But the whole paradox in that is that once you release yourself from any care of the receiving, and it becomes purely authentic, wow, wow!

Rick: Because if you’re doing it just to receive, then you’re not really giving.

Howard: You can’t fool the universe, there they go again. You can’t fool the universe, you just can’t. It’s what’s so interesting and so beautiful again about it.

Rick: Like that old commercial, “It’s not nice to fool mother nature.”

Howard: Right, well there’s karma, you know, there’s a karma to it. And the karma is the understanding you’re going to have to go through, however way, shape, or form it gets to you.

Rick: Yeah, I’ve kind of taken you on a little bit of a diversion, but let’s get back to your book a bit and carry on with us with some of the points that you’ve brought out in it that you consider important that we haven’t covered yet.

Howard: Sure, so in the first part it’s, “What am I?” Which is your energy of matter, you create matter, you decide what matters. So you’re taking the stimuli from your environment and you’re shaping it in a way that serves you, and whether that can be negative or positively. And then how you view the universe and how you define yourself really comes from the nature and nurture, and then that’s what the ego is taking its cue from. What this ultimately leads to is a certain energy output or cadence or state of mind. And that is how you resonate with the world, and that’s how you send information out and energy out, and that’s how people respond to you. And then they tune to you in order to serve you based on who you said, “This is who I am.”

Rick: So you’re saying that we kind of create the state of mind that we generally have through all the things we’ve said and done over time, and that’s kind of brought us to where we are now in terms of our state of mind?

Howard: State of mind, moment by moment, is based on how in harmony or in conflict your thoughts are with reality.

Rick: Right, okay.

Howard: Some people have learned that their identity is that I’m always in negative conflict with reality, so their state of mind is generally negative, which is their normal. Some people more are at peace, which we refer to as “older souls.” They’re generally in a state of peace and flow. And then there’s others that are on both ends of the spectrum, really joyful and high all the time, of mind. And then there’s those that are fluctuating all over the place. So that’s your state of mind. Now what this leads to next in the book is the emotional system.

Rick: Right.

Howard: What’s interesting here is that Mother Nature has designed the emotional system to help us get back to balance, to help us eject the overload of positive or negative. So when we get too joyful, we scream, we shout, we cry, any of those emotions. And ironically, it’s the same exact emotions on the negative side. When we get too negative, we scream, we shout, we cry. So it’s both a way to eject that overabundance of energy that puts us in a state where we’re not able to survive in life, because we lose clarity when we’re out of balance. So that’s emotions.

Rick: So you’re saying that all emotions, positive or negative, are like venting processes which are designed to bring us back to a stasis or equanimity?

Howard: Tolerable. Whatever we decide is tolerable. So even if we go to a negative level 10, that’s intolerable. If we’re used to negative 5, we’ll eject enough through the emotional system to bring us back to where we’re back in tolerable range again. Same thing on the positive side. What’s important to recognize, really, there’s some deeper stuff about the emotions in the book, but for this conversation, what’s important to recognize is the loss of clarity, the loss of objectivity at pinnacle states. We shut down on possibility when we go too high positively. That’s why the guy on a hot streak in the casino doesn’t leave. He thinks he’s going to make his living, you know, and ultimately, but he’s got to serve his higher truth and has to give it back. But same thing on the negative side. We don’t believe we’re going to survive if x-y happens. And the idea is once we have a good cry, once we’re able to eject that extra energy, we get back to more of a place of clarity on, “Maybe I will be able to get through this and survive.”

Rick: So you’re saying that in terms of, many people have a status quo or a baseline that is maybe positive or negative and they’ve become acclimated to it?

Howard: Yes.

Rick: They’ve gotten kind of stabilized in that state.

Howard: It’s their “I am.” It confirms their “I am’s.”

Rick: And would it be ideal if one were in a completely neutral state, or is it preferable to be stabilized in a more positive thing, or is that unnatural? Does that have to eventually swing to the center of the pendulum again?

Howard: It’s based on intention. If you’re tired of the negative state, if you’re tired of the way it’s been, then yes, it would be best to learn, “How do I get into more of a resting state with my consciousness where I’m more at balance?” rather than thoughts that generate a negative state of mind. And are those thoughts real, true? That’s when the questioning process happens. But it comes out of intention, when really we get tired or we just realize that there’s another way we can do it.

Rick: Okay. So then you have a chapter here, “Why you have need and addiction.”

Howard: Right. When the emotional system doesn’t do the job, we need a path. And when we find one that works, we’re very unlikely to let it go. That’s what addiction is.

Rick: Well it doesn’t really work, but it seems to work, we think.

Howard: Temporarily, yeah. That’s what gives us the idea that it works, but it’s temporary. And on top of being temporary, it’s got karmic damage to relationships, money, our bodies, our state of mind, what we do to get the path of the addiction becomes at any cost. So there’s quite a bit of damage that can happen. And again, that’s the universe knocking on our door saying, “There’s more. There’s more here to understand.”

Rick: Well it seems to me this comes back to what we were talking about before in terms of self-referral versus object referral. Getting addicted to things usually means we haven’t really located the fulfillment that’s right within us, and so therefore we’re trying to find it through certain objects or through certain chemical stimuli or whatever, instead of just settling into the natural state that’s actually already there.

Howard: Right, and the fulfillment I would just describe as the state of mind. We can’t get to the state of mind that we’re looking at, or the one that we’re in is simply intolerable. I cannot go another minute without a cigarette, a drink, gambling, shopping, sex, whatever it is, that’s become our path to help us out of the negative state of mind. And it becomes a stretch of time for us to the real understanding, but that’s the path until we learn something new, until we draw in some new information.

Rick: Yeah, it almost seems like, I guess this kind of thing is becoming more commonplace, but it does still seem pretty rare that the percentage of people in the world who recognize that … I mean it’s kind of a cliché or a platitude, but the percentage of people who genuinely recognize that fulfillment is independent of any external circumstances or acquisitions or experiences, that it’s innate and that it can just be enjoyed regardless of what we may or may not have or be doing.

Howard: Yeah, and look, the other thing that I’ve sort of seen a little bit of contradiction with. This idea of just being is great, and when you can understand that there’s a perfection you can just be. But there’s also a truth that our nature is creation. And the nature of the only constant being change in the universe, the constant expansion of infinite possibility in the universe, nudges us to sort of change and create with it. So there’s a reason we have that nudge all the time to create and to express. It’s because we’re trying to stay in this symbiosis, this connection with the universe which is doing the same thing, and that’s the urge, that’s the nature of creativity and creation. So being is great at times, but it’s okay if you feel like you need to be doing something. And the more you can understand the perfection, the easier that process ultimately becomes.

Rick: Yeah, doing and being. Frank Sinatra had it down, you know, “Do, be, do, be, do.”

Howard: That’s great. Perfect, well said.

Rick: Andrew Cohen gives these retreats which he calls “Being and Becoming” retreats, and the first part of them he takes people deep into being, just being, and he says that in the midst of that he sort of feels like, “How am I even going to teach the second half of this retreat? The being is just so gratifying in and of itself, you know? Who cares about becoming?” But then they get into the becoming phase, and he’s a big one on this whole idea of we being instruments of the creativity which is governing the whole universe and which gave rise to it, and that there’s an evolutionary purpose which drives us and which we can kind of come into the service of more and more if we are willing participants.

Howard: Well, right, and the path is through love of oneself.

Rick: In the highest sense.

Howard: In the highest sense.

Rick: Right, which of course means love of everyone. Because if you really have love of oneself in the highest sense you see yourself everywhere.

Howard: They’re all here for you.

Rick: Right, they all are you.

Howard: They’re all here to help you. Without them there’s no relativity, so they’re giving space relativity, and relativity creates time, so they’re giving you life.

Rick: Okay, good. Do you feel you’ve done justice to Part 3? There’s a couple more chapters here, “Why you have yet to experience the reality you desire” and “Why you have resistance and fear change.” Do you want to touch on those?

Howard: Yeah, sure. Both of those are related to the script that you’ve been running on, the “I am’s,” the “I am’s,” and that’s why your reality stays the way it is. Until those change, nothing in your outer reality will change, and the fear and the resistance are tools of protection by an ego that realizes that a new belief is being born, but yet it still has its ultimate instructions from you to hold on to the previous ones. So there’s this battle going on between what’s becoming and what already is, and the fear of annihilation, because if I annihilate a belief, that’s really annihilating who I am. Therefore I don’t want to let go, because I know I’ve survived in this circumstance. No matter how bad it’s been, I’ve survived, but what would it be to experience joy, or not having this pathway to get my state of mind better, or I don’t know what that is yet, so there’s a hesitation, there’s a fear. Those are really talked about at length in both of those chapters.

Rick: Yeah, the Indian scriptures have this thing of sattva, rajas and tamas, that there’s an inertial force, tamas, and then there’s a rajasic one, which is agitation, change, activity, and then there’s sattva, which is more purity and light, and so on. And they say nothing is devoid of all three of these, that there’s a value in each of them. I mean, if we had just all change without any inertia, again, we’d have chaos, there’d be no stability. So, obviously, even in human societies we have progressive political parties and conservative political parties, and they are at odds with each other, but each actually has its role in the bigger picture.

Howard: That’s absolutely right, and the greatest power you have to ultimately see what you want to unfold stems from right where you’re at, and your ability to express your acceptance and your love of what is to the people around you, because that’s going to have the biggest impact on them, and that’s really how things change and how the ripple happens.

Rick: Let me read the next chapters of your book as a paragraph. You say, “Who you can be is based on your awareness of you, your desire to ask questions, your will to accept answers, your power to make new choices of being, your faith to take action, and your love of you.” So it all sounds very volitional, that it sounds like you’re saying people really have it in their own hands to be what they wish to become, and you’re offering a formula here for making it so.

Howard: Yeah, I would say that that’s accurate. I think the key really is to stand in truth between the difference between where you’re at and what you say you desire to create, and not to be under any illusion of what that path is within the systems that are in place in your world right now, and how to move through those systems. Because if there is ignorance, it’s going to stretch time for you. So I think you need to, as long as you’re in the greatest state of awareness with that, you’re on your way. If not, then the awareness needs to come in first. But once you can do that, then it’s about going out and stepping into that version and demonstrating it through your actions, and then having faith in the ultimate creative process of life. It’s like the farmer planting the seed. Once he’s given it the water and the sunlight and the fertile soil, it’s all up to faith at that point.

Rick: It’s out of his hands, yeah. There’s a verse in the Gita, “You have control over action alone, never over its fruits.” So you live not for the fruits of action, basically just do what needs to be done.

Howard: That’s exactly right. And it’s interesting though, in the seed analogy, the fruits are based on the nurturing. So there has to be some conscious awareness of how intent you are upon bearing the greatest fruit. In other words, again, you can’t fool the universe. Your intention ultimately shows up in what becomes. So you have to be aware of how you’re nurturing it. Otherwise you don’t want your tree ending up like the Peanuts Gallery Christmas tree.

Rick: I don’t have kids, I don’t remember what that was.

Howard: Oh, okay. It wasn’t a very healthy looking tree.

Rick: Okay. I would imagine you’d agree that with each of these points that you just outlined in this chapter, nobody has it perfect. I mean, there can always be greater degrees of achievement of each of these things, right? Self-awareness, the desire to ask questions, the will to accept the answers. I mean, it’s a work in progress, right?

Howard: I would say everybody has it perfect.

Rick: Yeah, I see what you mean, but it can get perfecter. In other words, on the foundation of what you’ve got now, you can move in the direction of greater willingness to accept answers, greater acceptance of your power to make choices, greater faith to take action, and so on.

Howard: But that isn’t any less perfect. It’s just based on the speed at which you’re willing to accept awareness, and how intent you are upon looking for change and a shift in consciousness, but not any less perfect.

Rick: Yeah, I think that’s an important point. Thanks for …

Howard: Sure.

Rick: It’s a subtle point, I think, but I think it’s one that maybe it would be worth us to dwell on just for a minute. I think there’s a lot of people who haven’t really accepted the idea that this now is perfect, and then on this foundation, I’ll continue. They’re kind of grumbling about the way their life is right now, and maybe you could elaborate for us a bit why you feel that might handicap people, that kind of attitude.

Howard: Yeah, well, by not accepting what is, you’re not accepting the truth of the conditions that have created what is. And if you don’t know how you got there, or you’re under an illusion of how you got to where you’re at, you’re only going to create another illusion on top of that thinking you’re going to get somewhere else. The greatest empowerment comes from the full acceptance and understanding of the conditions that have come together to bring you where you’re at, without any guilt, shame, or regret, just understanding you’re right where you’re supposed to be. But upon that realization, and upon that beautiful acceptance, there’s a great empowerment and a clarity on how I get to where I want to go, that couldn’t be seen before because you were blocking the truth, because of fear.

Rick: I say, “All is well and wisely put.” So you’re saying that if a person is lamenting their situation, “Oh, woe is me, yada, yada,” that they’re actually maybe even perpetuating that undesirable situation, not giving themselves the opportunity to move beyond it, or to improve it, or whatever?

Howard: By design, they’re living the story. And they’re right, that’s free will. But when they’ve had enough, they’ll look at a different way of doing things. I think there’s a quote I have in the book from a guy I met once, who said, “There I was, 50 years old, out of a job, broke, and living on my friend’s couch, all because I was still trying to do it my way.” And the idea that was offered in that statement was really that I still thought I had it all figured out, and I didn’t want to listen to any other information that was coming my way about what might change it. And once I did open up, once I was willing to look at it, that’s when I was liberated. But again, there’s a design to it, based on fear and based on the willing to tolerate a situation, until there isn’t anymore, until that threshold is crossed.

Rick: So what you’re saying is that if a person feels like they, in and of themselves, are completely adequate to take care of life, then there’s no acceptance or openness to a higher intelligence, there’s no recourse to a much greater power which might come to their assistance. Like this guy sleeping on his friend’s couch, he said, “I felt like I could do it my way.” And there’s no looking to some deeper source or greater possibility, which might flood into one’s life and improve the situation.

Howard: Well, that reminds me of the story that’s been used many, many times of the guy who’s drowning. And the guy comes by with a boat and he says, “No, God will save me.” And the guy comes by with a helicopter and he says, “No, it’s okay, God will save me.” And the guy comes by with an airplane and he says, “God will save me.” And the guy ends up drowning and he’s in heaven and he goes to God and he says, “I don’t understand. I believed in you, why didn’t you save me?” And God says, “Well, what do you want? I sent you a boat, a helicopter, and a plane.” And that’s the point here. The point is that the divinity is all around you. And just because you’re resisting, it doesn’t mean it isn’t being offered. The question is, do you have discernment? Can you see what’s really information that’s going to serve you when you’re ready? Or can you see what’s there to keep you down, to keep you in your story?

Rick: Yeah, are you closing yourself off to it or are you tapping into it, enabling yourself to take advantage of it, so to speak?

Howard: That’s exactly right, that’s exactly right. And again, when you have these beliefs and you’re fearful of … Look, many people have suffered greatly in their life, and because of that, the story of suffering becomes the only thing they have that demonstrates who they are. When they hold on to that, then the fact of changing that becomes, as crazy as it seems, it becomes resisted. “Don’t take this away from me, I’ve had trouble just holding on to this.” So it really takes a leap of faith and a real tremendous amount of suffering for them to finally say, “Well, I can’t do this either. I might as well open.” And that’s the moment of grace, that’s the dark night of the soul, that’s the release finally. But here’s the great news, is that the universe is always here for you. Always. You’re always heard, it’s always here. It’s not a matter of if, but only a matter of when. When you’re ready, when you’re ready to experience the next movement in awareness. And what that means relates to how you’re going to identify who you are. And when you realize that your survival is never in doubt, that could grease the wheel. That could really grease the wheel.

Rick: It’s interesting, when you talk about beliefs and what they do to your life, and so on and so forth, usually I think of beliefs as being something which you buy into without necessarily having experienced it. Like, I believe in UFOs, for instance. I’ve never seen one, but I think they’re out there. Or I believe in angels, or whatever. But when I hear you talk, it reminds me that belief is also a very powerful stimulus to experience, that it can create our experience, create our reality. Not that I’m going to call down a UFO necessarily by believing in them, but in more practical terms. Why don’t you carry it from here? I think you can articulate it better than I can.

Howard: Well, there was an experiment done – I’m forgetting the actual name of it – where they split – oh boy, I wish I had the name of it. It was in quantum physics, where it basically showed that you needed an observer.

Rick: Well, Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle.

Howard: Yeah, it was based on that, but it led to this experiment they did with photons.

Rick: Right. It was either a particle or a wave, depending on whether it was being observed.

Howard: But it all was relational, to an observer. Now to me, that is one of the most significant scientific breakthroughs, bridging spirituality and science together. Science is on their own path and their own pace to this, but nonetheless, they’ve backed themselves into a corner here now, right? So I think that that relates to your point, is that it’s not what’s happening, it’s how you’re relating to what’s happening that’s actually changing it in the next moment. That’s why transformation can change on a dime. Things can switch that fast, because the minute that you’re willing to look at things in a different way, reality instantaneously begins to change. Now you don’t always see these changes right up center in front, but I assure you that behind the scenes, the mechanics of it all, everything is swirling and moving at a different pace, at a different speed. People will react to you differently, doors will open or close differently, your whole way of being in the world will change. But belief is powerful, it’s the most powerful.

Rick: Yeah, the thing that you said that reminded me of that point is how you were saying that it’s an intelligent universe and that everything is happening for a reason, and so on and so forth. And if you just contemplate that, you don’t have to be hit over the head with the proof of that in order to begin to realize that that’s the way it is. And if you can get comfortable with the fact that that’s the way it is, then you begin to act in accordance with that, and you sense that throughout your day, and you find yourself going much more in the flow of that beautiful organizing power that’s all around us.

Howard: It’s so comforting, it’s so comforting to live like that. And again, this doesn’t mean that you become ignorant of the systems that are in place and the responsibilities you have within the systems that you’re in of life, and the people that you’re with, but it takes all the pressure and the fear off of the situation and puts more of the power where it always really has been, with you. You look down and you see you’ve always been wearing the shoes that can take you to where you want to go, if you click them three times. So it’s really an exciting opening and stretch.

Rick: Yeah, I mean it can make the difference between, “Damn it, this is happening,” and, “Why is this happening? What’s the lesson in this?”

Howard: Perfect, perfect, that’s exactly right. It gives you that space to be the witness. And that floods the door of … it speeds up awareness. It’s a path of speeding up awareness. But where are you speeding up awareness? You’re not speeding it up in an ashram, that you can’t do it there, or in a deep state of meditation. You’re speeding it up right in your daily walk of life.

Rick: And obviously, I think you and I would agree that there are lessons inherent in everything. Everything is happening for an evolutionary purpose, and if you’re open to that idea then you’re able to actually learn the lesson or see the purpose. Whereas if you’re not open to that idea, if you don’t have that belief, then things seem capricious and cruel and arbitrary, and the world seems like a very unfriendly place.

Howard: It has to, it has to, for that belief to become validated. You have to see it that way. That’s what can make sense of a lot of the craziness you see on TV. You look at some statements by certain people in high places, or whatever it is that you’re watching, and you shake your head and go, “How in the world can they say that with any sort of legitimacy?” But that’s how powerful their beliefs are. The ego is desperately trying to protect it. And it will look at 2+2 and there’s no way it’ll say it’s 5. I don’t care how many times you … different ways you show … or 4, excuse me. How many times you say 2+2 is 4. It’ll take every opportunity to prove you wrong, no matter how many times you say it.

Rick: Interesting. Well, this is fun. Is there anything else that you’d like to add that we haven’t touched upon? We’ve kind of gone through all the main points of your book, but anything on your mind?

Howard: Just thank you for who you are and for what you do to serve people. It’s greatly appreciated. And just to never forget that your perfection is unavoidable. It’s unavoidable. And the more you realize that, the less likely the path of suffering will be for you, if you can hold on to that one nugget.

Rick: Did you watch my interview with Benjamin Smythe by any chance? I didn’t see that one, no.

Rick: He’s this young fellow who sits out on the street corners around Berkeley with a big sign saying, “You’re perfect!” And he gets all kinds of wonderful reactions from people.

Howard: Yeah, people will fight that one. They will.

Rick: He’s had people stop their cars and quote them in tears. He’s had people swearing and yelling at him. He’s had all kinds of reactions to that.

Howard: Interesting. Very cool. I’ll have to watch that.

Rick: Yeah. Great. Well, thanks Howard.

Howard: Oh, my pleasure.

Rick: Yeah, let me make a couple of little wrap-up points here. I’ve been speaking with Howard Falco, and I’ll be putting a page on backgap.com, all about Howard, and this interview will be there, the audio of it, the video of it, a link to an audio podcast, so you can subscribe to all of them, and a link to Howard’s website and his book. So all that will be there on backgap.com. If you’re watching this on YouTube, go to backgap.com to see all that. If you would like to be notified of subsequent interviews, just subscribe to the YouTube channel, or on backgap.com there’s a little link you can click to sign up for a newsletter, which you’ll receive once a week whenever a new interview is posted. So, thanks again, Howard.

Howard: My absolute pleasure. Thank you, Rick.

Rick: Have a great day. Don’t get too hot down there in Scottsdale.

Howard: As long as I stay inside, I’ll be all right.

Rick: Yeah. And remember, global warming is just something that the scientists have cooked up so they can get funding money. It doesn’t really exist.

Howard: That’s great. That’s exactly right.

Rick: Or at least all the oil executives would like you to think.

Howard: We have powerful beliefs, and there’s a testament of it right there.

Rick: All right. So thanks to those who have been listening or watching, and we’ll see you next week. Next week there will be a couple of ladies whose name I can’t pronounce. I had announced that it was going to be Anita Morjani, but she’s been postponed until October. And these women I’m going to be speaking to run a website called “Liberation Unleashed,” and I think that’s going to be a lively discussion. So talk to you then. [music]