Stepping Out on The Unbroken Path

Ever since I was a child, I was fascinated with the concept of religion and philosophical understanding. Raised in the Lutheran church and attending a Baptist school, the majority of my early training stemmed from the Bible. However, as many have done in this generation, I found myself lacking an essential connection to the message that was espoused through my religion and the practical application of it. In short, the hypocrisy started getting to me so I left my faith… or at least my belief system.

Since then, I’ve continued to hold on to a faith in a Greater Intelligence, and because of that, I have continued to seek the ways in which that Intelligence has spoken through the variety of cultures, religions and paradigms that I have studied. As I have travelled my way and seen what I have seen, it has been a remarkable thing to notice the thread of truth which underlies all of man’s attempts to explain his connection to this Greater Intelligence most commonly referred to as God. I call this thread The Unbroken Path.

About ten years ago, when I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, I really started to search much harder for what my purpose was and how these traits that seemingly made me a failure in the eyes of society could be used as strengths. As a man of faith, I couldn’t just give myself over to the idea that I was neurologically impaired and unfruitful. There had to be a reason that so many people were beginning to think just like me. There had to be a logical explanation for this influx of people with ADD.

It is simple enough to blame it on television or diet or a number of other societal maladies. However, I’m not interested in finding blame. I’m interested in finding solutions. What I have found is that the reason that so many people are thinking in such a scattered and impulsive way these days is because that is what society is in need of right now.

Now more than ever, we need free thinkers. We need those people who can move beyond our current paradigms and find ways to change the world. The Unbroken Path is a way for me to explore how we can make these shifts. I see it as a way to think outside of the box while still valuing and appreciating the box. As we make these astounding progressions based upon our technological advancements and societal connections, let us not forget where we came from and be thankful for the path which led us to this point.

Steve

Steve McAllister is an actor, musician, accomplished author, filmmaker, and the man behind Your Daily Groove at Modern Hippie Mag. His most recent novel, The McAllister Code is available now as a Limited Edition Advanced Copy paperback. Find Steve on Twitter, @InkenSoul. Read his reviews and articles here.

An Artist Is…

One who instills a thought.

Monkeys with his elements.

Chisels at his sculpture,

And doesn’t mind how long its been.

For living in the moment produces the scenery out of the boundless.

His canvas is nothingness yet that too exists.

Sculpt, paint, write, and design away…

For his future be at his fingertips,

And is this not what a human is today?

We are all Artists that need to realize this.

So sculpt, paint, write and design your life A WAY.

~ Written by and Originally Posted at Concentric Clothing

The Odyssey for the New Millennium

One of the first people to read The Rucksack Letters called it “The Odyssey for the new millennium.” I was shooting more for On the Road, but I’m not complaining. Ten years after conceiving the idea of making the journey and putting it to paper, it’s a bit more than interesting to read it again through older and, dare I say, wiser eyes. Yet here I am embarking on this odyssey once again.

In the Preface to the book, which I wrote in December 2005, roughly half way between the beginning of the journey and now, I tried to establish a market for the book. Homer had a pretty simple task of finding his target market in that there weren’t a whole heck of a lot of people telling writing stories like that in those days. And Kerouac had a pretty defined niche in the Beat Generation. Although he, Ginsberg and the rest of them liked to shirk off the title, the success of their writing was largely due to that segment of the population all going in the same direction. For my book, it wasn’t so simple.

Ten years ago, there was plenty of disillusionment, one of the impetuses (shouldn’t that be impeti?) for getting me out on the road seeking a better future for myself. But honestly, how does one market a book about an adult with ADD who has lost faith in is religion, smokes incessantly, and visits an assortment of counter culture revolutionaries and intentional communities on his way toward a better understanding of himself and the world around him? Ok, now that I’ve said it like that, it actually sounds kind of good. Nevertheless, at the time that I put it into print, I didn’t have a lot of support in putting it out and I certainly didn’t have a lot of people demanding it.

I hope to put it back into print one of these days. The first chapter starts on July 5, 2001 so I’m shooting for that as a publication date. In the meantime, I’m to be posting some segments of the book as they speak to me. Since I mentioned the Preface already, I thought I’d start there…

I have no questions that the words that follow will bring disagreement on particulars, due in large part to my own glaring ego and the folly contained therein. This book is my journey, or at least a leg of it. And though the miles have been walked and ink is now dried on the paper bringing this particular journey to an end, my spiritual journey continues. For spirit is eternal, and whatever becomes of this mass of flesh known as Steve, my journey has only but begun.

May we enjoy the journey together in harmony and peace.

Get your copy of The Rucksack Letters ebook and help support charity:water.

The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years. Should I be any different?

I was recently besmirched due to my unconventional way of seeking to understand God, the world, and my place in it over the last several years. I was called a “wanderer” who was trying to fit God into a box of my own design. The conversation began as in inquiry into the importance of crying out about the injustices of world politics and economic events. However, the words were spoken by a Christian, a faith that has truly morphed in my own life from being based on the standardized and sterile doctrines of the Church into a vibrant connection with the Source of All Creation.

My concern is that too many people, especially those of the Christian faith, seem to be submerged in a mentality of negative outcome in the temporal world instead of living the abundant, eternal life that Jesus promised. Politics and finances will pass away, but the light of Christ shines for eternity. While I agree that we need to be conscious of what is occurring in the world around us and act appropriately upon it, I do not think that bemoaning a gloom and doom scenario where we are all destined to be overcome by the evil and thoughtlessness of this world is the fruit that the Spirit of God offers. It’s not that I don’t think we should address and participate in what is happening on the temporal plane; that is what time is for. However, I want to encourage people of faith to keep the end in mind and know that in the grand scheme of things, according to biblical accounts, Christ is victorious and will create a new heaven and new earth where these things will not matter at all.

As far as my own personal journey goes, do not confuse wandering with exploring. When I was young, I connected very deeply with the Spirit of Christ and I believe it to be the Source of all things. In all humility, I accept that my own understanding of things with the roughly ten percent of my brain that I usually use is not without fault. With that understanding, I can live at peace with those who might have a different tradition, come from a different culture, or are walking a different spiritual path. I am less concerned with the language people use to define God than I am with the fruit of the Spirit that I see in their lives. I connect with that source through what I call Christ. It is a very real, very intimate relationship I have forged as I have walked the path He has guided me on.

My path has not always been easy, and it has not brought be peace in every moment. I am still a human with all of the frailties and fallibilities that come with that. Nevertheless, I do have the capacity, in the midst of whatever might be going wrong in the world around me, beyond whatever this illusion called “reality” holds up as chaos, to tune in to the peace that passes all understanding and know that God is who He says He is. My faith is founded on the love of Christ, not in my own understanding.

Being brought up in the Christian church and becoming involved in a variety of Christian organizations and activities, I noticed much of what did not resonate as Truth with the Spirit inside me. I believed Truth to be Christ, the Word, I Am That I Am, and I still do. However, the religion that was spawned in the name of Christ seemed to be, and often still seems to be, a way that seems right to a man ending only in death. I did not see the traditional use of religion as a way to fully become connected to the consciousness of Christ, but more often as a fire insurance policy based on a life of selfishness and fear.

That’s not to say that I disagree with all of Christianity. I see many Christians who are coming alive in the light of Christ and doing the good works that Jesus said they would do. People like Shane Claiborne and Jim Wallis of the Sojourners movement. However, I cannot rationally accept much of the dogma instituted by many churches as the basis of my faith as I have seen this activity result in more bigotry, hatred, fear, judgment, and murder than I have often seen outside the walls of the Church. The reason I am not a member of any particular church is the same reason Jesus had issues with his own religious order of the time. They have become complacent in their faith and now often exist only to promulgate themselves through donations they can get from selling insurance policies instead of doing the work that Christ called them to do by feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and caring for the sick and imprisoned.

Again, this is not true of all Christians or all churches, but I believe, based on my experience of God walking with me through all of my endeavors, both noble and foolish, that God is going to do what He is going to do regardless of what the organizational Church does. God works in the hearts, minds, and spirits of men. What I am looking for is merely the opportunity and resilience to let Him do it through me, something that He is never negligent in, no matter how badly or how many times I may stumble.

How do I connect with Christ, read The McAllister Code and find out.

An Invocation to Water

My favorite cup is the Tervis Tumbler* that Glenn Ward got me as engagement gift. He got Jaszy one with a J on it, and mine has an S. I fill it with water about 8 times a day. I recently put an invocation that I got from the Concentric Clothing blog on a card and taped it on my refrigerator above the water dispenser. It reads:

Invocation To Water

I take this, the Water of Life,

I declare it the Water of Lite,

As I bring it within my body,

It allows my body to glow.

I take this, the Water of Light,

I declare it the Water of God.

I AM a master in all that I AM.

I am so thankful to have access to the water that I do. I am so thankful that I can so conveniently take such good care of myself and direct my energies toward a more useful purpose. Almost a billion people in the world do not have that same good fortune. The time children spend walking to retrieve dirty, unfiltered water and overcoming the diseases it causes could be spent gaining education in reading, writing, computers, and crafts. With access to clean water, women would be able to pursue opportunities and improve the lives of their families and communities.

For only $2500, we can supply a pump for a village in Africa, Asia, South America, or any other place where people need access to clean water. The villagers will gladly dig the well, but they need the technology to provide for themselves in a world overcome by industries with great thirst and filthy excrement.

I have started an account at charity:water that I have sorely neglected over the last week or so. My goal is to raise $4000 to help charity:water take the technology where it needs to go. Considering that today is World Water Day, I think it is a good time to properly launch this campaign.

You can help my cause in four ways:

1. Go to the charity:water website and give directly.
2. Buy a copy of The Rucksack Letters ebook for $5 and $2.50 will go to charity:water.
3. Buy a copy of the Limited Edition Advanced paperback of The McAllister Code for $14 and $4 will go to charity:water.
4. Go to StevenMcAllister.net and hire me to do something. 25% of what I get paid will go to charity:water.

A few months ago, I promised to give $1 million to charity:water if I won the America’s Got Talent contest. I haven’t received my callback from the audition, but I still want to raise a million dollars for charity:water. Help me reach my goal one step at a time by supporting this effort to raise $4000 to assist in providing pumps to those who dig wells.

Thank you and have a happy World Water Day.

*I also think it’s really cool that Tervis Tumblers, made right here in Sarasota, were given to mankind from extraterrestrials that call themselves Estralarians. Read The McAllister Code to discover the real story.

InkenSoul: Resurrection

When I started this quest ten years ago, I did it with the vision of InkenSoul Press in mind. The logo is actually tattooed on my back. It was around that same time that I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. My neurological condition, mixed with a heart that truly wants to see others achieve their goals, has caused me to lose sight of that vision from time to time. Teaming up with fellow filmmakers to create Second Thought Productions and my soon-to-be-ex-wife to start Modern Hippie Media has helped me to cultivate my skills, but has not afforded me the luxury of investing in myself. However, having come full circle, I am getting much clearer focus on what I am supposed to be doing.

Although the mission of InkenSoul is to “write the world,” I am not relegated to only dealing in the written word, just as the written word is not relegated to only ink on paper. Through the use of video, audio, music, and photography, my intention is to use my words as the thread which ties these things together to deliver a cohesive, thought multi-media message of hope, encouragement, and renewal.

Presently, I am dismantling the WeBMaP business plan piece by piece, editing it into a series of cohesive blog posts, and scheduling accordingly in order to share my vision with the world. Simultaneously, I am expanding on the concept of The Unbroken Path which led to the development of the WeBMaP scenario. I do not claim to have all of the answers to life’s questions, but I am more than willing to work with others in finding them.

To participate in the journey, sign up for The Unbroken Path below.

Steve

Steve McAllister is an actor, musician, accomplished author, filmmaker, and the man behind Your Daily Groove at Modern Hippie Mag. His most recent novel, The McAllister Code is available now as a Limited Edition Advanced Copy paperback. Find Steve on Twitter, @InkenSoul. Read his reviews and articles here.

How do you deal with Attention Deficit Disorder as an adult?

Although I don’t have cable television anymore, I do keep up with a few of my favorite shows on Hulu like The Office, Glee, and Modern Family. One of the show’s that I really like is Parenthood. It’s not nearly as funny as the Steve Martin film, but it has some really engaging characters, and I like the way the story is told.

This week’s episode of Parenthood dealt largely with the parents explaining to their son that he had Asberger’s syndrome, and trying to explain his shortcomings as well as point out his gifts. It was interesting for me because just the night before I watched the documentary I shot ten years ago on Attention Deficit Disorder. Although ADD is often considered to be related to Autism just as Asberger’s is, since I was diagnosed I’ve tried my best not to see it as a disability or a disorder. In many ways, I’ve turned blindly away from whatever impediments it might offer me, and tried to simply grab at the strengths as if I were catching fireflies.

I didn’t try to view my diagnosis of ADD as an excuse for why I was the way I was, but I think I used it more as an explanation as to why I think and act the way that I do. Nevertheless, lately, although I am very grateful for the creative possibilities that it opens up for me, I am still noticing ways that it largely serves as a detriment. I have found some ways to help myself harness attention and complete some wonderful projects, yet it still sometimes feels like an uphill battle.

I am wondering if there are other adults with ADD out there who still struggle with themselves the way that I often do. I’m also curious as to what you may have found that helps you get on track and find balance in your life. I see the roadmap to balance in The Unbroken Path. I am just doing what I need to do to prepare for the journey.

By the way, this is the trailer for my film Attention Deficit Disorder: Life at a Different Pace, followed by the episode of Parenthood I was telling you about.

http://www.hulu.com/embed/D_i71YAigSqRdsuaIxpvug

The Mission of InkenSoul Press

From the very fabric of our imagination, which ebbs and flows like the tide, we create rivers of ideas across paper in order to make our visions manifest. Combining the colors of thought and the minerals of the earth, water turns to ink with which we write our world. As we write our dreams and our intentions into the portrait of the world we imagine, we stream our inken souls into the world, opening new portals where there was once nothing.

We Write The World