Courtney Kazembe's Blog

Capital Punishment/Death Penalty in Jamaica

2008-11-22T11:34:00.002-05:00

I have practiced criminal law in Jamaica and Canada for over a decade. I have defended people charged with all types of crimes from assault to capital murder. I have been intimately involved in the process of the criminal justice system in Jamaica.

I have resigned my role as a criminal defense attorney and over the last decade I have spent my time studying, practicing, teaching and living human transformation and enlightenment. It is against these two diverse backgrounds that I seek to contribute to the present debate about the retention of the death penalty in Jamaica.
Capital punishment, also dubbed the "death penalty," is the pre-meditated taking of human life by a government as punishment for a crime committed by that legally convicted person.

Those that argue for capital punishment usually argue that there are some defendants who have earned the ultimate punishment our society has to offer by committing murder with aggravating circumstances present. They believe that it cheapens the life of an innocent murder victim to say that society has no right to keep the murderer from killing again. They believe that society has not only the right, but the duty to act in self defense to protect the innocent, by killing the convicted murderer. The proponents also believe that you can deter future murderers with the prospect of facing the death penalty.

On the other hand those that argue against capital punishment believe that the death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights. It is the premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state in the name of justice. It violates the right to life and the sacredness of life. It is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. They believe that there can never be any justification for the intentional killing of a human being, even by the state. The death penalty diminishes all of us, increases disrespect for human life, and offers the tragic illusion that we can teach that killing is wrong by killing.

When one looks deeply at this, one will see the classical struggle between love versus fear. On one hand we have the murderers and those who believe in killing the murderers and on the other hand we have those who do not believe in any type of killing whatsoever, be it state or otherwise. Indeed this struggle is not just a national struggle but a global struggle. Historically the world was dominated by fear. Killings both by the state and individual were the norm. That we are having this debate now is a testament to the fact that we are moving from a consciousness of fear to one of love. However, the fact that we are still debating is evidence that elements of our primitive fear-based nature still prevails.

Most of us will agree that all negative and anti-social behavior come from fear. It is fear of something thing or someone that causes a person to behave in an anti-social way. When I was a criminal defense attorney, I was always amazed at how puny and fearful even the worst of the “bad men” was. Especially in Jamaica most times the so called “hardened criminal” was just a young man begging for love and acceptance. Underneath all of that “bad man” image was the biggest “victim.” These so-called criminals are souls crying out for help - a being seeking a little love, a hug, a little kindness - someone to show him how to be a fully functional human being.

In a real sense the whole society is responsible for producing these beings. But even saying “the whole society” is just another way of absolving myself of personal responsibility. The right thing to say is, “I am responsible for producing these beings.” Until each of us get to that place and begin to take personal responsibility and accountability for the ills of our society, the very ills of society we intend for the death penalty to prevent will persist and the safety we intend to create will continue to elude us.

We human beings, as individuals, are responsible for the state of the world. We are responsible for the killings and the wars, by the way we lead our lives, for we are dividing, quarrelling, fighting each other, belonging to this sect, this party, this religion, this class, this race, this church, this gang, this nation. When we realize this, not intellectually, but actually, that you and I are responsible for all this chaos, for all this misery –then we will act in an appropriate and responsible way. Not until then, not until we feel that we are responsible for this monstrous society, with its wars, with its divisions, with its ugliness, brutality, greed and corruption – not until each one of us realizes this will we act in love.

Darkness cannot be defeated by more darkness – it can only be overcome by light. Likewise fear cannot be defeated by fear it can only be overcome by love.

When we actually get this we will release this debate. We will all know deeply that to kill our brother is to kill ourselves. In fact, he is not my brother - he is I.

“Whatsoever you do unto the least of these my brothers you do unto me.” “He, who has not sinned, let him cast the first stone.” – Jesus of Nazareth.

What we need for these convicted persons is to show them love as another way to live – it can come in the form of restorative justice, rehabilitation, forgiveness, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual healing.

As I transform my own life - I transform the world.

Love and light
Courtney

Congratulations Barack! Congratulations America!

2008-11-05T11:46:00.004-05:00

Barack Obama, President Elect of the United States of America.

I am touched, moved and inspired by Barack Obama’s victory in the United States Presidential Election. I joined many men across the world including Reverend Jessie Jackson and Colin Powell who cried during Obama’s victory speech.

With Obama’s historic victory one senses that something contextual has shifted in the world. The shift that has taken place is not just form or content but a profound ontological shift that touches the very core of our humanity. We may not be able to see this shift physically or in terms of governmental policies, but we all feel it in our hearts. Indeed from a psychological perspective, America and the world will never be the same again. NEVER!

Obama’s victory also confirms that there is a growing movement of people in America and around the world, who are waking up, to the idea of raising their level of consciousness and becoming more enlightened. Obama represented that candidate who transcended the petty separation, divisiveness, partisanship, and made a bold movement toward uniting America and the world. Yes we can!

In winning over 52% of the popular vote and over 338 Electoral College votes, Obama has clearly won a mandate from the American people. This is a clear reflection of his ability to bring people together and aim for the best in us all. This was also reflected in the superb organization he built around himself for the primaries and the general election.

Obama transcended nationality, religion, race, ethnicity and gender. He truly distinguished a new paradigm of leadership. Even though he talks about “the United States of America” what we feel in our hearts is ‘united humanity’, which reverberates around the world. What if we have more leaders around the world who are cognizant of the oneness of all humanity? The world would be a totally different place.

The world welcomed Obama’s victory. All around the world people were celebrating. In Jamaica where I am at the moment – everyone from the guy on the street to the echelon of the society is celebrating and talking in details about Obama and the USA elections. Kenya, his ancestral country, declared today a public holiday. There was celebration all over the world. It’s as if all of these people and countries are stakeholders in the Obama victory. His victory will be etched in history for the entire world to see and be embedded in the hearts of mankind forever.

When Obama speaks - the feelings and thoughts of love, atonement, forgiveness and acceptance comes to my heart and mind. Even though he does not necessarily use those words – they are present in the underlining message of his speeches thus leaving us touched, moved and inspired.

The question all of us must now ask ourselves is “How am I going to tap into the essence of what Obama tapped into, which is present in each and every one of us?”

In love and light
Courtney Kazembe

Personal Transformation

2008-10-15T08:13:00.000-05:00

We talk so much about transformation and change. Yet the society, our lives and our institutions continue in the same way. Why is it so hard to transform or change?
I believe that ultimately all transformation must take place at a personal and individual level – one person at a time.
For as long as I have studied history, politics and religions have been trying to change and transform societies all over the world. And after all of those attempts we now have what we have got -the same thing over and over again.
It must be clear to all sane persons that we need a revolution in the way we are living. When is that revolution to begin? It has always been thought by all religious authorities and political systems that the individual does not matter at all; the individual can be persuaded in any direction. They all assert common freedom for the individual yet they do everything to prevent that freedom.
Political movements and organized religions throughout the world - brain-wash people to make them conform to a particular pattern, which they call ideologies, religious ideas and rituals.
Transformation and radical change can only come about through the individual. For the individual human being is the result of the total experience, knowledge and conduct of man – it is us. We are the storehouse of all the past, the racial, the family, the individual’s experience of life – we are that, and unless in the very essence of our beings there is a revolution, a mutation, I do not see how a good society can come about.
When I talk about the individual I am not opposing the collective or the whole of mankind because the individual is the whole of mankind. Unless each one of us recognizes the central fact, that we as individual human beings represent the whole of mankind, whether we are male or female, black or white, we shall not see how to act.
As individuals, we human beings are totally responsible for the state of the world. We are responsible for all the wars by the way we live our lives, for we are nationalistic, American, Russian, Iraqi, German, French, English; We are Catholics, protestants, Jews, Buddhists belonging to this or that party or sect, dividing, quarrelling, fighting each other.
Our Gods, our religions, our nationalities, our races, our political parties have divided us. When we recognize that you and I as human beings are responsible for all of this chaos, for all of this misery – because we contribute to it – when we realize that, then we will begin to see clearly and understand the role we as individuals are playing in this whole madness. Only then will we act and do something about it. Not until then, not until we feel that we are completely responsible for this monstrous society, with its wars, with its divisions, with its ugliness, brutalities, greed, and so on, not until each one of us realizes that - will we act.
And you can only act when you know how this structure, not only outwardly, but inwardly, has been put together.
That is why one must know more about oneself and the more one knows about oneself the more mature one is. Immaturity lies only in one’s ignorance of oneself.
We need to learn about ourselves – and to learn about ourselves all authority must come to an end, all authority – whether it be the authority of the church or the local priest, or of the famous analyst, or of the greatest philosophers with their intellectual formulas, and so on. If one is serious about this journey, the first thing one must realize is that there is no authority of any kind.
That is a very difficult thing to do for there isn’t just the outward authority, which can be easily be rejected but even more importantly is the inward authority of one’s own experience, of one’s own accumulated knowledge, of the opinions, ideas, ideals which guides one life.
To be free of that authority is to die to everything of yesterday so that your mind is always fresh, always young, innocent, and full of vigor and passion – it is only then that one observes, learns and grows.
Transformation takes place at a private, individual and personal level. I can only transform my own life. I may be able to show others the path but they have to walk it for themselves and no two journeys can ever be the same. It is original, fresh, present, here and now. Are you ready for this journey? Ultimately we all have to take it is only a matter of when this lifetime, next or suffer for another one hundred or one thousand lifetimes. If you know what I am talking about join me on this personal evolution/transformational journey. You will have the time of your life.
In love and light
Courtney

The Palin factor

2008-10-02T16:00:00.000-05:00

Tonight I will be gathering with a few friends to watch Senator Biden and Governor Palin Vice presidential debate.
This will be a very interesting debate for many reasons, and one that could highlight McCain’s impulsive decision-making idiosyncratic nature.
Palin who is a first term Governor of Alaska and a former mayor of a small town in Alaska is being touted by Mccain for her executive abilities. Albeit that the population of Alaska is only 700,000 just about one tenth of the city of New York.
I believe that McCain and the Republic choose Palin as the antithesis of Obama. At a time when Obama is appealing to our higher ideals of unity, love, atonement, authentic communication with our friends and enemies, Palin is thrust into the national arena with a opposite agenda. Palin’s agenda even though it may be more unconscious than conscious is one of anger, fear, xenophobia, anger, anti- choice, parochialism and racial, gender and religious intolerance. Many republicans identify with these values and identify with Palin.
Since the Republican convention when Palin rallied the republican base – she has been less than alluring even to the republicans base, who are now question her readiness to be president. Her naiveté on the economy and foreign policy is the worst for any Vice Presidential candidate that I have ever seen.
With Mccain so old – Palin is a heartbeat away from being the leader of the “Free World” – a woman who does not have a passport or could not name a single USA Supreme Court decision that she disagrees with other than Roe v. Wade.
One good thing that Gov. Palin has done so far is that she has brought the real contrast of Obama and Mccain to the surface, to light – so that we can all take a look at it and understand what the real choices are in this election. Which fundamentally is Mccain and Palin are reactionaries who stand for more of the same old politics of fear and xenophobia. While on the other hand Obama stand for connecting with our higher values of love and authentic communication.
Love and light
Courtney

Happy or Good?

2008-09-15T00:54:00.000-05:00

Have you ever noticed how we live our lives trying to be “good’ at all times? Would you rather to be good or be happy?

I have noticed that when I choose to be happy and joyful, I am always good. However when I choose to be good, I am hardly ever happy and joyful.

Today I choose first to be happy and joyful and let the rest fall as it may.

Love and light
Courtney

Sentiments and Emotions

2008-09-11T11:11:00.000-05:00

Have you ever notice how some of us are afraid of expressing our sentiments and emotions. Most of us have been conditioned to be against sentimentality. We have been conditioned, inculcated and taught to repress and suppress our sentiments and emotions. We were told that sentimentality does not pay – be assertive, be practical, be hard – don’t be soft, don’t be vulnerable – otherwise you will be exploited. At least pretend that you are hard and dangerous, so you create fear and intimidation around you.

The third chakra is the center of our sentiments and emotions. The Hindus refers to the third chakra as the ‘manipura’ – “the diamond chakra” – signifying its special place in our lives. Life is valuable because of this chakra. It is where we experience the sentiments, emotions, laughter, crying, tears and smiles. These are the glory and gems of life.

Only human beings are capable of having these precious diamonds. Animals cannot cry or laugh or display any of these sentiments. These sentiments are of a special dimension which belongs to human beings only. The beauty and poetry of tears, laughter and smile is available only to human beings. And when we suppress this part of our being – we are suppressing our very humanity.

When we repress the third center we lose our authenticity. We become a soldier – not a human being but a soldier – an army man or woman – a false person.
These sentiments and emotions are essential for our spiritual growth and evolution. Emotions have to be release and relaxed. When you feel like laughing – laugh. When you feel like crying - cry. Stop the nonsense about repression and suppression. We have to express our emotions because only through our sentiments, emotions and our sensitivity do we come to that vibration thought which authentic communication is possible.

I am sure you have seen and/or experienced it; – when someone can speak for hours and nothing is said but a tear role down their cheek and everything is said. A tear can say much more than words. A little laughter – a real authentic laughter and you need not say anything more. The laugh or the tear has said it all. When you see your beloved your face blushes, beams and flashes with joy no words are needed. You allow your vulnerability to be exposed and enter into a deep intimacy with yourself and the other.

Be authentic – laugh more, cry more, smile more, touch more, hug more and love more. Let today be a day that you become conscious of expressing your sentiments and emotions and enjoy that sweet ride of you manipura.

With love and light
Courtney

Article today's Jamaican Newspaper

2008-08-21T08:05:00.001-05:00

I made the list at number nine.

Thank you Thomas Phinemann. I am happy to know that a made a positive impact on your life.

Love and light
Courtney

Jamaican Women Sweep 100 meters

2008-08-18T10:14:00.003-05:00

Bravo Shelly-Ann Fraser, Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart for winning gold and silver medals respectively at the Olympics yesterday. It was really a happy moment for all Jamaicans and indeed most people around the world, expect for a few Americans – who complained that one of the American runners had false started. The complaint was swiftly dismissed by the Olympic officials.

These young women combined with Usain Bolt from the previous day have effectively anchored Jamaica as the sprint capital of the world. Over the weekend Jamaica was the World's Fastest Nation. Even the USA could only manage a bronze medal in the men's 100 meters final.

It was such a pleasure to see the smiling young 21 year old jumping for joy as she crossed the line in 10.78 seconds, 0.2 seconds faster than her team mates who tied for second. Giving Jamaica the first sweep of medals in a women's 100 meters by any nation at any Olympics or world championships games. This was even more spectacular as it came one day after Usain Bolt's record-breaking victory in the men's 100 meters — giving Jamaica the first sweep of men's and women's 100 meters gold at any Olympics since 1988. That is simply mind blowing for a small island state of three million people, about the population of medium size city in most big countries.

This is what is possible when vision meets intention, effort and divine grace.

Love and light
Courtney

Usain Bolt stars at the World’s greatest Show

2008-08-17T12:06:00.001-05:00

Bravo Usain Bold! You are now the world’s fastest man - ever! – 100 meters in 9.69 second. Wow! Usain Bolt stunned the world and especially the 91,000 spectators in the Bird’s Nest (China’s Olympic Stadium in Beijing).

I was flabbergasted at the way Usain dominated the other 7 runners in the race. He finished the race a clear 0.2 second ahead of the second place runner. Usain race was the most amazing race I have ever seen. Bolt was about level with the field 50 meters out before he turned on a dazzling overdrive which left the rest of the field struggling. In fact at 90 meters Bolt recognized that he had could not be caught and started celebrating with his hand spread wide.

As Bolt took his victory lap the entire stadium was standing and cheering for him recognizing that they have just witnessed history.

Also amazing about this race is the fact that there were three Jamaicans and a total of five Caribbean men in the final eight fastest men in the world.

The 100 meters is the most celebrated race at the Olympics and the way in which Usain Bolt won it added even more spectacle to the occasion.

I send love and light to all the athletes from around the world in this Olympics games.

Love and light
Courtney

Courtney's Prayer

2008-07-19T19:45:00.003-05:00

I accept peace, love, prosperity, joy and happiness within me now.
I trust and surrender to my highest power to lead me to my highest good.
I forgive and release everyone and everything to their highest good.
I am grateful for the many blessings that flourish my life.
I know and accept the infinite possibilities that are my birthright.
I choose to use the gifts that I have received, and pass on the love, joy and prosperity that have been given to me.
I am contented knowing I am a child of God.
I let this presence settle into my body, mind, heart and soul.
I allow my soul the freedom to bless, unite, sing, dance, praise and love.
I know that this is there for each and every one of us.
I give and radiate love and light from my heart to everyone and everything.
I receive and magnetize love and light from all light workers in the universe.
I join with all light beings in expanding love and light on this planet and throughout the universe.
Love and light
Courtney

The Clearing

2008-07-13T23:24:00.002-05:00

The Clearing is a 5-day process designed to clear you of all past hurts, pains, fears, negativities, traumas and limitations that cloud your life. It will leave you with the space to live your life powerfully, authentically and purposefully.
The top five reported benefits are:
1. A profound sense of freedom:
An abiding sovereignty to stand on your own two feet and create the life you choose – with 100% Responsibility and Accountability – no blames, no complains. This is my life! This is my creation!
2. Finally experience Unconditional Love:
Love the way the sun loves – unconditionally giving it’s light and love to everyone and everything without regard to who, when, where or what. Your love becomes your gifts to everyone and everything.
3. Release of all emotional charges/hooks:
The ability to be with and deal with all the world have to offer and still remain grounded in your Authentic self. The ability to release all fear and negativity and stand boldly in courage and integrity.
4. Peace and Joy in every moment of your life:
Finally experience what the Psalmist meant when he said “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil….” No matter what’s happening in the world – I remain balance and at peace.
5. Create deliberately and consciously the life you love:
A power to create with a profound sense of purpose and focus.

Program Prerequisite: The Awakening (Program 1 of the Trilogy)

Program Logistics:
The course is a fully residential program, allowing the participants the rare opportunity to be with and work on themselves for 5 days. The environment is designed to facilitate the freedom for the most in depth exploration of yourself and past. GIFTE provides and prepares wholesome, macrobiotic meals, which themselves enhance the clearing process.
Dates: Wednesday, July 23rd to Sunday July 27th, 2008.
What to Bring: Loose clothing, swim wear, running shoes, slippers, exercise mats/rugs (yoga mats). Please note that no drugs, alcohol, or sex will be permitted during the program.
The Venue: Starlight Chalet & Health Spa, St. Andrew, Jamaica.

Nestled in the lush bosom of the Blue Mountains, simple country elegance, and comfort is Starlight Chalet & health Spa. Spacious, warm and cozy suites, snug apartments on a backdrop of beautiful gardens, cool mountain breeze and surrounded by seemingly endless mountain ranges. Starlight Chalet & Health Spa is famous for its endemic birds, mountains, gardens and for absolute relaxation. We are nestled in the beautiful Blue Mountains, 5000 feet above sea level. A healthy lifestyle, spa facilities, beautiful gardens and nature delights await you.
Facilitator: Courtney Kazembe
Cost: US$1,950.00 (less member discount) - Payment Options Available. Contact the GIFTE office at 946-1360-1for details.
Join us for this unforgettable, unbelievable, transformation and enlightenment week. Experience the freedom, love, joy, peace, and power that is your gift, and that is unlike what you have ever felt before.

Physical Freedom

2008-04-15T23:13:00.001-05:00

I am presently in India and I found myself thinking about freedom. So I have decided to share my thoughts. Given the time restraint I will do it in a series of blogs. India is a great place to think about freedom – on one hand you have the avatars – who are conscious of themselves as Gods – free from all restraints and on the other hand we have people living as slaves in every area of their lives.

Physical Slavery

Most of us are familiar with this. It was just over two hundred and fifty years ago that slavery existed in the United States and other countries. Slavery has existed all over the world and in many places women are still treated as slave or property of men. In India more than half of their population of over six hundred million people live in physical slavery. They are illiterate and many do not go to school. You are not even allowed to touch them or to walk in their shadow.

Historically in most world religions including Christianity, Islam and Buddhism, women were not even considered to have a soul and were there mainly as baby making machines and for the pleasure of men. Historically in China a man could kill his wife without any sanction, as she was his property and he could do with his property as he likes – no crime committed. In Indian language the woman is actually called “property.” Women in many societies and religions are still considered as property. Now, most of us in the West are pretty convinced that physical slavery is no longer allowed. Yet in many ways most of us are still not physically free.

In the domain of health many of us are not free from sickness and dis-ease. We don’t practice proper care for the body and do not understand the principle of making our food our medicine and our medicine our food. We still run to the doctors who specialize in dis-eases and illness rather than taking the time to discover how to properly care for our bodies ourselves.

Most of us are still not financially free. We work for an entire lifetime and still do not discover financial freedom. Many of us still work from “hand to mouth.” We rely on governments, social security, our children etc. for our financial well-being. In so many areas of our lives we are still living in physical slavery. What is the cause of all this madness?

The way out of physical slavery is to take 100 percent responsibility for your personal, physical, material and financial wellbeing. It means that you have to become self sufficient in every physical, material and financial way possible. The only way someone can exploit you is if you want something from them. As long as you want nothing from no one – no one can exploit you. No one can enslave you or exploit you without your permission.

When you are awake and take 100% responsibility for your personal, physical and financial well-being you become physically free. Until we are physically free there is little or no hope for us to venture into the higher realm of emotional, mental and spiritual freedom.

“Wake Up to Your Prosperity” is GIFTE’s first course that teaches you how to eradicate physical slavery from your life.

Love and light

Courtney

Obama or Clinton - For Democratic Nomination?

2008-03-03T10:16:00.002-05:00

As I spent some time this Sunday watching TV, in particular CNN, I could not help being engulfed in the democratic nomination race. At this time Barack Obama is leading with 1389 delegates to Hillary Clinton 1282 delegates – where 2025 delegates are needed to secure the nomination.

There are a few issues that I would like to comment on as I try to discern from the debate which candidate is more appropriate for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party.

1. My Support
I am supporting Barack Obama for president. To me Barack Obama has the wisdom, temperament, poise, understanding, judgment, knowledge and grace to lead the United States at this time. Barack is the best candidate to lead the United States out of the depression and negative image abroad.

2. Woman vs. Black Man
This to me is about 200 years too late. For the last 200 years we have had 43 white men run the United States of America. The reason why we have not had a woman or a black man as president is simply because of the sexist and racist component of the United States. The only surprise is that it has taken so long for one of the major parties to nominate a woman or a black man to run for President of the United States.

3. Leadership
Selecting a President is basically selecting a leader. We therefore have to ask the question “what kind of leader do we want?” There are two types of leadership – one based on love and the other based on fear. We are very familiar with leadership based on fear – we have just had 8 years of it under President Bush or more broadly we can say that for all our lives we have had leadership based on fear. Our old paradigm of politics is based on fear. My cursory look at the campaign of Senator Hillary Clinton I have concluded that she represents a continuation of this old politics based on fear. Also based on my cursory look at Senator Barack Obama I have concluded that he represents a willingness to venture into that enchanted ground of love-based leadership. And as both candidates rightly say – it is not so much what you say but more importantly what you do. However, actions and deeds do start with thoughts and words.

4. Experience
Senator Clinton has been making much to-do about her experience in contrast to that of Senator Obama. To her credit she cites her 8 years as First Lady and her seven years as United States Senator. Senator Obama on the over hand has 3 years as a United States Senator and 8 years as an Illinois Senator. She argues that even though he has more legislative experience than she does, her time as the wife of the president is valued more that his legislative experience. To me the argument is a non-issue – you have two United States senators running for president: whether you are in your second term or first term seems to be of little value to me. If that was the major criteria for President then we would just choose the oldest serving senator to run.

5. A female President
Whether the Democratic Party delegates nominate a black man or a woman as the presidential nominee they will be sending a positive message to the world. Even thought there are thirteen countries led by women we still have a world which is male ruled and controlled. The prospect of a female leading the United States of America will no doubt be a huge boost to the challenge for parity not just in the United States but in the world. But to be honest, a vote for Hillary will not yield any substantive change – to paraphrase George Orwell – from the man to the woman and the woman to the man they are one and the same. All that will change is that we will exchange Bill for Billary. In a situation when there was no change agent yes, I would welcome a female president simply because she is female but when there is a real chance for change – just being female is not enough.

6. Barack as President
To me Barack is not just a black man. He transcends race, class, religion and gender (in fact to me Obama has more feminine energy than Hillary). Barack is a phenomenon. He is that rare breed of people you compare only to the great such as John Kennedy, Martin Luther King Junior, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. We are very fortunate at this time to have a person emerge to lead us through this time of turbulence in the United States and the world.

7. Endorsement
Who is endorsing who is an interesting point to me. First, I find it interesting that Al Gore who served as Vice President for 8 years when Hillary was First Lady and therefore worked closely together in the White House is not endorsing her. Added to that is that David Wilhelm former chairman of Bill Clinton’s campaign who must have worked closely with Hillary is endorsing Barack. In addition most of the party’s elite have endorsed Barack including Kennedy, Kerry, Oprah and many, many more.

I am very encouraged to see Hillary and Barack in this race for the Democratic Party nomination. For me while the race and gender is important – I am even more encouraged for the possibility of having a more humane, love-based leadership in Washington. I believe with anyone of these candidates and especially with Barack Obama the United States and indeed the world will be a better place.

Love and light
Courtney

Courtney Kazembe's Blog

2008-02-14T17:24:00.000-05:00

Courtney Kazembe's Blog

Love Your Enemies

2008-02-14T17:19:00.002-05:00

Valentine’s Day is designated to be the day that we express love to our beloved/s. So I asked myself; why do we have a day for this purpose? For on this day it is expected that we go out and “do” the things that lovers “do” - get the flowers, jewelry, chocolate, etc. These things that we do and are expected to do, from our perspective, is suppose to be a gesture of loving or being loved.

From this perspective we see love as an act; as something we “do”. If we are ‘doing” love, then it is not love. When we “do” love – it takes effort, and we will eventually get bored and/or tired. We will want to relax and rest. And sometime we will even relax into hate – for we can only relax into the opposite. That is why, one moment we could be doing love with our beloved and the next moment we could be doing hate with our beloved. The same person becomes the object of both love and hate – that is the conflict of doing love. There is so much misery in our love life because our love is an act. Doing love is not real love!

The first thing we must understand is love is a state of being – it is not an act. We can “be” love or “be in” love – but we cannot “do” love. As I write this I am feeling the difference and hopefully as you read this you can feel it too. There is a fundamentally different experience from “being love” and from “doing love.” Doing love without being love is absurd. Yet that is how most of us on the planet live our lives.

How do we shift from doing love to being love?

Being in love is a state of being. This state of being may be focused on one person or it may be unfocused – on the whole. When we focus it on one person, we call it love. When it is unfocused, we call it prayer - agape. Then we are just in love – not just with one person, but just in love. We are then in love with ourselves, everyone and everything, in love with God. Love becomes as present as your breathing.
Have you ever heard anyone say “this is breathing day”? I am going to breathe today. No! There is no effort involve in breathing. If there was effort we could forget to do it, or we would get tired and we would have to relax and we would die.

Love is just like breathing, it is a higher plane of breathing. If we do not breathe our bodies would die. If we are not loving our spirit cannot flourish. Love is the breathing of the soul. When we are in love our soul becomes vital, alive, just like it is breathing.

Now what happens if I say to you, “Only breathe when you are near me and do not breathe anywhere else,” you would surely die. Likewise if I say to you only love when you are with me and love no-one else, then also you will surely die and your spirit will not flourish.

That is how we relate in love. We attempt to possess the love object. We say, “don’t love anybody else – only love me.” Then the love is emaciated and then the lover cannot love, it becomes impossible. This does not mean that we have to be in a sexual relationship with more than one person but we have to be in a loving state of being. It is just like breathing, even if your enemy is around you still breathe.
That is why Jesus say “love your enemy.” When love is a state of our being – it is not a question of friend or enemy. I am love.

To be in a state of love means being loving in a single moment. It means getting out of past and future and simply being present in the moment to life as it is occurring. You are therefore not wishing or hoping for something else other than what is so - right now! Right now! Right now! Life is ever changing and as it changes you go with the flow and love the moments as they present themselves. Here Now! Here Now! Here Now!

Only a single moment of love and we all know how to fill a single moment with love. Once we are able to enter a single moment with love we have entered eternity - time is no more. A moment of love is a timeless moment. This is real love that we will attain when we develop a meditative being. We get to the place where we feel oneness. Existence and I are one. We move beyond fear and death. Then loves flows from us. Love is then not an act, not an effort – we cannot do anything except love. That is when we become enlightened - we become the Buddha and the Christ.

In Love and Light
Courtney

Happy New Year

2008-01-06T19:06:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year everybody.

Let's make this year our best year ever.

Some of you are concerned that you have not heard from me in awhile.

Well! I am presently away in India - meditating with some of the most highly evolved and enlightened beings on the Planet. It is an awesome experience.

I send you all Divine grace.

Love and light
Courtney

Merry Christ-mas

2007-12-24T22:25:00.000-05:00

It is with great pleasure that I extend to you and your families the warmest wishes for this holiday season.

Christmas brings with it an added sense of love, joy and excitement as we make special effort to shower our love and gratitude on all who are dear to us. The sense of oneness that we experience at this time of year is so fulfilling that we all wish that it was possible to bottle the experience and keep it for all times. What If? Every moment was “Christmas” - A Christ filled moment.

Oh! I can hear all of us saying to ourselves Lois Armstrong’s ‘what a wonderful world’!

We at GIFTE not only believe it is possible - more importantly we are committed to its manifestation here and now.

We make this possible in each moment we when not only remember and worship the Christ, but importantly in each moment when we actually live the say the Christ lived. And therefore become the Christ.

At first glance it may seems very hard to live the way the Christ lived but there is actually an easy way to do it - just stay present in the moment and be conscious and in each moment do the right thing, think the right thoughts, feel the right feelings and speak the right words. This moment - can I act with unconditional love to the other? This moment! This moment! This moment!….. And that is all there is. Stop - where you are right now and become the Christ - This moment! Have this moment be a Christ(moment).

The season is the time of year when we agree to exercise more of our true self, - our love, our gifts, our peace, our happiness and our joy. Let’s have more Christ moment in our lives.

With love and light,
Merry Christmas
Courtney Kazembe

Passion

2007-11-15T10:09:00.000-05:00

Sitting on a plane from Toronto to Los Angeles, I decided to watch the in flight movie “Hairspray”, starring Queen Latifah. It is a musical about diversity, dance and teenage love. I like the one-liners from the movie “if you don’t like the way I look – I just don’t give a dam” – “you can’t stop the dance”. I was moved by the energy in the movie and began to think of the role of passion in our lives.

Many of us – including me at times - live our lives so-so, lukewarm, without any intensity, without any authenticity, without enough fire to bring our lives to the boiling point. Our lives are filled with formality, doing right, coping with each other, never any genuineness, and never any passion. At this level nothing will happen – at best we will be mediocre.

What is passion? Passion is energy. Passion is fire, it is life, and it is intensity. Passion is enthusiasm for life. It is zest, it is zeal. It is love that has arisen from the heart and soul. The opposite of passion is indifference. It is living from fear. It is meaningless. It is absurd. It is ridiculous.

Create a life of great passion. Whatever you do – do it with great passion. If you sing then sing passionately. If you sweep the street then sweep it passionately. If you love then love passionately. If you talk - then talk passionately. Whatever you do – do it passionately. And from everywhere you will start having contact with God.

When you do something passionately you are in the zone. When you are being totally passionate the ego dies. You no longer care about the perception of others. You do it to please yourself. Dance such that the dancer disappears and only the dance remains. Speak such that the speaker disappears and only the speech remains. That is passion. It is pure energy. You have made contact. You are connected.

Have you ever been so into something that you lose yourself in it? You were connected to your higher self and totally in the moment. Whatever it is that you were doing is like a meditation. Your ego was not there at all – yet you were totally present. You were in the zone, you were passionate and it was the best feeling in the world.

Only mediocre people are egoistic. The really great people cannot be egoistic. The number one factor that imbued all great human beings is that they did what they did with enormous passion. When the passion is great the ego dies. The really great lives have a different dimension - The dimension of passion.

At a ultimate stage passion becomes transformed into compassion. There is a quantum leap from passion into compassion. The leap only happens when you are boiling at 100%. It is the same energy. Compassion is passion come of age. It is a continuation – it exists as passion and then one day it becomes compassion. It is not antagonistic. It is passion blooming. Do whatever you do – but be lost into it. Be consumed by it. Become it. That is meditation. That is energy vibrating.
The only way to life worth living is a life with passion.

Love, light and passion
Courtney

The GIFT of Prosperity

2007-11-07T09:06:00.000-05:00

“I am come that you may have life and have it more abundantly.” Jesus.

Many of us are confused about the notion of prosperity. We confuse prosperity with capitalism, materialism, greed and hording. Creating and manifesting money and material abundance is an essential element of prosperity, however it is important to realize that actual prosperity is different from perceived prosperity. Actual prosperity is the result of truth and integrity that satiate the soul. When we have love and peace in our body, heart, mind and spirit we are basking in a state of actual prosperity. Perceived prosperity is when we have the bank account, the home, the car and all the trappings of success, yet still feel sick, empty and worried inside.

What is Prosperity? The word prosperity is derived from the Latin word prosperare meaning to do well or to be successful.

Prosperity is not just about having tons of money in the bank or living in the palatial house; it is more about having a balanced life – it is actually about leading a successful life and accomplishing your life’s purpose. The eight cornerstones of prosperity are love, wisdom, abundance, health, freedom, happiness, integrity and peace. Without each of these cornerstones in place, imbalance will rule in your life and you will not be prosperous.

The way to acquire this state of prosperity is through righteousness. The four factors of righteousness are – right thoughts, right emotions, right words, and right actions.

Most of us perceive prosperity as something that requires sacrifice. We don’t believe that we can have it all. And therefore we don’t. We usually go through life struggling in at least some areas of our lives and some of us in many areas of our lives. Is this the way to live?

Most of us have been programmed and inculcated into a paradigm of reality, which invalidates us and destroys our ability to produce the results we desire. This old context gives us the life we have. We whine and complain about it but most often we don’t know what to do. So we continue doing what we have always done, and hope and wish for some other result.

People do not live the way they do because they like it. They live the way they do because they do not know what else to do. The gift of prosperity awakens that first hint of another way to live. The capacity for a life filled with vitality, prosperity, power, true self-expression, and self-actualization lies within each of us. We can gain access to this powerful way of being, by making fundamental distinctions about the nature of being human.

Anyone who wants this new life badly enough can find it. Then, everything alters itself dramatically. Just as a frozen river thaws with the warmth of spring, the new life flows freely, smoothly and abundantly.

GIFTE (Global Institute For Transformation and Enlightenment) focuses on the transformation from fear and poverty to love, peace, prosperity and enlightenment for the entire planet. We are talking about a world that works for everyone and everything, with no one and nothing left out. GIFTE speaks to the capacity to envision options from the future rather than from the past and therefore aids in the transformation of the whole human race.

THE GIFT OF PROSPERITY IS YOUR FIRST WAKE UP CALL!

Love, light and prosperity
Courtney

Happiness - Here and Now

2007-10-30T22:11:00.000-05:00

Ever since I can remember I have been concerned with what this is all about? Can one actually attain happiness in any sustainable way on this planet? Initially I thought that what it must be about is a place where every body fought and shouted at each other most of the time. A world governed by fear and negativity. It seemed to me to be a place where each person not only looked out for him or her self but was bent on destroying the other.

So I asked myself is this what it is all about or do I have to find another way?

I decided to search for another way to live. I searched everywhere and everything I could find.

My initial starting place was in the career I had chosen for myself - law. I became a lawyer in the USA, Canada, and a couple of the islands in the Caribbean – searching for happiness. In my endeavor I have never found a happy lawyer. That person just does not exist. I decided this isn’t it - I have to get out of here.

My next stop was to try religions. Happiness was in very short supply there too. I am yet to see a happy picture of Jesus. In fact of all the churches I have been to I have yet to see people truly laughing, playing, rejoicing and having a joyous time – even though Jesus kept saying “Rejoice!” “Rejoice!” – it is as if they perceive him saying that with a very somber face. Even worse, most of the churches I have been in taught fear (fear God, fear the devil, fear hell, fear sex, fear, fear, fear …). It’s as if they want you to fear everything. Which in fact is the opposite of Jesus’ teachings – the thing he said most was “fear not” – “fear ye not.” It didn’t make sense to me that we claim to be following a fearless person who teaches us to fear not – yet we live, teach and inculcate fear in every aspect of our lives.

So I continued my search and looked at other religions. And like wise, I found happiness in very short supply in all of them. I found holy people, devoted people, committed people – but happy people? - not.

So I looked at the secular world and happiness was even further away. I found addicted people, over indulgent people, crazy people, but happy? Not.

So why is happiness so elusive? Is it attainable and sustainable?

But for fleeting moments of pleasure and excitement that we experience occasionally when something outside of us gives us reason to rejoice, we never even come close to experiencing the emotion I call – happiness.

What is happiness?
Happiness is the state of being present in the moment – no past, no future, no identity, no story, no religion, no history, no philosophy, no ideology, no fear, no shoulds, no problems, no worries, no anything – just being. WOW! Who is brave enough to join me and say “I want some of that!”?

I know it is attainable and sustainable because the Buddha, the Christ and other enlightened masters who have walked amongst us have done it. And they have also shown us how to do it.

But it is not an easy road to walk for the conditioned/programmed mind. In order to walk this talk we will have to give up everything – our identity, our career, our homes, our families, our parents, our children: our lives as we know it. The ego, the conditioned mind will absolutely not allow you to do this. Even though this giving up is more of a psychological giving up than a physical giving up, most of us will never be able to do it because of how weak, afraid and invested in the illusion we are.

To choose this path one has to wake up. Only an awakened person can be here now. Only an awakened person can be happy.

We are caught like a fish in a net but all nets have holes – find one and escape.

Be here now.
Love and light
Courtney

Al-one

2007-10-09T04:46:00.000-05:00

The word “alone” is a beautiful word. It really stands for “all-one”. What does it mean to be all one? That is the question that we will explore in this blog.

As I sat on a flight from West Palm Beach to Toronto via Philadelphia – I started to reflect on the last couple of days, which I spent alone without loneliness. And something occurred to me that caused me to think about the topic of alone. While I spent the weekend totally alone without even going out for food, watching TV, or chatting on the phone – I felt a deep sense of bliss, love, peace and contentment. It was a moment of total presence that I did not even think about until I had to leave my cocoon to catch a flight.

Most of us equate alone with being lonely. To me lonely is a psychological state in which one desires to be in the company of others. Loneliness comes about because we perceive life in separation and duality. We feel lonely because we perceive ourselves as incomplete and feel that we need the other to complete us. From this state we are in a permanent state of cajoling, manipulating and controlling the other to complete us - something that can never happen. More often than not the other is also doing the same thing to us. So we end up in a vicious circle of negativity.

On the other hand alone or all-one is the enlightened state of being in unity with everyone and everything while at the same time being all-one in and of one self. You don't miss other - it is not that you don't care about them, not that you don't remember them - you don't miss them because you are one with them. All the distinctions between one and all is lost. One has become the all and the all has become one. Further all-one means becoming one with the God essence in the universe and being at-one-ment with all that there is. Wow!

I just recently read the book “Buddha” by Deepak Chopra, and had a renewed appreciation for the Buddha and his contribution to enlightenment on this planet. The Buddha had to come to his own aloneness/at-one-ment in order to gain enlightenment.

It seems to me that there are two deaths that we have to endure i.e. the death of the ego or fault personality and the physical death. Most of us never accomplish the first so we keep on going through incarnations trying to achieve that feat. A successful lifetime would therefore be one in which we conquer and destroy the ego thus giving birth to the real me. That is what Jesus called to be born again. This is a process of leaving separation and duality and coming into unity, atonement and oneness. It is the state of being all-one.

When we become all-one there is never any negativity towards the self or others. In that moment of all-one-ness we recognize ourselves as the Buddha/Christ/Atman/God and the other as the same. We come to a state of wholeness and completeness; a space of reverence and sacredness. We recognize that whatever we do unto ourselves or the other we do unto the Christ or the Buddha or God.

From this state of being we treat ourselves differently. We treat others differently. We recognize the other as our very self. It does not matter whether we are alone or with others – we feel a sense of wholeness and completeness. We feel a deep sense of sacredness and reverence at all time and with all beings and with everything.

This is the state of right meditation - when we are all alone. It is the process when we become empty and boundary-less. Emptiness is infinite, weightless, colorless, formless and nameless. We can no longer divide ourselves from others. There is no longer any separation or duality. We are no longer an island we have become the entire planet.

Enlightenment therefore is about becoming all-one. We are born in a world that perceives life in a dualistic and separated way. It is our path to find our way home to at-one-ment or all-one-ment. It is a journey we all have to take. It is a journey you have to take by yourself. It is for this journey that we came here. It is the only journey that will bring peace to your soul. I invite you to start your journey.

With peace, love, light and all-one-ness.
Courtney

Clearing Our Lives

2007-09-05T00:13:00.000-05:00

The Clearing is a course, which creates the space for our authentic lives to emerge. It demonstrates the indomitable power of the human spirit to transform. Very few of us ever live our authentic life. At some stage in our lives we experienced hurt or fear. In response to this, we reacted with negativity. We said to ourselves – “I will never again allow myself to feel like this.” We therefore shut down our emotional system in a misguided attempt to prevent further hurt and fear. From that point we spend the rest of our lives living from a context of hurt and fear. It should come as no surprise that living from this context brings more, not less, hurt and fear. Learning to live our authentic lives therefore means going deep and clearing out the source of our hurts and fears.

In addition to clearing our own hurts, fears and negativity, we also have to clear all of the inculcations, programming, and conditionings from our tribe and society. Close to one hundred percent of all the stuff that we are taught is false. Yet in the absence of a clearing we go on believing these false things for our entire lifetime, never questioning or examining their validity and relevance to our lives. Not only do these false beliefs prevent us from realizing our higher self but they also condemn us to living at the same level of consciousness as the rest of the tribe.

Living like this, we invariably lose connection with our real self, compromising our personal power and integrity and selling out our higher self. We develop an ego – which is a façade or personality that literally takes over our life as an imposter. Once the ego is formed and develops, its only purpose is to prevent us from reconnecting with our higher self. The ego does not care how it accomplishes this task, it could let us be rich or poor, sick or healthy – as long as it wins and we never discover who we really are.

One of the results of living our lives from the context of the ego is separation and competition. From this context we unconsciously perceive the other as the competition or the enemy. We send negativity to the other without even recognizing that we are doing so. It’s just the way we are programmed. We fight against each other – sometimes even our own spouses, children, friends and team members. This context of separation is one of the main causes of all of the violence and negativity in the world. From this context we do not perceive that what we do onto the other we are actually doing to ourselves. In the Clearing we experience a powerful realization - that there is no “out there” – it is simply that “as I sow so shall I reap; what I give is what I receive”.

The ego’s main hold on us is its’ capacity to make us deny ourselves and feel badly about ourselves. The result of this is that we lack self-love and self trust. Without love and trust for ourselves we are basically lost in fear and negativity. When we have no love and trust for ourselves – it will be impossible to love and trust others. We therefore project our own fear and negativity on to others. We can only see in the other that which we have in ourselves. We also attract people into our lives who reflect our own level of consciousness.

The most important thing about the clearing is that it provides a freedom to be. Without a clearing it is as if we live in a prison imposed by the ego. When we are clear we stay in our power. We live from our higher self. We for the first time experience true happiness, bliss, self-sufficiency, health and the ability to live in the present moment.

With love and light
Courtney

Leaving a legacy

2007-08-05T21:07:00.000-05:00

Last week I was in London for the weekend presenting both GIFTE Prosperity Course and the Awakening. On the Monday morning after the course I decided to take a run through London. My initial intention was a one hour run – however the run was so interesting it turned into a three and a half hour run.

I started from my hotel in Covent Gardens up to Buckingham Palace where I watched a part of the changing of the guards. I then ran through Hyde Park crossing over the River Thames. The next stop on my run was the British airways London’s Eye – the world highest observation wheel. I ran past theatres, museums, cathedrals, etc.
As I went on this run I began to think about the concept of Legacy. The British ancestors have left a huge legacy for their descendants. They have built the palaces, the bridges, the museums, the hotels, the cathedrals, the theatres etc. We tourist go to London and we enjoy the legacy.

Now some of us will argue about the methods that the Europeans went about gathering and hoarding the legacy of the rest of the world. It is true that most of the wealth of European and in particular that of the United kingdom was stolen from places such as Africa, Asia and the Americas (read stolen Legacy by george M. James). And much of this wealth was transferred through unconscionable means such as slavery, colonialism and wars for resources. And that is not the point today.

As I think on this concept of legacy some more – I started to see that maybe we are here on this planet to live, love and leave a legacy for the next generation. The first one we do naturally – it is the last two that are challenging. Let us explore for a little the issue of leaving a legacy.

I thought of great people such as Leonardo de Vinci, Bob Marley, Martin Luther King Junior, Mother Theresa, Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed, Elvis Presley, etc., all left a legacy for all humanity to enjoy. The world would just not be the same place without some of their works.

Often times when I go into a great building, pyramid, palace, cathedral, library, theatre, museum etc., I stop and marvel at the architecture and the detailed finishing. Some of the building took years, decades and sometimes even centuries to complete. Yet the visionaries kept the intention firm and took action towards the manifestation of their intention and that is the reason we have some of the great man made wonders of the world.

I asked myself the question what is my legacy to the world. Why am I really here? What can I really give to the world that would make a profound difference 200 or 2000 years from now. At that time some self doubt started to creep in and I found myself saying – “well, not all of us have to be great.” Well what is great? Maybe we are all great. Maybe just maybe we all came here with the intention to live, love and leave a legacy. Also, it is important to remember that leaving a legacy does not have to look any particular way - maybe just being a devoted and loving parent is enough of a legacy for a lifetime.

WOW! If we were all born to be great – when why do some of us live such pitiful lives. I cannot speak for you all but I can certainly speak for myself – it is like I have fallen asleep and having a hard time waking up – and in this sleep I am having a dream. I dream that I am these other things - that I am not. I am forgetting who I am. Whenever, self doubt, negativity, upset, anger, resentment, etc., enters my space I know it is time to wake myself up and remember who I am.

In the words of R. Kelly “I am the greatest.”
Live, love and leave a legacy
Courtney

Courtney Kazembe's Blog: Prosperity Course in Jamaica

2007-07-23T08:24:00.000-05:00

Courtney Kazembe's Blog: Prosperity Course in Jamaica

Prosperity Course in Jamaica

2007-07-23T08:16:00.000-05:00

This link take you to an article which was published in the Jamaican Sunday Observer, on July 22, 2007. A participant in the July 14, 2007 Prosperity Course in Jamaica gave her perspective about the course.

If this link does not work from here you may copy it into your brouser.

http://activepaper.olivesoftware.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Sk1PLzIwMDcvMDcvMjIjQXIwOTgwMA==&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom

For AOL users: href="http://activepaper.olivesoftware.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Sk1PLzIwMDcvMDcvMjIjQXIwOTgwMA==&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom">http://activepaper.olivesoftware.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Sk1PLzIwMDcvMDcvMjIjQXIwOTgwMA==&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom

Love and light
Courtney