I just got through shopping for our “Little Christmas Eve” Norwegian frukost (breakfast). It basically consists of open-faced sandwiches that have smoked salmon, salami, sliced hardboiled eggs, cheeses and other possible toppings. It’s delicious, but I swear, whenever we go to Norway, after a few days, I don’t care if I never see another sandwich again! For Christmas Eve, we have a very traditional Norwegian dinner consisting of pinnekjøtt, which translates as “stick meat,” boiled rutabaga sliced into french fry shapes, and boiled potatoes. The pinnekjøtt is lamb ribs cured for months in salt, then they’re steamed over birch branches until they’re done. The taste is an acquired one best accompanied by Aquavit with a beer chaser! Share your special holiday traditions!
Don’t forget about Erik’s Hour of Enlightenment radio show TONIGHT at 5:00 PM PT/7:00 PM CT/8:00 PM ET. No more than 15 minutes before the top of the hour, call 619-639-4606 to ask Erik your question. There are three ways to listen: Listen on the phone line, click on the “Listen” icon on the right sidebar of the blog or click on this link: http://goo.gl/aFHTzJ
One more announcement: I’m calling out for questions for the Ask Erik column so please email yours to emedhus@gmail.com. One question only, please, and they can’t be too long or the magazine will reject them due to page real estate! The submission deadline is at 8:00 AM Central Time tomorrow.
Enjoy today’s Best of Erik!
Me: Are there any mind-blowing concepts that reveal the extraordinary truths of our Universe? I guess there’s a follow up question from the blog member, too. Are there universal laws?
Erik: Laws, no. No. Not as law, but respect, you know, universal boundaries, yeah. Law, fuck that shit. No. There’s nothing out there that says you gotta do it this way or obey it this way or it must be done like this. No. Everybody is allowed to be an individual, but able to achieve it to their own degree or in their own way. And the answer to the first one? My timing is going to be off, but when you read the question, what were like the first five words?
Me: Are there any mind-blowing—
Erik: Stop.
Jamie: He has his elbows on his knees, and he throws out his hands and he goes, “Masturbation!”
Me (sarcastically): Oh, okay. Did you take your cue from the word, “blowing”?
Jamie (laughing): Mind-blowing.
Erik: Okay, so that was the trigger for you.
Jamie: Aren’t you proud? You should be so proud.
Me: Aw, I’m such a proud mommy.
Erik: Mind-blowing. Honestly, death.
Me: Okay, so death reveals the extraordinary truth of our Universe?
Erik: Yeah, and guess what? You get to wait for that awesome package when it’s your time.
Me: Erik, can you expand on that for the love of god? Toss me a bone here, boy! I’m begging you.
Erik: Oh, like what, when everybody should die?
Me: No, no. Why? Why does death reveal the extraordinary truths of our Universe? Or better yet, what is the extraordinary truth of our Universe? You know, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Jamie: Yeah, um, he shows humans on Earth as being helium balloons all tethered to something heavy.
Erik: And death is the only thing that can kind of trim or cut completely that ribbon so that the balloon can go higher or on to a different plane.
Me: Mm hm.
Erik: And by living consistently on that different plane, that’s when you’re able to understand different concepts. We can touch in and out. You know, we have moments where we have dreams where we ride up to a higher plane or we get into deep meditation and we go to a higher plane or, you know, we have out of body experiences, yada, yada, yada.
Me: Right.
Erik: But to just touch in on it, you know, the trick of the human is that you’ll have that aha moment, and you can probably hold onto it for maybe a half a day or a whole day or maybe even three days, and then, boof, it’s gone. Can’t bring it back; can’t hold onto it. It’s gone.
Me: Yeah. I’ve had that happen to me. Same thing happens with dreams. They’re pretty elusive, slippery little devils. By the time I brush my teeth, poof, they’re gone.
(Long pause)
Me: Is that it?
Jamie: Yeah, he’s talking about like a—at first he started talking about a pressurized tank, and I just couldn’t understand what he was doing, and he said, “That’s just like taking a fish out from under the water and showing him what the land world is like.”
Erik: You can only do it for so long. You can’t thrive and live there. You don’t know how to interact with it.
Me: Yeah.
Erik: You haven’t evolved to that point yet, so you go back into the water. So, you go back into the water and you fall into what you’re comfortable with and what you’re environment is offering and you enjoy and live that life. Please. That’s why humans here. so, they should stop trying to get the fuck out.
Me: Oh, okay. If you insist. So you’re not going to tell us those mind-blowing concepts?
Erik: And spoil the surprise? Not a chance.
Me: Dammit.
