In the years leading up to the American Civil War, American writer and poet, Walt Whitman carried a notebook with him everywhere he went; and it is by his commentary on everything he saw, that we come to know him the best.
It's a lot like the notebook I carry with me. We both jot down observations, notes, things we need to remember, questions we need to ask, a hundred different first lines to what we are sure will be the next "Great American Novel"- all the usual stuff. But there is one entry in Whitman's notebook that is particularly worthy of note.
On one page there is an entry which many believe to be simply the beginnings of his book "Leaves Of Grass", which reads; "And I am."
Now, many believe that those words, "I am", should be looked at as an unfinished sentence. Popular opinion seems to be that the sentence was meant to read "I am (insert something here)". In other words, "I am" was not meant to stand alone and Whitman just forgot to write whatever was supposed to come next.
I believe something else.
As evidenced by a single notebook entry, I believe this was the point at which he began to access his real power as a writer and as a Human Being.
Modern Reality theory holds that there are 4 Laws (existing outside our "laws of physics" that really only pertain to our particular dimensional Universe anyway) that allow you to experience your version of reality. The first law states "You exist".
That may sound simple, but it contains a sub-current of information that, when you realize what it means, is astounding and humbling. It also comes with an inherent set of perks and bennies that we are given as human beings by the All-That-Is that can help us to navigate our existance.
You see, if you exist *now*, you always have and you always will.
"How can this be?" you ask? (yes, I heard you)-it is because of the way the Universe is structured.
Many of you have heard me talk about the concept of Time as something created by the ego mind for the purposes of understanding what is happening at a given moment. This concept does not really exist outside our physical form. ALL things exist, at all times- the past, the present and the future for our Higher Selves so if you "exist" "now"-you MUST also exist "then"- and then and then and then...
We see this referred to in the Bible, as God answers when Moses asks him what he should be called. God answers "I am." Not "I was", or "I will be", but "I AM." It is the certainty of God's existance, and ours- all wrapped up in those two little words.
No beginning, no end.
In the image of God (insert definition here)
We can change form, and we often do- but in the knowing "I am", we know that we will always exist in one way or another.
Carrying this further, we understand that if we exist in all times, we have access to the information of our "other selves" AT ALL TIMES. Once you understand that there is a connection, and how to access that connection, you can tap into the greater wisdom of yourself- Your Self. You can, in effect, "borrow" from your alternate self when you need to. If you have a question in this Reality, there is a self somewhere "out there" in a reality which has an answer.
Take the cartoon "Popeye", for example, as a sort of comical analogy (pun intended).
I know you were wondering how in the world I was going to fit this in, well here it is:
If you are familiar with this cartoon, you are familiar with his catch phrase, "I 'yams whats I ams, and dats all that I 'yams" and that he often says this just before or just after he performs one of his daring feats of strength. Looking at that through your "new" eyes you can see a layer of deeper meaning here in that it can be said that Popeye is calling upon the strength of his "other selves" in order to add it to his own and save the day. "I am"- and that's all he needs!
Now, one more baby-step.
If this is the case, and whenever you have a question there indeed is a "you" out there with the answer, then in means that what is "out there" is capable of BE-ing and doing ANYTHING and EVERYTHING!
You are being supported by infinate existence- an existence that expands to include every answer you will ever need. Your imagination is the spark that creates these selves-and you could not have imagination if you did not exist! Realizing this can be the difference between feelings of despondency, and a sense of empowerment.
Though we may never know for sure, I think that, consciously or not, Whitman came into contact with this very powerful sense of connection with the writing of those two words.
If you want proof of how powerful this realization can be, take this into consideration; three blank lines after Walt Whitman wrote "...I am." in his notebook, he begins the prose which will eventually be published as "Leaves of Grass"; a work which was to spread of the idea of an America free of slavery, and would earn Whitman the title of "The Father of free verse".
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