Your mantra for the week: “Unlimited resources are open to me at my command.”
IN THE YEAR 2000, I was invited to be a speaker in the International New Thought Alliance (Inta) convention and this is how I was introduced:
“The next speaker comes to us from the Philippines. He is a multifaceted individual, having already pursued numerous careers, reaped the founding in 1983 of the Temple of Prayer of Prayer, Peace and Prosperity (TOPPP), a center for transformation and dynamic growth. He is the minister of the TOPPP and the district president of Inta for the Philippines. He has touched many lives in many wonderful ways. And it is through the New Thought movement that he is of service to God, to his country and to his fellowmen. Ladies and gentlemen, the Reverend George Sison.”
That was 15 years ago and up to this day, I still get goosebumps when someone addresses me as Reverend. I am more comfortable being called George, the “Irreverend.”
My speech then was titled “The Lies We Have Lived By,” and because of its irreverent content, I sold more tapes than any of the speakers that year including my New Thought “mother” Dr. Catherine Ponder, world-renowned author of books on prosperity and healing.
Another higher consciousness author, John Randolph Price (I’m a fan), spoke before me and got such a thunderous applause, I was tempted to go onstage and announce, “Ladies and gentlemen, I have nothing more to say after that. I will see you next year.”
But with my heart pounding and knees trembling, I had to go on. I silently affirmed, “God within, please take over.”
Here are some of the things I said:
“I once almost became a priest until my father said, ‘George if you ever become a priest, I am going to disown you.’ And I asked on what basis he was going to do this, and he emphatically said, ‘On the grounds that you are involved in a fraudulent occupation… for they are really more interested in your inheritance and they will never get that from me.’
“Thus, began my angst… I was studying in a Catholic school while my father was an agnostic. Imagine the contradictory voices one hears from two different authority figures; and so my challenge was to bring harmony between two opposing views.
“At that time, I had already memorized the Ten Commandments and what I always remembered was the commandment, ‘Honor thy father and thy mother.’ As a result, I resolved to go to Mass and communion every day for seven years, completing all so-called obligations of a good Roman Catholic and which would assure one of going to Heaven—all first Fridays covered, all holy week obligations completed, and every other prerequisite met that Saint Peter would surely not only unlock the Pearly Gates, he would even have them removed.
“All through that period, if I had passed on to the next dimension, I was so certain I would go to that geographical Heaven where angels would sing unceasingly and that I would only be with other Catholics. I was sure my father was going to hell. I was so worried for him.
“My process of growing up was so emotionally and mentally difficult because of these opposing belief systems. As a kid, one always prayed that at the end one would still be with one’s parents in Heaven. Alas, when I studied metaphysics, I realized that the father is simply the conscious mind, made up of our thoughts which is also the I in the ‘I AM’ and the mother (the AM) is the subconscious mind that encompasses our feelings and our beliefs. And anything you attach to the I AM becomes your reality.
“I finally reconciled this conflict by honoring the father and mother within me which ended all disharmonies with my parents on earth. In the process, I figured out what I wanted to do with my life. I also discovered my talents and abilities and, as an artist, I awakened to the reality of the God within me which made it easy to let go of all the lies I had lived by.
“Here were some of them:
1. Heaven and hell are geographical places.
2. The devil is a being that exists as a separate entity.
3. Adam and Eve were the first human beings.
4. Life is a struggle and that we are meant to suffer.
5. Sex is dirty and masturbation and living-in are mortal sins.
6. Confession erases your karma.
7. Gay sex practices earn you eternal damnation.
8. The poor are truly blessed which obviously does not include all the people in the Forbes magazine list. So sorry for them!
9. Jesus died for our sins.
Why should anyone die for our sins? And if Jesus really did, then we are now sinless, unless they meant only the sins of those people during his time. So, if that is the case, he really has to come back and die again. Will this happen in Pampanga perhaps?
10. We are sinners.”
If this does not prove my irreverence, nothing ever can!
How rich is rich?
Last week, part 2 of my column focused solely on boxing with no social commentaries. Now that people have settled down on the Mayweather-Pacquiao match, it is time to get back to a different kind of match—matching bank accounts of Binay vs Gates and Buffett.
“Two hundred forty-two accounts? Tinalo ko pa si Bill Gates at Warren Buffett! (So I even beat Bill Gates and Warren Buffett!),” Rappler quoted Binay.
That is a stunning statement that has proven to be a bit disturbing to people who think logically, because the number of bank accounts one has does not necessarily imply that you are extremely wealthy.
If I had 500 bank accounts with only a thousand in each account, that would make me merely a half-millionaire; and if I had five bank accounts which contained a billion dollars in each account, that would make me a multibillionaire.
I do not think Gates or Buffett would have 242 bank accounts. They, in all probability, would have less than 10 personal accounts each.
By the way, Gates’ wealth is estimated at $79.3 billion and Buffett’s at $72.3 billion.
So, Vice President Binay’s analogy about “beating” these two people does not really make sense. But we must hand it to him, for he knows who to compare himself with.
Stable, orderly Taureans
There are many friends who celebrated their Taurean birthdays this month like Charlo Santos, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, Becky Garcia, Glenn Armeña, Pinky del Rosario, Rita Ledesma, Elian Habayeb, Ramon Orosa and Joan Orendain.
Party girl Becky Garcia has been the most feted by friends—first by Anna Sia and sisters Manette and Camille Agbayani at Jasmine in New World hotel; then by Emilio Mina at Caruso; followed by Yoli Ayson and Marissa Fenton at the Bay Leaf hotel. And there are more to come.
The best to all of these birthday celebrators whose wonderful qualities are stability and orderliness.
Passport to luxury
The most fun, big event held this week was Philippine Tatler’s Traveller, held at the Ballroom of Raffles and Fairmont Makati.
The invitation, which was designed after a ticket, promised it would be a passport to luxury and, indeed, it was—truly an exploration of the art of luxurious traveling. It assured us of wonderfully curated prizes and an adventure in delectable cuisine and wine, and the organizers lived up to their every word.
This heavy cocktail party can be compared to the many dinners I have attended. Every corner of the ballroom had its specialty according to the country it was representing.
Among the 200 or more guests, the best-dressed ladies were Mela Bengzon and Linda Ley.
Also spotted was Rony Rogoff, here on a visit while his two former Gemini Filipino wives are in America for one reason or the other. Rony says, “It is nice to know that, at my age, I can still fall in love.”
Likewise seen were Tina Jacinto alone; Joanna Preysler and Raul Francisco, whom I didn’t know own Carbon, Tint and Eterno besides one under her name; Joy Onglatco, just back from New York (she had lunch recently with Loida Nicolas-Lewis, who was busy keeping company with US President Barrack Obama in preparation for the presidential election in November. Loida is also raising funds for Hillary’s campaign—this time I believe Hillary has it, especially if Gerry Limlingan and Eduviges Baloloy share their “campaign” funds; Mia Borromeo, who has done wonders with Traveller magazine which she edits so well; Irene and Randy Francisco, who with Anton San Diego were, of course, the happiest hosts for the very successful gathering that brought together Manila’s crème de la crème.
‘Hindi bagay’
At a Makati Garden Club event recently, a socialite remarked, “As Meryl Streep said in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’: They want to be us. And those who have tried, Ay… hindi bagay (they don’t match),” followed by a chortle a la Elvira Manahan.
