Category: Personal Observations

  • Hope: The Nocebo Placebo

    Hope: The Nocebo Placebo

    Jacques – writing quest: Article 27/365

    We’ve all heard of the Placebo effect, when someone feels better after receiving a treatment that isn’t supposed to work.

    The opposite of that is the Nocebo effect. It happens when someone expects a negative response or anticipates negative effects from an experience.

    Some people dismiss these as quackery. I believe them to be true. When I see the world through rose-tinted glasses, as my ally, my world becomes rosy. When I see the world as my enemy, then it turns against me. 

    In 1974, Dr. Clifton Meador treated a patient named Sam Londe who had oesophageal cancer. At the time it was considered 100% fatal. Even though he was treated for it, everyone ‘knew’ that it would recur. He died a few weeks after his diagnosis.

    After his autopsy, very little cancer was found in his body, certainly not enough to kill him. There were a few spots in his liver and one in his lung, but no trace of the oesophageal cancer that was believed to have killed him. 

    His doctor believed he was going to die as did he. So, he died – with cancer, not from cancer. 

    This is one of thousands of examples of the Placebo/Nocebo effect.

    It is evident that a doctor’s (our) own bias on a situation can have a negative or positive effect. Her thoughts and words can either instil hope or hopelessness.

    Once again it is clear that thoughts, words and deeds have tremendous power. We all have a duty to ourselves and others to speak and behave appropriately and with hope. Once apathy (*50) kicks in poverty, despair and hopelessness follow.

    It stands to reason that when hope is abandoned, so is the reason to live, and death must follow soon after.

    Let’s not die just yet. There’s still work for you and I to do. That we’re still alive is testament to that. When hope is alive, and we see a future pregnant with promise, then this journey becomes a worthwhile experience. I’m putting on my rose-tinted glasses. Care to join me? 

    *David R. Hawkins’s Map of Consciousness

  • How Big Is Your Fishbowl?

    How Big Is Your Fishbowl?

    Jacques de Villiers – writing quest: Article 26/365

    When it comes to potential, goldfish and humans aren’t that much different.

    Have you noticed that the smaller the fishbowl, the smaller the goldfish? That’s only a third of the story, of course. Genetics and the quality & quantity of the food it eats play a decisive role too.

    A goldfish kept in a small aquarium for four years, when moved to a larger aquarium, can have a growth spurt and almost reach the size it would have been if it had been in the large tank all along.

    Humans are the same. Our birthright is pure potential (genetics). The books we read, the work we study, the people we hang out with and the events we are exposed to are akin to food.

    Nutritious food makes us healthier. Being emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually healthy increases our chances of achieving our full potential.

    All we need is to add a dollop of courage to the mix so that we can move to a bigger pond and grow to our full potential.

    That, of course, is where most of us are stymied. We don’t have the courage to take our birthright out of the small fishbowl into a bigger fishbowl. 

    The bigger our fishbowl, the bigger our circle of influence, the bigger (magnificent) we become. As we grow (more magnificent) we seek larger environments, from a fishbowl to an ocean to the universe. 

    It is only when we become courageous that true power occurs, and we can claim the universe. Courage is the zone of exploration, accomplishment, fortitude and determination. In this zone we are willing to try new things and overcome the obstacles that life puts in our way. This is the zone where we learn new things and grow. 

    Let’s start getting comfortable with courage. Let’s move out of our comfort zone and into the unknown, where we can create and manifest our deepest desires. Courage ensures that we fulfil our potential. It’s the fuel that allows us to jump from a small fishbowl and claim the entire universe, which is our birthright, after all.  Are you ready to jump? Let’s do this together, you and I.

  • How To Take Responsibility In A Muggled-Up World

    How To Take Responsibility In A Muggled-Up World

    Jacques de Villiers – writing quest: Article 25/365

    A couple of months ago, a spiritually enlightened being who I greatly admire said something about dealing with Muggles.

    Muggles in the Harry Potter series refer to those who show no magical ability. For example, people who live unaware of the magical world are called Muggles by witches and wizards with magical ability.

    That triggered me into thinking, “Mmm, that’s a bit judgy and superior of you, isn’t it?”

    I know that if I’d pressed him, and allowed him to expand on the statement, he would have come up with an answer that would have made me look judgy.

    Then the other day a friend on Facebook put up an image that had this on, “We live in a world where the intelligent must keep quiet so that the stupid will not be offended.”

    The bitch in me thought, “Mmm, how ignorant of you to think that you’re smart. Perhaps you’re the stupid one for putting up this stupid post?”

    And, of course, you’re neither stupid nor ignorant. You realise that both these incidents triggered me because there are times when I am full of ego and feel superior (and judgy).

    It’s common for humans to feel superior to others who we consider to be beneath us. You can see this in the places of worship, spiritual communities, places of work and social groups you are part of.

    Here’s the kicker, though. The ‘inferior’ judge the ‘superior’ because we all feel superior. 

    • Don’t think that your personal trainer with 4.5% body fat isn’t judging your slothful, slovenly and shameful 30% body fat? 
    • Don’t think your server at a restaurant doesn’t judge your bad manners and shitty tips? 
    • Your housekeeper is likely disgusted by the dirty underwear and mess you leave for her to clean.

    “Do not judge, or you will be judged.

    Matthew 7:1

    Our journey is not about being superior or inferior, worthy or unworthy, enlightened or unenlightened.

    It’s about location.

    The question should always be, “Where am I located on my path to enlightenment.” As Carlos Casteneda asked, “Who’s to say that the beggar hasn’t found the path before you?” You, with your air of superiority and judgement. 

    All of us are at different stages of our personal consciousness journey. This is exactly as it should be because we’re exactly at the stage of our journey we should be at.

    It is apparent to me that the antidote to superiority and judgement is responsibility. 

    We need to take responsibility to recognise where we are located right now. Once we know this, we can work towards ascending to the next level of our journey towards consciousness.

    We should not consider ourselves superior in any way if we are not ascended masters like Jesus, Mohammed, or Buddha.

    We all exist somewhere on the spectrum between shame (despair/death) and enlightenment (ascended masters). Check out David Hawkins’s Map of Consciousness to find where you’re located. The map helps us understand and explore various levels of consciousness. It shows the potential for personal growth and self-awareness in each of us.

    You may not care to be conscious, and that’s fine. Just understand that neither you nor me are in a position (location) to feel superior and judge anyone. The map has been helpful to me; it may be helpful to you. 

    For me, the more aware I become of my location on the map, the better my life gets financially, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

  • Don’t Get Shamed Into Certain Death

    Don’t Get Shamed Into Certain Death

    Article 22/365 of Jacques’s writing quest.

    Words that are synonymous with South Africa are apartheid and loadshedding. If loadshedding continues for much longer, our country will be recognised for two different periods – apartheid and loadshedding.

    The reason for these two periods is easy to identify: rabid racism and rampant corruption.

    There are two other words that are ingrained into South Africa’s collective lexicon, those are sorry and shame. These are insidious and dangerous, and their reasons are much harder to fathom.

    Have you ever had someone bump into you by accident, and they said “sorry”? I believe that everywhere else in the world where you’re more likely to hear excuse me or pardon.

    I hear the word shame bandied about regularly too. I have a family member who says shame to everything good and bad. I could say, “I won one million rand.” They would say, “Shame, that’s great.” Talk about having one foot on the accelerator and one on the brake.

    Sorry and shame both have very low energy levels in David Hawkins’s Map of Consciousness. Shame is the lowest at 20 and sorry/sorrow would be associated with grief which registers at 75. Just for context, anything registering under 200 is dense and negative. And, really does not serve you and me.

    I’m sure that you, like me, have been shamed. Like me, you have probably shamed others too. I know that I’ve got into some unbelievable mischief that has made me ashamed of myself.

    I sometimes still feel guilty and ashamed for not being able to protect my mother from my abusive step-father when I was young. And, that she said that she was ashamed of me for not being able to do it, didn’t help matters either. In truth, it left an indelible scar on my psyche.

    You may have a different trigger to me, but I’m sure there is one that puts you straight into shame.

    When we experience shame, it’s always painful, we lose face, become discredited and sometimes feel like a non-person. 

    Shame, regardless of how it is perceived, can ultimately lead to the development of neurosis. Shamed people can become shy, withdrawn and introverted. And, if you identify as a perfectionist, be aware shame could be driving you to become rigid, driven and intolerant.

    At its essence, shame is death. In ancient cultures, tribe members who failed to meet the expectations of their community were often banished into exile as a form of punishment. Without the protection of a tribe, a banished member would invariably die.

    I’ve realised that until I deal with my shame, it will keep on hampering me from becoming who I truly was meant to be, a divine masterpiece creating the master-work that is my life.

  • Hardlife and a boy named Sue

    Hardlife and a boy named Sue

    Article 20/365 of Jacques’s writing quest.

    The other day I made the acquaintance of a man by the name of Hardlife. What were his parents thinking when they named him?

    Remember Johnny Cash and his song, A Boy Named Sue – “My daddy left. The meanest thing he ever did before he left, he went and named me Sue. Life ain’t easy for a boy named Sue.”

    Names have power as do words. I’m not sure if I would be thanking my parents as they thought, let’s set him up for a tough life and call him Hardlife or Sue.

    I have come to learn that the words we speak really do have power. They are spells we cast that create the world we live in, hence the word, spelling.

    I’ve started a bad habit that I learned from the science fiction writer, Ray Bradbury. He said that his wife married a writer because she didn’t mind ‘taking a vow of poverty’.

    I loved that phrase, and I’ve been using it. As in, I can’t meet a woman that will date me, a writer, because she doesn’t want to ‘take a vow of poverty’.

    I haven’t been on a real date for more than a year now. It’s been so bad that I buy bird seed so that at least I can attract birds to my garden to keep me company.

    One could argue that it’s my looks and cynical personality that scuppers my chances of getting a date and building a relationship. I probably wouldn’t disagree. 

    However, I have a strong feeling that it’s the words I use. The word ‘poverty’ vibrates very low. And, to be honest, my income is seldom where I’d like it to be. To be fair, as Wallace Simpson said, “One can never be too thin or too rich.” Or as my spiritual teacher, Etsko Schuitema says, “No amount of zeros in your pay cheque can fill that hole in your chest called insecurity. Perhaps that’s just the human condition, thinking that there’s never enough.

    I’ve been keeping a journal of how many times I say something negative. I’m quite astounded that I can still function with the amount of negativity I feed myself.  

    I’m learning to stand sentinel over my sentences and worry more over the words I use.

    I’m learning to use words that create positivity. That’s a better option, don’t you think? 

    Photo Credit: WriteSonic – AI depiction of Sisyphus

  • Sweet Teeth and Slavery

    Sweet Teeth and Slavery

    Article 15/365 of Jacques’s daily writing quest.

    Did you know that the average Dutch burgher in the day had shares in a *slave stock exchange? 

    And that’s all because the Europeans of the time found their sweet tooth and needed it satiated with cake, pastry, chocolate, and rum. The need for sugar exploded.

    Europeans weren’t tough enough to withstand the rigours of working in the Caribbean sugar canes. So, hundreds of thousands of enslaved men, women and children were shipped from Africa to the Caribbean.

    Sugar is responsible for the ruin of millions of lives, then and now.

    Countless people have died from obesity and diabetes related death as a consequence of humanity’s abnormally high consumption of sugar. 

    Its effects are insidious and devastating.

    Words, thoughts and deeds are like sugar. Insidious and devastating. Infrequently, they give us a wonderful rush. But mostly, they imprison us in a life of slavery.

    I’ve been doing an exercise over the last month to become aware of how many negative thoughts and words I have a day.

    It’s mind-numbingly appalling. If you believe that words, thoughts and deeds manufacture your world, as I do, then standing sentinel over our words is the most important thing we can do, when it comes to manifesting the life we want.

    If I spoke to my friends and family like I spoke to myself, I’d be alone, that’s for sure.

    Every time I speak words of blame and complain about ‘what is being done to me’ by powers outside my control, I dive straight into victim mode. Nothing of positive consequence can be created from there. 

    The good news, according to the late David R. Hawkins in Power Vs Force, one positive word and thought can negate all the negative ones. And, many arcane spiritual texts speak to this. 

    I find that a bit of a stretch, perhaps in the moment, that is true. Of course, it makes sense that if our lives are made up of seconds, then every second spent in positive word, thought and deed is a good thing, isn’t it? 

    So, how do we pull it off? It is clear to me that we have to move from the unconscious to the conscious. We need to practise recognising when we are in victim mode? How do you know that you’re in victim mode? That’s easy; every time you feel shame, apathy, guilt and grief. These create the emotional states of humiliation, blame, despair and regret.

    The more I notice my negative thoughts and words and bring them into the harsh light of truth, the more I can destroy them. Like a vampire in sunlight. Nothing can beat truth.

    I avoid judging my negative thoughts and words because doing so can cause me to spiral into more blame and criticism, which goes against the purpose of the exercise. I observe my negativity with a sense of curiosity, and I say, “Mmm, that’s interesting. Thank you for teaching me.I release you with love.” 

    Is it working for me? I feel that it is. 

    Is it easy? Not really, I’m repatterning, unlearning and releasing a lifetime (lifetimes) of negative programming. It’s a practice and a process. I am doing the best I can with what I have.

    Engaging with and transforming my mind, heart, and soul will help me move from being controlled to being in control, from slavery to mastery, and from being a victim to being victorious.  

    * Read the fascinating book, Sapiens. A Brief History of Humankind.

  • Witchcraft and Heresy

    Witchcraft and Heresy

    Article 14/365 of Jacques’s writing quest.

    Last year, I told some friends that I attended a business lecture at The Church of Scientology at The Castle in Kyalami.

    The response was overwhelmingly negative. “It’s a cult, they brainwash you, and they just want your money.” That pretty much sounds like every religion I’ve ever been exposed to.

    I got a similar response when I embraced Islam. “Are you getting fitted for your bomb jacket?” Same goes for my short flirtation with Freemasonry. “You’re making a pact with the devil.”

    Some people act as if Scientology, Islam, and Freemasonry are to blame for the current state of the planet.

    They think that it’s witchcraft and heresy. And, you know what they do to witches, don’t you? In the 14th century, 500 000 ‘witches’ were murdered over a period of two hundred years. That’s probably why I never tell people that I’ve astral travelled, searched for alien artefacts in the Karoo, played with an ouija board, built pyramids to sharpen my razor blades and that I have a sneaky suspicion that we may just be the slave species of the Anunnaki. And, I definitely don’t tell people that I meditate, pray and journal every day. Being burnt at the stake is not really the way I want to go.

    Every experience I’ve ever had with anything different to my Judeo-Christian worldview has been benign and to my benefit. It may be because I believe that everything that happens for me is for my good.

    I come from a home where curiosity and open-mindedness were encouraged. So, it is alien (pun intended) to me that many people are so closed off and refuse to entertain anything that is different from their worldview. I suppose they really do believe that anything different is dangerous. 

    If I look at David R. Hawkins’s Map of Consciousness (MAC), I have an inkling as to why this is. According to the MAC, 1000 hertz is enlightenment and 20 hertz is shame and 200 hertz (courage) is when we start to step into consciousness. According to the MAC, 85% of the planet is vibrating below 200 hertz. This is where we are mired in the dense energies of shame, guilt, apathy, grief, fear, desire, anger and pride.

    Every nation that is embarked on a conflict or exploiting its people is a lower form of consciousness. You and I can’t do much about that. But we can start by elevating our own consciousness which starts with courage (200 hertz). We can be open to different. We can be curious and not judgemental. We can be kind and not cruel. 

    Let’s choose consciousness, you and I.

  • Our Side

    Our Side

    Article 12/365 of Jacques’s Writing Quest

    As Dricus du Plessis was crowned UFC Middleweight Champion of the World today, tears of joy streamed down my face. I wasn’t the only one crying at the Molly Malones restaurant in Fourways. Everyone was jumping up and down with joy. I’m sure this was the case throughout South Africa.

    I reflected on all the times I’ve cried and jumped with joy over the years. When Joel Stransky kicked the winning drop goal for the Springboks to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup. All of our Springbok’s World Cup victories so far. I was even overjoyed when Siphiwe Tshabalala scored that amazing goal against Mexico in the 2010 Soccer World Cup. 

    It occurred to me, no matter the creed, no matter the country, we all love it when ‘our side’ wins.

    What does ‘our side’ mean in our journey? The entire humanity would be ‘our side’, I would imagine. 

    Think about it. When we read about someone overcoming adversity, we applaud. We applaud when our child accomplishes something. When we set a plan in motion, and it gets the result we want, we applaud. I can go on, you get the point. We love it when others win.

    I recall when I went on a plant medicine journey (psilocybin) a year back. In one hallucination I’m convinced that I saw the trees opening up to hug me and the plants applauding me.

    That sat with me for months afterwards. I reflected that everything and everyone is built do help ‘our side’ win. We’re all on the same side. The entire ecosystem that we co-exist in can only work optimally if everything sets everything and everyone up to win.

    I suppose that’s why our existence is out of balance because we haven’t differentiated between ‘our side’ and OUR SIDE. One is expedient, short-sighted and selfish. One is appropriate, long-sighted and selfless. If we fail to recognise that we are all on the same team, we will “win the battle, but ultimately lose the war.” (Pyhrrus of Epirus said). It’s known as a pyrrhic victory. The cost is too high, so you win, but you lose.

    Let’s go team. Let’s win for OUR SIDE.

    Article 11/365 of Jacques’s Writing Quest.

  • Why I (sort of) Chose Marketing As A Career

    Why I (sort of) Chose Marketing As A Career

    Article 8/365 of Jacques’s Writing Quest

    I’m not sure that marketing was my first choice. If I’m honest, it was to be a time traveller. But until Elon Musk invents a time machine, I’ll have to cool my heels. A flâneur had huge appeal to me. Lounging around Parisian coffee shops and observing society is a cool gig if you can get it. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a trust fund, so that one went out the window. I toyed with the idea of becoming a philosopher like my father until I realised that there are no philosophy factories giving out jobs and I didn’t want to take a vow of poverty.

    I’m not even sure that there was a grand design to me going into marketing. After two years of compulsory military service, I decamped in 1982. I studied public relations, worked in PR firms and became a PR copywriter for a mining company. I also gained experience in crisis management while working for a communications company. Later, I joined an advertising agency and eventually started my own business in 2000.

    But, there may have been a grand design, albeit, subtle. 

    It was my father, you see, that led me to marketing. He was pregnant with potential. He had everything going for him and an intellectual pedigree to boot. 

    He came from a wealthy family. He got a double doctorate (philosophy and theology), both summa cum laude, from the University of Zurich. He was taught by the renown Swiss theologian, Emil Brunner. He was present at lectures given by Carl Jung. He had a music degree and played the violin for a symphony orchestra. He was a Dutch Reformed minister until his excommunication in 1960 for speaking against apartheid. He became a member of the Christian Institute, alongside Beyers Naude and Ben Engelbrecht. He authored three books and finally ended his career as a political analyst and/or spy.  

    Ironically, with this rich background, he became neither rich nor famous. In fact, my two brothers and I had to support him for 10 years+ until he passed in 2000.

    I’m convinced that if my father knew how to market his gifts he would have been the Jordan Peterson of his era and have made a decent living. To be fair, there weren’t the marketing tools and reach that we have today, available then. 

    That’s what drives my career path today. I see too many people who are like my father taking a vow of poverty. People like you who are geniuses, people like you that should be playing on a bigger stage and people like you who can really make a difference in this world, languishing in oblivion.

    I’m convinced that marketing would make all the difference to those people. To you. 

    Don’t be like my father. Embrace marketing and share your gift because, right now, there’s someone out there that needs what you have to offer. Don’t deprive them of the privilege of having you serve them.

  • Success: Determinism or Fatalism?

    Success: Determinism or Fatalism?

    Article 7/365 of Jacques’s Writing Quest

    For each of us, the definition of success is different. But, for today’s mind exercise, let’s assume its career/financial success.

    I read somewhere that success is a choice. To achieve anything you want, just choose success and follow certain principles. You determine your outcome.

    I think that’s a flawed argument. It’s much more nuanced than that.

    Let me ask you, how many of us make a commitment to succeed, have the right mindset, do what we say we’re going to do, are ‘good people’, have an amazing support structure, visualise, do affirmations, practice manifestation exercises and still haven’t achieved ‘success’?

    Here’s another view. Success is based on luck or a word called ‘randomness’. Think about the usual suspects of success – Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Warren Buffet, Elon Musk et al. There are hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs in the graveyard of failure that came from richer families, are better educated and had more opportunity.

    Think on it, you had no choice of the parents you were born to. This was luck, God, destiny, fate … whatever you want to call it. You could have been born to a Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Black, White, Chinese, rich, poor, dysfunctional family. This very act changed the trajectory of your life. So, Gates, Branson, Buffet and Musk had a bit of luck.

    Gates went to a school that had one of the first computer centres in America. If he went to an art school, there may not have been a Microsoft.

    Talking about art. In his youth, Adolf Hitler wanted to become an artist. But his dreams were ruined because he failed the entrance exam of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Hitler was rejected twice by the institute, once in 1907 and again in 1908.

    Imagine if Hitler became an artist, how would the world we live in today be different?

    Read Outliers. The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell and Fooled By Randomness by Nassim Taleb, and you’ll get how luck plays a massive part in success.

    The definition of luck according to Gladwell is where knowledge and opportunity dissect.

    Luck favours the prepared.

    So, keep on being the best you can be, keep on reading, keep on learning, keep on growing, keep on showing up, because one day, you might meet the person, read something or learn something, that could change the trajectory of your life.

    And, I’ll leave you with the hardest question. What if you do everything right according to all the success scripts out there, and you still fail at achieving your goals? Then this exercise called life would be a disaster, wouldn’t it?

    For me the trick is to not base my worth and success on my outcomes, but rather on the experiences I’ve had. Because, by God, I have failed at more things than I care to imagine. If I based my worth on those failures, I’d be in a desolate place. But, heck, all my failures and rare successes have given me the most amazing experiences. I live this life as fully as I can, and do the best I can, and that is enough for me.