f maiello bio sketch
malabar, fl
july 1999
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I should preface my story by emphasizing the fact that
my knowledge in metaphysics was realized on my own.
It was after the fact, that I was able to weed out and
discover the esoteric teachings behind the world religions
(i.e. what their founders were saying between the lines,
as well as insights of other sages)...which was recognized to be
all derived from a universal source. Therefore the process over
the years was that of locating and comparing. In light of this
my guru has been, first and foremost, the impulse in my Heart
[which I claim is
in fact ultimately everyone's primary guru, whether
they realize it or not]. And this has a secondary implication,
that the world and its components are equally our guru, since there
is no difference
between the essence of what is Within and Without. This is the
basis of non-dual philosophy.
My background can sometimes read like science fiction.
Portions of it are included below...other parts [which I won't
elaborate on] entailed
political involvements culminating in surveillance by the
CIA, various military intelligence agencies, the US Dept
of State, the UN and others. However, since the end of
the Gulf War I've abandoned all such endeavors, which represented
[for me, and what i believe is my role in life] a waste of
time that could be spent in more productive endeavors, such as
teaching what I learned with the aid of metaphysics.
For obvious reasons I will relate only those parts of my backround that are relevant
to the subjectmatter of this website, in addition to certain
events having direct bearing on the development
of this body-mind complex [shaping/molding it into a fitting
vehicle or conduit for the dissemination of practical metaphysical
insights].
I was born on 6 July 1948 and grew up in Queens and Long
Island, NY. I attended Catholic school until the age of 12,
whereupon I became skeptical because my questions weren't at
all being answered. As a result, two years later I put
Christianity on the backburner, so-to-speak, having become interested in yoga and Hinduism.
In 1967 I started reading the Zen classics--which hit me deeper than
anything before [or even since!...its basic approach having become the
metaphysical parallel to what I was experiencing] and shortly
thereafter adopted the approach of Theosophy, due to its
liberal and eclectic vantage point. I was also involved in
the arts, especially performing and writing music and poetry. (Most of my life I accompanied myself on acoustic guitar, and only recently started playing electric [Fender Stratocaster] which opened up an entire new dimension in expression. It has become in fact my "drug of choice," whereupon I play literally for 6 to 7 hrs a day, gearing up to re-renter the music industry [to augment my online business income, selling houseplans on the
internet. http://pyramodule.com ].)
It was at this time I met singer-songwriter Richie Havens,
establishing a lifelong friendship on the common ground of a
primal spiritual focus.
Concurrently I met/collaborated with poets Allen Ginsberg,
Lawrence Ferlinghetti and [briefly] Gary Snyder.
My association with these artists provided a mutual influence.
The creative and intuitive aspects of the mind were inspired
and enriched accordingly.
I had also done a considerable amount of experimenting with
psychotropic drugs (LSD, mescalin, peyote and psilocybin).
These were used as mind-expansive catalysts and not merely
recreational. I would oftentimes play sitar (self-taught)
for 6-8 hours in these mind-altered states.
In August 1969 I attended the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival,
which was the culmination of my generation's living ideal in
peace, harmony and love. It was among the most beautiful and
fulfilling experiences of my life.
Three months later I was drafted into the Marine Corps.
(Yes, drafted....for a few months, there was a mandatory quota.)
However, due to the nature of the Vietnam War, I refused to participate,
claiming status as a conscientious objector. To show them I meant business with my convictions, I volunteered for the
Marine Corps' equivalent of special forces (i.e. Force Recon), stating I was "willing to die but not to kill,"
requesting specialized surveillance missions inside the DMZ or the Mekong Delta itself,
*provided* that my request to remain unarmed was granted. My request was denied, and I was
threatened (falsely, I found out later!) with 20 years in Levenworth Brig
if I refused the direct order to train with the M-14 rifle.
I reluctantly accepted, promising myself I would walk off into
the jungle if push indeed came to shove during combat. I had
more in common with the Buddhists in the jungle and rice paddies
anyway! As fate would have it, karma was on my side, having
gained the confidence of the company commander and a WO-4
(warrant officer, class IV), who believed in my sincerity and
pulled strings to have my two sets of Vietnam orders changed.
It was at this time, in fact in boot camp in Parris Island, SC,
that I was applying a twofold metaphysical approach, utilizing
the Zen koan "MU" on one hand, and Sri Ramana's Self-enquiry
"Who am I?" on the other. This forged my soul's conviction,
yielding the first glimpses of Self. I was in Arjuna's living
Kurukshetra, where although reminded of the dharma to be upheld
for a kshatriya as per Sri Krishna's instructions in the Bhagavad
Gita, this war however was another story entirely, in terms of being
profoundly corrupt. Thus I felt I was more than justified in
resisting it. Through information I discovered through various reliable sources, I had the responsibility
of following through with passive resistance--even if it took the form
of an infiltration of the system and resorting to going UA (AWOL in
Army terms) in the field, tantamount to treason and punishable by death.
The knowledge I'd amassed--unwittingly or not--gave me no alternative.
Indeed we wound up losing 58,000 GI's (KIA or MIA) under the guise
[propaganda] of stopping Communist Aggression, yet in reality sealed thus
in the name of corporate America.
I wrote the following poem in 1970, summarizing this
dilemma (bearing in mind that, in fact, such was nevertheless integral
to Isvara's inscrutable Plan--serving to teach through extraordinary
circumstances, entire nations...being the mission of all apparent
tragedies, social, political and/or personal).
vietnam war colors
blue soldier
'neath yellow sun
spilling red blood
in brown mud
for green money
Here's a photo of my platoon during infantry
training.
Some will judge my actions as brave or cowardly. Truly, neither is applicable.
Simply because, however one's actions unfold in the world are a combination
of karma on one hand and the product of
the wisdom of the soul on the other. Therefore, self-judgments are really
a waste of time...since not only do we not have the right, more importantly
we utterly lack the capacity to judge [ourselves or others]!
Therefore, we should come away from our actions with no guilt and no regrets.
Whatever was done was literally VITAL in the overall scheme of things...in
the script of Isvara. Our only charge ever is to learn
from our actions, be they 'good' or 'bad,' makes no real difference.
It's the learning process that really matters. (This is *not* to say we shouldn't try our best; just that the results should be accepted without guilt or regrets.)
Upon my release from active duty on September 10, 1971, I then
began a five year period on the road, hitchhiking over 27,000
miles through North America (including Canada and Mexico).
The events and incidents surrounding these experiences were
intense, variegated and not infrequently maddening, inspirational
and even exhilirating in breadth and scope. Yet these were only in
preparation for what later proved to be the most momentous
and transformative spiritual odyssey of my life...
On 13 acres of waterfront land that I purchased in 1971, on a virgin-wooded
island in the Ottawa River in Quebec, Canada, I commenced living
solitary for most of seven years, from 1976-83. This time and
experience catapulted me to the pinnacle of my soul, enabling me
to forge the spiritual connection to Self, which has ever since
been the foundation and mainstay of all subsequent experiences.
The course and intensity of this encounter with my self was of
such magnitude that an entire book could be written on what
eventuated from it and still not scrape the surface in describing it!
As one could imagine, it was a catharsis that
cleansed and transfigured my ego, ushering it through the pathos
of Heart-mind realms from the dregs of forlorn madness to the
sublime core of primal Existence Itself.
The Heart-lights of my life are my wife Ethel, my sons Charles and Raman, my parents and two sisters whose family I was blessed to be born into.
