Home
Life & the Universal
Mariposa- Community of Butterflies
The Blues
Do Not Be Ashamed
The Tree
A Child's Journey
Suffering
Trinity Church
The People's Prayer
Analysis of Bias
Intolerance & the Christian Right
A Time To Break Silence
A Personal Message
An Open Letter to the Religious Community
Bhagavad-gita
Poetry of Xu Yun
Atlantis
The Rainbow Bridge
Imagine
Ending of Relationships
BeliefNet News
The following is the mission
statement of Soulforce,
an interfaith movement committed to ending spiritual violence
perpetuated by religious policies and teachings against gay,
lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. As a gay man,
I am proud and particularly sensitive to the work Soulforce does
in fighting prejudice and bigotry and defending the rights of
sexual minorities.
"Spiritual Violence: Spiritual violence is the misuse of
religion to sanction the condemnation and rejection of any of
God’s children. Misusing religion and/or God to support
society’s bias against sexual and gender minorities also
inappropriately justifies psychological, legal and physical
violence against them. Some zealots blatantly articulate
spiritual violence against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender
people when they scream “God Hates Fags.” Mainline churches may
be less blatant and more sophisticated, but they are no less
guilty of spiritual violence. It is just as violent spiritually
when pastors and parents—quoting scripture—condemn and reject
members of their congregation and their family. When this
happens, God’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender children
also feel condemned and rejected by their Creator as well." |
Evolution and the
Teaching of Creation
Evolve- start with the 'l' and spell in reverse...love...Elohim...to
love is to remember..it cannot be detroyed...
"The creation story unfurling within the scientific enterprise
provides the fundamental context, the fundamental arena of
meaning, for all the peoples of the Earth. For the first time in
human history, we can agree on the basic story of the galaxies,
the stars, the planets, minerals, life forms, and human cultures.
This story does not diminish the spiritual traditions of the
classical or tribal periods of human history. Rather, the story
provides the proper setting for the teachings of all traditions,
showing the true magnitude of their central truths." —Brain
Swimme, The Universe is a Green Dragon, 1984.
"We have a new story of the universe. Our own
presence to the universe depends on our human identity with the
entire cosmic process. In its human expression, the universe and
the entire range of earthly and heavenly phenomena celebrate
themselves and the ultimate mystery of their existence in a
special exaltation. Science has given us a new revelatory
experience. It is now giving us a new intimacy with the Earth."
“The basic mood of the future might well be one of
confidence in the continuing revelation that takes place in and
through the Earth. If the dynamics of the Universe from the
beginning shaped the course of the heavens, lighted the sun, and
formed the Earth, if this same dynamics brought forth the
continents and the seas and atmosphere, if it awakened life in the
primordial cell and then brought into being the unnumbered variety
of living beings, and finally brought us into being and guided us
safely through the turbulent centuries, there is reason to believe
that this same guiding process is precisely what has awakened in
us our present understanding of ourselves and our relation to this
stupendous process. Sensitized to such guidance from the very
structure and functioning of the Universe, we can have confidence
in the future that awaits the human venture.”
-Thomas
Berry, The Dream of the Earth, 1988.
"The new naturalism does a superior job of
telling everybody's story. It is more durable than metaphysical
perspectives precisely because it rejects claims to finality,
inviting upon itself scrutiny and falsification. And it gives us
what is to date the most reliable and satisfying account of where
came from, what our nature is, and how we should live."-
Loyal D. Rue, Everybody's Story, 2000.
"There is science now to construct the story
of the journey we have made on this Earth, the story that connects
us with all beings. Right now we need to remember that story, to
harvest it and taste it. For we are in a hard time. And it is the
knowledge of the bigger story that is going to carry us through."
-
Robert Bateman, Thinking Like a Mountain, 1988.
"It is a century now since Darwin gave us the
first glimpse of the origin of species. We know now what was
unknown to all the preceding caravan of generations: that [people]
are only fellow voyagers with other creatures in the odyssey of
evolution. This new knowledge should have given us, by this time,
a sense of kinship with fellow creatures; a wish to live and let
live; a sense of wonder over the magnitude and duration of the
biotic enterprise." -
Aldo Leopold & Charles Swartz, A Sand County Almanac, 1989.
"Tell me a creation story more wondrous than the miracle of a
living cell forged from the residue of an exploding star! Tell me
a story of transformation more magical than that of a fish hauling
out onto land and becoming amphibian, or a reptile taking to the
sky and becoming bird, or a bear slipping back into the sea and
becoming walrus! If this science-based culture, of all cultures,
cannot find meaning and cause for celebration in its very own
cosmic creation story, then we are sorely impoverished indeed." -
Connie Barlow, Green Space Green Time, 1997.
"There can be no better laboratory for the elaboration of thoughts
on man's orientation in a complex world than a flowering meadow,
or a noisy brook, or a spiral galaxy. For the green leaves are
sucklings of a star's radiation. The rapids in a brook, responding
to universal gravitation, perform erosions of a sort that have
worn down to oblivion the lofty pre-Alps and the primitive
Appalachians. The hundred-ton maple tree that calmly dreams
through the decades is in the same universe as the Andromeda
Galaxy with its billions of seething stars." —
Harlow Shapley, Of Stars and Men, 1984.
"Both education and religion need to ground themselves within the
story of the universe as we now understand this story through
empirical knowledge. Within this functional cosmology we can
overcome our alienation and begin the renewal of life on a
sustainable basis. This story is a numinous, revelatory story that
could evoke the vision and energy required to bring not only
ourselves but the entire planet into a new order of magnificence."
-
Thomas Berry, Dream of the Earth, 1988
The above quotations were taken from the web site of Michael Dowde
& Connie Barlow, The
Greatest Story. Quoting from from their web site:
"On April 25, 2002, Connie Barlow and Michael Dowd embarked on an
itinerant ministry of sharing "the Great News of the Great Story
and Foster the Great Work." We shed most of our possessions, and
now travel in a van as at-large inhabitants of North America and
ambassadors of the grand sacred story of cosmos, Earth, life, and
humanity. We are teaching (Connie has a science writing
background) and preaching (Michael was a United Church of Christ
pastor) "the marriage of science and religion for personal and
planetary wellbeing." |
We
are resolved to follow our national dream.
The Orchard House Speech of Doris "Granny D" Haddock
The following excerpt is from a speech made at
Orchard House, Home of the Alcotts, in Concord,
Massachusetts on October 6, 2005.
"...The desperate attitude of the far right toward not
only the unborn baby but even brain-dead people on life
support reveals something about their true religion:
they have little. There is nothing in their actions that
reveals a belief that life is eternal, that there is no
death except as a doorway to something better. Their
brand of Christianity simply does not relate to the
teachings of Christ. The worst of the hate-mongers who
misuse the Bible to make million-dollar church incomes
and push a political agenda of male domination and hate
are easy to spot, for they cherry-pick Bible passages to
suit their purposes. They disregard any turning of
cheeks, they disregard the fact that Jesus never
mentioned the homosexuality that they so fear. They seem
not to fear that, as very rich men, they themselves
might have a hard time driving their Hummers through the
eye of the needle into heaven. They claim that every
word of the Bible must be followed, but if they really
believed that they would have stoned themselves to death
years ago, as they are as sexually frisky and full of
covetous looks as anybody else. They forgive themselves
freely, of course, even when they promote the murder of
foreign leaders." See also:
Intolerance & the Christian Right. |
Action
Institute for the Study of
Religion & Liberty
Seeks to articulate a vision of society
that is both free & virtuous, the end of
which is human flourishing.
Adherents.com
Collection of adherent statistics & religious
geography citations -- references to published
membership/adherent statistics &
congregation statistics for over 4,200 religions,
churches, denominations, religious bodies, faith
groups, tribes, cultures, movements,
ultimate concerns, etc.
Affirmation:
Gay & Lesbian Mormons
Serves the needs
of gay, lesbian, bisexual,
& transgender Mormons & their
supportive
family & friends through social &
educational activities.
Affirm
United / S'Affirmer Ensemble
An organization of persons working through
education & social integration for the
welcoming of diverse peoples, especially the
inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgender
persons in the life & work of the church. AU / AE
is composed of people of all sexual orientations
& gender identities and so it is open to all people
within the United Church of Canada who
support these goals.
Aleph: Alliance
for Jewish Renewal
American
Buddhist Center
American Friends
Service Committee
Quaker organization that includes people
of various faiths who are committed to social justice,
peace, and humanitarian service.
American Jewish Committee
Anti-Defamation League
The Art of
Peace, Morihei Ueshiba
Association for Research &
Enlightenment-Edgar Cayce
Autobiography of a Yogi |
Whispers
from Eternity
From the Beginning of "Autobiography of a Yogi,"
by Paramhansa Yogananda...
The characteristic features of Indian culture have
long been a search for ultimate verities and the
concomitant disciple-guru relationship. My own
path led me to a Christlike sage whose beautiful
life was chiseled for the ages. He was one of the
great masters who are India's sole remaining wealth.
Emerging in every generation, they have bulwarked
their land against the fate of Babylon and Egypt."
Bahá'í World
Balanced
Weight Management
"It is rare to have someone tell you that you
are overweight due to many different choices
that you make on a moment-to-moment basis.
It is your environment, lifestyle & personal
conditioning, genetics, & habits that keep you
overweight. As you learn about your choices &
the patterns they form, make small changes &
learn new skills, day-by-day, overtime, you form
new habits. These new patterns gradually bring
to you NEW RESULTS (being thinner, healthier
& happier). KEEPING OUR LIVES IN BALANCE
is an essential practice that will allow you to
apply the other indispensable areas of self-care."
Beliefnet
A multi-faith e-community.
BibleGateway
| The Unbound Bible
Searchable bibles
Biodynamics
Bishop
John Shelby Spong
Unofficial Fan Web Site
The British
Humanist Association
Exists to support and represent people
who seek to live good & responsible
lives without religious beliefs.
The Bruce Lee
Educational Foundation
Bruderhof Communities
|
Peacemaking Guide
| Peacebarn
Network of faith-based communities that
began in Europe in the aftermath of World War I
& now has branches in New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, England, Germany, & Australia.
The Peacemakers Guide was created to
inspire & empower people to work for peace,
& to arm people with living proof of the power
of nonviolence to effect change and resolve conflicts.
The Bruderhof Peace Barn is a project of the 5th-
8th grade students of the Spring Valley Bruderhof
School in Farmington, PA. Two days after
9/11/2001 these students wanted to do something
for peace. So they decided to convert an old barn
into a museum for peace and a memorial for the
victims of terrorism and war. In addition they have
handcrafted memorial benches for each passenger
and crew member of Flight 93, which are at the
crash site in Shanksville, PA. Tourists from all
over the United States and the world stop by
the Peace Barn every day.
BuddhaNet
A View on
Buddhism
Buddhist Studies Virtual Library
C.G. Jung Page
Catholic.net
Catholic
Worker
"The aim of the Catholic Worker movement
is to live in accordance with the justice
& charity of Jesus Christ... When we examine
our society, which is generally called
capitalist (because of its methods of producing
& controlling wealth) and is bourgeois (because
of prevailing concern for acquisition & material
interests, and its emphasis on respectability
& mediocrity), we find it far from God's justice.
The Center
of Concern
Explores & analyzes global issues
& social structures from an ethical
perspective based on Catholic
Social Teaching.
Center for Paleo Orthodoxy
Chabad-Lubavitch in Cyberspace
Christian
Classic Ethereal Library
The Church at Matthew's House
"I was tired of the church, as I knew it.
It was an event, a building, a program…
I wanted to be the church; I wanted my
“un-churched” friends to be the church,
not become churched." -Jason Evans
Circle of Living Earth
Providing healing & instruction in the
shamanic tradition.
Corrymeela
People of all ages & Christian traditions,
who, individually and together are
committed to the healing of Social,
Religious & Political divisions that exist
in Northern Ireland and throughout
the World.
CrossCurrents
Global network for people of faith &
intelligence who are committed to
connecting the wisdom of the heart &
the life of the mind.
Cultural
Creatives
The Dead Sea Scrolls
Death of an Innocent: How
Christopher McCandless lost
his way in the wilds by Jon
Krakauer, 1/1993
Dignity USA
"Envisions and works for a time when Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgendered
Catholics are affirmed and experience
dignity
through the integration of their spirituality with
their
sexuality, and as beloved persons of God
participate fully in all
aspects of life within
the Church and Society."
don Miguel
Ruiz
The Four Agreements:
-Be Impeccable with Your Word
-Don't Take Anything Personally
-Don't Make Assumptions
-Always Do Your Best
Dvaita Home Page
Earth Vision
It is the premise of EARTH VISION
that in order for humanity to cherish nature,
humanity must first recognize nature
as a reflection of the very soul of its
own being.
Eckankar
The Enneagram
Institute
"The Ennegram Institute is dedicated to
the work of human liberation & transformation.
Don Riso has defined the Enneagram as "a
geometric figure that delineates the nine basic
personality types of human nature and their
complex interrelationships." While the Enneagram
suggests that there are
nine basic personality
types of human nature, there are, of course,
many subtypes and variations within the nine
fundamental categories. Nevertheless, the
assertion of Enneagram theory is that these
nine adequately map out the territory of
"personality types.""
The Episcopal
Church of Visual Arts
Esalen Institute
An alternative educational center devoted to
the exploration of what Aldous Huxley called
the "human potential," the world of unrealized
human capacities that lies beyond the imagination.
Esalen soon became known for its blend of
East/West philosophies, its experiential/didactic
workshops, the steady influx of philosophers,
psychologists, artists, and religious thinkers,
and its breathtaking grounds blessed with natural
hot springs.
Esoteric School of Shamanism & Magic
Exploring Plato's Dialogues
Fatima Network
| Third
Secret of Fatima
FollowingAncestors- EarthWisdom
"Today we consider it a great honor to carry on
the role of helping people like yourself in
reconnecting to the spirit of Esonknhsendehi -
the great Changing Mother earth- and sharing
the beauty of earth ways from around the world.
Our goal is to nurture a spirit of harmony within
Humanity's interactions with other humans,
nature and All Our Relations. Our work is
designed to be an antidote to all that is excessive,
formal, artificial or contrived. By focusing on the
essence of evolution, we hope to offer you a
welcomed lifestyle in tune with the spirit of All That Is.
Foundation for Shamanic
Studies
Offers international learners rigorous courses
in core shamanism- universal or near-universal
principles & practices of shamanism not
bound to any specific cultural group or perspective.
Frequency Keepers
"The dimensional shift has begun & we are being
called to our highest destiny, to consciously utilize
the full harmonic power of our voices to open our
hearts to our multi-dimensional selves & transform
the frequencies, our planet, & its inhabitants by
manifesting a new harmony of unconditional love."
The
Gentle Survivalist
Gothic Dreams
Gnosis Archive
Harmonicvisions
Karyn Armstrong is a Shamanic Healing Arts
Practitioner, Minister, Certified Tantra Educator,
Director of Harmonic Visions, and Proprietor of
Body, Mind & Spirit…A Wholeness Center for
Integrative Wellness based on CAM therapies.
Teaching personal growth and transformation
through the practice of shamanism. Authentic,
innovative and creative instruction on shamanic
journeying through drumming, soul retrieval,
shamanic extraction, death and dying, and
energy healing with spiritual light.
Hindu
Resources Online
The Holy See
House Church Central
The house church movement is an
attempt to get away from the institutional
church, seeking instead to return to the
small gatherings of peoples that
constituted all of the churches of
the New Testament era.
The Human Development Institute/
Laibl Wolf's Web Site
Indigos In The
Flow
"The Highly Sensitive And Highly Aware:
Something amazing is happening on planet Earth.
Over the last century, several successive cohorts
of individuals have been born who are highly
sensitive, highly aware, spiritual and purpose-driven.
They think outside the box, run high levels of
energy and experience a greater spectrum of reality
than many of those who have come in before.
In some ways this is nothing new. Indigos are in
fact “old souls” and if you look into their eyes you
will see depths of human history and experience.
People who fit this description have been present
throughout the life of the Earth, providing the
catalyst for our growth and expansion. What is
new are the numbers. There are many, many of
the highly sensitive and highly aware among us.
And perhaps there is also something new about
our bodies and minds – evolving to better
accommodate these evolutionary changes. Those
who have seen and recognized this pattern have
sometimes called it the “Indigo” phenomenon.
The word Indigo refers to a deep, rich color of
purple/blue that has been associated with higher
level of consciousness, of finer, more exquisite
energies. It is associated with the third eye chakra,
the energy center which orchestrates our ability to
transcend physical realities, grow toward
enlightenment, and manifest what is important
in life. " - Linda Kardos, a Licensed Professional
Counselor who practices in Portland, Oregon. She
uses mind-body-spirit techniques & works with
clients who desire life transformations & spiritual
expansion.
Independent Church of
Australia
Indigenous
Peoples Survival Foundation
Non-profit, humanitarian organization with the
primary mission of promoting understanding
between ancient traditional peoples and modern
civil society. Secondary mission is to utilize
indigenous knowledge and global resources to
promote economic prosperity for needy people
worldwide; while at the same time protecting the
environment out of respect for our mother Earth.
An Inquiry into the Existence of Angels
The Interfaith
Alliance
Clergy-led grassroots organization
dedicated to promoting the positive,
healing role of faith in civic life &
challenging intolerance and extremism.
International
Association for Near-Death
Studies
International
Association of Sufism
International Network on
Personal Meaning
Dedicated to the advancement of knowledge
on the vital role of meaning in mental/physical
health, spiritual development, & peace-making.
Combines an appreciation for the importance of
research with a strong emphasis on the need
for public education and community service.
International Society for
Existential Psychology and Psychotherapy
Multi- and interdisciplinary organization
dedicated to encouraging and advancing
research and education in existential
psychology and psychotherapy. The dominant
thrust behind all their work is a commitment
to understanding the central role that
meaning plays in our lives.
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The Internet Scared
Text Archive
Archive of electronic texts about
religion, mythology, legends &
folklore, & occult and esoteric topics.
IslamOnline.net
Islamic
Studies
Islamic
Supreme Council of America
Islam: The
Modern Religion
Jade Wah’oo Grigori
Jade Wah’oo Grigori is a caretaker of
‘the Ways’, an authentic Shamanic lineage.
Raised in a Shamanic family of Mongolian
heritage, his paternal grandparents being
from the Seven Villages of the Csango
People, descendants of the Mongol
Golden Horde, in the Carpathian Mountains.
Jerry Wolfe
"When I was taking pictures or working in
the darkroom, it became natural for me to
fall into a profound state of mindfulness.
Without the grasping or acquisitive mind,
constantly pushing me into habitual or
predetermined ideas of what is beautiful,
significant or desirable, I began to see
things in a new way. I was able to explore
possibilities outside of my range of values--
terms such as “good, bad, beautiful, ugly”
lost much of their power over me. Instead
I became drawn to shapes and forms that
spoke to my inner self."
Jewish Theological Seminary
Jewish
Virtual Library
Online Jewish encyclopedia covering
topics, such as: History, Women, The
Holocaust, Travel, Israel & The States,
Maps, Politics,
Biography, Israel, Religion,
Judaic Treasures
of the Library of
Congress, Vital Statistics
& Reference.
Judaica Collection
Kabbalah
Home Page
Karmic Astrology
"Karmic Astrology differs greatly from conventional
astrology. Where conventional astrology tells you
what you are, Karmic Astrology answers the question:
Why? Often issues appearing in an individual's life
right now are the catalyst for the person's inquiry, and
s/he has the maturity to realize that. The answer to
that question, "Why?", lies in what we bring into our
present life from our past lives. Karmic Astrology
assumes you already know what sort of person
you are but are now wondering how that came to happen
and what can be done about it. Rookies don't ask those
sorts of things. Karmic Astrology assumes that your
current life is not just some random existential blip in a
void, but instead is a part of a grand sweep of cosmic
evolution which has been going on for who knows how
many eons over who knows how many lifetimes. We're
talking about the Big Picture here, the view from the top
of the mountain, the answer to the question, "Why am I
here?" We're talking about taking a look at the next step
on the path the person's soul chose before returning to
an Earth incarnation."
Kriya Yoga
"The sincere spiritual seeker who follows
the path of Kriya Yoga with desire for spiritual
growth, love, and devotion can attain Self-
realization — even within one lifetime. This
powerful yoga stems from many yogas
described in the Bhagavad Gita; but, primarily, from:
Karma Yoga- actions of the soul which
means both outer actions in the world and, more
importantly, inner actions of the mind & detachment
from the fruits of these actions
Jnana Yoga- intellect discipline which leads
to wisdom gained from the experience of spiritual
knowledge that gives freedom & inner detachment from
the fruits of actions
Bhakti Yoga — unconditional love, awakened by
gratitude and joy experienced from oneness with all
creation and cosmic consciousness
Kriya Yoga is non-sectarian. Its simplified techniques
cause no hardships or austerities & were developed
for aspiring householders as well as for monks. From
Karma Yoga, Kriya Yoga teaches any action, ‘kri’, is
done by ‘ya’, the indwelling soul; work is worship.
Constant awareness of the power of the indwelling
soul inhaling leads to mind control and liberation..."
Labyrinth:
Medieval Studies
The Lorian Association
Incarnational Spirituality is the foundation for all of
Lorian’s work. It is an affirmation of the spirit innate
within our world, our humanity, our physicality, and our
personal lives. It sees each person as a source of
spiritual power and radiance. |
Lost
Valley Intentional Community
and Educational Center
Lost Valley Educational Center is an
intentional community & nonprofit educational
center dedicated to learning, living, & teaching
sustainable, ecologically-based culture.
Lotus
Grid
"The Lotus Grid is a previously
invisible,
personalized planetary chakra that was
imbued before birth and is now being opened
like a flower by free will choice. IN EACH OF
US, over a period of time between Sept 2006
and November 11, 2011. Even though the
grids open continuously whenever someone
says 'yes' to it, we hold a worldwide
celebration each year to acknowledge the
unfoldment process and support one another
locally."- Carol May
MAZON: A Jewish Response to
Hunger
Meditation in
Action
Medical
Humanities
"This site, established in 1994 at New York
University School of Medicine, is dedicated to
providing a resource for scholars, educators,
students, patients, and others who are
interested in the work of medical humanities.
We define the term "medical humanities"
broadly to include an interdisciplinary field of
humanities (literature, philosophy, ethics,
history and religion), social science
(anthropology, cultural studies, psychology,
sociology), and the arts (literature, theater,
film, and visual arts) and their application to
medical education and practice.
MetaReligion
Religion, occultism & science.
Metropolitan
Community Church
Worldwide fellowship of Christian churches
with a special outreach to the world's gay,
lesbian, bisexual & transgender
communities.
National
Council of Churches
Leading force for ecumenical cooperation
among Christians in the United States. It's
36 Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox member
denominations include more than 50 million
persons in 140,000 local congregations in
communities across the nation.
National
Religious Partnership
for the Environment
New
Thought Movement
"New Thought is "the practice of the presence
of God," but unlike conventional mysticism,
which emphasizes contact or union with
God for its own sake, New Thought adds
to this the practice of the presence of God
for practical purposes. To those who object
that one should not use God, New Thought
replies that there is nothing but God to use,
and/or that God wants us to have the best in
all aspects of living, that God constantly offers
this to us, and that in accepting it we are living
as God wants us to live."
New
Renaissance Books
"Through New Renaissance we consciously
attune ourselves to the Divine and manifest
that vision as channels of God's Light.
We nurture the spiritual awakening of
truthseekers of all paths by attuning to the
highest needs of our customers and ourselves,
creating an uplifting environment of unconditional
love and acceptance, offering spiritual teachings
from East and West and providing healing
products and services. Our business serves as
an example reflecting the values of balance,
good health and abundance to promote a holistic,
spiritual and joyous lifestyle."
Next-wave.org
Mission is to bring together Christians
from all walks of life, including pastors,
church planters and leaders across
denominational and national borders,
who want to reach out to people in
postmodern culture, and who understand
that, in order to do so, significant changes
need to be made in the way we run &
organize our churches.
Neve
Shalom/Wahat al-Salam
Oasis of Peace- A village in Israel
established
jointly by Jews & Palestinian
Arabs of Israeli
citizenship and engaged in
educational work
for peace, equality
& understanding
between the two peoples.
Nick
Bostrom's Home Page
Work in philosophy of science, ethics,
transhumanism, the consequences of
artificial intelligence, foundations of
probability theory & a work of poetry.
Omega
Holistic education provider doing work
in holistic health, meditation, yoga,
transformational psychology, spirituality,
world music, and art.
Online Judaism
Ontario Centre for Religious
Tolerance
Oregon Friends of C.G. Jung
Group interested in learning more about
the work. Presents lectures & workshops
led by Jungian analysts from around
the world.
Pacific
Northwest Core Shamanic
Community
Here is where people with a strong root in
"Core Shamanism" as taught by the
Foundation for Shamanic Studies can find
communion, support and further training in
the Pacific Northwest area. This is also a
place to find healers local to the Pacific
Northwest stretching from Oregon, through
Seattle, Bellingham and up to Vancouver B.C.
Paradigm Shift
Pax Christi USA
National Catholic peace movement.
The
Philosophers Magazine
Philosophy
in Cyberspace
Indexes thousands of philosophy resources.
Places
of Peace & Power
The Sacred Site Pilgrimage of Martin
Gray
Portland Insight Mediation Community
The Portland Insight Meditation Community is
dedicated to the learning & practice of Insight
Meditation and the Eightfold Path of the Buddha.
PIMC's purpose is to improve the lives of
participants, their families & the greater community
through meditative practice and a lifestyle that
supports liberation from suffering, the awakening
of wisdom, & the manifestation of compassion.
Presbyterian
Church
The
Progressive National Convention
Association of Baptist churches throughout
the world committed to the mandate of making
disciples for Christ. The convention is founded
on the precepts of fellowship, service, progress
& peace, and seeks to affirm the "priesthood of
all believers.
ReligiousForums.com
Forums to discuss, compare, & debate
religions.
The
Religious Freedom Page
Concerned with issues of religious
freedom in the U.S. & around the world.
Rudolf Steiner Archive &
E.Lib
Rutgers Journal of Law & Religion
Dedicated to the interaction of church &
state on a global scale.
Sacha
Runa
"Sacha Runa is a living network of medicine
people, master plants, ceremonialists, shamans,
artists, healers, students and teachers of all
kinds. Our works and lives span through an
abundant diversity of mediums, techniques,
backgrounds, and species to compose a truly
dynamic ecology of souls. All of us are shaping
and being shaped by the visionary landscapes
of the emerging medicine culture. Aligned in the
seamless unity of nature, we are learning to
engage our collective roles as one with the
medicine itself."
Sanctuary of Enlightened Life
Enlightened Life Sanctuary is a spiritual
organization dedicated to the creation &
development of new & innovative expressions
for ancient spiritual practices of enlightenment,
& to providing practical support for everyone
to begin living the enlightened life today.
San Graal
School of Sacred Geometry
Self-Realization Fellowship
Aims and ideals as set forth by Paramahansa Yogananda,
Founder
"To disseminate among the nations a knowledge of
definite scientific techniques for attaining direct
personal experience of God.
To teach that the purpose of life is the evolution,
through self-effort of man's limited mortal
consciousness into God Consciousness; and to this end to
establish Self-Realization Fellowship temples for
God-communion throughout the world, and to encourage the
establishment of individual temples of God in the homes
and in the hearts of men.
To reveal the complete harmony and basic oneness of
original Christianity as taught by Jesus Christ and
original Yoga as taught by Bhagavan Krishna; and to show
that these principles of truth are the common scientific
foundation of all true religions.
To point out the one divine highway to which all paths
of true religious beliefs eventually lead: the highway
of daily, scientific, devotional meditation on God.
To liberate man from his threefold suffering: physical
disease, mental inharmonies, and spiritual ignorance.
To encourage "plain living and high thinking"; and to
spread a spirit of brotherhood among all peoples by
teaching the eternal basis of their unity: kinship with
God.
To demonstrate the superiority of mind over body, of
soul over mind.
To overcome evil by good, sorrow by joy, cruelty by
kindness, ignorance by wisdom.
To unite science and religion through realization of the
unity of their underlying principles.
To advocate cultural and spiritual understanding between
East and West, and the exchange of their finest
distinctive features.
To serve mankind as one's larger Self." |
Shaking Medicine
"Elders of indigenous traditions throughout the world
– including the Kalahari Bushmen, the Caribbean
Shakers of St. Vincent, the Guarani Indians of
the Amazon, and leaders of the Japanese healing
tradition of Seiki Jutsu – have embraced Keeney
as an elder and spokesperson for their ways of
ecstatic shamanism. Following an academic career
as a systems theorist and psychotherapist, he
spent over a decade traveling the globe, living
with spiritual teachers, shamans, healers, and
medicine people who trusted him to share their
words with others – modern cultures in need
of Elder wisdom."
Shambhala
International community of 165 meditation
centers led by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.
Shamanic Astrology
"The foundational philosophical truth of Shamanic
Astrology (and arguably of everything) is from the
opening lines of the Emerald Tablets of Hermes,
"As Above, So Below, As Within, So Without."
This is considered to be literal, kinesthetic, organic
reality, not an intellectual or spiritual abstraction.
The patterns of the constellations and the cycles
of the Sun, Moon and planets are the same as the
patterns and cycles of the human psyche and the
seasons of our lives. The relationship is not cause
and effect. The practitioner of Shamanic Astrology
is at home with this magical and geomantic intuition.
SharedWisdom
Purpose is to create transpersonal
bridges to facilitate the emergence of a
new subculture in the Western world.
Share
International Media Service
Associated with the Department of
Public Information at the United Nations.
One of its primary goals is to synthesize the
ideas & events which are rapidly propelling
humanity toward a complete restructuring of
its global institutions as a result of the
energies of the New Age of Aquarius.
Shiva shakti mandalam
The inner wisdom of
the hindu
tantrik tradition
"Only when Shiva is united with Shakti does he have
the power to create - Saundaryalahari
Second-hand knowledge of the self gathered from
books or gurus can never emancipate a man until
its truth is rightly investigated and applied; only
direct realisation will do that. Realise yourself,
turning the mind inward. - Tripura Rahasya, 18: 89
Tantra, or more properly tantrika, is a diverse & rich
spiritual tradition of the Indian sub-continent.
Although in recent years, in the Western world, it has
become almost exclusively associated with sex, in
reality this is one aspect of what is a way of life.
In India itself, tantra is now, nearly always, associated
with spells and black deeds.
Neither of these views is correct, and each wildly
underestimates the wide-ranging nature of the
different traditions.."
Sikhism
Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers
Sobonfu Somé
"In a relatively small village in West Africa, is a
tribe called the Dagara tribe, a people still striving
to live like their ancestors. Growing up in a Village
meant the child of the community. I was almost
six years old before I understood that I came out
as of one particular person's womb, and not all of
the women in the Village who had helped to
care for me.
Soulforce
Interfaith movement committed to ending
spiritual violence perpetuated by religious
policies and teachings against gay, lesbian,
bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.
A
Sourcebook For Earth's
Community of Religions
An Interfaith Guide to Religion and Spirituality.
Spirituality Practice
"This website, created by Frederic & Mary Ann
Brussat, is devoted to resources for spiritual
journeys. The site's name reflects a basic
understanding: spirituality and practice are the
two places where all the world's religions &
spiritual paths come together. With respect
for the differences among them, we celebrate
what they have in common."
Sri
Kaleshwar
"All communities, all castes, all creeds are one. I
am teaching the Divine Tradition. It is not limited
to any one religion. I belong to the religion of
truth and love.”
The Divine Tradition, a path shown by Sri Kaleshwar,
is based on knowledge revealed in manuscripts
called palm leaf books. These manuscripts, some
of which are thousands of years old, were written by
India’s great sages, maharishis, who received the
information directly from the Divine. They reveal
sacred formulas––mantras, yantras and disciplines
–which give the soul direct channels to the Cosmic
energy. As these channels open, your healing energy
awakens as do the soul’s miraculous capabilities.
Sri Kaleshwar considers these practices the most
direct path to enlightenment. In addition, these
practices reveal the practical formulas for creating
a happy, successful, and purposeful life."
Sri
Vaishnavism Home Page
Starhawk's Tangled Web
"Welcome! I'm Starhawk, author of many works
celebrating the Goddess movement and Earth-based,
feminist spirituality. I’m a peace, environmental, and
global justice activist and trainer, a permaculture
designer and teacher, a Pagan and Witch. To see
how it all weaves together, follow the many
strands of my web."
The Tao Info
Images & quotes of Lao Tzu as well
as explanations of Taoist philosophy.
Yin & yang, Feng Shui, Taoism, Zen
& traditional Chinese design
are also covered.
Taoism
Information Page
Target Earth
"In an age of global environmental
demise, Christians are called to live with
excellence. To be those people who chart
their futures by what they can give to the
next generation-not by what they can
take from it. To be men and women whose
lives are defined by the courage &
compassion to make a difference on the
earth. Target Earth is a national movement
of Christians who reflect this commitment
to care. It's a movement of individuals,
churches, college fellowships & Christian
ministries motivated by the biblical call to
be faithful stewards of everything God
created-to love our neighbors as ourselves
& to care for the earth."
Theosophical Society
The word theosophy has been used in the
Occident for about 2,000 years to indicate
knowledge of divine things or knowledge derived
from insight and experience as well as intellectual
study. While the modern theosophical movement
can be traced back to Blavatsky and her
teachers, it is part of a spiritual movement as old
as thinking humanity. Its philosophy is a
contemporary presentation of a perennial wisdom
underlying the world's religions, sciences, &
philosophies. Theosophical concepts are not
dogmas; only the ideas that have value need be
accepted. Theosophical books are considered
neither as revelation nor final authority, but as guides
in the individual's search. However, there are some
basic concepts that theosophy brings to light.
Thinkonline.org
Online, interactive religious &
philosophical debating community.
Tibetian Book of
the Dead
Torah Fax in CyberSpace
Torah on the Information
Superhighway
Toronto Shariah
Program
Arabic language courses, online Arabic classes,
& Arabic intensive programs. Course aims to
provide and in-depth study of Islamic heritage.
Ummah.com
Islamic portal.
Unitarian Universalist Association
United Church of Christ
"A community of faith that seeks to respond
to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word & deed.
The UCC was founded in 1957 as the union of
several different Christian traditions: from the
beginning of our history, we were a church that
affirmed the ideal that Christians did not always
have to agree to live together in communion.
Our motto—"that they may all be one"—is
Jesus' prayer for the unity of the church. The
UCC is one of the most diverse Christian
churches in the United States."
United Church of
Religious Science
Religious Science is a spiritual philosophy for the
modern man & woman. It is based on the Truth
which arises in every culture in the form of
science, philosophy, and religion. Religious
Science views religion as a source of wisdom for
revealing the Truth about the seemingly unknown
forces that shape our universe. This enables us to
participate in our own life as a co-creator with the
Divine. Religious Science was founded by Dr.
Ernest Holmes, a self-taught philosopher who
rigorously studied all of the world's Spiritual paths
for most of his life. In 1927, he wrote
The Science
of Mind, which synthesized the truths that he
discerned were present throughout all of the world's
faiths. That book is the foundation of the principles
of Religious Science. He never intended to begin
a new faith, but was persuaded to allow a church to
be created to assure that the principles he
synthesized would outlive him.
United Methodist Church Ministries
Unity World
Virtual Jerusalem
Viruses
of the Mind |
The World of Richard
Dawkins
Vodou
Warriors of the Rainbow
"There would come a time when the
"keepers of the legend, stories, culture
rituals, and myths, and all the Ancient
Tribal Customs" would be needed to restore
us to health. They would be mankind's key
to survival, they were the "Warriors of the
Rainbow." There would come a day of
awakening when all the peoples of all the
tribes would form a New World of Justice,
Peace, Freedom and recognition of
the Great Spirit."- Lelanie Stone.
See also: Greenpeace's
SV
Rainbow Warrior
Web
of Creation
Interdenominational & interfaith
organization working to provide on-line
environmental resources for faith-based
communities. Believes religion is a
crucial factor in issues of ecology
& justice.
White Crane: A Journal of Gay
Men's
Spirituality
Explores gay spirituality to uncover the
variety of the manifestations of spiritual quest
among contemporary gay men & to reclaim
their place in the development of human
consciousness, committed to the intuition that
gay consciousness plays a special and important
role in the evolution of life on planet Earth.
The Wisdom Fund
Advances social justice & interfaith
understanding by presenting The Truth
About Islam, & by providing concise
statements of Islamic values, beliefs,
news, commentary, and resources for
concerned Muslims & activists.
Wise Earth
Monastery
The Wise Earth School of Ayurveda
Ltd. is a
non-profit organization for
the dissemination of the
Vedic sciences
& Ayurvedic health care education.
World Thirteen Moon
Calendar
Change Peace Movement
The World Thirteen Moon Calendar
Change Peace Movement is a planetary
organization committed to the
replacement of the irregular standard
of the the Gregorian calendar with the
regular standard of the thirteen moon,
28 day calendar.
Zaytuna
Institute
Zen Buddhist
Order of Hsu Yun
The Grim Reaper
Who is my Grim Reaper- what does he wear?
Turban and robes- a merchant behind the counter- trading the currency of life.
Once human- but no more.
He babbles a language I do not know- yet I do.
His eyes-filled with hate and resignation- glare with a sickening emerald green.
Stare at those averting eyes and you'll see what he truly wants.
Go Away!
And what is hell?
A neatly planned community in the middle of an arid desert, surrounded by walls and secure
from life. Dry heat, manicured lawns and a burning yellow sky.
It is not always easy living in many worlds at once.
![0617[1].jpg (11699 bytes)](_borders/06171.jpg)
Wheat Field
with Reaper and Sun,
Vincent Van Gogh
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|
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Mariposa- Community of Butterflies-The Napo
Runa
| Don
Alejandro Cirilo Perez Oxlaj (Wandering
Wolf), a thirteenth Generation Quiche
Mayan Priest, presents his message of
the prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor
to attendees of a screening of the up
coming film "Shift of the Ages" at Ojai,
California, June 30th 2007. Visit
www.shiftingages.com for more info.
This film needs the help of those who
can. To help get this important message
out to the world please visit their
website and get people interested in not
only this great piece of cinematography
but very urgent message. Peace and love
to you |
United
Communities
of Spirit | Interfaith
Voices
Earth Echo,
"Aurora"
""Aurora" is inspired by the work of the
great German Expressionist,
Emil Nolde. He excelled at expressing the
desire of the
self for union with Earth and the cosmos.""
|
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The fruit of silence is prayer.
The fruit of prayer is faith.
The fruit of faith is love.
The fruit of love is service.
The fruit of service is peace.
Love cannot remain by itself - it has
no meaning. Love has to be put into action and that action is service. Whatever form we
are, able or disabled, rich or poor, it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in
the doing; a lifelong sharing of love with others.
Mother Teresa,
See also: "The Tree"
Lord,
Make me an instrument
of your peace;
Where there is hatred let me sow love;
Where there is injury pardon;
Where there is doubt faith;
Where there is despair hope;
Where there is darkness light;
Where there is sadness joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I
may not so much seek to be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love,
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned,
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Francis of Assisi, the "Poverello";
See also:
Canticle of Brother Sun
"We meditate upon the radiant Divine Light
of that adorable Sun of Spiritual Consciousness;
May it awaken our intuitional consciousness."
S. Krishnamurthy, translation of the Gâyatrî
Mantra
If you offer your compassion to the hungry
And satisfy the famished creature
Then shall your light shine in darkness
And your gloom shall be like noonday.
Isaiah 58:10,
See also:
Hunger Notes.
"Compassion is the elixir that overcomes the
rule of death. It is the inexhaustible treasure
that eliminates poverty in the world. It is the
supreme medicine that quells the world's
disease. It is the tree that shelters all beings
wandering and tired on the path of existence. It
is the universal bridge that leads to freedom
from unhappy lives. It is the dawning moon of
mind that dispels the torment of disturbing
thinking. It is the great sun that finally
removes the misty ignorance of the world. May
compassion arise in whom it has not arisen. May
it never decline where it has arisen but go on
increasing, further and further." -Shantideva
(8th century)
Every angel is terrible.
And still, alas knowing all that I serenade you
you almost deadly birds of the soul.
Where are the days of Tobias when one of these
brightest of creatures stood at the simple front
door disguised a little for the trip
and not so frightening (a young man like the one
who looked curiously out at him).
If the dangerous archangel took one step now
down toward us from behind the stars our
heartbeats rising like thunder would kill us.
Who are you? Creation's spoiled darlings
among the first to be perfect...pockets of
essence ecstasy shields tumultuous storms
of delightful feelings then suddenly separate
mirrors gathering the beauty that streamed away
from them back to their own faces again. -Rainer
Maria Rilke, translated by David Young (from
Duino Elegies, copyright 1978 by W. W.
Norton & Co., Inc.)
The Door Is Round
And Open
The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don't go back to sleep.
With the first glimmers of awakening from the
sleep of ordinary life
New found clarity opens you to an exciting
current of impressions
That seem to be hidden away from all who remain
asleep.
Don't go back to sleep again and ignore all the
Deep secrets of life these lofty influences may
reveal.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don't go back to sleep.
If you really want to awaken from the sleep of
ordinary life,
You must ask, you must open yourself to the
enticing possibilities
Available to you and to all true lovers of
awakening.
Don't go back to sleep again and miss out on
this
Amazing opportunity to realize your soul's true
longing.
People are going back and forth across the
doorsill where the two worlds touch.
There are people crossing the doorsill in both
directions,
Those who are truly praying for this awakening
and
Those who have awakened, then chosen to return
and help,
Help us, you and me, cross over from this world
of sleep
Into the realm of those who are fully awake and
completely alive.
The door is round and open.
Don't go back to sleep.
As we ascend to greater and greater heights, our
horizon recedes and expands
Providing accommodation for our rising and
expanding sense of being.
An expanding circumference embraces more than
the perimeter of any
other form.
It invites and opens into an infinite, loving
expansion of our hearts
and minds.
Don't slip back into the darkness; please don't
go back to sleep again.
~ The Essential Rumi: Translations by Coleman
Barks with John Moyne ©
1995, With contemplations by Carl Siraj
al-Haqq Karasti© 2007
I Know The Way You Can Get
I know the way you can get
When you have not had a drink of Love:
Your face hardens,
Your sweet muscles cramp.
Children become concerned
About a strange look that appears in your eyes
Which even begins to worry your own mirror
And nose.
Squirrels and birds sense your sadness
And call an important conference in a tall tree.
They decide which secret code to chant
To help your mind and soul.
Even angels fear that brand of madness
That arrays itself against the world
And throws sharp stones and spears into
The innocent
And into one's self.
O I know the way you can get
If you have not been drinking Love:
You might rip apart
Every sentence your friends and teachers say,
Looking for hidden clauses.
You might weigh every word on a scale
Like a dead fish.
You might pull out a ruler to measure
From every angle in your darkness
The beautiful dimensions of a heart you once
Trusted.
I know the way you can get
If you have not had a drink from Love's
Hands.
That is why all the Great Ones speak of
The vital need
To keep remembering God,
So you will come to know and see Him
As being so Playful
And Wanting,
Just Wanting to help.
That is why Hafiz says:
Bring your cup near me.
For all I care about
Is quenching your thirst for freedom!
All a Sane man can ever care about
Is giving Love!
From:
'I Heard God Laughing - Renderings of Hafiz'
Translated by Daniel Ladinsky
"Strange that so much suffering
is caused because of the misunderstandings of
God's true nature. God's heart is more gentle
than the Virgin's first kiss upon the Christ.
And God's forgiveness to all, to any thought or
act, is more certain than our own being."-
St Catherine of Siena
"I keep thinking that under the rituals of
religion there is a crucial wriggling
possibility for what we might someday be. It’s
the same possibility you see sometimes under
patriotism or sport or families; a humor and
mercy, a grace and mercy, a warmth beyond all
sense. Sometimes, for an instant, at a game, a
wedding, a park, you get a flash of connective
energy with your fellow beings — just a hint, a
shiver of inexplicable peace and joy."
"... But what if, as Peter also says? What if
our moral evolution ever caught up to our
physical evolution? What if we ever dropped the
dagger, plucked the beams from our eyes, and
finally grew up? What if?"-
Brian Doyle, editor of Portland Magazine.
"Quiet evening hours often brought one of my
guru's discourses, treasures against time. His
every utterance was measured and chiseled by
wisdom. A sublime self-assurance marked his mode
of expression: it was unique. He spoke as none
other in my experience ever spoke. His thoughts
were weighed in a delicate balance of
discrimination before he permitted them an
outward garb. The essence of truth,
all-pervasive with even a physiological aspect,
came from him like a fragrant exudation of the
soul. I was conscious always that I was in the
presence of a living manifestation of God. The
weight of his divinity automatically bowed my
head before him."- from
Autobiography of a Guru by Paramhansa Yogananda,
Chapter 12, p. 109
Ah, grasshoppers, Death's a
fierce meadowlark: but to die having made
Something more equal to the centuries
Than muscle and bone, is mostly to shed
weakness.
The mountains are dead stone, the people
Admire or hate their stature, their insolent
quietness, The mountains are not softened nor
troubled And a few dead men's thoughts have the
same temper.-
From Robinson Jeffers, "Wise Men in their Bad
Hours"
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A Realization
Will..
A Memory
To a Friend
Listening...
Learning...
Gay..
Sanity...
Greif Ritual
Ego...
Intentionality...
Beauty...
A Life Well Lived
Being Spiritual
Parents...
Healing...
Beware False Prophets...
Words
cannot convey truth
Spirit
Impressions of a False Guru
To Be Judgmental...
The Physical
World
The State
of the World
"Hate, withdrawal, anger is really a plea for
love- in some ways it can be the soul's
preparation for achieving the ability to receive
love. It can be part of the healing process and
can spread over many lifetimes- even as it
causes karmic damage in ones self and others.
Energetically I see love as a full outward
emanation and anger and self hate as an
infolding of energy
directed back, like a black hole where light is
trapped and where one is cut off. Yet, black
holes through infinitely destructive because the
creative force for new universes - new
possibilities."
"It is said by
some that depression is inward directed anger. I
chose to recognize the anger that arises in me-
cherish it and then go about learning how to not
let it control me- whether through meditation,
the conscious practice of compassion, etc. I
chose to feel pain, so that I may feel
compassion and develop understanding. If I
continue in this path eventually I may have no
need for anger, but this does not mean that I
will feel less. However I can only reach this
path if I acknowledge my anger and chose to use
it as a constructive force. If you fear anger
then you are controlled by it. If you chose to
control its outward manifestation by fear, it
will turn inward."
A Realization...
Last night I
attended a short workshop on the “after life”.
The speaker was a kind women, unassuming- who
uses hypnotherapy to regress people to past
lives and to the life in between past lives.
I wanted her perspective on why we reincarnate
to the material plane if the “higher” plane also
provides opportunities to learn and grow. While
she had no real answer, the answers came quickly
to me after the question was posed. There was
really only one answer, but it came in many
forms at different levels of abstraction.
At the level of abstraction I feel most
comfortable with is the answer is that we are
here to learn compassion through suffering.
I am not familiar with Buddha's teachings, but
attempting to end suffering on the material
plane, is a goal that will help us achieve
greater compassion and unity with creation,
however it is the pursuit of this, not its
attainment where our purpose is found. The
complete freedom from suffering is impossible
and not really desirable on this plane.
At a higher level of abstraction, the universe
creates and recreates itself. It unifies and
breaks apart- we only understand unity from
disunity- we can only achieve oneness from
understanding and experiencing separateness.
Reincarnation gives us the means to experience
separateness, ego and duality- which while
illusions, are needed in our search for
connectedness and oneness that is the truth and
"magic" that underlies all creation.
There is more. Love is a word that describes
what is beyond description. Our time with loved
ones on this plane is experienced as momentary
bliss. However our connection is eternal. We
come from spirit, live in spirit and return to
spirit. We are spirit. Spirit is all there is.
Love is all there is. There is only love. Love
is unconditional or it is not true love- it is
something other than love. There is no
perfection- perfection is an illusion. Will is
an illusion.
We drown in love, die in love, hear in love, see
in love, touch in love, taste in love, sense
love. Fire is love. Water is love.
Death is life, life is death. All things are
possible. Creation is a manifestation of
thought. Space is full. Space is empty and not
empty or full. Sky, water, earth- all the same.
Peace is stillness- the truth. Between existence
and non-existence, the untold possibility, the
end of duality.
The peaceful warrior- never alone, moving to the
light- to the heart. We are beings of light.
Will...
Will is an
illusion... I see and feel a great deal.
Sometimes I feel I am at 20 planes of existence
at once. I hear trees, I hear thoughts. I see
beauty in everything. I sense fear in myself and
others. All of this moves in me and out of me
and through me and is a part of me.
Sometimes I wish to use this understanding to
change- to change a life, to change a
circumstance that is perhaps inevitable. All
that matters though is that I remain aware and
try in each moment to do what is right- for each
moment there is a certain rightness- a way that
seems truthful- an integrity. Sometimes I will
intentionally jar people to promote their
growth- to bring sincerity- even to frustrate
them. Yet there is only love. Using my will to
oppose the flow and to manifest a desire to do
what may be worthy but is not truthful in the
moment- is to manifest too fully from ego- is an
illusion and a trap. It is however a source of
learning.
A Memory...
Hundreds or thousands of years ago- I can't tell
exactly when, I was burned at the stake. I was
burned because I was either gay, my religion, a
witch or for my political views. There is
nothing more painful- yet one must show
compassion to all things. Spiritually I cross
realms and communicate with all living things as
spirit and manifestations of love.
To a Friend
It is likely we are drawn together because of
our spiritual paths, and also because of the
loss of our loved ones. Usually what is most
true and mysterious works through the
unexpected. The "coincidences" that have brought
us together for now is a way the universe brings
together people that should be brought together-
at least for a time. Yes, there may be a past
life involvement as well.
I have not yet fully explored my many past
lives. I have a sense of them and understand how
some of my experiences in this life connect
karmically to past lives. We often encounter the
same spirits in many lives as we continue our
learning through many planes of existence. This
is all very beautiful and profound, but not
without pain.
Most people are unaware of the effects of their
negative energy. As one becomes more sensitive,
one feels this even more and it can increase
one's sense of pain. Most people do not
understand the true nature of their spiritual
connection- they have yet to discover
themselves. They are learning. In the process
they create much pain and suffering for
themselves and others. They may lose the
capacity to love themselves and others. This is
all sad, but is part of the very reason we are
here. We all experience this and it is not
always clear what is the right path.
Every living thing is sacred, and
this includes mountains, trees, animals, people,
even the dead are in very real sense living. If
we are open, we can continually receive their
love and allow them to guide us to the truth in
ourselves and in relationships.
Listening...
The art of
listening carefully and lovingly involves
suspending ego and accepting another's words and
presence with unconditional love. The ability to
do this is a spiritual gift. We can be
challenged by this when the other person is mean
or offensive, but I believe we are under no less
obligation to be compassionate. This is never
easy, but is important if we are to find the
truth in ourselves and others.
Learning...
I learn from many
sources- I learn from the angelic spirits
that guide us. I have learned from Shamans and
the spirits that help them, I have learned from
the spirits in nature, I have learned from
psychics and intuitives- I have learned from
those who explore past lives, those who more
directly communicate with animals. In part I am
able to learn because my wisdom comes form the
same source and I experience much of the same.
In the end there is stillness and light- the
eternal presence of the divine love that
permeates the universe and every molecule of our
body. The awareness of our divinity- the loss of
individuality - what we come from and
return to.
Gay...
Human sexuality-
yes words are labels- often obscuring the truth.
We go through different life times and can
change sex and sexual orientation. Sexual
orientation is genetic and yet experiential and
both as the two interplay. It is all complex-
but it is nonetheless true that I am gay and
proud.
Sanity
Sanity, as we
define it, is a precarious thing. We all have
aspects of "insanity" in us. We all can be
delusional, paranoid, imagine hurts, etc.
Most of us live in a kind of waking dream that
is rarely shattered by reality. Yet there is in
most a kind of a balance and a sense of safety,
a belief that the world we live in is
predictable and somewhat safe. However, for many
the world is not safe. It is like being lost in
the dark night- it is scary and sad.
Grief
Ritual
The Grief Ritual
was very powerful and demanding for me- so much
energy, venting- angry- the depths of pain. So
many having lost loved ones, or having been
sexually abused...it goes on and on. So much
repressed rage. All of this fear, anger and hurt
released as part of the ritual- so much wailing.
I was continually reminding myself to be
compassionate, but to not over empathize- to
retain an energetic and psychic distance- just
enough to see and learn and to help if needed-
to be open, but not too open. The workshop had
its effects on participants before and after it
started.
Ego...
My recent
experiences and the reactions of friends have
reminded me of the power of the ego. The ego can
be like a parasite- engendering fear for the
sake of protection and denying its host the
vitality and beauty of life- the immediacy of
spiritual connection. Yet as a source of
protection it is also a sustainer of life-
affording the opportunity to learn when we are
ready.
The ego is not to be destroyed, it is not to be
denied or controlled- it is to be loved,
embraced and understood. It is energy from the
well spring of life. My spiritual friends seek
to destroy it- denying themselves the many
opportunities it presents for learning. Only
when we learn from the heart can knowledge-
rather than weighing us down become truth.
We are not to be freed from our egos- rather we
are to drink from what is real and what truly
sustains us. Only then can we become
compassionate-alive. One should not seek freedom
through denial- rather through abundance.
Intentionality...
Intentionality is
very important and fundamental. Yet it is an
aspect of duality (which is false) and if
thought of merely as a tool to achieve ends- can
be destructive through its very power.
Beauty...
In our modern, industrialized world- with so
much based on steel and asphalt- we almost chase
out the beauty in the world. We desecrate the
earth in the name of progress and in the process
devalue our very existence and purpose in life.
I see beauty in all things of the spirit- all
things living, including mountains, trees,
flowers, animals, children, men, woman and
spiritual beings of the many different realms.
There is beauty in a work of art, as an
expression of understanding, truth and
creativity. Ugliness can set in- though one
should not be judgmental- when the ego's
penchant for security runs rampant and in the
process stamps out all life. One can see, for
example the beauty in a car- the intelligence of
design and what it represents as a culmination
of thousands of years of technological
development- yet, one can't but help to realize
how truly ugly cars are- transforming the earth
into a burning inferno- destroying life- often
for nothing more than convenience, status or
security (fear). So men can turn beauty to
ugliness when they forget their spiritual nature
and connection to the universe. Ultimately
individually and collectively we learn, but in
the process there is needless suffering and
pain. Perhaps this is beautiful. Fear is the
absence of love
When my spirit teacher told me to love all and
to live, my first thought was that he was
holding back on words. You have helped me to
realize that this may not have been the case.
The message to love all seems simple enough- but
it means to love even those who are outwardly or
inwardly cruel- to love the unlovable- however
that may be conceived. The message to live-
means to take advantage of all of my time on
earth- to free myself from fear and to do what I
was meant to do.
A Life Well Lived
Who can say a
life well lived...so many bury themselves with
preoccupations- one distraction after another.
Rather ask, have you seen true beauty?
Did you create beauty?
Do you know what it is to truly love?
Can you experience the subtlest silence?
Can you hear the music in everything?
Can you sense the vibration of the string before
you hear the sound?
Can you sense the movement of butterfly wings?
Do you cry for the children who suffer that you
never see?
Have you felt the pain of a true friend?
Being Spiritual
Treating
creation/spirit with respect, honor,
humility and love. Making oneself sensitive
to life- the needs and sufferings of all.
Communing with spirit. Healing with love.
Being one with the Great Silence. One cannot
be spiritual without understanding and
practicing these things.
Parents...
As the father
cares for the son, so the son cares for the
father- it is part of the circle of life.
Healing...
There are no hard
and fast ways to heal- yet we all need to heal-
from childhood wounds, from wounds in adulthood-
self inflicted or not. Yet the truth is we are
all truly one. We experience as human beings
much of the same things. If we recognize this
commonality, then we can never truly be alone
and we have the capacity to share ourselves with
others in ways that are meaningful.
Remember to love yourself- if for no other
reason because you are an extension of a loving
universe. And it is true- I have experienced it-
the universe is a sea of unconditional love.
Never block it out.
Beware False Prophets...
False prophets tell you the kingdom of heaven is
outside of you. It is inside of you.
False prophets tell you have no power. The life
force of the universe is you.
Rejoice- the kingdom of heaven is inside of you-
you need no prophets, but if you seek divine
wisdom- know that you yourself can receive it-
you are your own prophet.
Many can help along the path- but the path is
inside of you bold explorer. There is no savior-
there is only One.
Words cannot
convey truth
I
attended a lecture given by Barbara Emery last
night. Her words were largely true -yet her
words do not fully convey the joy of spiritual
experience. For two hours she deluged the
audience with words- words intended to help
strip the listeners of the illusion of their
reality, suffering and fears- fears created by
words- fears that arise as the human organism
begins interacting with its environment and uses
language to desiccate reality- asking her
audience to undo their "bad dreams" and create a
new dream- or perhaps to simply be free of
delusions- to be aware of the monkey mind and
its endless traps. Shifting our perception
changes our reality.
Spirit
When I see
spirit- human or otherwise- I see in a simple
sense two kinds of spirit. There is what I would
term the "lower" spirit. This is the part of us
that defines what makes us most typically human-
tree- dog- cat- dolphin, etc.
For humans, this is the part that is often
filled with conflict, guilt, fear, dishonesty,
confusion. It is also filled with passion and
need. It is shaped by the stage of life we are
in. This lower self is neither good nor bad. It
is a vehicle for learning and experiencing life.
There is however another part. For want of a
better word- the "higher" spirit. This part is
invariably beautiful- and for some infuses many
aspects of their being- producing what I see as
radiance and light.
Impressions of a False Guru
I wished to share some of my initial impressions
of last night- Leonard Jacobson, his audience
and me. To my heart, Leonard is at his core an
unclean spirit-one I have no anger towards, but
compassion. As I expressed over dinner- anger is
not an emotion I have time for and it one that
at psychic level is now endangering. I was never
angry at Leonard- and for this I am grateful.
Nor has my anger turned inwards. To be
judgmental is no longer part of my path. I may
form judgments- they may harsh- but ultimately
they are of no consequence- they serve purposes
but do not fulfill a need- I am not attached to
the judgments.
I remember his reference to pearls and swine at
the end- somehow he still seems trapped by the
Catholicism he sought to escape. His conception
of Satan- is oddly the very trap he falls into.
His teaching is borrowed- not original. It comes
from a source of awakening that is only partial-
and ultimately this is what he offers others.
His understanding of anger is also partial and
itself dangerous. It bespeaks of a New Age
mentality that teaches quick and easy ways to
address deep seated issues. He has fallen into a
dangerous trap- he is not yet a false prophet-
but he has deceived himself- each time he
behaves as he did last night- he weakens
himself- becomes less clean- more endangered.
Truly I do feel compassion for him. Though I
also feel for those who truly accept what he
says- his path is very tangled and short-
it leads nowhere.
For me- it is important to not serve as a
vehicle for the vicarious spiritual experience
of others. My sense is that if I walked out of
his lecture- something I was never inclined to
do- it would have served his purposes. Instead I
allowed him to spew his venom and his limited
spiritual understanding- allowing the audience
to chose. Most may be jaded, some will
understand what I did and didn't do- some will
have sympathy- few compassion- this is just the
way it is. I have compassion to all in the
audience- whatever their level of awareness-
they all feel the pain of the human condition
and all need true compassion in themselves.
My ego is very powerful and as I conveyed last
night I am very much aware of how it seeks to
limit and control. Yet through my awareness I
have lessened its control and experienced the
oneness and heightened awareness of which he
speaks, yet has only had glimpses of. I see many
fears in others- fear is the absence of love.
The essence of spiritual experience is what Dee
described at the dinner table. This is truth-
this is my experience- this is the experience
that the universe teaches me- it is what the
spirits tell me- it is what the brook, the
trees, the squirrels, all life tells me. For
those that have not glimpsed this- experienced
this- there can only be doubt and intellectual
questioning- a void. Yet it is a beacon- a true
light- yet it is darkness, silence and again light.
To Be Judgmental...
If one looks within, one sees the
imperfection that one so easily sees in others.
Rather be humble, feel pain, accept what you
cannot change, fight for what you believe and
live life with truth and integrity. Judging
others harshly is tantamount to judging oneself.
Similarly, judging oneself harshly is to judge
others so.
Luke 6:37 says, "Do not judge,
and you will not be judged; and do not condemn,
and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you
will be pardoned." Yet this is wrong. The
reason to not judge is not to avoid judgment or
to be pardoned, but rather to be in a state that
is truly capable of love, hope and joy. All
beings are manifestations of the one.
Trees, mountains, animals all
give us unconditional love- though we have
difficulty giving this to ourselves and each
other. Living in this society I am as guilty as
others- I still squander what is not mine. Yet I
am forgiven- perhaps this should be my model.
Forgive as I have been forgiven. Teach those who
will listen- who are open- allow the Divine
Mother to do her work and trust in the
Universe's plan. Man may destroy all life on
this Earth- but there is still the hope of
rebirth and it is not for me to question the
path of creation- mankind is part of this path.
To be judgmental is wrong. There is no
equivocation on this. It is a state that
represents a stage in spiritual development-
however it is one of the many traps. One must
accept his essential helplessness to avert or
stop life's many tragedies. One must accept ones
self fully. One should not take on the diseases
or grief of others as his or hers own. One must
not take on another's pain body. Rather
one should show compassion and strength. Show
compassion to those who have hurt you and those
you have hurt. Accept that we are all children
of the Divine Mother. To judge others is to take
on another's weight- their baggage. From a
selfish and a spiritual perspective this is
wrong.
I am not responsible for the pain for the world.
I am not to blame. I cannot not hold on to this
grief. Yet I am responsible- for being
compassionate to myself and all creation.
Guilt is a trap- one must be sensitive to the
effects one has on another- but one cannot be so
sensitive that he takes on another's hurt. I am
free- caring, but free- released.
Change
If we do not restore our
conscious connection to life- to spirit- then we
shall become our greatest nightmare and inflict
our greatest pain on ourselves- on creation.
This we have been doing throughout history- can
we learn- can we change?
The Physical World
The physical world is illusion. It is a training
ground- a place where souls evolve and where
death seems possible. All things in the physical
world are new. The physical is a fractal- a
reflection of the eternal, dreaming world.
Yet, this world is no less precious, no less
beautiful than the eternal. In this physical
world there is always a connection with spirit-
the body becoming a vessel for this connection.
It is here that we may learn compassion, empathy
and experience the essence of true beauty.
Suffering is less an illusion and more a
teacher. We may be reborn many times to this
world and each life becomes a contract where the
soul seeks to learn and grow.
The universe ebbs and flows-
creation and destruction, endless cycles of
birth and rebirth. Our teachers are the plants,
trees, mountains, animals. We must preserve and
respect them- it is they that teach us and help
preserve our connection with spirit while on the
physical plane. It is in them that we find
profound beauty and an escape from the endless
din of our monkey minds.
We are here to lean how to break
out of the world of delusion- to become
conscious of our eternal connection to the
universe and all consciousness. We are here to
learn compassion. Some of us are here to teach
and the only way we can teach is to experience
what our student's experience- yet we at least
can feel the beauty as we experience the
suffering. The beauty a reminder of what truly
is.
The State of the World
I realize that you do not share
all of my perspectives- but I will try to share
something with you. The evil of factory farming
is not an isolated instance. Rather it is
indicative of a way of perceiving reality that
has become prevalent around the world. In my
world- that is not entirely this world of
ordinary reality- everything seen and unseen is
connected and essentially spirit. From the very
smallest to the largest is miraculous,
infinitely beautiful and profoundly spiritual.
Everything has consciousness- awareness and the
capacity for love- everything.
Factory farming is only really possible if one
perceives one as isolated and from the rest of
the world- from pigs- from life. This view of
the world- of existence is essentially dead and
leads to self destruction. Most in the world are
following a path that leads to self destruction.
Fundamentally they have forgotten who they are
and their spiritual connectedness. There is a
self created nightmare- with brief periods of
awakening. And when they are awakened they
become frightened and even more destructive. Or
they become aware and subtle and begin to
perceive what is and cannot be put into words.
My reality is fluid-everything is a portal- an
opening to truth- a new awareness. Everything is
alive- yet most of what is around me seems far
less so. So while at one level I hear words and
perceive actions, on another level- these words
and actions are meaningless to me and what I
really see is infinitely more complex- beautiful
and sad.
All periods of destruction sow the seeds of
rebirth- all things in nature move in cycles.
Perceiving the universe all at once- one can see
that all is in balance- no matter how distorted
and troubled this world has become.
Lowell Greenberg
|
This We Have
Now
This
we have now is not imagination.
This
is not grief of joy.
Not
a judging state, or an elation, or sadness
Those come and go.
This
is the presence that doesn't
It's
dawn, Husam, here in the splendor of coral, inside
the Friend, the simple truth of what Hallaj said.
What
else could human beings want?
When
grapes turn to wine, they're wanting this.
When
the nightsky pours by, it's really a crowd of
beggars, and they all want this!
This
that we are now created by the body, cell by cell
like bees building a honeycomb.
The
human body and the universe grew from this, not this
from the universe and the human body
-Rumi,
on Majesty- a composite intention felt as a
presence, dawn, a company of friends, a splendor
prior to, and the source of, the universe. Rumi says
it is a state of awareness best spoken of in terms
of what is not.
-from
The Essential Rumi, translations by Coleman Barks
with John Moyne.
"I do not believe in telling people of one's
faith, especially with a view to conversion.
Faith must be lived, and when it is, it becomes
self-propagating." -
Mohandas K. Gandhi
"While thinking about the future, and about tomorrow's livelihood,
if you don't let go of worldly affairs, if you don't practice the Way,
and if you pass your days and nights in vain, you'll regret it. You
should rouse your mind, and determine that even if there is no
livelihood for tomorrow, and you might freeze, or starve, or even die --
still today, you should hear the Way, and follows Buddha's intention. If
you do this you will certainly achieve practice of the Way."-
Dogan
"Not to borrow the strength of
another, nor to rely on one's own strength; to cut off past and future
thoughts, and not to live within the everyday mind...then the Great Way
is right before your eyes."-
Yamamoto
Tsunetomo;
Also: Hagakure: The
Book of the Samurai
I have stepped through the looking
glass- lost in a world where
magic is real, love everywhere and even pain is beautiful.
Once the stuff of dreams- barely glimpsed-it is now my only
reality. And as strange as it sounds, I mean every word I just
wrote. Which might make me insane- but comfortably so. -
Lowell Greenberg
If thou art great after having been of little account,
if thou art rich after having been poor, if thou art at
the head of thy city, put on one side that thou hast
reached the first rank. Harden not thy heart because of
thy elevation, for thou hast become the steward of God's
property. Put not at the back of thy head him who was
thy equal, but be a companion to him.
Command only in order to direct: if
thou art despotic, thou goest toward evil. Let thy
thoughts be neither haughty nor base.
Treat thy people as well as thou
canst: it is the mark of those favored by God.
Let the love thou feelest pass into
the heart of those whom thou lovest: cause all men to be
loving and obedient. from
"The Maxims of Ptah-hotep"
Edgar Allen Poe,
"A Dream Within a Dream"
"Take this kiss upon the
brow!
And, in parting from you now,
This much let me avow -
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone!
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand -
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep - while I weep!
Oh God! can I not grasp
Then with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?"
Life
& the Universal
"I know I am alive, for I feel exquisite pain and from this pain springs
love."
"The line between "subjective" reality (perhaps the only kind)
and chaos is the thinnest of lines. If the mind crosses over to chaos- how desperately it
tries to return and restore what once was- the illusion of control in a
"personal"
or should I say impersonal universe."
"Though I seem as if in a dark abyss, alone, yet I know you love me and
your hand guides my life in directions I can only dimly imagine."
"I am in this world, but not of this world."
"I
saw water- I saw how it pervades everything in
the universe- how hydrogen is the very stuff of
the universe- its most prevalent element and a
part of water. How our bodies are mostly water
and ultimately how holy water is- what it means
to life and spirit. I then thought of myself and
I thought of fire. I was told that
I am the fire- I am
fire. If I seek the water- I will achieve
happiness- life. "
Lowell Greenberg
"Do not seek death. Death will find you. But seek
the road which makes death a fulfillment." -
Dag Hammarskjold
"Everything is an instant- stillness... a rain drop falling
into a pond: expanding circles into nothingness- stillness."
"All to often we "glorify" great men and women,
making them seem almost not human- and thereby dehumanizing them. Is it not enough to be
human? What is the shame?"
"Being human is difficult. Becoming human is a
lifelong process. To be truly human is a gift."
-
Abraham Heschel
“Continue in the
direction of the Pyramids”, said the alchemist.
“And continue to pay heed to the omens. Your
heart is still capable of showing you where the
treasure is.”
“Is that the one thing I still need to know?”
“No”, the alchemist answered. “What you still
need to know is this: before a dream is
realized, the Soul of the World tests everything
that was learned along the way. It does this not
because it is evil, but so that we can, in
addition to realizing our dreams, master the
lessons we’ve learned as we’ve moved toward that
dream. That’s the point at which, as we say in
the language of the desert, one ‘dies of thirst
just when the palm trees have appeared on the
horizon.’
“Every search begins with beginner’s luck. And
every search ends with the victor’s being
severely tested.”-
Paul Coelho, The Alchemist: A Fable about
Following your Dreams
'I am the owner
of my actions (kamma),
heir to my actions,
born from my actions,
related through my actions,
and have my actions as my judge.
Whatever I do - for good or for evil - that I
will inherit...' -
From Anguttara Nikaya V.57 - Upajjhatthana Sutta
- Subjects for Contemplation
"In an inhuman-machine
world, those most human feel like machines, cut off
from the societal blood pulse and those most machine
like feel human- and accepted."
"The Universal, Loving Soul
manifests in all creation, its unfolding recorded
in The Book of Life. For a human being to believe that
he alone possesses this Soul, does nothing less than to cut
himself off from the eternal tree of life. This is a
great sin indeed."
|
Dying
Death- of life and suffering. Return to childhood perfection.
Memories and reflections of things past.
Going Home
Tearful, happy good-byes, comforting reunion with loved ones.
We die as we live- with courage, serenity and beauty, surrounded by love- alone yet
not alone.
Love Eternal
Life's symphony- a single, never ending movement. Reaching ever
closer to God.
Every remaining year a treasure.
Every month a gift divine.
Each week the grace of God.
Each day rejoicing in your presence.
Every hour, every minute and every second of your Earthly' breath- a solemn and joyous
reminder of my love for you- eternal.
Life
& the Universal
Also: The
Rainbow Bridge, On
Our Own Terms, and The
Ocean.
Resources
Aging
with Dignity
AirCraft
Casualty Emotional Support Services
American
Art Therapy Association
The
American Institute of Life-Threatening Diseases
American
Music Therapy Association
American
Society of Pastoral Counselors
Americans
for Better Care of the Dying
Camp
Hope
Camp in Wisconsin where children &
teenagers gather to work through
the grieving
process after a loved one dies.
"Children of Denial
- Recent Advances in End-of-Life Care Haven't Reached the Youngest
Patients," The Washington Post, June 20, 2001
The
Compassionate Friends
Grief support for the
death of a child.
Dying
Well
Grief Resources
GriefLink
GriefNet
Growth
House
An international gateway to resources
for life-threatening illness and end of life care.
Hospice Foundation of America
Journey
of Hearts
Last
Acts
A call-to-action campaign to improve care
at the end of life.
Literature,
Arts and Medicine
Database
"Meaning of Life and Meaning of Death in
Successful Aging," by Dr, Paul T.P. Wong.
Transplant for Life
Provides a system of communication
&
confirmation to clergy that increases organ
& tissue donor awareness in congregations
of
all faiths.
WidowNet
|
In this body, in this town of the Spirit, there is a little house shaped like a lotus and in that house there is a little space ... There is as much in that little space within the heart as there is in the whole world outside. Heaven, earth, fire, wind, sun, moon, lightning, stars; whatever is and whatever is not, everything is there ... What lies in that space does not decay when the body decays, nor does it fall when the body falls. That space is the home of the Spirit. Every desire is there. Self is there, beyond decay and death; sin and sorrow, hunger and thirst; His aim truth; His will truth.
From the Chandogya Upanishad Book VIII,
trans. Shree Purohit Swami and W.B. Yeats
from the book,
"The Ten Principal Upanishads."
The Upanishads are Vedanta, a book of knowledge in a higher degree even than the Vedas, but knowledge in the profounder Indian sense of the word, JnanaJnana. And because it is only by an integral knowing of the self that this kind of direct knowledge can be made complete, it was the self of the Vedantic sages sought to know, to live in and to be one with it by identity. And through this endeavor they came easily to see that the self in us is one with the Universal Self of all things and that this self again is the same as God and Brahman, a transcendent Being or Existence, and they beheld, felt, lived in the inmost truth of mans inner and outer existence by the light of this one and unifying vision. The Upanishads are epic hymns of self-knowledge and world-knowledge and God-knowledge.
Sri Aurobindo.1872-1950
"One of the key points in discovering drala
principle is realizing that your own wisdom
as a human being is not separate from the
power of things as they are. They are both
reflections of the unconditioned wisdom of
the cosmic mirror. Therefore there is no
fundamental separation or duality between
you and your world. When you can experience
those two things together, as one, so to
speak, then you have access to tremendous
vision and power in the world - you find
that they are inherently connected to your
own vision, you own being. This is
discovering magic. We are not talking here
about an intellectual revelation, we are
speaking of an actual experience. We are
talking about how we actually perceive
reality The discovery of drala may come as
an extraordinary smell, a fantastic sound, a
vivid color, an unnatural taste. Any
perception can connect us to reality
properly and fully. What we see doesn't have
to be pretty, particularly, we can
appreciate anything that exists. There is
some principle of magic in everything some
living, quality. Something living, something
real is taking place in everything."
From
"Shambhala, The Sacred Path of the Warrior,"
by Chogyam Trungpa, pp.163-164
"There is in each of us an ancient force that takes and ancient force that gives. A man finds little difficulty facing the place within himself where the taking force dwells, but it is almost impossible for him to see into the giving force without changing into something other than man. For woman, the situation is reversed...The greatest peril to the Giver is the force that takes. The greatest peril of the Taker is the force that gives. It is as easy to be overwhelmed by giving as by taking...I'm at the fulcrum...I cannot give without taking and I can not take without...[I have not seen the future], I have seen the Now."
Frank Herbert, "Dune" (The words of Paul-Muad'Dib after drinking the Water of Life and becoming the "Kwisatz Haderach"- the one who can be many places at once...both dead and alive...the Ultimate Servant, one who truly knows that "the universe is a coherent whole and you are indivisible from it."
"Too dull to think, people might read: too
tired to read, they might look at the moving
pictures: unable to visit the picture
theatre they might turn on the radio: in any
case, they might avoid the call to action:
surrogate lovers, surrogate heroes and
heroines, surrogate wealth filled their
debilitated and impoverished lives and
carried the perfume of unreality into their
dwellings. And as the machine itself became,
as it were, more active and human,
reproducing the organic properties of eye
and ear, the human beings who employed the
machine as a mode of escape have tended to
become more passive and mechanical. Unsure
of their own voices, unable to hold a tune,
they carry a phonograph or a radio set with
them even on a picnic: afraid to be alone
with their own thoughts, afraid to confront
the blankness and inertia of their own
minds, they turn on the radio and eat and
talk and sleep to the accompaniment of a
continuous stimulus from the outside world:
now a band, now a bit of propaganda, now a
piece of public gossip called news."-
Lewis Mumford
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The
Ocean
"I heard a nice little story the other day," Morrie
says. He closes his eyes for a moment and I wait.
"Okay. The story is about a
little wave, bobbing along in the ocean, having a good old time.
He's enjoying the wind and the fresh air- until he notices the
other waves in front of him, crashing against the shore.
" 'My God, this is terrible,'
the wave says. 'Look what's going to happen to me!'
" 'Then along comes another
wave. It sees the first wave, looking grime and it says to him,
'Why, do you look so sad?'
"The first wave says, 'You don't understand! We're all going
to crash! All of us waves are going to be nothing! Isn't it
terrible?'
"The second wave says, 'No,
you don't understand. You're not a wave, you're part of the
ocean.' "
I smile. Morrie closes his eyes
again.
"Part of the ocean," he
says, "part of the ocean." I watch him breathe, in and
out, in and out.
-From the book, "Tuesdays
with Morrie," pp. 179-180, by Mitch Albom
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