Home, Free

Sliding into the great quiet again
Like a pool of space and comfort
Without bottom, sides, or ceiling
It belongs to no one, but to everyone
   
   When you get there
   You are no longer there ...
   At home, free 

Joyful Love

As if lifted by 
ocean mists
to an unspoken heaven 
of joyful love

Chess

Individualism is something which is taken for granted. In a game it generally takes two people to play. Being the red player makes it so that you are that color in the game yet, you are still playing the game as a whole, even on a different team. Relationships can be a type of game in it is two individuals yet, there is a deep connection as one unit. There are times though when one person needs the other in order to have fun, even if they don't really want to play anymore. It is in these moments that codependency arises. The person forgets that you can still be apart of a relationship, even if they are not there. They can still have fun on their own; playing a crossword puzzle or even solitaire. It's funny, playing solitaire doesn't mean you are alone.

"God" Talk

The word "God" is dangerous to use in mixed groups. “God” is more personal than talk of sex, money, news, and general gossip. Often “God” is simply dismissed as if the word is meaningless and vacant. Baseball, stock prices and kitchen remodels appear more real and significant. We have sanitized “God” by replacing it with terms such as Ultimate, Truth, Reality, Love, etc. The big problem is that there's this idea of “God” as an old gray haired man up in the clouds. Not many people believe in that “God”. Nor do I. Sometimes we have to say “God” with disclaimers, as when we say: "God is the ultimate underlying reality expressed by physics." Belief in “God” gets confused with words not reality - as if we can choose to believe or disbelieve in Reality.

Sun is New Everyday

Somewhere, a long time ago, I read that Heraclitus, an ancient Greek pre-socratic, said: "The Sun is new everyday!" A beautiful way to look at the sunrise today. A wonderful way to live each day of our lives. Today is a new day. This moment is a new moment. Our lives, our bodies, our worlds are always changing. We may want to hold on to what is now - but it must slip away, no matter how good it is. More keeps arising. The present moment is like the burning tip of a candle fame. That's the moment of the breath-in and breath-out. We cannot not stop that without death. Life means breath-in and breath-out. Life means constant change. Yet, there is a bigger sense of life. Of Life beyond just life. This is the sense of Life we intuit with our wisdom eyes; as we rise to a wider vision of what this is all about. 

Child of Reality

All the old gods have lost their flavor
Where do I turn to now while waiting
For endless songs of relief from endless waiting
They call it grace - an unexpected surrender to Reality
O Reality - what is that?
Sometimes I see it in my reflection
As a child of Reality

Don't Know Much

We don't know much. The world is too vast. Everything opens up again and again to deeper levels of mystery. Important to become comfortable with mystery - to respect the unknown. What do I know? Can I predict exactly what I will think, feel, or do an hour from now? Not really. Everyday, we awake up to new variations, possibilities, and actualities never seen before. 

Earth Needs You

Earth needs you
Don't go away on a journey somewhere else
Walk down to the river bed -
Alone with your thoughts, memories, and feelings
Deep inside Life is your first Love


(Note: These days, as founder of Philosopher-at-Large Blog, I find myself feeling free to really be a philosopher-at-large. That means writing or talking notes here and there - eventually sharing them. I hope this encourages you to be freer in your own speculations and insights.)

Out There

I love it when I see that sparkle in your eyes;

that uninhibited pure joy

that total presence of wanting to be here

with you. all the sudden

I am overwhelmed, I feel

there is so much out there!

I feel so little, I feel so young

and there is nothing to say.

There is so much 

and there is nothing to say.

Because out there, out there

I am afraid of seeing it

of feeling the vastness

it must all be here

it is all here, already here

to accept it

to remember.

Love it, 

nourish it 

encourage its being

because 

I 

do 

not

know.

all I know is I am here

somewhere 

and I am working;

striving, practicing, trying to see you

and to understand

the meaning.

.

.

.

Desires are breathless 

I finally feel you

that connection.

Thank You

Rain For Us

“Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.”


-Hermann Hesse

Poetry

“Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history.” 
~Plato

My Poem on this Mother's Day

Why
Would I Not Know
the Color
of My Own
Hair?

Brown
   to
Grey,
What would
My Driver's License
Say
If I went to the DMV
Today?
Young
   or
Old,
Where am I
on this Continuum
Today?

When my Heart Glows with Love,
I am Forever Young,
Timeless,
The GrandMother of Everyone.
                    (Diane; May 12, 2013)

Anger

it really is up to you, what it will be.
are you going to fly in skies so blue
or suffer and slump in misery?

is your heart where you are, honored one?
breathe and remember, breathe and remember,

there is prayer for the soul's journey.
Sun meditations keeping your heart's rhythm
for you,
'you, who are the source of all power,
whose rays illuminate the whole world,
illuminating also my heart
so that it too can do your loving work.'

Dimensions

If all time is eternally present 

All time is unredeemable. 

What might have been is an abstraction 

Remaining a perpetual possibility 

Only in a world of speculation. 

What might have been and what has been 

Point to one end, which is always present.

-TS Eliot 

Content

Content.
Looking at the pigeons kiss
  fly above rooftops
Cats resting on each other
  fur glistening in the hot sun
Sandalwood smoke rises.
I sit here
Myself teaching me to be.

Cook Book

Melting down is an experience which happens to everyone from time to time. It's a breaking point. Whether it builds over a long period of time or just happens all at once, it breaks us down and melts us to the most basic of ingredients. At the time, they seem to be negative ingredients such as fear and despair yet, even these break down into the building blocks from which we are solidified. The fear melts down and becomes surrender. Surrender melts down and becomes peace. Peace then melts down to become harmony. Once we are in harmony, we are one with everything; we are whole. We are solidified again yet, this time with different ingredients because we remember the bitter taste of fear. It's like adding too much spice to a dish. Next time, you know to add less and counter balance it with another spice. Take what life dishes out; fulfill your hunger and be full again.

Tablets

Isn't it funny, how the things that I think,

  feel like they're written in permanent ink.

But a lie is a lie, is a lie, is a lie,

  and the truth is unbounded like the wide open sky.

The past, it is gone and the future's unknown.

  I'll switch to a pencil and stop chiseling stone.

-Brian Sweeny

Dream

Sit with lovers and choose their state.
Do not stay long with those who are not living in the heart.

Rumi

Three to Five Servings

"Imagination is the real and eternal world of which this vegetable universe is but a faint shadow."


-William Blake

Spy Glass

Without emptiness
How could you find space?
Without noise
How could you find silence?
Without want
There is nothing left to be found

We

Freedom will bring truth;

Truth will set you free

Through the act of meditation

We effortlessly seek truth

We effortlessly find wisdom

Though wisdom

We realize

We are already free

A Poetic Contribution to "V Day: One Billion Rising"

Woman-Child of Mother-Earth

The sense of something
Echoing inside of me,
Wanting, longing to be free
To express
What is me,
And let all see
The Womanliness
That I possess.

The Heart is all
The power that be.
Let me love
Passionately;
And soft, tenderly—
   The mother towards the child;
And sweetly, innocence—
   I, myself, the child.

May my heart of Love
And my passion of fire
Unite—
The warm furnace hearth
Burning in me,
Protecting me
From the harm
The spirit can receive
If it steps out
Into our man-world
Too meekly.

The fire and the passion
Heat my heart.
My heart burns
With the fire-love
Of a mother
Fighting for the life
Of her child.

I am fighting for the life
Of the Child
Of the Mother
Of the Earth.

This Earth-Child,
In my, our, custody,
And all of us, her daughters,
Armored messengers be.
Our heart-power
Is not available for the fight—
Our armor is too tight.
We cannot leap flames
From our Hearts,
Until we start to unpeel
His armory from us, from me.

My weapon is
My burning, flaming heart.
My protection is
The Earth’s flow within me,
And the Universal Light around me.

My soul is with the All.
My human heart,
God/dess’ messenger,
The flame
That I must allow free
So we all can join
Life’s family,
And Earth can simply be.

The Amazon Warrior
Armed with Love,
Nothing more,
Begins her conquering.

Please, come join me/us.
Time is running short.
Our Gaia is crying.
Our Love can set her free,
And in so doing,
You and me.

                                 (Diane Shavelson 1991)

For Information: V Day: One Billion Rising

Usefulness in nothing

Thirty spokes converge on a single hub,
  but it is in the space where there is nothing
    that the usefulness of the cart lies.
Clay is molded to make a pot,
  but it is in the space where there is nothing
    that the usefulness of the clay pot lies.
Cut out doors and windows to make a room,
  but it is in the spaces where there is nothing
    that the usefulness of the room lies.
Therefore,
  Benefit may be derived from something,
    but it is in nothing that we find usefulness.
~Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching

In Light I'm Meant

Traditionally, it was said that rolling boulders up hills or carry pales of water helped one achieve a state of enlightenment. These things are props for the mind to play with while it settles; like putting a baby to sleep with a rattle. Yet, these props soon start to feel empty and all that's left in the end is you. You might feel naked without them but take solace; you are meant to be naked in this light. Enlightenment is as simple as a baby's rattle. Can you hear it?

Star Light

Sometimes, the most important lessons are understood by the silence within.

"When I heard the learn’d astronomer;
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me;
When I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them;
When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick;
Till rising and gliding out, I wander’d off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars."

-Walt Whitman in 1865

Mind Games

The wind, it is blowing

from where? I don't know.
It's bringing a change,
who knows where to go?
Do we fight to keep our ways?
Do we fight to make them change?
How do we know what's for real,
and what's just in our brains?

Is there a god?
A big man with a plan?
Or is it all up to us,
to do what we can?

I've never met a person,
who knew anything at all.
We pretend to have answers
so we don't feel so small.

The birds in the sky
and the mice in the shed,
have much more to offer
than the stuff in our head.

-Brian Sweeny

Concentric Circles

“You will walk differently alone, dear, through a thicker atmosphere, forcing your way through the shadows of chairs, through the dripping smoke of the funnels. You will feel your own reflection sliding along the eyes of those who look at you. You are no longer insulated; but I suppose you must touch life in order to spring from it.”

-F. Scott Fitzgerald from his novel Tender is the Night

Drew Dellinger: Hieroglyphic Stairway

A long term perspective based on responsibility to our great great grandchildren. A stunning recitation by a powerful poet.

---

Text 'Messages'

"It's acceptance; complete surrender.
I fully believe that God is in control and that I am powerless.
It's a relief in some ways to not be responsible.
Not that I'm good at this.
I struggle every day. Every moment of every day to not give up.
But really throwing a fit and saying I can't do this anymore isn't productive.
I really have no other alternative. I HAVE to go on.
And surrendering to God makes it possible.
I also try to remember not to fight against "it" but fight for what I find the most challenging.
Like peace, sanity, acceptance.
I cannot do this life on my own.
I have to turn it over to God.

Do the action and your heart will follow."

-Laura Manzani in a text message protaining to life's stuggles

Gandhi's Embark

'What you are seeing is a large statue of Gandhi by the Embarcadero in San Francisco. The people there are poets. I love the feeling of Gandhi walking into the distance.'

Janice Haugan's Photography

The Phoenix

 From the ashes I will rise
 Finding the fire deep inside
 Using it to be my guide.
 Beautiful
 when I burst into flames
 Discarding an old life
 Destroying names
 Ultimate
 Return
 From which I came.

Proverb

If there is light in the soul,
there will be beauty in the person.
If there is a beauty in the person,
there will be harmony in the house.
If there is harmony in the house,
there will be order in the nation.
If there is order in the nation,
there will be peace in the world.

You-niverse

Each moment, each moment, each moment.
Each moment is new,
is yours.
This is all-
for you.

There is no room for regret without a past.
There is no room for worry with no future.

       so what's here?
You-niverse.
       what will I do?
Be.
       how do I be?

Perhaps this is the end of seeking.

    where will I go?
Anywhere.
    what will I do?
Anything.

Perhaps this is the end of believing.

    what will I have?
Me.
    what will I be?
Free

Whispers

“There's no vocabulary

For love within a family, love that's lived in 

But not looked at, love within the light of which 

All else is seen, the love within which 

All other love finds speech. 

This love is silent.”

T.S. Eliot

Give it away

"Love can only stay love,
if we give it away."
     -Unknown Source

Preface

"The artist appeals to that part of our being which is not dependent on [traditional] wisdom; to that in us which is a gift and not an acquisition—and, therefore, more permanently enduring. He speaks to our capacity for delight and wonder, to the sense of mystery surrounding our lives; to our sense of pity, and beauty, and pain; to the latent feeling of fellowship with all creation."

Joseph Conrad

Be Here Now

"What keeps you from that place that gives you that total feeling and experiencing and knowing of fulfillment is all of this posturing, all of your thoughts, all your way of organizing your world, all your plans, all your games you're exploring."

-Ram Dass

Choose

I want to be
the very best I can be
it is a choice
and it is up to me

Whole

I long for you to hold me, just one more time.

You say the Universe is taking care of us,

but it forgot about me

They say this moment is perfect--

all is one, all is here

Why can't I see it?

I feel sorrow

am I healing?

Don't forget me

I love you

Don't leave me

I've given myself to you.

Come back, come back,

I'm not whole yet,

I'm not free yet...

I'm here, I'm here

I will never leave you

I am always with you

It's not your time to go,

patience little one

I honor you.

Quiet now,

Love is all there is

Quiet now,

Love is all

Love

To Receive the Gift, Just Untie the Bow

I.
Every pedal of the rose
Is appreciated by the nose,
Though the nose
Only smells
The whole rose.

Every one of us is special,
Though the Oneness-of-all-things
Is All
That really exists,
That is.

Every one of us shines
The Light of God,
Though there is only
The One Light.

II.
Every feather of the bird
Can be heard
In the soaring
Of the bird,
But from our earthly perch
We see only
The whole bird.

The Oneness-of-all-things
Is hidden within,
And can only be seen
With the perception
Of our Soul.

The One Hum
Of the Whole Universe
Might be heard
By the soaring bird,
Or by our Soul,
       Lit,
           Free,
                 Wild,
Or by the ears
Of a little child.

May my body
Smell the fragrance
Of my Soul,
And my breath
Soar
As the bird
On the air,
And fill me with Love
(The meaning of life),
So here I can stand,
As I soar up beyond
The clouds,
The birds,
And the limits
Of this boxed-up
World.

“Hey mom,
Can we open our packages now?”
“Yes.”
“Wow!”
                            (Diane 12/2012)

Waking Up from the Long Dark Night into the Light -- A Solstice Poem of the Soul.

And You Shall Know Such Love…

It is the waking in the night,
The dream within the dream,
Where all is lost,
Yet All is found.

It is the dream within the dream,
The waking in the night
Only to find
All you have ever wanted,
There, hiding in the dark.

It is the dream within the dream,
Where all is as you've always wanted,
Yet all is the same as it ever was.

It is the waking in the night
Where you lie unencumbered,
Yet have so much
That you overflow with joy.

And tears flow as they never have.

And you find your home
Inside
The jewel-laden cavern
Of your heart.

And you find
The One
You have been searching for
In the deep recesses of your soul;
And that same One,
In the boundless universe above;
And that same One
Releases you
Into the universe to fly,
Yet never leaving
His/Her arms.

                   (Diane Shavelson ~1998)

Karen Armstrong - Bringing Wisdom of Socrates to Modern Dialogue

Karen Armstrong's wonderful, passionate statement
regarding the value of "ignorance" in Socratic dialogue.

Two Poems; One Subject

I.
Generally,
All we hear
is our own fear.

Can we see
the beauty
of our soul
below?

The stars above
Shine;
A reminder
of who we really
are.

Can we perceive
what we see?
Can we hear
Reality
above the din
of the fears
of all humanity

Who are also
Shining
from within,
And struggling
to perceive
the meaning
of oh
so many
Stars
Shining
?

II.
Contorted habits
of self protection
keeping me
from surrendering
to my Love-lit
Soul.

The past is over,
obviously,
But inside, my body
keeps hiding,
keeps fighting,
keeps running away;
My mind stuck seeing,
in all I encounter,
that which is no longer
there.
My broken heart
refuses to repair;
While the habits,
refusing to break,
their invisible hands,
out of control,
determining my day,
     my year,
          my life.
 
How about pushing
this debris aside
and stepping into
the Soul’s pure Light;
A Soul sunbath!
And your Soul-Light
bathing me, too.
For this is what is
True,
and always was True,
and ever will be
True.
             (Diane, Nov. 2012)

Fissures

Lapses in judgment create spaces to fill with compassion

Already flooded with moonlight

 








I reach out to touch God;
A child
   Jumping up
      To touch the moon,
While there she stands
   Already flooded
      With moonlight.

Looking to become closer to God,
I search,
   Always searching,
Forgetting,
   Again and again forgetting,
That I am already Home;
   Forgetting Who I really Am.

                             (Diane ~2000)

Dialogue Everywhere - a first statement

A first statement of my desire for a "dialogue everywhere" campaign. I'm being pushy because I really, really feel it's important.

Sometimes I think I remember

Sometimes I think I remember
     creating myself
it was long ago in a mist,
    in the beginning,
        there was no time,
only the grand feeling of birth arising.
I was looking down upon myself,
the Universe smiling at the fantasmagoric life ahead
Earth beckoned you
the world was pulling us inside out
each moment a new opportunity
so glad I am awake today,
and thank you for being here
so that I can Love those things
that call out in suffering:
it's the only thing bigger than the Universe--
there's nothing left to do but love you

The tighter you grasp

The tighter you grasp,
The less you can hold.
Open your hand completely
And you can hold the Universe.
                           
                                 (Diane ~2000)

Autumn Leaves

It is said that sometimes the only thing left to do in a horrible situation is to laugh to stop yourself from crying. Yet, there are times where we laugh so hard that we begin to cry. What a paradox; the marriage of sorrow and joy.

Twenty/Twenty

There are many times when our actions don't reflect our intentions. When they negatively affect others it can feel like someone else has enacted them. So, who is this dark figure? The one who causes negativity. Is there a light figure who creates the positive?

It is like being thrown into the book, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." The same person who has two identities: the light Dr. Jekyll and the wicked Mr. Hyde. There are some events where you feel like Hyde, others where you feel like Jekyll. While it seems these two are playing out their own lives, it always returns to a single choice. Sometimes choices are reactions and there isn't enough time to choose what we believe to be as best but regardless we are not born split into two pieces. There are choices which bring light and others which cast darkness. It is the ability to see our actions and their consequences which illustrate that we are complete. It's only through Hyde's eye that we can see Jekyll at all. Our choice is then picking what we want to nurture. Thank Mr. Hyde as much as you do Dr. Jekyll; it takes both eyes to see the full picture.

Updates

By changing the resolution on our computer screen the image we see becomes clearer. How is this any different from life? By changing ourselves, we change our perceptions and are able to see life more clearly. Isn't time we upgrade our operating systems?

Fluorescent Bulbs

Have you noticed that after going for a walk outside you tend to feel better? I'm going outside to 'get my head on straight.' Stop your head from spinning; go breathe in the fog or the rain or the sun. You can find stillness in the thickest of fog.

Attic

It's natural to feel alone. It's something we all share, together.

Soldier On

Who wants to know

All that is gold is rustingNo one will knowWhen seasons cease to change and:
How far we've goneHow far we're goingIt's the here and the nowAnd the love for the soundOf the moments that keep us moving

Waves crash alongThe battered, lonely lighthouseTomorrow she's goneAnd if not, someday somehow
Are these hands a waste?
Well this side of mortality isScaring me to deathTo death

Don't think about it at allJust keep your head lowAnd don't think about it all

Soldier on, soldier onKeep your heart close to the groundSoldier on, soldier on, keep your heartClose to the ground

Don't think about it allJust keep your head lowDon't think about itAt all

Soldier onSoldier onKeep your heartClose to the ground

Smiling is something everyone does in the same language.

Sparklers

It's so easy to get caught up in emotion. It seems to set off so many other feelings and like a firework it explodes all at once. It's natural to be a firework; it's just about knowing when to show your colors.

Mosaic

a shell under the sea
     can't hear the waves
but when you listen to it
     it sings their song

Immerse yourself completely. When you return from meditation, bring the stillness back with you. Maybe, it will remind others what they've been hearing their entire lives.

Freedom

Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing,
there is a field. 
I'll meet you there. 

When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.

~Rumi

Lock and Key

"A million things running through my mind. You don't have to be in jail to be doing time."

Confinement within yourself; within your mind. Your thoughts can become your shackles. Your mind can become your cell. It's a sentence where no judgement has to be passed from the outside; no judge or jury necessary.

There is a freedom from the mind though; those thoughts which can bring darkness to the light inside. This reprise comes through the act of daily meditation to remind you that the stillness is always present.

We have rights; ways to be free from the mind. Turn your solitary confinement into freedom. You have the right to be free.

Is REALITY all there is?

All the moons and all the suns

Hold me Spirit,
Protect me today.
Share your infinite Love
with little me--
to have the warmth thwart the cold,
to have the Light dissolve the darkness

and Lover!
While I was waiting for you
I realized,
I was only waiting for me

Your celestial body
with all the cellular stars and planets,
All the moons
and all the suns
are in my Heart

University of Colorado Approves Concealed Carry in Classrooms

Happiness

Happiness is all around you. 
You just have to let it in. 
                --Chinese Fortune Cookie 

Universe

We're so lucky

to live in the 

universe.

I Sight

After a long and stressful day, it's helpful to engage in activities that calm and relieve the anxiety which has built up after many hours of work. This can be done through many methods: mediation, taking a hike or simply watching the sunset. Yet, there are other methods to unwind and sometimes they seem more appealing due to the quick relief they provide. It seems so simple to use a method which delivers instant gratification. This is only temporary. Look at an object though a bottle. The image which you see is skewed due to the refraction of the light. By attempting to use this method to unwind, it skews what is truly present. It's incredibly different then what is seen by the unaltered eye; it is a broken image. Don't refract the light after a long day by looking at it through a bottle; embrace the last rays of the setting sun.

Time Crisis

Frantic!
That feeling
you get
when all of
the things
you've been expecting
over time
happen all at
once
the mind spins
and its hard to concentrate
on one
thing
at
a
time

Deep breath. What's the most important task right now? Work on that. Everything else is out of focus for the 'time being.' Spend your time just being in this moment. Another deep breath. Now aren't you more peaceful and effective?

Dominos

People's perceptions can cause us an immense amount of stress. We feel limited by their point of view and it limits our perception of self. That's alot of power to give to a person. The cycle continues though; they are judged by others and become limited too. So much limitation. Let's break free.

Moving through memories

Moving through memories

as if I'll have

endless time before

entering eternity's gate

(A reflection off of Vincent van Gogh's At Eternity's Gate.)

We murder the innocent

We murder the innocent,
As we were murdered,
And coerce them to join us
In our fruitless quest
To be the best, the most, the newest.

We murder the innocent,
As we were murdered,
Out of our fear of seeing
That our "there" is "here";
Claw and scrape to the top
Of the bottom.

The innocent in me,
Set it free!
And fly with me
To the bottom
Of my/our hearts.
               Diane Shavelson 1991

Do you have a dream?

Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream. So did Gandhi and Cesar Chaves. So do great writers, artists, businesspersons, and parents. Truth is: we all have a dream. Perhaps, first encountered early in life. But it's forgotten or beaten down by parents and teachers. Forgotten by years of being "on track" with homework assignments, and one planned activity after another. Listen deeply now to your heart. What's your truest, deepest life purpose? The purpose that fullfills your longing to express and do love's work out in the world? Take time now to look and feel? It may be difficult; many false dreams may come. You may delightfully discover and celebrate that you're living that dream now. You may currently have what appears to be a "meaningless" job, but (at the same time), be sure to keep alive a connection to your dream today.

Environmental Sabbath Day - A Simple Proposal

In our efforts to reduce greenhouse gases we often overlook the cultural dimensions. These days, we love the idea of “24/7” – that production and services run “24 hours a day, 7 days a week”. Certainly this makes for higher production of goods and services, as well as greenhouse gases and general degradation of life on earth! What ever happened to the “the Lord’s Day” or the Sabbath? One day in every seven set aside as a Holy Day; on that day, no work. Yes, things shut down; instead talk with family and neighbors, and walk around the neighborhood; that sometimes included not using machines, such as automobiles and aircraft. With a weekly “Environmental Sabbath Day” we would save upwards of 10% of energy use! Plus, get back the time to slow down, relax and have more humane lives. Good for the environment, good for us.

Image source

Helping a blind man

"Amelie has a strange feeling of absolute harmony. It's a perfect moment. Soft light, a scent in the air, the quiet murmur of the city. She breathes deeply. Life is simple and clear. A surge of love, an urge to help mankind comes over her."

Amelie spots a blind man at the curb who is about to cross a busy street. She has seen the man a couple of times before in short glimpses. Now...

"Let me help you. Step down. Here we go!
The drum major's widow!
She's worn his coat since the day he died.
The horse's head has lost an ear!
That's the florist laughing.
He has crinkly eyes.
In the bakery window, lollipops.
Smell that!
They're giving out melon slices.
Sugarplum ice cream!
We're passing the park butcher.
Ham, 79 francs.
Spareribs, 45!
Now the cheese shop.
Picadors are 12.90. Cabecaus 23.50.
A baby's watching a dog...
that's watching the chickens.
Now we're at the kiosk by the metro.
I'll leave you here. Bye!"

Who's fishing who?

Wonder

Dustin Hoffman & Natalie Portman

*Dialogue starts at :41 (not my commentary at 3:14 )

Quick Context: Mr. Magorium is about to pass away and is comforting his protege and best friend Molly Mahoney. As most of us do when we are about to lose something we love immensely, Mahoney tries to hold into Magorium for his final moments; she loves him too much to lose him. Magorium's response  to her has helped me get through tumultuous times and moments of intense change. Moving forward can be  so difficult, yet it only takes that first step or final sentence to turn the page.

Next Page

Welcome back dear friends

Someone comes home and their friend says, "Where have you been?"

"Strolling about in the hills..."

"Well, where did you go?"

"...I went out,
following the scented grass;
and came back,
chasing the falling blossoms..."

IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD

I am currently re-reading the Will to Power by Friedrich Nietzsche. It’s an intoxicating read if for nothing else but his use of language. I’m not sure I swallow Nietzsche whole, but at least I pride myself at digesting ideas that stretch my imagination and thought. You see, for me one of the crowing stars of “humanitarian civilized life” is literacy

In my belief system, if one is able to read and write then one is able to understand the world around them, and absorb the issues that create that world in both good and bad ways. As a result, opportunities increase, as do choices, and as an informed participant in the world of reality, one is able to guide their life in a positive direction and away from oppressive and exploitive situations. By continually choosing “good” one optimizing their life and a few fortunate ones eventually become Enlightened. In other words, literacy is a direct path to one’s highest and best use of personal attributes whatever they may be.

Simultaneously, I believe in spiritual attainment. I practice meditation, and devote a large portion of my life to a self-designed modern monk lifestyle. No, I don’t beg for a bowl of rice, nor do I live in a barren one-room monastery. However through good action, minimization of hubris and greed, I feel I have found the good and to a small degree experience heaven on earth, albeit with all the bumps and curves in the luscious road of life.

With that context in mind, I recently received an email from an Ashram in India who wanted to do some publishing business with me. I was delighted to receive the email, and wanted to participate in their efforts. We exchanged emails and shared information to gain a better understanding of each other. Then I received an email that contained this statement:

(Our Swami) …is a saint who is void of worldly education, yet internally organized by the grace of accomplished Guru that becomes possible after a long practice of meditation. He considers writing as an obstacle on the path to the Supreme Beatitude …

Okay!?!  CONFLICT TIME!

All of a sudden a fork in the road on the path to Enlightenment appeared in front of me. One the one hand, the basic tenet of literacy in upgrading an individual’s life versus remaining absolutely true to the soul and letting the spirit of the universe, the It, the All, completely guide the way, not words.  

Mind cramp!

When I thought about it, Jesus didn’t read and write. Yet, I’m sure Buddha did because of his royal upbringing. God wrote the 10 commandments down, creating a propensity to read as a fundamental understanding of human morality. I’m not quite sure about Lao Tzu, but I can’t think of too many examples of illiteracy in the spiritual world.

Then again, maybe everyone along the way compromised with the world, negotiating a treatise of social harmony.  Minimization and deflecting intrusion is certainly a must for a soul-filled life, but the inability to scan SFGate, the New York Time or the Huffington Post seems mind crunching and maybe a little ignore-esque

Okay! Maybe I need more time to digest this dilemma. But for right now, I’m settling for the resolution of BALANCE and MODERATION.  However, I also like cream and sugar in a cup of strong French Roast coffee. Maybe I’m just a moderate at heart. 

Elliptical Trainer

Heavy. That describes many emotions and situations. It sits on our minds and bodies. At least, it feels like it does. How real our thoughts can become to the point of putting physical strain on us. Become depressed and its hard to move or get out of bed. Become happy and you seem to float on air. That's quite a bit of power to surrender to something as fickle as the mind. But, when you stand in your own power, these thoughts have no effect on the body. We can always become stronger by weightlifting; the act of meditation. Its the simplest exercise you will ever do, though, probably one of the hardest. You don't have to lift anything to gain power, on the contrary, you let go. Don't hold onto the strain; don't lift it. See how powerful, yet light you've become?

For Today...

Today,

put your hand over your heart;

your pulse will remind you that you are alive.

Today,
close your eyes;

it will remind you that this drama,

the movie which you think you play out as the main character
is just another story.

Watch this drama unfold...

Focus on your breath.

Breathe in the life that pulsates around you.

It will remind you that you are not separate.

You are the pulse

which reminds others

that they too 
are alive.

When do you know you are trying too hard?

Online Imperfection

We spend too 

much time working out

perfect metheds  methods (!)

of online communication.

                                  I say - honor the

                                  imperfections - here

                                  is the human touch.
One had  handwritten letter

is worth 100 printed  

store bought cards.

Editors note: Written back in 2006.  While still using Windows ME!

Tears

Tears cleanse the soul of the past - bringing release into this present moment.

Truth Wealth Realization is Needed - Now!

We are born with true wealth, but constantly forget to realize the wealth we already have. Failing to acknowledge our true wealth we keep grasping for more, like hungry ghosts who are never satisfied while constantly eating! Thus, we go about despoiling the earth, corrupting relationships, and twisting societies into grotesque forms that promote needless suffering for ourselves, others, and the earth as a whole. Realizing true wealth leads to personal, interpersonal, and transpersonal fulfillment. Furthermore, the long-term survival of life on earth depends upon true wealth realization.

We need deep psychological and spiritual healing of individuals, groups, communities, nations, and the earth. The bedrock of this healing is a return to this present moment, not in a selfish, narrow way, but in a way that includes the totality of what is here–there as well as past–present–future. It is nothing less than the ancient ideal of enlightenment of all sentient beings.

(This is part of an article titled "Realizing True Wealth" that first appeared in Verna Allee & Dinesh Chandra (Eds.) What is True Wealth & How Do We Create it? Indigo Press, A Division of Print and Media Associates, New Delhi, India, 2004.)

SILENT ILLUSION

 I was approached by a new college graduate recently, a very delightful young woman, intelligent with a fairly good work ethic in school. The real world seemed to throw her for a loop. She was expecting something quite different from her degree. Instead, she has an enormous debt, no job, and is looking for answers to her situation. When she was going through high school we use to discuss philosophy, art and life so it was fun to engage with her again on a new level of problem solving.

She spent a long time grappling with the problem of life, its confusion, its salesmanship, its hypocrisy. I found myself nodding in agreement, without any valuable input to her situation. From my viewpoint, many people at many levels were sharing her frustration.

Then all of a sudden she stopped talking, and spent a few moments gazing into her head. I could hear the wheels churning. Then slowly she looked up to me and said, "You know, it might all be an illusion. It could be that I could reconstruct the way I see the world, and maybe devise a new approach!" I was dazed. I nodded my head in agreement, and after she left with a jovial good-bye, I sat and stared at the wall for a long time with Vivaldi playing in the background. I finally sat down and produced my thoughts in the video below. I credit this young woman for her bravery and innovative thought. To me it showed the essence of an enlightened soul.
.

Between lines

Between Heaven & Hell
Stands a story
Of love, passion & hate

Between the lines
There's no-story
Only bright light

Steady, eternal

To the Anonymous Commenter

http://philosopher-at-large.blogspot.com/2012/08/time-goes.html

“What happens when you feel so far from the light? I read about stillness and peace here but they are just concepts to me. I want to be one with everything too. I want to be happy like you.”

I've been meditating on this all day and I have got to say that it’s incredibly difficult to respond to this. I want to say that you are always one. That you are not far from the light because you are a part of that light. Peace and stillness are always there whether we experience them consciously or not because they don’t need to be conceptualized.

These statements, I believe, are all true.

But I feel it wouldn't help. They would just become more concepts, especially when you feel like this. I know because I was here yesterday. I wanted to say to everyone, “I want to be happy like you!” Yet, unlike you, I didn't. I didn't have the courage.

I wrote a post entitled ‘Bad Day’ but decided not to publish it because I felt it was too out of place. The post was about separation; a choice to see separation and do nothing about it. I couldn't post that. No way. It wasn't peaceful, spiritual or helpful at all. But you had the courage to do something which I did not. You confronted your feelings of separation to reach out and express how you felt. 

I can't tell you how to feel peaceful or still or even happy. All I can say is that in our feeling of separation, you and I are one. You can't be far from the light, my friend, if it is your light which gives me the courage to post on a bad day.

"Bad Day"

Pure light is right behind this cellophane wrap. I can see it. I could touch it even...only if I made the choice to finally tear it away. But it’s that choice which is the hardest. To shed everything and step towards it. Be one; truly luminous. I can see the cellophane. But I don't want to walk through. I'd rather compromise and continue to watch the pretty light...

morning cappucino

There's something about sitting in the morning at the coffee shop in the city. It's empty, and you observe people coming in, slowly. Perfect time for reflection and getting minor things done. Cappuccino was good, wifi was even better.

Tonight I'm watching alone and for myself for the first time: Ascenseur pour l'échafaud (1958).

Time goes

Time goes building
days, years, lifetimes.
Nothing stops at my door,
the train always moving.
Still, real Mind is still,
eternal, one.

Image Source: touchn2btouched

Truth and Freedom

Tell me. How do we live the
truth?

It's been said and
written: the truth shall make
you free. But, to know the
truth that makes you free is
to live, to embody the truth.
I believe that we must strip away
one illusion after another.
So that we are not distorting
reality. We must learn what's
below our senses; learning
how our emotions and
special personal interests color
our responses to reality.
To know both what we can
and cannot change.
To live with our
shadow, shades of gray,
and the light -- all at once.

THE FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT

My wife and I were enjoying the calm, soothing ambiance of my favorite Japanese restaurants, eating our favorite dishes and talking about the philosophical issues of life. It has been a long held family tradition to discuss philosophical matters and on this particular night we were talking about the bane of materialism, the crushing pressure of life, the time poverty of modern existence when our waitress came to the table. I turned and asked where she was from and she answered China. She had been away from her homeland for a long time and readily acknowledged that a lot has changed in China from when she was there. I asked her more out of a whim than anything else what she felt was the main difference between the two countries.  Now, I honestly thought the answer would verify the points I had been making about materialism overtaking our lives. However, after reflecting about it, she turned to me and said, “FREEDOM!” 

She explained that she could go here, there, anywhere without restriction, without government intervention, without fear.  It was paradise. Her answered stopped me cold. Freedom! Movement! Lack of spatial restraint. I had never thought of that before. Here I was dwelling on useless buying habits,  as I inadvertently overlooked the subtle freedoms that go into moving from one geographical space to another.  I realized the diversity of humanity is based on its ability to move from one location to another throughout eons of history. Maybe spatial movement is a deeper part of us that we don't always understand or recognize. Maybe we should see life as a dance not only through space but mind. Anyway, it certainly was an eye opener for me, but then again that's why I love going to my favorite Japanese restaurant.