PUT IT TOGETHER
As predominantly single-minded creatures, we humanoids tend to focus on one major thing at a time. Multi-tasking is something unusual enough that it draws comments or is something to be learned. True, often it is easier to do something when one is really focused on it. However, many times turning off that single-minded focus is forgotten and, as a result, knowledge or an adjustment in one’s perspective is completely missed. Some of the most interesting information is acquired when oranges and apples are put together, particularly if you then throw in some cocoanut or chopped nuts. Watching TV ads one soon learns that the “new, exciting inventions” are simply new applications of an old idea. The idea of ”thinking outside the box” has become popular although not everyone has the gift. Once one thinks outside the box, the result is usually a new perspective or new application. Okay. What’s next? Take that new thing and match it up with an old one to get a hybrid. Ideas and thoughts can be like plants, hybridizing can improve the breed. Use this method when attempting to implement something that you feel God has given you to do. Deliver that message from a totally different perspective and it may actually get through the perimeter wall and be considered. Bring other ideas to bear on a difficult application and it may improve your perspective or implementation.
This can be very helpful as we walk our spiritual path. When we grow spiritually, we lose touch with our old ways of doing things and we lose our old landmarks. In this new space in which we find ourselves, we have to develop new landmarks. This is not only easier but may give one a head start on the next level of growth if one uses a little creative thinking and lets God lead the way. Obviously, one has to be willing to jettison old ways and habits to make room for the new. Hybridizing the new landmark may result in jettisoning even more “old junk” making the new landmark more generally applicable and resulting in its being a constant reminder of where one is going and making that next step even easier. Remember, it is necessary to cast off the old in order to don the new. In Biblical terms, we must die in order to be reborn. If, when we don the new, the garment we take to ourselves already has overtones of the garment which lies beyond, we are moving more than one step. It isn’t even necessary to know what the next step will be. Our growth process is one of setting aside our personal biases and prejudices. The more layers we can set aside in one attempt at growth, the fewer remain to be set aside later. Of course, one visible goal is that of accepting that every person is a child of the same God and, therefore, entitled to respect and consideration – assuming the other person will allow themselves to be treated that way rather than demanding that you treat them at arm’s length due to their behavior. The other visible goal is the implementation of the realization that each of us is exactly where we need to be in order to grow closer to God. This latter goal is more difficult because with our soft hearts we always want to help someone who is having trouble. Learning how to help without enabling (which is another word for getting in God’s way) is the real trick. If, for instance, you are a people-pleaser, and you recognize that it is a behavior which you no longer want, you are not only helping yourself by refusing to engage in it, you are helping others by not enabling them and you have not gotten in the way of God’s lesson for the other person. Everybody wins (although the person you are not enabling may not see it that way). No matter who we are or at what stage in our spiritual growth the message is the same grow, Grow, GROW!
THOUGHTS FROM TIL
FINDING
You don’t need to shake anymore!
Not to flee!
You can stay, where you are!
There is a spot for your feet!
You can speak or be silent!
You can sit, either lie!
Your back is straight!
The burden and your shoulders are in balance now!
You can be – who you are!
GO ON! GO ON!
Body. . .
Conglomeration of cells and juices . . .
Tangible. . .
Palpable. . .
Bordered by a skin. . .
Inside a mixture of thinking, feeling fears,
and still thousands of other things. . .
A chaos of coming and leaving. . .
That is the arena, in which we’re planted on this globe.
Once upon a day of longing for the front door key arises.
The searching can last years and years!
Then. . .going outside and simply look and look!
Sometimes Ariadne shows the heart of the clew.
Keep that as a precious present.
Start to work with it.
Again and again we’ll find another piece of the thread!
Go on!
Go on!
Go on! December 28, 2014
WAITING
We’ve all heard the old saying that life is what happens while you are making other plans. None of us have lived the life we planned. Actually, that is probably a good thing. When we are young we do not have the maturity to plan with wisdom. That, however, did not keep us from dreaming about what we would be and do when we “grew up”. When we reach middle-age, we “plan” for our retirement, which may or may not occur and probably not in the way we envision it. Our plans do not and cannot include all the vagaries of life that may cross our path. Only God has that capability. Even when we slip up and worry, the things we worry about are not the things that happen. So, why do we bother to plan? We think it is the responsible thing to do, we don’t want life to randomly happen to us, but most importantly, and usually not recognized, it gives us something to do while we wait to see what life has in store this afternoon, week, month, year, decade. Life goes on in its endless cycles and we want to be in a “good” place getting enjoyment and having the creature comforts that we have been brought up to desire. So, where in all of this useless effort is our faith and trust in God? We have been told that God helps them that help themselves, so we plan to be able to provide our own creature comforts. When our plans don’t work to suit us, we pray earnestly for God’s help. A lady was concerned about starving children and could not understand why God allowed such a thing to exist. She prayed and meditated a great deal about the situation and, one day, her prayers were answered. She suddenly came to understand that God had given mankind all that we need. We had messed up the distribution. Look around. There is no reason why anyone in this country should be without a home, food and clothing; yet homeless, hungry, and raggedly dressed people are all around us. Perhaps our time waiting would be better spent working on our spiritual growth and doing our best to recognize God’s will for our life as it fits in the fabric of creation which he is weaving moment to moment. Being more focused on our spiritual situation and less on our financial may be a good thing. Yes, we need to be able to live a decent life, but it needs to be in balance with the spiritual. Take some time and set aside thinking about all the things you have to do and enjoy being in God’s presence with no care about your future or that of those around you. Working on our spiritual growth toward God while we wait to see how life will unfold before us is by far the better use of time. Interestingly enough, when we do let go of our planning and focus on God’s will for our life, what we need will be there for us at the right time.
Always remember, He did not bring us this far just to turn His back on us. God will always provide what we need, although not necessarily what we want. Pray for His help to do His will instead of His help for your will.
THOUGHTS FROM TIL
MEANWHILE
The seasons are changing every three months.
Their outlooks have colours and smells of their own.
We know at about, what we can expect.
Years are changing too.
That’s a matter of numbering only.
Yet . . .their contents can be totally different!
The laws of change for months and years –
Not to be compared!
For the months, we can prepare.
For the years?
Who or what is ruling them?
How to survive in the turmoil?!
Might it be best to “go with the flow”?
Meanwhile discovering the Center inside?
SO SIMPLE
As a matter of fact it is so simple.
Going with the rhythm of the Stream,
takes us to the target automatically.
Why is it so difficult adapting oneself?
Something inside us wants to decide the direction as well as the speed.
Foolish and foolish again!
For whatever we do, or pretend to do, neither don’t
It’s Energy that makes it possible.
That elusive Power . . .
To experience It in the movements of the forms . . .
Yet never touchable for hands . . .
Hands – a form of Energy themselves.
October 28, 2014
WHAT TO DO?
We all have resources. We have our talents, gifts and knowledge; and added to that we have physical assets and capabilities. Part of our maturation process is gathering the latter and learning how to use both the latter and the former in a positive way. This is not the same thing as doing things the “right way”. Those who think and consider recognize that performing a particular action today may be positive while doing the same identical action tomorrow may be negative. As Joseph Campbell used to say – at any given moment we can’t know what is “right” and what is “wrong”. All we can do is lean toward the Light. Many times each day we are given small and large opportunities to practice the skill of leaning toward the Light. Did you hold the door for that person behind you? If they held it for you, did you thank them? Moment to moment in our interactions with others we have the chance to practice consideration. Like common sense, consideration for our fellow person is not common any more. Too many times we either take for granted, assume, feel entitled, are otherwise focused, or simply don’t pay attention. There is a PBS special about Grace Lee Boggs and her philosophy. She has an amazing life’s story. Among many other things she was the driving force behind Detroit Summers. One of the programs to reach out to inner city kids and give them a good start by using summer programs like gardening on vacant lots and participating in team sports. Of course, these were accompanied by mentoring. Mrs. Boggs, herself active in the Civil Rights Movement, pointed out that without improvement there is no true revolution. She made the statement that we need to help our children become “solutionaries”. Because of her position in the Movement and her experiences in and out of the Movement, she truly saw children as the future, and then she did something positive about it. We can be “solutionaries” by paying attention and practicing our positive interactions with others. Look around you. Couldn’t much of our frustration and what’s “wrong” with the world be mitigated if not totally eliminated with some plain old consideration for the other guy? We can each start in our own corner of the world and work toward one another. AS Lao Tsu taught – the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
THOUGHTS FROM TIL
DECISION
To feel the sufferings of whom we love . . .
From a child . . .
An animal . . .
It is suffering itself!
Deep inside – unapproachable of whatever reasoning of the brains –
A knowing lives:
“Before we came on earth we were determined, this is our way!”
Being here – cursing – yelling – wailing . . .
Our signature is written.
To remove it, is impossible.
Our way, we have to go it..
Might suffering be the seed from which will grow the knowledge,
One plus one is ONE?
GUARANTEE?
Thoughts, children of our being –
Sometimes you’re born out of light.
Building up a harmony is what you love.
Humans call that “good”.
Thoughts, that stem from obscure places,
feel at home in the darkness.
Demolition and splitting is their nature.
Humans call that “bad”.
Daytime is light.
At night it is dark.
But together they’re making a natural day.
Not to accept, if one sees them apart.
Does the natural day guarantee for a bond,
that “good” and “bad:” will bind together,
as parts of a unit some day?
August 24, 2014
PROBLEMS??
We all have problems. Some are large and some are small. A wise man once said that when he had a problem the first thing he did was turn his back on it. Sometimes, he said, when he turned back around it was gone. Of course, the most important thing was that he did turn back around and face the problem. Someone in the Environmental Movement set forth this exchange in addressing an apparently unsolvable problem: “Then what can be done? Naught can be done. Then how must I live? You must be true that is all there is. Be true. Be true.” Joseph Campbell once said that at any given time we do not know what is “right” and what is “wrong” so the only thing we can do is lean toward the Light. These are all useful ideas, but what about limiting the list? We can begin by recognizing that what is, is, and that’s all there is. Yesterday is gone – there is no way to change it. The best we can do is apologize to someone if we have erred against them. Tomorrow is not here yet. No matter how much we plan and/or worry, tomorrow never presents itself as we expect. Now the list is comprised of only today’s problems. In addressing today’s problems, some prefer to take on the biggest first, while others prefer to solve the smaller problems and work up to the heavy lifting. It’s your choice.
With our tools in hand, and having chopped the list down to manageable proportions, we can proceed. Here it may be helpful to recognize that everything is perspective. Sometimes an examination of and alteration in our perspective solves the problem. Philosophically speaking, is your problem a difficulty from which you can learn something? If so, figure out what your lesson is, and the problem immediately becomes more manageable. If it’s something straightforward, particularly on the physical plane, the solution is frequently obvious, like taking your hand off the hot stove. Many times, we can solve our problem by removing ourselves from the situation. Seeing a problem does not always mean that you have to solve it. None of us is Solomon so we are not expected to put to rest every difficulty that crosses our path. Does the problem really belong to someone else and for some reason they expect us to solve it for them? Be careful. Don’t enable! The problems of others are for them to sharpen their mental and spiritual teeth on just as ours do for us. God has given us our problems and others theirs. Don’t get in the way of God’s lessons for others. Problems are, after all, a way to practice our mental agility and strengthen our spiritual character. On those days that problems seem to be everywhere and huge, look around and see the problems of others and yours will take on a more appropriate size. Yes, some problem are multi-day problems and we are limited to doing the best we can regarding the follow-on. Be true to yourself and lean toward the Light. Above all, remember that God does not give you more than you can handle.
THOUGHTS FROM TIL
MEANWHILE
The seasons are changing every three months.
Their outlooks have colours and smells of their own.
We know at about, what we can expect.
Years are changing too.
That’s a matter of numbering only.
Yet. . .their contents can be totally different!
The laws of change for months and year –
Not to be compared!
For the months, we can prepare.
For the year!?
Who or what is ruling them?
How to survive in the turmoil?!
Might it be best to “go with the flow”
Meanwhile discovering the Center inside?
NOT TIED ANYMORE
Years are coming, then leaving, leaving, leaving . . .
The elan, by which a coming one is greeted, becomes weaker.
The body likes to have a rest more often.
Then all at once, an astonishing discovery!
Silence has a voice!
The sound gets volume only if I’m with Her together alone.
The world of Silence is boundless, is bright!
Longings, expectations are fading away.
Not tied anymore to someone or to something . . .
In freedom connected with all that’s around . . .
June 22, 2014
SENSES AND SENSING
Most of us have five physical senses. If we are fortunate, they all more or less work. The five of them together are constantly bombarding us with information about the world in which we live. Even in our sleep we hear loud noises which wake us up or we may smell smoke which wakes us and alerts us to danger. Since they operate as part of our survival system, we don’t want to turn them off; however, we do occasionally need to lower the volume when it is safe to do so. Letting them constantly be on at full volume results in our being wrapped up totally in what is going on around us – even if it’s just watching the TV. We are less likely to think or “sense”.
We also have “the sense of things” meaning that we at least partially understand a situation or person without any concrete information. This “sense” is also part of our survival system. It lets us know when to walk carefully and be alert to what is going on around us. It also helps us to understand more fully a given communication. We can “sense” that the other person really means more or something different from what the actual words indicate. This “sense” has given us the ability to be sarcastic and still be understood.
The most important of all our senses is the one which connects us to the spiritual realm. It is said that feelings are the true communication with God. Words are a limitation on that communication. No words can fully communicate the feeling of peace that we get when we have a deep spiritual experience. To reach this “sense” we must be calm and quiet. We must reach the meditative state if we are to communicate properly. This is why it says in the preamble to The Lord’s Prayer that you must first go into your closet – separate yourself from the world – and then speak to the Father. When having such an experience, whether you sought it out or it was given to you, the world drops away, your sense of time disappears and there is nothing but the spiritual communication.
We must all remember that at least daily we must shut out the world and commune with God. When times are difficult, it helps to do so more often. Like any good parent, He wants to hear about your day, its triumphs and tribulations, and your thankfulness for His help.
THOUGHTS FROM TIL
POLARITY
The future does not have a stable horizon.
There’s another one in sight always.
The Past does have no point, without a background.
And the NOW?
When we feel happy and plan it to go on to the future –
The colour of NOW fades away.
Putting it into the cupboard of the Past –
It gets crumpled and dusty.
In the NOW there’s neither happiness nor sadness.
And yet . . . there’s all there IS.
The secret of the NOW?
We just can guess!
On earth we have to work with yes and no and with no and yes.
as well as with some thousands in between.
In the NOW polarity does not exist.
It IS.
This miracle is out of reach for thinking.
But to touch it, is a blessing already
TOLL
Living in that stream of light. . .
To BE that streaming . . .
To bodily experiencing bounds to be a delusion. . .
That all fulfilling power . . .
So unmeasurable radiant and strong . . .
Ego requires toll,
Fear to loose, what humans call “I”,
destroys the longing for light.
A flash sometimes give sight to what we really are.
When, when do we dare to live our life from there?!
April 20, 2014
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MESSAGES
Our world is full of messages. We have e-mails, voicemails, tweets, the entire social network, telegrams, letters, outdoor advertising, TV advertising, advertising in the movie theaters, on the back of playbills, in magazines and newspapers, etc. Mankind has been leaving messages since writing began; there are cave paintings, scrolls, runes, hieroglyphics, and the Rosetta Stone. Our messages have various purposes. We usually leave messages so someone else will do something that we want them to do. They should: call us back, know what we are doing, approve of what we have done, buy something from us, frequent our business, or know something which we know. Ancients communicated their presence, land claims, their life styles, directions, their history, thoughts and their beliefs. Messages have been and are a large part of our normal communication system.
In this world filled with messages, we have sorted out some of the most important messages. We know the Ten Commandments which God gave to Moses. We know the history that is recorded in the Bible. Many of us know the messages left for us over time by the Great Teachers such as Lao Tsu, Buddha, and, of course, Jesus. These messages were, essentially, clustered in a particular period of time. The Bible probably covers the longest period of time because much of it is the presentation of a once oral then written history of the Jewish people. The Ten Commandments were given to Moses in a discreet period of time while he was on the mountain. Tradition says that Lao Tsu wrote the Tao te Ching for a guard at a frontier outpost overnight, although they represented the accumulated learning and understanding of his life to that point. Jesus’ teachings were set forth over a three year period. Foremost among these teachings was the Golden Rule – “Love others as I have loved you” or “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” – depending upon the translation you prefer. We often speak of these messages as timeless and being as true today as they were when originally created. Buddha is reported as once having said: “Do not worship me for there is one coming who is greater than I”. In that same vein, there is a message which is greater than all the others. It has been arriving in pieces since the time of the Ancients. King Melchizedek and Abraham met – the upshot of that meeting was “There is but one God”. Moses led the Children of Israel out of Egypt so we add “and we must follow Him”. King David sinned and was forgiven, thus we add “and He forgives us”. When Jesus went to the cross, the temple cloth was rent so we would know that no one needs to represent us before God – “we are one on one with God”. This glorious message is not complete, but parts will continue to come through time until it is complete. Are we ready for the next piece of the message? Be one on one with the one God whom we must follow and who forgives us and see.
THOUGHTS FROM TIL
LISTEN
“IT”, all what I’m seeing is a facet of You.
The eyes, which are looking also!
Why can’t I find You?!
“Listen, please, listen . . .”
“Look at your reflection in the mirror . . .!”
“Be quiet . . .
Feel . . .
Feel . . .”
LITTLE FISH, LITTLE FISH IN THE SEA
What I think – I am – I am not.
That bundle of contradictions is just a spinning of my brains.
What an energy it asks?!
That chaos is objecting itself some thousands of times.
But it still goes on with arguing non-stop!
Like a radio, that’s bragging loudly, without someone listening.
My body starts to feel worn out by that hubbub!
When you become aware that things are just illusions –
you may solve the problem just by looking in an opposite direction.
But that chaos stamped very deep grooves!
Ages, ages, ages!
To find a way out . . .?
Is that a job for a Herculean?
Or simply look at another direction?
Or leave it alone?
Or . . .?
The turning point is laying in the sea of possibilities somewhere.
Little fish, little fish in the sea . . .
You’re swimming in the Ocean.
And yet, you are looking for water. August 25, 2013
WHAT ABOUT CHANGE??
There is a tendency among us all to not like change. We know that the only thing that will not change is the fact that things change. However, our psyches do not like the inconvenience of change. We have to learn to do things differently, or think about things differently, or get used to the way other people have dealt with change that makes a difference in our little world. We are so focused on change itself that we do not notice that change only happens because of inventions and protocols that “improve” our lives. The basic foundation of life is as it always was and always will be. The same process still occurs when seeds sprout, when a tree grows, when it rains, when the sun shines, when fruits and vegetables are borne on plants. We alter the outcome when we hybridize a plant, or “protect” ourselves and the earth from rain, sun, or other elements. We invent conveniences like machines to wash and dry clothes, wash dishes, do our labor, manufacture other machines, help us travel around without having to walk, write documents, communicate without being in each other’s presence, etc. We dam rivers, build levee systems to access new ground, single-crop huge areas of land, harness electricity to our “needs”, and otherwise change our world.
Beyond all of this are the things we do that have changed how we relate to one another as individuals, societies and cultures. There is an artificial difference made between the so-called industrial nations and the third-world nations. There is an artificial difference made between various religious groups. These we have made for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, separating “us” from “them”. We have put emphasis on our differences instead of emphasizing our similarities. Accepting others as they are is a worthy goal. This does not mean that you have to accept their behaviors should you find them objectionable in your space. Remember that things and people are as they are. That’s all there is.
This idea needs to be applied to the environment around us as well. Things change. The foundation of life is the same. If you don’t have a machine to transport you, you can still go to the “old-fashioned” way of walking. It just takes longer. If you don’t have a machine to type your papers, you can still write them by hand. It just takes longer. If you don’t have a machine to plow your garden, you can hoe it by hand. It just takes longer. The old ways of accomplishing things are still there. The conveniences are just that – they are not necessities. If your world is turned up-side-down, take a clue from Lao Tsu and “hold fast to the center”.
THOUGHTS FROM TIL
THE HAND
That, what is forming . . .
That, what is breaking . . .
It’s the same Hand.
What is to build?
What is to break?
Grouping and re-grouping matter?
For humans and for animals, it means pain and disaster.
Day after day and night after night.
The little ounce of joy must be a printer’s mistake.
Might we be obsessed by the forms?
Is it the Hand, to which we have to direct our attention?
BUILDING-BREAKING
Energy, without a bed or banks. . .
Building and breaking, breaking and building . . .
Hard like concrete.
Cruel like a Moloch.
When You dress Yourself in compassion – You’re tender and upholding humans.
When Love is Your coat – You’re like a mother for her children.
Energy, how stupid, when humans try to classify You.
We bundles of Energy . . .
For a moment living in a body . . .
In movement everlasting . . .
Energy to all eternity. . .
June 23, 2013
SIGNS AND WONDERS
One of the most difficult tasks on our spiritual path is staying on it. We see a goal and begin our journey toward it. We think we know the way. Unfortunately, we cannot achieve our goal immediately. Most frequently we must involve others in achieving our goal. The result is that, often times, due to the operation of the free will of others, the way that we thought we knew changes. There are many events that can change the direction of our path toward our goal. Someone may decide that they know better, or want to do things their own way, or are misled by there own biases or prejudices regarding a subject having nothing to do with their part of our journey. These variations may come from near or far. They may be direct or indirect. They may be obvious or obscure. It doesn’t really matter. What matters to us is the effect their decisions or actions have on our achieving our spiritual goal. Most of us become so intent on reaching our goal that we can miss the changes that occur along the way. As with so many things spiritual, these changes are often quite subtle. So, what do we use for landmarks to indicate whether we “have it right”? We watch for the signs and wonders.
Signs and wonders are not, as some would have us believe, miracles. They are small things that suddenly come together in a positive manner for our purposes. They may be that “knowing” when all is well. They may be an inspiration that makes things clearer or easier. They may be something someone says that rings a bell or opens a door. They may be the unexpected appearance of a person or thing which fits perfectly into the design of our journey. Signs and wonders speak to us of God’s will and His intent in our circumstances. They are around us all the time. Our job is to be calm enough in our environment to see them. Being, usually, small, by their very nature it is easy to miss them as they pass by, sometimes quite quickly. If you are tempted to say “as luck would have it” or think “what a happy coincidence” STOP and think about signs and wonders and what they tell us. The prolonged absence of signs and wonders can speak just as eloquently of being off of one’s path. Do we truly need something, (not just want it) and it doesn’t appear despite our best efforts? Then it’s time to re-examine one’s position or lack thereof.
Always remember that God did not bring us all this way just to turn His back and abandon us. We just aren’t listening, or we missed a curve in the road. In either case, He is there for us; we just have to watch the signs and wonders.
THOUGHTS FROM TIL
THE ROPES
If I want to reach the target –
I’ve to go the road.
Step by step.
Mile after mile.
So irritating slowly it goes.
The goal stays far away always.
Is it a mirage?
I’m asking myself: do I have to change?!
Is it the target of Life to be in the moment of NOW?
POLARITY
The future does not have a stable horizon.
There’s another one in sight always.
The Past does have no point, without a background.
And the NOW?
When we feel happy and plan it to go on to the future –
The colour of NOW fades away.
Putting it into the cupboard of the Past –
it gets crumpled and dusty.
In the NOW there’s neither happiness nor sadness.
And yet . . . there’s all there IS.
The secret of the Now?
We just can guess!
On earth we have to work with yes and no and with no and yes,
as well as with some thousands in between.
In the Now polarity does not exist.
It IS.
This miracle is out of reach for thinking.
But to touch it, is a blessing already.
February 24, 2013
THE LATEST FAD
Life is something to be lived and, sometimes, it’s all we can do just to cope with it. Everyone develops ways to make “it” easier. We have habits like always writing with our right hand – if we are right handed. We have customs like always leaving our keys in the same place so that we can find them more easily. Every now and then a “new” way of doing things presents itself and sometimes we adopt that as our own in hopes to make our lives run more smoothly like having a cell phone so that anyone who needs us can contact us immediately. (This is not the time to investigate the substantial flaws and downsides of cell phones).
The latest thing that seems to be becoming widespread is the idea that an individual has no responsibility for anything. This is more noticeable among the younger people. After all, their brains crease more quickly than those of the older set. It seems that the idea that individuals can and should turn their physical health and/or their spiritual well-being, and the raising of their children over to someone else has spread, and now it is not unusual to find someone who feels they have no responsibility for doing the job for which they are paid. Also, that feeling of having no responsibility has spread into the arena of personal relations. Consideration for others is a vanishing art. There seems to be an increased attitude that if someone doesn’t like what one is doing, that’s their problem. It seems that the pendulum has swung away from rigid control of others, such as we see in many structured religions, to having no regard for the feelings and existence of others. Can we find a balance? We have a God given freedom to explore, repair and grow ourselves. As we manifest these internal changes, do we not also have the responsibility to allow others the same without letting theirs intrude on ours? As Lao Tsu says in the Fifty-fourth Chapter of the Tao Te Ching: “Cultivate virtue in yourself, and virtue will be real. Cultivate virtue the family and virtue will abound. Cultivate virtue in the village and virtue will grow. Cultivate virtue in the nation and virtue will be abundant. Cultivate virtue in the universe and virtue will be everywhere.” Like the giant oak – it all starts with an acorn. Every acorn of kindness or consideration that we produce can bear fruit in the form of another oak spreading its acorns. Not all will, but enough will to make it worth the effort. As Joseph Campbell remarked, philosophy is all about helping us lead a decent life. Part of that decency is being an example for those who choose to see.
THOUGHTS FROM TIL
PASSWORD
The sea of the ten thousands of things . . ..
So wide, so boundless great . . .
So immeasurable deep. . .
If heading for course –
There will grow a contact between you and the boat
and the winds and the clouds.
If the helm slips through your fingers –
your ship will capsize.
And you will be drowned.
The art of navigating
Is like going on the sharp of a knife.
Balance is the password.
PRAYER
To communicate without words . . .
The most glorious communication!
Almost angelic!
But . . . being humans-
We’ll have to look for words once upon a time.
There may be misunderstanding then!
That’ll hurt!
If so – let us incline our heart to the source of that glorious contact.
August 26, 2012
AND THEN HE SAID . . .
King David wrote as an historian, a chronicler and a prophet. Thus, the Psalms may be read from each of those perspectives. As a chronicler, he said repeatedly “come out of the nations”. He was telling his people to stop joining in with other peoples in their various activities which were not approved for the Jews. Since the Jews professed to believe in just one God, it was inappropriate for them to have graven images of such things as household gods, or sacrifice to a fertility god to achieve an increase in the size of their herds. Again and again, throughout the history of the Jewish people, they strayed into habits, fads, and fashions of other cultures only to have God remind them via some attention-getting event to return to Him and the ways He had prescribed for them.
If King David were writing today he would still be saying “come out of the nations”. We, too, profess to believe in just one God yet, we regularly put other things ahead of Him in the living of our lives. We frequently use our time and resources to do things we want to do rather than using them as God has led us. Often these things we “want” to do are the result of training by parents, schools, churches, and/or the society in general rather than a true conscious choice on our part. These things can often be identified by the use of the word “should” or “ought” in connection with the activity. It has become fashionable to fail to take responsibility for oneself or one’s actions. Blaming someone else for the situation relieves one of having to examine one’s own ethics or thoughtlessness. King David would urge us to eschew fashion and take the true road of responsibility for one’s self and the consequences of one’s own actions. This is one of those times when the old-fashioned way is best. We frequently yield to the demands of someone else without thinking of the long-term effect our capitulation might have on that person and everyone else who may be affected. This is called enabling. For instance, it is so much easier to yield to the demands of one’s children than to be an effective parent and be an example of wisdom. Although easy at the time, in the long run the child, the parent, the family and, sometimes, the community come to wish that the parent had instilled some self-discipline and consideration for others in the child.
It is easy to “know” what someone else should do in a given situation. Paying attention to others’ situations can keep us so busy that we don’t have time for our own. This can become a way of life, one which shuts off our ability to hear and serve God.
THOUGHTS FROM TIL
THE PATTERN
The patterns of our emotions . . .
It’s either too large or too small -
Too long or too short –
Too heated, or too tepid –
Too open or too reserved –
These wailings can go on and on!
They’re eating heaps of energy!
It makes me crazy!
I want things simple!
That’s possible – if you are staying in the midst.
TO REACH THE OCEAN
Between the banks of our possibilities
We are free to choose.
The goal of a river is to reach the Ocean.
Do humans know about their target?
There are so many sorts of streams.
Before they’re called a river –
Drop by drop is finding the other.
A river – uncountable drops.
The miracle of Oneness makes them a river.
Every human has a body.
Compared with each other, they differ a lot.
There are many, many of them.
But the miracle of Oneness?
Our “Ocean” still is so far.
April 22, 2012
WELL; OF COURSE!
There is a lot of discussion these days about the way Mother Earth is behaving. Earthquakes, landslides, droughts, floods, tidal waves, etc. We are like the butterfly sitting on the redwood tree. When asked if the tree was alive, the butterfly said, “No, it hasn’t moved since I got here.”. We look at Mother Earth as if her life span were the same as ours. It isn’t. We look at Mother Earth as if her life cycles were the same as ours. They aren’t. The archeologists are fond of digging up old civilizations, telling us “all about them” from the artifacts they find, and then speculating why they disappeared and/or moved. In a few thousand years, someone will be doing the same thing about the time in which we are living. The real changes have only just begun.
It has been said that the only thing we can be sure of is change. The major changes which the earth is experiencing have not been common for two thousand years. Remember, when Jesus went to the cross there were three days of storms and darkness. There are those now who want to call these the end times. The same thing was said in the time of Jesus, and it still is not true! Since then we have had such wonders as the Renaissance! This is a time of adjustment and change, but not the end.
So it should be with us. We have some control over our personal times of adjustment and change, although if we are smart, we turn that over to God, giving up our free will and living as part of His, as has been recommended by every great teacher throughout time. To do our changing and growing, however, our reference should not be the earth or what is happening in our physical lives. Our reference needs to be spiritual – our personal relationship with God. It was said of the American Revolution that “these are the times that try men’s souls.”. The same may be said of our times. What to do? Welcome the opportunity to learn, practice, and grow. Throw away the limits of society and its conventions, keeping only those which we are led by God to follow. Follow the voices of God within each of us – instincts, intuition and common sense. Rise above the fray and shine in the darkness. You cannot be an example unless you are different!! Do whatever you do to access the calmness during which you can “hear” the voices and follow them. Watch the signs and wonders appearing in your life. Follow Mother Earth’s lead and change, following God’s will into the next era of growth and accomplishment, bringing mankind and our inter-relationships one step closer to God.
THOUGHTS FROM TIL
TO UNDERSTAND
Look at it . . .
Let it happen. . .
It is the notes of a melody.
Either in major or minor.
Your body, every cell . . .
The turning round of the world,
that flush in the Universe. . .
Together they’re writing the score.
To understand. . .?
Can a sound explain itself?
To experience being an instrument
of the orchestra. . .
Then the melody is singing . . .
And you . . .are free!
TO POSSESS
To possess, to possess, to possess!
I will possess!
The refrain is booming day and night!
Refinement is figured out by a computer.
Sometimes it is dressing up in smoothy silk.
It’s committed avowedly also in blood and in mug.
Human – the devil is holy,
compared with the grasping of you!
Do the last of the two have to fight for their life,
before they’ll discover: “The other is me and I am the other”?
October 30, 2011
CYCLES
There are too many cycles in life to refer to them all, even in passing. We see cycles of the seasons, cycles of the day, cycles of the moon, cycles of life – birth to death- and then beyond, cycles of growth – physical and spiritual, and innumerable references to them in all the literature including the Bible and the Tao te Ching. We are told: “ Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.” (Ecclesiastes ll:1), or, as we say today “What goes around comes around”. Ezekiel saw wheels within wheels (Ezekiel: Ch. 1) which enabled the creatures in his vision to move in any direction. Lao Tsu tells us “Returning is the motion of the Tao. Yielding is the way of the Tao. Ten thousand things are born of being. Being is born of not being.” Tao te Ching, Chapter 40. and “ Empty yourself of everything. Let the mind become still. The ten thousand things rise and fall while the Self watches their return. They grow and flourish and then return to the source. Returning to the source is stillness, which is the way of nature. The way of nature is unchanging. “ Chapter 16. One then must ask: “So what??”. Recognizing the existence of cycles, particularly with reference to spirituality, provides a basis upon which to depend when one is in a situation requiring the exercise of faith, or, even stronger, trust in God.
Recalling the clue in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade which said: “Only in a leap from the lion’s head will he prove his worth”, and the chasm to be crossed, the bridge was there, it just wasn’t visible. Our personal perspective frequently prevents us from seeing the bridge to the other side of any difficult situation. Knowing that God did not bring us this far just to turn His back on us and that our leap from the lion’s head will strengthen us and our ability to trust God with our lives, both physical and spiritual, helps us muster the courage to go forth in a decent and honorable manner. Realizing that once we have passed through this situation, the rest of our spiritual cycle is that we will rest, recuperate and go forth renewed and with new purpose, gives us a reason to tackle the difficult. The culmination of the cycle becomes the beginning of a new cycle, which, if done correctly, will move us closer to God.
Choose to cycle spiritually. Work, learn, apply, grow, and rest, all the while growing closer to our Creator.
THOUGHTS FROM TIL
ONE MINUTE ONLY
Stop – gluing tags on everything around you!
Life does not allow it to be divided into cubicles.
Review that childish caboodle!.
Years you’ve wasted time with classing.
By the dynamic of one minute only –
all becomes unsettled;
shakes the waxen figures from their socklets.
Stupid human! You think to master Life!
It squarely laughs at you.
Surges, flows and streams,
According to the wishes to the minute.
Try to be a tumbler
PASSWORD
The sea of ten thousand things . . .
So wide, so boundless great . . .
So immeasurable deep . . .
If heading for course –
There will grow a contact between you and the boat
and the winds and the clouds.
If the helm slips through your fingers –
your ship will capsize.
And you will be drowned.
The art of navigating
Is like going on the sharp of a knife.
Balance is the password.
August 28, 2011
PERSPECTIVE, PERSPECTIVE, PERSPECTIVE
The famous quote “These are the times that try men’s souls” could well be applied to today. What about the “trying of our souls”? We are living in a time that for many purposes seems out of control. Dedication to one’s work is becoming rarer every day. Slip-shod is becoming more and more prevalent. Our technology is so complex that it becomes easy for humans to blame the machine and blithely wander along without a clue – and not really wanting one. Taking responsibility for oneself or what one has done or is doing is definitely out of fashion. We turn our health over to the medical system without a question. We turn our country over to our government without a question. We turn our souls over to a minister or a priest without a question. We are so occupied with the process of getting through a day that at the end of the day we just sit down in front of the TV and veg. Of course, the process of getting through the day is complicated largely by having to deal with others who don’t return phone calls or messages, “forgot” to do something they promised to do, haven’t had time to do it yet, or any of the many other reasons people give for not getting “it” done. But, we say, what is one to do? We can’t fight City Hall.
The obvious answer is to try a new perspective. Is all that is happening in the physical world really that important? Isn’t it simply a manifestation of what has already happened in the spiritual world? Then, to have an impact on our physical world, we need to pay closer attention to our spiritual situation. When we are focused primarily on the physical world, our wholeness suffers, our soul is neglected, and the result is chaos. P. P. Quimby said “Let a person look at himself as the image of his maker and he will see that man is a complete image of the very God he ought to worship.”. Without regular and sincere spiritual work, our image is partially missing. Souls are like muscles, if they are not regularly and well exercised, they become weak.
Doing our spiritual work also has an impact on our perspective of what IS going on in the physical world. With our focus on the spiritual, the day-to-day happenings of the physical world become less important, and, therefore, less frustrating and we can spend more energy doing our spiritual work and enjoying the beauties of the world which God created for us.
THOUGHTS FROM TIL
ONE MINUTE ONLY
Stop- gluing tags on everything around you!
Life does not allow it to be divided into cubicles.
Review that childish caboodle!
Years you’ve wasted time with classing.
By the dynamic of one minute only –
All becomes unsettled;
Shakes the waxen figures from their socklets.
Stupid human! You think to master Life !
It squarely laughs at you.
Surges, flows and streams, -
According to the wishes to the minute.
Try to be a tumbler!
ORCA
Hailstones, rain and snow. . .
In many forms the liquid of heaven comes down on our heads.
So – the daily facts as well!
Against rain you can protect yourself via clothes.
When the clouds of daily facts are splashing down -
Non whatever coat can guarantee for that.
From Orca – dog – I got a gratis lesson.
After a shower, she braced her paws
And shook and shook her body.
The drops flied around!
Thereafter . . .
Gaily she went on.
June 19, 2011
ROOM WITH A VIEW
Truth be told, we all have a room with a view. Of course, no room has a complete view. Even when our view is not constrained by the placement of the room in which we find ourselves within a house – or the perspective we have on the portion of the world we can see – we cannot see everything at once. We must move from room to room or position to position and create a mental collage by fitting each individual perspective onto the one before and the one after. Professor Howard Zinn wrote a book entitled “Peoples History of the United States”. The underlying premise of his book was that history, as it is told to us and repeated by us, is largely from the standpoint of the winner - that is to say, white males. The perspectives, ethics, accomplishments, and philosophies of others are basically ignored or treated with scorn. This leaves us in a situation where what we rely on as “the right way” to act, think, or feel as being based on something which may be totally inappropriate for our situation in time, space, race, or gender. In his notes on Chapter 5 of the Tao Te Ching, Joseph Needleman comments:
Man has a cosmic destiny, whereas most of what we call morality concerns
relative and ephemeral social values, often having to do mainly with what
is good or bad only for the individual person or group. The impartiality of the
wise refers to the universal context within which they understand the
meaning of human life and its possibilities.
Or, as Jesus said several times over in the Thomas Gospel: “Become a passer-by”. Get your emotional investment out of the situation. If we are not acting out of emotion, be it anger, frustration, codependency, over-caring, etc,. our decisions will be much better and more appropriate to the situation. In addition, without the mental fog created by emotion, we have a much better opportunity to hear the “still, small voice within”, discern its dynamic as it applies to the situation at hand, and move forward within God’s Will, rather than our own will based on our limited view and understanding of the circumstances at hand, as affected by our “relative and ephemeral social values. We can all benefit by seeking the universal context within which to understand the meaning of human life and its possibilities.
THOUGHTS FROM TIL
BAGS
A bag with facts is coming down on our heads day after day.
People suffocate, try to get a breath.
Yet . . . everyone is fighting for the naked life.
That’s a fact also.
A child is searching to be cherished and safe.
It wants to play, to dance, to feel happy.
It’s finding all this rarely.
The frightened child still lives in every human.
It’s begging for security,
for a spot to play in this terrible world –
that’s attacking, destroying and tearing!
To stand ready is required as long as you are alive!
The discord between all those wishes knowing to be illusions –
And the searching, searching . . .
Is there living something unassailable inside that delicate body?
Untouchable for matter?
Is that searching-instinct the road,
Where we’ll experience it once upon a day?
THE GRUMBLER
The little bear felt sad and lonely.
He grumbled and grumbled.
And wanted to cry.
But tears didn’t come.
He sat in his den.
Longing for his friends.
When a neighbour passed by –
He crept in a corner.
Pretending to sleep.
Being hungry, he had to go out and find food.
He postponed it as long as he could.
He had almost grown into a hermit.
Dear little bear,
you have forgotten what it is to play in the sun.
But “the Sun” does not forget you! April 24, 2011
TOGETHER WE CAN
It is important, as we move through our physical lives, to remain focused on our spiritual nature and our personal truth. It takes effort to set aside our five physical senses and the endless input they have into our minds in order to stress our immediate spiritual state. This effort frequently finds us spending time in quiet contemplation or in conversation with God. Many of us occasionally consider the advantages of solitude on a larger scale. Then it is important to remember that it is a rarity to be asked to plow the field, sow the seed, tend the crop and reap the harvest.
As we journey day by day the efforts of each of us dovetail with the efforts of others to help in the weaving of the fabric of creation. This is not something that is planned by us, singly or together. This is something which is done within the will of God and comes together within the beauty of His grace. Frequently, we are not given the opportunity to see what came before the part given us as individuals, nor the part which came after. Many of us work in the presence of others who are also doing their parts but in a different field of effort. Sometimes we are privileged to work together. We know and love these people as our spiritual sisters and brothers. But, consider the “ah” we experience when this coming together happens and we discover the part of another whom we have previously not known. God has revealed to us another sister or brother and we rejoice in discovering another with whom we have an undeniable bond, a belonging which transcends the physical world.
At this moment we experience the beauty of God’s wisdom and His unending love for us. At this moment we feel the sense of belonging which can only come from our relationship with God. At this moment we experience a glimpse of what lies beyond and we know that together we can do whatever God needs us to do to accomplish His will on earth. Peace on earth, good will towards men.
THOUGHTS FROM TIL
BAKING
On the sink are flour, eggs, oil, salt, yeast and water.
Bread has to be baked.
As long as the ingredients stay apart – nothing happens.
They have to be mixed, thoroughly mixed.
While they are being kneaded, they’re hardly recognizable.
It looks like chaos in miniature.
The hands which perform the job, just look like lumps of dough.
It falls off and sticks to them again and again.
But after having worked for some time, it has to rise by itself, before being baked.
Then there is bread, that’ll feed those who will eat it.
Humans, traits of character and circumstances –
Life also kneads them thoroughly.
Might that be the reason why humans are chaotic off and on?
After the kneading time – the rising period will follow
Being baked – we may pass on “a slice of bread” to fellow humans.
LITTLE COMRADES
The big, lumbering crowd. . .
So sluggish, so uncountable. . .
They’re yelling, they’re crying, they’re laughing. . .
It sounds so empty.
It doesn’t sing a song.
Sometimes their mind is developed enormously.
But they look straight on only,
with a pair of blinders grown on their head.
In the center of the mass, a little star is sparkling here and there.
Miles in the vicinity they’re often the only ones.
Their sparkling is but very weak then.
Still. . .
Their shining is to be noticed!
So off and on those little torches are meeting other ones.
That means a feast!
There voltage is extending!
Those little stars, they come and they go.
And come again. . .
So long and so often, till the total crowd awakens. December 26, 2010
YOU DID WHAT??
Despite the notion that we are living in the land of the free, there are many societal constraints and dictates that we are aware of every day. The “shoulds” and “oughts” are rampant. Where did they come from? Everywhere – our history, our families (multiple generations) our schools, our churches, our friends, our sense of fairness and justice (much of which comes from the foregoing sources) etc.
In Chapter 5 of the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tsu says:
Heaven and earth are impartial;
They see the ten thousand things as straw dogs.
The wise are impartial;
They see people as straw dogs.
In his commentaries, Needleman points out that “Man has a cosmic destiny, whereas most of what we call morality concerns relative and ephemeral social values, often having to do mainly with what is good or bad only for the individual person or group. The impartiality of the wise refers to the universal context within which they understand the meaning of human life and its possibilities.”
Going beyond the physical world into the spiritual, Lao Tsu was also pointing out that our physical self is only temporary. When our bodies cease to function, our soul goes on. Our own body is a straw dog, having meaning only so long as our soul inhabits it. As Joseph Campbell once noted – the soul is the “pay load” carried by the body.
Considering all of the above, why should we be coerced by social convention and mores when within us we have the voices of God – common sense, intuition and instinct – which are far more accurate, is revealing to us our appropriate action or words at any given time. Go with the voice of God within you. Follow His will for your actions and words as they are appropriate for your spiritual path. You will find that the journey is much easier and the scenery more beautiful.
THOUGHTS FROM TIL
FEAR
Being a child – I was taught: “Take care!”
“Take care – for there is danger all around you!”
The parents – their intention was so pure!
Being children themselves – they were told exactly the same.
“All that is unknown – can be an enemy”
Fathomless are the roots of fear born down on us.
Now, being aged – I can understand their concern.
Is society not just a vessel, filled with rules?
Everything is well defined.
Off-side is punished heavily.
All is to damn the danger.
So, the masses are controlled.
But what is really the danger?
Who has the courage to mention it’s name?
Only a sea of suffering leads us to it’s origin.
Then we’re starting to discover:
How unfamiliar we are with . . . the world inside.
GROPED
What we’re looking at as being real –
Is only real as a manifestation of “IT”.
Also there for ages sometimes –
For instance, people and their cultures –
In the course of the time they vanish.
Even the remembrance that they were there.
The pain, the suffering, creatures have to endure,
Is more real than humans understand and feel.
But as well – nothing of it really exists.
For what’s alive – in whatever form –
Has none whatsoever ground in itself.
What’s only Real is “IT”, the “SELF”.
Never born, not subdued to death.
Overwhelming, when that’s felt inside.
October 24, 2010
WHAT ABOUT YOUR INSPIRATION?
If you look around, you can see things which we, as mortals, consider to be “inspired”. The most frequent use of that description is with regard to art or literature. That which is inspired often moves us emotionally and frequently touches places within us which are special. The art of Leonardo da Vinci or the writings of the great teachers leap to mind. Inspiration is not limited to great works. Inspiration is one of the voices of God within each of us, the other two being intuition and common sense. Each of us has the capability to receive inspiration. What we do with it is what really counts. The real purpose of inspiration is to help us walk our spiritual path and get closer to God. This effort involves many, many thoughts and actions. Lao Tau tells us in Chapter 48 of the Tao Te Ching:
In the pursuit of learning, every day something is acquired.
In the pursuit of Tao, every day something is dropped.
Less and less is done
Until non-action is achieved.
When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.
The world is ruled by letting things take their course.
It cannot be ruled by interfering.
Inspiration is one of the means by which we can discover how we are to walk our spiritual path, dropping by the wayside our own will and responding to the Will of God for our lives (non-action). Our inspiration may deal with the everyday things of living but it is never mundane. It is always purposeful and helpful, assuming, of course, that we listen and do not allow our inspirations to be contaminated with our own bias and/or prejudice. Each of us has the capability to let His love, His kindness, His wisdom and His power simply flow through us, undiluted and undiminished. We diminish this capability with our exercise of ego which is our belief in ourselves separate from Him, our inappropriate beliefs as humans, our old habits, and our acceptance and practice of man’s beliefs, expectations and mores. BE INSPIRED!
THOUGHTS FROM TIL
SUCH A MOMENT
To understand the sense of life?!
Absolutely doomed to become a failure.
THAT, what’s without borders –
Only can understand “ITSELF”.
Living life, sometimes reveals a miracle.
The miracle of “recognition”.
“The other one is me”.
“And I am the other”.
Such a moment offers a flash of “Borderless Being”.
THE RULER
When “little me” is ruling –
There is “here” and “there”.
The pain of separation bites.
When “The Self” is ruling –
There is peace and oneness,
In whatever place the other may be.
For “The Self” there is no time –
There is no distance.
Only Oneness in a multiple of “forms”.
The Freedom of choosing the ruler,
Is a present of life.
Humans do not value it always.
Sometimes they throw it in a cupboard and forget it.
August 29, 2010
DID YOU NOTICE??
Life is moving at a very fast pace these days. Sometimes, it is even alarming. We are so busy dealing with the myriad of problems of this moment, together with all the new “interesting” problems that seems to be peculiar to this time and place, that we have to make an effort to actually pay attention to what is really happening. We as a country and as a species are involved in all sorts of mammoth problems all the way from unending wars to what we perceive to be massive environmental disasters. The question of whether our perceptions are accurate aside, these things demand our attention and require all sorts of Herculean efforts in our attempts to rectify things. But have you noticed that our efforts in other areas have fallen apart, despite decades of our closest attention. For instance, our justice system leaves much to be desired; there are still those who feel the need to tell others what to believe spiritually and what they must do to be “right” with God; and, by and large, our education systems graduates children who can pass a particular test but have absolutely no life skills.
In Chapter 38 of the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tsu states:
A truly good man does nothing,
Yet leaves nothing undone.
A foolish man is always doing,
Yet much remains to be done.
Of course, by “does nothing” he means acts as part of the will of God, rather than from his own free will. Lao Tsu goes on to tell us:
Therefore, when the Way is lost, there is goodness.
When goodness is lost, there is kindness.
When kindness is lost, there is justice.
When justice is lost, there is ritual.
Now ritual is the husk of faith and loyalty, the beginning of confusion.
Isn’t that pretty much where we have landed as the result of all our efforts and cleverness? What might happen were we to operate within the will of God rather than trying to impose our puny desires on our surroundings? As we all know, we can only change ourselves. We cannot change others. Try living within God’s will and watch your life improve, both spiritually and physically. Maybe it will catch on with those around you and those around them, and, like the ripples in a pond, touch everything.
THOUGHTS FROM TIL
STORM AT SEA
Foam is flying in flakes along the beach.
The sand from the land
Is running in whirling clouds through the air.
A seagull gets stopped in his flight.
Little human,
As long as you jubilantly stand a storm –
It’s you, who is able to quiet the storm in yourself.
STILL MORE
Light and dark are coming and leaving,
Following the laws, they are subjected to.
Nature settles their rhythm.
Together they’re building the total natural day.
Still there is more.
Eyes cannot see it.
It’s caressing, it’s soft and it’s warming.
It emanates a dazzling brightness.
It is breathing.
It is alive.
It is the Core of what IS.
With many, many names it’s indicated.
Yet it wants to be discovered.
Every being has to search for himself.
Blessed the road to the door of his Heart.
June 27, 2010
CHANGE FOR THE BETTER
It seems to be part of the overall psyche to desire change – preferably for the better. There is no end to the things we want to change in hopes of improving our lives. It runs the gambit from more reliable through more comfortable or convenient to “bigger and better”. There never seems to be an end to the desire. Most frequently, it takes the form of what we as individuals want or think we need. It also appears as part of a fad, style, or trend. We sometimes apply this thinking to our spiritual situation and look forward to heaven where everything is “going to be fine”. Even Lao Tsu pointed out:
Misfortune comes from having a body.
Without a body, how could there be misfortune? (Chapter 13)
We must be careful in our rush to fulfill our desires not to mistake them for our ultimate goal. How many times do we think having or doing some particular thing will make us “happy”; yet, when we achieve that desire, we are still lacking. Sometimes that result is because we have become obsessed with the goal and continue to want “more”. That is called greed. Sometimes we become accustomed to using the desire to continue to motivate us and feel a lack without a goal to strive for. This is misdirected energy. Anytime we deal with worldly things, we need to anchor ourselves spiritually. How does what we are pursuing fit in with our spiritual growth and understanding? How important is it – really?
Our spiritual journey while here on earth is, and must be, individually ours. No one else can walk our path or have our growth. We must always remember that what happens in the spiritual manifests in the physical. If we will but pursue our spiritual journey with the energy and focus we are accustomed to applying to our goals in the physical world, we will be engaging in the most efficient and effective use of our energy. As Lao Tsu says at the end of Chapter 15:
Observers of the Tao do not seek fulfillment.
Not seeking fulfillment, they are not swayed by desire for change.
God will provide all that we need for the part of our spiritual journey which takes place on earth, if we will but put our spiritual journey first, and let Him give us what will truly give us fulfillment.
THOUGHTS FROM TIL
MUDPOOL
Within the second of Now –
The wheel of life is turning round and round.
Humans stand ready to label the facts.
They are right – they are wrong – one of the other.
Nowhere a spot, to find out, what they mean.
Nowhere a spot to digest them.
Struggling for some breath.
Little human,
That attitude is causing your blockades.
The structure of Life is flowing, flowing.
You are calling it a mudpool.
But your label slush is causing the woes.
MOVEMENT
Moving, from which a searching is born for that, what never moves. . .
Movement in which is found the One Who’s moving all there is . . .
Movement, Who is making me dizzy, by the unmoved crushing to smithereens of all, all,
that is moving . . .
Movement, I thank You,
That I – ever moving –
Laboriously aiming –
Grow –
To the Divine unmoved eternal Moving.
April 25, 2010
WHETHER OR NOT
The old Chinese curse “May you live in interesting times” seems to apply remarkably well to the times in which we are living. We see many natural happenings which involve widespread loss of life and property and, thus, are labeled “disasters”. If there were no humans to label them as such, and we were observing these happenings from another planet, we would recognize them as normal events in the history of the Earth as a planet. So, it seems, that how we label and react to things is a function of whether we, as a species or individually, are involved and to what extent. This raises the question of whether we also follow this same pattern in the smaller but sometimes equally “disastrous” events of our own lives.
How frequently do we look back on a situation through which we have gone, and recognize it as having a much different character than we gave it while going through it! If we could only see today through the eyes of tomorrow, be more accepting, and find the beauty and benefit in today’s events, no matter how distasteful we may feel they are at this moment. This is certainly possible, it just takes a little practice. Yes, we were delayed in getting on the road, but had we been those few minutes earlier, we might have been in that big accident that we are waiting for them to clear up ahead. We want others to sympathize with our current “bad” situation, until we see someone who is worse off. Then we can recognize the better side of our “bad” situation. When that happens, go one step further and thank God for your “not so bad after all” situation, find the opportunity in it for you to learn and grow, and go on through it, because now, the light at the end of the tunnel is NOT an oncoming train.
Remember, no matter how bad it seems to us with our limited vision, God is in charge, He wants only the best for us, He wants us to grow closer to Him, and every situation in our lives, no matter how we label it, is designed to accomplish those goals. So, relax, to the extent possible, look through tomorrow’s eyes, learn what you need to learn, thank God for his grace, love, and mercy, and go forth as better person.
THOUGHTS FROM TIL
GO ON! GO ON!
Body . . .
Conglomeration of cells and juices . . .
Tangible . . .
Palpable . . .
Bordered by a skin . . .
Inside a mixture of thinking, feelings, fears,
And still thousands of other things . . .
A chaos of coming and leaving . . .
That is the arena, in which we’re planted on this globe.
Once upon a day a longing for the front door key arises.
The searching can last years and years!
Then. . . .going outside and simply look and look!
Sometimes Ariadne shows the heart of the clew.
Keep that as a precious present.
Start to work with it.
Again and again we’ll find another piece of the thread!
Go on!
Go on!
Go on!
GROPED
What we’re looking at as being real –
Is only real as a manifestation of “IT”.
Also there for ages sometimes –
For instance, people and their cultures –
In the course of the time they vanish.
Even the remembrance that they were there.
The pain, the suffering, creatures have to endure,
Is more real than humans understand and feel.
But as well – nothing of it really exists.
For what’s alive – in whatever form –
Has none whatsoever ground in itself.
What’s only Real is “IT”, the “SELF”.
Never born, not subdued to death,
Overwhelming, when that’s felt inside. February 21, 2010
