So in my quest for stable reality, i have gotten two useful perspectives to ponder:
First, a Ted converence video of a presentation given by dr eagleman
whereby he advises me to hold multiple perspectives
and secondly, a commencement speech given by somebody somewhere sent to me by an old friend...It points to how the way in which we construct reality is a choice. personal, intentional choice.
I've always known that to be true and thus have always carefully constructed my realities. I've chosen friends based on the reality i wanted to create, and have taken on beliefs about morality based on what i wanted to become.
Both the video and the speech advise me to be open minded. In the speech, the writer suggests that the liberal arts institution teaching you 'how to think' is more about teaching you how to exercise control over how and what you think, of being aware enough to consciously choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience.
So here's my favorite quote: (after suggesting new ways of seeing the banal, via describing how the person in the hummer who cut you off may be rushing to the hospital because his child is injured, or how the woman who yelled at her kid in the checkout aisle is actually the person who helped your spouse in some beaurocratic act of kindness...)
Of course, none of this is likely, but it's also not impossible. It just depends what you want to consider. If you're automatically sure that you know what reality is, and you are operating on your default setting, then you, like me, probably won't consider possibilities that aren't annoying and miserable. But if you really learn how to pay attention, then you will know there are other options. It will actually be within your power to experience a crowded, hot, slow, consumer-hell type situation as not only meaningful, but sacred, on fire with the same force that made the stars: love, fellowship, the mystical oneness of all things deep down. Not that that mystical stuff is necessarily true. The only thing that's capital-T True is that you get to decide how you're gonna try to see it. You get to consciously decide what has meaning and what doesn't. You get to decide what to worship.
Because here's something else that's weird but true: in the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship.
So i have more to say about this, but i am suddenly inspired to give my momma a massage because she deserves it and i need to be of service.
Wednesday 31 August 2011
Friday 26 August 2011
urgent
Quick, somebody, please explain reality to me!
i seem to be a little lost. There was an earthquake on the east coast, and now an impending disastrous hurricane. I was under the impression that the earth was changing rapidly, and that soon would come a tipping point where our mode of existence would transform into a more earth-friendly, sustainable, harmonious lifestyle. I had been focusing on the post-apocalyptic lifestyle, and hadn't thought enough about the transition period.
No, i'm not scared.
ok, i'm a little nervous, but i'm also confused about whether or not all of that is really happening! The future is unknown, otherwise it wouldn't be any fun, but angels, give me a hint!!! i know you already gave me one, but give me another one, please!!
I have felt like i've just been waiting around for all of this to happen. I must be serving some sort of purpose, doing nothing for these past two years and cocooning in a way. I sure hope i can be useful.
Oh yes, i forgot to sleep. i'm going to go do that. erghhh i keep saying that, but when will i get up and go to bed? its only midnight, but doesn't that mean i could technically sleep? Oh yes, the reason i should go to sleep is because in dreamland thats where i get the answers. I really don't appreciate dreams enough. gotta work on that and get more slumbers.
i seem to be a little lost. There was an earthquake on the east coast, and now an impending disastrous hurricane. I was under the impression that the earth was changing rapidly, and that soon would come a tipping point where our mode of existence would transform into a more earth-friendly, sustainable, harmonious lifestyle. I had been focusing on the post-apocalyptic lifestyle, and hadn't thought enough about the transition period.
No, i'm not scared.
ok, i'm a little nervous, but i'm also confused about whether or not all of that is really happening! The future is unknown, otherwise it wouldn't be any fun, but angels, give me a hint!!! i know you already gave me one, but give me another one, please!!
I have felt like i've just been waiting around for all of this to happen. I must be serving some sort of purpose, doing nothing for these past two years and cocooning in a way. I sure hope i can be useful.
Oh yes, i forgot to sleep. i'm going to go do that. erghhh i keep saying that, but when will i get up and go to bed? its only midnight, but doesn't that mean i could technically sleep? Oh yes, the reason i should go to sleep is because in dreamland thats where i get the answers. I really don't appreciate dreams enough. gotta work on that and get more slumbers.
Tuesday 23 August 2011
Dear Emerald
"Dear divine Emerald,
I am having conflicting emotions about stepping into my power. I see myself being of great service to people by being a doula, a yoga instructor, a babysitter, and could learn so much from working in a local nursery or CSI. Sometimes i beat myself up about being lazy and selfish. Whats wrong with me!? Sometimes I think to myself (and i’m not sure if its an excuse for inaction) that its okay to Just Be, and that i’m learning how to simply exist without being constantly driven to do things. I’m wondering if this is in reaction to our Doing culture, and my inaction is just a reaction, not a practice that i’m partaking in out of integrity towards an ideal. I also tell myself that it will all happen in due time, but how long will i say that? Until i’m sick of it? What if i die beforehand? last time i brushed hands with death the realization was that i hadn’t done anything, and i don’t want to die having done nothing. I’ve been witnessed! If i die having done nothing i might not be forgiven.
Conflictedly,
Dear"
Well, Dear, perhaps you have been told that you are lazy and selfish by a few people and you have started to believe it. You are comfortable, and don’t need anything. You have all you need. But not all you want. Its okay to want, because that feeling is a self-actualizing motivator towards action. You want to be around people. You want to feel useful. You feel you have a lot to offer and can be helpful to people who could use you and perhaps even need you and your specific combination of skills and strengths!
It is good to simply be, but inaction and being are separate. If you are doing nothing yet distracted and not disciplining your mind towards peace, joy, and quietude, you may as well be hurriedly moving towards distant goals like a capitalist zombie. Whatever you do, do it fully. Be inactive fully, without distraction. If that doesn’t suit you, Do! If “how you do anything is how you do everything,” then how you do Nondoing is how you will do Doing. Practice one-pointedness and mindfulness, even in your nondoing. Don’t be bored, uninspired, or distracted from it. Its much easier said than done, so forgive yourself for your past distractions, and whenever it comes up, forgive yourself and remind yourself that its a practice and you can create good habits in your existence that can lead to integrating the ideals you strive for.
I cannot speak for death because I am sure that whatever i think i know about it, there is potential to be surprised by it, in good ways and bad ways. Perhaps it is all forgiving as christians say, but perhaps it is wrathful, like christians say! So nondoing may be forgiven but its possible that you’ve been warned and witnessed against nondoing and that its a vice you must overcome in your lifetime. What do you think and feel?
Its august. You have five months until you start school. You’ve been in this house for three months. What can you accomplish in five months? You could get a job, with purpose and usefulness, as a yogi, finding a babysitter for those hours during the week when you are teaching. You can volunteer at the local nursery, learning about plants and how to teach... If you felt like it. You could even just do that for a few hours, interviewing the master gardeners for what their time is worth and then dipping out when you’ve had enough. You can begin to build a network with midwives and doula’s, creating connections and attracting ‘clients’ or whatever, and maybe if a birth beckons and calls to you, you can leave the babe with your mother in that emergency moment, and be with the woman, or you can even take echo with you and get a babysitter on call or something!
Don’t let your child be an excuse for inaction. You can do whatever you want, even with a child. You have the money for a babysitter and you have the need and desire for usefulness beyond motherhood.
So what is my advice to me in the next few moments?
Follow your feet. You don’t know what is right for you right now, and you are afraid of getting in too deep. Heed that fear, and take on little by little and see how it feels. A yoga class once a week isn’t too much, but maybe a yoga class and volunteering in the nursery is too much to jump into right now. So, heed that fear.
You won’t ever be completely stagnant, so don’t worry about that. You might feel more stagnant that you’d like to be, and that’s fine, but don’t bother thinking you’re lazy and not pulling your weight unless someone distinctly tells you so. Follow your inclinations, and if that starts and ends with planting a few flowers, that’s maybe all there is in the stars for now. Your significance does not lie in what you do, but in what you represent and emanate. The joy and happiness you bring to people has little to do with what you Do, but more to do with what you Are, and you are divine and you radiate it at least a third of the time.
So go to sleep, dear. Its almost 3am, and noone can radiate when sleep-deprived.
I am having conflicting emotions about stepping into my power. I see myself being of great service to people by being a doula, a yoga instructor, a babysitter, and could learn so much from working in a local nursery or CSI. Sometimes i beat myself up about being lazy and selfish. Whats wrong with me!? Sometimes I think to myself (and i’m not sure if its an excuse for inaction) that its okay to Just Be, and that i’m learning how to simply exist without being constantly driven to do things. I’m wondering if this is in reaction to our Doing culture, and my inaction is just a reaction, not a practice that i’m partaking in out of integrity towards an ideal. I also tell myself that it will all happen in due time, but how long will i say that? Until i’m sick of it? What if i die beforehand? last time i brushed hands with death the realization was that i hadn’t done anything, and i don’t want to die having done nothing. I’ve been witnessed! If i die having done nothing i might not be forgiven.
Conflictedly,
Dear"
Well, Dear, perhaps you have been told that you are lazy and selfish by a few people and you have started to believe it. You are comfortable, and don’t need anything. You have all you need. But not all you want. Its okay to want, because that feeling is a self-actualizing motivator towards action. You want to be around people. You want to feel useful. You feel you have a lot to offer and can be helpful to people who could use you and perhaps even need you and your specific combination of skills and strengths!
It is good to simply be, but inaction and being are separate. If you are doing nothing yet distracted and not disciplining your mind towards peace, joy, and quietude, you may as well be hurriedly moving towards distant goals like a capitalist zombie. Whatever you do, do it fully. Be inactive fully, without distraction. If that doesn’t suit you, Do! If “how you do anything is how you do everything,” then how you do Nondoing is how you will do Doing. Practice one-pointedness and mindfulness, even in your nondoing. Don’t be bored, uninspired, or distracted from it. Its much easier said than done, so forgive yourself for your past distractions, and whenever it comes up, forgive yourself and remind yourself that its a practice and you can create good habits in your existence that can lead to integrating the ideals you strive for.
I cannot speak for death because I am sure that whatever i think i know about it, there is potential to be surprised by it, in good ways and bad ways. Perhaps it is all forgiving as christians say, but perhaps it is wrathful, like christians say! So nondoing may be forgiven but its possible that you’ve been warned and witnessed against nondoing and that its a vice you must overcome in your lifetime. What do you think and feel?
Its august. You have five months until you start school. You’ve been in this house for three months. What can you accomplish in five months? You could get a job, with purpose and usefulness, as a yogi, finding a babysitter for those hours during the week when you are teaching. You can volunteer at the local nursery, learning about plants and how to teach... If you felt like it. You could even just do that for a few hours, interviewing the master gardeners for what their time is worth and then dipping out when you’ve had enough. You can begin to build a network with midwives and doula’s, creating connections and attracting ‘clients’ or whatever, and maybe if a birth beckons and calls to you, you can leave the babe with your mother in that emergency moment, and be with the woman, or you can even take echo with you and get a babysitter on call or something!
Don’t let your child be an excuse for inaction. You can do whatever you want, even with a child. You have the money for a babysitter and you have the need and desire for usefulness beyond motherhood.
So what is my advice to me in the next few moments?
Follow your feet. You don’t know what is right for you right now, and you are afraid of getting in too deep. Heed that fear, and take on little by little and see how it feels. A yoga class once a week isn’t too much, but maybe a yoga class and volunteering in the nursery is too much to jump into right now. So, heed that fear.
You won’t ever be completely stagnant, so don’t worry about that. You might feel more stagnant that you’d like to be, and that’s fine, but don’t bother thinking you’re lazy and not pulling your weight unless someone distinctly tells you so. Follow your inclinations, and if that starts and ends with planting a few flowers, that’s maybe all there is in the stars for now. Your significance does not lie in what you do, but in what you represent and emanate. The joy and happiness you bring to people has little to do with what you Do, but more to do with what you Are, and you are divine and you radiate it at least a third of the time.
So go to sleep, dear. Its almost 3am, and noone can radiate when sleep-deprived.
Saturday 20 August 2011
joy and shittiness
Sorrow and depression and grief used to be intolerable to me. This past week I have been feeling all of that, though for no articulated reason. I posited to the moon that perhaps ti was just the capacity to feel grief and sorrow that i was aware of, but wasn't actually feeling it, just empathizing with the feeling.
There's an existential feeling of purposelessness that is permeating my life right now. Day in and day out. But unlike before where that feeling would really depress me and knock me out, I'm just floating through it. I think i've been educated enough through life to know that its temporary, and because of my familiarity with intense purpose-fulness and joy i know it'll just cycle back to that eventually.
I was just watching Lost, a show where the characters are in constant adrenaline and excitement and fighting for survival. I used to think if i ever found myself in that situation i would kill myself because i'd be unable to stand that fear. Now i realize that the base survival is excitement and purposeful, and should the world fall into disarray, i would not end my life and i would fight to survive. Not because i'm afraid of death, because i very much am looking forward to that in an inspired sort of way... but because i'm alive now, and will eventually die, and if such excitement should come my way (i'm thinking about this fall, when Nibiru, the red kachina, or the super massive dwarf star mentioned in the Quickening comes back and does something strange to our reality) then i shall go with it. And this purposeless feeling that i'm enwrapped in right now, well i'm taking note of it, because i know how suddenly things can change.
Yin and Yang cannot exist independently of one another. These two feelings are in relation to one another. This feeling serves its purpose. And i really dislike being in the midst of it because its making me a shitty mother. and i hope it passes soon.
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
Some of you say, "Joy is greater thar sorrow," and others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater."
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits, alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.
Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.
Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.
When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.
There's an existential feeling of purposelessness that is permeating my life right now. Day in and day out. But unlike before where that feeling would really depress me and knock me out, I'm just floating through it. I think i've been educated enough through life to know that its temporary, and because of my familiarity with intense purpose-fulness and joy i know it'll just cycle back to that eventually.
I was just watching Lost, a show where the characters are in constant adrenaline and excitement and fighting for survival. I used to think if i ever found myself in that situation i would kill myself because i'd be unable to stand that fear. Now i realize that the base survival is excitement and purposeful, and should the world fall into disarray, i would not end my life and i would fight to survive. Not because i'm afraid of death, because i very much am looking forward to that in an inspired sort of way... but because i'm alive now, and will eventually die, and if such excitement should come my way (i'm thinking about this fall, when Nibiru, the red kachina, or the super massive dwarf star mentioned in the Quickening comes back and does something strange to our reality) then i shall go with it. And this purposeless feeling that i'm enwrapped in right now, well i'm taking note of it, because i know how suddenly things can change.
Yin and Yang cannot exist independently of one another. These two feelings are in relation to one another. This feeling serves its purpose. And i really dislike being in the midst of it because its making me a shitty mother. and i hope it passes soon.
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
Some of you say, "Joy is greater thar sorrow," and others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater."
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits, alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.
Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.
Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.
When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.
Wednesday 17 August 2011
the quickening
http://vimeo.com/awakeningasone/the-quickening
Physicists have discovered that, whereas they previously believed the big bang would slow down, it is in actuality speeding up. Ancient mayan wisdom (because it turned out to be true) watched the sky and deduced the very same thing, that around this time, there would be a 'quickening.' thats what this film is exploring.
The law of attraction (from The Secret) is a tool to explore using consciousness and imagination to create a certain reality. This documentary implants a harmonious existence as a new beginning during this quickening/shift of the ages.
Will the shift happen in the outer world, or will ti be collectively happening within us in an increase of enlightened individuals?
Has the world really shifted into duality? Is our world generally pretty dualistic? Is the 'other' mentality very strong? Personally, i don't feel that way, but i can observe it in others. How much of my perception is a projection?
"So many are living for material achievements and survival." I know this, certainly. The big houses and picket fences, the SUVs, the facebook profiles and MySpace phenomena, the music videos, the sex and alcohol obsessions and bling attractions... That stuff is huge. Is media a good gauge of what is popular and collective? Its hard to tell now with the internet. Who reads what i read?
Whats going to happen october 28th 2011? Hmm. Thats in two months and ten days!! Thats the date the documentary says. In my worldview, this shift thats happening was going to take 70 to 100 years, because thats the time it has taken in the past to fully integrate a paradigm shift. But since they call it the 'quickening' perhaps this time around it will go... quicker...
I like this part. In 1755 at the beginning of the industrial age consciousness began shifting every 19.5 days, and after january 5th 1999 it began shifting every three hundred something days, and thats why there have been generation gaps... thats why the idea that women were equal, it took a while to sink in.
I have, indeed, noticed, the lack of generation gaps now. Relationships between 24 year olds and 40 something year olds aren't so strange. The internet was a huge quickening because a thought can be shot around the world and across generations immediately. The amount of change and information we're able to process is accelerating.
Since the time of the japanese earthquake consciousness has began shifting every 18 days according to this film, which i have also noticed. I'm having transformative days and nights more than each full moon. They say this will happen until october 28th of this day at which point we'll attain unity consciousness.
Maybe i'll stay in san francisco til that time. then i can catch the october 31st celebrations and the reclaiming spiral dance in san francisco. that might be a possibility...
At 40 minutes the film gets into Political wars, existing and theoretical. Its scar, but totally realistic and reasonable. I really don't like the fear, but this is useful to watch and prepare for, so i tapped (EFT) on the fear. Then i was pleasantly surprised with their next point, that i also just read in the Tao Te Ching, that the good and evil are both within us, are all within the Tao of existence, and that we need not separate them and instead see the unity. If we can learn to see those who are dark or evil are actually serving us by providing us with experiences that are essential... Rumi says "out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing there is a field. I'll meet you there. when the soul lies down there in the grass the world is too full to talk about, even the phrase 'each other' does not make sense."
Thus, i find the usefulness of feeling the fear that the film provoked within me, so that i can prepare for the future when those same fears are provoked once more...
Okay. now its 5am, and i'm getting sleepy. I hope to dream good dreams now. I have noticed, and have not adjusted to the idea though my body seems to have adjusted anyway, that i need less sleep. I napped for an hour or two earlier today, which may explain my altered sleep schedule, but it feels like its beyond that.
one of the symptoms of the quickening, methinks.
Physicists have discovered that, whereas they previously believed the big bang would slow down, it is in actuality speeding up. Ancient mayan wisdom (because it turned out to be true) watched the sky and deduced the very same thing, that around this time, there would be a 'quickening.' thats what this film is exploring.
The law of attraction (from The Secret) is a tool to explore using consciousness and imagination to create a certain reality. This documentary implants a harmonious existence as a new beginning during this quickening/shift of the ages.
Will the shift happen in the outer world, or will ti be collectively happening within us in an increase of enlightened individuals?
Has the world really shifted into duality? Is our world generally pretty dualistic? Is the 'other' mentality very strong? Personally, i don't feel that way, but i can observe it in others. How much of my perception is a projection?
"So many are living for material achievements and survival." I know this, certainly. The big houses and picket fences, the SUVs, the facebook profiles and MySpace phenomena, the music videos, the sex and alcohol obsessions and bling attractions... That stuff is huge. Is media a good gauge of what is popular and collective? Its hard to tell now with the internet. Who reads what i read?
Whats going to happen october 28th 2011? Hmm. Thats in two months and ten days!! Thats the date the documentary says. In my worldview, this shift thats happening was going to take 70 to 100 years, because thats the time it has taken in the past to fully integrate a paradigm shift. But since they call it the 'quickening' perhaps this time around it will go... quicker...
I like this part. In 1755 at the beginning of the industrial age consciousness began shifting every 19.5 days, and after january 5th 1999 it began shifting every three hundred something days, and thats why there have been generation gaps... thats why the idea that women were equal, it took a while to sink in.
I have, indeed, noticed, the lack of generation gaps now. Relationships between 24 year olds and 40 something year olds aren't so strange. The internet was a huge quickening because a thought can be shot around the world and across generations immediately. The amount of change and information we're able to process is accelerating.
Since the time of the japanese earthquake consciousness has began shifting every 18 days according to this film, which i have also noticed. I'm having transformative days and nights more than each full moon. They say this will happen until october 28th of this day at which point we'll attain unity consciousness.
Maybe i'll stay in san francisco til that time. then i can catch the october 31st celebrations and the reclaiming spiral dance in san francisco. that might be a possibility...
At 40 minutes the film gets into Political wars, existing and theoretical. Its scar, but totally realistic and reasonable. I really don't like the fear, but this is useful to watch and prepare for, so i tapped (EFT) on the fear. Then i was pleasantly surprised with their next point, that i also just read in the Tao Te Ching, that the good and evil are both within us, are all within the Tao of existence, and that we need not separate them and instead see the unity. If we can learn to see those who are dark or evil are actually serving us by providing us with experiences that are essential... Rumi says "out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing there is a field. I'll meet you there. when the soul lies down there in the grass the world is too full to talk about, even the phrase 'each other' does not make sense."
Thus, i find the usefulness of feeling the fear that the film provoked within me, so that i can prepare for the future when those same fears are provoked once more...
Okay. now its 5am, and i'm getting sleepy. I hope to dream good dreams now. I have noticed, and have not adjusted to the idea though my body seems to have adjusted anyway, that i need less sleep. I napped for an hour or two earlier today, which may explain my altered sleep schedule, but it feels like its beyond that.
one of the symptoms of the quickening, methinks.
Tuesday 16 August 2011
Dear Christopher Hitchens
Currently watching: Debate between hitchens and hitchens
Dear Mister Christopher Hitchens,
You are currently fighting cancer and though i hope you stay with us on this planet in this life for longer, we all eventually die. You have contributed greatly to the discourse that has raged for eons and your voice is very special.
I haven't read your book "God is not great: How religion poisons everything" But i get your point and i suppose i agree, but that doesn't matter at all. But in the debate at Jew U, you stated that the afterlife was an ploy for enticement for religion which traps the mind and psyche, and that since death was a one-way trip, it was impossible to know.
I watched a fascinating Biography Channel program interviewing several people who were dead for under five minutes and they described their lives. I had a similar experience myself, and am very excited to live this life fully and then to die. I'm certainly in no hurry, because perhaps i get recycled right back into life anyway. I'm not sure. But nevertheless, its not impossible to know However, that sort of knowledge can only be personal knowledge.
Also, my initial issue with your stance was resolved for me once i was able to differentiate between spiritual pursuits and religion. When you say religion poisons everything, you are referring to the dogmatic "I know this and must look no further" mentality that often accompanies the stubborn know-it-all attitude of the religiously devout.
I am not an atheist. I believe in a cosmic consciousness beyond that which we experience in our own bodies, and a frequency of love that has been named God and Allah. But though you are atheist and i am 'a believer' we both share an appreciation for the mysterious wonder of natural phenomena.
When you die, i am excited for you to experience, perhaps for the first time in your life (haha) the spiritual experience of forgiveness and love. You may think you have nothing to be forgiven for because of a strong ego and a life-long vigilance of defending your inherent worth, but we are all imperfect, selfish assholes. So in the moment you realize that you're a wretch you simultaneously feel forgiven and humbled by that immense forgiveness and feel so grateful and thankful. And as you walk up the mountain or down the red carpet or whatever imagery your Understanding builds up for you, you will feel exalted. Humbled, yet exalted.
And you will be patted on the back for how well you did, how perfectly you fulfilled your role and how courageously you moved forward.
You were raised in a time and place where the image of God was presented as an authority figure, a heavenly father who sat on a throne and punishes and warns people not to trespass and sin. And sinning was unavoidable and thus the rules set down were impossible to follow.
Based on my understanding, the bible was written in a time when Kings were the highest thing you could be. Thus God was presented as a King and a Lord. Also, the word 'sin' originally means to miss the point, like an archer missing the mark. Do you see? Oh~ But its not important to you. And thats fine! Whats important for you is to fight the injustice in the world, and to create a better world. And that is wonderful!!! You go, hitchens.
God isn't egotistical. That cosmic consciousness doesn't care if you believe in him or not. In some way or another, you do believe in god, but just give it another name . You believe that there is good in the world, and you are inspired by it. Thats all it is, silly goose.
And you're right. Getting caught up in language, story, myth, and tradition is destructive and stupid. But surely you can understand how the less spirited of us meager humans will be tempted by comforts of having solved the mysteries of the universe, and all the scariness of the unknown!
I'm sure you're much more reasonable (less black and white) in person than you are in debates. You have a great sense of humor so i'm sure we'd get along really well. I'd laugh a lot and think you were marvelous and you'd feel really great about yourself. So keep on fighting your confused cancer cells that have forgotten how to die. Another mystery, but much less wondrous.
Thanks for Everything
PS
Now i'm watching This video which addresses Morality and atheism where you ask a great question: Try to think of a moral action that cannot be said by an atheist, now try to think of an evil that can only be committed by a religious. So to say that the eradication of christianity will create chaos and immorality will take over is null and void.
Love. That.
But throughout this whole debate there is an underlying misunderstanding that seems to create tension between you and your brother. You refer to and think of 'christians' as a group and your brother (taking that personally) sees the individuals who benefit from christian thought/story/teachings. What you could do, as a brother, is to acknowledge without a follow-up joke that he'll interpret as mockery, that the bible and the teachings of jesus (which are very simple and sweet) has helped many lost and suffering individuals.
Anyway, i think its fascinating that the organization of the church is crumbling in the collective consciousness and i think thats a good thing and i think you and your thought has been an integral part of this development and i thank you.
Dear Mister Christopher Hitchens,
You are currently fighting cancer and though i hope you stay with us on this planet in this life for longer, we all eventually die. You have contributed greatly to the discourse that has raged for eons and your voice is very special.
I haven't read your book "God is not great: How religion poisons everything" But i get your point and i suppose i agree, but that doesn't matter at all. But in the debate at Jew U, you stated that the afterlife was an ploy for enticement for religion which traps the mind and psyche, and that since death was a one-way trip, it was impossible to know.
I watched a fascinating Biography Channel program interviewing several people who were dead for under five minutes and they described their lives. I had a similar experience myself, and am very excited to live this life fully and then to die. I'm certainly in no hurry, because perhaps i get recycled right back into life anyway. I'm not sure. But nevertheless, its not impossible to know However, that sort of knowledge can only be personal knowledge.
Also, my initial issue with your stance was resolved for me once i was able to differentiate between spiritual pursuits and religion. When you say religion poisons everything, you are referring to the dogmatic "I know this and must look no further" mentality that often accompanies the stubborn know-it-all attitude of the religiously devout.
I am not an atheist. I believe in a cosmic consciousness beyond that which we experience in our own bodies, and a frequency of love that has been named God and Allah. But though you are atheist and i am 'a believer' we both share an appreciation for the mysterious wonder of natural phenomena.
When you die, i am excited for you to experience, perhaps for the first time in your life (haha) the spiritual experience of forgiveness and love. You may think you have nothing to be forgiven for because of a strong ego and a life-long vigilance of defending your inherent worth, but we are all imperfect, selfish assholes. So in the moment you realize that you're a wretch you simultaneously feel forgiven and humbled by that immense forgiveness and feel so grateful and thankful. And as you walk up the mountain or down the red carpet or whatever imagery your Understanding builds up for you, you will feel exalted. Humbled, yet exalted.
And you will be patted on the back for how well you did, how perfectly you fulfilled your role and how courageously you moved forward.
You were raised in a time and place where the image of God was presented as an authority figure, a heavenly father who sat on a throne and punishes and warns people not to trespass and sin. And sinning was unavoidable and thus the rules set down were impossible to follow.
Based on my understanding, the bible was written in a time when Kings were the highest thing you could be. Thus God was presented as a King and a Lord. Also, the word 'sin' originally means to miss the point, like an archer missing the mark. Do you see? Oh~ But its not important to you. And thats fine! Whats important for you is to fight the injustice in the world, and to create a better world. And that is wonderful!!! You go, hitchens.
God isn't egotistical. That cosmic consciousness doesn't care if you believe in him or not. In some way or another, you do believe in god, but just give it another name . You believe that there is good in the world, and you are inspired by it. Thats all it is, silly goose.
And you're right. Getting caught up in language, story, myth, and tradition is destructive and stupid. But surely you can understand how the less spirited of us meager humans will be tempted by comforts of having solved the mysteries of the universe, and all the scariness of the unknown!
I'm sure you're much more reasonable (less black and white) in person than you are in debates. You have a great sense of humor so i'm sure we'd get along really well. I'd laugh a lot and think you were marvelous and you'd feel really great about yourself. So keep on fighting your confused cancer cells that have forgotten how to die. Another mystery, but much less wondrous.
Thanks for Everything
PS
Now i'm watching This video which addresses Morality and atheism where you ask a great question: Try to think of a moral action that cannot be said by an atheist, now try to think of an evil that can only be committed by a religious. So to say that the eradication of christianity will create chaos and immorality will take over is null and void.
Love. That.
But throughout this whole debate there is an underlying misunderstanding that seems to create tension between you and your brother. You refer to and think of 'christians' as a group and your brother (taking that personally) sees the individuals who benefit from christian thought/story/teachings. What you could do, as a brother, is to acknowledge without a follow-up joke that he'll interpret as mockery, that the bible and the teachings of jesus (which are very simple and sweet) has helped many lost and suffering individuals.
Anyway, i think its fascinating that the organization of the church is crumbling in the collective consciousness and i think thats a good thing and i think you and your thought has been an integral part of this development and i thank you.
Thursday 4 August 2011
willingness to believe
When we're too willing to believe in something, we can hastily conclude something which has more room to be explored. And we can close those doors to exploration.
We want to understand this reality fully. And in doing so we create a limited frame. We want to be at the finish line of comprehension, comfortably enlightened, and done.
The discomfort of Not Knowing can be unbearable sometimes. But, patience.
We may never know. I take comfort in thinking i will know, and i'll have moments of knowing even before i die. but those moments will be short lived. But again, that's just a belief that i'm holding on to, in order to create comfort.
***
We all believe (something). Whatever method we reached the temporary conclusion (hopefully temporary) doesn't matter. Scientific method, magical deduction, dowsing, googling, research, stories passed down from ancestors and culture, television, media, movies, friends, hearsay, church...
There was this study that was done... lol... that showed that participants in the study couldn't shake old information, even after learning that it was false.
That further confirms my previous thought 'I don't believe what i believe.' Its a good place to stand, because its all false, i'm sure.
***
So, I'm creating a story (consciously) (a story of beliefs, of reality) that will make me happy(happiest). I want to create a belief system that makes me joyful, enthusiastic, and inspired.
***
Therefore, I'm choosing to believe that
1. I am a goddess, we are all gods and goddesses, Little Creators, reflections/fractals of the Great Kosmos, little geometries in a bigger geometry.
2. I am a vessel for consciousness, not a generator of it. Therefore, when i die, i do not cease to exist, although my body and form ceases to exist. This inspires me (why?) because it really takes the pressure off of Time and the fleeting nature of everything.
***
I want to enjoy my life. There's nothing i can really accomplish that can make me happy on my deathbed, except to know that i was present for most of my life, not heading towards the future and not lingering in the past, but enjoying the moments when i was 24, 30, 35, 50, et cetera. I want to be here now for most, if not all of it.
***
yup
Wednesday 3 August 2011
New-Age evolutionaries, being too serious.
I really like how Jiva and Juliette of The Template phrase things, and for the most part like how they see things. Here is a video they put together summarizing their perspective. I'm not sure what to think about the government and military operations and motivations, but one thing is for certain. It doesn't matter.
Whatever is going on, Light Workers must keep at the forefront of their existence, the attitude of play. Who, under the influence of mushrooms, has realized heaven? One thing that is recurring in those moments for me, is that heaven is here and we are here to play. Little goddesses that we are, we are creators, and it is VITAL TO PLAY!!! and to be playful. And to not be so fuggin serious.
That is something that really bothered me about the new age scene in san francisco, how seriously they took each other at the worst moments. Ya know?
Just food for thought.
Whatever is going on, Light Workers must keep at the forefront of their existence, the attitude of play. Who, under the influence of mushrooms, has realized heaven? One thing that is recurring in those moments for me, is that heaven is here and we are here to play. Little goddesses that we are, we are creators, and it is VITAL TO PLAY!!! and to be playful. And to not be so fuggin serious.
That is something that really bothered me about the new age scene in san francisco, how seriously they took each other at the worst moments. Ya know?
Just food for thought.
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