Hyper-active minds

I’m reading a book called Introvert Power. Amongst other things, the author observes (with clinical evidence) that the minds and brains of introverts are more active than those of extroverts. Which is why introverts tend to get over-stimulated when going out, or being in busy places, or otherwise being emotionally "aroused" as the psychs call it.

The more progress I make, and the more I learn, the easier it is for me to process mental phenomena, ideas, and energy. And this, for me, means that the mind is becoming more and more active, so far. And I've become more and more introvert, needing less and less stimulation to start the mind going. The issue is more often to stop it going, or even slow it down!

I'm wondering by the way, for an individual: is becoming a Totally Clear Channel (for energy processing) and Having All The Energy Processed, All Done, two different phenomena which occur at two different times? (If so, I guess the latter happens first, and I'd guess the second would happen not long after, in the same lifetime.) I think we should know much more about these things. Who's in charge!?!

Sphinx And Medusa

Sphinx And Medusa
Clark Ashton Smith

The old constraint of an essential bond
Hath linkt them in my mind: opposed they stare,
Twin silences, that through Time's Otherwhere,
The ruinous past, thus each to each respond,
One with mysterious gaze that sees beyond
The straining suns, calm as the voidness there;
And one with eyes like deserts of despair,
Flameless as granite, clear as diamond.


They gaze across the past... Yet thought must see
That eve of time when man no longer yearns,
Grown deaf before Life's Sphinx, whose lips are barred;
When from the spaces of Eternity,
Silence, a rigorous Medusa, turns
On the lost world the stress of her regard.




-----
I looked up this poem because Tim Powers borrowed the last words for his excellent book The Stress Of Her Regard.
Medusa reminded me of the Holy Spirit (or Higher Self) regarding the Universe from outside it, from "the end of time".

Aliens, conspiracies, and whatnot

Years ago I was for a period interested in humankind’s developments, possible aliens, conspiracies and all that. But now I more believe that The Universe is a dream, and that includes *everything*, including "higher levels", what happens in other dimensions or between lifetimes, whatever, it’s all a dream. And as such, what happens in the dream takes second place (a distant one even) to just the fact of realizing it’s a dream, and on waking up from it, to reality.

There *is* a reality outside the Universe, but since it is not within space or time, or limited (defined) by them, it can’t be understood by human minds.
It can partly be perceived. People who occasionally have flashes of light in the peripheral vision, may have started on that road. The light is a symbol of Reality, or Home. (Which is One.)

For what to do to help along the awakening process, I recommend the book The Disappearance Of The Universe.

And two more

Every time we say, "Let there be!" in any form, something happens.
           -- Stella Terrill Mann

Truth is the only safe ground to stand upon.
           -- Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Quotes 2 Aug

Of one thing I am certain, the body is not the measure of healing - peace is the measure.
           -- George Melton


Friends, in my experience, are like ladies' fashions. They come and go with the seasons, and are rarely of such stout stuff as bears repeated wearing.
           -- Stephanie Barron

My new Buddha statue

I've never had any religious iconery about, or much truck with religion generally, but there was a specific Buddha statue which my parents had for lord knows what reason, which I quite liked. So I've looked for it for two years, and finally found it (I didn't like any of all the others), except bigger. My parents' version was only like six to eight inches (15-20 cm) tall, this one is 16! (40cm.) Big fellah. And it's vintage, rusty and everything, I like that.
So I bought it directly from China at a reasonable price. Apart from nobody ever answering any of my emails, it went perfectly, after a couple of weeks, I got a shipping confirmation (which didn't have any data, but from the price I could figure out what it was), and only like 4 days later I got it. I'm very pleased with it.  Here are my own photos of it.

(Click for big pics)
(Fujifilm X100 at 800 ISO)

I have a soft spot for the serenity associated with this and with the buddha, since serenity is a major goal of mine.

"This Too Shall Pass"

New animated ebook for iPad, This Too Shall Pass.

I like it. It stresses the ephemeral and impermanent nature of all things in time and space.

A happy and serene character says words to this effect: “I never let my livelihood, or lack of livelihood, interfere with every opportunity I have to live richly. I do all I do with a mind which has let go”.

The last words there I feel are central to good spiritual teachings. And while I'm sure there is an end to that journey, one will know when one is there, and until then, all the central lessons must be learned not just once, but many many times. One should not think this means one is dim, only that one is now learning on a higher level, from a higher perspective. 

Impossible

We are an impossibility in an impossible universe.
- Ray Bradbury

Burned biscuits

[Thanks to Henry]

When I was a kid,  my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And  I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a  long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my Mom placed a  plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I  remember waiting to see if anyone noticed!

Yet all my dad did  was reach for his biscuit, smile at my Mom and ask me how my day was at  school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember  watching him smear butter and jelly on that ugly burned biscuit. He  ate every bite of that thing... Never made a face nor uttered a word  about it!

When I got up from  the table that evening, I remember hearing my Mom apologize to my  dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said:  "Honey, I love burned biscuits every now and then."

Later that night,  I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his  biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in  a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides - a little  burned biscuit never hurt anyone!"

As I've grown  older, I've thought about that many times. Life is full of imperfect  things and imperfect people. I'm not the best at hardly anything, and I  forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else.   But what I've learned over the  years is that learning to accept each other's faults -  and choosing to celebrate each other's differences - is one of the most  important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting  relationship. 

[source unknown]

An amusing spectacle like a game or a dream

[Thanks to Signalroom]

"One who has seen his true nature no longer regards life as being full of menace and misery as most people do. His previously mistaken sense of personal volition and responsibility has disappeared in such freedom and joy that life is now just an amusing spectacle like a game or a dream, in which he has no real part."
-- Ramesh Balsekar

Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom

Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.
           -- Soren Kierkegaard

----

I think he may be right. I think anxiety, perhaps severe, is one of the fields of razor wire you have to crawl through on the way to freedom. 

Simply because freedom is kept *out* with fear, so there's no way around it. 

Run into god

From my friend Signalroom:


Today I was walking up the dirt road
and suddenly, for no reason, began to run.
I was running to enter God more fully.
This was my experience --- my lungs
nearly burst in pain, my heart
Pumped harder in response --- so much
love happened. It rained --- increased life --
Love, I was seeking God -- meaning -- something --
but that simple run made a furnace of my 
chest, and through the wall of my lungs
I entered the Impossible, happy.
He smiled broadly within my cells.
Today life got bigger :)

"Fear-based beings"

In my studies in recent years (centering around non-duality), I’m learning that change-resistance comes from Fear, and about how Fear is a *much* bigger component of us than we are aware of. You might virtually call us “fear-based beings" rather than “carbon-based beings”.

In Jed McKenna's second book, it is said that all human emotions are really variations of Fear, like white light going through a prism and appearing in different colors, though still having the same source. 

Judging

"No one can judge on partial evidence. That is not judgment. It is merely an opinion based on ignorance and doubt. Its seeming certainty is but a cloak for the uncertainty it would conceal. It needs irrational defense because it is irrational. And its defense seems strong, convincing, and without a doubt because of all the doubting underneath."
-- A Course In Miracles lesson 151

The wounds of others

"When we are aware that our partner has emotional wounds, and we love our partner, we certainly don't want to touch her wounds. We don't want to push her to heal her wounds, and we don't want her to push us to heal our wounds."
- The Mastery of Love

Jesus by Chopra

"Jesus", a novel by Deepak Chopra. The story of Jesus' own path to enlightenment. Warmly recommended. Obviously very contagious, as any novel about any profet is bound to be. We humans tend to believe things strongly donchaknow?

Mystic Moon

Read a couple of interesting stories about the Weird World we live in, here.
 While some teachers like Arten and Pursah might say strange phenomena like crop circles etc etc are just distractions to keep your attention fixated on the universe, I feel that on some level they can be helpful, to show you that the universe is not physical, but subject to the mind (and Mind). That is a big part of the journey, even though ultimately yes, you have to say: "heck, it's all illusion anyway, no part of it is more important than any other part".

I want everything

"My parents are always saying to me: 'go to college, Bruce, get a little something for yourself'. What they never understood is that I want Everything." - Bruce Springsteen

The World You See

The world you see holds nothing that you need to offer you; nothing that you can use in any way, nor anything at all that serves to give you joy. Believe this thought, and you are saved from years of misery, from countless disappointments, and from hopes that turn to bitter ashes of despair. No one but must accept this thought as true, if he would leave the world behind and soar beyond its petty scope and little ways.

Each thing you value here is but a chain that binds you to the world, and it will serve no other end but this.

A Course In Miracles, Lesson 128

Lesson 129 starts:

Beyond this world there is a world I want.
This is the thought that follows from the one we practiced yesterday. You cannot stop with the idea the world is worthless, for unless you see that there is something else to hope for, you will only be depressed. Our emphasis is not on giving up the world, but on exchanging it for what is far more satisfying, filled with joy, and capable of offering you peace.


[...]
It might be worth a little time to think once more about the value of this world. Perhaps you will concede there is no loss in letting go all thought of value here. The world you see is merciless indeed, unstable, cruel, unconcerned with you, quick to avenge and pitiless with hate. It gives but to rescind, and takes away all things that you have cherished for a while. No lasting love is found, for none is here. This is the world of time, where all things end.

Is it a loss to find a world instead where losing is impossible; where love endures forever, hate cannot exist and vengeance has no meaning? Is it loss to find all things you really want, and know they have no ending and they will remain exactly as you want them throughout time? Yet even they will be exchanged at last for what we cannot speak of, for you go from there to where words fail entirely, into a silence where the language is unspoken and yet surely understood. 


===
I find it interesting indeed that J speaks of a world beyond the world, and *yet another* realm beyond that… As if any of us would not find the first one to be more than we had ever dared dream of.


"This is the world of time, where all things end.”

It is funny how we usually don’t think about that. Perhaps because it’s so universal that we take it for granted.
If you manage to amass a fortune, it’s very hard work to hold onto it against thieves, taxes, inflation, expenses... If you marry miss Universe, in twenty years she’ll probably have lost her looks and her cheer. If you win Olympic gold, next year somebody else will be the winner.

Kissing by the waterfall

Another real life story from my friend. - Eolake

---

Yesterday around noon I went up to the waterfall behind our houses. The air was sparkling yesterday, we had had a big rain the day before, and finally, a sunny day . . . . The Falls were THUNDERING, just pounding, and the sunlight coming through the woods and through the water was just gorgeous. There were rainbow colors coming through the water! I thought I was on some kind of drug, but no, it was Reality, fresh and clear. There was a father with his two sons playing around up there, it was cute. I sat on a huge boulder directly facing the falls and swung my legs over and just stared at the power of water. There was even a thick ice formation, still turquoise, behind the falls, and the sun shooting through the ice, then through the curtain of water, I tell you, it was stunning. I turned my head briefly and saw, down by a huge cave-like rock, two women kissing. They were very attractive, in their 20's, and they looked VERY in love . . . I noticed the father up ahead was trying not to look at them, lol . . . When I saw them I thought, "hmmm, well, okay." Then, the next thought "lesbian" entered my mind, bringing a kind of heavy, dark mist. An unease, a shame.

Immediately Awareness came to the forefront, a spotless Mirror, and the thought dissolved instantly into the pristine fresh atmosphere of the waterfall, of the father and sons, of two people kissing . . . . Suddenly I was filled with such huge JOY, as if Christ Himself were smiling and the ONENESS of LOVE in our midst. I was caught up in what felt like a smile of the Universe. Not a judgement abided in this space. Not a single thought, label, fear or shame was present. Just total joy at us all together, in beauty, in love.

For me, to be naked these days, is to be utterly free of judgement.
No good or bad, no right or wrong, just Life presenting itself as it is. Reality here is alive, almost sexy, visceral, strengthening.
Ever-new.

Honestly, I'm glad somebody had the sense to be kissing in that
stunning place ......

love,
Laurie

NFTL wins awards

Never Forget To Laugh has already won two awards. I wouldn't be surprised if they keep coming.

The Joy of newness

This was written by a friend of mine who is going through amazing, though sometimes turbulent, spiritual changes (by all reports, real breakthroughs are often very turbulent). It expresses some of that which I'm going towards/searching for, and which I can feel is out there. - Eolake

---

Where have I been? I feel like I have been far far away.
Perhaps in thought-heaven. But the mobility is coming back,
all the senses opening their windows again, like women in Italy leaning out, great simple beauty, I can hardly believe it.

Truly wanting to be here. Smelling things as though for the first
time. This is not bliss. This is not excitement. Wood held by fire is not excited. But what LIFE! Where before I was dead, now I am alive. That's almost all I can say. I have almost returned to the joy of my second-graders when they are let out of school.

It is like tasting clover honey after living in Sweet n' Low land.

I feel the deep need to grow herbs. I was making salad dressing tonight, chopping garlic, thyme, squeezing lemon, the scents were
wild. Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, I mean, what is special here?
People have been cooking for centuries. Only I feel like a child who has come back home to the earth, to real food, scents, sounds.
It is all registering as love. When I was a child I felt at home on earth, I was ecstatic to run around in the green grass in Spring.
It is like that!

A friend just broke up with her boyfriend. We went to the wine-tasting, something I had always avoided. Wine tastings. Today, the oysters,
the taste of a new wine, flirting with life, no more afraid of the
energies of male and female. Now, it is originating within, and being mirrored without... The server, the wine store owner, lifted my spirit with his humor. We were laughing despite her earlier despair. I bought a bottle from Israel, a Pinot Noir I had never tried. I thought it fitting for Holy Week.

Alive from the dead, Jesus moving beyond the churches. This is the true Easter, for me. Having already burned to ashes in the Void,
by a great miracle of Grace finding oneself like a little girl, only only mature now and free and adult, droplets of creative juice returning like old, old friends. "I thought you were gone forever!!" Tasting new life in everything, like a wine, like a friend.

Great great gratitude. eminent and creative. Thank you my Lord.

Laurie