"THERE DO EXIST ENQUIRING MINDS, which long for the truth of the heart, seek it, strive to solve the problems set by life, try to penetrate to the essence of things and phenomena and to penetrate into themselves. If a man reasons and thinks soundly, no matter which path he follows in solving these problems, he must inevitably arrive back at himself, and begin with the solution of the problem of what he is himself and what his place is in the world around him. For without this knowledge, he will have no focal point in his search. Socrates’ words, “Know thyself” remain for all those who seek true knowledge and being."

VIEWS FROM THE REAL WORLD, BY by G.I. Gurdjieff, p 43

30 April 2010

Every Moment

Vessel

Every moment there is an opportunity to 'come back' to my-self. I can stop for a moment and in that moment I can take a deep breath and relax the body - releasing tensions in muscles. I can let go of the chatter in the 'mind' and return to awareness of my own presence -my body here, in this moment, in the now. I can awaken to the reality that I am not just a talking head; I am a living breathing organism.

As I return to my self perhaps, if I am quiet enough, I can see that what I truly wish for in my heart of hearts cannot be found outside of my self in worldly striving, it is here, in this Peace. Everything I truly wish for can only be found through Being in this moment and this moment and this moment and so on. When I forget and am taken again by the outer world and lose the connection to self, in every moment I have an opportunity to stop, breathe, let go, and return.

Stop
Breathe
Let go
Be Still
Return
Be Peace Full
BE
  

26 April 2010

Who Is Talking?


This morning, as body and mind were waking up, I noticed a stream of words going through the head. I wondered what was being said and who (which part of me) was talking so early in the morning with such a forward moving energy. I listened to the internal chatter for a bit and recognized it as the part of me that plans my work day. It was already laying out the schedule, making lists and expressing worry about whether this or that item would sell. As I listened to it, I noticed it's force lessening and disappearing like a wisp of smoke. That part was replaced by another. This one complained about a disagreement it had become attached to. It was reliving the argument, listing its grievances. It also disappeared under the light of my attention. I waited a few moments longer, all nice and cozy under the covers to see if any other part had something to say; none did. Except for breath and heart beat, there was a beautiful silence internally. I closed my eyes and began the morning exercise of bringing my attention to all parts of my body, one by one, head to toe - re-membering myself. More connected now and much more awake, I consciously recited "gratitudes" for everything  and everyone I would come into contact with today. Aware of self in movement, I rose, showered and dressed, still listening, still conscious of self as Being, now making my work day lists - intentionally.

I know that there will be forgetting to remember self, but I am prepared - my intention is to be aware of self in movement. I know there will be many  times when the clamor of "talking" in my head will come with associations to what I see with my eyes and I will be 'taken', however, I also know that I don't believe everything I hear in that mode. I know what I want. I wish to BE.

Be In Self
Be in Movement
Be Listening
BE

18 April 2010

TIME

Finding Balance, 2009

"To be identified with your mind is to be trapped in time: the compulsion to live almost exclusively through memory and anticipation. This creates an endless preoccupation with past and future and an unwillingness to honor and acknowledge the present moment and allow it to be. The compulsion arises because the past gives you an identity and the future holds the promise of salvation, of fulfillment in whatever form. Both are illusions." ~Eckhart Tolle, from The Power of Now

17 April 2010

Living



"Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." ~Lao Tzu

15 April 2010

Breathing


"Empty-handed I entered the world,
Barefoot I leave it.
My coming, my going -
Two simple happenings that got entangled."
~ Kozan Ichikyo

10 April 2010

Why Do You Come To The Work?

Why do you come to the Work? This is a question one needs to keep in front of oneself. People come for many reasons; and as the years pass during the study of self, self remembering is added to the question, and the revelations keep coming. Honesty and sincerity are necessary  to uncover the truth within oneself - for oneself.

Many in the work feel they are superior to those not in the work. They feel their practice gives them an edge over others and the others are 'less than'.  The one who thinks this is less than all. He has lost his way. Get hold of that 'superiority', grab it by the neck and don't let go until You are master.

Be Kind
Be Compassion
Be Good
BE

06 April 2010

Patience

Mastering patience is necessary. You must first find out what it means to Be patient; what patience really is. Patience is not what you automatically 'think'.  Practice patience in all things, with all people and situations, with yourself, with everything. Practice this all the time. Practice until you do not have to practice any more because you can Be patient, even when you act swiftly.

Be Still Inside
Be Patient
BE

05 April 2010

"Everyday, think as you wake up, ‘today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can.’" HH, Dalai Lama

The Octave of Easter


This entire post is taken from Wikipedia:

"The term Octave of Easter [can] refer to the eight day period from Easter Sunday until the Sunday following Easter, inclusive; or it may only refer to that Sunday after Easter, the Octave Day of Easter sometimes known as Low Sunday.

That Sunday is also known historically as St. Thomas Sunday St. Thomas Sunday is so called because the Gospel reading always relates the story of "Doubting Thomas," in which Thomas the Apostle comes to believe in the Resurrection of Jesus only after being told by the resurrected Christ to place his finger in the nail marks and his hand in His side. In the Gospel accounts, this event takes place on the eighth day after the Resurrection, hence their significance for this Sunday (John 20:19-29

In the Eastern Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox and certain Eastern Catholic churches, the first Sunday after Pascha (Easter) is known as Thomas Sunday, after the Gospel passage read that day (John 20:19-31) which recounts the story of Christ appearing to the Apostle Thomas in order to dispel his doubt about the Resurrection. It should be noted that among Eastern Christians Thomas is not so much remembered as "doubting Thomas," but is rather remembered for his confession of faith: "My Lord and my God," thus being the first to publicly proclaim the two natures of Christ: human and divine.
The entire week from Pascha to Thomas Sunday, known as Bright Week or Renewal Week, is considered to be one continuous day. The hymns chanted every day are identical to those chanted on the Sunday of Pascha, with the exception of a few parts that are taken from the Octoechos (the "Book of the Eight Tones"). Each day has a different tone: Easter Sunday is Tone One, Bright Monday is Tone Two, and so on through the eight tones (skipping Tone Seven, the "Grave Tone"). On Bright Friday, in addition to the normal Paschal hymns, special stichera and a canon in honor of the Theotokos (Mother of God) are chanted in commemoration of her Icon of the "Life-giving Spring." During all of Bright Week the Royal Doors on the Iconostasis are kept open—the only time of the year when this occurs. The doors are closed before the Ninth Hour on the eve of Thomas Sunday. However, the Afterfeast of Pascha will continue until the eve of the Ascension.

Be Peace
Be Love
Be Good
BE

04 April 2010

Easter Sunday ~ The Resurrection

  


When the women came to the tomb they saw the stone was moved away from the entrance and that it was empty and that Mary Magdalene looked into the tomb weeping and saw two angels sitting there who asked her why she was weeping. She told them she feared someone had taken Christ away; then she turned and saw a man she at first took to be a gardener standing there.

 He also asked her why she wept and then called her name, "Mary", and she knew he was Christ and reached for him but he told her not to touch him because he had not yet  ascended to his Father; he instructed her to go to his "brethren" and tell them,  "I ascend unto my Father and your Father and to my God and your God." Mary went to the disciples and told them but they didn't believe her; later that evening Jesus appeared to them in a closed room where they were hiding from the authorities. He stood in their midst  and showed them his hands and side then he said, "Peace be unto you. as my Father sent me even so I send you". When he said this he "breathed" on them and said, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost, whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whose soever sins ye retain they are retained." Thomas was not with them during this visitation and when he was told of it he did not believe Christ had come. He said he would only believe if he saw Jesus for himself and put his hands on the spots where the nails and sword had been driving into the body.

Ascention by Danny Hahlbohm

Be Peace
Be Love
Be Pure in Spirit
Be Blessed
BE

02 April 2010

Good Friday


After Jesus was arrested in the garden of Gethsemane, he was brought before Caiaphas, high priest and chairman of the Sanhedrin, and the elders and scribes. Painting of Christ being tried in front of Caiaphas Peter followed at a safe distance and sat in the crowd to (Matt 26:57) "see the end". Caiaphas "sought false witness" against Christ, he was accused of blasphemy and sentenced to die. He was tormented, ridiculed, beaten and spit on and taunted by his captors.  
The next morning (now observed as Black Friday or Good Friday) Jesus was taken to Pilate, the Roman governor  who questioned him further.  Judas, seeing what was happening to Jesus returned to the temple priests and elders and said, Matthew 27:4 that he had, "sinned in that I have I have betrayed the innocent blood." The elders replied, "What is that to us? See thou to that". Judas threw the 30 pieces of silver down in the temple and then went away and hanged himself. Pilate passed off the the responsibility  of condemning Jesus to death to the people by giving them the choice of liberating Christ or another prisoner in honor of the feast day. At the persuasion of the priests and elders the people chose Barabbas, the other prisoner. Pilate asked the crowd what he should do with Christ; they all said, Matthew 27: "Let him be crucified". Pilate asked them, "Why? For what evil hath he done?" but they insisted again that he crucify Christ.  Pilate symbolically washed his hands in water, washing his hands of the deed saying, 27:24 "I am innocent of the blood of this person, see ye to it." thus passing responsibility back to them. The people accepted saying, 27:25 "His blood be on us and on our children" Pilate gave the people Barabbas, had Jesus  27:26 "scourged" and handed him over to the soldier to be crucified.  27:27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus to the common hall and gathered together the whole band of soldiers. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and made a crown of thorns and put it on his head, they mocked him by bowing and saying "Hail King of Jews." They spit on him and hit him.


Once the sadistic brutes were done making sport and tormenting Jesus, they put his own clothes back on him and took him to Golgotha to be crucified. There, they nailed him to the cross, and 27:34 they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He tasted it, He would not drink. They took his clothes and gambled for them - fulfilling another part of the old prophecy. 27:36 And sitting down they watched him there.

27:39 Many passersby and people in the crowd taunted him and challenged him to get God to take him down from the cross. The chief priests, elders and scribes stood in the crowd mocking him. They said, 28:42 "He saved others but cannot save himself; if he is the King of Israel let him come down from the cross now and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now for he said , 'I am the son of God'. " Even the two thieves being crucified the same day taunted him with the same words.

27:45 Now, from the sixth hour there was darkness all over the land unto the ninth hour, 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, "My God, My God, Why hath thou forsaken me?" John 28-30 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

  Matthew 27:51 And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake and the rocks did rent; 52 And the graves were opened and many bodies of the saints which slept arose. 55 And came out of their graves after his resurection and went into the city and appeared to many. 54 Now when the centurion and they that were watching Jesus saw the earth quake and those things that were done. they feared greatly and said, "Truly this was the Son of God." 55 And many women were there beholding afar off which followed Jesus from Galilee ministering to him : 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joses (now known as the Virgin Mother), and the mother of Zebedee's children.

Matthew 27: 57, 58, 59. When evening came Joseph of Arimethae, a disciple of Christ, went to Pilate and begged him for the body of Christ; Pilate commanded the body be delivered.  Joseph wrapped Jesus in a clean cloth, laid him in his own tomb, rolled a huge stone in front of the opening to the sepulcher and left. 61 And mary Magdeline and the other Mary stayed sitting over by the tomb. 62 The next day the chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate 27: 63, 64, 65, to get him to post a Roman guard over the tomb so Christ's followers could not take the body away and then claim Christ's prophesy that he would be resurrected in three days came true. Pilate sent guards and the priests sent guards and they sealed the tomb and set a watch on it.

The Betrayal

Matthew 26:45 Then cometh he to  his disciples and saith unto them, "Sleep on now and take your rest; behold the hour is at hand and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise and let us be going; behold, he is at hand that doth betray me." 47 And while he yet spake, lo Judas one of the twelve came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves from the chief priests and elders of the people. 48 Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign saying, "Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; hold him fast. 49 And forthwith he came to Jesus and said, "Hail master." and kissed him.

50 And Jesus said unto him, "Friend, wherefore art thou come?" Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took him. 51 And behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck a servant of the high priest and smote off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, "Put up again they sword into his place; for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. 53 Thinkest thou that I cannot not ow pray to my Father and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?"  55 In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, "Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple and ye laid no hold on me. 56 But all this was done that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples forsook him and fled. (Except for Peter)

Gethsemene

Matthew 26:36 Then cometh Jesus with them (the disciples) unto a place called Gethsemane and saith unto the disciples, "Sit ye here while I go and pray yonder." 37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 38 Then saith he unto them, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death; tarry ye here and watch with me."  39 And he went a little farther and fell on his face and prayed saying, "Oh my Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt." 40 And he cometh unto the disciples and findeth them asleep and saith unto Peter, "What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak." 42 He went away again the second time and prayed saying, "O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from except I drink it, Thy will be done."
43 And he came and found them asleep again for their eyes were heavy. 44 And he left them and went away again and prayed the third time saying the same words.

01 April 2010

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi


"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury,pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy. 

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. "
 

Amen, Amen and Amen
BE Prayer
BE

"There Once Was A King"

"Once upon a time there was a king." When we were children there was no need to know who the king in the fairy story was. It didn't matter whether he was called Shiladitya or Shaliban, whether he lived at Kashi or Kanauj. The thing that made a seven-year-old boy's heart go thump, thump with delight was this one sovereign truth, this reality of all realities: "Once there was a king."
~ Rabindranath Tagore

"Suffer the little children to come unto me." ~ Jesus Christ

The Last Supper


You will need a bible to follow along on this post. In some places I've only typed parts of the writings. To get the whole picture, sit in a quiet place and read the Book of Matthew a couple of times. Be still inside as you read. Does what Jesus says sound right for now too?

I've often heard of the events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus referred to as the "Passion Play". There was a time when I believed that Jesus created the sequence of events intentionally, but now, knowing what I do about how powerful belief systems automatically taught to us from the time we are babes are, I do wonder. In any case, if he did and said these things from intention, speaking his words knowing that by the speaking of them he was setting everything in motion in a troubled sleeping world, he literally sacrificed himself to bring about change to his people.

Christ's Passion was peace on earth, getting people to care, to Love one another unconditionally. He had great compassion for the downtrodden and meek. If he knew
how things work on the metaphysical level and knew how to do, he dedicated his life and was committed to bringing about the changes he believed the people of his time needed. He 'wrote' the script using an old prophesy as a basis, and directed and produced the movie. If you believe in inter-life, he did this with a little help from his friends in High places. He knew he would be resurrected, that everyone will be. He came to Earth to do his karmic job and fulfilled his mission. I am grateful he did. Can you imagine what this world would have been like if he hadn't?

Once Upon A Time there was a King named Jesus. Just a few days before his death, Jesus told his twelve disciples what would happen to him and to them during Palm Sunday and shortly thereafter. At the Last Supper he told them again that he would be betrayed, arrested and killed for his teachings and beliefs. He said it was preordained according to the old prophecy and it was so.

On Palm Sunday: Matthew 21:12-17: "And Jesus went into the temple of God and cast out all of them that sold and bought in the temple and overthrew the tables of the money changers and the seats of them that sold doves and he said unto them, "It is written. My house shall be called the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves." and the blind came in to him in the temple and he healed them. And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did and the children crying in the temple "Hosanna to the son of David", thy were sore displeased. And said unto him, "Hearest thou what they say?" and Jesus saith unto them, "Yea, Have ye never read: Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?" And he left them and went out of the city into Bethany..."

He stayed there overnight and returned the next morning. 


Matthew 21:23- "And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching and said, "By what authority doest thou these things and who gave thee this authority?"

In response to these questions Jesus tells them who they are and exposes them to themselves and the multitude through parables and in plain words: Matthew 21:45 "And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his  parables they perceived that he spake of them 46 but when they sought to lay hands on him they feared the multitude, because they (the multitude) took him for a prophet."

Matthew 22:15 "Then went the Pharisees and took counsel on how they might entangle him in his talk."

Matthew 22:23,24,26,27 "The same day came to him the Saddcees which say there is no resurrection and asked him..." Matthew 22:29 -33: "Ye do err. not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God. ... in the resurrection they neither marry nor are they given in marriage, but are as angels of God in heaven... but as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, "I AM the God of Abraham, and The God of Isaac, and The God of Jacob" ? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living".  And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished a his doctrine."


He later  left the temple and went the Mount of Olives alone with his disciples (Matthew 24, 25) where they asked him when these things he has spoken of will come to pass and when the world would end. He responded and asked them to make arrangements for the Passover meal. (Matthew 26:17) In Matthew 26 the chief priests, elders and scribes get together with the high priest Caiaphas and make a plan to take Jesus by "subtilty" and kill him. Judas goes to the priests and offers to help them to get Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Matthew 26:16 "And from that time he (Judas) sought the opportunity to betray him."

The Last Supper: Matthew 26:20- "Now when the even was come he sat down with the twelve 21 and as they did eat he said, "Verily I say unto you that one of you shall betray me and they were exceedingly sorrowful and began every one of them to say unto him, 'Lord is it I?' 23 And he answered and said, "He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. 24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him, but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he had not been born." 26 Then Judas which betrayed him said, 'Master is it I?' He said unto him, "Thou hast said." 26 And as they were eating Jesus took the bread and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat, this is my body", 27 and he took the cup, and gave thanks and gave it to them saying, "Drink ye all of it 28 For this is my blood of the new testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's Kingdom."

Tonight, as I eat my dinner I will reflect on the Last Supper. Millions of people around the world of all faiths and belief systems will be doing the same. There is great healing power in this Holy week. Join us. 


Be Peace
Be Love
BE