Michael Sternbach

I got that impression, too. It seems to be an extremely compact galaxy. The interesting article you have linked says that the night sky as seen from a planet in that galaxy would show a million visible stars (as opposed to about 6000 at best from Earth).

I fully agree with this. Moreover, we may, in many cases, have been in some kind of relationship with our parents already in a past incarnation. It would seem that whole groups of souls tend to reincarnate together. All of this is, as you said, connected... Part of a holographic pattern quite beyond the linear mind's comprehension. Interesting thoughts, but I would think that the more special the individual, the more "difficult" it might be to find the matching circumstances, astrologically and otherwise. Talking about the Dalai Lama, I am not convinced that this is literally always the same soul reincarnating. (But I respect people's beliefs.) This seems to become a non-issue in the future anyway, as the current Dalai Lama intends to end this tradition. I believe that we spend the time between physical incarnations in non-physical realms that are connected with the planets and stars. This is an ancient view going back to the Mithraic and Hermetic mysteries, which is reflected however in the outlooks of modern mystics like Rudolf Steiner and Edgar Cayce. The nodal axis indeed seems to be particularly indicative of our soul purpose which ties in with our spiritual evolution. Your take on the influence of squares to the nodes makes sense, as squares often stand for traumas of one kind or another. I would say, the pattern IS what we are. We can't run away from it, nor would we really want to. Our spiritual task is to express it, to the fullest and highest extent possible. What C.G. Jung called individuation, and what the various methods of cultivation (which are about internal alchemy, really) are aspiring to. Marblehead doesn't believe in a whole lot of things that aren't evident to him. This is not to say that there is anything wrong with that attitude! Don't you even think of it, Jim! I would miss debating with you. Right, we tend to function in habits - for better and worse. On the down side, this is what is keeping most people from exercising their free will in order to access their true potential.

In my understanding, I wasn't pissing on any post, respectfully or not. But then, it seems that, once again, I'm not adhering to DB's definitions.

While it is true that genetic, cultural, educational and environmental influences all contribute to shaping our destiny, as a (Western style) astrologer I am impressed, time after time, how all these only serve to fulfill the celestial pattern that we are born under. This pattern is the blueprint of our individuality, the macrocosm becoming microcosm. However, to what extent and on what levels we manage to express that pattern in the terrestrial realm, and what destiny we consequently experience, this is not predestined. This is where our free will, the wisdom we attain, the cultivation of our personality come into play. There are many avenues that can be taken or neglected - due to the so called Sternbach uncertainty relation.

Hello mcnaga, Nice to have you here! I very much agree with this attitude of simultaneous learning/sharing/healing of self and others which you have expressed so beautifully. I am confident that you will find TTB to be a great place for exchange with like-minded individuals willing to share their particular knowledge and understanding. It might be best to open up a thread to learn other practitioners' take on your topic. Good luck! Michael

I once thought that I had woken up from a dream but I was not sure. To find out, I tried to fly but I all I got was a hop. But then I saw the same person in two different places; I laughed when I realized that I must be still dreaming. That's when I woke up for real. Or so I think.

As has been stated on this thread before, there are a couple of different, yet interrelated ways to look at emptiness. One that I find personally useful is the idea that it has a non-manifest as well as a manifest side to it. This is something that especially Daoism elaborates on (the concept of emptiness is not unique to Buddhism - how could it be, if it is universal - this kind of universality allowing aforesaid Alan Watts to blend different approaches freely throughout his works). Here you have at first Wu chi or "non-beginning", symbolized by an empty circle. Mathematically, this equals zero, cosmologically the (non-)state before the Big Bang. From Wu chi emerges Tai chi or the "great beginning" which is (in most fundamental terms) a division of the original state into two opposite forces - Yin and Yang - which can be mathematically understood as +1 and -1, or manifest entities which balance each other out whereas their sum remains zero. Again, there is an interesting parallel to be found in a cosmological theory according to which the expanding force of electromagnetism and the contracting force of gravity are exactly equal so that the energy in the Universe remains zero overall. A more specifically Buddhist perspective on emptiness, especially as it relates to interconnectedness, is represented by Indra's Net, a concept whose various aspects this website explains nicely: http://www.heartspace.org/misc/IndraNet.html

A thread doesn't belong to anybody, my dear, or better yet, to everybody who contributes to it. This could perhaps have been a worth-wile discussion but you are either not interested in or not capable of such. I'm not impressed... Best, Michael

Oh, I feel hurt to the marrow of my bone, Deci Belley! I think I will poll for a while... Okay, back from polling. Do you seriously think that when I speak of the infinite I am talking about the created Universe? By definition, the infinite IS transcendent or metaphysical. No, it doesn't depend on anything. Neither the infinitely big nor the infinitely small (the point = the center). The manifest world has its existence between these two poles.

Obviously yes, but their scripts could indeed be considered Taoist texts.

I'm not sure if this hasn't been said here before (it's too late at night for reading the whole thread) but the center has no location because in infinite space the center is everywhere. Another way to say this is that ALL of the Universe is "central". (All right, in a sense, there are centers of higher and lower order, but I'm afraid it's too late to go into this right now, as well.)

Glad to hear. So they say. But too much emptiness equals a black hole. Sorry pal, but that's not even enough for a start...

I have a special edition with commentaries by Ken Wilber on all three movies.

Thanks! That's why I'm called Star-Lord.

Stars like sand corns on a beach... And many of them have planets going around them, with mountains and seas, even (I believe) forests, cities, humans and puppies (or their extraterrestrial equivalents). To imagine it is breath-taking... These are WORLDS!

To say it concisely, the movies are about transcending the illusion that the majority of people are living in and the realization of true human potential. These topics are of course not limited to Daoism but central to various metaphysical systems. But the Daoist connotations are particularly evident in regard of the use of Chinese martial arts throughout the movies, Neo being restored to his true self with the help of "acupuncture", etc. Some Buddhist context is quite obvious as well. Personally, I love these movies. Their messages come across more and more by watching them several times.

There is an intriguing theory that there are actually microscopic black holes being created in washing machines - accounting for the mysterious phenomenon of vanishing socks. That's why "2001" astronaut David Bowman, when he looked into that trans-dimensional gate, exclaimed: "Oh my God... It's full of single socks!"

I had an early interest in both Zen and Daoism. I was practising Za-zen with teachers in Switzerland and Japan for awhile. But all in all, Daoism seems to be the more lasting influence for me. Zen Buddhism in its traditional form is somewhat nihilistic and rigid, while Daoism is more cheerful and formless which suits me better. But I still resonate with and draw on both.

The true path ends where it began. The perennial path never began and never ends. I am so with you here.

This goes over my head.

You mean, other than "Sir, yessir!!!" Right; we should appreciate that at least you don't close by saying: "Space cadets, am I making myself clear???!!!"

But eventually, you might come down on another planet or vanish in a black hole.

Well, I would say, it doesn't matter if your interpretation is right or wrong as long as it's right for you. They do that all the time though. LOL

That's because truth changes depending on where you are looking at it from. Nice insights. Welcome to the club.