strawdog65

5 syllables 7 syllables 5 syllables 5-7-5 Par a dox i cal = 5 Lao Tze writ ing style =5 spec i ous =3 Just trying to help....no smart assness intended. Please start something new and we can work it together. Peace!

Clouds drifted across the night sky, The Moon heavy and full above, shafts of moonlight danced upon her skin, Water droplets glistening as she moved.

I'm not sure what you are doing. This is not 5-7-5 or any other rhythm I'm used to. I'm not sure what it is, or what you want people to do with it. Could we please get back to 5-7-5 or some other rhythm?

Root myself to earth, My gaze encompasses sky, Paradoxical.

Hi Adishakti! Yes... I agree. It is ageless. But experiences gleaned from countless iterations do leave their mark. So rather than an "old" soul how about calling it very "experienced"? Even that would be something we all share, for I doubt there are any "new" souls out there. We are just a bunch of recycled, immaterial entities, presently embodied.

Roar as ocean, Leaves blow aimless on the wind, Hollow, emptiness.

Hi GIH! Impressive introspective and I might say "enlightening" post. I found myself agreeing with both what you are saying and the point of the pretentiousness of how we view others with such an incomplete grasp of who they are and in all the ways to know such a person. We are all our own never ending story. Maybe enlightenment is purely a personal understanding of one's own particular set of life variables. An understanding so great that, that person transcends their own limited existence. peace!

I wiggle my toes... Glistening sand falls between, Flowing like water.

Sidewalks warm with love, Hustle and bustle of man, Spirit awakens.

Cloud unveils sunlight, On gossamer wings we soar, The earth falls away.

Hi Vortex. I agree with what you have stated, and feel there is one thing I would like to add to the discussion. A large part of the unhappiness in many peoples lives is that they create interminable situations by over spending and living beyond their means. Living within your own monetary boundaries is very important to having happiness on an everyday level. It is the "idea" that because you "want" something you should do whatever it takes to get it, including putting yourself into deep debt. All material things are destined to hold only fleeting happiness. It is what dwells inside of your being, and the having of loving relationships that fill you with true and lasting happiness. And when is the last time you used money to acquire those things? Peace.

This is a topic that, too me indicates the slippery slope of what the closed mindedness of a devoutly religious person believes is insurmountable when faced with factual evidence contrary their belief system. The "science Delusion". That is pretty ridiculous. Devout belief in any religious system that precludes what science has proven to be true, is dangerous at best, and a threat to the very survival of the world and all it's people, at the worst. There are scientists that proclaim their belief in "god" and say that both science and god are are somehow mutually exclusive of one another, without there being any influence on the findings of the scientist's who espouse such belief. I doubt this very sincerely. I can understand there being a scientific explanation for the belief and nature of a "god"like force in nature, perhaps. But the idea that there is a "god" observing and dictating what transpires on the speck we call the earth, is silly and infantile in it's nature. There are many things we are told as children, do we hang on to them blindly believing them when the contradictions are all around us? Or do we take the knowledge we gather as adults moving on and dismissing the fabrication fed to us when we were gullible enough to actually believe it without question? Scientific understanding of the world we live in, and acceptance that it is "WE" who are the only ones with the responsibility for what happens in this world is what's required for us all to grow up, and do what's necessary to keep our species alive. My own belief is ...There is no "god". No one is going to save us. There is no blissful heaven we will go to. This is it... right here...right now. This life and all the people you are Loved by, is your gift. It is up to us to be responsible for this life... now. Science is the acknowledgment that it is through learning and striving to grow our understanding of everything around us, that we matter and make a difference beyond the scope of our everyday lives.

Well said.

Hi Manitou! This is something new to me, this Nei-yeh. I find myself very much identifying with the thoughts and observations posted. I find it it be logical that our true inner calm manifests what our lives become. I will do some reading up on this so that I have some knowledge of what this is all about! Peace!

Dreams of a situation or event that does come to pass, can be said to be a link to the state of being that is called a collective consciousness. I think it may have been Jung that mentions the collective consciousness, and our link to it while we are dreaming. The term premonition may be nothing more than a state of consciousness that we all have the innate ability to connect to without ever realizing it exists. I have had many experiences of situations coming to pass that were dreamt. After awhile it doesn't seem strange...just part of the interconnectedness that is our lives. Think of it as a tool, it's up to you how you use it. Peace!

Hi there stan! 1. The reading of the Tao Te Ching has opened my mind like the petals of a flower. It has brought to me an everyday awareness of the connectedness of the world and how our choices/decisions create the world around us. It has opened my mind to the idea of there being nothing truly "good" or "bad", just different outcomes, different choices, different repercussions, flowing like water amongst either the rocks of a stream or the smooth sand banks of the river of life. Life moves on, ever changing, ever adapting to the container of this life...which is the Way. 2. How the Tao has affected what I now do with my life is humbling. With just the merest inkling of knowing this is a life of ever more connectedness, moments like pearls strung on a string stretching to infinity, it changes everything. The Tao is ever present and ever accepting of all, it is the taking responsibility of our lives, our choices and seeing that we matter, we have a measurable effect on all those within our sphere of influence, and that influence is like the ripple in the pond, interacting with all the other ripples. Nothing is separate...least of all, us. Thanks for posting such a great, mind expanding, set of questions. Peace!

Enlightenment. Realization of being more than our worldly bounds. Acknowledgment that we "see" ourselves as individuals, when in fact we exist connected to everything else... and that there is no actual separateness. Once we fully know this... how can we not be enlightened? Easy to say...much harder to do.

This is a very interesting subject, thanks for opening it up. There are many theories about the crossing of species and the possible extinction of the smaller brained Neanderthal versus Cro-magnon. Personally my far out theory is that they were taken, all of the species, by some space faring race that visited earth and tampered with our genetic make up too increase our brain power. Since Neanderthal was a moot point once Cro-magnon came on the scene, they were taken to another world to live there and start over. It's my far out idea... doesn't have to be real, but it is interesting to think about. Besides, us(people of today) saying what we believe happened in the past is nothing but guess work anyway. For all we know, not only were there technologically advanced cultures but cities and more. It is only our foolish pride that we are the most advanced culture to have ever been on the face of this world that keeps us from acknowledging all of the scientific discoveries from the past that just don't jive with what we believe "should be the case. Sometimes what seems unlikely is the only explanation that fits.

BUMP...... Death's shadow... lingers, Dark menace, a force corrupted, No... not my Father.

Hi Marblehead! Been a while...Thanks for chiming in. It's the spontaneous nature of your life that is so meaningful. Peace!

Beautifully said. Especially that last paragraph....

Washing smell from hands, Putrid ash fills my nostrils, Death's shadow...lingers.

Snores and freesia scent, Orange blossoms in the back, Cicada wailing.

StoneHead and ralis.... Interesting thoughts on both sides. Because of mankind's inability to do anything where there is no immediate profit to be made, I fear we have become the arbiters of our own future catastrophe in the making. If, rather than the focus being what is the profit to be made in the given circumstance, if it was... what is the appropriate thing to do to solve our problems?(with no other considerations necessary) maybe then we as a world people could actually do what is constructively needed. Because of our parasitical nature... it is of a very low percentage that anything will be done before laying waste to this beautiful planet.