manitou

Thanks for the understanding and kind words, Marbles. Actually, I'm always this optimistic. It may be illusion on my part, but I believe that earnestly working through the 12 steps of recovery, reading metaphysical literature for 40 years, having the seed planted by attending Manley Hall lectures in the 60's (channelings, actually), going through and eschewing many spiritual mindsets, being captured by Castaneda accidentally, and falling in love with the TTC (and finding all of you!) has brought me down further and further into the reality of self. Or at least what I would call the reality. I think it's Love. And don't forget that one of the Three Treasures of the sage is Love. Yes, there are the 10,000 things, and at this time war is part of it. But there is always room for Love, even if your enemy's neck is at the point of your sword. Love isn't necessarily optimistic or naive. It merely Is, and everyone on the face of the earth deserves it from me. Because of who I Am. Because I have discovered who I Am.

Forums like this are where we meet. Our reach is worldwide. Our politics are different, our hearts are not. This gelling of the enlightened thinkers will cross-section everything else. It is the Way.

I'm not looking at the underbelly. I'm looking at the fact that enlightened people the world over are able to communicate with each other instantaneously. I think it has more to do with technology than miracles.

Once in a while a thought occurs to me. That the one thing that all living beings have in common is the little black dot in the middle of our eyes. Everything else can be different. The little black dot remains the same. My little black dot seeks out your little black dot when we meet. When a dog barks at me, he doesn't look at my knees, he looks at my little black dot and barks. A carpenter bee came up to me yesterday and hovered a foot in front of me - looking right into the little black dot of my eyes with the tiny black dots of his. We had a moment of communication. If there were a string tied between the eyes of people, animals, insects who were all looking at each other at the same time, what an incredible web this would weave! In some way, could this be at the very basis of consciousness? The unseen structure of person to person, animal to animal, etc - the exchanging of Intent, Fear, Love, Hate, Terror - all done before words are even spoken? Any off-the-wall ideas about this?

All translations of this point to the Oneness. The 'spirits' are part of the oneness. The ten thousand things are part of the Oneness. The thing that jumps out at me is....look at the world now. It's about as far from Oneness as we can get, or at least that which is visible. It's not only man that is going in a lot of different directions - the strife, the upheavals, all over the world. And the earth itself seems to be upheaving; earthquakes, strange storms, floods, droughts - each day seems to bring a new catastrophe. To my way of thinking, there is a definite relationship between man's strife and struggle and the strife and struggle of the earth. We are the Creator. I wonder.....if mankind were to learn to love each other and live and let live, would the physical symptoms the earth is going through alleviate? That's about as One as you can get

Boy, isn't that the truth? It's been like that since the beginning, apparently....

So glad you're here, Veejay - you were missed... The odd thing about the eye contact thing, I've noticed, is that NOT making it indiscriminately with everyone I pass in the market seems to keep me more intact in some intangible way. Almost like it's less tiring, or there's more of myself left for myself. This is impossible to put into words. Others in the dog food aisle may perceive me as 'unfriendly' (I am anything but) because I don't automatically connect with their eyes and smile. I don't go out of my way to avoid strangers' eyes, sometimes I do connect. But I do think there is a sense of 'looking into the eyes of others for approval'; almost like they're a mirror! Maybe that's it! Maybe we're primping in the eyes of the other to assure ourselves that 1) we're still here, and 2) we're pretty hot stuff. There is definitely a relationship between covering up one's mirrors and performing the exercise of not seeking out eye contact with strangers. I've tried this simultaneously (covered the mirror for a week and avoided my reflection) along with the eye contact thing. I could definitely sense a shift into a state of 'wholeness' that was more fragmented previously. Seems to me that the most profound things in this world are the most simple. Don Juan Mateus would tell Castaneda about the web of consciousness that surrounds everything. Maybe eye contact has a lot to do with that.

Nice.

erj - what funny synchronicity that you should start this thread. My husband Joe is going through something extremely similar. He goes to sleep at night, then wakes up around 1 in the morning and has to go get chocolate! Not a little chocolate - about 2 pounds of Hershey's Kisses - and then eats himself to sleep again. This is horrible. He wakes up in the morning and sees all the candy wrappers and he feels HORRIBLE. This is what he is doing to himself, for some reason. He is recreating a level of self-loathing that seems to be an old comfort-zone for him. He hates himself every morning. I've suggested trying to modify the behavior; at this point, for the past 2 nights, he's been able to get up and go to Tim Horton's instead, and drink a cup of decaf and a blueberry muffin. Although last night he said he had to have 2 blueberry muffins. (It's still a heck of a lot better than 2 pounds of chocolate). But we are both recovering alcoholics, sober many years. Addiction is my middle name. I do believe in Joe's case he is actually recreating a type of 'dry drunk', which is not all that unusual for recovering alkies, particularly because alcohol and sugar metabolize similarly. His inner journey has been incredible, and he's been impeccable about doing it from day one, 20 years ago. But apparently he has gotten down to something now - something that doesn't want to reveal itself to him - and it's doing its best to direct his attention elsewhere. Like...on the fact that he's recently gained about 30 pounds from this ridiculous and obsessive behavior. I sure wish you the best of luck sorting this out, erj.....seeing as your obsession is of a healthier variety, maybe the dietary facets are the important thing in your case. If that's the case, maybe kick up your intake of what you're craving during the day rather than at night? If it still happens, despite the voluntary increase in grains, etc, yours might be an internal thing too. Any time we HAVE to act in a way that we don't want, this is definitely something to be addressed. In Joe's case, there's nothing dietary about it at all. It's an inner journey thing, and he's going to have to be the one to find it. I suggested to him that he ask Great Spirit to help him see it; once that's done, then Great Spirit usually brings around the circumstances over and over until we see what it is we're supposed to see, and learn from it. Very best wishes to you, Barbara

And hopefully come out with a loving heart again, on the other side. Stronger and more loving. God, I hope Maria is capable of doing this. What an incredible betrayal of a husband and a long time friend.

CHAPTER 14: The Way fills the entire world. It is everywhere tht people are, But people are unable to understand this. When you are released by this one word: You reach up to the heavens above; You stretch down to the earth below; You pervade the nine inhabited regions. What does it mean to be released by it? The answer resides in the calmness of the mind. When your mind is well-ordered, your senses are well-ordered. When your mind is calm, your senses are calmed. What makes them well-ordered is the mind; What makes them calm is the mind. By means of the mind you store the mind; Within the mind there is yet another mind. That mind within the mind: it is an awareness that precedes words. Only after there is awareness does it take shape; Only after it takes shape is there a word. Only after there is a word is it implemented; Only after it is implemented is there order. Without order, you will always be chaotic. If chaotic, you die. TRANSLATION, 2005 - Shazi Daoren "THE HEART WITHIN THE HEART" Dao fills all under heaven. It exists everywhere that people are, but people are unable to understand this. One word explains it, ascending to reach the sky, descending to the limits of earth, replete throughout the nine provinces. How can I speak or explain it? It exists in the calm Heart; what calms them is the Heart. The Heart is used to harbor the Heart. At the center of the Heart is another Heart; the Heart within the Heart. For awareness precedes words, awareness then leads to formed reality, formed reality then leads to words, words then lead to action, action then leads to order. To not be ordered invariably leads to disorder. Disorder leads to death.

just bumpin the thread to put chapter 14 on top.

CHAPTER 8 If you can be aligned and be tranquil, Only then can you be stable. With a stable mind at your core, With the eyes and ears acute and clear, And with the four limbs firm and fixed, You can thereby make a lodging place for the vital essence. The vital essence: it is the essence of the vital energy. When the vital energy is guided, it (the vital essence) is generated, But when it is generated, there is thought. When there is thought, there is knowledge, But when there is knowledge, then you must stop. Whenever the forms of the mind have excessive knowledge, You loose your vitality. CHAPTER 9 Those who can transform even a single thing, call them "numinous"; Those who can alter even a single situation, call them "wise." But to transform without expending vital energy; to alter without expending wisdom; Only exemplary persons who hold fast to the One are able to do this. Hold fast to the One; do not loose it, And you will be able to master the myriad things. Exemplary persons act upon things, And are not acted upon by them, Because they grasp the guiding principle of the One.

Well, we gotta talk about something...

What jumps out at me is that we are released by one word. It doesn't specifically say what that one Word is, but the word that releases me is the "Way". This infers that the dynamics are already in play before the thoughts even form within us. If we stay calm, stay ordered, stay in a state of Oneness with everything, the Way comes to us. The perfect action is always taken if the alignment is allowed to occur before the action is taken. I love the concept of the heart within the heart too. The outer heart is a heart of delayed response; it feels what it has been conditioned to feel. The inner heart is pure Love. The love radiates on its own and doesn't require a situation, like the outer heart, to make its presence known. It's always there and it's always Loving. Perhaps it could be said that it's the pony that awaits under the pile of manure.

Looking for Approval. A year ago I tried something. I covered up my mirror in the bathroom, avoided my reflection wherever I could. I don't know why I did this, it just seemed appropriate for some reason. I also stopped engaging in eye contact with strangers at the supermarket or on the street, etc. I don't quite know why I did this either. But there's been a surprising result. When you're not "looking for approval" in others' eyes (which is what I think we often subconsciously do when we're meeting strangers' eyes) I stopped caring about it. It's a silly trick, but it does have power. Combined with the inner work, I think this is a relatively quick way to get through this dynamic.

I think this goes along with the Straw Dog analogy of the Tao. As we've said in a previous thread, the Tao doesn't care about specific life and death, one over the other. It's all one. I agree that it all goes to compassion. The compassionate thing to do may well be to kill one human being who is sworn to kill others. But the person who makes this determination must make it from a perspective of the good of all, not spite; as it says in the Tao, sometimes we must remove ourselves from the situation to SEE its reality, sometimes we must immerse ourselves in the situation to FEEL the reality. This decision must have weighed heavily. I believe an enlightened man made it.

Looking at it from a really metaphysical point of view, why do we manifest allergies? What are they saying to us? Do you think there's any way to get under this and imprint otherwise? An allergy may signify something about change; seasonal change. Is there fear in change? Are we holding up our arm and fending off upcoming changes? Maybe this is one possibility. Just thinkin' beneath.....

It is wonderful to experience you doing such inner work, Cat - it is a guidepost for everyone who wants to get down to the I Am inside. As I have felt it, the I Am is pure love; there is no fear, because the I Am knows that all is One. The I Am makes no judgment because it knows that inherent in good is bad and vice versa. When I went into AA 30 years ago, I started with a sponsor who was probably an enlightened woman to some degree, but I didn't realize it at the time. I would be projecting out my worst fears and jabbering on about them, and she would put her hand on my arm and ask me emphatically, over and over, BUT HOW ARE YOU NOW?? At first I didn't see what she was getting at, I'd quickly mumble 'okay' and continue on with my fearful projection. Then, after about the 4th time she asked it, I totally cracked up and saw what she was getting at. For just a quick moment, during the laughter, I was able to see Here and Now, even through my alcoholic blur. The remaining 30 years have been a self-discovery journey into Here and Now via the I Am awareness. It's not until we're able to see our character foibles that we begin to separate from them. Sometimes it's a nasty surprise that something dwells in there; something that has seemed so 'normal' because after all it's been part of our make-up forever. But it's when we start sharing our inner selves with each other that we realize when we're out of whack; that's the great fun of recovery meetings; to laugh our foibles, have fun with them, get rid of 'em. Like ironing wrinkles out of a shirt. Pure Love resides underneath. No fear. Now I just tell snakes that I'm coming and let them slither away. Literally. I may get bit one day, but the fear's not there any more.

If this thread gets any more brilliant my head is going to explode.

I'll bring my rod, just in case you change your mind. BTW, do I need to bring anything - yoga mat, stuff like that?

The interesting question to me is....Why does man have this need to question? That seems to be the constant amongst us. It is that urge that we all share in common - it is that urge that may be the Source manifesting and perhaps even understanding Itself. Thinking about it manifesting from the inside of us to the outsides of us, (as per our choice of paths), certainly man's ego needs are going to make him believe that he has the answers. Apparently this is where things get all balled up and intolerant. And, rightfully so, we place tremendous importance on spiritual phenomena when it happens to us - times when we are capable of channeling or feeling the presence of spirit to its most blissful state, or assisting with the healing of another - but sometimes I think those individual spiritual experiences do more to promote intolerance than just about anything else. Because when a person has such an experience, perhaps this is an indication to them that theirs is the only true "right" path to take; whereas in fact regardless of what path we're on, we ALL seem to get these wonderful divine taps on the shoulder and encouragement to continue.

I just signed up for the one in Springfield MO June 18-19. Anyone else on board?

Well, why not, lol?