manitou

GOOD walking leaves no track behind it; Good speech leaves no mark to be picked at; Good calculation makes no use of counting-slips; Good shutting makes no use of bolt and bar, And yet nobody can undo it; Good tying makes no use of rope and knot, And yet nobody can untie it. I guess if you were really to put this in today's terms, they never see the Sage coming or going. As he is intrinsically aligned with the principles of nature, there is no cosmic or emotional friction to leave tracks. I think this is the metaphor here. I think the reference to the well tied knots and the perfectly locked door that has no hardware, this is a metaphor to wu-wei. Once the principal of non-action is comprehended and put to use, combined with a loving and humble heart, the forward momentum is then airtight, magically, as if all happening on its own. The results will be perfect. Getting down to the Source, the Intelligence - this is the first requirement for wu-wei understanding, and this is an internal journey. Many different paths, same journey. Hence, the Sage is always good at saving men, And therefore nobody is abandoned; Always good at saving things, And therefore nothing is wasted. This is called "following the guidance of the Inner Light." The Sage, being an enlightened one, sees into souls. This is why he is good at saving men; he sees where a man, no matter how outwardly horrible he appears in character, has an equal amount of good; it is this the Sage chooses to focus upon. He has transcended the temptation for comparison or judgment; he chooses to see the shine rather than the shadow in everyone he sees; compare this to Castaneda seeing the energy bodies of people. Same journey, different path again. This is why nothing is wasted. Although the concept of 'following the guidance of the Inner Light', seems correct, it doesn't seem quite pertinent enough for the rest of the paragraph, to me. I sort of prefer other translations that refer to this as 'Bending the Light', this process of using what is redeemable in men. We bend the light because this very action starts forward a dynamic in that other human being that sends them more toward the light than they were going previously. It is planting a seed of sorts that tends toward the sun by nature. Never having had a teacher or been a charge, I'm out of place saying anything aobut that; seems like everybody else has the later lines covered wonderfully.

Do you feel the ebb and flow of your own inspiration?

Wu-wei, I have discovered, Is to stop the juggling. To remove oneself from the equation and stop the outer dynamics. The fear sets in because our egos mistakenly believe that we are indispensible. That if we stop juggling The dynamics will go afoul. It appears to be the opposite. When the juggling stops and the chips fall where they may, The 10,000 things can be seen For what they truly are. The chips are at rest and splayed out For our close inspection. And then the sorcery begins. It begins with Intent. It has been said that only a very wise person can see what another needs in their soul. This is the work of the wu-wei shaman; The wise man is the one who has self-realized and knows himself to the quick. Because to know ones self is to know The 10,000 things. Only then can it be freely given away. Let the sorcery begin.

BALANCE The ever elusive Ever desirous state of mind; A place of comfort in my soul That I can seldom find. Brief golden moments of peace where all things are equal, Where no one thing is overriding Because my soul is pleasantly gliding And the scheme of things has found its true perspective; Where it always seems that once again there is no matter Except for Now, except for Love, except for Truth, except for the One. The kinship is always The awareness is intermittent And that evolves continuous. I yin and yang on different planes Some emotional Some physical But always extreme. To be the optimist or the pessimist The lover or the cynic, The artist or the critic. All-energy or all-lethargy Walking with the One or running amok, Led by reactions, not actions. But what I know now, that I didn't know before Is that all can change; Alas, this seems to be the choice. To see what I want to see To be what I want to be To live in reality, which is of my making Or react in illusion, which is of their making; To choose to wear things that they put on me Or create my own garments and be Forever at peace. Barb Ortega

FLEABITTEN You mangy cur... You flee the poverty of the dusty Mexican village and boldly meander into the lush manicured estate of the wealthy Americano resort. You pretentions little stray... You refuse to acknowledge that your tattered homeliness defies description. A walking testament to mange, encrusted sores dot your partially hairless body. A pink tumor hangs like a turkey wattle from your neck. You stupid little gypsy... Whitewashed children hesitantly approach you; but their parents yank them back with stern warnings. Resort managers holler at you and shoosh you away to scurry into the bushes. Don't you know you are not wanted here? Will your spirit not descend to the hand you were dealt in life? You pathetic little dreamer... Don't you know that love is reserved for the beautiful? Is it possible your spirit soars so high that you can't see the obvious? Can't you just be satisfied with filthy bits and scraps and the kicks of fearful passers-by? You audacious little beggar... You actually have the nerve to demand that I kneel down and touch you; pet you, stroke you, scratch your belly. I leave to quickly wash my hands and yet, you ungrateful mutt, you follow, demanding more. You wiggling little worm... Now, every time you see me you recognize me for the mark that I am; you run over to me, genuflecting, groveling, crawling slowly to my feet. Your irresistible puppiness wiggles and commands my affection. I find that I now look for you when you are not there. You ungrateful little whelp... You turn your nose up at the sausage I bought you for breakfast. Perhaps too greasy, His Arrogance? I look for something which will better suit your discriminating little gourmet tastes. You manipulative little conniver... I find that I am actually entertaining visions of interrupting my glorious vacation; of giving you a flea bath, of purchasing a leash and a collar, of a trip to a veterinario, of spiriting you across the border to join my canine brood. You lucky little wretch... The last time I saw you, you were riding in the crook of a local Americano woman's fleshy arm. An earth mother, square, solid, ambling slowly and surrounded by children. She too must have felt the needs of your heart. A woman unafraid to touch you, to love you. You were riding proudly, your little head held high; Your face caressed by the breeze. You looked ahead toward the Future and appeared as the Captain at the helm of your own ship. You sneaky little thief... It is the next morning and gentle rays of sun play with the morning mist. I am home now, my vacation over. I sit in my comfortable bed and gaze out at my garden; but as I write these words there are tears on my cheeks as I realize that you actually had the brazen audacity to steal my heart. Barb Ortega

Spirit = The Intelligence.

Another thing to try might be to change your direction from looking inwards to looking outwards. To get out of self for a while - don't worry about who you are at the present time - and maybe volunteer at something you love, or do something for someone else that requires some input of time. I think sometimes we just need to look away from the mirror of life; this might be the very best time for you to get out of your own way and let Nature take over. Leave yourself open to everything; go out and enjoy yourself and your own time. Let the Tao bring stuff to you and follow up on it. I'll bet your perspective would be a lot different without the introspection. We tend to hem ourselves in with labels.

What a koinkidink. My shamanic husband is from Mora, NM, born in '43. He was born and raised in an adobe next to the Catholic church.

I'll bet the experience is an expansion of where we already are within us.

It is an interesting topic. The videos Yan linked to talked a bit about the pineal gland and how it's a natural source of DMT; I'm thinking that the pineal gland probably has something to do with the third eye phenomena post-kundalini awakening as well. The videos inferred that the pineal gland also has everything to do with what we experience the moments after death. I hate to throw up, lol, which is why I haven't pursued tha ayahuasca thing - plus, I'm not sure that buying the plants from Bouncing Botanicals or one of those places would be any good. Did you get your vine from an online source? I would really like to find a DMT 'escort'. I do get to California a couple times a year; it would probably be easier to find there than here in Bumfuk, Ohio.

I'm with you, Yan. This is very attractive to me as well. I just watched all 5 videos. Interesting that one of the scientists posits that we owe our humanity to our initial hallucinogenic experiences; and to deny ourselves of these hallucinogens is to deny ourselves the next step forward in evolution. The concepts are mind bending and wonderful. I'd be real interested to hear if you follow through with this; I would think that those of us who are somewhat evolved would have incredible experiences. I do believe I am going to follow up on this, or at least check to see if there is there is someone around Pittsburgh who knows what they're doing with this stuff. My brain is so darn old anyway, I don't think shaking it up a bit would do much harm.

You bet.

I agree. It seems like we've got to get back to the original nature, something that the indigenous had. I think they were given the original instruction manual for human beings but the book has been lost over the years.

Hi Astral, There is another thread real similar to this one which has the posted Anonymous letter on it - I've already sort of spoken everything I had to say on this topic. But I really I appreciated your comments on looking forward to the day when love overtakes the love of power. When I first got sober and started going to AA meetings in 1981, I heard in those first meetings that all our inner dynamics are either based on Love or Fear. One or the other - I've never forgotten that, and I've never personally found it to be anything but true. I talked to a backwoods Ohio minister this morning at Tim Horton's. He was telling me that he had just gotten a concealed weapons permit so he can carry everywhere. This action is not based on love, it's based on fear. Fear of not being able to handle any possible situation that comes down the pike; I decided to go for it. I asked him why he didn't have a concept of a God he could trust (speaking in his terms, not mine; I was referring to his Christian method of thinking). I also asked him why the Christians here in the bible belt weren't more like Jesus. The man is about 70 years old; I asked him how many times in his life he actually needed a gun to protect himself or his family within his life to date; there were no actual occasions. Merely fear of the unknown. What in the world does an old Christian minister need with the instant ability to kill the person standing next to him by carring a concealed weapon? I was on a big city police department for 15 years; I carried daily - but today, my spirituality is such that to carry a concealed weapon would be absolutely counterintuitive to that which I understand now. I AM the manifestation that I have been looking for all those years. (I didn't get this deeply into it with him). There is a huge disconnect between what people say they believe, and what they do. The actions and the words do not align to any degree back here; I'm so hoping that this part of the country is the exception, not the rule. I've decided not to back off from this, but when I do respond to be as kind as possible. I could care less how ostracized my husband and I are in this little holier-than-thou area; the smugness and arrogance of this type of religion has been elevated to an art form, as far as I'm concerned. I will speak when appropriate, I've decided.

It seems to be happening on its own, an awakening of sorts. I think websites like this one are part of the solution - look at us, we're worldwide, we're smart, we're concerned for the common man, and in fact we see the beauty of living as the Sage, as one who has stopped striving for monetary and worldly gain. I am of the opinion that the almighty Profit Motive has taken this country, the U.S., to the absolute end of that road. How much richer can the rich get? Even Warren Buffett was on TV last night saying "Jeez, why don't you tax rich people like me, and not take it away from the lady serving our lunch?" Folks like Ted Turner and Bill and Melinda Gates are taking responsibility for trying to organize intelligent dissemination of wealth in other ways. It is happening! But unfortunately the bombs dropping in other areas capture our interest - the news agencies don't report anything but the sexiest news, so the good tends to go unnoticed. For the first time in world history we can all be on the same page, through mass media and internet. When the butterly flutters his wings on one side of the world, it no longer takes any time at all for it to be felt on the other side of the world. After all, some 'I-Reporter' is standing there with their phone camera and recording the event. It must happen from within, and this is not something that can be legislated, just as understanding of spirit, or the Tao, or Buddhism, or anything of value has to be experienced internally. We must manifest it from the inside out; it's not solely an intellectual endeavor, that's only 50% of it. I truly believe that I can see wu-wei being exercised at our very highest level of government. Things will fall into place; the United Nations is reexamining their own stance, their own involvement, from more of an internal viewpoint. The humanity and inhumanity of man is becoming a more focal idea; if one stands way out in 'space' and looks at the entire interplay with a very long lens, if one has the eyes, it can be seen.

I've never heard it better said than this.

I had a kind of interesting visual just now. It occurs to me that in the cosmic scheme of things, The Tao Bums are making ripples in a very altitudinous lake.

Thanks, Otis - it's been a long journey. A journey of both inspired and uninspired mayhem, lol. I always get a pinge when I see that you're in L.A. - my old stomping grounds. I went to Hollywood High back in the day....

That's my point exactly. It's like if they join the Jesus club they get a Get Out Of Jail Free card. I knew plenty of Christians when I lived on the west coast as well - but the folks back here in Ohio really seem to embrace arrogance and judgment as part of the religious structure. It certainly extends to their politics as well - this is Tea Party heaven. By talking to a minister or two, I'm just hoping to throw a pebble in the pond and start a ripple. I'll have to be real careful how I do it though...the desire is in my heart, and the best thing to do now is Do Nothing and wait for it to happen. It will, once the intent is set. Which it is.

Therefore, the sage: Alters with the seasons but doesn't transform, Shifts with things but doesn't change places with them. I'm thinking it's saying that the Sage doesn't have a firm stance on anything. He never becomes All-accepting or All-rejecting; nor is he always filled with pleasure or always angry. This mildness, the placid lake, is achieved through the inner cultivation. When we are no longer attached in an emotional way to the 10,000 things, we can remain in a state of placid calmness, from which clarity of vision is obtained.

There are some wonderful thoughts on this thread. I would just add that it would make sense to get out of yourself by doing for others. Even though it doesn't 'seem' to be directly in line with what you're going through, just the inner dynamic of changing from being furled inward to outwardly expressing in a more dynamic way. Maybe get into the habit of doing something for someone else that they don't know about, and keeping it a secret. The feeling resulting from doing this will start to build up into an inner worth that will strengthen you. It's an easy trick and it works really well. Also, Listener - aren't you the one that previously posted about your ability to place your hands on the piano keys and have the energy run up into you, enabling you to stylize in a completely different way? (Maybe I'm confusing you with someone else?) We seem to share the same talent - I discovered this same ability after becoming kundalini active. I was so surprised to hear someone else vocalize this... My guess is that the Intelligence will lead you to what will fit you like a glove, if you stay open to each day and Be Here Now. You know it's worked in other areas of your life - certainly it will work in this area as well. very best wishes to you, Barb

Ditto on this. Since becoming kundalini active about 6 years ago I've lost about 30 pounds. I haven't particularly tried to, although I try to keep a lid on what I eat. But it seems to be a phenomena of the kundalini energy burning the dross from our systems. This phenomena was also humorously touched on in the Castaneda series - there was a woman, a student of Don Juan's, named La Gorda. Although that means The Fat One in Spanish, after her exposure to the shamanic journey she lost a whole lot of weight. Apparently she became a gorgeous woman. But prior to her weight loss, they called her Two Hundred and Twenty Two Buttocks.

Hi Aaron - With your understanding of the TTC and your understanding of self, I would think this could turn out to be a grand experiment for you. It sounds like you are being thrust into a one-day-at-a-timeness that you could handle many ways. My recommendation would be to Be Here Now each and every day; to not sit in the problem (which I know you wouldn't) but to be aware of all the opportunities that you will be exposed to. Your creative and brilliant mind will see all the loose ends and immediately see where they can be tied together to benefit you and others. Things will come rolling down the pike for you; the hard part is to trust that process and Know that you are attracting to yourself everything you will need....if you stay in a positive mindset. My guess is that you'll come out of this with even more understanding of self than you already have. Best wishes to you; if it feels comfortable, please keep us posted on how things are going. I, for one, would be very interested. Barb