crystalhunting
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a forum with no name
RETURN3 ~ RicoOnDwn ~ Ratyap ~ RochelleDo
010720 ~ act one
RETURN3 ~ RicoOnDwn ~ Ratyap ~ RochelleDo is issue 010720 of a forum with no name. Forums appear monthly. Each forum issue has a different name – the sender shall be Jualt. You can forward these forums to those who might enjoy them, or ask me to add them to the free email list. The more the merrier! This issue is issued to 3600+ meta people.
a forum with no name aims to be an eclectic open metaphysics forum, a journey through our collective consciousness. To me, metaphysics is a study of common denominators of all things, applied to understanding and maintaining holistic harmony for wellness of one and all.
Email your comments for a forum to Jualt@aol.com. Please, not too long (prefer not longer than one page), as I'd like to include as many people as possible. Most of those of a forum I've meta in meta (chat rooms). You can send in a comment upon something someone else said, or send in something new. I prefer timeless observations of things that you think would be valuable to others in metaphysics. All correspondents within a forum are @aol.com unless otherwise noted.
Thoughts shared through a forum do not necessarily reflect my own beliefs. My own comments are those in brackets [like this], or those stand alone thoughts with no name. I tend to be a conditionalist, preferring "a" to "the", "could be" to "is", "some" or "most" to "all", "we" or "they". I say "conditional" as contrasted with "absolute", rather than as contrasted with "unconditional". I view things in terms of probability, rather than certainty or uncertainty, and I brainstorm, apply if/then logic, interpolate, navigate, “gubernate” as Timothy Leary might say.
Forums are named after those who have thanked me for receiving forums, advancing forward one letter of the alphabet with each issue, a dedication of that forum to those people (though that does not mean we agree on everything or even know one another). Essays are presented in alphabetical order by screen-names of senders, starting from the forum issue's letter, going forward through the alphabet one issue and then backwards the next, a lawn sprinkler method which seeks to be fair, though it looks like a gumball machine at times, or a potluck supper. As always, willing to remove anyone from this emailing list or add names to it. Just send a short note to Jualt@aol.com either way.
My impression, my "grok", of this issue is "bullies, history, ETs and metaphysics, long and somewhat serious". Thank you all very very much for the fine things you have shared. Good journey... Next forum 010819.
Now, on with the show!
Two debates in meta – sameness for harmony or reconciliation of diversity for harmony. Some don’t believe sameness is possible, and others don’t believe reconciliation of diversity is possible – especially given active deliberate opposition to both. I side with reconciliation of diversity for harmony, as I believe diversity is the norm and that maintenance of sameness causes friction – rebellion for the sake of rebellion when faced with order for the sake of order.
Another issue is lack of religion for peace versus harmonization of religion for peace. I don’t think we can get rid of religion because I believe spirit is an integral part of each individual, and that religion among humanity is a permanent reality. There are those who believe that only by shedding religion can humanity rid itself of the inharmonious divisions caused by religion. I think those in favor of lack of religion merely create another group which could clash with the others, and add to disharmony.
In both cases, both sides of the argument feel their view helps build and maintain peace. I believe both reconciliation of diversity and harmonization of world religions is possible, and hope my textbook is helpful in that regard.
RollingStone1492: re: essay The Mighty russ [forum 010621] – stop a moment for a reality check – I do agree that there is still too much bullying going on, and that role models in movies, politics, life and school unfortunately reinforce bullying habits – the [our] world isn’t perfect yet, but I do perceive significant changes – schools seem to be dealing with the bullying issue more rigorously than ever in the past – courts are more aggressive in prosecuting that kind of behavior, and the media is educating the public on this issue – try to become more aware and even active in eradicating this barbaric behavior – and maybe your perceptions may change – remember, our attitude toward what constitutes reality depends on our outlook on life – the full/empty glass – all of us can cite examples on either side of an argument, but to make a generalization calls for more effort to ascertain the trends and patterns – so that we should avoid the “I still don’t see any” – and move to a more informed opinion – Why? Because your comments will shape the next person’s perceptions – if they are premised on a faulty conclusion, ignorance and misperceptions will continue to permeate our lives – and we hope that we all do not want that to happen – I don’t want to sound like I’m attacking you, which I hope I am not – but your bias is again showing when you see mankind [humanity] – a priori – as “violent, vengeful ... predator .. with “predator strands, the 'mark of Cain'” – I would suggest you read Nodding’s book on the philosophy of caring – it presents the side of humanity you seem to belittle or to have lost sight of – yes, we (and little children) have good and bad in us – it’s what we do with those instincts and what we teach the next generation that is important – and since as rational beings we can choose, let us make the future more caring and humane – the free will you suggest may be questionable, but we can choose to make choices – and that is where the issue rests – as a footnote, pressure does not erode mountains or even diamonds, the least resilient material does that – just plain water! We are the walrus! [JualtRuss!]
[For the record, the comment equating predatory genetic strands to "the mark of Cain" was mine, rather than from The Mighty russ. I acknowledge there is much "goodness", or capacity for kindness and social harmony, within individuals. There seems to be a measure of capacities for good or bad within most all individuals or groups. I'd say nature (genetics), nurture and self-programming all influence human development. I'd say an influence of genetics is revealed when criminals remain criminal despite love, support, mercy or "goodness", and also when "good" people remain good despite adversity, abuse, neglect or victimization. Check out the material in this issue sent by Realdalase and HorseWithNoNames.]
Re: Essay Fghf485465 [forum 010621] – what a breath of fresh air, reading your insightful, balanced, rational essay – I’m glad it appeared last – to offset ranting nay-sayers and pessimists that seem to be in too much of a hurry to splatter us with their venom instead of taking the time and making an effort to think their issues through – great writing – keep on sending more to us.
Re: GSlackeaux@cs.com's summary of “Memento” [forum 010621] a bell rang somewhere – the plot was just too familiar – I know I had seen that story somewhere – well, it was episode 8X03 of the “X-Files” run on 12/10/00 – where a killer wakes up and is accused of killing his wife – and each time he wakes up it is a day earlier in his life – and I won’t give the ending away – there was a purpose to the time going backwards – some plots are just too good not to be recycled.
[I recently saw Tom Hank’s movie, Castaway, and, although it is bittersweet, it is truly worth experiencing... In some ways it is a story of a jerk who gets the karma of jerk and yet remains a jerk, but I enjoyed it a lot. LOL! I really felt it is a masterpiece in its own right.]
RochelleDo: I felt rather frustrated reading about what has been going on with you and Russ and wishing I could think of something to say that would help. Well the very next thing I clicked on was an old Eman8tions at the top of my mailbox and it looked just the thing to reread.
Sometimes Eman8tions' stuff really hits the spot!!!
Eman8tions: Nobody loves too much. No such thing. ~ If there is a problem, it lies [rests] elsewhere. ~ It is very self-serving to say that the problem is that we love too much. Chances are that some kind of unsuccessful manipulation has occurred that was not seen as love by the victim of your love trap. ~ Love is truly generous. Neediness that makes us desperate, do foolish things, is [can be] the [a] problem. Then our expectations may disappoint or devastate us. ~ This is not a trivial problem. It can go to the core of a marriage or any kind of partnership in which one person puts energy out hoping for a fair return. ~ The kind of love that needs nothing in return is an extraordinary ideal, almost non-existent in human relationships. We hope for enlightened self-interest in a mutual exchange of love and energy. ~ As always, the world is here purifying us, disabusing us of naive and selfish notions as we walk the path. ~ We hope to grow in our love, not to let it die because of disappointments. ~ Love benefits the one who loves. It purifies us and makes us generous. When that happens to us it doesn’t matter what we get in return. ~ Needy people matching orbits can revolve around each other. ~ But truly loving people are flooded by something beyond that, a generosity and abundance in which the light of the soul pours in all directions, two as one, one as all. ~ It is when our love is coming from the divine that the beautiful thing happens, enfolds the lover and the beloved in fearless abundance.
[Eman8tions offers free upon request via email thought for the day.
[Unions have expectations from the start, and perhaps sometimes these are unrealistic, and cause problems. Sometimes expectations are reasonable, and if they are unmet, then perhaps separation is for the best... Neglect might be better than abuse, but perhaps neither should be continued in union – one would hope the “divine” would wish healthy love for people... I’ve heard it suggested that romantic love might represent a karmic debt, or else a soulmate reunion... I’d say similar phenotypes can have varied genotypes, and that each person’s situation is somewhat individualized.
[There was a discussion in meta chat about whether romantic love originates with the heart, or with the "ego" (in spiritual jargon meaning "self"), or "id" (in psychological terms the "I want" part of one's mind). I side with heart, as I think ego is a psychological component of mind, and I’ve viewed romantic love as involuntary, something we feel whether we wish to or not, whereas I’ve felt ego has more choice... People don’t necessarily control their emotions, moods, but have some choice about how to cope with or enjoy them. I would say that perhaps sometimes problems in romantic love show one is out of harmony with the “divine”, but sometimes there are other factors, as the divine seems accepting of free will.
[I advise people to stop walking down a one-way street if they’ve been walking that path for a while. One-sided love can be a problem for both sides. I advise people to accept people as they are, and make your own adjustments. I warn that Take Take Take feeds on Love Love Love, and advise people to seek communication and then greater distance from that which causes them internal or external negativity. Some among the Love Love Love crew might advise blind Love Love Love, and then if someone gets hurt by being too trusting, then tell that person that they were meant to be hurt, that it was part of God’s plan for them, and I really disagree with that. It seems natural for those spiritually inclined to preach Love Love Love, but a parent raising a child would hopefully offer some guidance, as ours is a world full of pitfalls and predators. Go with love, but be cautious.
[Because it is a known that ours is a world with predators and pitfalls, I sometimes wonder about the intent of those who preach blind Love Love Love (proverbial wolves in sheep's clothing), though I would agree those well-intended are Michael-aligned. I understand spirit is uplifted dharmicly by actions that are beneficial to others, creating good karma for self and by improving the condition of our world. Karma is upon intent and effect. I cannot agree with those Lucifer-aligned who preach or live Take Take Take... Anything you take for granted you run a risk of losing. Responsibility rests where consequence lands. Responsibility can be a shared thing. It seems convenient or easy for those of spiritual intent to preach against being self-serving, against being selfish, when truth be that we must be a touch self-serving and selfish to survive. Each individual has spirit and soul. Spirit and soul are individual things, even if we do belong to greater wholes. Seek to live in our world(s) in ways that maintain both spiritual and physical wellness.
[I believe in fair trade and kindness. I am willing to sometimes do my end of the deal first. If the person I am making trade with comes through, then my physical wellness is enhanced. And, if that person is dishonorable, then my karma is advanced. I avoid the logic of "it's a bad world so you got to be worse", because I believe life is built and maintained through trading. I say be kind to others as you are able, as a normal way of life – but step back from a person who demeans your kindness. I give others a large quota for my one-sided giving, and then sometimes I stop. Unconditional love can foster predators and parasites. For my own wellness, I keep an eye on that which is fair, and that which is affordable. I know that karmicly negative imprints can numb one or influence one to become more karmicly negative, and I seek to avoid letting that happen to me. By seeing how othera respond to your kindness, you get an impression of their character. I can continue to be kind, to engage in one-sided giving, even if I choose to stop walking down a one-way street with a particular person.]
RETURN3: WICCA1 writes: It suddenly occurred to me not long ago that it is far easier to be tolerant of others if you are a minority than if you are a majority. Why, you might ask. Isn’t it obvious? When you are a minority, even if you are not personally discriminated against, it is easier to relate to other minorities and their treatment from society.
It may be a primal urge, or just social behavior, but the majority always tries to make everyone fit their mold, and, if they don’t, they seek to discard or exclude them. Perhaps it is part of the herding instinct gone awry.
Christian assimilation of Pagan Europe was a classic example of a society unable to tolerate anyone, any idea, any religious belief, that did not conform. The end product here is arrogance.
Minorities, on the other hand, be they racial, religious, sexual orientation or others, can feel empathy to others in their struggle, not to become a majority but to be accepted as normal people who happen to believe, feel or look differently than a large part of society.
Not all members of a majority are unable to be tolerant and not all members of a minority are able to be tolerant. There are always exceptions and there are always those who seek to gain by setting one group against the other. But there is good news out there. As the older generations fade, their children for the most part see the world in a different light. Truly, knowledge is the [a] hammer that will break down walls. W1
[RETURN3 offers a free upon request monthly Wiccan-conducted forum via email.
[I think Christian genocide against non-Christians was a terrible thing, but I don't think pagans should forget that part of the influence of the development of that Christian attitude was pagan genocide against early Christians in which thousands were fed to lions in front of crowds of cheering pagans. No house has a clean past. Many are born into situations they did not create... For peace we must seek to live in peace.]
RENOIR 9: Past ... Present ... Future! It is all about awareness. Spiritual consciousness, wisdom and insight from the past is all about what we bring to our present existence. What we learn and take from life’s experiences ... is found within our present consciousness. What we choose to recall, renew or relive is about spiritual discipline this time around ... a gift to ourselves to advance in the moment. Just as the soul of Jesus awakened to the Christ consciousness in his present life span of existence, so it is for us to learn to transcend and be the living expression ... of the LOVE of GOD too. Thank you...
Realdalase: re: forum 010621
Essay: The Mighty russ: What a wonderful piece of writing. There is a list of people from the Philosophy chat room that are, at times, good at rendering a piece of logic. I call them HUTAs, even though they are much better than most I have heard, they still have their heads up their asses for the more profound. In fact, I will almost for sure label you a HUTA, but probably of a lesser degree. Your article on victims turning on their tormentors or bullies, is so profound in explaining how Columbine and others came into being. You didn’t go farther, and I’m sure you shouldn’t have at this time, and I think you have just touched the tip of the iceberg. Waco was a slaughter by the bullies, and the aftermath, Oklahoma City, was a sick perverted way for Tim McVeigh to show the bullies up. What makes me sick is to hear all the back-slapping and hoorahing when T. M. was executed, and so far as I could see, no attempt to learn a single thing about what made him what he was. What is the saying? Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat and repeat and repeat. Thank you.
LosLobos 6: I will send this to my sister and brother-in-law who are teachers that witnessed the Santana shooting. Let's see what they have to say, huh? They have worked at Santana for 20 and 30 years, respectively... They both saw the deaths of two well-liked students who were not bullies... Charles “Andy” Williams (the shooter) wasn’t picking off bullies; he barely even knew his victims; they just got in the f--king way! His problem, in his own words, was that he was called names, and was picked on, and had a skateboard stolen, and he moved... WELL, SO DID I! I moved 12 times before I reached my senior year in high school. I was picked on and even stalked in high-school. I don’t want to hear your feeble crap about what caused these teen shooters to do what they did. You tell this crap to my brother-in-law, who saw the entire thing go down and was almost caught in the line of fire, himself... He has Post Trauma so badly that he may retire early; he’s 53. And my sister ... she still can’t talk about this. Every staff member at that school, and every student, has been deeply affected by what they saw. They watched as 14- and 15-year-old students screamed in terror, ditching their backpacks, running for their lives, and were hit by bullets... The two students that died were both students in my brother-in-law's classes. It has tested their faith in God, and both were devout believers, and good, moral, and loving people. They are changed forever. Now you go and tell the parents of the dead victims this horse-s--t. It’s easy to be philosophical when it’s not happening to you, or in your back yard.
[God or positive dharma might not stop you from being harmed, but both can help a healing process.]
Realdalas: Please believe me. I am not in the least trying to justify what was done. I am merely searching for a way to prevent more Columbines from happening. Tim McVeigh’s execution was totally justified, and I never even considered anything different, but I still want to know what created Tim McVeigh. Surely, you don’t think he was born that way. The people of this nation and world are becoming much more violent and destructive. One of the things that could be contributing is the attitude of wait till someone kills, then we can justifiably kill them. If that is so, are we in any less of a “NEED-TO-KILL” mode? Logically speaking, we could be in more of a need-to-kill mode.
[Tim's sister allegedly said Tim refused to work on military planes carrying drugs, and separated unhappily from the military service, bitter, and that the Waco massacre influenced him to see our government as deceitful and murderous, an enemy of the people. Tim might have seen our government as one body. I see our government as a machine with many seemingly invisible hands pushing buttons. Tim saw "evil" and turned away, removing his "goodness" and leaving the field to "evil". Tim saw violence as his means of doing "good". Violence is usually karmicly negative, even in self-defense when it's an eye for an eye fulfillment of karma. Violence can be seen as a reasonable means for change when non-violent options for change are unavailable. We all need good people in law, medicine, journalism and government. Joining in the turning away can strengthen that which you turned away from. As Buddha might say, we have responsibilities to maintain wellness of self, community and world, and, in the ecology of things, they all influence one another.]
WithrowG: In our need to understand why such murders occur and I, a resident of Colorado, consider Columbine a planned murder, we often miss the truth as it sits on our noses to be seen. I have no doubt that the two boys who did this horrid crime are troubled kids. Well, so was I, and I did not grow up to murder or maim anyone. Not physically nor emotionally. Though I admit we all hurt each other from time to time, it is no reason to kill. We forget that a person’s soul can be seriously damaged. Their spirits broken. Though the body lives on, there is [can be] so much damage.
[Through time and positive imprinting, there can be some healing and renewal.]
Yes, there are some who are born with serious problems. Defective genes [bad seed] I believe is the popular term these days. Why is someone born with a defective gene problem? We now know it is more then one gene that causes the problem. It is the reaction [or sequence] of the various defective genes and how they effect one another that causes the problems, physical or mental, to occur.
[Similar phenotypes can be caused by different genotypes.]
Can you be a born killer? I understand this is being studied. What isn’t being studied these days? I do know that a woman in Colorado got away with murder because she was not in her right mind. She was suffering from a psychotic episode when she committed murder. She is bipolar, as I am, and she was put in a mental health care hospital, until she was recovered enough to be released. She will never be held responsible for the murder she committed.
If she was truly insane at the time, my heart goes out to her and the family who lost the loved one. Still, I have never felt the need to kill anyone but myself. [A difference between depression and anger?] Even this I haven’t done, though I have been very close in the past two years. Something inside stops me. I want to live more then I desire to die. But this is me. I can only say what has been my experience. I can’t speak for the woman who got away with murder because she was born with the right defective genes that sent her mind over the edge and she killed. By law, she will never be responsible.
[When an individual is not responsible, then society becomes responsible? Responsibility rests where consequence lands.]
LosLobos 6: Look, I know what it is like to be bullied until you're bloody! I know how a loaded gun, held by a drunk, feels against the skull. I am aware of the need to medicate yourself from the pain caused by others. I was thrown down and kicked until I was sure I would never bear children. Drugs were easily available at my home, as were guns. They were kept loaded and hidden all around our home. Easy to pick up a gun and plug my mother. She had it coming, Lord knows. My step-father was my supply of endless booze. I could down tequila with the best of them by age 10. By age 15, my neck and nose had been broken from blows to the face. Surgery on my nose years later proved that the inside of my nose had been broken four times. Broken legs, arms, fingers, toes, right knee and the list goes on.
But here is my point: I did not grow up a child abuser. I saw the warning signs and I was in therapy. I did not grow up and become a doper. [Everyone has a valid need to recreate – an issue is not whether or not to recreate, but rather how to recreate responsibly.] I hate having to take medications to this day because of what I learned at my mother’s knee. But I do what I have to and the amount of medications are far less than Mommie Dearest's medications. She had five doctors – my sister located the fifth doctor just recently – and Mother used three drug stores. This was well thought out by my sadly addicted mother. She, as well as her mother, were also bipolar, as was my father, from all medical records that we could locate. My father did drugs and drink. I am not a drunk, never have been. Again I saw the warning signs and again I took action to help myself. Yes, the environment I grew up in was a great influence on me. I learned by 13 or so that if I did the OPPOSITE of my step-father and Mother, I was usually headed in the right direction.
I had no control over being born bipolar, with all the illness that tags along, so I understand Post Traumatic Stress! I know this pain and I also know this is one of the largest triggers I have that can and has and will again, cause a manic cycle for me. But this I could do little about. This was thrust upon me. But this is not a license to kill. Not unless it finally drives you to insanity, temporary or not.
After years of hiding behind the karma bit, I finally came out of the shadow to face myself. My own cause and effect. The reactions I forced upon others by my own actions. If you can give of yourself in kindness and love, you will usually be treated the same way, but not always. There is always that little room for the unexpected to occur.
Yes, our children, the children of the world, are in trouble. They have been since the time of Plato, who I believe wrote a piece on this very topic. Today we have instant news, as it is happening. Even wars are fought and people are killed, right before our eyes, as it is occurring. This leaves me with knowledge. This arms me with more information than I often wish to have. This leaves me very cold and frightened inside at times.
WE [SOME] cannot, and I must stress the word CANNOT, help our children, until we are able to help ourselves! Until we can feed all the hungry, food a great motivator, there will [could] be wars fought. Then we must consider the food of the soul, mind and spirit. These things too must be fed. But we, the adults of the [our] world, have not yet learned to feed our own hunger. How can we be the examples our children must have, until we can nurture ourselves? I think about this all the time.
[Perhaps some working together as world or community is sometimes necessary for individual wellness? I like to think my textbook, The Thought of Christos, provides some helpful tools.]
Still I look to the beauty all around me. When I am not too ill, my glass is half full, never half empty. Gary and I share what we have. My entire community does this. This is called love for our fellow man/woman-kind. I believe this might be a vital key to our problems. We must love ourselves so others may love us in return. None of this is new. We simply have faster communication. Still, once our schools were safer then they are now. This concerns me greatly. It seems our teachers need much more support then they get from some parents. We all must reach out to education. Educate ourselves and help to prepare our children, through education, for a safer tomorrow.
When I was a kid I was told all the time that I was a two-bit whore, a slut, a bitch, that I would be working the streets by age 16, on dope and a drunk, that I would never amount to anything but trash. Then again, I was born of trash and I fought my way out of the gutter. Never have I tried to seek some revenge. I do seek peace and not just for me. I am far more concerned about the peace of mind our babies so crave, than the needs of the adults who can help themselves. I rage at the adults who can help themselves, yet refuse to!
I may be ill, but I have begun to build a life for myself. I may become worse again, but once I have recovered, I will begin where I left living off and start my life back up again. I am not the things my loving family said I was. Nor did I have to become those things. So many use such things as an excuse not to try! This too makes me rage.
We are not born blank pages to be filled in as time goes by, but we do reach an age where we hold some responsibility for ourselves. The adults of this world had best hurry up and get their act together, if we are to save our children. As I write that last comment, I also know in my heart, there will always be the babies who crawl out from their own personal hell and become great and good human beings. This gives me hope that I shall always hold near and dear to my life!
[I agree that we are born with a set of genetics, rather than a blank slate, and then nurture interacts with nature to influence our individual human development, and we are capable of self-programming too.]
I can’t help but to say a prayer for your sister and her husband, many, many times. No one should ever face what they did. I grieve for the dead child and all the kids who will never be the same after this horrible shooting. Just know that I do think about the shootings. All the shootings. I pray we learn from our mistakes and can find a way to help the kids who are doing these horrible killings!
Quasar602: Re: Essay Her bobby boy, forum 010621: Thank you for such an enthusiastic response to my essay. I plan on tackling your observations point by point as they came up in your response. I found that you very much understood what the paper was about and find that your only real problem is how one would reconcile Kant’s perspective on causality with my idea of free will: “...freedom is the ability to achieve actualization within the limits of our potentiality...”. I am sorry to say that I have no background in Kant and the quote I used from him was just a way to bolster my views with someone who would be considered an authority on the subject (though I view my use of the quote to be correct). Luckily however the problem you cited from Kant I do have an understanding of. I believe that the problem is solved by recognizing certain aspects of the physical world, particularly Quantum Physics. Kant based his if/then philosophy on the idea that causality could be used to predict all future activities and thus he would need to have a very strict view of free will (if not toss free will altogether). This is essentially the result of Newton's work. However with the advent of new understandings of the universe came Quantum Physics and particularly the Indeterminacy Principle (developed by Werner Heisenberg). I see the uncertainty principle as allowing for a degree of “elbow room” as Dennett would call it. Essentially indeterminacy in my opinion allows for small chips in the armor of the if/then approach, in return allowing for a degree of choice which wouldn’t fall under the title of fated or determined (in the strictest sense). This is how I see man [a person] being able to “choose” which potentials to actualize (my free will being the actualization of predetermined potentials). Explanation of this concept would be lengthy so I submit this for the time being as I wait for further response. But please note that I was not arguing Kant’s position on free will, but rather I was arguing my position on the topic. Do remember that Kant’s position on free will is due to him seeing the universe as following the laws of causality and his thoughts on that were modern in the sense that they conformed to accepted science. In this day and age I would think it possible for his opinion to change on this subject. Again thanks for your response to my essay and feel free to E-mail me with particular questions.
[Quasar602 moderates an on-line metaphysics posting board: http://beta.groups.aol.com/metacht]
prophets@greatmystery.org: The Prophets Conference is bringing together a large number of our best Scientists, Healers, Poets and Mystics into the beautiful setting of Victoria, B.C., Canada, for an unsurpassed August gathering of our kindred, our tribe. Delegates may stay in The University of Victoria dormitories for as little as $33usd double occupancy, or about $16 each. A single room is only $25usd each. We invite you to enjoy our Victoria webpage at http://www.greatmystery.org/victoriaconference.html.
One of the powerful teachers joining us is Brooke Medicine-Eagle, an American native Earthkeeper, teacher, ceremonial leader, sacred ecologist, song-writer, Feng Shui practitioner, and catalyst for wholeness, whose dedication is to bring forward the ancient truths concerning how to live a fully human life in sustaining harmony with All Our Relations. She is the author of a spiritual autobiography, BUFFALO WOMAN COMES SINGING and her new book, THE LAST GHOST DANCE, is on the transformational practices of Earth magic and ascending into our greater humanity. Brooke’s current focus is on nurturing the emerging fully human Being.
OUR TIME OF AWAKENING HAS COME by Brooke Medicine Eagle
All of us alive on Lady Gaia at this time have the opportunity to be an active part of the rainbow of light that creates the [a] bridge into a new and golden time for All Our Relations and us. [Rainbow bridge = Norse?] At this point in human history, we have the opportunity to literally bring Heaven to Earth. Our ability to visualize and believe that it is possible for us in fact to lift ourselves up, to fully embody Spirit, is what will make this ascension possible. Creator is urging us to pick up the profound work of our Earthly ancestors and move responsibly into our own piece of the action. The exciting part is that our personal piece is one of completion, an opportunity to finalize something Mother Earth and humanity have been working on for aeons. We do not need so much to re-hash the past as to understand exactly where we are right now, and that we have the ability to make a quantum leap by truly learning how to use what is our birthright as Creator’s children: A magical, shamanist way of being in our lives here and now.
We can use our understanding of the past to move forward into our future. Whatever ‘facts’ and knowledge I bring to you are meant as a way of grounding these prophetic principles in Earth clothing. They are meant to be inspirational and empowering. Life is unfolding something marvelous and miraculous, and the more quickly and completely we embrace this opening with our understanding, our trust and joy, and take our own personal action, the sooner the unfolding magnificence will spring full and bright into our everyday reality. Far greater energies are moving than what I can humbly describe in these words: The ages and the aeons are coming around to fullness, to fulfillment of prophecies more ancient than time, as universal as the very Source of All Life.
These momentous forces are a given; they are creating a great and beautiful song to which we are invited to dance. I am extending an invitation for you to step into the joy and beauty that will result from taking your part as a responsible creator, a partner in aliveness – an Earth mage who does reliable and positive Earth “magic” in service of All Our Relations. For it is as we bring these profound ways of being into our everyday Earthly life that we have enough magic to ascend to higher levels of functioning. It is a process, not of leaving Earth (rising above or beyond her) but of tuning in to Spirit alive, and rising with Earth and All Our Relations. Those who wish to remain with Earth on her journey into a higher level of being must choose to elevate their vibration to match hers. White Buffalo Woman and Dawn Star have told us that this vibration is one of harmonious resonance, of unity, peace, Love, and coming into true Oneness. Those of us who choose this uplifting path of the heart will feel the richness, joy, and prospering that will be magnified from our actions. [A nice affirmation.]
Our time of awakening has come. This time we will be able to ground the vision fully into the Earth and make it real. I look forward to walking with you on a journey toward that renewing dance of life, toward the bright new world that awaits us and All Our Relations.
[Our human ability to elevate spirit, or to fall to more negative dharmic realms, seems timeless (as does the rhetoric that our planet shall physically leave this dimension). Our androgynous planet, Earth, could exist simultaneously in dimensions high and low, and humans of similar vibratory range exist within them.]
PeneeSmile: The following letter was sent to me by my lovely daughter, Kerrie. Kerrie recently ended a 10-plus-year relationship with her partner/boyfriend Scott ... a painful ordeal for her: When I read this, I smiled and said, “That’s MY kid!”
Dear Friends... I believe that life is merely a series of moments, and every now and then we have one that changes us. I shared a moment with a stranger last night that inspired me to express what I’ve learned... It’s not important really what this stranger said; it’s that he said it at all... In a single exchange I feel like years' worth of healing were revealed to me ... and I wanted to share this with you, to encourage each of you to be open to experiencing your lives ... of having moments that really matter. Take the time to look a stranger in the eye and be open, and certainly take the time to have moments with the people who are close to you. I have a lot of respect for the power of moments, and how life affirming they are.
March 10 – June 12, 2001 ~ Lessons on Love ~ The summary of a chapter in my life... Everything we experience has a beginning, middle, an ending, and is followed by a new beginning. Life may be an endless going and returning, but love is the [a] single thread that weaves us all together. I must remain mindful that although this has been a trying time, it has certainly been a meaningful one. I have learned that loving isn’t about winning; I may never win, but I will never lose, for I will always learn from what takes place in my life ... and my life will always be filled with love. Love is omnipotent. Believing that, accepting that as a truth, has taught me the secret of experiencing a true present, of knowing what it is to share a moment with another human being and to experience Love. How rare for the ephemeral to become tangible, how precious and miraculous. Love is beautiful! The first lesson I learned was that true partnership is only achieved by separate and whole beings who retain their uniqueness even as they unite, and that an enduring union must be lived in the present ... for even if our present is based on our reflection of the past and our perception of the future ... we can only share our love in the present... All we really have in life are moments. This particular lesson has been a process of learning to love myself. Discovering that I know I am a unique individual has been the greatest mechanism of self-change. In the past negligence or refusal to see clearly the truth inside of me made it impossible to break the momentum of old habits. I had to integrate unconscious motive with conscious intent. I had to open my eyes and make some important changes. It took a radical severance from the life I knew. I learned that through inconvenience and discomfort the greatest growth is promoted. In this awakening, my emergence from a closed state to the place I am now, I have seen such beauty and felt such joy. I have seen the light and truth within me, but I’ve also had to identify my shadows. I had to examine what inside me magnetizes misfortune in my life, such as expecting too much, anticipation, conforming to the behavioral expectations of our culture, living in the shadows ... refusal to accept the dark and repressed side, places where growth has been stunted, resulting in weakness I project onto others. While I’ve been changing I’ve tried to reflect, but it took being hurt for me to see that my old ways have come to an end – I simply can not repeat the old and not suffer. Looking at my life at this moment I understand the requirements for growth. When I look upon my pain with a smile, the shadows, troubles, denials and setbacks become teachers, guides and friends. Each “setback”, each humiliation, is a test of my character. Patience and perseverance are called for – staying centered and seeing the humor that is present within each moment. With renewed clarity and the release of my pain, I am now free to begin to know the joy of receiving and the joy of non-attached giving... I am free to know Love. I have learned that in Love, nothing external matters, except as it shows you its inner reflection. Love is beautiful... It is the greatest gift ... but because it is ephemeral and omnipotent the gift is in the knowing, not the having ... for how can you have something that is everything. [In sympathetic magic, by touching a part, one touches its whole.] I choose to learn from Love, to grow from Love... Love has tested my character, my faith ... and with humility, I choose to believe in Love. I welcome the opportunity to be asked again to share my heart, and I have faith that someday someone will want to share his with mine. Someday I will have a partnership, an enduring and loving union ... as long as I continue to take the risk to believe in Love, Love will always exist!
[Romantic love can be an involuntary natural thing that we may chose to embrace or reject, but we do not choose to initiate. If one suffers in love, then one's capacity to feel love can be numbed. It is not that the good die young, but that the good in people can die... Sometimes I tire of being single, and wish I had a companion. Other times I relish the peace and solitude of my home. I am content with myself, so I do not normally feel lonely when alone, and I have felt lonely and alone when I was with the “wrong person”. I have found that being content with self can help offset pain of separation... One Chinese view was that any two people could be put together as a couple, and the issues they face would be the same as those faced by any other couple, and it would be up to them to make the union work, with no chance of divorce... I just have been particular, and the life, warmth and joy of involuntary romantic love seems worthwhile still to me, though I appreciate that some combine on the gentle warm love that can grow through time and endurance, and others form unions for lust or practicality... Mellow masculine moderate metaphysician who likes frisbee, bodybuilding, movies and beach seeks same?]
Nikita3332: The past and the future are one. There is no separation. All we do affects who we are.
There is no control except for infantile egomaniacs. Even for them control is only an illusion.
Sometimes people are so busy listening to themselves that they don't hear what's really going on. You want to see determination: My son is autistic through no fault of anyone's. Yet he tries to be an amazing soul every day he wakes up. He is the most revered of God's creatures because he tries so hard. THAT'S metaphysical!
Jualt, I agree: What appears charming can be unspeakably evil. I just wish I could learn to recognize the difference. I know there is a light that shines in me. Cancer can't kill it. All who know me know that light. I will share it with all I can before I go because God gave it to me to share. Please be with me friends – now is when I need you all.
[I think reality is reflected by those with a mix of polite and grit, a touch of dust while still civilized, a mix. When I meet someone aligned with Love Love Love who puritanically seeks to seem to be only charming, I understand that that could be a facade, a wolf in sheep's clothing...]
Mystnerth: “Good Things”...
The best way to get even is to forget... ~ Feed your faith and your doubts will starve to death... ~ God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts... ~ Some folks wear their halos much too tight... ~ Some marriages are made in heaven, but they ALL have to be maintained on Earth... ~ Unless you can create the WHOLE universe in five [galactic?] days, then perhaps giving “advice” to God, isn’t such a good idea! ~ Sorrow looks back; worry looks around, and faith looks up... ~ Standing in the middle of the road is [can be] dangerous. You will [could] get knocked down by the traffic from both ways. [That seems a risk. Nevertheless, centered can be a good way to be, not given to one-sided rhetoric, but understanding an ecology of things.] ~ Words are windows to the heart. ~ A skeptic is a person who, when he [or she] sees the handwriting on the wall, claims it’s a forgery. ~ It isn’t difficult to make a mountain out of a molehill, just add a little dirt. ~ A successful marriage isn’t finding the right person – it’s being the right person. ~ The mighty oak tree was once a little nut that held its ground. ~ Too many people offer God prayers with claw marks all over them. ~ The tongue must be heavy indeed, because so few people can hold it. ~ To forgive is to set the prisoner free, and then discover the prisoner was you. ~ You have to wonder about humans... They think God is dead and Elvis is alive! ~ It’s all right to sit on your pity-pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done. ~ You’ll notice that a turtle only makes progress when it sticks out its neck... ~ If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, you can bet the water bill is higher. ~ You are richer today if you have laughed, given or forgiven.
MsGrace46 from Sir Russell P. Flewellen, II: Death of Common Sense
Today we mourn the passing of an old friend by the name of Common Sense. Common Sense lived a long life but died from heart failure at the brink of the millennium. No one really knows how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He selflessly devoted his life to service in schools, hospitals, homes, factories and offices, helping folks get jobs done without fanfare and foolishness. For decades, petty rules, silly laws and frivolous lawsuits held no power over Common Sense. He was credited with cultivating the valued lesson: Life isn’t always fair. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you earn), reliable parenting strategies (the adults are in charge, not the kids), and it’s okay to come in second, provided you did your very best. A veteran of the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, and the Technological Revolution, Common Sense survived cultural and educational trends including feminism, body piercing, whole language and new math, as well as the latter years of the Clinton era. Slowly, his health declined when he became infected with the if-it-only-helps-one-person-it’s-worth-it mind set. In recent decades his waning strength proved no match for the ravages of overbearing federal and state regulation, and wasteful spending by the U.S. Dept. Of Defense. He watched in pain as good people became ruled by self-seeking lawyers and enlightened auditors. Recently, his health rapidly deteriorated when schools endlessly implemented zero tolerance policies, reports of six-year-old boys charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate on the cheek, a teen suspended for taking a swig of mouthwash after lunch, and a teacher fired for reprimanding a dangerously unruly student. It declined even further when schools had to get parental consent for an on-duty RN to administer aspirin to a student, but cannot inform parents when the female student is pregnant or wants an abortion. Finally, Common Sense lost his will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, criminals received better treatment than victims, and federal judges stuck their noses in everything from Boy Scouts to professional sports.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers: Rights, Tolerance and Whiner. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
[One can hope that the demise of common sense is greatly exaggerated... Perhaps it is memory that is lost by all... It is said that in the end times all things become known, which could be why some struggle so hard to keep things from becoming known... But all things become known... And forgotten... I have joked that middle age is when Attention Deficit Disorder meets Alzheimer’s Syndrome... Praise ginkobiloba! But for now, I think common sense is still alive at least... Perhaps common sense has always been a bit uncommon...]
mfaisalalam@yahoo.com from Saeed Ahmed: Gays & Islam
The intolerance and hostility of the conservative Muslim community around the world toward gay Muslims drove many of them underground, where for years they lived in constant fear of being discovered. The few occasions they banded together proved disastrous. In 1979, a San Francisco-based group, the Lavender Crescent Society, sent five members to Iran to create a gay Muslim movement. The five were taken straight from the airport to a prison and killed. And in the early 1990s, a Toronto-based organization, Min-Alaq, folded after its members received death threats from other Muslims. With the advent of the Internet, however, gay Muslims have found a safe and anonymous place for their exchanges – from sites that let them identify themselves by nationality, such as Gay Iran, to those built around ethnic affiliation, such as the Gay and Lesbian Arab Society of New York. Al-Fatiha, which grew out of an e-mail discussion group in 1997, now has nine chapters in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, and claims to have reached more than 2,000 Muslims. There are even plans to open a chapter in Jerusalem – in conjunction with Jerusalem Open House, a multi-faith gay center co-founded by Steven Greenberg, an openly gay Orthodox rabbi in the United States. “Roughly a thousand years ago, in cities like Baghdad and Granada, Jews and Muslims created vibrant, religiously complex and remarkably open cultures, which included a quiet toleration of same-sex love,” said Greenberg, who sees the partnership as an experiment in cultural renewal. “Our traditions have very old and venerable resources of tolerance and respect for difference. Our job is to find them and run with them.”
mikmikl: Wisdom gives us a gentle view of the imponderable high-way and illuminates the free-way to happiness. Now go the extra S-mile. – mikmikl ~ When I get a little money I buy books, and if any money is left I buy food and clothes. – Erasmus
[mikmikl offers free upon request monthly metaphysical email.]
MaryEllen@angelscribe.com: Mock Car Crashes
My daughter, Ariel, was on a date when she called home to tell me not to worry, that she was “Okay”.
All the little hairs up on my neck started to stand up as Ariel went on to report she had come upon a car accident seconds after the cars screeching and flipping had stopped. People were injured and she was going to help until the emergency teams arrived. Sometimes you are divinely put in a situation to be another’s Earth Angel ... and it was Ariel’s turn.
Ariel is a lifeguard and is known to be a calming presence in an emergency.
The Gig Harbor police and fire departments in conjunction with the local high school leadership class created a scene for the graduating high school seniors and it left everyone changed for the better.
Ariel had a small roll in the mock “play”. It was her job to run onto the newly discovered crash scene and hysterically run from vehicle to vehicle screaming. Over the school’s address system the commentator said how this action wastes valuable time and can cost a life. He said it is imperative to call 911 immediately.
So, last night, as soon as Ariel saw the smoking, broken vehicles she jumped from her car and started to call out, “Did anyone call 911?” No one had, so she did.
She covered the male injured victim in a blanket and talked to him to avoid his going into further shock.
If your community wants to put on an educational reenactment of the car crash to save lives ... contact your local fire department. They love to do this, because they are in the business of saving lives.
Last night’s accident made a deep impact on Ariel. She realizes she was only seconds away from being hit herself and how someone’s life’s direction can change suddenly in a flash.
For info on mock car crashes: http://www.angelscribe.com/l_052700.html ~ http://www.angelscribe.com/l_060800.html
[MaryEllen will be at Border’s Books in Eugene from 6:00pm to 9:00pm on July 24th. MaryEllen@angelscribe.com offers free upon request via email news about Earth Angels...]
MagusLord79: Kant was a windbag, and although he had some insight, I fail to align with the hero-worship extended to him. I am familiar with the Critique of Pure Reason, and I know fully well the sensible forms of our intuitions being space and time. Yet, I cannot help but differ on the matter of spatio-temporality being nothing more than the reasonable statements derived from our general experience of the world.
For me, time is generated by the motion of things and how this motion becomes ingrained into the memory of our mind.. We [Some] recall things in order, and consequently always assume from our normal recollection the order in which those impressions came into us. Thus, since the impressions become ideas into the structure of our mind, they are stored in the specific order of which we experience the world. I think that spatio-temporality is the reasonable assumption made about the world, and cannot see how such things are in Kantian terms “intuited”. Finis.
~ end act one ~
~ intermission ~
RETURN3 ~ RicoOnDwn ~ Ratyap ~ RochelleDo
010720 ~ act one
RETURN3 ~ RicoOnDwn ~ Ratyap ~ RochelleDo is issue 010720 of a forum with no name. Forums appear monthly. Each forum issue has a different name – the sender shall be Jualt. You can forward these forums to those who might enjoy them, or ask me to add them to the free email list. The more the merrier! This issue is issued to 3600+ meta people.
a forum with no name aims to be an eclectic open metaphysics forum, a journey through our collective consciousness. To me, metaphysics is a study of common denominators of all things, applied to understanding and maintaining holistic harmony for wellness of one and all.
Email your comments for a forum to Jualt@aol.com. Please, not too long (prefer not longer than one page), as I'd like to include as many people as possible. Most of those of a forum I've meta in meta (chat rooms). You can send in a comment upon something someone else said, or send in something new. I prefer timeless observations of things that you think would be valuable to others in metaphysics. All correspondents within a forum are @aol.com unless otherwise noted.
Thoughts shared through a forum do not necessarily reflect my own beliefs. My own comments are those in brackets [like this], or those stand alone thoughts with no name. I tend to be a conditionalist, preferring "a" to "the", "could be" to "is", "some" or "most" to "all", "we" or "they". I say "conditional" as contrasted with "absolute", rather than as contrasted with "unconditional". I view things in terms of probability, rather than certainty or uncertainty, and I brainstorm, apply if/then logic, interpolate, navigate, “gubernate” as Timothy Leary might say.
Forums are named after those who have thanked me for receiving forums, advancing forward one letter of the alphabet with each issue, a dedication of that forum to those people (though that does not mean we agree on everything or even know one another). Essays are presented in alphabetical order by screen-names of senders, starting from the forum issue's letter, going forward through the alphabet one issue and then backwards the next, a lawn sprinkler method which seeks to be fair, though it looks like a gumball machine at times, or a potluck supper. As always, willing to remove anyone from this emailing list or add names to it. Just send a short note to Jualt@aol.com either way.
My impression, my "grok", of this issue is "bullies, history, ETs and metaphysics, long and somewhat serious". Thank you all very very much for the fine things you have shared. Good journey... Next forum 010819.
Now, on with the show!
Two debates in meta – sameness for harmony or reconciliation of diversity for harmony. Some don’t believe sameness is possible, and others don’t believe reconciliation of diversity is possible – especially given active deliberate opposition to both. I side with reconciliation of diversity for harmony, as I believe diversity is the norm and that maintenance of sameness causes friction – rebellion for the sake of rebellion when faced with order for the sake of order.
Another issue is lack of religion for peace versus harmonization of religion for peace. I don’t think we can get rid of religion because I believe spirit is an integral part of each individual, and that religion among humanity is a permanent reality. There are those who believe that only by shedding religion can humanity rid itself of the inharmonious divisions caused by religion. I think those in favor of lack of religion merely create another group which could clash with the others, and add to disharmony.
In both cases, both sides of the argument feel their view helps build and maintain peace. I believe both reconciliation of diversity and harmonization of world religions is possible, and hope my textbook is helpful in that regard.
RollingStone1492: re: essay The Mighty russ [forum 010621] – stop a moment for a reality check – I do agree that there is still too much bullying going on, and that role models in movies, politics, life and school unfortunately reinforce bullying habits – the [our] world isn’t perfect yet, but I do perceive significant changes – schools seem to be dealing with the bullying issue more rigorously than ever in the past – courts are more aggressive in prosecuting that kind of behavior, and the media is educating the public on this issue – try to become more aware and even active in eradicating this barbaric behavior – and maybe your perceptions may change – remember, our attitude toward what constitutes reality depends on our outlook on life – the full/empty glass – all of us can cite examples on either side of an argument, but to make a generalization calls for more effort to ascertain the trends and patterns – so that we should avoid the “I still don’t see any” – and move to a more informed opinion – Why? Because your comments will shape the next person’s perceptions – if they are premised on a faulty conclusion, ignorance and misperceptions will continue to permeate our lives – and we hope that we all do not want that to happen – I don’t want to sound like I’m attacking you, which I hope I am not – but your bias is again showing when you see mankind [humanity] – a priori – as “violent, vengeful ... predator
[For the record, the comment equating predatory genetic strands to "the mark of Cain" was mine, rather than from The Mighty russ. I acknowledge there is much "goodness", or capacity for kindness and social harmony, within individuals. There seems to be a measure of capacities for good or bad within most all individuals or groups. I'd say nature (genetics), nurture and self-programming all influence human development. I'd say an influence of genetics is revealed when criminals remain criminal despite love, support, mercy or "goodness", and also when "good" people remain good despite adversity, abuse, neglect or victimization. Check out the material in this issue sent by Realdalase and HorseWithNoNames.]
Re: Essay Fghf485465 [forum 010621] – what a breath of fresh air, reading your insightful, balanced, rational essay – I’m glad it appeared last – to offset ranting nay-sayers and pessimists that seem to be in too much of a hurry to splatter us with their venom instead of taking the time and making an effort to think their issues through – great writing – keep on sending more to us.
Re: GSlackeaux@cs.com's summary of “Memento” [forum 010621] a bell rang somewhere – the plot was just too familiar – I know I had seen that story somewhere – well, it was episode 8X03 of the “X-Files” run on 12/10/00 – where a killer wakes up and is accused of killing his wife – and each time he wakes up it is a day earlier in his life – and I won’t give the ending away – there was a purpose to the time going backwards – some plots are just too good not to be recycled.
[I recently saw Tom Hank’s movie, Castaway, and, although it is bittersweet, it is truly worth experiencing... In some ways it is a story of a jerk who gets the karma of jerk and yet remains a jerk, but I enjoyed it a lot. LOL! I really felt it is a masterpiece in its own right.]
RochelleDo: I felt rather frustrated reading about what has been going on with you and Russ and wishing I could think of something to say that would help. Well the very next thing I clicked on was an old Eman8tions at the top of my mailbox and it looked just the thing to reread.
Sometimes Eman8tions' stuff really hits the spot!!!Eman8tions: Nobody loves too much. No such thing. ~ If there is a problem, it lies [rests] elsewhere. ~ It is very self-serving to say that the problem is that we love too much. Chances are that some kind of unsuccessful manipulation has occurred that was not seen as love by the victim of your love trap. ~ Love is truly generous. Neediness that makes us desperate, do foolish things, is [can be] the [a] problem. Then our expectations may disappoint or devastate us. ~ This is not a trivial problem. It can go to the core of a marriage or any kind of partnership in which one person puts energy out hoping for a fair return. ~ The kind of love that needs nothing in return is an extraordinary ideal, almost non-existent in human relationships. We hope for enlightened self-interest in a mutual exchange of love and energy. ~ As always, the world is here purifying us, disabusing us of naive and selfish notions as we walk the path. ~ We hope to grow in our love, not to let it die because of disappointments. ~ Love benefits the one who loves. It purifies us and makes us generous. When that happens to us it doesn’t matter what we get in return. ~ Needy people matching orbits can revolve around each other. ~ But truly loving people are flooded by something beyond that, a generosity and abundance in which the light of the soul pours in all directions, two as one, one as all. ~ It is when our love is coming from the divine that the beautiful thing happens, enfolds the lover and the beloved in fearless abundance.
[Eman8tions offers free upon request via email thought for the day.
[Unions have expectations from the start, and perhaps sometimes these are unrealistic, and cause problems. Sometimes expectations are reasonable, and if they are unmet, then perhaps separation is for the best... Neglect might be better than abuse, but perhaps neither should be continued in union – one would hope the “divine” would wish healthy love for people... I’ve heard it suggested that romantic love might represent a karmic debt, or else a soulmate reunion... I’d say similar phenotypes can have varied genotypes, and that each person’s situation is somewhat individualized.
[There was a discussion in meta chat about whether romantic love originates with the heart, or with the "ego" (in spiritual jargon meaning "self"), or "id" (in psychological terms the "I want" part of one's mind). I side with heart, as I think ego is a psychological component of mind, and I’ve viewed romantic love as involuntary, something we feel whether we wish to or not, whereas I’ve felt ego has more choice... People don’t necessarily control their emotions, moods, but have some choice about how to cope with or enjoy them. I would say that perhaps sometimes problems in romantic love show one is out of harmony with the “divine”, but sometimes there are other factors, as the divine seems accepting of free will.
[I advise people to stop walking down a one-way street if they’ve been walking that path for a while. One-sided love can be a problem for both sides. I advise people to accept people as they are, and make your own adjustments. I warn that Take Take Take feeds on Love Love Love, and advise people to seek communication and then greater distance from that which causes them internal or external negativity. Some among the Love Love Love crew might advise blind Love Love Love, and then if someone gets hurt by being too trusting, then tell that person that they were meant to be hurt, that it was part of God’s plan for them, and I really disagree with that. It seems natural for those spiritually inclined to preach Love Love Love, but a parent raising a child would hopefully offer some guidance, as ours is a world full of pitfalls and predators. Go with love, but be cautious.
[Because it is a known that ours is a world with predators and pitfalls, I sometimes wonder about the intent of those who preach blind Love Love Love (proverbial wolves in sheep's clothing), though I would agree those well-intended are Michael-aligned. I understand spirit is uplifted dharmicly by actions that are beneficial to others, creating good karma for self and by improving the condition of our world. Karma is upon intent and effect. I cannot agree with those Lucifer-aligned who preach or live Take Take Take... Anything you take for granted you run a risk of losing. Responsibility rests where consequence lands. Responsibility can be a shared thing. It seems convenient or easy for those of spiritual intent to preach against being self-serving, against being selfish, when truth be that we must be a touch self-serving and selfish to survive. Each individual has spirit and soul. Spirit and soul are individual things, even if we do belong to greater wholes. Seek to live in our world(s) in ways that maintain both spiritual and physical wellness.
[I believe in fair trade and kindness. I am willing to sometimes do my end of the deal first. If the person I am making trade with comes through, then my physical wellness is enhanced. And, if that person is dishonorable, then my karma is advanced. I avoid the logic of "it's a bad world so you got to be worse", because I believe life is built and maintained through trading. I say be kind to others as you are able, as a normal way of life – but step back from a person who demeans your kindness. I give others a large quota for my one-sided giving, and then sometimes I stop. Unconditional love can foster predators and parasites. For my own wellness, I keep an eye on that which is fair, and that which is affordable. I know that karmicly negative imprints can numb one or influence one to become more karmicly negative, and I seek to avoid letting that happen to me. By seeing how othera respond to your kindness, you get an impression of their character. I can continue to be kind, to engage in one-sided giving, even if I choose to stop walking down a one-way street with a particular person.]
RETURN3: WICCA1 writes: It suddenly occurred to me not long ago that it is far easier to be tolerant of others if you are a minority than if you are a majority. Why, you might ask. Isn’t it obvious? When you are a minority, even if you are not personally discriminated against, it is easier to relate to other minorities and their treatment from society.
It may be a primal urge, or just social behavior, but the majority always tries to make everyone fit their mold, and, if they don’t, they seek to discard or exclude them. Perhaps it is part of the herding instinct gone awry.
Christian assimilation of Pagan Europe was a classic example of a society unable to tolerate anyone, any idea, any religious belief, that did not conform. The end product here is arrogance.
Minorities, on the other hand, be they racial, religious, sexual orientation or others, can feel empathy to others in their struggle, not to become a majority but to be accepted as normal people who happen to believe, feel or look differently than a large part of society.
Not all members of a majority are unable to be tolerant and not all members of a minority are able to be tolerant. There are always exceptions and there are always those who seek to gain by setting one group against the other. But there is good news out there. As the older generations fade, their children for the most part see the world in a different light. Truly, knowledge is the [a] hammer that will break down walls. W1
[RETURN3 offers a free upon request monthly Wiccan-conducted forum via email.
[I think Christian genocide against non-Christians was a terrible thing, but I don't think pagans should forget that part of the influence of the development of that Christian attitude was pagan genocide against early Christians in which thousands were fed to lions in front of crowds of cheering pagans. No house has a clean past. Many are born into situations they did not create... For peace we must seek to live in peace.]
RENOIR 9: Past ... Present ... Future! It is all about awareness. Spiritual consciousness, wisdom and insight from the past is all about what we bring to our present existence. What we learn and take from life’s experiences ... is found within our present consciousness. What we choose to recall, renew or relive is about spiritual discipline this time around ... a gift to ourselves to advance in the moment. Just as the soul of Jesus awakened to the Christ consciousness in his present life span of existence, so it is for us to learn to transcend and be the living expression ... of the LOVE of GOD too. Thank you...
Realdalase: re: forum 010621
Essay: The Mighty russ: What a wonderful piece of writing. There is a list of people from the Philosophy chat room that are, at times, good at rendering a piece of logic. I call them HUTAs, even though they are much better than most I have heard, they still have their heads up their asses for the more profound. In fact, I will almost for sure label you a HUTA, but probably of a lesser degree. Your article on victims turning on their tormentors or bullies, is so profound in explaining how Columbine and others came into being. You didn’t go farther, and I’m sure you shouldn’t have at this time, and I think you have just touched the tip of the iceberg. Waco was a slaughter by the bullies, and the aftermath, Oklahoma City, was a sick perverted way for Tim McVeigh to show the bullies up. What makes me sick is to hear all the back-slapping and hoorahing when T. M. was executed, and so far as I could see, no attempt to learn a single thing about what made him what he was. What is the saying? Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat and repeat and repeat. Thank you.
LosLobos 6: I will send this to my sister and brother-in-law who are teachers that witnessed the Santana shooting. Let's see what they have to say, huh? They have worked at Santana for 20 and 30 years, respectively... They both saw the deaths of two well-liked students who were not bullies... Charles “Andy” Williams (the shooter) wasn’t picking off bullies; he barely even knew his victims; they just got in the f--king way! His problem, in his own words, was that he was called names, and was picked on, and had a skateboard stolen, and he moved... WELL, SO DID I! I moved 12 times before I reached my senior year in high school. I was picked on and even stalked in high-school. I don’t want to hear your feeble crap about what caused these teen shooters to do what they did. You tell this crap to my brother-in-law, who saw the entire thing go down and was almost caught in the line of fire, himself... He has Post Trauma so badly that he may retire early; he’s 53. And my sister ... she still can’t talk about this. Every staff member at that school, and every student, has been deeply affected by what they saw. They watched as 14- and 15-year-old students screamed in terror, ditching their backpacks, running for their lives, and were hit by bullets... The two students that died were both students in my brother-in-law's classes. It has tested their faith in God, and both were devout believers, and good, moral, and loving people. They are changed forever. Now you go and tell the parents of the dead victims this horse-s--t. It’s easy to be philosophical when it’s not happening to you, or in your back yard.
[God or positive dharma might not stop you from being harmed, but both can help a healing process.]
Realdalas: Please believe me. I am not in the least trying to justify what was done. I am merely searching for a way to prevent more Columbines from happening. Tim McVeigh’s execution was totally justified, and I never even considered anything different, but I still want to know what created Tim McVeigh. Surely, you don’t think he was born that way. The people of this nation and world are becoming much more violent and destructive. One of the things that could be contributing is the attitude of wait till someone kills, then we can justifiably kill them. If that is so, are we in any less of a “NEED-TO-KILL” mode? Logically speaking, we could be in more of a need-to-kill mode.
[Tim's sister allegedly said Tim refused to work on military planes carrying drugs, and separated unhappily from the military service, bitter, and that the Waco massacre influenced him to see our government as deceitful and murderous, an enemy of the people. Tim might have seen our government as one body. I see our government as a machine with many seemingly invisible hands pushing buttons. Tim saw "evil" and turned away, removing his "goodness" and leaving the field to "evil". Tim saw violence as his means of doing "good". Violence is usually karmicly negative, even in self-defense when it's an eye for an eye fulfillment of karma. Violence can be seen as a reasonable means for change when non-violent options for change are unavailable. We all need good people in law, medicine, journalism and government. Joining in the turning away can strengthen that which you turned away from. As Buddha might say, we have responsibilities to maintain wellness of self, community and world, and, in the ecology of things, they all influence one another.]
WithrowG: In our need to understand why such murders occur and I, a resident of Colorado, consider Columbine a planned murder, we often miss the truth as it sits on our noses to be seen. I have no doubt that the two boys who did this horrid crime are troubled kids. Well, so was I, and I did not grow up to murder or maim anyone. Not physically nor emotionally. Though I admit we all hurt each other from time to time, it is no reason to kill. We forget that a person’s soul can be seriously damaged. Their spirits broken. Though the body lives on, there is [can be] so much damage.
[Through time and positive imprinting, there can be some healing and renewal.]
Yes, there are some who are born with serious problems. Defective genes [bad seed] I believe is the popular term these days. Why is someone born with a defective gene problem? We now know it is more then one gene that causes the problem. It is the reaction [or sequence] of the various defective genes and how they effect one another that causes the problems, physical or mental, to occur.
[Similar phenotypes can be caused by different genotypes.]
Can you be a born killer? I understand this is being studied. What isn’t being studied these days? I do know that a woman in Colorado got away with murder because she was not in her right mind. She was suffering from a psychotic episode when she committed murder. She is bipolar, as I am, and she was put in a mental health care hospital, until she was recovered enough to be released. She will never be held responsible for the murder she committed.
If she was truly insane at the time, my heart goes out to her and the family who lost the loved one. Still, I have never felt the need to kill anyone but myself. [A difference between depression and anger?] Even this I haven’t done, though I have been very close in the past two years. Something inside stops me. I want to live more then I desire to die. But this is me. I can only say what has been my experience. I can’t speak for the woman who got away with murder because she was born with the right defective genes that sent her mind over the edge and she killed. By law, she will never be responsible.
[When an individual is not responsible, then society becomes responsible? Responsibility rests where consequence lands.]
LosLobos 6: Look, I know what it is like to be bullied until you're bloody! I know how a loaded gun, held by a drunk, feels against the skull. I am aware of the need to medicate yourself from the pain caused by others. I was thrown down and kicked until I was sure I would never bear children. Drugs were easily available at my home, as were guns. They were kept loaded and hidden all around our home. Easy to pick up a gun and plug my mother. She had it coming, Lord knows. My step-father was my supply of endless booze. I could down tequila with the best of them by age 10. By age 15, my neck and nose had been broken from blows to the face. Surgery on my nose years later proved that the inside of my nose had been broken four times. Broken legs, arms, fingers, toes, right knee and the list goes on.
But here is my point: I did not grow up a child abuser. I saw the warning signs and I was in therapy. I did not grow up and become a doper. [Everyone has a valid need to recreate – an issue is not whether or not to recreate, but rather how to recreate responsibly.] I hate having to take medications to this day because of what I learned at my mother’s knee. But I do what I have to and the amount of medications are far less than Mommie Dearest's medications. She had five doctors – my sister located the fifth doctor just recently – and Mother used three drug stores. This was well thought out by my sadly addicted mother. She, as well as her mother, were also bipolar, as was my father, from all medical records that we could locate. My father did drugs and drink. I am not a drunk, never have been. Again I saw the warning signs and again I took action to help myself. Yes, the environment I grew up in was a great influence on me. I learned by 13 or so that if I did the OPPOSITE of my step-father and Mother, I was usually headed in the right direction.
I had no control over being born bipolar, with all the illness that tags along, so I understand Post Traumatic Stress! I know this pain and I also know this is one of the largest triggers I have that can and has and will again, cause a manic cycle for me. But this I could do little about. This was thrust upon me. But this is not a license to kill. Not unless it finally drives you to insanity, temporary or not.
After years of hiding behind the karma bit, I finally came out of the shadow to face myself. My own cause and effect. The reactions I forced upon others by my own actions. If you can give of yourself in kindness and love, you will usually be treated the same way, but not always. There is always that little room for the unexpected to occur.
Yes, our children, the children of the world, are in trouble. They have been since the time of Plato, who I believe wrote a piece on this very topic. Today we have instant news, as it is happening. Even wars are fought and people are killed, right before our eyes, as it is occurring. This leaves me with knowledge. This arms me with more information than I often wish to have. This leaves me very cold and frightened inside at times.
WE [SOME] cannot, and I must stress the word CANNOT, help our children, until we are able to help ourselves! Until we can feed all the hungry, food a great motivator, there will [could] be wars fought. Then we must consider the food of the soul, mind and spirit. These things too must be fed. But we, the adults of the [our] world, have not yet learned to feed our own hunger. How can we be the examples our children must have, until we can nurture ourselves? I think about this all the time.
[Perhaps some working together as world or community is sometimes necessary for individual wellness? I like to think my textbook, The Thought of Christos, provides some helpful tools.]
Still I look to the beauty all around me. When I am not too ill, my glass is half full, never half empty. Gary and I share what we have. My entire community does this. This is called love for our fellow man/woman-kind. I believe this might be a vital key to our problems. We must love ourselves so others may love us in return. None of this is new. We simply have faster communication. Still, once our schools were safer then they are now. This concerns me greatly. It seems our teachers need much more support then they get from some parents. We all must reach out to education. Educate ourselves and help to prepare our children, through education, for a safer tomorrow.
When I was a kid I was told all the time that I was a two-bit whore, a slut, a bitch, that I would be working the streets by age 16, on dope and a drunk, that I would never amount to anything but trash. Then again, I was born of trash and I fought my way out of the gutter. Never have I tried to seek some revenge. I do seek peace and not just for me. I am far more concerned about the peace of mind our babies so crave, than the needs of the adults who can help themselves. I rage at the adults who can help themselves, yet refuse to!
I may be ill, but I have begun to build a life for myself. I may become worse again, but once I have recovered, I will begin where I left living off and start my life back up again. I am not the things my loving family said I was. Nor did I have to become those things. So many use such things as an excuse not to try! This too makes me rage.
We are not born blank pages to be filled in as time goes by, but we do reach an age where we hold some responsibility for ourselves. The adults of this world had best hurry up and get their act together, if we are to save our children. As I write that last comment, I also know in my heart, there will always be the babies who crawl out from their own personal hell and become great and good human beings. This gives me hope that I shall always hold near and dear to my life!
[I agree that we are born with a set of genetics, rather than a blank slate, and then nurture interacts with nature to influence our individual human development, and we are capable of self-programming too.]
I can’t help but to say a prayer for your sister and her husband, many, many times. No one should ever face what they did. I grieve for the dead child and all the kids who will never be the same after this horrible shooting. Just know that I do think about the shootings. All the shootings. I pray we learn from our mistakes and can find a way to help the kids who are doing these horrible killings!
Quasar602: Re: Essay Her bobby boy, forum 010621: Thank you for such an enthusiastic response to my essay. I plan on tackling your observations point by point as they came up in your response. I found that you very much understood what the paper was about and find that your only real problem is how one would reconcile Kant’s perspective on causality with my idea of free will: “...freedom is the ability to achieve actualization within the limits of our potentiality...”. I am sorry to say that I have no background in Kant and the quote I used from him was just a way to bolster my views with someone who would be considered an authority on the subject (though I view my use of the quote to be correct). Luckily however the problem you cited from Kant I do have an understanding of. I believe that the problem is solved by recognizing certain aspects of the physical world, particularly Quantum Physics. Kant based his if/then philosophy on the idea that causality could be used to predict all future activities and thus he would need to have a very strict view of free will (if not toss free will altogether). This is essentially the result of Newton's work. However with the advent of new understandings of the universe came Quantum Physics and particularly the Indeterminacy Principle (developed by Werner Heisenberg). I see the uncertainty principle as allowing for a degree of “elbow room” as Dennett would call it. Essentially indeterminacy in my opinion allows for small chips in the armor of the if/then approach, in return allowing for a degree of choice which wouldn’t fall under the title of fated or determined (in the strictest sense). This is how I see man [a person] being able to “choose” which potentials to actualize (my free will being the actualization of predetermined potentials). Explanation of this concept would be lengthy so I submit this for the time being as I wait for further response. But please note that I was not arguing Kant’s position on free will, but rather I was arguing my position on the topic. Do remember that Kant’s position on free will is due to him seeing the universe as following the laws of causality and his thoughts on that were modern in the sense that they conformed to accepted science. In this day and age I would think it possible for his opinion to change on this subject. Again thanks for your response to my essay and feel free to E-mail me with particular questions.
[Quasar602 moderates an on-line metaphysics posting board: http://beta.groups.aol.com/metacht]
prophets@greatmystery.org: The Prophets Conference is bringing together a large number of our best Scientists, Healers, Poets and Mystics into the beautiful setting of Victoria, B.C., Canada, for an unsurpassed August gathering of our kindred, our tribe. Delegates may stay in The University of Victoria dormitories for as little as $33usd double occupancy, or about $16 each. A single room is only $25usd each. We invite you to enjoy our Victoria webpage at http://www.greatmystery.org/victoriaconference.html.
One of the powerful teachers joining us is Brooke Medicine-Eagle, an American native Earthkeeper, teacher, ceremonial leader, sacred ecologist, song-writer, Feng Shui practitioner, and catalyst for wholeness, whose dedication is to bring forward the ancient truths concerning how to live a fully human life in sustaining harmony with All Our Relations. She is the author of a spiritual autobiography, BUFFALO WOMAN COMES SINGING and her new book, THE LAST GHOST DANCE, is on the transformational practices of Earth magic and ascending into our greater humanity. Brooke’s current focus is on nurturing the emerging fully human Being.
OUR TIME OF AWAKENING HAS COME by Brooke Medicine Eagle
All of us alive on Lady Gaia at this time have the opportunity to be an active part of the rainbow of light that creates the [a] bridge into a new and golden time for All Our Relations and us. [Rainbow bridge = Norse?] At this point in human history, we have the opportunity to literally bring Heaven to Earth. Our ability to visualize and believe that it is possible for us in fact to lift ourselves up, to fully embody Spirit, is what will make this ascension possible. Creator is urging us to pick up the profound work of our Earthly ancestors and move responsibly into our own piece of the action. The exciting part is that our personal piece is one of completion, an opportunity to finalize something Mother Earth and humanity have been working on for aeons. We do not need so much to re-hash the past as to understand exactly where we are right now, and that we have the ability to make a quantum leap by truly learning how to use what is our birthright as Creator’s children: A magical, shamanist way of being in our lives here and now.
We can use our understanding of the past to move forward into our future. Whatever ‘facts’ and knowledge I bring to you are meant as a way of grounding these prophetic principles in Earth clothing. They are meant to be inspirational and empowering. Life is unfolding something marvelous and miraculous, and the more quickly and completely we embrace this opening with our understanding, our trust and joy, and take our own personal action, the sooner the unfolding magnificence will spring full and bright into our everyday reality. Far greater energies are moving than what I can humbly describe in these words: The ages and the aeons are coming around to fullness, to fulfillment of prophecies more ancient than time, as universal as the very Source of All Life.
These momentous forces are a given; they are creating a great and beautiful song to which we are invited to dance. I am extending an invitation for you to step into the joy and beauty that will result from taking your part as a responsible creator, a partner in aliveness – an Earth mage who does reliable and positive Earth “magic” in service of All Our Relations. For it is as we bring these profound ways of being into our everyday Earthly life that we have enough magic to ascend to higher levels of functioning. It is a process, not of leaving Earth (rising above or beyond her) but of tuning in to Spirit alive, and rising with Earth and All Our Relations. Those who wish to remain with Earth on her journey into a higher level of being must choose to elevate their vibration to match hers. White Buffalo Woman and Dawn Star have told us that this vibration is one of harmonious resonance, of unity, peace, Love, and coming into true Oneness. Those of us who choose this uplifting path of the heart will feel the richness, joy, and prospering that will be magnified from our actions. [A nice affirmation.]
Our time of awakening has come. This time we will be able to ground the vision fully into the Earth and make it real. I look forward to walking with you on a journey toward that renewing dance of life, toward the bright new world that awaits us and All Our Relations.
[Our human ability to elevate spirit, or to fall to more negative dharmic realms, seems timeless (as does the rhetoric that our planet shall physically leave this dimension). Our androgynous planet, Earth, could exist simultaneously in dimensions high and low, and humans of similar vibratory range exist within them.]
PeneeSmile: The following letter was sent to me by my lovely daughter, Kerrie. Kerrie recently ended a 10-plus-year relationship with her partner/boyfriend Scott ... a painful ordeal for her: When I read this, I smiled and said, “That’s MY kid!”
Dear Friends... I believe that life is merely a series of moments, and every now and then we have one that changes us. I shared a moment with a stranger last night that inspired me to express what I’ve learned... It’s not important really what this stranger said; it’s that he said it at all... In a single exchange I feel like years' worth of healing were revealed to me ... and I wanted to share this with you, to encourage each of you to be open to experiencing your lives ... of having moments that really matter. Take the time to look a stranger in the eye and be open, and certainly take the time to have moments with the people who are close to you. I have a lot of respect for the power of moments, and how life affirming they are.
March 10 – June 12, 2001 ~ Lessons on Love ~ The summary of a chapter in my life... Everything we experience has a beginning, middle, an ending, and is followed by a new beginning. Life may be an endless going and returning, but love is the [a] single thread that weaves us all together. I must remain mindful that although this has been a trying time, it has certainly been a meaningful one. I have learned that loving isn’t about winning; I may never win, but I will never lose, for I will always learn from what takes place in my life ... and my life will always be filled with love. Love is omnipotent. Believing that, accepting that as a truth, has taught me the secret of experiencing a true present, of knowing what it is to share a moment with another human being and to experience Love. How rare for the ephemeral to become tangible, how precious and miraculous. Love is beautiful! The first lesson I learned was that true partnership is only achieved by separate and whole beings who retain their uniqueness even as they unite, and that an enduring union must be lived in the present ... for even if our present is based on our reflection of the past and our perception of the future ... we can only share our love in the present... All we really have in life are moments. This particular lesson has been a process of learning to love myself. Discovering that I know I am a unique individual has been the greatest mechanism of self-change. In the past negligence or refusal to see clearly the truth inside of me made it impossible to break the momentum of old habits. I had to integrate unconscious motive with conscious intent. I had to open my eyes and make some important changes. It took a radical severance from the life I knew. I learned that through inconvenience and discomfort the greatest growth is promoted. In this awakening, my emergence from a closed state to the place I am now, I have seen such beauty and felt such joy. I have seen the light and truth within me, but I’ve also had to identify my shadows. I had to examine what inside me magnetizes misfortune in my life, such as expecting too much, anticipation, conforming to the behavioral expectations of our culture, living in the shadows ... refusal to accept the dark and repressed side, places where growth has been stunted, resulting in weakness I project onto others. While I’ve been changing I’ve tried to reflect, but it took being hurt for me to see that my old ways have come to an end – I simply can not repeat the old and not suffer. Looking at my life at this moment I understand the requirements for growth. When I look upon my pain with a smile, the shadows, troubles, denials and setbacks become teachers, guides and friends. Each “setback”, each humiliation, is a test of my character. Patience and perseverance are called for – staying centered and seeing the humor that is present within each moment. With renewed clarity and the release of my pain, I am now free to begin to know the joy of receiving and the joy of non-attached giving... I am free to know Love. I have learned that in Love, nothing external matters, except as it shows you its inner reflection. Love is beautiful... It is the greatest gift ... but because it is ephemeral and omnipotent the gift is in the knowing, not the having ... for how can you have something that is everything. [In sympathetic magic, by touching a part, one touches its whole.] I choose to learn from Love, to grow from Love... Love has tested my character, my faith ... and with humility, I choose to believe in Love. I welcome the opportunity to be asked again to share my heart, and I have faith that someday someone will want to share his with mine. Someday I will have a partnership, an enduring and loving union ... as long as I continue to take the risk to believe in Love, Love will always exist!
[Romantic love can be an involuntary natural thing that we may chose to embrace or reject, but we do not choose to initiate. If one suffers in love, then one's capacity to feel love can be numbed. It is not that the good die young, but that the good in people can die... Sometimes I tire of being single, and wish I had a companion. Other times I relish the peace and solitude of my home. I am content with myself, so I do not normally feel lonely when alone, and I have felt lonely and alone when I was with the “wrong person”. I have found that being content with self can help offset pain of separation... One Chinese view was that any two people could be put together as a couple, and the issues they face would be the same as those faced by any other couple, and it would be up to them to make the union work, with no chance of divorce... I just have been particular, and the life, warmth and joy of involuntary romantic love seems worthwhile still to me, though I appreciate that some combine on the gentle warm love that can grow through time and endurance, and others form unions for lust or practicality... Mellow masculine moderate metaphysician who likes frisbee, bodybuilding, movies and beach seeks same?]
Nikita3332: The past and the future are one. There is no separation. All we do affects who we are.
There is no control except for infantile egomaniacs. Even for them control is only an illusion.
Sometimes people are so busy listening to themselves that they don't hear what's really going on. You want to see determination: My son is autistic through no fault of anyone's. Yet he tries to be an amazing soul every day he wakes up. He is the most revered of God's creatures because he tries so hard. THAT'S metaphysical!
Jualt, I agree: What appears charming can be unspeakably evil. I just wish I could learn to recognize the difference. I know there is a light that shines in me. Cancer can't kill it. All who know me know that light. I will share it with all I can before I go because God gave it to me to share. Please be with me friends – now is when I need you all.
[I think reality is reflected by those with a mix of polite and grit, a touch of dust while still civilized, a mix. When I meet someone aligned with Love Love Love who puritanically seeks to seem to be only charming, I understand that that could be a facade, a wolf in sheep's clothing...]
Mystnerth: “Good Things”...
The best way to get even is to forget... ~ Feed your faith and your doubts will starve to death... ~ God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts... ~ Some folks wear their halos much too tight... ~ Some marriages are made in heaven, but they ALL have to be maintained on Earth... ~ Unless you can create the WHOLE universe in five [galactic?] days, then perhaps giving “advice” to God, isn’t such a good idea! ~ Sorrow looks back; worry looks around, and faith looks up... ~ Standing in the middle of the road is [can be] dangerous. You will [could] get knocked down by the traffic from both ways. [That seems a risk. Nevertheless, centered can be a good way to be, not given to one-sided rhetoric, but understanding an ecology of things.] ~ Words are windows to the heart. ~ A skeptic is a person who, when he [or she] sees the handwriting on the wall, claims it’s a forgery. ~ It isn’t difficult to make a mountain out of a molehill, just add a little dirt. ~ A successful marriage isn’t finding the right person – it’s being the right person. ~ The mighty oak tree was once a little nut that held its ground. ~ Too many people offer God prayers with claw marks all over them. ~ The tongue must be heavy indeed, because so few people can hold it. ~ To forgive is to set the prisoner free, and then discover the prisoner was you. ~ You have to wonder about humans... They think God is dead and Elvis is alive! ~ It’s all right to sit on your pity-pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done. ~ You’ll notice that a turtle only makes progress when it sticks out its neck... ~ If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, you can bet the water bill is higher. ~ You are richer today if you have laughed, given or forgiven.
MsGrace46 from Sir Russell P. Flewellen, II: Death of Common Sense
Today we mourn the passing of an old friend by the name of Common Sense. Common Sense lived a long life but died from heart failure at the brink of the millennium. No one really knows how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He selflessly devoted his life to service in schools, hospitals, homes, factories and offices, helping folks get jobs done without fanfare and foolishness. For decades, petty rules, silly laws and frivolous lawsuits held no power over Common Sense. He was credited with cultivating the valued lesson: Life isn’t always fair. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you earn), reliable parenting strategies (the adults are in charge, not the kids), and it’s okay to come in second, provided you did your very best. A veteran of the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, and the Technological Revolution, Common Sense survived cultural and educational trends including feminism, body piercing, whole language and new math, as well as the latter years of the Clinton era. Slowly, his health declined when he became infected with the if-it-only-helps-one-person-it’s-worth-it mind set. In recent decades his waning strength proved no match for the ravages of overbearing federal and state regulation, and wasteful spending by the U.S. Dept. Of Defense. He watched in pain as good people became ruled by self-seeking lawyers and enlightened auditors. Recently, his health rapidly deteriorated when schools endlessly implemented zero tolerance policies, reports of six-year-old boys charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate on the cheek, a teen suspended for taking a swig of mouthwash after lunch, and a teacher fired for reprimanding a dangerously unruly student. It declined even further when schools had to get parental consent for an on-duty RN to administer aspirin to a student, but cannot inform parents when the female student is pregnant or wants an abortion. Finally, Common Sense lost his will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, criminals received better treatment than victims, and federal judges stuck their noses in everything from Boy Scouts to professional sports.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers: Rights, Tolerance and Whiner. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
[One can hope that the demise of common sense is greatly exaggerated... Perhaps it is memory that is lost by all... It is said that in the end times all things become known, which could be why some struggle so hard to keep things from becoming known... But all things become known... And forgotten... I have joked that middle age is when Attention Deficit Disorder meets Alzheimer’s Syndrome... Praise ginkobiloba! But for now, I think common sense is still alive at least... Perhaps common sense has always been a bit uncommon...]
mfaisalalam@yahoo.com from Saeed Ahmed: Gays & Islam
The intolerance and hostility of the conservative Muslim community around the world toward gay Muslims drove many of them underground, where for years they lived in constant fear of being discovered. The few occasions they banded together proved disastrous. In 1979, a San Francisco-based group, the Lavender Crescent Society, sent five members to Iran to create a gay Muslim movement. The five were taken straight from the airport to a prison and killed. And in the early 1990s, a Toronto-based organization, Min-Alaq, folded after its members received death threats from other Muslims. With the advent of the Internet, however, gay Muslims have found a safe and anonymous place for their exchanges – from sites that let them identify themselves by nationality, such as Gay Iran, to those built around ethnic affiliation, such as the Gay and Lesbian Arab Society of New York. Al-Fatiha, which grew out of an e-mail discussion group in 1997, now has nine chapters in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, and claims to have reached more than 2,000 Muslims. There are even plans to open a chapter in Jerusalem – in conjunction with Jerusalem Open House, a multi-faith gay center co-founded by Steven Greenberg, an openly gay Orthodox rabbi in the United States. “Roughly a thousand years ago, in cities like Baghdad and Granada, Jews and Muslims created vibrant, religiously complex and remarkably open cultures, which included a quiet toleration of same-sex love,” said Greenberg, who sees the partnership as an experiment in cultural renewal. “Our traditions have very old and venerable resources of tolerance and respect for difference. Our job is to find them and run with them.”
mikmikl: Wisdom gives us a gentle view of the imponderable high-way and illuminates the free-way to happiness. Now go the extra S-mile. – mikmikl ~ When I get a little money I buy books, and if any money is left I buy food and clothes. – Erasmus
[mikmikl offers free upon request monthly metaphysical email.]
MaryEllen@angelscribe.com: Mock Car Crashes
My daughter, Ariel, was on a date when she called home to tell me not to worry, that she was “Okay”.
All the little hairs up on my neck started to stand up as Ariel went on to report she had come upon a car accident seconds after the cars screeching and flipping had stopped. People were injured and she was going to help until the emergency teams arrived. Sometimes you are divinely put in a situation to be another’s Earth Angel ... and it was Ariel’s turn.
Ariel is a lifeguard and is known to be a calming presence in an emergency.
The Gig Harbor police and fire departments in conjunction with the local high school leadership class created a scene for the graduating high school seniors and it left everyone changed for the better.
Ariel had a small roll in the mock “play”. It was her job to run onto the newly discovered crash scene and hysterically run from vehicle to vehicle screaming. Over the school’s address system the commentator said how this action wastes valuable time and can cost a life. He said it is imperative to call 911 immediately.
So, last night, as soon as Ariel saw the smoking, broken vehicles she jumped from her car and started to call out, “Did anyone call 911?” No one had, so she did.
She covered the male injured victim in a blanket and talked to him to avoid his going into further shock.
If your community wants to put on an educational reenactment of the car crash to save lives ... contact your local fire department. They love to do this, because they are in the business of saving lives.
Last night’s accident made a deep impact on Ariel. She realizes she was only seconds away from being hit herself and how someone’s life’s direction can change suddenly in a flash.
For info on mock car crashes: http://www.angelscribe.com/l_052700.html ~ http://www.angelscribe.com/l_060800.html
[MaryEllen will be at Border’s Books in Eugene from 6:00pm to 9:00pm on July 24th. MaryEllen@angelscribe.com offers free upon request via email news about Earth Angels...]
MagusLord79: Kant was a windbag, and although he had some insight, I fail to align with the hero-worship extended to him. I am familiar with the Critique of Pure Reason, and I know fully well the sensible forms of our intuitions being space and time. Yet, I cannot help but differ on the matter of spatio-temporality being nothing more than the reasonable statements derived from our general experience of the world.
For me, time is generated by the motion of things and how this motion becomes ingrained into the memory of our mind.. We [Some] recall things in order, and consequently always assume from our normal recollection the order in which those impressions came into us. Thus, since the impressions become ideas into the structure of our mind, they are stored in the specific order of which we experience the world. I think that spatio-temporality is the reasonable assumption made about the world, and cannot see how such things are in Kantian terms “intuited”. Finis.
~ end act one ~
~ intermission ~
