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November 15, 2024 at 19:00 in reply to: The Cornucopia – Art, Music, Poems, Creative Stories, Myth, & Glories, 16.9.24 #46536
Dimitar
ParticipantO’, mystery of mysteries;
your breath, your scent, your eyes,
your touch!ParticipantSo then, that God does not interfere in the world (directly), God’s values would be reflected in the actions of all those that have accepted them. But I don’t see it.
With due respect, your questions appear to be more or less the same questions you raised initially, and I doubt it will make any difference if I continue to respond to them as I have been doing.
The best response to the above would be;
man is a mirror,
but can only reflect as much truth
as Soul can holdMay I respectfully offer the flowing; your handle, “Unknown Destination” suggests to me that you need to define a destination for yourself. In other words, if you do not know where you are heading, how can you recognise the roadsigns or markers along the way? If you define a destination for yourself, then you will be in a better situation to understand what I have been attempting to communicate.
Kind Regards,
D:)
November 14, 2024 at 20:22 in reply to: The Cornucopia – Art, Music, Poems, Creative Stories, Myth, & Glories, 16.9.24 #46477ParticipantHaiku Sequence
The Youngest Daughter
midsummer heat,
pulsing with the song of insects –
the field left unploughedunder this shady bough;
even the black bull pauses
in solemn praisethere among the peonies;
his prospects suddenly
take an upward turn!her lost hairpin;
how to benefit from
it’s return?bright red toenails –
the memory of her
slender brown feet lingering…ParticipantBefore we can advance to an understanding of our relationship with Divine Spirit, and finding God’s love, it’s necessary to look at cause and effect, aka the Law of Karma. Until we have a rule for ourselves of what is right and what is wrong, we’re going to have a lot of unnecessary problems no matter what path we take through life. What makes it so hard to determine right and wrong is that they are only an imperfect mirror image of the Law of Karma. Additionally, there are a number of different types of karma that affect us, and so our understanding of this rigid spiritual law, does not always fit logically with whatever explanations the mind may come up with re: events that befall us. Suffice to say, there are at least three types of karma we need to consider; fate, reserve and daily karma. Our present lifetime is often encumbered with the effects of our most recent incarnations.
We fall back on our creativity to deal with life’s challenges, and we do the best we can with whatever options and resources are available to us. We take the gifts and roll with the punches that come our way. Ideally, we should aim to get off the merry-go-round of karma (what the Buddhists call the Wheel of the Eighty-Four), and so establish as much control over our lives as possible. We learn through the hard knocks of life that there is a higher law. This higher law is the Law of Love. It essentially states that we must be willing to give whatever love is within our means, or charity, to God’s creatures, without thought of any return for our efforts. It also means allowing others their psychic space, or state of consciousness (if it is not directly affecting our state of consciousness), and finally, understanding that our freedom ends where the next person’s begins.
Our spiritual survival then begins to depend largely on our ability and / or willingness to listen to the guidance that is available to us via the inner channels. As we know, fate governs the conditions at a person’s birth; free will allows a choice as to how we move within and beyond them. In order to make the best of the choices that we face, we need to consider our spiritual toolkit, and the best resource available to us is the inner voice, should we care to take notice of its still, small whisperings. There is a spiritual saying along the lines of ‘one is better able to be of service to God, or life, by listening, than by speaking”.
Hence the need to establish a code to live by, and the need to stick to it. Without this personal code, we are like a leaf blown about in all directions by the winds of life. Once we gain a measure of control over our actions and reactions, we begin to see the importance of the Law of Love in our lives. Indeed, it was and is the Law of Love that created, maintains and sustains all of life in all of God’s universes. The Law of Love therefore, is the golden coin we need to present at every doorway to a higher state of consciousness.
November 11, 2024 at 17:43 in reply to: The Cornucopia – Art, Music, Poems, Creative Stories, Myth, & Glories, 16.9.24 #46264Participantman is a mirror,
but can only reflect as much truth
as Soul can holdMirror, Mirror
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Watching over one and all;
You see the faces and the games we play,
The one God gave and the one we made.Mirror, mirror, meek and mild,
Heart so pure and undefiled;
You see me as I really am,
You see the wolf, you see the lamb.Mirror, mirror, if you could speak –
O’, the havoc that you would wreak!
You know the names and the places, too,
You know the things that people do.Mirror, mirror, calm and wise,
You see the truth behind the lies;
Always ready to aid and abet,
Always ready to forgive and forget.Mirror, mirror, each break of day,
You rise up early to show the way;
Time unravels with undue haste,
The best laid plans are all erased…Mirror, mirror, is it true;
That under the sun there’s nothing new?
That the weak will rise, and the mighty, rue…
That under the sun, there’s only you?ParticipantYou mention that every soul is unique and has its unique approach to God. I would venture to guess that the vast majority of approaches to God, are to discount it, and ignore any approach completely.
It matters not whether Soul “discounts” God, is a “non-believer” or atheist, because It is still subject to the impersonal laws of life. It still must find some purpose and meaning in order to get of bed every day. If the individual devotes himself to something beyond his own desires and passions, then his life will not have been wasted. Whether Soul “discounts God” or not, does not mean that the unseen world – the spiritual reality beyond the physical senses does not exist.
Like the man who has never ventured beyond his village, he will never know what lies beyond the rise that disappears toward the horizon and must rely on hearsay. His curiosity will eventually get the better of him, and one day he will leave his familiar and safe world, to find out for himself.
You have said the soul-plane is only in the present, so there is no memory there, (no sense of a past). Isn’t learning a construct connecting the past to present discoveries? So how could soul learn any lessons in the timeless present?
Soul being composed of the same stuff as Divine Spirit is characterised by Its ability to see, know and be. The challenging part is that the mind often questions Soul’s understandings / intuitions, and so casts doubt on Soul’s perceptions. I did not say that “Soul has no sense of a past”. Of course Soul relies on past lessons and experiences in order to make properly informed choices in the present. That’s different to living in the past, or being the effect of it.
November 9, 2024 at 23:36 in reply to: The Cornucopia – Art, Music, Poems, Creative Stories, Myth, & Glories, 16.9.24 #46096ParticipantI am reposting this, having edited a section of it.
The Field of Reeds; an ancient Egyptian term for the Afterlife, as it appeared to them.
The Field of Reeds
I toil in mud on hands and knees,
Sifting the loam till winter’s freeze.
I sleep on the ground and sup on the weeds,
But that will all change in the Field of the Reeds.Of all the fates that ever could be,
The worst is the slave that will never be free.
How cruel the heart of whoever decreed;
To be banished forever from the Field of the Reeds!Pharaoh appears in his fine array,
Judgement won’t come until late in the day;
“Let the faithful believe they too will succeed,
And claim their reward in the Field of the Reeds!”The Priest he laughs his peculiar laugh;
“I separate the wheat from the chaff;
What have you in store, before you proceed,
To claim thy place in the Field of the Reeds?”Well, the Field It cries for the Reed at night,
And the River that’s hidden from human sight –
I know will provide for all of my needs…
When I build my home in the Field of the Reeds!ParticipantNo worries, Destination Unknown, and thank you for your reply.
You are free to take or leave my views, as I say they are my distillations of lifetime(s) of experience and understandings. I am not here to impose my views but to offer them as part of the overall exchange. If they seem emphatic, then so be it.
First up, it’s my understanding that God, of Itself; the Deity or Creator, does not interfere in human history. The reason being, man has been given free will and so creates karma between himself and other men. The karmic debts that ensue must be worked out to the smallest detail, and that process is overseen by entities known as the Lords of Karma. Neigbourhoods, towns, cities, nations – just like the individual – exhibit unique characteristics that define unique states of consciousness. These states of consciousness then interact, it may be in harmony or just as often, coming to blows in pursuit of various interests such as resources, etc. Man forms strong opinions and loses sight of the spiritual overview, succumbing to the vagaries of human existence such as power, abundance or lack thereof, forms opinions that often sets him on a course of confrontation with his neighbours, and so on. Disagreements, even bloodshed ensues. Man is pushed to the extreme and develops extreme opinions. But as one wise man said, opinions are a dime a dozen and ultimately fickle, tomorrow will change and be held just as fervently as ever, until Soul finally cools Its hot head, and begins to move ever so slowly at first, toward the cooler, detached view of life, the narrow way as referred to by teachers like Buddha. This does not mean a lack of compassion, it does not preclude the individual from being a part of or pursuing or supporting causes he believes passionately in.
Finally, individuals, just like towns, cities, nations etc. also endure life cycles, ie; a beginning, a middle and end. Soul then incarnates from male to female embodiments, from riches to poverty, from being a member of a favoured race to being a member of a race out of favour with the powers that be, at a given time and place in history etc. All of this is in order to smooth out Soul’s rough edges and bring It into more of a detached or spiritual as opposed to emotional viewpoint of life.
There is a saying, “God sees the sparrow fall, but does nothing to stop it”. You refer to the wars, I am a Slav myself, and have felt the pricks of outrage and despair, but as Soul, I have a different perspective. I know that Soul, unlike man, survives the death of the physical body. This is the reason why God does not interfere with human history. Man has created the mess he is in, and man must try to resolve it, by one means or another. I do not buy into guilt trips that people who lack spiritual understanding attempt to impose. When one does not buy into their viewpoints re: this, that or the other religious, political or warring party / situation. Have you noticed how all these people constantly aver that God is on their side, they claim “God willing, we will have this or that victory”, and so on, as if they personally have God’s ear.
If this were the case, then God would be mightily confused, because what criteria would God use to favour one side over another? Every Soul is a child of God. Does a parent favour one child over another? Why would God forsake one of his children in favour of another?
The truth is that God is not concerned with human suffering as human’s believe IT should be. God is merciful, but all human suffering ultimately ends. Soul is God’s concern, not the human incarnation.
God sees the sparrow fall, but does nothing to stop it. When Soul is sincere and ready to approach God, the way opens for Soul to do that. But it does not mean that Soul will have an easy time of it. On the contrary, It may face difficulties It never could have believed possible. Then Soul’s tests begin in earnest. How much does Soul want God, and what is It prepared to give for IT? Soul must then show Its true mettle, for God must be won and re-won many times before Soul is ready to touch the hem of God’s robe.
ParticipantHi Destination Unknown.
“When love and hate are both absent, everything becomes clear and undisguised. Make the slightest distinction, however, and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart. If you wish to see the truth, then hold no opinions for or against anything. To set up what you like, against what you dislike is the disease of the mind.” — Hsin Hsin Ming
Re: the above, I would definitely agree, with the caveat that the “love” referenced is Divine Love. I make that particular clarification b/c there is a world of difference between human and Divine love. Human love can be generally described as being conditional, whereas Divine Love is unconditional. Having made this distinction, the rest of the quote makes perfect sense. Divine Love is impersonal, and in the final analysis, is synonymous with Truth. Spiritual detachment, the opposite virtue to the mind passion, attachment, is necessary, because It assures Soul’s freedom. Soul, of Itself, can do very little to help or “save the world” of Its own accord, but as a pure vehicle for Divine Spirit, It can “move worlds”. If God and Divine Spirit are impersonal forces, Soul too, must develop this same quality. The principle being “Thy Will, not mine be done.”
How is it possible to have no preferences? We automatically dislike pain and prefer well-being or the absence of pain. It is built-in.
When Soul sets Its feet upon the spiritual path, there is no turning back. That isn’t to say Its journey will proceed in a straight line toward God, on the contrary, Soul’s movement toward God is characterised by one step forward, one step back, two steps forward, one back, and so on. A breakthrough occurs and It may make a significant advance, and so on. The pace at which Soul advances, is Soul’s business alone.
Since every Soul is unique, Its movement toward God will reflect Its unique approach to God, b/c Its understanding is different to the next person’s. It’s experience may be similar to the next Soul but It will understand and react differently. This is known as the Golden Contract, an agreement between God and Soul, that Soul alone is privy to. There is a saying, “God created Soul and threw away the mould”. Every Soul is created of “the same substance” – for purposes of illustration – Soul is created out of the substance of Divine Spirit, in effect it is an individuation of Divine Spirit, or a unit or spark of God. Since the conditions at the moment of Its creation, differ, no two Souls can possibly be alike. A Master artist will never recreate a masterpiece, he will create a unique creation every time.
In the human realm, obviously, we avoid pain as much as possible, but cannot avoid a certain amount of it. By and large, it is the more difficult experiences that bring the greatest growth, so our experience usually becomes that which is most necessary for Soul’s benefit. Since we live in a dual world, it stands to reason that we must experience a certain amount of pain. It is understood, however, that Soul is generally not given more pain than It can endure.
You may feel that you are not clinging to the past but reaching for something. But Krishnamurti said, “if I reach for something, it is still the past, from memory. How is this past to be dissolved? Because otherwise I am still living in the field of time that is man-made.”
Memories do exist, yet remain as something akin to dead images in a file, which come alive once our attention is placed on them. William Blake referred to these images as being contained in “the Halls of Los”, in his famous poem, “Jerusalem”. Soul, of Itself, lives in the present moment. The decisions we make today solidify into tomorrow’s conditions. Blake also wrote, “What was once imagined is now real”. Where we put our attention is where we go.
I take it to be saying, if there is ANY STORY WHATSOEVER, You will never touch spirit. You are confined to live in the man-made world of time.
Ok, keeping in mind that in spiritual matters, there is always the issue of semantics, and as Nico noted, we are all in the position of trying to articulate that, which to some degree, is not able to be articulated, especially as we all have different reference points, are at different points in our unfoldment, have differing abilities to express ourselves, and so on, but here I would have to disagree. Once again, Soul, of Itself, lives in the present moment, and in a realm known as the Soul Plane. However, human beings, encumbered as we are with the psychic bodies, ie; the physical, astral, causal, mental and etheric (the causal, mental and etheric are very different realms, but can essentially be described as divisions or regions of the Mental Plane). Therefore, while Soul is in “the lower worlds”, ie; the psychic or dual realms, It must wear the coverings known as the physical, astral, causal, mental and etheric bodies, for the reason that without them, Soul has no way to express Itself, ie; It is disembodied. It may be able to express Itself on the Soul Plane and beyond, but not on the mental plane, for example. To do so, It needs a mental body, if you get my drift.
The point being, that Soul – should It maintain Its connection to Divine Spirit, is able to maintain Its state of consciousness at the spiritual level, ie; the Soul Plane. As I mentioned in my first post, this is easiest done by singing the word, HU, or some other charged word, or spiritual practice on a regular basis. Exercising the spiritual body brings awareness and understanding of the subtle worlds and our experiences there. Truly, a life without spiritual experiences, is a limited life at best.
You are confined to live in the man-made world of time.
If Soul is here, it is because It either has more to give, or further lessons to learn. There’s a saying that when Soul finally attains God-Realisation and earns Its place in the pure spiritual worlds, Its great love for others often compells It to return to the lower worlds in order to assist others on their journey back home to God.
Finally, although the physical (and the other psychic bodies are bound by the laws of their respective planes), Soul of Itself need not be so. Indeed, It is Soul’s destiny to be free, not to be the effect of the matter, energy, space, and time worlds. The objective therefore is, “to walk the earth, but to keep one’s heart in heaven”.
And just why should we depart from the world of time? Is it deficient?
The worlds of matter, energy, space and time, are known as God’s finished creation. The purpose of these worlds is to provide a theatre where Soul gains experience, until It is in a position to take command of Its destiny. Soul’s aim is to become more God-like, and this is what the theatre of life provides; experiences so that Soul is able to become predominantly cause, and less so, effect. It can be effect, but should be aware that It is being the effect of something. Most do not know that they are being the effect of one thing or another. We can see this when people become overly emotional about something. By and large, Soul has been given free will and is free to decide whether It wants to advance to a higher, lighter realm of existence or remain in this world. However, the important thing is to make that decision, and not be compelled by your karma to remain in this world.
In Spirit, D.
ParticipantThanks for your reply, Nico.
How we interpret the concepts of Soul, Karma and Reincarnation depends on what we believe in and how we experience it. Since everyone’s experience is different, we will also view those concepts differently. When we want to enrich ourselves with new and deeper insights, we can listen to others and want to understand.
Exactly. Soul takes Its steps when Its good and ready. The only valid criteria is experience and the only true convictions are our own. There is a new home being finalised in the neighbourhood where I live, and driving past recently, it struck me how consciousness is like the neighbourhood we live in. Everything is kind of set in time and space, until a new experience comes along and displaces an old one. After awhile, the old makes way for the new, and the new neighbour takes a prominent place in our world, we “drive past it” every day, and we accept its reality in the “neighbourhood”, our collective body of experience. Over time, the old neighbourhood is entirely replaced by new homes – experiences, or components changing the face of that which was once familiar – until eventually our state of consciousness assumes an entirely different identity, so to speak. Soul is the ultimate work in progress.
Re: ego, the concept of ego is loaded down with way too much baggage, but ego, of course, is entirely necessary as part of Soul’s apparatus or mechanism in order to express itself on the plane It finds Itself on. It is neither good nor bad of itself and reflects who we are inwardly. The important thing is to know that we are more than ego, and not to over-identify with it, b/c of course, this brings great distress due to its impermanent nature.
It’s a very interesting thread you’ve opened. Thank you.
Participant“I am even more than my consciousness, although that consciousness has a lot to do with my soul.”
Hi Nico. Re: your above statement, who would be asking the question above, posited in your post titled, “Connection” above, dated 19 September, if not Soul?
It is perfectly fine to frame it this way, of course, since we are used to using such terminology when referring to Soul, but is this not the mind or ego, referring to Soul? I hope you will not think I am “splitting hairs” or being impertinent, I am making the point that there is a world of difference between the mind and the Soul. If we undertake a short analysis, the mind is a tool that belongs to a particular sphere or realm of existence we may term the mental plane, (just as the physical body is composed of physical matter and the emotional body is composed of the stuff of the Astral or Emotional Plane). These various bodies are taken on by Soul and worn as garments in order that Soul be able to enter a particular plane of existence so as to experience a cycle of experience ( a lifetime ). When said lifetime is complete, Soul discards the worn-out body or bodies, and returns to a lighter, finer world. Depending on Its karma, It then proceeds with Its spiritual education in a new body, be it on this physical plane, or one of the inner worlds.
The Law of Karma educates Soul in self-responsibility, until It advances to the Law of Love, a higher level of experience / existence.
Insofar as a spiritual exercise is concerned, I personally have been using and reommend the word, “HU” for close to 40 years. There are many historical references to the name, or syllable “HU”, especially in Rumi’s writings, and Hazrat Inayat Khan, a musician and Sufi who lived during the first half of the 20th Century, (in his book, “The Music of the Spheres”.) The foremost proponent of HU today, is Harold Klemp, the spiritual leader of Eckankar, the Path of Spiritual Freedom. He writes;
The secret name for God is known as HU ( pronounced same
as the word hue ), and is woven throughout all human languages and sounds
of nature. The HU is known as a Love song to God, and the bridge between
heaven and earth, and if sung with an attitude of love, brings a noticeable,
positive effect to the practitioner. All charged words sung in contemplation,
meditation, and prayer, are a variation of the HU. HU serves to focus all of
Soul’s energies and thus compels It forward on Its journey back home to God.November 7, 2024 at 14:53 in reply to: The Cornucopia – Art, Music, Poems, Creative Stories, Myth, & Glories, 16.9.24 #45914ParticipantSun of My Eyes
The sun of my eyes
was born today!The spinning earth stood still,
as you climbed out of
your mother’s womb.Seeing you;
sight returned to my eyes,
Though until this moment
I did not know that I was blind!Flimsy form coverings dissolve
like a tiny moth’s body in wind.The World of Being
suddenly became visible,
and everything appeared
as if bathed in brilliant,
searing light!The Soul;
the Soul in all It’s regal beauty
showed it’s elusive face –
everywhere, in everything!The wasteland that was
became a living, fragrant garden!What could I have done
to deserve you?When the source of joy
settles in your house,
say “May the blessings be”.When a white lion greets you
at the top of the stairs, say;
“May the blessings be!”November 6, 2024 at 17:05 in reply to: The Cornucopia – Art, Music, Poems, Creative Stories, Myth, & Glories, 16.9.24 #45823ParticipantThe Poet’s Journal
One cold and wintry morning
While walking out the door,
I noticed a poet’s journal
Lying on the floor.
Embossed with a rearing horse,
In finest leather bound,
I couldn’t resist a look,
And this what I found;A compendium of cat tales,
Replete with dialogue.
Elephants and reindeers
And a smattering of dog.
The quaintest clutch of fables,
Imbued with subtle blends,
Dashed off by the poet
With dedications to his friends.Sonnets, songs and stanzas,
Filled with human wants,
Jostled with odes to girlfriends
And budding debutantes.
From the pile-up of love affairs,
Through refrains of sad remorse,
The poet never wavered
In plotting true love’s course.And the parables and metaphors
Of every shape and kind,
Accounts of dreams and visions
And cures for the blind!
Secrets that shake and rend
The ground the grass grows on,
However high or low the road,
The poet’s quest goes goes on.There were words that had no meaning,
Or meaning I understood.
There were colours I had no name for
And rued I ever would.
There were places I swore I’d been to,
And days without an end,
There were nights of conversation
And laughter with the Friend…‘Twas a warm and sultry afternoon,
When I finally raised my head,
And late at night when I returned
To lay down in my bed.
What was it about the poet’s words
That so beguiled my mind?
I knew the truth of all he spoke
And saw myself in every line!November 4, 2024 at 18:02 in reply to: The Cornucopia – Art, Music, Poems, Creative Stories, Myth, & Glories, 16.9.24 #45650ParticipantHaiku Sequence
The Hidden Beloved
nine lives down,
nothing left of the cat but
a single whiskerthe white stag;
has the Grey Man himself
joined the chase?blood red moon;
only a single dragon remains;
yet to wake!God’s very own;
the eye of the beholder
and the hidden beloved!golden cascades of hair;
should singing birds have
crowned her head?October 28, 2024 at 18:30 in reply to: The Cornucopia – Art, Music, Poems, Creative Stories, Myth, & Glories, 16.9.24 #45083ParticipantThe title was meant to be “The Angel of Light”, but no matter.
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