posted September 14, 2007 10:36 PM           

I love fall. It's my favorite time of year. My maple trees are turning beautiful colors each day now.

On cool days I love snuggling under a quilt and napping. Fall just gives me a very cozy, homey feeling for some reason.

posted September 15, 2007 01:43 AM           

You and I will have to do that one of these days.

posted September 15, 2007 08:26 AM         

Painting by Katherine Ace

To be awaken, one needs to simplify one's life and realize that it is the ego (or the collective thought and emotional patterns) that create a world that separates you from the rest of the world... and thus the process of awakening can never be reached, since "life" then is based on a fabrication of your thoughts and emotions... this is because the ego hasn't yet integrated its real function, which is to SERVE the physical body and protect it... But the ego is also important to help us live in the world and develop interrelations with other things and human beings... So are there ways to help the sincere seeker to change the ego's mental and emotional patterns? Yes there is a very good way of bringing the necessary transformations... and this new way allows you to perceive others differently. Let me explain:

In practical daily living, a human being hardly ever lives alone - awaken masters living alone are rare and scarce. In our ordinary lives we usually develop intimate relationships. Such relationships, which seemed perfect for a while, when the two are 'in love', somehow quickly turn into love-hate relationships as arguments and conflicts begin to occur with increasing frequency and intensity. The end result can usually be easily foreseen; divorce, or a break in partnership... Each partner may feel that the next relationship would certainly be better, ... and the same pattern appears with other partners and the ideal picture of what a partner should be evaporates as in a dream... and when this illusion is realized, the interactions amongst humans usually end up into frustration.

So what are we to do to change this kind of unhealthy situations?

The fact of the matter is that intimate human relationship is basically not any different from any relationship between 'me' and the 'other'. And avoiding any kind of relationship in life is just not feasible or practical, and is just not the answer. The answer is to be sought in seeking the basis of any and every relationship, intimate or otherwise. The basis of a relationship an office colleague, or a cat or a dog that visits you regularly, is truly not different from any intimate relationship. The basic reason for the relationship going unpleasant is the same: the 'other' does something that you do not like, and likes and dislikes must necessarily be different in different people.

In other words, the only way a relationship - formal or intimate -can continue smoothly in peace and harmony is when both persons concerned are able to accept that the 'other person' and everyone else in the world has an ego, each with a different "inner programming"... It is this inner programming that unfolds in one's life... it is this same psyche that dictates to the ego (or mind) how to behave, act and react in life... Hence, it is not the ego personality that lay down the rules of anything...it can only follow inner and outer conditioning and impulses... which are translated into mental thoughts and emotional reactions... the ego is a functioning of a body-mind and in reality it is, we repeat, restricted by the programming in the psyche [or body-mind organism]..

By unfolding the inner programming in an individual, the psyche develops gradually an ego from childhood - this ego is also known as the ego personality,. What we have to understand therefore, is that as human beings we are not governed by the ego... but by other factors which are the psyche or inner programming - the persona or ego personality of an individual can only reflect whatever the inner programming allows (some call it karma) in addition to the genes and the conditioning in the body-mind organism...

So why is it that we easily make judgment and condemn and criticize others, when we know that the ego reflects only the positive and negative aspects of the psyche and the genes of a person? The only way any relationship with the 'other' (whomever it might be) can function smoothly and harmoniously is for both the partners to understand the unavoidable limitations of the psyche, the genes and environmental conditioning in both body-mind organisms. In practical terms, what this means is that each 'me' must be able to accept that the 'other' truly has no control over what he or she seems to be 'doing'. His/her 'thinking' is based on the programming (psyche, plus genes, plus environmental conditioning) and his/her 'doing' is based only on his/her destiny, or the Will of God or the Source of Being, and this is done according to a conceptual eternal Cosmic Law, the basis of which no human being can ever possibly understand.

When you accept that the 'other' has his/her own destiny to unfold and experience... you respect that destiny... you honor that life and let it be... and therefore as a result, you do not interfere... However, you might be asked to give an advice or, you might feel an impulse and a need to do so, and you should go ahead and say it... but will that advise be accepted and taken aboard, will it be taken into account?... This is completely another matter and the outcome should not concerns you anymore...

I have applied this philosophy in my life, because I know that it works for me and my husband... I am married and live a very happy and content life with my partner because we both understand and have realized that this Cosmic Law is true... I have a son, a daughter in law and two grandchildren... I know that these children will grow in a certain atmosphere with certain conditioning imposed upon them... will they later in life carry the same conditionings or will these be discarded to be replaced by more powerful conditioning? Or will they have a middle life crisis and decide that the real positive conditioning comes from within? When one reaches this point of no return... one simply enters the Path... that takes one to his/her divine ROOTS... called with different names: the Soul or Consciousness for some the Mind or the Self for others... whichever word you choose is the best one for you... and this is when your QUEST begins... which is to discover your true Self... your true Divine Origin...

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1- Observe and accept the needs of others... acknowledge that people need to have different experiences to express their inner programming

2 - Contemplate and meditate on the concept that there is a unique Energy that penetrates all creation. Call it what you will: Absolute CONSCIOUSNESS - the UNIVERSAL SOUL - the HIGHER SELF - GOD ... this Unique Energy makes your body-mind, your psyche and ego consciousness stay alive - without that absolute Energy there could be no creation...no universe... no world... no life - this knowledge and realization could be helpful to you in making you empathize with all sentient beings and with the whole of creation ... unfolding gradually in you a deep feeling of compassion and unconditional Love.

3 - Realize that individuals are different from each others because they each have a different inner programming that unfolds in their psyche and manifests in their ego or persona... Each sentient being is an expression of the Source of Being or of God - so can we condemn it...? Each object and sentient being has its place and role to play... be it grand or insignificant to you... Use your intuition and know that there are many truths and reasons for things to be as they are for reasons that are beyond the scope of our understanding.. be humble....

4 - If you meditate on these points you will soon come to feel very different and therefore you will notice that you are not stressed or frustrated anymore...or at least not as much as before... and this is because you have stopped judging and imposing your points of views and moral values on others and as a result you feel much more energetic - your thoughts and feelings give give you a sense of FREEDOM and You know that you are AWAKE...

So ask yourself this crucially important question, which is:
How do I perceive the ego now... and what is its role in my life?

posted September 15, 2007 10:43 AM         

Looks like New England.

I feel the same way about Autumn.

This is me:

posted September 15, 2007 10:50 AM           

I got so much out of it. You did it again! I don't know where you find these things but you always come up with just the right ones at just right time in my life. You keep feeding my soul with the spiritual food it needs for strength and growth.

You're a God send in my life!

This is one I would like to save and keep reinforcing in my mind and heart.

What is said here in this article is why I feel we should try to be gentle with each other in life and learn to accept and respect those differences in others - respect the spiritual space of others, and also accept the choices that others make in their own journey.

We should let go of the need to control others and the outcomes of all situations in relationship with others. I can look back and see how many times I have wanted the outcome to be different and tried to change it. I realize that is a futile endeavor because what is meant to be will be.

posted September 15, 2007 08:59 PM           

I love that picture you posted with the doggie. Now that's as cozy as it gets.

posted September 16, 2007 12:33 PM         

As weavers of our own lives, we see objects of the ordinary world, external or internal, beings, events, feelings, and actions as multicolored threads giving meaning and linking us to life. While observed from the outside world, these disparate and unrelated objects and beings take on for us their "usual" appearance and separateness for us. However, seen from the level of our awakened awareness, they jointly develop a wonderful and harmonious relationship analogous to the threads in a tapestry.

Worldly facts, events, memories, feelings and beings—or rather the ideas and symbols that we give to them—somehow change in value when seen from the perspective of a weaver. We are the weavers of our own lives, in which each experience can become an important thread used by our consciousness to connect with one another. Hence, when at a certain point in our lives, we decide to become the weaver, these entangled threads of our experiences and knowledge blend into a beautiful and useful tapestry.

Cloth, thread, loom, spindle, and whatever else is used in spinning and weaving, all represent symbols of our future and destiny. They are used to denote all that rules predetermine and join together our different and ever-changing realities, consciously harmonizing them in ourselves. They are also used to create and make something of our own substance and essence, as the spider does in spinning a web.

Many fairy tales feature goddesses holding spindles or weaving instrument whilst presiding over the birth of a prince or princess. In other instances, they represent time and the chain of cause and effect, or karmic laws. However, when man becomes the weaver of his own destiny, he naturally unfolds the qualities of the creative artist, and becomes the sacred fool whose intuition is guided by the thread of his soul.

On the Symbolism of the Thread

Turning to the archetypal meaning of the thread, it symbolizes the agent that links all states of being to one another and to the First Cause. This symbolism finds its best expression in the Upanishads, where the thread (sutra) "links this world to the other world and to all beings." The thread is both the soul (atman) and the breath (prana). The thread must in all things be followed back to its source because it is linked to a main central point, often depicted as the Sun. This is reminiscent of thread, the active ingredients of Theseus’ return to the light of day.

ARIADNE'S BALL OF TWINE.

Ariadne’s ball of twine or rope stands for the spiritual assistance needed to overcome the minotaur. The minotaur is the creature with a man’s body and a bull’s head, which king Minos imprisoned in the Labyrinth, built as tribute by Athens to Crete. The minotaur was regularly fed with seven youths and seven maidens, and the king’s son, Theseus, offered himself as one of them. Thanks to a ball of twine that Ariadne gave him to escape from the Labyrinth, Theseus was able to kill the beast.

The minotaur symbolizes the labyrinth of our unconscious, ignorant, perverted human nature, an ugly and soiled embroidery that is dominated by our ego, symbolized by king Minos. Hence, Ariadne’s ball of twine, like the thread, stands for the guidance coming from our soul and our higher intuition to overcome the beast of ignorance and selfishness. This myth symbolizes the spiritual struggle against repression. However, this struggle cannot be won without the weapons of light and the presence of our soul, symbolized by Ariadne herself.

In a spiritual context, the thread also represents the energies and magnetic stimulation and intuition coming from the soul. Therefore, we become the channels for the expression of our soul, and the threads linking us to it are a combination of our own thoughts and emotions blending with those of the soul. Together they form the tapestry of our life.

We have already seen that the thread is one of the meanings of the word sutra of the Buddhist scriptures. It should be added that the word "tantra" is also derived from the notion of thread or weaving.

Threading a needle is the symbol of passing through the gateway of the Sun and escaping from the cosmos. It also has the same meaning as the arrow piercing the center of the target. In this context, the thread may be regarded as the link between the different cosmic levels (infernal, terrestrial and celestial) or those of spiritual psychology, (subconscious, conscious, superconscious, or pure Being or Soul awareness).

All around the Mediterranean Basin, weaving is to woman what ploughing is to man—participating in the work of creation. Through myths and tradition, weaving has an equal archetypal importance as ploughing, although the way they operate remains different. Both, however, are conscious acts involving all the qualities necessary for creating and producing. Hence the thread of the soul links the weaver’s full awareness and qualities on his/her work, which becomes beautiful. Similarly, the farmer ploughs his field with the same attention and devotion, also linking his consciousness to the thread of his soul.

"As the spider weaves its thread out of its own mouth, plays with it and then withdraws it again into itself, so the external unchangeable Lord, who is without form, without attributes, who is absolute knowledge and absolute bliss, evolves the whole universe out of Himself, plays with it for a while, and again withdraws it into Himself." (by Bhagavatam)
The one who really sees this Truth, realizes his own nature as the Soul or pure Being.

posted September 16, 2007 07:35 PM           

Just go to the bottom of the page at that site and click on the twinkling star. You will find this article and all kinds of spiritual articles.

This is the home page or the site:

posted September 20, 2007 11:46 PM         

I've been so busy (moving, etc..) but I haven't overlooked, nor forgotten.
I'm going to surprise you one of these days.

So many subtle nuances, yes...
You always understand.