A Suggestion of Divine Intervention

When I was a teen, I loved running through the woods. Dodging trees, ducking under branches, leaping over logs, skipping over streams, up and down, round and round – often, trying to keep up with my dog. During that same time, I infrequently wore shoes. My feet were tough enough for me to walk on hot blacktop and run across sharp gravel; and, fly through the woods.

One day, I was doing some high speed bushwhacking, and when my tank ran dry, I stopped and rested my hands on my knees to catch my breath. As I panted, I spotted a small branch with a huge thorn laying right between my feet. Then another, inches away; and more … Looking around, I saw that I was standing amid a grove of terrifying trees and ankle deep in a sea of three inch thorns.

It took me a few minutes to tip toe my way out of the danger zone. Longer to properly thank my lucky stars. Had I landed on just one spike, I would likely have buckled and rolled through them, ending up like an inverted porcupine, with my quills pointing inward.

I've never been inclined to believe in divine intervention; but as fanciful as it seems, it certainly would make some things easier to “rationalize”. Of course, to be fair, if I were to give credit for all the good in life, I'd also have to assign blame for all the bad. And then my imagination would run amok down a path that would invariably end in my discounting free will, all together.

Whatever the reasons, I've been spared injury and/or death more times than I can remember. And for that, I'm divinely grateful.

Peripheral Shadows

I have to begin this one by asking you to do a little exercise. Find a section of light colored wall with something dark on it. Spend a minute or so staring at a blank spot on the wall, such that the dark object is visible in your periphery. Afterward, as you look elsewhere, you'll see a “shadow image” in the same part of your peripheral vision that held the actual object. Observe what happens as you try to focus on the shadow.

The eyes are trained to lock onto specific things to identify and differentiate all of the apparent components. As you try to look at the shadow, it darts away from your attempts to zone in on it. If you want to observe it, you need to look and focus in a different way.

Spending time with/as your silent self is a similar experience. The mind is trained to lock onto specific things in order to identify and differentiate them. But the formless self can't be pinned down, spelled out or contained, and is impervious to any such attempts.

If you want to be at one with yourself, you need to learn to focus, acknowledge and accept in a different way.

Parade Day

There's a perpetual parade passing along the main street in my mind. It's made of all manner of characters. Some are in drag, some are on stilts, some on floats and some floating along, grounded by tethers and guided by others wearing white face. As I pass among them, I'm dizzied by the deluge of sights and sounds, characters and costumes. They all seem to ooze enticement, promise treasures or have interesting tales to tell. And I'm often caught up in the current and stride along with of one them taking in his story. Although the tides tug and characters hug, I've learned that being amid the parade doesn't really give me the most effective perspective.

Fortunately, I have an all access pass to a balcony that provides me with an overview of the continuing cavalcade. From there I can see which work together and which bump into each other. Which meander and which are steadily fixed on target. Which are happy and fun and which are just plain silly. I see which ones are loners and which are bound together in a string of “follow the leader”. And I see the tandem juggling acts, with multiple balls bouncing back and forth - feelings inspiring thoughts that strengthen their seed feelings, and thoughts inspiring feelings that provide proof the idea's significance.

Most importantly, I see the parade, as what it is. A non stop festival of frivolity that isn't as all encompassing or defining, as it seems. It's useful for my living, but not necessary for my being. It's of me, yet I'm not of it. It's a good thing, just better when viewed from above. So now I can live with it, rather than for it.

Stock up on sparklers. Clean out your kazoos. Unfurl your flags. And bounce on up to a balcony. Your procession is well underway. Breath it in, and enjoy the show.

Potentially So

We see ourselves as our habits; however, our habits are just one possibility of who we may be.

I have never killed anyone, but the possibility is there. I have never literally sacrificed my life for another, but I could. So am I a murderer or a martyr? No. I've held back because of fear, and risked my life on a whim. Am I a coward and a fool? No. I've been impatient, helpful, lazy, dismissive and playful. Does that make me any of the above? Of course not.

Actions and attitudes are temporary conditions of our existence. There seems to be some mechanism that lures us back to familiar grounds, but there's nothing that mandates it. We aren't carved of stone, created as such and destined to be just that. We are potential incarnate. We can be as we choose.

Deprogramming old habits isn't easy, but it's much easier when armed with the realization that our tendencies are not given traits. This allows us to shift our focus from what we've done to how we want to be. To move from expectation to inspiration.

So, how do you want to be today?

A Losing Aspiration

We all maintain a journal that attempts to recount our personal life stories, helping to explain and justify who we are. We each keep a running tally of our totalities, including our likes and dislikes, our strengths and weaknesses, our responsibilities and hobbies, our regrets and dreams, our friends and foes, and everything else that defines us. This, in and of itself, is not a problem. Our troubles arise when we mistake our stories for our Selves. Once convinced that the tale is the truth, we contort what we experience to support our illusions. Which also isn't really an issue, unless we wish to live honestly.

It's easier to see that we're separate from the houses, clothes and cars that define us, because we can step out of them. If only we could step outside of our selves … Oh, wait – we can!

If we wish to find our Selves, we must first lose our selves.

Shutter Speed

In a way, our brains are kind of like photographic film. If we want to record a clear and detailed image, we need to allow for sufficient exposure/attention time. Some things or events are dull, to begin with, and need more time than the norm. Others are dramatic and radiate exceptional brightness, thus requiring less. And, by nature, different cameras take in varying spectrums better.

We can tell, in the moment, if it's done yet, or if it's taking at all~. So, regardless of circumstances and distractions, if we think/feel that something important to record, we need to be mindful and give it adequate attention.

Of course, it helps to take the lens cap off.

Let it Flow. Let it Flow. Let it Flow.

Whether it's the cars behind us, the air above us or the flowers beneath our feet, people often ignore the world trying to happen around them. In doing so, they often become impediments to the flow of existence that's just trying to get along, everywhere, all the time.

We're like individual cells in a vast being. Cells all have their own lives and objectives, but their greater purpose is to facilitate the well being of the whole. We call cells that conflict with that entirety, cancer.

We're under no obligation to be considerate, and many take full advantage of this. But how does it make you feel when others ignore and interfere with your ambitions? How would the world be if absolutely everyone was completely self absorbed? How would it be if everyone consciously accommodated others' activities? Nobody likes a clog in the drain. Why would anyone want to be one? “Do unto others ...”

For the sake of contributing to creating a more harmonious world, and setting a laudable example for others to emulate, shouldn't we pay attention to the rest, and try to stay out of the way – or even be helpful?

Just a thought, flowing from the big brain, through mine.