Today just made up for the last two weeks of hell!

Imagination is more powerful than Will.

Discuss.

Why am I so surprised when a plan works, I ask again?

Edit: Sunday, June 7
( some thoughts )

Poetry is a satisfying of the desire for resemblance....
If resemblance is described as
a partial similarity between two dissimilar things,
it complements and reinforces
that which the two dissimilar things have in common.
It makes it brilliant.
Wallace Stevens

I tend to do this when I write verse. Interesting.

the pattern fills the soul with awe
where everything is a sign
of god manifest
externalized
away from the essence of truth
of the internal experience
spiritual growth is about unlearning
reaching closure
on the altar of consciousness


Bonus metaphysical existential query posed by Teilhard de Chardin:
Are we human beings on a spiritual journey?
or
Are we spiritual beings on a human journey?
Discuss.

involuntary perception
leads to a perfect faith
shoving Jesus and Judas equally aside
desiring consistency
not a false prayer

uniquely incarnated in each
commonly shared
independence of solitude
celebrated in the midst of a community
not begged of the gods

aboriginal Self
evolutionary Soul
cumulative force of Will
flourishing Consciousness
not some gilded philosophy

God is voluptuous and delicious

Meister Eckhart (CE 1260-1329)

What is evident to man is evident because God chose it to be evident.Paul's Epistle to the Romans

I take wisdom where I find it.

There is no forbidden knowledge. There is only the question of application for good or for evil; the side of angels is rarely apparent.

Subhuti was Buddha's disciple.

Subhuti was able to understand the potency of emptiness; that nothing exists except in its relationship of subjectivity and objectivity. One day, in a mood of sublime emptiness, Subhuti was resting underneath a tree when flowers began to fall about him.

"We are praising you for your discourse on emptiness," the gods whispered to Subhuti.

"But I have not spoken of emptiness," replied Subhuti.

"You have not spoken of emptiness; we have not heard emptiness," responded the gods. "This is the true emptiness." The blossoms showered upon Subhuti as rain.

through my thoughts
through my emotions
through my actions
experience my divinity
experience my humanity

Mindfully. Peacefully.

1. Stop reading books/websites about how to get out of debt, declutter your office/home/life, or find your dream job. None of these conditions exist.
   
2. Commit to exercising each day.
   
3. Stop the self-sabotage and negative self-talk.
   
4. Meditate 10 minutes or longer each day. (Stretch: Sit in Zazen once a week.)
   
5. Don't go digital on February 17. It'll save money and liberate time.
   
6. Commit to an anti-inflammation (mostly vegetarian) lifestyle.
   
7. Eat 75% local (100 mile) nutrition.
   
8. Eliminate packaged foods to all extent possible.
   
9. Maintain the "clean desk" policy at work including multi-project, single-task approach.
   
10. Identify and apply for international opportunities for scientific exchange for 2009 and 2010. (Stretch: Participate in an exchange this year.)
    
11. Reduce waste in the household. Increase recycling.
    
12. Determine and follow a financial plan and schedule for home improvements (roof, bathroom, deck, etc).
    
13. Learn to play the Djembe.
    
14. Develop a new social circle of friends that is not predicated on work or alcohol.
    
15. Attend at least 6 meetups.
    
16. Enjoy a glass of wine occasionally.
    
17. Fully fund TSP retirement account. Partially fund Roth IRA. (Stretch: Fully fund the Roth IRA.)
    
18. Expand the garden beds. (Stretch: Plant dwarf fruit trees.)
    
19. Explore rain water catchment for irrigating the garden beds. (Stretch: Implement.)
    
20. Be open to other's involvement in my life.
    
21. Ride my bike for enjoyment at least twice a week, weather permitting. (Stretch: Use bike/trailer to do local shopping on weekend. Big Stretch: Ride to work once a week.)
    
22. Attend a weekend retreat at a local monastery.
    

Good Fortune. Harmony.

I've been consciously redefining my lifestyle for the last year or so. I've learned alot from my LJ friends who are traveling similar roads.

I've decluttered my office, my home, my personal habits and my mind. I've realized that my job, in which I get paid to do what I love, is not the sole defining factor of who I am. I understand that my workaholic routine is not healthy - professional, personally, and spiritually. I'm practicing a more sustainable lifestyle by honoring the Earth, conserving energy and resources, eating locally, being fiscally responsible, treating all people with respect and dignity, and consistently avoided conspicuous consumerism. It took many years and is still ongoing. I have all the time in the world!

Thank you! I am satisfied with all that I have!

I recently found this excerpt from Clay at the Growing Lifewhich I thought expressed my current position.


Abundance 2.0
Abundance 2.0 is sustainable abundance. It’s fair-trade abundance. It’s the kind of abundance that doesn’t produce megalomaniacs.

Abundance 2.0 means that you live a radically authentic life, be radically true to yourself, get paid for being you, quit the things you need to quit, and still have enough materials possessions to be happy and make your family happy. Abundance 2.0 is what happens when your life is so great that the private jet just isn’t necessary.

Note: I’m not advocating asceticism, or saying that you need to deny yourself all material possessions and live a celibate life in the woods. Furthermore, I entirely embrace the notion that you might make millions as a side-effect of living a beautiful and authentic life. I’m cool with that. I do, however, believe that when you’ve come alive, you’ll be fine with . . .

The Beautiful Bare Minimum

When you know what time it is, when you’ve come alive, when you’ve found that goal that galvanizes you (or it’s found you), then that private jet probably won’t matter so much. When you’ve found something that’s truly important, the sacrifices just won’t seem like sacrifices. The truth is that we can have a couple of nice things, like a sweet computer or a new car, and still live on very little (if necessary) if we ditch cable and don’t eat out all the time, and stop paying $5 per beer when we go out with friends. We can deal. In fact we can more than deal… we can live beautifully.


full post at http://thegrowinglife.com/2008/04/the-cult-of-abundance-goal-auto-immune-disorder-abundance-20/

Act as if you have all the time in the world. Stop trying to be productive. Let go of the entire notion of productivity. Do what you have to do. Then do what comes next. And so on.

I've been telling myself, as a paradigm shift, that "I have all the time in the world" rather than saying, "There's too much to do. Things have to get done" then jumping into crisis mode. Stressing. Uber-organizing. Workaholic to the rescue.

I have all the time in the world to get done what needs doing in my life.

My first ride to the grocery store went well this morning. I left about 8:30 am and was home by 9:30 am. Crossing US 150 wasn't too bad - hardly any traffic. Picture of my bike & trailer under the cut.

( Here is my bike & trailer. )

If I remember, I'll try to pack my camera and take pictures of my travels about the city on my bike. My confidence is high so I might actually ride to work this week.

One thing I noticed is that people in cars are in a hurry to get places. I'm a little more resigned accepting of the time spent traveling and enjoying the breeze and view.

words seeking love
sent to the four corners of the earth
law and justice succeed
worth and talent reside
cruelty vanquished
living in splendour

I'm sitting outside on my patio surveying my domain. Bird song mingles with chimes. Warm sun. Cool breeze. A cuppa jo in my hand. Fresh fruit on my plate. Lilacs send out a floral tribute. Faint noises of the city.

Waking up at 6 am gives me plenty of time for quiet contemplation, a yoga routine, and a healthy breakfast. I am home by 6 pm from work and have not had to bring anything home to work on. Efficient and productive. A healthy home-cooked meal and time to savor life. A quick workout. In bed with a book by 10:00 pm. Restful sleep.

Trivial tasks accomplished: Front lawn mowed, edged and trimmed. Dead branches cut and stacked into the woodpile. Yard waste in the bin or to the curb. Clean kitty litter. Recycling to the curb. Fresh green juice. Trash compacted and placed curbside. Dishes washed and put away. Floor swept. Altars refreshed. Banking accomplished. Bills paid. Gratitude expressed.

Today is my shortened mid-year review since our review period is only 9 months this year. For the first time EVER, I am not anxious and stressed about it. I've been doing what I'm supposed to be doing and making good progress. We talk about future plans for professional development. I'm writing a proposal for a postdoctoral research project in order to find external funds and speed my research projects along. The lab is tidy. My office is decluttered. A zen garden sits atop the file cabinet.

I'm where I should be.

Intellectual engagement. Emotional satisfaction. Spiritual enlightenment. Healthy lifestyle. Harmony.

Mind. Body. Spirit. Peace. Love.

I decided to write about things that are essential to my lifestyle (personal, professional, spiritual). Normally this blog just goes into daily activities with an occasional philosophical babble. I keep my writings fairly private except to publish short essays or poetry. It seems an appropriate time (I don't know why), and I feel comfortable with my LJ friends list.


Poverty
The things that bind us together are infinitely more valuable than those that tear us apart. Poverty ensures that important things (like enlightenment, awareness, or consciousness) don't get buried under a bunch of materialistic, competitive impulses. Poverty is not about money or things although living a more simple life without all the bells and whistles is desirable because it makes it easier not to get distracted. Poverty is about sufficiency, equality, peaceful co-existence, and celebrating the differences that enrich, mystify, educate and allow us to live an authentic life. There is a strong current of environmentalism in this vow that manifests as encouraging sustainability and responsible stewardship of our Earth.

Celibacy
Celibacy is about ownership, freedom and personal responsibility. Those that practice celibacy seek to rechannel energy that normally would go into a sexual relationship, but it is more than just sexual behavior. Human nature allows for us to enter into intimate relationships with people (or things) that exclude, isolate, encourage inordinate dependence, or consume large amounts of time and energy. Celibacy is not just external behavior or physiology. Celibacy teaches me how to love others and secures me in my personal power. One who bears divinity in her own right does not need the security of exclusive, possessive, and dependent relationships. BUT. Those energies that shatter life are as precious and important as those that gather life together. The dark attributes of the gods are just as wonderful and mysterious as the radiant light. Dark and light are incredibly the same and essential to human existence for the renewal of life: sorrow & joy, life, death & rebirth, and the cycle of the seasons. True celibacy embraces compassion as a fundamental human characteristic. Compassion allows me to reverently accept and embrace life's passions and pains equally.

Obedience
Or more properly: Disobedience
My inner voice is increasingly important in modern society where traditional, authoritarian voices are in crisis with dissent and fallability. The consequences of blind, unquestioning obedience to self-appointed, "legitimate" authority - temporal or spiritual - are evident in our global community: war, hunger, disease, and the resulting misery and suffering. There is much angst in my life when my will challenges the voice of external authority. Personal discernment gets very intense. Usually the decision to disobey (or obey) follows this chain of reasoning: is the situation unbearable? is survival at stake? will it relieve oppression? is it better to do nothing? will the situation resolve itself or by divine intervention? Obedience means living a true, examined, authentic life.

So now you know something about me and my journey.

It really is worth the 90 seconds.

is human consciousness such a mysterious trait that divine intervention is necessary to explain it?

On the reading list for the weekend:

Daughter of York by Anne Easter Smith (war of the roses - pre-tudor england)
The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison (enchanting and makes me laugh out loud - the series is just a fun read!)
Feng Shui for Your Home and Garden by Sarah Shurety (just reviewing some concepts as I declutter my house and office)
Inevitable Illusions by Massimo Piatelli-Palmarini (cognitive science)

Hey, this is a blog about metaphysical, psuedoscientific, psychobabble! What did you expect?

Yoinked from southernpm

How to abandon your God...

by Mark Morford
San Francisco Chronicle

( Institutionalized Religion is Full of Fail )

original link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/gate/a/2008/03/05/notes030508.DTL