Tuesday, May 26, 2009

No Inevitability, Only Possibility

History is not made by quietism
but by the historic achievement
of those who seek perfection.

Those who are self-conceited
lose the bliss of searching.
And the self-conceited are
condemned to sterility.

There is no inevitability,
there is only possibility.

~Helena Roerich



Of Note: All of us are self-conceited--even if we think we aren't. Self-conceited in this passage means self-involved in family, community and our busy lives in general. Often we give a few minutes to the spiritual side of life and forget about it the rest of the time. Ancient wisdom teaches that earthly existence is death and spiritual living is true Life. Accepting that concept as reality, we would inevitably reach our minds to the stars. In doing so, we would stand along side the Christ in bringing salvation to the world. Even now, He is gathering minds for that eventuality, that future perfection.

Today's Weather Report: It looks like rain as the clouds are dark and low. Even at temps in the 60's Fahrenheit, the air is chilly....so much so that socks were a necessity this morning. I finished the garden over our dog's grave, and it looks sparse as all new gardens do. By next year at this time, it will have filled out. I did plant a couple of pumpkin plants that over the course of the summer will take over the area. When that occurs, I'll post a picture. Seasons are short here in northern Wisconsin for pumpkin growing, but sometimes all the stars line up for a good pumpkin harvest.

Watch For Change Snippet: Our new President must know that perfection is ultimately created in action not passivity. He is certainly taking the nation on a new path--amazingly, it is letting him have this space. The financial meltdown seems to have put a damper on people's fighting mood which was so prevalent during the elections. It was like a great release went forth prior to November 4th, and now we are taking a much needed mental break from belligerence.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

True Wealth

True wealth is not measured in
money or status or power.
It is measured in the legacy
we leave behind for those
we love and those we inspire.

~Cesar Chavez

Of Note: If our children were educated about "true wealth" from day one, the world would change quickly. Started at home, this education would commence with an inclusive definition of "those we love." Presently, the love of an individual might extend to family members, maybe the community and workplace. If done right, future generations will consider all humans as family and all beings as part of the community.

Today's Weather Report: A lovely day with the sun shining and little wind, though it was freezing again the pre-dawn. The newspaper officially announced the 4th year of drought which explains our lake being low. This may be just how it is for some time. Those who used to fish from the dock will not have much luck this year, unless they can catch fish in a foot or less of water. The lilypads are loving it, however.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Harnassing the Energies of Love

Someday after we have mastered the winds,
the waves, the tides and gravity,
we shall harness for God the energies of love.

Then for the second time in the history of the world,
we will have discovered FIRE.

~Teilhard de Chardin



Of Note: Love is the all-consuming fire of which Jesus spoke. In the teachings of ageless wisdom all energy is described as fire, but love provides the special fuel whereby burning fusion is possible. It is the next evolutionary step for all of us. A burning love makes all things possible. President Obama seems to know this as well. During the Notre Dame University commencement speech yesterday, he spoke these eloquent words:
"So many of you at Notre Dame--by last count, upwards of 80%--have lived this law of love through service you've performed at schools and hospitals, international relief agencies and local charities. Now you must carry the tradition forward. Make it a way of life. Because when you serve, it doesn't just improve your community, it makes you a part of your community. It breaks down walls. It fosters cooperation. And when that happens--when people set aside their differences to work in common effort toward a common good, when they struggle together, and sacrifice together, and learn from on another--ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE."
This whole document is worthy of serious reflection at www.ncronline.org/news/politics/obama-calls-understanding-respect.

Today's Weather Report: It was a strange weekend weatherwise. Early Saturday morning brought snow--not a lot, but snow nonetheless. Then the temps hovered at about 35 degrees Fahrenheit the rest of the day while wild winds made the air even colder. We were greeted Sunday morning with temps in the high twenties although by last evening it was 50 or so. Today was more moderate. The walleye fishermen who came up from Chicago thought this was just perfect weather to catch fish, and they were quite successful in that endeavor. Though, even those intrepid souls said that this was some of the coldest fishing weather they'd had in all the years they've been getting together. And that's saying something since this was at least their 30th year doing just that.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Lighter than a Feather


By united effort, let us raise
the very heavy burden.
The raising of this burden is
difficult only at the beginning.

Once it is raised off the earth,
it become lighter than a feather.

~H. Roerich

Of Note: Our destiny is to someday leave this earth and all its travails behind. But this guarantee is only in place if we learn group cooperation and tolerance in an atmosphere of loving understanding. According to an astute Teacher, peace will be the interim outcome but nothing can prepare us for the final revelation when a united man stands heart to heart and mind to mind. It has been called the "peace that passes understanding." The radiance will be blinding. Every effort to raise our brother's burden gets us one step closer. What are we waiting for?

Today's Weather Report: Who knew that this morning we'd be at 39 degrees Fahrenheit again? It's now 50 but chilly somehow. For some unknown reason 50 degrees can be either t-shirt or sweater weather. Today it is the latter. The flowers continue to smile because of the rain yesterday, which freshened everything up. But the lake continues to be way down, like last year. I can't imagine what could bring it up to its old normal except a deluge of some sort for days on end.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Invincible Summer

IN THE DEPTH OF WINTER,
I FINALLY LEARNED THAT
WITHIN ME THERE LAY AN
INVINCIBLE SUMMER.

~Albert Camus


Of Note: Winter gets a bit long here in the northwoods of Wisconsin. Sometimes it seems that it will never end. But then it does, and I can't seem to remember what snow is like. Cycling through year after year the seasons emulate the cycles of breathing. First the breath in, and the higher interlude. Then the breath out, and the lower interlude. Four parts. Four seasons. The frog, which was featured on these pages last summer, is back. I found it looking at me from the pond the other day--its head floating with its arms and legs dangling down in the water. It's glad spring has arrived so it can begin its own cycle of tadpole creation.

Today's Weather Report: Rain finally. We need it badly. The new garden over the dog's grave is now complete, and all the new plants were starved for water. Picture plants smiling and that's what the garden looks like today with the rain coming down. The five cats are not too impressed with the wet conditions, however, and can be found in piles of cats here, and there around the house. They figure they will just sleep the day away.

News You Can Use Snippet: For some reason, we did not know until now where penguins went when not breeding. That sure surprised me. We can send a man to the moon and probes to Mars but didn't know the life cycle of penguins. Turns out, after the breeding season, penguins headed out to the open sea and spent six months foraging for food. During that time they each traveled over 8,500 miles! In the last leg home, they covered an incredible 1,500 miles in one month. In our previous guesses about the beasties, we didn't even have the kind of food right or where they went--until now. The penguins cooperated with scientists by wearing half-ounce monitoring devices during their sojourn to the southern Indian Ocean where they gorged on crustaceans. This information will be important to conservationists, who have noted a decrease in the birds over the last twenty years.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

The Grace to Transform

WE MUST NOT WISH FOR
THE DISAPPEARANCE
OF OUR TROUBLES
BUT FOR THE GRACE TO
TRANSFORMS THEM.

~Simone Weil



Of Note: Troubles are a gift from our soul to get us moving in the right direction. Once we know that, we are free. Not necessarily free of troubles, but free of fretting about them. Mothers in particular sacrifice themselves to transformation through troubles. Sometimes with grace, sometimes not. The umbilical cord is always attached at some level, it seems. Happy Mother's Day to all those mothers who know what I'm talking about.

Today's Weather Report: Can you believe it was 34 degrees Fahrenheit again this morning? Out came the winter clothes again, though I was comfy in the pre-worn jeans my daughter sent for Mother's Day. She and I have this interesting relationship where she gives me hand-me-down clothes, shoes, and sometimes even socks. Several weeks ago I lamented that the last jeans she provided--my all time favorites--were wearing out in the seat, and I had no idea how to replace them. (Mind you, this was no fishing expedition; I really had no idea since I hadn't bought jeans for so long.) Walla, the answer arrived in the mail Friday right in time for the cold snap. Thanks, Daughter, those last jeans were getting a bit drafty!

News You Can Use Snippet: Check out www.ponderonthis.net for an unforgetable video guided tour through the philosophy of ageless wisdom. If nothing else is gained but relaxation, that in itself would be good. But I suspect that a viewer will go away with much more than that. Supposedly, the three videos were created by a "22 year old philosophy student." Reincarnation would be the only way to explain how that is possible. But you be the judge.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Wesak Festival

Saturday, April 19, 2008--reprinted from last year:

Today is the high, holy Wesak Festival of the Buddhists and all mankind. The Wesak Legend is a beautiful tale of hope, love and compassion. Whether one considers it a dream, legend or fact makes no difference. All that is required to participate is to open the Heart and Mind to whatever flows through. The legend goes like this--

There is a valley, lying at a rather high altitude in the foothills of the Himalayan-Tibet ranges. It is surrounded by high mountains on all sides except toward the northeast, where there is a narrow opening in the mountain ranges. The valley is, therefore, bottle shaped in contour, with the neck of the bottle to the northwest, and it widens very considerably toward the south. Up toward the north end, close to the neck of the bottle there is to be found a huge flat rock. There are no trees or shrubs in the valley, which is covered with a kind of course grass, but the sides of the mountain are covered with trees.

At the time of the full moon of Taurus, pilgrims from all the surrounding districts begin to gather; the holy men and lamas find their way into the valley and fill the southern and the middle parts, leaving the northeastern part relatively free. There, so the legend runs, gathers a group of those great Beings Who are the Custodians on Earth of God's Plan for our planet and humanity. By what name we call those Beings does not greatly matter.

The Christian may prefer to speak of Christ and His church. The esotericists may call Them the Masters of the Wisdom, the planetary Hierarchy, Who in Their varied grades are ruled and taught by the Christ, the Master of all Masters, and the Teacher alike of angels and men. Or we can call Them the Rishis of the Hindu scripture, or the Society of Illumined Minds as in the Tibetan teaching.

They are the Great Intuitives and the Great Companions of our more modern presentation, and are the aggregate of perfected humanity who have followed in Christ's steps and have entered for us within the veil, leaving us an example that we should do as they have done. They, with their wisdom, love and knowledge, stand as a protective wall around our race, and seek to lead us on, step by step (as They Themselves were led in Their time) from darkness to light, from the unreal to the real, and from death to immortality.

This group of Knowers of divinity are the main participants in the Wesak Festival. They range themselves in the northeastern end of the valley, and in concentric circles prepare Themselves for a great act of service. In front of the rock, looking toward the northeast, stands Those Beings Who are called by Their disciples "the Three Great Lords." These are the Christ, Who stands in the center; the Lord of living forms, the Manu, Who stands on His right; and the Lord of Civilization, Who stands on His left. These three face the rock, upon which there rests a great crystal bowl, full of water.

As the hour of the full moon approaches, a stillness settles down upon the crowd, and all look toward the northeast. The expectancy in the waiting, onlooking crowds becomes very great, and the tension is real and increasing. Through the entire body of people there seems to be felt a stimulation or potent vibration which has the effect of awakening the souls of those present, fusing and blending the group into one united whole, and lifting all into a great act of spiritual demand, readiness and expectancy. It is the climax of the world's aspiration, focussed in this waiting group. These three words--demand, readiness and expectancy--best describe the atmosphere surrounding those present in this secret valley.

The chanting and rhythmic weaving grows stronger, and all participants and the watching crowd raise their eyes toward the sky in the direction of the narrow part of the valley. Just a few minutes before the exact time of the full moon, in the far distance, a tiny speck can be seen in the sky. It comes nearer and nearer, and grows with clarity and definiteness of outline, until the form of the Buddha can be seen, seated in the cross-legged Buddha position, clad in His saffron-colored robe, bathed in light and color, and with His hands extended in blessing.

When He arrives at a point exactly over the great rock, hovering there in the air over the heads of the three Great Lords, a great mantram, used only once a year, at the Festival, is intoned by the Christ, and the entire group of people in the valley fall upon their faces.

This Invocation sets up a great vibration or thought current which is of such potency that it reaches up from the group of aspirants, disciples and initiates who employ it, to God Himself. It marks the supreme moment of intensive spiritual effort throughout the entire year, and the spiritual vitalization of humanity and the spiritual effects last throughout the succeeding months. The effect of this Great Invocation is universal and cosmic, and serves to link us up with that cosmic center of spiritual force from which all created beings have come. The blessing if poured forth, and the Christ--as the Representative of Humanity--receives it in trust for distribution.

Thus, so the legend runs, the Buddha returns once a year to bless the world, transmitting through the Christ, renewed spiritual life. Slowly then the Buddha recedes into the distance, until again a faint speck can be seen in the sky, and this eventually disappears. The whole ceremonial blessing, from the time of the first appearance in the distance until the moment Buddha fades out of view, takes just eight minutes.

The Buddha's annual sacrifice for humanity (for He comes back only at great cost) is over, and he returns again to that high place where He works and waits. Year after year, He comes back in blessing; year after year the same ceremony takes place. Year after year He and His great Brother, the Christ, work in the closest cooperation for the spiritual benefit of humanity. In these two great Sons of God have been focussed two aspects of divine life, and They act together as Custodians of the highest type of spiritual force to which humanity can respond.

Through the Buddha, the wisdom of God is poured forth. Through the Christ, the love of God is manifested to humanity; and it is this wisdom and love which pour forth upon mankind each May full moon.

When the Buddha has again disappeared the crown rise to their feet; the water in the bowl is distributed in tiny portions to the masters, initiates, and disciples, and They they go Their way to the place of service. The crowd, who have all brought their little cups and vessels of water, drink of them, and share iwth others. In this beautiful "water ceremony of communion" we have presented for us, in symbol, an indication of the New Age.

In this ceremony is perpetrated for us the story of the universality of God's love, the need for individual purification, and the opportunity to share with each other that which belongs to us all. The water which has been magnetized by the presence of the Buddha and the Christ, carries certain properties and virtues of healing and helpful nature. Thus blessed, the crowd silently disperses; the Masters and the disciples return with renewed strength to undertake another year of world service.

And so ends the moving legend. For years the Wesak Festival has been celebrated in Tibet and surrounding areas; it is a new concept to the west.
Because the holy observance combines eastern and western spiritual philosophies into one, some predict that one day it will stand as the main global spiritual holiday. When that happens, you can say you saw it here first.

Of Note: Marie did not know that when she took this soul-filled picture of the Rockies years ago, it would be used in place of the mighty Himalayas in 2008. I'm sure mountains have aspirations, too! In this case, the Rockies represent the elder statesman and the Himalayas the new kid on the block. This legend is quoted verbatim from a pamphlet The Wesak Festival: A Technique of Spiritual Contact, by A. A. Bailey. It can be obtained from www.lucistrust.org.


Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Heaven in a Wildflower

To see the world in a grain of sand,
and heaven in a wildflower,
hold infinity in the palm of your hand
and eternity in an hour.

~William Blake


Of Note: William Blake was one of those geniuses we spoke about in the May 2nd blog. These folks are not hard to spot because they have a way of touching the universal with a few simple words. That's hard to do. If we conducted a study down through the ages, we could pick out these luminaries, who are always one step ahead of their contemporaries. These are no saints, but men and women who lived life to the fullest and gave gifts to humanity that are still being savored today. Forerunners, really. Without their contributions and sacrifices, we might still be staring at the four walls of a cave and contemplating whether to have the mammoth steak or trillium soup for dinner.

Today's Weather Report: It was 72 degrees Fahrenheit this afternoon and oh what a gorgeous warm day. The garden called, but before heading out, I donned a tank top and shorts for the first time this year with my flip flops, of course. Flip-flop, flip-flop. Boy, do I love that sound!

News You Can Use Snippet: I was amazed to discover that over 1,000,000 non-profits were open for business in the United States. Then it became perfectly clear why someone was always asking for money for something--often several times a day. The internet has made this particularly easy. Though no one would argue that charities do good things, just think if these organizations would consolidate down to let's say, 10,000. It's possible that the efficiencies would go through the roof, and the money saved on administration and other redundant overhead could then be redirected to service activities. If this type of cooperation was global, the world might change overnight.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Game-changers

We are clearly in one of those game-changing years:
up is down, red is blue and black is President.

~Michael Moore

Of Note: TIME annually highlights the 100 most influential people in the world with stories written by other luminaries. It hit the news stands last week. Michael Moore's piece on Bernie Madoff stood out as the most pithy. I've never been a big Moore fan but think he hit the nail on the head in his article on the infamous Ponzi schemer. Moore believes that the era of capitalism-as-we-know-it is dead and is creating a documentary on the topic which will be out this fall. The most astonishing information came, though, in a back-of-the-pack article on Daniel Nocera of MIT. This obscure scientist is attempting to create energy from water with everyday, inexpensive chemicals based on the principles of photosynthesis. The piece contained little to chew on, and Googling the man elicited no additional details. We can only hope that if and when such a momentous discovery is made, the technology is freely given. In a new era of sharing, cooperation, and service to the common good where capitalism-as-we-know-it is dead, we may find untold wealth in such discoveries. My bet is that day is coming.

Today's Weather Report: We were greeted this morning with freezing temps. Somehow I thought those days were behind us, but apparently not. Because of that, a chill has lingered in the air and right now a space heater is keeping my feet warm. Happily, a few more daffodils have bloomed. Any day now, the place will be blanketed with them--and that is a sight to behold. Interestingly, the garden flowers seem to come in waves of different colors over the course of their growing season. First it's the yellows, then the purples and finally the pinks and reds. You have to pay attention because it doesn't hit you in the face, but the trend is definitely there.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Genius, Power and Magic

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.

~Goethe


Of Note: Like they say, there's no time like the present to start something important. And with many lifetimes to complete the project, there's no excuse not to either. Goethe knew that, of course, as his genius was the accumulations of many lifetimes of experience.

Today's Weather Report: These blogs may be necessarily shorter because the outdoors calls this time of year. The first daffodils are showing their lovely heads down by the barn....obviously the most sunny spot around. The bears are awake from hibernation. We found that out yesterday morning when we discovered trash strewn all over the yard. A wily beast had apparently climbed into the back of the truck and emptied four large trash cans that were destined for the garbage collector later in the morning! Today I picked up more of the mess in the woods where the bear had dragged two bags to savor the smelly morsels contained therein. He or she must not mind cat poop because the containers were riddled with bags of the stuff. Needless to say, the trash won't be put into the truck the night before any longer--at least until the bears go nighty-night next fall.

News You Can Use Snippet: Our beloved doggie just died, not an hour ago. Jim already had her grave dug, and today we bought a lilac bush to plant over the spot. Now she rests peacefully and will nourish a beautiful flowering bush that will bring smiles to future generations, who will have no idea why that plant is there along the fence out in the field.