Wisdom of Ages

Changing your perspective...

2012-01-29T04:51:00.000+02:00

Perspective is everything, and if it isn't anything you have given much thought before now then read on and gain some. I still think that art lovers who stand in front of paintings with a squint eye and thumb in the air is pretentious, but I also discovered recently that the famous Mona Lisa was actually a rather small painting.

My dismay at this discovery is probably due to previous issues I have had with regard to appreciation and gratitude, but for this discussion it may be more appropriate to consider the fact that almost everybody I know also think that 'ole Lisa is a big painting! It is these small apparent anomalies in my own mind that make me an outspoken critic of my own sanity, but also make me think.

Since a snap survey following the discovery has confirmed that not only my friends, but most people I know used to think that Mona was all but small, at least before I told them of the fact, I have gained more insight in the value of perspective and have gained some perspective to my own concept of value. Now this is where it gets interesting, because in my own head space I obviously had some kind of subconscious link between value and size, ergo the Mona Lisa.

In a totally unrelated epiphany I have also gained some insight to a certain rotund jolly Grey man in red, but that is purely coincidental. Of more relevance is that since then I have started to look a little closer at my world, and with that, my whole world changed.

And it changed only because I changed my focus, adjusted my perspective, and with it discovered a world of appreciation that was there all the time, but went by unnoticed. Little things I found, like the rapture of a gentle breeze on a hot and sweaty day that changed a forgettable memory to a timeless moment of ecstasy. Or the day when I wept in awe of a single drop of dew that was cradled in the tip of a leaf...

All because I changed my perspective.

Even if I got it totally wrong, we can all acknowledge the seductive power of a woman's smile. But then again, don't you sometimes wonder if she's smiling at all?

Neanderthal Neuroscience | The Loom

2011-11-29T04:41:00.000+02:00

Neanderthal Neuroscience | The Loom:

Rather than universally promoting the better angels of our nature, oxytocin has broader effects on our behaviour. It probably either makes people more alert to social cues in their environment, or motivates them to seek social connections with others. These effects manifest in different ways, both positive and negative, depending on the person and the situation.

Music and the Brain

2011-11-27T10:41:00.000+02:00

Reading an article on Music and the Brain. Reminded me that by nature of the sense, a point of view must always have two sides, each providing a 180 degrees. Except perhaps in harmony, where a single point of view is shared in mutual trust and irrefutable choice... But then that is once again by nature of choice that such begun become in resonance I guess.

We become

2011-07-15T18:56:00.000+02:00

I first published this article in Feb 2010. A lot has changed since then...

The brain is known to comprise of roughly three pounds mushy gray tissue that regulate almost every aspect of our life. It is the first organ to function in support of human life, and the last one to stop after death.

Until recently we knew very little about the mind, but since technology advanced to the level that we have some nifty tools to study it in action, it seems that even what we think we know is suspect. With fMRI imaging we are beginning to understand how the brain takes cognizance of input from our senses to build a coherent time-line of experience that result in our own unique view of the reality we share.

From understanding the difference between emotional and neutral memories, to finding why people in a happy mood will almost always choose the first of any available choices given, all the way through to the role of emotions in determining self bias and the recent shocking discovery that morals are nothing less than conclusions and deductions to defend our actions.

Take for instance the recent discovery that the act of imagination takes place in the same region of the brain that involves memory. Not only does it challenge the general convention that there is a difference between fact and fiction, but apparently our brain is perfectly willing and able to ignore the absence of memory references to sensory and kinesthetic memory patterns in it's effort towards a coherence and efficiency.

Another discovery that sent shock waves through the ranks of philosophers and religious leaders alike is that we seem to make choices before we arrive at a "conscious" decision. Without any scientific understanding of consciousness it may be nothing more than assumption, but through the use of fMRI it was shown that brain activity indicate what a respondent would choose up to 7 seconds before the respondent indicated that he has made up his mind on a choice. This has resulted in the development of a range of applications to "read" the mind without conscious interference. Both the discovery, and the applications that develop from this new and improved understanding are raising serious questions about such time honored concepts as moral values, free choice and accountability.

Until we find the discipline to collect, combine and cross reference what we find the working of the mind will remain somewhat of a mystery. In the meantime we continue our headlong rush to new discovery and learning more about the brain and its ability. With the help of modern technology we are finally lifting the veil of mystery that shrouded our mind learning more about why we think the way we do, and understanding what and who we are...

Check out what Tom Shadyac says...

Story Time!

2011-05-12T13:42:00.000+02:00

I suppose the best story of all is the story of life. As it is to those of us who know enough to see the end and still be able enough to can't wait, to those of us who love to look back and front with a smile, to those of us it is the very best of all stories to tell.

Who want's to hear more? Say yes!

Never enough

2011-05-08T13:13:00.000+02:00

They say happiness is such a fickle thing and then, of all the choices that we have, we end up choosing everything else. We choose all the things that other people say will bring us pleasure or standing, both of which can only be yours by choice. And in the end we end up with all the things that money can buy without feeling any good. It begs the question when will enough ever be enough?

Everybody should know the myth of Midas and his touch of gold, but you can take your pick of almost any fairytale and find a golden thread of yearning desire, wanton need, happiness and choice. The problem is not to question when, but what it is you want.

Every breath

2011-03-19T08:59:00.000+02:00

I suppose it makes sense that a lack of oxygen would dull your senses, but as a child with asthma, the only thing that I knew was droll. Never much to play, never much to perform, never much to notice at all, but when you wanted me I was always there, smiling in my oxygen deprived reality. I used to sit in trees a lot. My mother tells the story how I hid away in the branches of our backyard tree, but in my mind I was sitting there, grateful for the chance to climb above the struggle of moving over ground. Happy to sit there in my happiness to breathe.

I'm still somebody that finds happiness in small things. I get captivated by beauty, and I'm easily enthralled. I have a deep appreciation of the growth and development that is possible if you can get over the struggle to take a deep breath and just do it, and I still to this day hate people that don't. Though hate is an emotion I only had to confront much later in my life... To me, making the most of it is not only a way to live, making the most of every breath I took was life.

I think I do?

2011-03-19T08:05:00.000+02:00

To this day I still cannot remember much from my childhood. Memory being what it is, that could either mean that it was uneventful boring, uneventful horrific, or uneventful happy.

Uneventful boring would either have meant that I had some kind of childhood malaise that prevented me from exploring the world like I was designed too, or that my environment gave me so little to explore that my mind found new things to amuse it, because that is the way it was designed to do. Our environment was designed to fascinate and enthrall, to captivate in it's radiant beauty and blind us in the awe of its own existance. I can understand that in some children the beauty in nature can be the allure that lead them off into the sunset, following a dream thats better than what he left behind, but that's not me. At least not evermore.

According to the elder in my care I was a dreamer, staring off to space and making neverever journeys to neverneverland. And though it sounds like kinda fun to leave it just like that, something never felt quite at ease. Not even when I found the pictures by the sea my mother made me pose, or I heard that recent scientific research sowed that day-dreaming was, and is a good thing.

I had childhood asthma, and though you may think that that would somehow explain it all, I must warn you that it's not at all what you may think, or think you ever have? Because you can't. As I doctor I know that I need air to breathe, and oxygen to make my muscles go and my mind to get out of slow and gear it up. I suspect I learnt it as a fact even way back then when as a child I was strugging to get any.

Lack of oxygen will do that to you you know. It dulls the senses, dims the interest, limits the level of experience to just a droll. I was staring out of windows a lot.

Crossing over (Ver 0.1)

2010-07-19T15:47:00.001+02:00

A recent article by Deepak Chopra, Crossing a spiritual divide, mentions that Americans are experiencing a spiritual awakening. For the first time in 47 years, more than 50% of respondents to a pole admit to a "moment of sudden religious insight or awakening". What I'm thinking is when is the wave going to hit us in South Africa, or has it just begun to do so?

Ever heard of Mighty Men? (No, not the cartoon superhero, or you and your dad.) Mighty Men is the most recent South African flavor of religious fervor, and the man with the cross is Angus Buchan, who professes nothing but a simple message of love and prayer and good Christian values, and he does so to men.

Mighty Men is only one of a whole range of flow experiences that are currently being triggered all over the world. Another excellent example can be found in the "gift" that the Black Eyed Peas gave to Oprah on her birthday. Not only does it perfectly illustrate the nature and occurrence of spiritual fervor, it also bears the ecstatic verbal testament of Oprah, and the thousands of participants that still proclaim how the staged event changed their lives forever.

In reply to those I hear protest and saying things like comparing apples with pears, let me remind you that flow has found religious expression for thousands of years. The way to enter flow may seem to be very different between Negro Spirituals and whirling Dervishes, but once achieved, the actual experience of flow is remarkably the same. Not if you look at the accepted scientific, albeit descriptive definition of flow.

Flow is an unmistakable universal experience of unity, and can be triggered by any of a variety of experiences. And notwithstanding it's diverse origin, flow feels the same whether you find it at a drumming circle, a revival rally, the Burning Man or a Mighty Men Crusade. It is found in the two thousand year old rituals maintained by the Catholic Church, the Jewish rituals that have their origin long before that, in ancient tribal worship and practice, in fire walking, trancing, tripping, and the Shamans dance of lore.

From this perspective it is easy to see what slave songs and 'gum boot' dancing have in common, and from there it is just a hop, skip and a quantum leap to love and peace and happiness. Beyond the edge of sanity, to happiness, reality and beyond.

Why?

2010-07-11T11:33:00.001+02:00

The origin of mankind's search for meaning pre-date written history. Some would say it shares it's birth in the evolution of the mind and stretches way back to the dawn of consciousness, but most scholars would agree that our search for sense and sensibility reached popular acclaim about a decade before the birth of Christ.

Ancient philosophers used the Greek word logos, originally word meaning "account" or "reason" to define our understanding of life, and give meaning to living, and it soon became a technical term in philosophy around 500 BC. And ever since we started using logos as a common phrase, we use the term in different ways. True to human nature, our search for meaning began the journey divided.

Not surprising then we find that there is still no common answer to mankind's most pressing question, why? In my own mind I think I know the reason, and as with everything in life it all boils down to choice and nature. Simple as it may sound, the reason is accord with everything we think we understand. Even some things not, but since a journey shared is most of what the journey is all about in the first place, I'd like to invite you to share your idea of who we are, and what we are, and why the human race exist.

According to Discovery News;

"There's a lot of information about history and past ancestors in the DNA of an individual...
we're in the early stages of unlocking that information."

What is flow?

2010-04-19T13:25:00.000+02:00

Many of us may remember some experience where we were engaged in an activity, and in the blink of an eye it seemed as if hours had elapsed. This experience is referred to as flow, and a few years ago it was the subject of a lot of research that resulted in another, more descriptive term called 'optimal experience'.

The reason why such a relatively strange human quality attracted enough attention to become the subject of research, is that such experiences are frequently remembered as “the best time of our life”.

One of these experiments aimed to examine the different user experiences that facilitate the occurrence of flow, simply by asking research subjects to describe their flow experience. By analyzing the feedback they formulated the following qualities that are common to the flow experience.

Challenge – The activity must be challenging, but not so much that it discourages people from participating.
Skill – To complete the activity, a participant must use some kind of skill, and engagement in the activity should develop that skill.
Control – The activity must be under the control of the participant.
Focus – Successful completion of the activity should require the participant to focus.
Feedback – Participating in the activity should provide the participant with some kind of sensory feedback, particularly with regard to focus and control.
Repetition – The activity should be repetitive in nature, with a defined beginning and end. The skill gained during the completed activity must empower the participant to complete the next challenge.

By combining all of these qualities into an activity, we establish the ideal condition for an experience in which we can literally lose ourself. Ergo, we go in flow. It is a naturally occurring experience that can be triggered by any activity that exhibit similar qualities to the list above.

So the next time that you find yourself lost in time on the dance floor or drumming your self into a trance, spare a moment of awareness to the universal wonder of flow. But not too much, or you may just lose your grasp on the shared reality of flow.

My journey to love, and Hugh Heffner

2010-03-28T07:45:00.001+02:00

When Hugh became Heff, just after his first betrayal in love, that was probably where our path’s split. Even then, with him fearlessly choosing the traditional role of faithful husband, and later of wealthy Casanova, our journeys maintained the course that started off in early childhood.

In many ways I feel that we are twins, separated in time by the betrayal of love as we understood it then, and it broke our hearts. I decided that I would uphold societies wish and play it straight, and since I was definitely not straight, my life became a search for answers. I immersed myself in the study of science, and through it I came face to face with God.

But just like my first experience with love, my meeting with God through the lens of an electro-microscope didn’t look like it was ‘meant’ to be at all, and baffled by the evidence I had found it slowly dawned on me that maybe society was wrong, that some of the things that were told to me was flawed. It was during this time that I broke my heart a second time, and once again it was because I could not live the love that was meant to be.

I broke up my relationship with one of the most amazing woman I have ever known, and resolved to abstain from any involvement or mutual sexual gratification until I knew much more of love. Whereas my first love broke up because the lover chose her above me, my second break up was the first time I came out to the world and admitted I was gay. At least that was what I meant.

Now, in our old age, both Hugh and I can sit back in the knowledge of a lifetime well spent and the wisdom that there is nothing more satisfying than unconditional love and gratuitous sex.

The harmony of the universe

2010-03-13T10:05:00.001+02:00

Artists and architects have have used the golden ratio for centuries—for example, rectangles 1.618 times higher than they are wide—because it supposedly provides esthetically pleasing forms. The golden ratio is irrational, like pi, meaning its decimals go on forever.

In the “quantum uncertain” state of matter, the ratio “reflects a beautiful property of the quantum system – a hidden symmetry,” Coldea said. It is “actually quite a special one called E8 by mathematicians, and this is its first observation in a material.” The findings dramatically illustrate how mathematical theories developed for particle physics may find application in science at the nanoscale—the scale of a few atoms—and ultimately in future technology, he added.

Read all about it in the article "Golden ratio" hints at hidden atomic symmetry.

To experience the emotional effect of pi you can listen to

My burden of sin

2010-03-13T09:57:00.001+02:00

My own religious tradition resulted in a childhood belief that when we die we would be judged on our burden of sin, and by the common understanding of everyone that I trusted to know, those who were found wanting would be cast to the fiery pits of hell. And to make sure that I toe the line the media available all around me provided graphic detail of unspeakable loss and horror for those guilty of sin.

With God as my only savior I tackled the road of strife as it was foretold, and thus divine resolved to fate I crawled ahead in misery and regret. Not only with the sin I found in my own life, but also the sin of my father, and his father, and his fathers father. My life became a constant battle, not only with the rapturous temptation of my own life, but the temptation of all the world around. All of which resulted in a dull and dreary life that I escaped into another world. a world of love and truth, of kindness and respect. I used to dream of such a place without the fear of sin.

Wikipedia, the popular global repository of modern human knowledge, define the Seven deadly sins without the rhetoric of damnation, and is a must read for anyone looking for salvation. My own ability to understand the universe is sometimes still clouded by emotion, and to see them all at once, stripped and naked before everybody's glare helped me to see the truth without the fear of guilt.

The Seven Deadly Sins, also known as the Capital Vices or Cardinal Sins, is a classification of the most objectionable vices that has been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct followers concerning (immoral) fallen humanity's tendency to sin. The final version of the list consists of wrath, avarice, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony.

Fear is the most primitive of all the emotions. Fear is the destruction of life, even the fear of sin. As part of our natural instinct for survival it triggers fight or flight, and it is one of the remaining vestiges of evolution. Once it is triggered, the mind is left with very little maneuvering capability, and that which is, are kept for level headed logic by keeping control of a superhuman beast that knows no bounds. Either that or sinking sobbing to a helpless and decrepit heap of subjugation. Nature will not be denied.

Angels and Demons

2010-03-13T08:54:00.001+02:00

The wisdom of ages hold
that you must face them
if you believe then
you must face them all

To defeat them stand
before the power of the one
To believe them is a choice
the same as choice would be
and is and ever was

To bask in light and glory
where one become us all
is choice as choice will be.
The same as choice is
and ever was

Before belief become
the angel and the demon
one was it conceived
one was it believed
and one we must respect

Into Temptation

2010-03-06T16:26:00.001+02:00

Have you ever cried in the face of temptation? If you have you will have no problem with the sentiment as it is expressed by the popular group Crowded House, in their hauntingly beautiful 1988 hit song, Into Temptation. Or perhaps you are one of those lucky people like popular sex kitten and movie star Megan Fox, that can boast to being the object of every man's desire, yet never falling to one.

Actually, she recently announced that she had two, and only two sexual partners her entire life. Hard (and painful) as that may be to believe, two lifetime sexual partners is more than enough to warrant nothing less than eternal damnation, according to some religious creed I know.

Lust is one of the cardinal sins, and according to the strict interpretation the word demands, admitting to two sexual relationships is tantamount to confession. In the Roman Catholic tradition, this could be circumvented by visiting your local priest and due penance. Something that has recently seen major technological advancement with the establishment of a phone-in confession service, putting salvation within easy reach of anybody with a phone.

Over the past two thousand years our perception of sin has hardly budged an inch, just take lust as a good example! Thanks to modern science and technology we now know that lust is nothing more than a hormonal rush that that trigger various physiological and biological reactions. In the case of woman this will lead to orgasm if the initial stimulus continues to be applied in mutual pleasure, while in the case of men it leads to a single minded and uncontrollable urge for climax.

With mounting scientific evidence that there is nothing wrong with sex, and considering the fact that we enjoy it much less than we should, perhaps it time to look at sex from a different point of view, as something we are intricately designed to do. Perhaps it is time to see that sex is meant to be in all it's tempting ways.

From where I stand sex should be seen as nothing less than the most pleasure to be had between two consenting, sharing sexual beings, and by scrapping lust from the cardinal list we would instantly lift an enormous burden of sin. Not to mention the time and money saved in therapy, guilt and perversion.

One thing that urgently needs to be addressed, with or without sexual reform is our view about love, and role that it plays in our lives. To that end the only thing I can offer is my own opinion, and hearing yours. If you would like to read more, why not try my articles on The power of ecstasy, Resisting temptation,or Understanding happiness.

Life is nothing but a discovery of self, and in understanding the divine nature of who we are, we find the reason for life, the universe and everything.

The golden rule

2010-02-12T19:08:00.001+02:00

Musica universalis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Greek mathematician and astronomer Pythagoras is frequently credited with originating the concept, which stemmed from his semi-mystical, semi-mathematical philosophy and its associated system of numerology of Pythagoreanism. According to Johannes Kepler, the connection between geometry (and sacred geometry), cosmology, astrology, harmonics, and music is through musica universalis

I recently lauded a contemporary the discovery of analytical geometry, and in doing so he changed the course of destiny. It is a repeating theme throughout the history of mankind, and it happens every time our collective mind breach the Rubicon of space and time by the will of mental endeavor or thrill of discovery.

If we take a step back to admire all the genius and wonder of discoveries that changed our heart and mind, if we look at each in kind we find a common thread run through them all. And thus we find the golden rule that binds it all divine...

reality and belief

2010-01-31T15:10:00.000+02:00

Sometimes people need to be reminded about reality. This typically take the form of one or the other seemingly innocent experience that spark a childhood memory of anguish and regret, which in turn ignite a dozen or so others you had similarly denied and explode with such a force that it shakes the very foundation of what you consider to be reality.

When the the bedrock of reality start crumbling in the face of revelation there is little time for reason. It is then that it pays to have some kind of understanding that will inform the choice to be made. And it is worthy to note that the overwhelming feeling of doubt is transient.

Do not panic. Breathe. Believe in your heart what is true and choose. If choice allow change in the face of cost, then you better hold on to your hat if you can. When the storm winds of change come to blow you just hold on tight, and wait until it is over. Also keep in mind that wherever you are, there you will stand resolute in your choice for change, that is where you will begin with the next part of your journey to eternal wisdom and divine discovery.

If not, it is always wise to remember that you would do well to surrender the memories to mind that started all this, for they are the unseen forces that blind you, and hold you behind in the clutch of regret and forget.

If memory serves me well I can tell of a time in my life that I just stood up bravely, dusted myself, and started all over. From my own experience I believe that doing it over again was important for me and who I become, but it is not something that I would recommend. Things keep on changing in the minutest detail, and while everything else stay pretty much the same, it all ends up totally different.

I eventually gave it up as bad experience, only to learn later on that reality based on traditional values, developmental experience, social demand and verified or eye witness account is just as frail and fallible as the next . If you try hard enough you can make believe anything you have accepted as true, no matter how false your view of reality may be. It is a view that is shared between a large number of modern behavioral and social scientists, a matter of fact that can be confirmed by experience as well as current research, and it can be independently verified to exist as a particle physics principle.

While some people continue to turn a blind eye to the mounting scientific evidence that support the observations that our experience of reality is based on our perception, which in turn depend on our intention, those who accept it are dis-covering such ancient principles as resonance, entanglement and the law of attraction. A perfect example is the recent finding that experience is made up of 20% perception and 80% intention!

Evidence continue to show that our world is entirely what we make of it, and while it remains tricky to create something out of nothing, choosing to ignore something that really exist is probably the cheapest mental trick in the book.

If you consider all the options and think about it with an open heart and mind you will find that the practice of intention is just about the best you can get to establish a solid sense of reality. It is a much better choice than disbelief and blind sight and, once you get the hang of it, is one of the easiest ways to navigate through most of the challenges that life bring to our door.

Intention surpasses perception, reality and belief as one of the best strategies to use, independent of anything else that we do, whatever we choose. It is also one of the least traumatic ways to encourage the growth and discovery to break free from the clutches of a reality that only exist in our mind.

Now you've ruined the friendship!

2010-01-23T18:08:00.001+02:00

If you are looking for likely candidates to bring ruin to any relation, you have to look no further than words. I will always maintain a healthy respect for the power of the spoken word, but goodness knows. There is hardly a word still around you can trust for the sense people try to make when they share the idea.

Its all a bit like way back when it was still fun to attempt your advice. Why I clearly remember a time when I did, convinced that my word had the holy conviction of all that is good in the world. Remember the times that you knew you were right? I guess there come a time in everybody's life to be found wanting when it matter the most.

The funny thing is, were it not for hurt or shame or guilt or fear the odds are better than not you are right. If a common understanding exist and you share your conviction in honest and trust, the chance you are wrong will be slimmer to none. Unless of course, there is always the odd chance that maybe they thought...

Maybe you should have thought...

Bah humbug I say! It was thinking that started this mess in the first place. By thinking to choose what the words we could use we start loosing the value of what we would say. The harder we try to make sure what we say mean the same what we think, the less we do.

Ok, so perhaps it is not really the words do the damage at all, but I think you know what I mean? Its over

I did it my way...

2010-01-23T11:07:00.001+02:00

How many times do the triumphant chorus of that song by Ol' Blue Eyes grab and hold you mesmerized as it rips your heart out in the triumphant glory of ecstasy...

So I'll admit to having had some issues in the past, but just think about the emotional potential that legends like Frankie and Natalie hold sway by the power of their voice. Think about the people that have tried to sing the song with meaning and who fail, not by any lack of talent or trying, but simply because there are some things in life you don't think about.

You can spend a weekend talking about the pro's and con's and in the end whats done is what counts. Even when its wrong it doesn't change the fact that it was done with honesty, conviction, passion, flair and grace.

It is a wisdom that always resonate in fame and infamy, but never with intent, that life lived well is worth every moment spent living it. The rest is open to opinion, but right now I don't have the time to discuss it.

Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing...
I have found that all ugly things are made by those who strive to make something beautiful, and that all beautiful things are made by those who strive to make something useful.

Oscar Wilde

I feel better now, thank you.

The monster from the lake - A parable

2010-01-22T06:26:00.001+02:00

There is an ancient story told by the wise old men of our tribe, and it goes something like this:

It was a time before time had forgot, but still I remember it well… The monster that came from the lake was deadly and swift and it nearly killed all the members of my tribe. The strong warriors, the young women and the babes in blankets were its favorite. They were the ones it took first. But perhaps it is best if I start at the beginning.

My story is that of great suffering and pain. Many had died from the venom of the monster from the lake. But it is also one of victory and hope, for in the end we conquered the monster…

Many years ago it happened that one day our village was shocked at the death of one of our strongest warriors. He was in the pride of his life, having fought countless battles and winning them all. He provided well for his family and the rest of the tribe. All the warriors of the region admired his skill with spear and bow, his victory over enemies were praised in song and dance and he was a favourite with the young woman of the village. And then one night he died in his sleep.

He was not the last, for soon it was noticed that other warriors were getting sick and weak. Their wives were to follow and the children that were born of the sick warriors were frail. Many of the children died before they were strong enough to lift a spear. Mothers were dying before their newborn children had stopped sucking from their mother’s breast. It was not only in my village that people were getting sick and dying, but the same was happening all through the land. It was a terrible time and the earth was wet with tears for those who were sick and dying.

The wise men of the country were called together for indaba. For many days and nights they sat around the fire to discuss the curse that was terrorising the villages. Many villagers were called to give testimony to the wise men. Finally the oldest and wisest of all called together the people of the land. It is a monster from the big lake in the middle of the land that was killing our people he said. It comes in the night where lovers are sleeping. The bite of the monster is small and innocent but its venom is strong and deadly. This was what was killing our people.

The strongest and bravest of the soldiers were chosen and sent to the lake to go and kill the monster. For days they watched the shores of the lake to attack the monster if it raised its head above the water. Still the people were getting sick, and still the people were dying.

Again the wise men came together to make a better plan. No one had seen the monster come out of the lake, but the venom of the monster was killing the people. Perhaps the monster did not come from the lake at all? It was decided that all the warriors of the land should search every bush and cave. They looked everywhere, but the monster could not be found. The only place that it could be hiding was the lake.

The wise men of the land got together for the third time and again the fires burned till dawn. When the sun showed its head on the morning of the 5^th day the oldest and wisest of the men called the people together. The only way that the monster could be defeated was by circling the lake to trap the monster. If the monster appeared then the warriors would attack and kill it. But the lake was big and it had to be circled all the way round. All the warriors of the land were used to form the circle. For many days the warriors stayed at their post, waiting for the monster to show its head. The monster was scared and stayed in the lake. As long as the warriors were circling the lake the monster stayed hidden and the people stayed healthy. But with all the warriors circling the lake there were no one to hunt for food or protect the woman and children from the wild animals.

For the last time the wise men of the land got together. It was decided that there was a solution to the problem. “Masibambisane” said the oldest and wisest of men. Everyone would have to work together. Man and woman, old and young, strong and weak. Everyone would be used to guard the lake and keep the monster in hiding.

It has been years since then, and still the circle of people is kept round the lake. To this day there has been no more death or disease caused by the venom of the monster that no one has seen.

The story so told is a parody of HIV in our modern times. The story of a disease that is destined to bleed our nation dry if we do not heed to the call of the oldest of wise. That only by standing together, the weak and the strong together in unity, only then will we be able to survive.

Gloria

2010-01-22T05:05:00.001+02:00

My dagtes dwaal
soos kolke maal
dit in my rond

The music that we bring to ear
reflect the sound we hear
beyond the noise of our calamity.
The voice of all humanity.

The mind of mind where matter not
bring harmony to all that wish and dream
reality begot from seam to gleam
by simple choices made.

And thus we live in our humanity
the wade and wake of what we make
through time sublime in mind
of matter not. Divinty.

In the beginning...

2010-01-22T00:09:00.001+02:00

The passion of prose was playing around with his peers when he perceived a promising prospect. A man in his thirties with barely a scratch from his earlier years, but scars that are deep as they are wide on his soul. A man that believed he had to see what he knew, and if he didn’t he filed it under possible. How do you convince such a man of the passion he hides in his writing? Can you convince such a man that his words all hold meaning, and have a power on their own in a language the he doesn’t always understand?

And thus started the journey to Wisdom of Ages.

To the living memory...

2010-01-18T19:04:00.001+02:00

And with that thought in mind he went ahead and made it matter.

As far as poster children go of people who have made a difference, my guess would be that Rene Descartes would be right there at the top. Not only does he have the distinction of being called "The Father of Modern Philosophy", and please note the quote, he further went on to show us the reality of divine harmony by founding analytic geometry. He was one of the key figures in the Scientific Revolution, and publicly exposed the false reality of perception, memory and thought.

He will probably best be known for his thinking on existence that culminated in the quote, "I think, therefore I am". He was one of the few of our kind to rip the veil off reality to expose us to the ugly face of self delusion. He showed us the blind eye of our limited thought on the nature of our own existence and continued a long line of wisdom stretching way back to people like Aristotle and St. Augustine. He also shared a thought on what he was thinking of God, but it seems that you do not have to be right all the time to think of something that would change the mind of human history.

It is an honor to meet you Renatus Cartesius. Our collective consciousness, and my own journey through life has found new meaning because you shared us a thought.

Positive pop fizzles

2010-01-03T16:35:00.001+02:00

I have always wondered if universal principles could have a downside? Well, according to Ms Ehrenreich of The Guardian it does! In her article Smile! You've got cancer she relates how her own experience in the world of positive pop fizzled to the following conclusion:

Breast cancer, I can now report, did not make me prettier or stronger, more feminine or spiritual. What it gave me, if you want to call this a "gift", was a very personal, agonising encounter with an ideological force in American culture that I had not been aware of before – one that encourages us to deny reality, submit cheerfully to misfortune and blame only ourselves for our fate.

To me it smacks of an industry that lures vulnerable women into a web of deceit that is built on a well known principle, but sold as an empty vassal with self delusional happy claptrap tricks. I suppose it just proves the fact that reality is what you make of it.

That, and the fact that the omnipotent nature of the universe allow even the most delusional of realities if it is based on innocence and a positive principle.

The tree’s of Genesis

2010-01-03T16:05:00.001+02:00

If we go according to the King James version of the Bible, the Garden of Eden had a lot of trees. According to Genesis 2:9: “And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the Tree of Life also in the midst of the garden, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.”

After the creation of Adam, God told him: “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” About the tree of life God doesn’t say anything, at least not according to the book.

That does not mean that the Tree of Life was any less verboten than the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, far from it! When God banishes his new creations from Eden and curse them “till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return”, He “drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”

Quantum proof of life, the universe, everything...

2010-01-03T11:42:00.001+02:00

Wave function collapse - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In quantum mechanics, wave function collapse (also called collapse of the state vector or reduction of the wave packet) is the process by which a wave function, initially in a superposition of different eigenstates, appears to reduce to a single one of the states after interaction with an observer. In simplified terms, it is the condensation of physical possibilities into a single occurrence, as seen by an observer. It is one of two processes by which quantum systems evolve in time according to the laws of quantum mechanics as presented by John von Neumann.[1]

If intention is the seed that fertilises our collective conciousness in the womb of resonance to give birth to existence, then the above is quantum proof of pretty much everything. It defines our universal role as observers on a mission to explore possibilities and manifest those that are appealing.

It also provides perfect proof to the age old dictum where the mind goes, energy flows, by implication proof for the existence of the energy we wield by intentional observation. It supports the notion that happiness is where you look for it, and attitude is what you make of it.

Defining spirit

2009-12-22T21:51:00.001+02:00

The most common reply when someone requests proof of God would probably refer to the sunrise, but this may not necessarily be wise. Although the beauty and the majesty of God certainly reflect in nature, by definition nature is of spirit no more than whispers on the wind. So what is it you may ask?

I suppose beauty is as good a place to start as anywhere, and just like all the others share the qualities that mark the spirit everywhere. Qualities like timeless, wonder and universal resonance are ways that would describe a thing of beaut, be that in a diamond buff, angelic face or sunrise seen. I remember well the torrent overcome as gathered friends are swept away with feeling at the break of day, and throughout history you find that dawn has left its mark in rituals old as time. For some a theme repeated day by day, for others seasonal on special days, but every one no less in their significance.

Beauty shines from many source to lift the heart and cloud the mind with awe and wonder, no matter what it be. Thus we find our senses blind and will led piper by the beauty of the spirit. Such it is that something found in nature all around as well as us is beauty, a sight divine.

Finding forgiveness to be

2009-12-19T06:51:00.000+02:00

The recent discovery and scientifically verified existence of more than one new, and hitherto rare sensory abilities has me thinking of hero's and sense, and what are the ables I need.

It begs me to question my mind and my sense, and lure the pretense that I somehow may be what I'm not. That somehow there's some thing I missed, or somewhere was that which I lost. That finding it meaning to mend what is broken and dent. That somehow by deed or by mend or the grace of evolutionary event I'd be whole.

I suppose that sums it all up...

Darwin could never accept or even allow himself the thought that the expression of life he so told cold be half, and only be half of the life that we hold. The design that he sold seem to suffer by half the untold, and suffer by half of a nature and life without soul.

Read about evolution at Evolution - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tripping to reality...: The science of walking on fire

2009-12-16T15:12:00.001+02:00

Tripping to reality...: The science of walking on fire

Posted using ShareThis

Kittens are as cute as cute can be

2009-12-12T18:09:00.001+02:00

(Warning! This may be challenging to read, but as rewarding at the end)

We have been gifted with a recent addition to our motley crew of souls and since, our lives have been blessed untold. She captures our attention, time after time to be blissfully lost in playful innocence and awe, and leave us filled with wonder evermore.

Mind you, that could so be said of all. Even Patsy, that rule the nest with the threat of getting highly upset should her word not be met is much more than what you’d expect. And what she gets by being as cute as a gremlin in mogwai disguise she only takes so every now and then, and demand it only rare these days.

But hands down cuter than what Patsy sound you must see our baby cat. She’s a button that can fascinate for hours in a whirlwind of attention deficit delight, scaring monsters hide and dare and fighting foe and friend in the abundance of life we share.

Which remind me to ask if everyone knows that kittens sleep blissful unaware? Trusting nature and nothing much else is something we should keep in mind next time we curse the plan or happenstance for anything we didn’t quite expect.

With our newest member that of course has no effect as instinct knows it makes no sense in blaming something else. Even food may some days be a feast in nature when they come to realize that we’re not there, and they have feasted so before with but the minimum of feline fuss a day or two thereafter.

But then I guess that we and dogs and cats are all the same when living without blame, and with it pain and shame and gain and even time itself become as nothing in the playful fun of loving life and living well. With life that full I guess if some insist to blame as choice then that’s a choice they make and live, but every now and then we need to mind our self that its a choice, no less.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. So it stays the same forever till the day we stop to blame and look inside to greet our spirit self, and in that meeting recognize the bond we share with all that lives and is across eternity itself.

All of which just make kittens only cuter.

Communication

2009-12-07T00:07:00.000+02:00

Free falling

2009-12-01T11:30:00.001+02:00

Unless you have been privileged to jump out of a plain or bungee off a bridge you cannot really say that you have experienced it, although there are a lot of ways that we try to imitate it. Take for instance circus flyers or loop-de-loop carnival rides, and I’m wondering why?
For instance, did you know that our brain has the ability to make us feel as if we are free falling, even if were not? Scientists have recently discovered that our auditory system include a bulbous mass that start to vibrate if exposed the the right frequency of sound, and when it does you experience free falling. Right down to the loss of ability of just about everything you thought you had under control.
I have never experienced it myself, but I think I have felt it while listening to an advertising media clip with enhanced sound. And still I don’t know why we would have such a trigger in sound? And why would evolution procreate such an obviously redundant ability? Why would it be found in other species even though it is obviously regressive in nature?
Lions actually use it when they attack their prey, and humans have described the experience of a lion’s growl as being paralyzed by fear. Perhaps it is true, but it is still the same feeling as when we are free falling. From an evolutionary point of view, qualities such as these find them self on the extinction list very fast.

Hug a tree

2009-11-30T18:22:00.001+02:00

It minds me this morning that nature is truly wonderful in the way she is plentiful in how wonderful she is.

I remember one day, while helping a friend in need I grasped at the need to explain the wisdom I then entertained in my mind. Dear friend that he is I still struggle sometime to find the right frame of mind to translate what I think to what I say. Grasping at air to find some sense I suddenly did and I said:

Sometime you need to listen my friend,

Listen and hear what is said

hear what the voices from far try to tell you,

And listen, for they are our friends.

Or something like that, but this is what I meant. It is Nature that bares us her soul, and free unbound let us humans pride in deed, in need and what we hold. In deed in debt would plenty say but neigh, a mothers love could never say or neigh her brethren cold.

[I’m impressed! The spellchecker can actually keep up to date with things forgot, neigh her brethren cold?]

The point I am trying to make is that we should take time to listen to nature sometimes. Despite living in frenzy and high pressure fun, or whatever you’d like to call what you do, nature unfolds in wonder.

Whatever deadline you’ve had or plan that would bring you the fame and the fortune and whatever you may think that you need it is not nearly as critical as nature just takes it in stride. From the birds in the sky to the darkness below where we fathom the monsters may hide she knows what to do, whatever your plan of attack may be.

Nature, the mother, knows what we need to succeed, just as she knows apple from tea she has wisdom that far exceed our built in need to explore. And thus it may be that there is wisdom in trees, but such by their age may be just the beginning of nature in wonder divine.

The point is, go hug a tree. And do it like you mean it for once!

The power of emotion

2009-11-29T13:46:00.001+02:00

Have you ever listened to some awe inspiring music that just blows you away, only to find when you want to share that moment of lyrical ecstasy, nobody else quite get it? It is almost as if the harmony it triggers with your emotions do not always trigger more.

Have you ever experienced the explosive passion that music can ignite when played live before a horde of appreciating fans? It is a power that hits you in the chest and blows your mind away, much like the personal experience in the first example, but totally different in the sheer magnitude of feeling. You feel as if your chest could explode!

While there are many around that would venture they have delved their share of human emotion, both dark and bright, there are little that compare with emotion shared. When it feels you risk losing yourself in the avalanche of feeling shared, and your body is racked by wave on wave of mutual ecstasy or grief, that is when we shake hands with the divine.

Emotion is by and large a personal affaire. It is the result of individual sensory experience that resonate and amplify, a combination of sense and mind that triggers a physical response. The stronger the various bits of experience resonate with your presence, the stronger the emotion that will be felt.

Emotion is also a powerful force that can spread through a crowd like wildfire, amplified by each event of transfer. It resonates beyond individual thought and magnify in kind until it becomes so strong it captivates our mind and changes our reality.

More on the laws of nature

2009-11-15T08:47:00.001+02:00

What is it to be a law?

According to an article online, there are four reasons philosophers examine what it is to be a law of nature:

First, laws at least appear to have a central role in scientific practice.

Second, laws are important to many other philosophical issues. For example, sparked by the account of counterfactuals defended by Roderick Chisholm (1946, 1955) and Nelson Goodman (1947), and also prompted by Carl Hempel and Paul Oppenheim's (1948) deductive-nomological model of explanation, philosophers have wondered what makes counterfactual and explanatory claims true, have thought that laws must play some part, and so also have wondered what distinguishes laws from nonlaws.

Third, Goodman famously suggested that there is a connection between lawhood and confirmability by an inductive inference. So, some sympathetic to Goodman's idea come to the problem of laws as a result of their interest in the problem of induction.

Fourth, philosophers love a good puzzle.

So if I have it right it seems to be a law it must infallibly and indubitably be nature... It is going to be a long and eventful day!

Somewhere out there

2009-11-15T07:56:00.001+02:00

Just listened to a four year old girl sing the theme song from the Disney movie, An American Tale: Fievel Goes West.

It was a strange experience to hear someone sing about dreams come true when they believe it. And so they do!

Meeting God

2009-11-14T22:26:00.001+02:00

You know how sometimes the answer to a question is right there under your nose? How sometimes the solution that will give resolution to a mystery that has vexed your mind for days, months or even years can sometimes be found in the very last place you look for it? Right in front of you?

Then you know how it was that I met God. And true to the spirit of things I found He was there all the time!

I suppose I could get away with the argument that I was blinded by divinity, but the truth is such that even a blind man could see it. Truth be told I guess the best advice I could give to any bold adventurer like me is to just approach it blindly.

Research has shown that our brains are good at two things:

One, it is very good at pattern recognition. So good in fact, that babies can differentiate between the identity of different sheep. Unfortunately this ability to remember a “face” in a flock is lost, along of a host of other abilities that cannot stand up to the harsh reality we often make our own. Once we lay claim to our ego we seem to find it difficult to hold on to something that is the total opposite of the real world that we live in, so much so that we go into a state of shock. In my own case it was a shock that lasted until recently.

Two, it is very good at predicting. Without it we would probably not be able to do even simple things like eating ice cream or saying a word, let alone such complex actions like standing up and walking around.

You see, the brain record the patterns it observes, and based on the pattern, it predicts the action required and start to send out signals to the rest of the body. Without this constant pattern recognition and prediction we would never be able to avoid an unexpected obstacle, or duck in time to miss the pie aimed at our head. It is in this duality that we find the reason to reason, and begin to see how the spirit exist.

Research has confirmed an eerie phenomenon called blindsight that allows blind people to navigate between the obstacles in a dark and unknown alley, better that those who have sight. Without the use of a cane! According to Professor Beatrice de Gelder of the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands, who led the study, said: “This is absolutely the first study of this ability in humans. We see what humans can do, even with no awareness of seeing or any intentional avoidance of obstacles. It shows us the importance of evolutionarily ancient visual paths. They contribute more than we think they do for us to function in the real world.”

Just as the ability of children that can distinguish the identity of different sheep, this built-in navigational assistance is something we only discovered recently. Abilities that baffle the mind and defy the laws of nature, at least as much we knew them yesterday. Like the discovery that happiness is contagious, or the finding that our brain does not distinguish between fantasy and reality. In the face of such overwhelming defiance of nature we are starting to see the brilliance that the spirit hold.

Take for instance the quantum effect of entanglement which describe the “telepathic” link between particles that allow the one entangled particle to act the same as its entangled twin, irrespective of space and time. If we take one twin to the moon and increase the rate of its spin, the particle that we left back on earth will simultaneously mirror the speed of its entangled twin.

Just as love provide us with a connection that endures no matter how far we are from our loved ones, entanglement does the same at the quantum level.

Quantum reality has also demonstrated that particles can change their nature based on the mere presence or absence of our attention. By focusing our attention on their behavior they change into something that is totally opposite in nature if we just let them be.

Just as focusing on the positive and the good things in our life seem to miraculously make the bad things go away, we have the power to change the nature of quantum reality by the simple act of intention and observation.

Even though we are only scratching the surface with our current knowledge of the quantum universe, it seems that every thing we find only adds to the mystery behind what we consider matter, space and time. But the laws that govern these subatomic particles are responsible for the expression of reality as we know it, and it is their nature that determine e=mc square.

Behold the face of God. Immutable, unchanging, and solid as a rock through all eternity. And true the word of God that gave us power over all creation, at least as much as it matters to our attention.

Meeting God has changed my life from meek and humble servant to the devastating force of nature, to master of my own reality. Meek and humble in the knowledge that divinity is found in everything around that matter, and struggling to find what does. One thing I know at least is love, and the more I understand my own reason to be, the less I find that matter more than love.

Love is the bond that go beyond the ego that is me, that bind me safe to all reality and give me strength to take responsibility for the reality I co create with all humanity. I trust that you will find the same as me, that life is nothing less than best, just like paradise is meant to be.

God meets Yin

2009-11-08T13:11:00.001+02:00

The recent hit song Human, by The Killers has had me wondering about love, and the different ways that we understand this powerful force that connect us all in the common bond of the spirit.

While I understand and accept the principle of different strokes for different folks, I am convinced that it stands to reason why this argument is moot if we look at it from a soul perspective.

From a soul perspective we all share an eternal unity that transcends this mortal coil of our existence, but it is almost as if the human condition is desperately clinging to its blip on the radar of soul patrol that it cannot comprehend that there is infinitely more to this than that.

And if this morbid fear of the end is not enough, accepting the fact that in the spirit there is only we, and that me does not matter anymore is reason aplenty to make even the boldest adventurer begin to doubt the folly of this journey in love.

With marriage being the only “acceptable” way of experiencing the divinity behind such a twining of soul, and almost two thousand years of commandments to discourage the experience of mutual pleasure, it could be easy to understand why people have such a difficulty with all matters divine.

Now that the reason for our search in to the unknown through science has justified it’s own existence by proving that the reality of spirit function according to set laws that operate much like the laws of physics everybody knows, all that remain for us to do, is to make the quantum leap into a world of understanding that is different from our own.

Does it require such a leap of faith to accept that the soul is as real as the reality that we imagine from memory, and that there is a world beyond that what we feel which defy the laws of the one we call real? Is it so hard to accept that the Yin and the Yang of a people we find hard to understand is as valid as our own view of God, or at least half as good?

I suppose your view of love will depend a lot on your perspective, but in a society where difference is what it takes to grow beyond our mortal toil, we must understand that to make this quantum jump we must surrender our self to the greater good. To understand the reason for this existence we need to know that our journey does not need any reason more than the fact that it is.

As The Killers so convincingly argue in their song: “Are we human or are we dancers?”, are we caught in the trap of our worldly experience, or are we celebrating the mere fact of our existence in love.

Dedicated to the one I love, all of them.

Of happiness

2009-11-07T18:41:00.001+02:00

We must add in a complete life. One swallow does not make a summer, nor does one day; and so too one day, or a short time, does not make a man blessed and happy.

Aristotle

And thus it is I find my self opposed to yet another historical figure, for happiness is as much a choice as chance and just as much a habit as is synchronicity.

Verwonder aan Chrome

2009-11-06T17:08:00.001+02:00

Die feit dat die skakel met Google Chrome my na ‘n edit blad geneem het sonder enige opsies om die teks grootte te verstel was die eerste clue.

Die feit dat ek in Firefox glad nie die berig kon edit nie was vir my vreemd, want ek weet gewis dat ek dit kon doen in die verlede. Dit, saam met ‘n paar ander fancy truuks soos html references en teks groote verstellings?

Toe sien ek waarheen die skakel verwys wat ek nie kon aktifeer nie. Een van my ander blogs, met die artikel: Days like this

Butch praat

2009-11-06T16:41:00.001+02:00

Dit was nie die eerste keer nie, en sekerlik ook nie die laaste nie, maar Butch het gepraat. En omdat hy soms mompel het ek maar gegaan met die speelvolle uitkak in sy toon. Ek lag toe, en sê ek weet.

Dit is op pad na die katte se kosbak dat ek toe agterkom ek het die hondekos in my hand, en toe dat ek Butch verstaan. Al wat hy wou sê is dat ek besig is om kak aan te jaag met die hondekos, en het heel waarskynlik iets by gemompel soos hy is weer gerook. Of iets.

Toe ek Butch vertel hoe opgewonde ek is dat ek hom verstaan, toe mompel hy regtig iets wat ek nie veronderstel was om te verstaan nie. Nie dat ‘n mens regtig honde kan verstaan nie, in elk geval nie so goed nie. Ek lag.

Ek dink hy het gemompel dat ek verniet so maak asof ek nie hoor wat hy sê nie.

What is growth?

2009-11-01T11:59:00.000+02:00

How do you measure it, and what qualities or attributes will you ascribe to it? And before you answer, keep in mind that everybody’s journey is different from your own.

To illustrate some of the mystery I would like to look at the example of Robbie Williams who grew from an activist making noise to a superstar within a year. What would you consider to be necessary to cause a change of that magnitude?

Some people take years to achieve what others can do in a year, and even then the apparent advantage that some people seem to get is questionable if we look again at the career of Robbie, and remember the “breakdown” that he went through a few years back. But there I think we find a clue, because at the time of the breakdown, Robbie was reported to be struggling with issues of love and loss.

I do not have the answer yet, though I believe I am living it.

Manipulating evolution

2009-10-31T13:31:00.001+02:00

With the birth of modern medicine and the development of pharmaceuticals that could deliver the required chemical for treatment of just about any ailment imaginable to the door of every house in the world, mankind embarked on a journey that would put a severe strain on the perfect balance that exist in nature.

Freak – The loss of fun

2009-10-31T12:38:00.001+02:00

It was also around that time that fun lost its meaning. The people that paid attention to the news became aware that fun was something you had to earn, not something that you can have just any time of day or night. Fun was something that people with morals planned. There were specific times that you could have “fun”, decent times that would not disturb other hardworking citizens like yourself that would also like to have some fun sometime.

Fun was restricted to weekends, and the rest of the time people who understand the value of labor and money would be working hard to earn their fun. Sunday was a day of rest and religion, and people of high moral value would set it aside. Sunday was serious business, and the men would be allowed to gather around the sacred texts to find the value to this meaningless life we lead.

From the pulpit spread the word that people who did not repent for their sins, those that were secretly having fun behind the locked doors, even those would be doomed to the eternity of hell. They made it clear that hell was no funny business at all! Would you like to spend an eternity in the burning fire they told?

And thus it became that gratification became more important than fun, with fun being restricted to just one day, for those who still had the energy to take it.

Freak History

2009-10-31T11:52:00.001+02:00

It was just after my birth that the first freak occurred. In 1964 the Hippy craze had exploded on the the world scene and across the globe hippies were celebrating their liberation from the Acid Era with Pop Music, the life style they had tripped about in those blissful days of acid haze.

For many people, some of them who even tried to taste the ethereal delights that were all the craze, it was easy to nail Pop to the stake and denounce it as evil when the media outcry began against the hippies and their drugs and their crazy ideas of free love and peace.

But people all over the world were storming in droves to the altars of light and music that Pop loudly proclaimed, and it was easy for the people to join the parade and drown in the glitzy haze of its glittery beat. Even if only for a few hours, the clubs could provide for an escape from a world that had become much too bright and gay. Even if only for a little while, people could bask in the power of movement and sound, united in purpose and time. In the post Hippie backlash of morals and upstanding home value people had no time for this latest craze of likely drug infested haze.

In 1964 the song “Freak Out” popped on to the dance floors of the world, and while much of the world was struggling with sleepless nights due to the constant thumping of the beat, others were shaking their booty to it. It was the birth of the generation gap.

If you enjoyed this you would probably like to read “The loss of fun”

Having the best

2009-10-25T18:34:00.001+02:00

There have only been a few times in my life that I remember as feeling the worst I have ever felt in my life, but at the same time having the best time of my life.

This was one of those occasions, and for the people involved I would like to thank them for a truly memorable event.

It also illustrates the fact that having the best time of my life has nothing to do with the way that I feel at the time. Not only does it sound unbelievable, it is, until you have experienced it for yourself.

It is also a sterling example to the fact that live has a value that is measured beyond worth. Just as money can buy comfort but not love, the only measure that would reflect the worth of life is living it. And if you can live every moment as the best, then what more can one ask for.

The trick in getting it is to ask for the best time, and not the best clothes or the best car or the best value you may think of. Nothing has more value than time, especially if it is the best!

Having the best time of your life is yours if you choose it, and it is independent of what actually may happen at the time, what you have at the time, or how you feel at the time. The only thing it depends on is you living it.

To live the best time of my life is the action that follow my choice, and the rest they say is history.

The herd instinct and other myths

2009-10-18T08:01:00.001+02:00

It is a modern day fact that society is the glue that holds our human existence together. It protects us, gives us purpose and rewards us for good service.

It is then not surprising that social benevolence and standing become an important part of peoples lives. The things that happen to us and how we are viewed by the people that make up our society may gain a significance beyond our own.

What many people fail to realize is that social benevolence may provide a platform for contact with others, but that it does not provide any assurance of connection. It is this need for connection that is the root of what psychologists and sociologists call our herd mentality. By connecting with others we share and we grow.

But people compromise to be able to fit in. People cheat to belong. The result of this, is that even if we achieve contact we cannot connect because we are not truthful, or even honest with ourselves. And while we are lying to ourself we cannot be honest with others. While we are acting the role that society requires of us to belong, we cannot achieve the meaningful interaction that we need to fulfill our destiny.

The only way we can ever hope to have the presence to be who we are is by sharing our opinion without fear of shame or rejection, something that we cannot do if we live in constant fear of being cast from the society we try so hard to uphold.

Three realities

2009-10-18T05:52:00.001+02:00

The first is where we act and react, where our thoughts are engaged in whatever we are busy with, and where those thought patterns dictate our actions in and reactions to the moment in which we find ourselves. It translates to a viewpoint that you are the master of your destiny, and relies on the presumption that you can achieve anything if you equip yourself with the right tools. Every moment is an opportunity to establish dominance and ensure survival.

The next is where we wonder and ponder about the meaning of it all. Where we start to think of greater impact and consequence, and where we view the first world in constant review, trying to explain the first world in terms of communal value. Our actions do not only take into account our first world experience, but are calculated to achieve a wider consequence. In this paradigm we try to influence events towards a wider communal result, and it translates to an understanding that we are all connected, and that our actions have consequences beyond our intent or understanding.

The third worldview is in many ways the opposite of the first. In this frame of mind the actions, intention and impact loses their value to a greater consciousness, and concepts like faith, hope and trust in a higher power, or greater design become the principles that guide our actions. It demands an inherent acknowledgment of the spirit and the oneness of everything in the universe. Destiny translates to divine intent, and the value of our journey finds meaning in the moment. Not what this moment may mean or what this moment may lead to, but what this moment holds right now.

Where do you spend most of your time?

A better place

2009-10-17T10:45:00.001+02:00

“It’s just a pity about the windows. I have found that you really need a second pair of lace curtains.” Since you have put up yours it has stopped your lounge from fading, and it has shaded the sun that heated your house to temperatures almost near your loss of sanity. Ever since you have put them up your house has become a home, and you can finally breathe and enjoy the grass under your feet. Every body must at least have a pair of curtains like these. Everybody deserves a pair of curtains like mine. The world will be a better place. “It all just looks more dressed up that way.”

The placebo effect

2009-10-12T20:13:00.001+02:00

Isn’t it funny how some things seem to persist, notwithstanding the fact that there is nothing in this world that would give their existence any meaning. But then it should be nothing more than we expect, given that the human race stubbornly insist that reality is all that can exist.

I guess it’s almost arrogant to think we find it necessary to only have what we can hold, than just be what we are. Splendid in our divine existence that we sometimes try so hard to deny, that we fail to realize that we are one withal. And in denying half of our existence we end up merely shells of who we have always been.

And then there is the placebo effect, which proves beyond a doubt that what we get is what we expect. In a sense it’s almost typical of us to think that what we always have to give proof of what we have, as if we need to give testament to our joy and happiness, and want to prove to all and sundry our success.

When all we need is leave what be, and if we’re lucky see how glorious it is.

The nature of reality

2009-10-10T12:28:00.001+02:00

Reality is a concept that many people have difficulty in grasping. If we look at current research on how the mind works is clear that each of us is uniquely unto our own, and to make sure that we do not see eye to eye on anything we experience we have emotion to change our view.

The more we yearn for some commonality between the reality of other people and our self, the more we fail the see the harmony that is, if we only accept the journey as our own. For some, the thing that universally connect everyone is money, and others have exchanged the yearn to belong in unity with power, but that does not change the fact that harmony is always there as a choice.

And in that choice we find the bond that bind us all, the thing that define reality as an experience that is common to us all. The harmony that is, but will only be if it is our will.

Reality is therefore not a noun like most people think. It is a verb that you find in the action of exercising your right of free choice. In making your choice you are free to choose anything and harmony, and if your choices lead to something that you regret then I’d advise you choose harmony.

It’s by far the best reality you can get.

Even Tibetan monks can be wrong

2009-10-10T11:49:00.001+02:00

I just saw a program that showed the preparation of a Tibetan Monastery for the visit of a high ranking monk. The monk responsible for the possession that was to accompany his arrival was in a foul mood because there were not enough junior monastic's to form the correct configuration for the procession.

By failing to accept the given, even though his desire was not met, he failed to see what he needed. What the monk needed was to see that the visit of the master monastic would be better served by a different procession. One that breaks away from the old ways and is in harmony with the reality of the moment.

By failing to accept the given he had lost the opportunity to pass on the knowledge about eternal harmony, and how we should all allow ourselves to listen to it every once in a while.

By failing to accept the given he missed the opportunity to show the junior monastic’s how the journey is more important than the destination.

The festival that everybody was expecting, and the spiritual value of the occasion was rather changed. And even though the change is different from what could have been if the Tibetan Monk saw what he needed, rather than missed what he wanted, the reality is as much an opportunity for harmony as it was before the opportunity had been lost.

And therein we find the truth that is constant to all reality. Even though there will never be any single reality, and even though we may search and search to find the constant that we yearn, the opportunity to find the universal harmony is always there to find.

“The Secret” and the truth

2009-10-03T20:24:00.001+02:00

In recent years “The Secret” has done much to practically show how the basic principles of the universe can be applied in our daily lives to provide for what we want and need. It still isn’t quite what is promised to those of faith in Christ the Lord, but it comes pretty close.

At the time it meant that there were still some secrets untold, as that would be the only way my own personal philosophy of One God could be justified. Along with the universal principle of balance, my resolute faith in One God has helped me see the error of my way countless times before, and I have come to depend on it in many ways. One of which is finding truth.

The more I know as true, the easier it becomes to feel where truth is missing. In many such cases it is merely absent, but where half a truth is presented as the whole I know there is something hidden. Experience has showed me that it is in my interest, in the interest of my own journey that I follow the clue to see the truth unfold.

While my first reaction to the general disclosure of “The Secret” was one of relieved jubilation, my lingering response was more reserved. What bugged me even now is how we could allow something that is universally true to be sold as fad. In a sense I felt it made a mockery of ancient wisdom, wisdom that is free to use and belong to all of us.

To me “The Secret” told a story of the knowledge and wisdom I had found through my own journey of life. I also believe in the principle of “see one, do one, teach one”, and the popularity of “The Secret” made it difficult to teach the very principles that it apparently proclaimed. By promising the world it failed to mention that the world is not enough.

To know something is different from being the truth, and it is only by actively participating in life that we may find that energy follows the mind. To know the fact that intention is the creative power of the universe is a lot different than living it, and getting it on the plate a la secret often ended up a dish served cold and lacking in the sustenance that such universal principles generally hold.

The mind is such a fickle thing, and with temptation always close behind the promise of easy gain, “The Secret” often left it’s followers getting less or wanting more. And more there is to those who are willing to try a different way of life, even though it often does not fit into everything we want.

To get peace and happiness is as simple as living it, and to be without any need is often just a matter of changing your point of view. If that doesn’t bring immediate relief to need, the cure is often found in acknowledging what they already have and appreciating it in their life.

The rest they say is history. But what a history to build for someone such as me that still believe the promise made by Jesus of Galilee, “Thou shall not wont”. I don’t know why it was called a secret in the first place, but knowing it has made very little difference in many lives of those who paid to know it.

To live a life of bliss you need love, and live it every day. Sweet and simple, secret told.

The arrogance of the ego

2009-09-25T16:52:00.001+02:00

I am constantly amazed by the arrogance of the ego as it manifests in the assumptions that we make. I consider my self mentally acute, and of sound mind and clear thought, but still I must admit I am often outwit by my ego, no less.

Take for instance the concept of spirituality, and the way that I have addressed it hitherto in my writing. Just by reading a few of my articles it will soon become clear that my language tend to shift a gear when putting thought to paper. And while I know that it may loose some impact in translation, I have decided that my writing serves a purpose that may be called selfish by some, conversely there are those who would agree that my method serves a madness that's clear.

I write in answer to the call of the muse, and in the creative harmony that flows from her sweet melody I am blessed to write the words of the song. Should that find resonance is of no matter at that, as the joy I beget in the symphony thus has a value that surpasses them all.

But enough of the ego and feeding it’s need to be heard, for such is the nature of the journey we heed. Imagine then my surprise to hear the voice of ego knell in the heart of people like me. People who understand that to grow and find solace in soul there is a need to tell what we know, and yet we seem to feel the need to speak in a tongue that is strange to the ear.

I guess we have all heard the lingo that is used, and terms like nirvana and chakra's and aura’s and such will be familiar to all but the least of our kind. And to some even so that they would scoff at people who find them self outside the fold of 'enlightenment'. And such that it is, it begs of us to explain why it is thus. Does it serve a purpose beyond our ego to use such a language? Does it aid in our effort to spread the wisdom of truth, love and happiness to those who suffer in a prison of their own design.

Can we communicate effectively when we use a language that is foreign to the ear of those who need to hear the wisdom that belong to everyone but us? It is a well known principle that understanding is the key to unlock knowledge and wisdom, but by speaking in tongues we make it much more difficult than it is. By coining new phrases for that which has been in existence for as long as existence we only succeed in stroking our ego and confusing the rest.

In honesty and truth there is also very little need to explain that which is and what it means to be. I found myself astonished that I often do, and looking to the world we consciously create I see a similar pattern in the written word. To reach the ear of those who remain trapped in their mind we need to find such words that they would understand, even less to find the spark divine we share.

As for me I fear, the word that flows from my ear will depend on the song of the muse. And thus to myself and to all I implore the thought that we may open our mind and ear to hear the harmony that yearn with resonance of unity and peace.

Hark, I say! In the beginning there was the word, now as then it will forever be, even to those who have not heard.

See one, do one, teach one…

2009-08-30T08:34:00.001+02:00

The Zen Masters have a concept of Small mind and Big mind... where Small mind relate to those things we contemplate (and eventually execute) to enrich and advance ourselves, while Big mind relate to those things we do because it enriches and advances our environment and the people around us. It is only through Big Mind that we can experience the spiritual growth to free our bodies from suffering and ultimately find nirvana.

Magician comes from the Latin word magi meaning wise men or women. Magi can be healers, shamans, priests or priestesses, astrologers--anyone who has learned to access the cosmic web of energy and information that animates the universe and to direct it for his or her purposes.

It almost sounds like a Wikipedia entry, doesn’t it? If you read it, it may even sound like a pretty honest explanation to make people understand other people better. In this case, to initiate magi with muggles, from the muggles point of view. But as you will see it was written by a girl who is probably head over heals and starry eyed wonder in love with a witch, and NO, that does NOT mean that she is under the spell of a evil old hag! Why I know lots of beautiful witches, some of them totally free of enhancement, magical or otherwise, and most of them are good. But then, I know, that reflects my personality and not the reality… Never the less I think my point is made, and that she has had some introduction to magi without understanding it well.

Take for instance can be healers, shamans, priests or priestesses, astrologers and you will see that it implies existence, and I know it wasn’t meant that way, but I almost feel a bit hurt by being implied, without acknowledging them. Which is not really such a big issue to me personally, but I can imagine some magi that may be insulted if people do not acknowledge them, and we all know what happened when they ignored Moses! Personally I find the spotlight of attention too bright, but I know of others that demand it!

And then the mistake that really got me writing to direct it for his or her purposes… We all know that there are those that do, but they are not all there is of us? And then the sentence make it sound like we have all graduated from “The School of Arcane Power” in search of personal enrichment and mentions nothing of the fact that the cosmic web of energy flows regardless of our will, and nothing of the efforts some of us are making toward trying to make sure it flows as it would, without the meddling of instinct, guilt and dogma.

If you are on a journey of discovery it doesn’t help to try and give people a description of your destination? The journey of concluded exploration is probably the most well known journey of all! Then again it gave me the opportunity to put things straight, and I thank the opportunity.

Life is good

Blessed Journey Blessedbe

The man that believed all religions are one

2009-06-15T17:00:00.001+02:00

Theophrastus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

He regarded space as the mere arrangement and position of bodies, time as an accident of motion, and motion as a necessary consequence of all activity. In ethics, he regarded happiness as depending on external influences as well as on virtue, and famously said that "life is ruled by fortune, not wisdom." He succeeded Aristotle at the Lyceum.

On the other side

2009-05-25T18:30:00.001+02:00

I have no idea if the white light came before or after, but I found myself suspended like the Michaelangelo drawing in mid air. I almost started to panic when I realised the “air” was more like space, but before I could panic a pulse of light moved right through me. It was then that I realised that this was not my body.

It was definitely me, but without my body. I was suspended in a tube of pulsing light that moved along in rhythmic a motion, moving through me as if a sudden gust of wind passed through every cell in my body.

As each pulse washed through my being I experienced a growing sense of exultation and awe as my “body” started to explode in breathtaking colors each time a wave of light reached my floating consciousness. The walls of the tube was almost transparent, and it stretched as far as I could see in both directions. Pulsing softly, like the heartbeat of my womb.

And there was peace…

Justice fight back

2009-04-27T01:04:00.000+02:00

Justice fights back!
After losing the battle for a number of years, the keepers of justice finally has something concrete to fight. Zuma has been freed!

I suppose their frustration is well deserved. It all started over a decade ago with the freedom of Mandela. I know he freed our country from a society that was perpetrating hideous atrocities against humanity, but people killed under the name of the organisation that he claimed leadership. The anc planned and executed a decade of terror and rolling mass action to take over power. Power that was used to deny access to free choice. Power that manipulated the organs of state to an end that was wrong.

So order was restored, but not justice. As with the keepers before them, the new owners of justice struggled to get a proper hold on the hilt. The anc tried to restore it through the reconciliation process, and although it remained in power for more than a decade, it has now broken free. With Zuma.

If you listen to the war cry of justice you will be amazed at some of the things you can hear, but overall the people who have suffered under the sword are crying out for it to stop! And as before there are those who would love to get their hands on the hilt, and the npa are clearly thinking that it should be theirs. But before we the public entrust it to yet another hand, we would do well to take a pause.

Just think about it. The symbol of justice is a woman that is blindfolded. This is not a mere coincidence, as she wields her power on our behalf. The hand that wield the sword she holds is an act of love and trust that come from the collective emotion of us, the society she has sworn to uphold. In her other hand she holds the bird of peace that she will use with the same trust as she does the sword, if that would be our choice.

For such is justice that she will do whatever we demand. It is a parody of sorts to know that the freedom of Zuma was nothing more than acceptable risk when the npa violated his constitutional right to a fair and just legal process. Or maybe they didnt think of it then when they held the seat of power. Perhaps they were so blinded by the power they had that they forgot about the bird of peace. The bird that carried the power of measure, and which could deliver the same freedom that was fought with hilt and blade.

In my own opinion I say it is time that we the voice of justice say no. No to the wounds of war, no to the struggle for the power of the sword, and no to the death and destuction we bring by taking it into our own hands. It is time that we, the will of justice play another hand. It is time to live the peace that is our right as much as all this endless fighting. As a society we have the choice to bring about the change we only glimpsed when Mandela was our man.

Just as the tools of power are ours to give to anyone we please, the hand of lady justice is always in our collective control. Perhaps it is time that we all stand together for peace, and put the sword back where it belongs.

Fighting agaist death

2009-04-15T16:18:00.000+02:00

"5 Fighting agaist death" was the title of the book she was reading. Apparantly a tale of heroism and bravery in the dry heat of the desert sun. I tried to convince her to take a look at the 'Out There' magazine, but without much success. 'n Few minutes earlier she was telling me about how she was told last year that she only had a few months left. Two in fact, give or take a few days.

It made me wonder about mortality and old age in general. She was coughing badly the last two weeks and she wasn't shure, but she thinks she coughed up a piece of lung the other day. The cancer had spread through her right side and since she coughed up the piece she feels a pain in her chest.

I feel helpless in the face of such suffering. Naked and helpless. She laughs as I try to exchange her book with the magazine, and I wonder what use she would have for a book about far away places she would probably never see. But then I remember the power of a dream, and I make sure that we deliver the book with her medicine tonight. Just in case she needs something else than a desert to dream about heroism and bravery and fighting death.

School's out...

2009-04-15T16:05:00.000+02:00

Spiritual journey

2009-04-10T12:37:00.000+02:00

According to a leading periodical the report on matters such as these, 'the spiritual journey is riddled with the lure of false prophets and decepetive practices'. Trust me suppose, but I would like to disagree!

The only false prophets are the one's you've paid to tell you something you already knew, and the only deceptive practices are those you decided to be strenuous, ridiculous or just bad. For the student on a spiritual journey there is nothing to pay in the wisdom shared in love. Every journey and practice has it's own reward if you perform it in honesty and trust.

I suppose it safe to say that paying for enlightenment does not make sense at all. Just like promising someone that you will change their world, and doing so by changing their attitude does not make sense if you ask them money. And even though you changed reality it is plain to see that nothing changed at all and therefore people fall, thinking that they have to pay for changing attitude.

Warning those who ponder spiritual enlightenment is nothing less than creating fear in those who are ready to change. Telling those that every step they take will be closer to the truth, and letting them know that the spirit is something you live, not talk about could help. But then again I think I'd rather live my life the way I know I grow, until our journey's cross again.
Attachment includes the note and its objects

The brain - a user's guide.

2009-04-04T12:44:00.002+02:00

How many of us still hold the view that the brain is an organ that doesn't change. That we are born with what we have, and after that it is all pretty much downhill as our brain cells continue to die off as we get older?

The good news is that this view is wrong!

According to a NewScientist Special Feature the brain is probably the organ that can expect the most changes during our lifetime as it constantly adapts to our changing environment. It starts to develop withing 5 weeks of gestation and continue to grow during the first two trimesters of pregnancy. After this period of construction it is ready to begin processing information it receives via sensory input. Perhaps surprisingly, learning, memory and language begin before we are even born.

After birth the brain continues expanding its functional capability, and at the age of approximately three months the cerebral cortex becomes active which will ultimately governs such things as voluntary movement, reasoning and perception, and at the age of about six months the frontal lobes become active, triggering the development of emotions, attachments, planning, working memory and attention.

At around 18 months the brain develops a sense of self, but children only start to apply logic and trust and to understand their own thought processes by age 6. At this age the brain is 95 per cent of its adult weight and at its peak of energy consumption.

The first few years of the brain is mainly a time of soaking up information and developing the appropriate neural connections to understand the environment, but it is also a period during which we lose certain abilities we were born with. The ability to distinguish between different individuals of other species is a good example.This interesting and natural ability is lost while growing up due to limited use and application, but it does provide a very plausible explanation to urban legends such as Tarzan.

After the onset of logical reasoning and trust our brains continue to grow and make new connections until puberty when the brain undergoes major restructuring to trim functions that are not being used and to mature those that seem necessary. Among the last areas to mature is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex at the very front of the frontal lobe. This area is involved in control of impulses, judgment and decision-making, which might explain some of the less-than-stellar decisions made by your average teen.

The slow and steady decline that many of us knew of before start after the age 27, but even then the rate of deterioration is largely influenced by which brain functions are in active use.

Contrary to popular belief then, the brain is one of our most adaptive organs, constantly growing and making new connections to provide us with functions that are tailor made to our unique sensory and emotional environmental interface.

The inevitable

2009-03-21T00:08:00.002+02:00

I suppose it is inevitable that all of us must someday face a moment that we have to look in our own face and smile. The kind of smile that you get when you listen to "I would do anything for love". To realize that someday all of us must reach a point where we can acknowledge our self, not for what we convince in others, but for who we are. And in that realization grasp the truth that love can lead to utter alienation or total loss of self.

It is at that point that we realize the power of love.

It is there that we find our own forgiveness.

The moment during which we communicate brings with it the full knowledge of the potential in the meeting. it is then that we discover the depths to which love can sink

Spiritual shackles

2008-12-09T01:31:00.002+02:00

There are many things that we need to grow, and shackles is something that we don't need.
The one is called the less but truth be told it is. To think you're that means nothing more.
The other see itself as more and if it is than how can such be us. Us the score forevermore.

Yin and Yang

2008-12-03T04:33:00.005+02:00

The concept of Yin and Yang as a basic universal truth has been revered in the West since we started grasping the meaning of its power. What many people do not fully realize is that this is a universal principle and as such can be used as an easy tool to examine the validity of our personal and/or social constructs of opposites. Concepts such as love and hate that many people believe to be opposites can be tested for validity by comparing it with the known principles as illustrated in this ancient symbol. But as soon as we try we begin to see that our presumption may not be as solid as popular opinion suggests.

As a child I remember going to the cinema to watch Kung Fu movies, and I am almost sure that one of those Chinese Grand Masters expressed it in this way when he shook his head in disbelief at what he had heard: "You and your limited Western beliefs about love and hate..." He was obviously in disbelief about me, because I really could not understand his comment then. I do now...

You see, as much as you may probably find as many explanations as you ask people, when you do a survey of what we think love is, you will mostly find that the majority of people are quick to volunteer that the opposite of love is hate. But that isn't really the only truth, because both of these emotions or feelings are still very much in the eye of the beholder, in this case the person where those feelings originate. To really take a shot at finding the opposite of love we have to look further than that, and in my mind something like violence would fit the mould much better. Think about it?

In most people's mind, or by the rule of opposites, in the mind of 50% of people, love is a spiritual concept. The remaining 50% will see love more as a physical thing, but due to a curious twist of fate their view of love dictate what most of us believe to be its opposite. The belief that the opposite of love is hate. I must admit that an ever growing percentage of people know very well the opposite I mentioned earlier, and it seems a growing number of people choose to indulge in the opposite of love. Not hate, but it's parallel and physical opposite... Violence.

I have just witnessed a murder, and although I understand that it was put in the context of the classic universal struggle between good and evil, the cartoon that I watched was particularly graphical about the way the phantasm fighting on the side of "good" was killed. The scene even included a high resolution close-up of the desperate last moments of the phantasm of good. It was vivid, graphic and ruthless, and the expression of despair on the face of good as he/she realized that its existence was terminated is a picture that haunts me still. As a level headed adult I realize that it was only a cartoon and I know that by the rule of opposites 50% of viewers may interpret his slow motion expression as one of contempt or even victory because he knew in his death he would still be victorious because evil cannot exist on its own, I interpreted it as a look of fear and horror!

Call me old fashioned, but I prefer children to watch old Kung Fu movies, rather than the current fare of teenage entertainment. At least then I know that they may not always understand what they hear, but they can look forward to the future when they come across a revelation that suddenly gives them a new meaning to life. Rather that, than exposing them to the graphical violence that I saw in the cartoon this afternoon.

At least I am confident that there is at least 50% of people who would think the same as me, and far be it for me to deny people their freedom to choose, it is not a comforting idea to think that my neighbor may be contemplating to exercise his right to violence. Not him or any other person in my immediate environment, much less my child!

It is interesting to ponder if the amount of media that our children are exposed to is equally balanced in its portrayal of the opposite of violence, but somehow I think not. Should that be the case, I could try to understand people's choice to ultra-violence. If people were exposed to information that help them to understand the concept of free choice, and children could understand what love really is it would probably be a different story. If everyone knew that the feeling they know to be love isn't something that can be explained in their own experience, but in the experience of others, then perhaps I shouldn't have minded the cartoon as much.

The problem is that I know most of my peers have difficulty in explaining the concept of love, so much so that it is almost impossible to find any coherency between the varied explanations offered by passionate lovers and philosophers alike. I propose that the time is ripe for an open an honest discussion about the nature of love as well as its opposite, be it violence or hate. Without such a discussion to assist in raising the level of our collective consciousness our only remaining recourse is the principles we know and trust. Principles that can be used as tools to test the validity of our understanding. Tools like the Yin and Yang that assures us the opposite of spirit is flesh, tools that help us to see the opposite of time is infinity, and that suggest the opposite of love may not be hate after all.

The nose knows...

2008-08-09T12:03:00.006+02:00

Most people can recall someone in their lives who had a nose for trouble, be they the motherly figure that knew when mischief was brewing, or the fiend that always knew when trouble was afoot. The nose is also linked to various other expressions, all with the implication of some "higher" purpose or greater knowledge. Take for instance the expression: "Being led by the nose", or describing someone as noseying around. It now seems that all these expressions are supported by scientific discoveries that there is a very good reason that the nose knows.

In a range of experiments towards understanding the human brain and how it works, scientists have found that our noses play an important role in a wide range of human experiences. Findings that our sense of smell and emotions activate the same areas in our brain begs the question whether there is any link between our emotional well being and where we have been poking our noses? Questions like this are supported by facts like people that are depressed who lose their sense of smell.

In addition, our sense of smell seems to be active even when we do not notice any, and it has been proven that what we smell may influence what we visually perceive when the odor is linked to memories with negative emotional content. What we smell may therefore color what we see, and in the case where someone was being led by the nose, it may just be that the person they following was pleasant on the nose.

Unfortunately no-one can blame their nose for anything because it also seems that we have a semi-conscious ability to increase our perception of smell which causes the neurons in our olfactory bulb, the area in our brain responsible for our sense of smell, to light up in anticipation even if there is no odor. It also gives us the ability to adapt to unpleasant odors, allowing us to ignore them when they permeate the air we breathe from day to day.

All of which still does not explain to me that my mother could smell our secrets, but gives me enough information to caution the person who is smelling the rat, that he may only be anticipating one. As far as the expressions go I believe they all have some origin in fact, even if those facts are being discovered by science as we speak.

Ask yourself, do cats really purr?

2008-07-16T20:23:00.004+02:00

Now don't stop there my child, your responsibility towards reality is yours and yours alone, and I will have nothing of it. Now where was I, oh yes... The cats?

You must at least know something dont you know? Something about the cats and that nasty pleasant kind of whine in low gear sound. And I'm not talking about the high gear wine you get when they demand milk. That is a totally different sound and also quite another story. Do cats whine is all thats left to your interpretation.

Do cats purr I wonder. And the reason why is just because we know that they have feeling, but less than no emotion. This is obvious if you care to look and see that they have pain, even though it doesn't hurt. Which is of course quite the opposite in dogs. In dogs you see, by some wierd freak of nature they were blessed with more than enough emotion, but very little feeling. They always hurt much more than what they pain. Why you can ask any dog around if they have ever been in the pound and even those who never have will howl in sympathy.

But howling dogs are not much less than whining cats when we are looking for a purr that isn't always there. Now where it goes would probably be obvious if we could ask, but cats are known to go all strange when anybody does, which in itself is very strange. You see, cats have no emotion, and because they dont they really cannot have an attitude at all!

And all of this has made me think, do cats really purr? And if they really do, then could it be perhaps that it is much like dogs that howl in sympathy, but quite the opposite. Could it be in harmony with feeling good? Something like a good vibration?

If you think about it for a moment it makes sense and you can almost feel it's rright. Then again you may think more and so believe it less, but that would be emtional, and since we know that cats have none I think that it is best to think a little less. Maybe feel a little more. That is if we want to know the truth.

2008-07-12T19:27:00.002+02:00

In the world of science and technology there has been many discoveries that have made mankind cringe at the full realization of the impact of those discoveries. The most famous example is probably the discovery of the devastating power that can be released when we split the atom. In response to the shock and horror following the use of that discovery the inventor of the atom bomb started the Nobel peace prize.

Another of these discoveries, that of genetic manipulation, resulted in a public outcry of such a magnitude that international legislation had to be put in place to ensure that man never used the power to give life. As with the atom bomb, this discovery was just too good to leave alone, and the birth of Dolly the sheep, who was created through genetic manipulation still make people fall to their knees to pray forgiveness. But like the atom bomb, it seems as if this discovery may redeem itself in the eyes of us, the people that push technology to the limit of our own conscience.

Through the use of genetic manipulation, scientists have discovered a possible cure for AIDS. According to a recent article in Nature, a team of researchers using the forbidden science of genetic manipulation made a discovery that is possibly the first real hope in finding a cure for a disease that has plagued mankind for more than a decade. And this through a process that changes the genes of the patients receiving the treatment. This gene change make it impossible for the HI virus to make copies of itself. After infection the HI virus uses our own genetic material to multiply, a process that the new medicine aim to prevent. And if HIV cannot make copies of itself it will become a disease like flu that can easily be controlled by our immune systems.

According to the article in xxxxx the medicine is being developed as a vaccine, but in theory it may just as well be used as a cure. As such it has the potential to save many of the xxx million people currently infected with HIV, and at the same time free Africa from an epidemic that is destroying the economy, slowing growth, and generally wreaking havoc throughout our continent.

It will also free mankind of the bondage that resulted in response to the HIV epidemic, and allow us to continue our exploration of sex and sexuality in the quest for understanding one of the oldest mysteries known to man. The mystery of love. Just like the discovery of the atom bomb this new technology may change mankind forever, only this time it will not only change our hearts and our minds, but also the very core of what we are made of. Our genes.

Sundowners @ Hoedspruit

2008-07-12T17:02:00.000+02:00

The wisdom in a psalm

2008-07-04T12:39:00.003+02:00

In a moment long ago a shepherd once did find the glory all around. Caught in the rapture of the moment, with but his flock and nature in his palm, the shepherd met his God. In bliss he made a simple choice, but yet a choice profound enough that he believed he could be king. And when he was his hart still singed from long ago, a moment back in memory that changed him for all eternity. He wrote:

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He blesses me with pastures green to rest: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

And since that moment, way back when the harmony survives. And nature still inspire those who care their flock and still with God that shepherds find in glory they be kings. For nothing is impossible with love, safe we walk with God.

2008-07-02T17:35:00.002+02:00

Choices-choices

2008-06-21T20:51:00.004+02:00

To some I suppose, the idea that they actually might have to do something to get something must be a frightening idea. Probably just as much as the realization that we may not have free choice after all. And this fear, not because we have actually been doing something, not because we have actually been making choices, but rather because it is something we have been carefully planning, meticulously studying from every imaginable angle until we are absolutely, 110% sure that we are making the right one.

Choice is what we took way back in paradise, and no amount of denial will take that from us in this lifetime. I suppose that is one of the reasons that some people have difficulty in making choices... So that they can do the right thing? And they were doing the right thing by not making those choices how? But enough about other people, back to me, and my fascinating discovery about the most important choice we have!

The most important choice that we can ever make is... wait for it! Your attitude. Yes? It is also probably the choice we most often leave to our environment. Rather than taking a proactive approach in the matter of attitude, we leave it to their environment to suggest an attitude or two. Of all the plans we make we never seem to have planned our attitude.

Well my friend, believe it or not, we actually have a wide range attitudes to choose from, any of which is guaranteed to work. We also have the right, at any given time, to change it. And besides forgetting that we have a choice of attitude, this is most probably the second biggest mistake that people can make regarding attitude... To change it according to environmental influences.

In my own experience I have found that it is easiest to make this choice sometime in my day when I am not emotionally engaged in any activity, but even though much more difficult, it is a choice that I have been able to make under pretty much any of a wide range of tried and tested environmental conditions. In the event that there may be any experiences where your choice of attitude could not be made, or where you made it but it made no difference, I will personally guarantee a refund of everything you had before you accepted this lifetime offer. You can take my word for it.

Unfortunately, as with everything, all is not good news. The downside of this total control is that we lose all hope of ever, ever, ever passing the responsibility for our choice on to others. With the choice of attitude you will retain full responsibility for everything, and even anything that may possibly result as a consequence of your choice, imagined or otherwise.

So, to those of us who still have difficulty in making choices, and who are afraid that we will be making the wrong choice, to those I would like to remind you that there is a choice that you can make, a choice where we are in total control of the outcome. A choice that can literally make the world of diffirence.

Your choice of attitude.

The rule of three

2008-06-11T18:04:00.004+02:00

I suppose it shouldn't come as a surprise to know that there are a particular reason why things happen in three's. It is after all a universal law. In my experience the biggies tend to resonate way beyond their actual sphere because they are the one's, or zero's if you were speaking geek.

And thus it also should not rise a brow if in the last three cycles of the moon I have had a brush with life three times. In the first I felt removed, and almost void of choice, the next I rushed inside without a choice or even thinking twice. The last a choice I made aware of every detail way before the time... And truth be told the second choice I wish to be.

But in the three there lies a deeper, greater truth. A truth I'd known way back when since memory. That you got to see one, do one, teach one. Simple, isn't it?

A Wish...

2008-06-08T03:44:00.002+02:00

When light banish dark it is this what I wish:

That power be none the wiser than attitude,
and that be a choice, such as blessings are free.
That joy be rewarded by wisdom,
a journey in knowledge through time.
That love be the us that will open the door,
to bask in the truth of a glorious day.

I used to hate stupidity...

2008-05-28T16:15:00.002+02:00

i have always found it interesting to ask people what they hate the most, thinking that it was a meaningful way to engage in an honest discussion without falling right in the door with a question like: "How do you visualize the devil?"

i suppose meaning is a concept that I hold in high regard...

if i was asked the same question i used to reply that i hate stupidity. used to that is, until i felt stupid this morning and realized that i felt stupid quite often. in fact, i feel stupid every time that i make a choice and try to stick to it when i know there is a better choice to be made right now.

in the past i felt stupid and immediately started to doubt the choice... i simply argued that if the choice felt stupid, there must be something wrong with it? the result of this mental emotional trigger was an exhaustive intellectual dissection of the choice that resulted in my making the choice regardless of the feeling, or not making the choice at all and doing something totally different. stupid was not something that i entertained lightly, and such choices made were thus seared into my memory as potential weaknesses if ever they were placed under scrutiny by whatever or whoever.

when i was under my parent's roof the person that usually played spot-the-mistake was my dad, as he has a will that melts even the most resolute of excuses. the result of this scrutiny of my childhood choices saw me only making choices that made perfect sense. choices that did not make absolute sense in every possible reality were admonishingly labeled as stupid, and disappointingly added to the list of examples why I would never...

in a sense i suppose it is this behavior that i secretly used as an excuse for often feeling stupid.

as i was saying, this morning i felt stupid. what made all the difference this morning, was that i did not immediately start to place the choice under scrutiny, but instead pondered on what else to do with the direction i was traveling in through peak time traffic. it was then that i remembered something else that i had to do which fitted perfectly on my journey through space and time. so perfect did it fit that the choice that made me feel stupid seemed like such a stupid idea.

accepting the stupidity of my initial choice also made me realize how often i feel stupid, and how often i fail to make choices if they do not adhere to a virtually flawless set of checks and balances. i also discovered that my feeling stupid had nothing to do with pleasing an imaginative father figure, but that it was a gift i had since childhood. a gift that instinctively warned me of a better choice, if only i had bothered to follow the directions that the moment presented. directions that i missed because i was busy with a mental onslaught of a stupid choice...

i don't hate stupidity any more, and will be much more open to feeling stupid myself because i know that this feeling is nothing less than my intuition, warning me to live the moment. i suppose it can be said that it was my fear that informed my hate, and my hate that clouded my intuition.

and so my life gains meaning...

blessed journey!

Luke 14:26

2008-05-08T20:15:00.006+02:00

Luke 14:26

²⁶‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.

A friend and me was just discussing the issue of the Bible, and in an effort to discover the original person that decided what will and will not be part of the book of love... I surf across this quote, grouped together with eleven others as illustration of the proclaimed fact that the Bible does not inspire or teach anything of value.

The conclusion they reach is this: "So we are forced to ask a question: Why doesn't a book written by God leave you with a sense of wonder and amazement? If you are reading a book written by the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving creator of the universe, wouldn't you expect to be stunned by the brilliance, the clarity and the wisdom of the author? Would you not expect each new page to intoxicate you with its incredible prose and its spectacular insight?"

Fact is... the Bible as scripted consists of a compendium of sources, each telling the story of love and divinity from their own perspective and understanding. As Luke is one of the oldest and most "original" books in the Bible, to me it will also make sense that Luke would be one of the most trusting sources to chronicle the life and times of Jesus. As such it would also make sense that Jesus would say the words attributed to him by Luke. If enlightenment to God (or any which way you care to call His name) followed any universal principle, then the mere conscious grasp of the Spirit and all that it is would cast doubt on just about all of the historical understanding that Luke may have had about love.

The conscious grasp of a spirit that is exactly the opposite of everything that is life is a daunting challenge, even to such as the greatly beloved disciple called Lukas. But such is the Spirit eternal without any concept family, much less of anything remotely resembling the self. Where unity, love and eternal bliss is the be and the all... The exalted love we reserve for individuals simply does not exist as it does in the flesh. And at the realization of our own divinity, is that in itself not enough of a reason to question a given, existence itself?

To me, the quote by Luke portrays a man much like myself, who has been challenged to reassess what it is that he knows that he knows he knows. And in that challenge we either choose to embrace our spiritual being, much as we choose to engage the universe in our eternal quest to enlightenment and nirvana. Our choice made with the full knowledge that what we embrace is not only a loss of suffering and sin, but also a release from the bondage imposed by our own choice. In that choice we also transcend our previously held ideas about love. We simply become.

For it is written that our crossing to Spirit will be a clarion call...

Being in the flow...

2008-04-25T06:26:00.001+02:00

Many of you will remember some experience where you were engaged in an activity, and in the blink of an eye it seemed as if hours had elapsed. This experience is referred to as being in the flow, and also described as optimal experience. Experiences such as these are therefore frequently remembered as the best time of our life, simply because the activity engages all of our senses to their maximum. This probably explains why the phenomenon has been the cause of so much discussion and scientific experimentation.

One of these experiments aimed to examine the different user experiences that facilitate the occurrence of flow, or in other words, to determine environmental switches that would cause flow. The person who conducted some of these experiments is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and according to his observations the experience of flow would most likely occur due to the following environmental triggers:

Challenge and require skill
Concentrate and avoid interruption
Maintain control
Speed and feedback
Transformation of time

According to his research then, it would seem as if environments that we do not find challenging, or that do not require us to exercise any skill would not be conducive to flow. The same would apply if we engaged in a task that causes repeated failure resulting in the failure of skill acquisition. This is an important pre-condition, as a certain level of skill is a pre-requisite towards the achievement of a level of concentration that would result in “losing” ourselves in the task we are performing. If we have achieved this state of being lost in our activity without interruption we will find ourselves in flow for as long as we maintain control.

According to the Wikipedia, the practice of Sufi whirling (or Sufi spinning), is a twirling meditation that originated among the Turkish Sufis, which is still practiced by the Dervishes of the Mevlevi order. It is a symbolic ritual through which the dances or dervishes aim to reach the "perfect". Through this experience the dervishes try to desert their egos or personal desires by listening, thinking [about God] and whirling which resemble the rotation of other beings such as electrons and planets of the micro- and macrocosmos. Even though this all sounds very complicated, I bet most of us can remember a similar experience as children, whirling in space until we lost ourselves in time and topple over on the grass. It does not take a rocket scientist to imagine that if we were to maintain control we could in all probability touch the divinity that the Sufi achieves through their practice of whirling. Our own memory of experience then also explains the concepts of speed and feedback, and the transformation of time that is described in the experiments of Csikszentmihalyi.

The incredible realization that remains after our discovery of being in the flow is that time is as relevant as the action of the observer, and that the divine is as accessible as the next challenge we may find. Something we had always known as children, but seem to have forgotten as adults. It is true what they say about children and the truth. But that is a totally different story!

The child

2008-04-05T09:42:00.008+02:00

In darkness he is wake,
fearful of his unknown fate
Quite unaware that thus
he loses what he was

Hush may baby dont you cry
I'm gonna sing you a lullaby
A song of hero's, kings and queens
The choice was yours till in our teens

All defeated you did bend.
Tired of the daily mend
you wished that this may end.
I hear your call my friend.

Forgive me now my confidant,
for it was I who lost the heart
and somehow failed to see
that it is you that maketh me.

Now I know that we are one,
and you the spark to light the way,
I hold my hand so we may proudly stand
as prophecy for time to come.

Let us roar as kings again
as fated way back when
before the day I went away.
Take me home my friend...

Welcome back my Elohim.

Left Field Moments

2008-02-10T00:39:00.000+02:00

The boy who became a man.

There once was a young man, much like you or me who fell in love. At least, that is what he thought it was. But that is totally aside, for this story is about the young man, and for him it was as love as love can be, and maybe even a little more than the last time he had felt this way.

The simple thought of her made his knees weak, his eyes started to sparkle and his heart raced a little faster when he thought of her seductive smile and those eyes that tease as she glances your way. He had just seen her briefly, but in that moment he could feel the intensity of their attraction, and it was like a raging fire that consumed his thoughts with wonder and amazement.

And wasn't it just last Friday that he said that he still pains for his previous relationship. He was still trying to heal the wounds of his previous x lover. The one who he left because she told so many lies. You remember? The one with the tight lips and the crazy eyes. Those crazy eyes that attracted our young lover in the first place.

He was still in pain from that relationship he left behind to make the solid resolution to never, ever again do something stupid like that. And here, totally unexpected he had found this vision of beauty that swept him off his feet. He remembers now how this was not the first time they had met, but it was most certainly the first time that he had noticed. The attraction between them was almost tangible the way it pulled him towards her.

The day after he noticed he forgot about her of course. How could he have ever imagined that a girl like her would ever notice him! Imagine her falling for him, a barefoot tribal warrior. She didnt need protection, not with her proud and confident personality that just seems to grab the attention of every single person that had the grace to come in to her presence.

She of course had just completed a chapter on how you create your own reality, and this night she was zoning perfectly. It was indeed like the book says! You really do create the reality you desire. Everybody was friendly with her, everybody smiled, and in heartwarming reply she smiled them a smile like she meant it. Her friends even commented on her looks and her hair, and it was the same dress she had worn last week! She even remembers how she realized it was the same dress as the last time she visited but she decided to wear it in any case, in a firm resolve that her new self could handle any negative comments in that regard. In any case, she did not plan on staying long. She now wished she had stayed longer, but then again it may have turned bad if she did. This way it was just a perfect memory.

He had to say "I do" at the altar.

The perfect girl he had met with the seductive eyes and the mouth whom he had discovered, not only teased but also pleased. That mouth that smiled at him in full glory behind the veil of the angel that was standing right in front of him. She looked magnificent! Her hair pushed back with pins that sparkled in their crystal brilliance, her breasts pushed to perfect volume by the dress that seemed to float as she walked down the isle.

He still had doubts.

And it was rightly so that he suspected he was gay. As a rebellious teenager he had left his mothers home to show once and for all that he was not a child any more. He had doubts of course, as he walked barefoot in the park. His shoulders slumped as he thought what he should do then. His mind was racing then as it was now, trying to plan the next step, but seemingly unable to come to a best-case-scenario. He hated moments like this. Moments where time was of the essence. Moments where he knew his next action could change his whole reality but where he did not have a plan. He left the house of his childhood because they could not let him be himself, because his mother kept on pushing him to be more, telling him that he should never accept anything but the best, because the best is what he deserved. He had enough of her making his choices. Only thing was, he did not have a plan.

He was lucky of course, because sitting in the park he got noticed by an old gray man who was deep in thought on the selfish and empty life he had. Sure it was good while he was there, but every now and then when he sat in the park he reflected on the children he never had. Never could have as it turned out to be. He could never commit to a relationship after he found out that he was shooting blanks, and never could there be. That day he fell off a horse, many, many years ago had resulted in his infertility for life, and an early choice that he could never expect any woman to forfeit the reason she was a woman in the first place, the reason to have a child. But he had worked hard for his fortune, trying to convince his parents that he was a child worthy of their love. He had many friends, and moved in high circles. He had the open top sports model that his father never even dreamed of, but he could not have the child that his mother wished for. He was sad sometimes, like that day in the park when he noticed the boy sitting against the tree.

The old man had often thought of adoption. Not because it was the in thing to do those days, heaven forbid! Just because he knew, deep down he just knew that he could be the father he never really had. He had the means and he had the love. The love that he sealed up inside him when he realized that he would never be able to give that love to a child of his own.

But then again, it was not this that the man was thinking in the park, it was his own habitual failure in relationships, and it was just the night before at the club that he over-heard people talking about the string of lovers he had in the last year. It was hurtful to hear such vindictive backstabbing from people you thought of as friends, but bittersweet in the knowledge that it was exactly this kind of busy-body gossip mongering that made him choose to stay away from the club in the first place. He knew that he should not have gone... And then he noticed the young boy under the tree. A little rugged perhaps, but then again a little rugged every now and then never hurt anyone. At least not for longer than a few days!

It was only when he saw the young boy again at the cafeteria, trying to pay for coffee that he made his first move. It was almost like a ritual. The young men just happened to be at the bar when he tried to order a drink and then, as if they are totally surprised by their lack of funds they look over to you with pleading, panicky eyes as if you are the saviour of every innocent young starlet in the club. As the teenager tried to ruffle through his pockets for more change he offered to buy the coffee standing there, as if waiting for an owner. This time it was not a young starlet trying to chat up an old man, but a young boy that was lonely and angry and lost. A straight young boy as it turned out, though even that was not enough motivation to the old man to break his resolution to never, ever take advantage of the surrogate father-figure he had offered to the young man in distress. He decided then and there that he would love this boy as his own and give him the benefit of his home and his care.

The young man standing at the altar had doubts when he saw his beloved walking down the isle, he had doubts when he listened to the promise he would make... And then he said "I do".

Now, as he stood before his bride those doubts he had came crashing through his perfect explanation of why he had such thoughts. The image in his mind was like a mask that replaced the face of his bride. He looked deep into the eyes of the girl standing before him, and he remembered that he saw the same love in the eyes of the old man that had cared for him when he left his childhood home. He realized that the love he had shared with his saviour and benefactor was the same love he had for his wife. That very love that made him fear that he was gay was the love he had for the bride standing in front of him.

But just as soon as doubt broke through his defenses by the painful honesty that he once loved a man the young man realized that everything was fine, just the way that it always was. That love is something that can be shared with anyone you choose, that once we have loved it never goes away unless we consciously tear it into a shredded heap of pain. He realized that right now, this moment, he chooses his bride.

He was no longer a boy who expected others to make choices in his best interest because they loved him. He was a man who loved and made choices. A man who could be trusted because he made choices in love.

In search of joy

2008-01-25T07:27:00.000+02:00

Nirvana or heaven as some would call it is an interesting concept. Have you ever asked yourself to imagine such a place?

For many I do believe it is described as a place of absence. A place where there is no more pain and suffering. Where there are no bosses or beggars, no credit or taxes, and certainly no worries and fears.

In the minds of other the concept may be expressed by abundance. Where there is lots of money and love, children by the dozen or peace, and even wisdom and happiness.

In medicine there is a principle called, assuming the sick role, and it is a valuable skill to be able to identify with your patient. Without this skill a physician may easily advise his patient complaining of a runny nose to blow it! In essence it allows us to place a value on something that is not our own. Unfortunately the value of the skill is limited by our own values and prejudice, but it is none the less important to assess the disease in children. Of what importance is a runny nose to a child who does not understand the messy bubbles that may be the direct nasal result of that nose? But be that as it may...

For the purpose of this discussion I want you to try your mind at this role-playing thing, and imagine nirvana. And then, after you have carefully stripped your current reality of everything that is making you unhappy, or that frustrates angers or scares you, and added everything that you consider necessary to achieve such a state of being. Imagine what it will be like to live such a life.

Now imagine the value of what you have gained should you never have had all the things that you lost. With the exception of wisdom and happiness I bet the life you have imagined loses much of what you thought. All of a sudden you may find nirvana has lost some of it’s appeal, and even may have lost to heaven forbid, with angels singing joy and fluffy clouds… Look! Can you see that amazing sheep… Even wisdom loses value if we find a place of total bliss.

And thus it seems there is but one remaining quality we're left, the one called joy. Some may call it bliss, and some may say… Take your pick. Happiness… Look even the word smiles if you think of it!

And thus my dearest friends I ask of you to tell me why, and why it even makes sense that in our lonely lives whe spend so many times looking for reasons not to be happy. If happy is a given choice, then why am I not able to take it each and every moment of my life.

May you have the fortune to see the joy in every moment, and the wisdom to take it.

Eye Spy....

2008-01-10T07:16:00.001+02:00

Something beginning with the letter S...

I still remember this game vividly, playing it in the car when we went on holiday. And I remember that I was quite bad at the game. But now it makes quite sense, because when I was young I used to spend huge amounts of time in a world of my imagination, and realizing now how much overlap there is between my perceived reality and this one it is strange to think that I ever saw anything! Now I also know that the reality I created in those years was nothing bad, but for the fact that I created a reality in which I was sad... Imagine that!?

I think it is Soul that I see!

The relation of arythmetics

2007-12-30T09:50:00.000+02:00

One, the only way to start, for without one we have none. But before we get to one is where most get stuck, where most give in. To go from none to one is the hardest part of all.

And then we find there's more... That one is not the only one there is. Indeed there's two and three and four and five and man it's great to be alive!

But getting there was such a drag. The hardship, wounds and suffering we had to get a single one and now to find that one is nothing more than anyone?

There's two, and even though it's nothing more than one plus one we find that two is so much more! How glorious that two is one but multiplied!

How fabulous that two can do much more, and all it took was one. If we can make it stick how wondrous it will be to build a unity for all eternity?

And still there's one to add! Three is two plus one and looking back in history the truth is plain to see. That just one more could make the world of difference!

Quite simply put the sum of one plus two or three or four is more, and that is all there is. It's either one or more. And if there is but one then nothing stops it any more.

A lot like love I do believe.

Riddles in Rhyme

2007-08-17T07:40:00.000+02:00

Riddle me this, and riddle me that… Take for instance the days last week, now what the hell was that?

And just in time I found the score, and oh what a glorious day it be. But truth be told it was a while a fore it dawned. I say a score but truth be lie in time for such is thus it could be more, but neigh much less of seasons come and go. For at the time I found myself beside a choice of sorts. A simple one you say, for whom beside the devil do you think would make a choice that all and us deplore...

The choice you see; to choose a life that's good but dull, lets face it chum, or may perhaps transcend this toil of day to day with bliss that none have yet to comprehend, and call me Jack if I look back and say it isn't so; the one that sucks, with deep and dark allure it always will remain without dismay, for just as one choice call in vain, the other calls in deafening display your gain.

But I digress...

The choice be mine to make in score of seasons fore. And though in name I did proclaim that dice were cast and thus be so, in truth I always made some time to lend an ear sublime to sweetest melodies of pure allure. And then perchance or mayhap happenstance it chanced that choice beget a likely lost reality, but one where there in bush a wakening occur. A blink was all it was, but what a sight to hold... Where all that got the just reward of choices made and kept were joined in unity and bliss. So glorious the sight that merely hinted there that but a quarter score go fore and there I was again. But low believe I raised the door, and bundant with elation did I lovingly embrace the spirit at the fore.

It folded me like neigh a moment had been past and hinted of a lift to bursting heart of heights. But still it all remained a hint, a taste of things to come. But like the soup the steak become but nothing more than that. Then half a score or less I stood before the lover thus in naked trust and bare my soul to none but all that promised thus. And power did I taste. Strong and sweet like devils broth it flowed and swayed reality till nothing could persuade the truth. And brilliant and vain the score of thousands made me roar with life that even then I found it difficult in ken. In weeks to flow I found that low behold I could not start to tune back in to growth I thought would faster bloom if I but taste the vast of what the bush did hold.

But yea and verily it slowly got a rhyme, and rhythm followed soon till soaring high I flew. On grace of wings I lifted high and found the bliss that hides in moments lived in nothing more than honesty and trust. And then, just when there seemed no limit when you lose your self in trust and harmony the time arrived in perfect serendipity. Expectantly I went to court the master I had met inside the bush. Where previously I went as nothing more but a beggar, this was more in stride. And still I found the power strong inside the vent of all who went to bow before the king. But when by dark of moon and rocking tune I strode to meet my liege on high I felt not serendipity, but tribulation there on high.

Puzzled and perplexed I crashed from high to crawl in shame in what I wondered to be more than just the glory of the flesh. For when I tasted it at last it was remembered vastly more. And coming thus with wisdom fore the masses to adore in adulation, I saw myself a stranger at a loss. And wonder did me more in pain and self inflicted shame, on why and what did fail. A dark and lonely place I found where ancient lore repeat in time till sin resolve and listen to the whisper of salvation to be found in choosing the divine.

In deep and dark despair I found my self a waiting there… to show the path of bliss for nothing less sublime than this. In truth and honesty it is the only choice to choose for me. And though in times of still and reminisce I hear the call of that which choice has left behind, I know that in such kind I lose the gift of this, the choice I made in time before I took a glimpse of sin refined through making life divine.

The riddle thus be told be mine. And thank the score that told me more than lore, which showed me just a glimpse of something never more to be desired. This is the time my friend, to riddle me that, or riddle me no more

Twining...

2007-08-07T08:25:00.000+02:00

To twine is part of the design
for this be thus in time
till challenged by a mind
that sows a seed sublime

And thus we learn and grow
in life on life until the next
Reaping what we know
and what we feel is best

The choice be free to take
and make a twine to last
But know that in a wake
a change could be that's vast

And thus we learn and know
in life to life, until the best
of twines combine to grow
Till at the last there is no next

A picture paints...

2007-08-05T11:30:00.000+02:00

Photos of our long lost innocence may not be around for everyone, but I have been blessed with a shoe box on steroids containing all kinds of "lost" memories, as the pictures at the top display...

They paint a story of an obedient and good mannered child playing on the beach. Focusing on the collage we find at fist he only plays by his own with his model cars in the sand, then he joins his brother and sister, carefully watched over by their uncle in constructing a sand castle. And in the last photo we see him laying on the sand, lost to the world around in dreaming of his castle and cars. You can even imagine how he even lies there and makes the sounds of the cars while he plays...

The picture on the left we will use to explore the intricacies of perception and assumption. The boy with the car in is hand, standing in the wake of a wave is me. And I am standing there looking calm and posing for the photo, but on the inside of that calm facade I am furious!
I do NOT do beaches!!!

I do not do screaming races with the ebb and flow of the tide
and I definitely do not do model buggies
Especially those that are nothing but a colorful plastic shell and wheels

I am wet because I refused to run into the waves screaming tonsils like a rumpus child. My Mother (Bless her sole for trying) emptied our drinking water container over me to make it look as if I had been in the water.
I am carrying a plastic model car that my Mom borrowed from a noisy little snot nose just to the left of where we were perched on the beach front.

And so the story flows to the happy collage with me, sitting "wet" in the wet beach sand. I manage to look smug because I refused to put my sexy speedo bum on the wet sand, and my Mom compensated the pose to my current squat. The "fake" cars were carefully placed to snap a shot with good composition. And after my brother and sister had built a pitiful sandcastle, I was whisked in the range of photographic focus where yet another happy snap was immortalized.

After all that disturbing posing rigmarole I smashed some of the sandcastles and refused to move from the beach. I had of course carefully calculated the ebb and flow to know that where I make my last stand I would be high and dry. Mom thought it would still make a nice picture and arranged the stupid cars in front of my face.

If I had not been so stern in my resolve to maintain my high ground I would have picked up those ridiculous cars and threw them away. But I got the last victory...

I refused to smile, even with promise of ice-cream, chips and sweets.

Choice

2007-08-05T03:54:00.000+02:00

For thus it seems but these remain
To choose the spirit or the flesh
Though spirit oh how long my be
the call of flesh pertain

Finding self...

2007-08-02T04:35:00.000+02:00

Expectation is the prison of self-realisation
As perception is the key that sets us free
All we need is in the moment plain to see
To be in honesty our link to revelation

What is... Resonance

2007-07-25T05:21:00.000+02:00

Wikipedia 250720 05:24pm (CAT) - In physics, resonance is the tendency of a system to oscillate at maximum amplitude at a certain frequency. This frequency is known as the system's resonance frequency. When damping is small, the resonance frequency is approximately equal to the natural frequency of the system, which is the frequency of free vibrations.

A practical use of this tendency is the old disc gramophone as illustrated in the Harry Potter movie "Goblet of Fire" during the preparation for the ball. Interestingly enough, it illustrates the concept of resonance with multiple frequencies...

I started to wonder...

Resonating with this idea is the concept of "His Masters Voice", an interesting harmony with the most popular of all these gramophones, but in my construct I was thinking more in lieu of the "Voice of God", particularly after having read some of the apocrypha where the writers try to literally write down the teachings of Jesus after the resurrection. What is interesting is that when Jesus call a name, it is not in a single word of calling, but an utterance of all that the greatness that a person will achieve in their lifetime here on earth. It is also used to some extent, mainly to refer to past greatness in the books that form the Canon of the Bible.

What I am trying to illustrate in the construct, is that should God call your name, it would resonate with all that you are. All that is true and noble within your intent and your deeds would resonate, as this is you to the core of your being.

It would seem then as if your name, spoken in spirit, would resonate to your existence.

I have also experienced "recently" that I have "discovered" "new" wisdom in "old" movies. There are numerous examples I can use to illustrate, but a classic example is "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"... Over the years I have indulged in this legendary tale to various degrees of exuberance and frivolity, but I have discovered a fundamental value in each of the journey's .
A different fundamental value in each of the journey's.
It would seem then, that for me at least, the production resonates with wisdom. Similar examples abound, such as the illustration of the divine principle of free choice as illustrated in the X-Men - The last stand, and the power of pure intent as it is beautifully portrayed in Five Children and it.

I have also seen and experienced how the realization of a fundamental truth or wisdom can rock the foundation of any man or woman. How such a resonance with God can change your life in the blink of an eye.

Flicking back to the physical, I have to acknowledge Damping:

Damping is any effect, either deliberately engendered (To cause to come into existence: beget, breed, create, father, hatch, make, originate, parent, procreate, produce, sire, spawn. Idiom: give birth (or rise) to.) or inherent to a system, that tends to reduce the amplitude of oscillations of an oscillatory system.

So it seems on a physical level that resonance is balanced by damping.

On a spiritual level, such as described earlier with the realization of a fundamental truth, I have also experienced the effect of damping. Some of these damping experiences have been as drastic as sudden loss of consciousness, or a sudden onset of jawning and sleepiness. In some cases however, I have experienced and seen how centuries of hate, anger, fear and judgment (the list can be extensive) can be washed away in a moment of exultation. That very moment that the penny drops and the fundamental truth stands naked in your door, waiting for you to let it in as guest of honor. For some it is a transformation that sticks, and even for myself it is sometimes a slow process from realization to full resonance with my being.

I also realize that it is our self that dampen the resonance, often through the "perceived" need of our environment, whatever we consider as "important" enough to maintain as truth to maintain the coherency of our social construct.

Interestingly it seems as if we "maintain" various social constructs, and in each of these we place world values as cornerstones or foundations on which we build our various social personae. With each discovery of a fundamental value we challenge these world values. Sometimes they fall, sometimes they don't, but with each crumbling world value I remain with less social constructs than before. With each monolith of humanity that fall I seem to be left more and more naked, yet more and more powerful. As my world values are judged they are demolished by the same judgment that gave them resolve. In its place I find a me that is patiently waiting to be... I know that times when I ohm I resonate with the spirit that is me, and it is glorious in the moment, with glory in everything sounding to divine harmony.

But come morrow the crystal clarity and sublime unity of the resonance is gone. I am often left with images that mirror the glorious be , and find solice in the bliss on the journey to me.

Wisdom

2007-07-21T05:15:00.000+02:00

Wisdom is not the exclusive domain of the Master...
It can be found in every second of every day.
For the wise are those that know
That wisdom flows from the mastery of living.

Save our planet

2007-07-12T01:03:00.000+02:00

In the last few years I have been frustrated by the media and the press that loudly proclaim the truth that we are slowly but surely destroying our planet. My frustration not so much about the fact of what we are doing, but more the inability of me to do anything as a single person.

Now I have found something!

In my previous posts I have mentioned the power of intention, and if you, like me have the intention for positive change, or the intention of doing something to make our world a better place then I would like suggest we collectively focus our intention and do something with it. Just follow the link provided below and schedule a reminder on your cell-phone.

17 July 2007
13:11 (CAT)

I plan to put my intention to use!

Life...

2007-07-10T07:28:00.000+02:00

Which just about sums up everything... just about.

While driving home one afternoon I chanced on a thought: If one considers the Taoist principle that our journey called life is nothing less but opportunities for learning, and chances for healing the suffering caused by social conditioning... Healing=Learning

I do believe I know what that means.

This day has been a journey of frustration and total disbelief in the cruelty of man to man all the way through to absolute bliss. It has been another day of healing. For if you do every moment without remorse you will find that the journey is a breeze. A gentle one with fresh of sea and playful sand on wind. Where pain on your path is nothing more than a gentle warning that the life in shells underfoot are as you, a player in the symphony called life. A symphony where you and me have different instruments to play, and when we do in harmony the sound we add play sweetest melodies of serendipity.

Like the designer Gauteng number-plate on the car in front of me while I was driving home that afternoon: Life

Twining

2007-06-22T09:13:00.000+02:00

Do twining follow geodesic grooves
deep tween rock and clay
like rhythms through the core
with seasonal surprise to let the power twined arise and reach the score of ancient lore
and rhyme

Do twining groups exist
and do they then transcend
as is told in old decree...
to leave lament on those they leave behind to toil until they find their long lost twin
or more.

I say, but hear me not decree...
Do thee have twining in the grow.
And please
could one haps tell me why a twining seems in vogue right now on casual glance in this our
mother land.

I lay my ear right to her bosom...
Feel the beat and hear the heat...
Listen to the mother softly
Softly hear her whisper glory and eternal bliss when lovingly she breathes a silent kiss
to those in twine

In days back then
a tale was told
on birth of brightest star
And in this time we see that stars as such be seen with greater clarity just yonder twixt the moon
in June

Perchance the lovers two
sent blessings
as they do
with blessed harmony to twining souls through all mankind in symphony with what they see
of twins in time entwined

I ponder...
fore...
And still some more
on those that caught the twinkle that betwixt the lore that brought to fore the twining
of our time.

The glorious syncronicity
the rapture serendipity
that comes and goes
as ebb and flow in rhythms undefined... and steady as the beat of lore in this my core
sublime.

2007-06-19T03:44:00.000+02:00

The road to self-discovery
lies fraught with shards.
In broken slits
of promises and lies.

A journey braided
piece by piece
we find ourself
in picture skew.

But through it all
the wondrous wherewithal
that we are all connected
every single one and all

Einstein and beyond...

2007-06-15T08:21:00.000+02:00

"No problem can be solved by the same consciousness that created it.
We must learn to see the world anew."

Albert Einstein

"As we solve the mysteries of life we open up our consciousness to a totally different reality.
We must learn to see the world anew."

Sync 101

Throughout my life I have journeyed towards a better understanding of myself, though it started as an attempt to understand my fellow travelers at first. Between the baby-steps interspersed by giant leaps in wisdom I started to notice that my world was changing more and more. Boring family obligations became fun events and opportunities for growth, and girlfriends trapped in toxic relationships became desperate souls in need of recognizing a lesson that has been tailor-made for their journey. Now the world is a much more vibrant place where love and peace and joy have replaced the gloomy props of my early life. The rewards of truly living life is nothing less than bliss. Now every step I take unlock a wonder that was there before, but somehow blinded by my own design.

Fabulous!

Like Circles...

2007-05-28T09:13:00.000+02:00

It's like circles see...

Like when you discover that when you were honest and true, as honest and true as your reality allows you to be, and then you discover that someone saw that this was true (you told them for pete's sake). They tested it to see if you were true and found you wanting none... And then they devise a scheme of complicated design and players true (at least to that which they conceive as their reality), and then shamelessly put you as prime in play of all their complicated design. Suddenly in the spotlight you see that you must indeed perform... And in your honesty and trust you believe that this was meant to be (and so it was), but meant to be by pure design.

By scheming trust they broke with yours and you find yourself as character main in someone else's play.

I suppose it is more like a maize of mirrors, and players with mirrors...

Chapter 2

2007-05-17T06:33:00.000+02:00

And right on cue I do believe I just got one step closer...

For those who still remember the first occurrence of the fashion accessory called bell bottoms, there used to be a song called "Three steps to heaven" that gave a simple recipe for instant nirvana. Puppy love. It is smootchy and schmaltzy and brain freeze sweet...

Not unlike my mood this night, as I had to be on the receiving end of a foul mood from my lover who seemed to have carried some frustrations from work over to my apparent failure at proper house-keeping. Be that as it may, I tend to get a little stressed out in the onslaught of such blind anger and deal with it by remaining calm and happy... To a point.

But as it may this eve I did not reach that point, and after the anger retired to bed I reflected on a well known saying that "Perfection is not an end point...". Suddenly I thought of the relationship between my lover and me. I felt all warm and fuzzy and without ponder or reason felt thankful to my lover for the special way he made my life perfect.

After some thought on why I did not tell him that, foul mood or not, I decided that I really wanted to share that special feeling with the person that I love so much, and promptly told him so.

And, sooner said than done or I started to doubt my impulsive and stupidly romantic declaration. What if the object of my affection thought that I was sarcastic. What if he thought that I was insensitive to their abominable day... What if, what if, what if.

Through all the deliberations and blame I had completely lost the warm and fuzzy meaning that gave feeling to my simple words of love. And just then I heard the crooning of Three Steps To Heaven to remind me that when we live a life of bliss, things are often actually very simple. It also reminded me that the language of love is never complicated at all.

Smootchy, schmaltzy and brain-freeze sweet... All in all divine...

Explaining life...

2007-05-17T05:28:00.000+02:00

And as I was thinking today I told myself: "It is all a bit daft, aint it..."

daAFT!

DAFT you say?

"Now what kind if word is that?", I reprimanded myself.
Whats daft?

"Whats life?"
"Explain it to me like I'm dead..."

Dead? I said...
DEAD? That would be like tempting the temptress, would'nt it? Like teasing the teaser?

"But what is it?"

What is what?

"Life..."

Ahhh, well it's like when, as a child, you just couldn't understand how stupid your Dad could be for not understanding that you absolutely HAD to HAVE a car. How on earth could he not see that this is what will make you happy!

And then the confirmation of your reality, when you get to slip behind the wheel of your very own dragster. Like I told you DAD! This is what makes me happy!

And then the confirmation of your fathers reality, when your new love interest you met over the boot of her car, an exact replicate of yours, except for the pink fur on her dashboard., purrrrfect, like when she makes an accident and dies. And through it all you know that she was playfully tempting you with her accelerator when she lost control and made the fatal crash. You tried to save her, but all you managed to do was get your face horribly burnt. How was it the doctor put it...
"Damaged beyond repair..."
Like a dragster way past wasted.

And then that day when you realize that the reality you share with you and your dad is sort of exclusive. Remember that day you walked in town and those horrible little brats made fun of the scars on your face. "Scarface!" I mean really! At least they could have TRIED to be original. And then the memory clear... That day you and your dad both made fun of... what was it again? "Does it matter..., really?"

It's like circles!

...
"What's like circles?"

LIFE!

"Yeah well... that was until you discovered me..."

Its true my spirit dear... Untill I met you it was all just circles. Circles going nowhere...
"And now there is purpose.
Purpose and direction...
And truth be told it's more like a spiral... This thing called life.

Genesis

2007-05-03T11:15:00.000+02:00

I have been searching ever since I was but a wee child...

First I think, it was for the pure thrill to be found in the satisfaction of discovery that slowly changed into a fascination with how-things-work. This does not exclude people and their strange rituals and costumes, and it is probably at this part of my journey that I started my life-long romance with those I would come to call my fellow travelers.

From how-things-work I started to question my role in this whole charade, and even attempted to play along one or twice, but this got me into immediate trouble, as it seemed that "they" wanted me to accept "their" rules and views prior to becoming one of "them". While it seemed easy for some to pay lip service to whichever alliance seemed profitable, every time I tried I got the door slammed in my face!

Thus I entered a decade of deliberation on what I had to do to be accepted, and one of the few places that I found myself comfortable and snug was in the arms of religion. The religious fold was accepting and friendly and give or take a sect, or those considered to be heathens, it was a pretty cozy environment... Limited of course to Sunday Sermons and Sunday School and the close-knit gang of believers, but cozy none-the-less. It was my only saving grace, for since I could not "fit" anywhere else I somehow allowed my self-image to sink to grovel. Wherever I went I could find at least one sole willing to accept me, not for who I am, but for what I believed. And then came that fateful day that I lost my faith...

...and started my search for the divine...