11 Oct

Posted at 18:05h in Images, Observations

This shaman figure, made of bone, is depicted wearing a hat with seven heads, presumably representing ancestors, historically important clan members or wise men. The heads are the shaman's helper spirits or guides in the world underpinning the world of the living; the world before it's tangible to our senses. The spirit helpers provide the shaman with multiple perspectives which is the essence of wisdom, the stock-in-trade of shamans. The triangular shaped head, pointing down and perfectly balanced on the torso, implies an open mind with no predilections. The figure has a disproportionally large head (40% of its entire body while man naturally is 14%), implying that, unlike others who use their physical body when working, the head plays an outsized role in the shaman's work. Moreover, the figure is sexless as, unlike most work in tribal societies which is exclusively the domain of one sex or the other, a shaman can be male or female. As well, without sexual identity, the shaman's perspective is unbiased, nondual....

06 Oct

Posted at 10:15h in Observations

"How do you dress, sir?" I was first asked this question when getting fitted for a handmade suit in the 1970s. At the time I didn't understand what the tailor was asking. Seeing me a bit befuddled, the tailor explained that he wanted to know whether my penis naturally lays to the right or the left so he could give me a bit more room in the trousers on the right or left. I hadn't theretofore focused on my penis's natural bend, so I told him to proceed as he thought best as my penis is like me politically; sometimes a bit left, something right. A bit more fabric on one side or another creates a bit of a bulge in the trousers which implies the presence of a somewhat larger than average penis. I guess those who need to present themselves wearing a handmade suit also need to make certain other statements about themselves....

04 Oct

Posted at 10:15h in Observations

"I'm not going to tell the story the way it happened. I'm going to tell it the way I [want to] remember it." Our memories shape our attitude, how we experience the world as it unfolds. Those of us with happy memories have a happy time of it, swaddled in sunlight. For those of us with trauma-filled memories, life at times is a struggle, stressful. The traumas, karma, overshadow our lives. In the shadows it's cold and we use a lot of energy to keep warm. To replace the energy lost, we often engage others, to tap into their energy, with our dramas and other attention-getting techniques. At some point, it's exhausting for those we tap into and, if they have any sense to preserve their well-being, they walk away from us. Those with happy memories overflow with energy. Their lives are terrific, always good and getting better. They generously share their energy with others, hoping to bring them happiness. Those who are happy view the past as an entertaining illusion, like a movie. It is what it is whatever it is and whatever we want our memories to make of it. They know the most important free-will choice we have in life which in turn defines our attitude: how we choose to remember the past. For those who hold onto a traumatic past, best for them to remember the traumas are now passed; that there is nothing to forget. That is, the past is nothing but an illusion....

03 Oct

Posted at 10:15h in Kotodama

We have it backwards. Man's best friend is not the material (dog), but the transcendental (god)....

30 Sep

Posted at 01:15h in Observations

“When one realizes one is asleep, at that moment one is already half-awake." Self-consciousness precedes universal consciousness....

29 Sep

Posted at 10:15h in Observations

"Unfortunately, most people don’t get it. They will, but they’ll have to die first before they understand that they don’t." We don't die, just transition from one form to another. That which is alive and that which is not are no different; only differentiated by our mind; all manifestations of God; all unique and all the same. Is the breathing of the ocean and its shattering sound at the shore not as alive as we are? Everything is like bubbles in a glass of sparkling water, appearing out of nowhere and seemingly disappearing when reaching the top of the glass. The bubbles don't disappear. They become one with everything as they have been from the very beginning. We recognize that the only constant in the universe is change; that no one or anything dies, just transitions. Those who realize (know) this truth don't take themselves too seriously....

28 Sep

Posted at 16:18h in Observations

Once upon a time, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, experts in their respective fields of detective work and science, went on a camping trip. After a good meal and a bottle of wine they lay down for the night and went to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend. "Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see." Watson replied, "I see millions and millions of stars." "What does that tell you?" Watson pondered for a minute. "Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically , I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful and that we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?" Holmes was silent for a minute, then spoke. "Watson, you dickhead. Some bastard has stolen our tent." There are always many ways to view a situation, from the practical to the profound. If not individually funny, when juxtaposed they are funny....

27 Sep

Posted at 10:15h in Observations

"No one gets out of here alive." But we all do. If our identity is our finite physical presence, our lives are finite and no one gets out of here alive. When we realize we are not solely our finite selves but one with the infinite manifestations of the universe, there is no life or death; just endless transitions; comings and goings into and out of life; like the sound and the silence between heartbeats; like the breathing and silent pause between breaths. In the silence we are in the present, before our mind distracts us by ever-changing sounds and motions. The silence is eternal. When we realize we are one with the silence, we are here forever....

26 Sep

Posted at 10:15h in Kotodama

The present is the pre-sent, not the now. The present is the space where every thing is before it is what it is whatever it is in the now. In the present every thing is absent. When we are in the present, we can observe the now and realize we are consciousness that creates the now....

21 Sep

Posted at 00:36h in Observations

“If you can cut the people off from their history, then they can be easily persuaded.” As reported in the Washington Post on September 1, 2020: "A committee reporting to D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser has recommended renaming dozens of public schools, parks and government buildings in the nation’s capital — including those named for seven U.S. presidents [and Benjamin Franklin] — after studying the historical namesakes’ connections to slavery and oppression. The report drew a torrent of criticism, especially for its suggestion of adding plaques or other context to some of the most famed federal locales in the city, including the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial. After a harsh rebuke from the White House, the Bowser administration removed the recommendations dealing with federal monuments on Tuesday evening. A White House statement called Bowser (D) 'the radically liberal mayor of Washington, D.C.' and said she 'ought to be ashamed for even suggesting' revisions to the marble monuments dedicated to presidents who were enslavers. 'President Donald J. Trump believes these places should be preserved, not torn down; respected, not hated; and passed on for generations to come.'" Politically correct renaming has been going on for some years. Maine, Vermont and New Mexico no longer celebrate Columbus Day. Instead, they celebrate Native Americans’ Day. ...