Nonduality Salon List Highlights, #209

Highlights #209

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Sarlo:
<snip>
There has been a thick fog over at least my part of Vancouver since the night
of the
solstice (21/22) which has been penetrated by neither sun nor special perigee
moon. I'm
not blaming it for anything but -- pathetic fallacy, and you can decide whether
it is more
pathetic or fallacy -- it seems to be here representing an unclarity in me. (I
did escape
it yesterday by going away for a day to visit family, but a mixed blessing with
its
inevitable Xmas connotations.) It might also -- going with a more benign
possible
explanation -- be a kind of visitation of the energy of winter. Vancouver
doesn't do snow
much, so the stillness of winter may be easier to suggest here with fog...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

<sarlo: "learned much from the dark light" >

xan:
~ This dark light is profound and welcome to me also
whatever form it takes.

x
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Christiana:

<snip>

Oh, and re: "What the hell is so special about a 'birthday'?"

It is a celebration of the day you slid down the "rainbow bridge"...
dontcha remember? we were waitin' for you here.. only one unique you..
unique point of light in this great body Being.

here's lightin' up with you, kid.

love,
Christiana
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Dear Tim

Perhaps the number of messages and strife on the list is to do just
that: tire us out so we drop everything from pure exhaustion.

Peace, neo
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"Abyss" connotes a sense of undifferentiated depth. It is the place of
maximum pressure in the ocean. Or perhaps the hottest point in a flame.
Metaphorically it indicates the Source. In popular cultural cliche it's
associated with darkness, and monsters come from the abyss. On the other
hand, have you seen the great movie "The Abyss"? The abyss in the movie
is the place where the human body cannot continue to live, but where the
aliens (angels?) feel most at home. A fine metaphor.

Back to the metaphor. There is no sense "shining a light" in that which
is nothing but Light. Like holding a candle to the Sun. Sunshine is
perfectly adequate thank you very much.

The Abyss is that which confounds and obliterates ordinary binary
(dualistic) thought. It is the "Pleroma" of the gnostics. Nothing can be
"said about "it" which cannot be immediately contradicted. Gods and
devils both emerge from It, and It swallows them up. It is brighter than
light, and darker than dark. The quintessence of everything.

> P: "Personalities" are just amusements of the dead.
>
> ... I'd like to hear *your* thoughts on that.

Surely you have heard of "Let the dead bury their dead"? Nobody owns
thoughts. They appear on the surface of consciousness, make a shambles of
life, and then disappear. "Your thoughts" is just a thought. "Distinct
persons" is just a thought. The notion of the Abyss is just a means of
fathoming how "yes and no" appear simultaneously and opposites coincide.

"Separate persons" believing in such, are dead. Because thriving
indefinitely in separation is not possible. Because literally everything
is interconnected at its root, there appear to be different persons.
That's how the "yes and no" play out in the world.

The "zombie" is thus not literally a zombie.

Thanks for the feedback.

Phil
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hi!
as promised, here is a link to the William Blake Tarot.

"everything that lives is holy!"
said Blake, and i concur.

this page links to other online tarot decks, to runes, i ching, and
other goodies.

enjoy!
love
gen

http://www.facade.com/tarot/?deck=blake
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> neo:
>
> Dear jodyr
>
> After my direct experience with God I realized that enlightenment is
> pure love.

Many people have direct experiences with God everyday. Those
experiences encompass a very wide spectrum of manifestation.
While I don't doubt the authenticity of your experience, it
was in fact yours and not one of the many, many other sorts
of direct experiences that manifest for many different people.

> If our actions do not come from this and we feel guilt
> then our actions are at least partially ego based.

There is not a thing wrong with "ego based" actions as
long as they aren't intentionally hurting oneself or
others. Saints throughout the ages have engaged in
what you are calling ego based actions as what you are
terming ego remains after the blessing of realization
has occurred. Our senses of individual self remain
post realization, it is the exclusive attachment to
that idea of being *only* an individual that is
obliterated.

> It seems, at least
> for me, that waking up is a gradual process in time. That is what
> time is for. As we gradually wake from the slumber, love increases
> while feelings of fear, anger, and separation decrease.

The "process" of realization appears to involve a gradual
transitioning at some points, at others it is very sudden
and sometimes violently so. However, being involved in such
a process is no guarantee that the final goal will be realized.
Realized people know that realization has its *own* agenda,
and that we as individuals seeking It must simply wait for
It to find Its way to our lives.

> So, I think,
> for most of us our actions are partially love based and partially ego
> based.
>
> Peace, neo

And both motivating factors are present in both realized and the
waiting to be realized folk.

--jodyr.
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What do you think about when you read or listen to an
'other'?

=====
Gentle Peace.

Tim Harris
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

<Joshua: "If one does not compete then one may not be able to hold onto what
is important.

xan: ~ "What is important" is already holding you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I had a teacher once who said,
"If you really want to be free,
throw out all your ideas about love."

*love*
xan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> ... Nobody can wake anyone else up. The very concept is ridiculous."

xan: ~ This would be a true statement if there was actually such a thing as
"anyone else". Those who know themselves wholly as Self have no difficulty
waking up inside a mind fragment that does not.

Surrender is free falling forever - never landing.

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>
> Dear Melody,
>
> Here's another :-) question, just lightly curious - why have you avoided
> silent self inquiry? (Not that it's so easy...)

I experience it as a feeling of dread.

These analogies come to mind:

Like it's something akin to going to the
dentist, and I'm putting it off as long as
the suffering is bearable.

Or like I'm Cinderella who is told to be
home by midnight, and I don't want to
leave the party.

I used to think it was because of my sense
of responsibility to my foster son, but I
see that now as just an excuse.

So, bottom line....."I'm afraid".

And yet, of what, I could not tell you.

>
> >I wonder if it's a matter of getting healthy
> >enough to simply be 'alone' in the silence.
>
> I really agree here - health! Lots of this spiritual stuff, and lots of
> the work that happens in the organized religions amounts to fostering
> healthy interactions between people.

You struck a chord here, Greg.

It reminds me of all the years I struggled
trying to quit smoking. and it was not
until I gave up trying to quit because I *should* , that I later stopped
smoking
simply because I no longer desired to smoke.

I can see that much of my struggle here with relationships could be resolved
in the same
vein.

The issue of healthy social interactions and relationships is still an
important one to me,
it has become apparent these past few days.

My trying to 'quit' because I *should*
results in quite an internal struggle.

My Pentacostal church had a very
> uncompromising, orthodox, anti-intellectual, fundamentalist doctrine. But
> with 350 members, families 4- and 5 generations deep, many strong
> personalities, politics, power struggles, some extramarital affairs and
> other sexual peccadilloes, gossip, etc., it wasn't easy to get along
> sometimes. But we *knew* that this was a feature of the church, and it
> figured in the teaching and preaching. We forgave each other (mostly), an
d
> hung in there. We used to say, "if you can make it here, you can make it
> anywhere." One time I had to publicly apologize in front of the entire
> congregation for something wrong, deceitful, and hurtful I had done. I
was
> a deacon at the time. It was a tough place. Much of what came my way
> about the practice of conduct, ethics, manners, forgiveness, givingness,
> fidelity to one's commitments, unconditional love, etc., came from that
> church!
>
> With love,
>
> --Greg
>

Greg, thank you very much for this.

You've given me something to consider
in an entirely different light.

(I've been all over the board these past
few days, why not experience even a few
more 'positions'? <s>)

love,
Melody
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<snip>
We need only complete ourselves and the
others will follow of get lost in the 'process'... it
is all we need know.

=====
Gentle Peace.

Tim Harris
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A friend sent me this & I thought it might be enjoyed by others here too.

~*~
"This guy is real! I`ve seen him on stage in Santa Cruz and he is hilarious
while handing out kernels of truth. He has the gift of witticism with
come-backs at the speed of Light.

He is from Texas but dresses the part of Swami. He wears a turban which he
claims to have purchased from his local cowboys and Indians store.

Swami Beyondananda's Guidelines for Millennial Enlightenment

1. Be a Fundamentalist--make sure the Fun always
comes before the mental. Realize that life is a
situation comedy that will never be canceled. A
laugh track has been provided, and the reason why
we are put in the material world is to get more
material. Have a good laughsitive twice a day, and
that will ensure regularhilarity.

2. Remember that each of us has been given a
special gift, just for entering - so you are already a winner!

3. The most powerful tool on the planet today is Tell-A-Vision. That is
where I tell a vision to you, and you tell a vision to me. That way, if we
don't like the programming we're getting, we can simply change the
channel.

4. Life is like photography. You use the negative to develop.

5. It is true. As we go through life thinking heavy thoughts, thought
particles tend to get caught between the ears, causing a condition
called truth decay. So be sure to use mental floss twice a day. And
when you're tempted to practice tantrum yoga, remember what we
teach in Swami's Absurdiveness Training class: *Don't get even, get odd.*

6. If we want world peace, we must let go of our attachments and truly
live like nomads. That's where I no mad at you, you no mad at me. That way,
there'll surely be nomadness on the planet. And peace begins with each of us.
A little peace here, a little peace there, pretty soon all the peaces will fit
together to make one big peace everywhere.

7. I know great earth changes have been predicted for the future, so if
you're looking to avoid earthquakes, my advice is simple. When you find a
fault, just don't dwell on it.

8. There's no need to change the world. All we have to do is toilet
train the world, and we'll never have to change it again.

9. If you're looking to find the key to the Universe, I have some bad
news and some good news. The bad news is: there is no key to the Universe.
The good news is: it has been left unlocked.

10. Finally, everything I have told you is channeled. That way, if you
don't like it, it's not my fault. And remember, enlightenment is not a
bureaucracy. So we don't have to go through channels.

I know some talk about evolution & wonder if kundalini is transforming the
brain & body
into a more light filled
form .. so I just thought I'd share this artists' idea of where he/she thinks
evolution is
taking us. It is at the
top of the page.

http://members.tripod.com/~aquarianzone/alley.html

Bye now,

Col

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