Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Beauty

Bubbles at the beach
Happiness lies in thinking or doing that which one considers beautiful.
                        Bowl of Saki, December 31, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:
What is really good? The answer is, there is no such thing as good or evil. There is beauty. That which is beautiful, we call good. That which is ugly compared with the beautiful, we call evil: whether it is custom, idea, thought or action. This shows that this whole phenomenon of the universe is the phenomenon of beauty. Every soul has an inclination to admire beauty, to seek for beauty, to love beauty, and to develop beauty. Even God loves beauty.

In all ages the various religions have given different standards of good and evil, calling them virtue and sin. The virtue of one nation has been the sin of another. The virtue of the latter is the sin of the former. Travel as we may through the world, or read the histories and traditions of nations as we may, we shall still find that what one calls evil, another calls good. That is why no one can succeed in making a universal standard for good and evil. The discrimination between good and evil is in man's soul. Every man can judge that for himself, because in every man is the sense of admiration of beauty. But he is not satisfied with what he does himself, he feels a discomfort, a disgust with his own efforts. There are many people who continue some weakness or some mistake, or who are intoxicated by some action which the world calls evil or which they themselves call evil, yet go on doing it. But a day comes when they also are disgusted. Then they wish for suicide. There is no more happiness for them. Happiness only lies in thinking or doing that which one considers beautiful. Such an act becomes a virtue or goodness. That goodness is beauty. 
   from  http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VII/VII_31.htm


Man is always seeking for beauty, and yet he is unaware of the treasure of beauty that is hidden in his own heart. He strives after it throughout his whole life. It is as if he was in pursuit of the horizon: the further he proceeds, the further the horizon seems to have moved away. For there are two aims: the one is real, and the other false. That which is false is momentary, transitory, and unreliable - wealth, power, fame, and position are all snatched from one hand by the other. ... Man wants something in life upon which he can rely; and this shows, whether he believes in a deity or not, that he is constantly seeking for God. He seeks for Him not knowing that he is seeking for God. Nevertheless, every soul is pursuing some reality, something to hold on to; trying to grasp something which will prove dependable, a beauty that cannot change and that one can always look upon as one's own, a beauty that one feels will last forever. And where can one find it? Within one's own heart. And it is the art of finding that beauty, of developing, improving, and spreading that beauty through life, allowing it to manifest before the inner and outer view, which one calls the art of the mystic. 


Struggling a bit with words and feeling the judgement and separation from identifying aspects of life as good/bad, dark/light etc. Nice timing with the Bowl of Saki and how to roll it all into the word beauty. A good descriptor for the fabric of Oneness--life.

Continuing to be amused and transfixed by the openings to the layers of awareness. The truck I was loading had a shipment of spices/teas that gave it the fragrance of walking through the spice markets in India. As I followed this thread, I was swiftly moved to the ashram and presence of the Divine Genealogy. The welling up of uncontrollable tears had to be stifled, since I didn't deem it appropriate to be sobbing from this perspective while loading boxes in the early morning hours. But, oh what a lovely touchstone to the ever present fabric of Oneness.

Timing is interesting as well for the convergence of grace in one's life. I have had this wound on my head for years that moves between activity and dormancy. It was recently identified and a small team of surgeons quickly assembled to remove the troubled zone. As I sat with the gratitude of being attended to by a specialist in skin cancer removal and in a facility that houses a clinic that specializes in one of the most modern treatments, the uncontrollable tears welled up again. Beauty--there is is no true darkness.



HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Friday, December 26, 2014

Believing In Santa Claus

I believe in this Santa Claus...
Walking, talking, breathing, and being Absolute Truth and Love.

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Surprised



This is my first personal contact with this Being. I would see him daily on display at the ashram, read about him, and contemplate his life as a householder. How lovely to feel his presence while walking the householder path. 
Will I ever get over being surprised by unexpected visits from the Masters on my forehead screen? While taking an extended moment to sink into the inner world as I sat between delivering boxes at a feverish pitch, that can only be brought on by the holiday season, three of the Masters presented their ever present supportive selves. Wow! A constant reminder of just how thin the veil is. Grace.

Starting to get a feel for diffusing the story and history between two beings. Even one person letting go of the past and returning to a state of open presence is enough to help shift the script we keep wanting to latch on to. I am finding peace and joy with this journey of the two-legged.



Saturday, December 6, 2014

Palpable


Working within a petri dish of one hundred and fifty people is educational beyond the individuals. Upon returning to the work place, the environment was more "ashram like" with the reduction of sexual harassment, vulgarity, and bullying. Watching those ingredients slowly but steadily re-emerge into the work container and then to experience the axe falling for a second time to remind everyone of correct behavior. There was a palpable shift without even knowing the axe had fallen. How cool to sense and witness this ebb and flow of the evolutionary plane through a closed group of humans. Wow! One reads about this potential and leaders throughout history are inspired to take action for change, but the experience of it drives it all home.

It was initiated by one person raising her hand to question the ethics and morality of an action. It was followed by action through one person in the hierarchy who has the respect, power, and wisdom to act with effectiveness. It was followed up a second time by someone in the food chain who took action from the example set by the first person of action.

Incredible teaching and I am now a firm believer of how much change one person can effect without ego and from a place of love for Absolute Truth. Pranam.

Started rereading "Great Swan". Sigh! How beautiful and inspiring. 

Thursday, December 4, 2014

From The Trough To The Sandbox


     As I have moved from the watering trough to the human sandbox, I see the similar issues of unconsciousness, cruelty, poor management, and more. Five years ago, I was intently examining the pain of humans with horses and now, I am examining the pain of humans with humans. Women, children, and animals are often the more defenseless victims, but I see that we are all held hostage in our egoic states of unconsciousness. Living requires discernment, self examination, and alignment to right action. We are so mired in our stories and justification for action/reaction that there often appears no middle ground. The inward place of peace appears to be the only true contact to the middle way. This lesson plays over and over.

     As issues around sexual harassment, bullying, greed, and more continue to appear in the outer walk, where does one ultimately draw the line? Even while living with a continual inner awareness of Source, the outer world bumps, laps, pokes, and prods--the walk on the path is relentless.

     Yet another crack in my warrior nature is emerging. Walking with an inner sense of Source is one step, but walking/living in alignment with the sense of Source is yet another step. The self examination begins anew. My shoelace is not caught in the escalator now. My shoe laces are tied and I am willingly, relentlessly wanting to merge more deeply with Source as I except being human in whatever the exterior state involves. A transition from an idea and sense to a state of being. It isn't just about restricting the ego--it is much deeper. Taking every aspect of this self I know as Sue and continuing to refine, and turn every available surface to yet another stage of attunement.