A Loving Gaze...

A Loving Gaze...

I know that our search is sometimes very dry.  I know that sometimes I am able to Be, and from that place my soul transports me to indescribable places, in which trying to explain would be futile. The spaces that each of us visit can only be transmitted with an honest, profound and loving gaze, trusting always that the reflection in the look that observes us back, understands. I trust that the Love that resonates during these moments is an invitation for all to honor those, who like us, search for the Higher, and to honor those who left a path to follow and keep in the search.

~B

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To Thine Own Self....

To Thine Own Self....

When we were younger we all would have learned that it is wrong to lie. The definition of “lying” would have been making up stories that aren’t true. That is a classic symptom of imagination that has been distorted and “the truth” as it were, has been obscured.  I had to have the definition of lying re-taught to me. I never knew that lying was knowing the truth and not acting accordingly. I thought it was absolutely fine to play out my childlike fantasies and scenarios in my head and shield this to the outside world.

In Hamlet we learn that “above all: to thine own self be true”. I realized then that the game was over – that any made up story in my mind from that moment on, would never again be mistaken for truth. Since learning this I have realized how my construction of reality was made up out of nothing, and every day has been an attempt of unlocking the potential of each moment. Ouspensky says that the moments in our memory that we remember most are ones where we were most present. Since learning the tools to “be true to myself” I am forced to brace those elements I shrouded in identification and imagination and be faced with them for the first time. It is no wonder that it is one of the 10 commandments “do not bear false witness” – that applies both externally (in life) and internally (in your soul).

~R

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Acceptance..

Meister Eckhart ...

The German mystic, Meister Eckhart has been such a wonderful guide for me.  Sometimes I want to suffer for the sake of awakening.  This is just another way that the false part of me keeps my soul a prisoner. "Thinking," is the problem, acceptance is the answer I have been given. 

_______________________________________

 

    " And so in my view the most important thing of all is that we should give ourselves up entirely to God whenever he allows anything to befall us, whether insult, tribulation or any other kind of suffering, accepting it with joy and gratitude and allowing God to guide us all the more rather than seeking these things out ourselves.  Willingly learn all things from God therefore and follow him, and all will be well with you.  Then we will be able to accept honor and comfort, and if dishonor and discomfort were to be our lot, we could and would be just as willing to endure these too.  So they can justifiably feast who would just as willingly fast."

~JR

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What I Have For You...

What I Have For You.... 

What I have for you today is only one thing:

I wish for you to Be Present 

so you can recognize the wonderful opportunity 

of the day to Be Compassionate.

For me, to start being compassionate with my soul 

has been like receiving some fresh air, 

and has brought me deep relief.

I’m sure you already know, 

what comes from the depths of the heart

is a mixture of love and empathy; 

It is so big,

so strong, 

so silent,

that it renews and brings strength 

to keep going… 

Now I remember,

“seek and you shall find”.

~CB

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At the end of the day...

At the end of the day... 

Finally, I find a moment and a space to write, allowing silence and

stillness to surround and inspire me to share what lives inside me. 

That which sometimes does not find words or emotions to express 

itself; that which exists and expands, like a mirror reflects and tenderly 

is  reflected back. 

The nature of life has this brushstroke of mystery and adventure, 

of uncertainty, instability, discouragement, amazement, fragility 

and risk. and I find only one constant that gives sense, trust and peace. 

I discover myself in the loving and serene presence from which my 

Soul feeds and perceives its indivisible quality, a same 

divine nature that transcends creation and remains dwells 

in light and eternity.

At times all I can remember is the immense opportunity of each day,

the blessings I receive and the great fortune of walking accompanied 

and protected. From the most beautiful part in my Being, thanks to 

each of you, fellow travelers in this journey. Every relation and bond 

is special, it is perceived mutually without explanation and is taken 

care of as you would the most valuable treasure. 

~MD

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Only We...

“Our Work is Our Own.”

 

This phrase is a reminder that only we can make our own efforts.  While others push and inspire, lift and assist us when we are confused, it is we who live and be present to our lives.  It is we who can apply, verify, and experiment and most importantly, Remember our Soul. 

It is interesting to note that it is possible to feel the energy and be helped without doing much in the way of personal efforts.  But this does not seem to be enough to sustain one over the long body of our spiritual journey.  Additionally, it is also easy to satellite another person (a teacher or student) and feel that our practice  is somehow benefiting . While this may help one feel good, there will be little in the way of a foundation on which to grow and we will be subject to our own recurring habits. It is said that the “delicacy of the excuse does not matter."  You are either here or you are not.  Because of this, I feel it is so important that we are honest with ourselves, remain humble and grateful towards God, and remember why we are here.

~T

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The Quest...

The Quest....

Legends talk of a cup, perhaps a chalice, 

but do not speak of its contents.  

Could the Holy Grail be symbolic 

for something we each individually possess?  

Could ultimate joy be to realize what the cup contains?

In the Legend of King Arthur, 

Excalibur, the symbolic of the sword of truth is drawn from a stone. 

Many tried, good and noble and perhaps a few not so good.  

Could it be only he who was in a state of 

supernatural grace was given into his possession Excalibur, 

becoming the soldier of light and truth?  

When we experience a higher state of consciousness,

for those moments,

perhaps we symbolically hold 

Excalibur.

~M 

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Merging

Merging...

Merging is the real State of Love. 

For then the two persons contain Nothing but Love.

No Thoughts.

No Intellect.

No Emotions. 

Just a merging and drinking of each other, 

Leading to a ReBirth of each of them....

Over and over again. 

They can compel each other to enter and reenter this state. 

Then as the facilities of the machine begin to still 

something even greater enters; 

The Surge of Love. 

That can propel them both towards Heaven.

This is also called "The Fury of Love." 

God enters in the Fury of Love. 

Here Love ceases to act and God enters into the two. 

Love attracts this happening. 

Then it must remain passive 

in the face of something 

even higher than 

itself.

~Mervyn

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Marcus Aurelius

Words from Marcus Aurelius....

"Remember that even if you were to live for three thousand years, or

thirty thousand, you could not lose any other life than the one you

have, and there will be no other life after it. So the longest and the

shortest lives are the same.

For this present moment is shared by all living creatures, but the time

that is past is gone forever. No one can lose the past or the future,

for if they don't belong to you, how can they be taken from you?

 Remember, that which, governs is the thing, which is hidden within. 

 This is the power of persuasion, this is life, this, if one 

may so say, is man. In contemplating thyself never include 

the vessel which surrounds thee and these instruments 

which are attached about it.

If thou art pained by any external thing, it is not this thing that 

disturbs thee, but thy own judgment about it. And it is in thy power 

to eliminate this judgment now.

 

 

For the present moment is the only thing you can take from anyone,

since this is all they really own. No one can lose what they do not

own."

~Marcus Aurelius

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Right Action...

The false part of us tends to value efforts that gain us admiration and that sustain the illusion of 'doing.' Our True Personality assumes responsibility, without the wish for personal attention and is not discouraged by tasks that reveal to us our limitations, because we must work beyond our capacities to change our level of being. The body and mind will try to limit and allocate only a certain amount of energy to your work, this is why it must be pushed.

 

Mr. Ouspensky said, ' the more one understands, the greater ones responsibility, because if one knows nothing and does not attempt to work, one cannot make a serious mistake. Because of this principle it is useful to proceed slowly and steadily in the work.'

Goethe observed, 'seldom do we judge aright what we have done, and almost never do we value what we are doing."

Yes, there is very little of our nature interested in awakening, and we are indeed fortunate that at the moment the Gods seem to want us to develop self-remembering.

Self Remembering is always right action.

~Mervyn 

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The Experience...

The Experience...

I was then, just perceiving with all of my soul, 

the sweet balm of Presence.... 

My mind was silent and my heart aware of the Moment 

to that silent Grace manifesting in the invisible....

I experienced a deep feeling of Love, 

for those Present souls and an immense gratitude 

for the reflection their beauty projected....

Yes, I'm sure that state was not of this world....

I had been "gifted" with an instant of pure LOVE, 

that my heart 

perceived 

as an 

eternity.

~P

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Great Neck, Long Island - Saturday, October 22nd

Conscious Harmony in Love Relationships

Please join us as we continue our journey toward Awakening the Soul. We will explore the desire to achieve Conscious Harmony in our Love and Romantic relationships.

Saturday, October 22nd - 5pm

For location in Great Neck, Long Island and time:

longisland@academyofeuorpeanarts.com

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866.312.7922

The most beautiful introduction to this topic can be provided by those Conscious Beings who have spoken about the art of Loving one another as partners:

"We know little, but that we must trust in what is difficult is a certainty that will never abandon us; it is good to be solitary, for solitude is difficult; that something is difficult must be one more reason for us to do it.  It is also good to love: because love is difficult. For one human being to love another human being: that is perhaps the most difficult task that has been entrusted to us, the ultimate task, the final test and proof, the work for which all other work is merely preparation."

~ Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

I See Now...

 

I See Now...

I know that this process of remembering is a divine trust and agreement with God. We are not asleep, then suddenly awake; much patience is required in this journey. Then much suffering, until the soul gently peers through the great organ called our body.

The limitations of the mind and body can appear to be endless and frustrating.  Meher Baber said the "biggest prison on earth is our body." Hafiz likened the body to a pot, for all its attempts, the smoke never suceeds in throwing off the stone. For that a teacher must come and lift it away.  Similarly a bird cannot open its cage from the inside.

I see now more clearly this shadow I call myself; its lifetimes of adventures, false beliefs, ungrateful longings. In presence the soul is my cup for God to pour into. In trust my soul is rested and my eyes truly see what is meant to be seen. I stand in your presence with my heart open.

~C

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We See...

 We See...

 

 "We do not see things as they are,
we see things as we are."

And of more importance, 
with the soul...

  

We are able to see things 
as they are... 

~W

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A Moment...

A Moment with the Teacher..

Sitting at the round table at 2am. We are talking about life and the play.

Then the Teacher says, "So........" and the air around us becomes still

and my eyes fill with light, my ears hear pure silence. And I realized

that these senses which I use everyday are being flooded by the man

in front of me...the energy flowing from him into my vessel. Connection

is made. We are no longer men.

The layers of his skin loosen and melt away, becoming watery, him

sharing the "what" that is inside him. No longer a man, and then the

golden light becomes brighter, a full face, white golden hairs brilliant.

His face still melting, passing into time, blending with each molecule

around. Every sense stunned by this golden light. 

Unbelievable stillness, freedom, weightlessness.  Not being able 

to move even the smallest finger....there he or she or life force...

pouring into me.

The soul drinking while the cup filled more and then over flowed.

And slowly as the energy withdrew we became the teacher 

and student again. Me chipping away at each of life's moments 

and he back to preserving GOD for those who are ready to know.

~K 

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An Analogy...

An Analogy...

I was thinking of an analogy the other day.

The Inner World is the Sun.

The I's of the mind are the clouds that blot out the light.

However the sun is strong enough to melt away the clouds;
burn them up so to speak.

The soul is an active force full of energy and radiance.

With a little effort it can disperse the clouds,

and the clouds come on the winds of the I's.

Perhaps from this point of view I see
how ancient peoples worshiped the sun -

it must have reflected back to them
the glory of the inner self 

when they had higher states.

~R

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Each Drop...

Drop by Drop...

These words from Buddha's teachings shed some light on the simplicity
on the subject of payment and efforts.

"Do not make light of your failings, saying, 
"What are they to me?"

A jug fills drop by drop.  
So the fool becomes brimful of folly."

"Do not belittle your virtues, Saying, "
They are nothing"

A jug fills drop by drop. 
So the wise man becomes filled with virtue."

Buddha is saying, Be true to yourself, and each drop becomes valuable.
Both failure and success serve the one making efforts.

Also, in my observations, like the difference between 'real suffering'
and 'imaginary suffering',  there is 'real payment' and 'imaginary payment'

~JB

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Blessed with Glimpses...

Blessed with Glimpses...

 

While I have been blessed with glimpses of what Being Awake may
mean, my perspective is Subjective at best.  I feel deeply and Know that
there is a piece of me that is Ancient and part of the whole existence;
and this is the part that I continually make efforts to feed and to Trust
so that my inner world may grow and that I may LIVE my play through
the Soul.

I have heard the voice of this Ancient place in me, and it is detached.
It's patience is great; it just IS.  My perspective of what Being Awake is,
would be LIVING from this space in each moment - not only just
knowing it was there through glimpses and hearing it's "voice."

~K

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The Delicate Balance...

The Delicate Balance...

 

"When the stars threw down their spears and watered heaven with their tears.

Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the lamb make thee?"

 

-"The Tyger", William Blake.

 

These are just two beautifully balanced and constructed sentences, describing to me what awakening is really about. We begin by seeing that our soul is encapsulated inside a machine. We are often reminded, "We are always beginning"; it is part of awakening.

 

We cannot continue as children in this work, we were all there already. I have seen for myself how we have matured and become wiser. We see we cannot deny the machine it’s functions, but only balance them in the delicate dance of life. I can gain much pleasure in sharing the senses with the soul. I cannot "overcome" or" fight with all my strength "these are words my machine enjoys using to describe awakening; alas the machine does not awaken.

 

I am learning compassion for my failings. In a similar way a parent gives recourse to his child while he patiently learns a new skill. Our beautiful souls have been born; and there is great sustenance for them to feed on, we are" limitless" and the machine is" limited" there is no excuse but to embrace each moment and all our lepers too.

 

I have to work more, to receive, "Divine Assistance." We all must persevere, and recognize the delicate balance, between the' lamb and the Tyger.'

 

~C 

 

 

 

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Seer and Spectacle

Seer and Spectacle...
 
The act of seeing and the things seen are connected. 

The seer and the spectacle are one. 

Therefore, it is important in our life to peer 

into the soul of someone else.

The creature sees a tree, the moon, an animal ... 

but on the scale of the soul,

it does not see individual things in isolation, 

but can see the whole of creation 

and the part the object plays in it.

~Mervyn 

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Awakening...

Some angles of what Awakening now is for me ...

"To know thyself."

Awakening is a journey, a process, a desire, a quest for truth ... a calling perhaps ... A journey to the Center of one's own Universe, while moving through time and space.  An inner Knowing that there is more to this experiment that we (people) are participating in / reacting to.  A sincere desire to understand this Knowing.

Awakening is the journey of Soul growth ... the experience of Separation between the body and the Soul (duality).  It is working with friction and not expressing negative emotions.  It is Seeing oneself as one truly is and working with the I's this Seeing creates.  It is a process that takes great Efforts and a journey one cannot do alone.

It is the process of developing Being in preparation that if/or when one is chosen by the gods to Awaken ... one has a firm foundation of Truth to stand on.

Awakening is the process of being shaken to one's core.

It is receiving shocks ... and holding through them ... without losing oneself.

It is growing Will.

It is to push against Nature.

It is be-coming a Human BEING ... experienced through the Soul.

~M

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The Inner Chamber of Love...

Love seeks to enjoy, and enjoying is more a matter of savoring, 

touching and feeling, than it is understanding.

We cannot therefore, understand Love with the ordinary mind.

Love soars and enters the inner chamber of Love.

~Mervyn

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The Garden of Love....

The Garden of Love....

I have often been fascinated with the poem the Garden of Love by William Blake. Yet, I only feel I began to get a glimpse of understanding of this poem once we began to explore the role of Love in our work. 

The Garden of Love, is the possibility we all have in our hearts for Divine Love. The first time we fall in love or every time we feel the stirring of love in our hearts, it is an awakening of our souls through love. When we are young teens, there is certainty of the heart and passion in our being, as Eros begins to strike a note in our souls. Mervyn used to describe the first kiss as the first time the soul awakens and enters the Garden of Love. This kind of love is the domain of the soul, filled with joy, hydrogens and a new awareness of our soul being released from the confines of the machine. 

When Blake enters the Garden of Love as an adult, he observes what he has never seen in his early youth, that the machine has built a chapel of feminine dominance to restrict and control love. Our personality learns from experience that love and sex is fraught with conditions, or shame.  We forget about loving purely.. we forget about the sacredness of this Garden of delights for the soul. The machine's instinctive center, just like the priests doing their rounds, wants to own love, and to control it with religious preaching and social form.  Our personality creates identifications or lives in imagination about love and relationships, sometimes because of painful experiences or wrong use of the sex center.  

When Blake enters the garden in remembrance of the sweet flowers of souls awakening in their youth, he sees tombstones of men and women dead to love through closed hearts. The priests are "binding with briars the joys and desires" of their souls.   Our machines serve and fulfill the force of organic life, to reproduce and keep order of nature. Yet as students we are here to serve a higher order of creation. Perhaps we can serve as gardeners or blossoming flowers with a sweet scent of awakened souls in love. We can continue to enter and take care of this garden created for us by divinity and open to us for eternity.  Blake may be reminding us to restore the Garden of Love in our hearts, to its original form - a return to beauty and sacredness of the soul in a state of love and grace. 

I went to the Garden of Love,
And saw what I never had seen;
A Chapel was built in the midst,
Where I used to play on the green.

And the gates of this Chapel were shut
And "Thou shalt not," writ over the door;
So I turned to the Garden of Love
That so many sweet flowers bore.

And I saw it was filled with graves,
And tombstones where flowers should be;
And priests in black gowns were walking their rounds,
And binding with briars my joys and desires. 

~F

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Chicago - Open Forum

What brought us to this path, and what helps keep us going forward on it?

 

Please join us for an enlightened conversation

 

Monday, October 10, 2011, 7:30 PM

 

For more information and location in Wicker Park

chicago@academyofeuropeanarts.com

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1.866.312.7922

 

 

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At the Table of the Gods...

At the Table of the Gods...
 
"You didn't find the Work, the Work found you."
How did you arrive here? 

When I reflect on my first meeting, 

I can verify that I didn’t find the work, it found me. 

We are reminded that the
Gods are responsible for us being present. 

All too often we think of ourselves as being 

responsible for events that happen. 

Remember, "Man cannot do." 

The Academy is like a great feast, 

and we are guests 

at the table 

of the

Gods.

~L

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