One Of The Things...

Gian Lorenzo Bernini  

One of the things I learned early on from our Teacher 

was to look into the past for those exquisite moments 

when our souls were truly present, 

sprinkled throughout our lives. 

We all have them, he said, 

even if we cannot sustain the state 

and their memory gets submerged in the rush of life.

~J

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I Often Will Let Concepts Digest ...

 

I often will let concepts digest for a while 

that have been brought up in meetings. 

Last weekend we spoke about the idea of sacrifice. 

I’ve really been letting it digest this week - 

the importance of giving up something 

that is of value to oneself 

for something that is meaningful and sacred. 

The work requires sacrifices of course, 

from our mechanics to even monthly payments of money. 

There are no shortcuts. 

Ultimately, this is between oneself and the gods, 

how much one is willing to sacrifice for our work.

~M

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The Center Of Gravity ...

 

The center of gravity 

also is a major source of identification, 

at least for me. 

Being the emotional Queen I am, 

when talking to people I can identify so easily. 

I must watch myself, 

otherwise I am lost completely.

~L

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In The Inner Stillness...

Dante Gabriel Rossetti

"In the inner stillness where meditation leads, 

the Spirit secretly anoints the soul 

and heals our deepest wounds."

~St John of the Cross

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This Tapestry...

This tapestry is very difficult for me to even look at. 

Even though the soul can not die, 

seeing 1 dead unicorn 

and the other one being killed 

is very upsetting. 

It is hard for me to look at any kind of suffering 

either my own or someone else's. 

Since unicorns are mythical creatures, 

the suffering might not even be real 

but could be imagination.

None of the townspeople acknowledge these attacks 

as they are so deep in their sleep 

that they just go about their life as usual. 

It's as if the clutter of the tapestry 

is the mind with all of its' I's.

~P

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I Find That The Mind...

 

I find that the mind can still be quite busy 

even when the body is quiet. 

But I've also found that praying to God first 

with words and asking for His grace to enter 

and transform the I's into stillness works. 

Sometimes it takes me 20 minutes of meditation, 

wrestling with the I's and praying for grace, 

again and again, 

until finally that huge wave of complete still 

elevated state of God enters. 

When He does arrive, it is bliss. 

Complete transformation of state. 

If I never do my part 

to prepare my vessel for such a transformation, 

that kind of Grace seems much less likely to be given. 

So I do my Work, prayer with the lips, 

taking in impressions, 

inviting higher teachings into the mind, 

imagining the magnitude of Creation, 

and crying out to the Divine inside my heart. 

But the state itself is altogether different. 

I know you all know this.

~E

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Ordinary People...

William Holman Hunt

Ordinary people 

seem not to realize 

that those who really apply themselves 

in the right way to philosophy 

are directly and of their own accord 

preparing themselves for dying and death.

~Socrates

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There Are Different States...

 

There are different states of self-remembering 

and different states of prayer 

and perhaps at a certain point on a journey of both, 

they may lead to the same place, 

a cross roads of sorts, 

a place of stillness, 

serenity, 

where the divine just is. 

All motion, words and thoughts cease, 

like when a bird that flaps its wings to fly, 

there comes a time when a gust of wind arrives, 

and it must cease making efforts 

in order to soar and allow the heavens to propel him.

~M

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Aladdin And The Lamp...

 

Aladdin and the Lamp describes the experience many of us have. 

Friction in life 

(someone’s death, sickness, or other intense real suffering) 

is akin to rubbing the lamp and then the genie (the soul) 

suddenly appears from this tiny lamp, 

as the soul is much larger than the body. 

The genie grants wishes to the body 

as the molecular body 

has many powers that the cellular does not. 

But, as often happens, 

the unfamiliarity of the body with the soul scares the body 

and the third wish is for all to return to what is was before. 

In other words, to again go to sleep. 

That is why we make a point in the Academy 

to train the body to become comfortable 

with the soul so that we will not be subject to the fate of Aladdin.

~M

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Our Inner World...

 

Scott Smith

Our inner world is here with us always. 

It is a matter of opening it up to “life,” i.e., 

listening to music that feeds your inner world 

in the car while doing Influence A things. 

Dividing one’s attention while doing anything 

brings one’s inner world 

to whatever is taking place at any moment.

~M

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Ceaseless Work...

Henri Toulouse Lautrec 

"Ceaseless work,

analysis, reflection, writing much,

endless self-correction, 

that is my secret."

~Johann Sebastian Bach

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