Category: The World

Monday, because it’s the beginning of the work week for some, reminds me of beginnings as it applies to daily life. There’s the beginning of life, the beginning of death, the beginning of a new business or a new job. There’s the beginning of a marriage, or the beginning of thoughts of a divorce. It could be the beginning of school, or the beginning of maturity at the close of one’s school life. Perhaps it’s the beginning of training for the olympics, the religious life, or the presidency of a country.

It’s the beginning of an illness, or the beginning of grief, or the end of it and the beginning of healing. It could be the beginning of freedom with the end of a jail term. The end of one lifestyle and the beginning of another, or a trip around the world and the beginning of an adventure. There’s the beginning of a friendship, or the beginning of new intimacies as two families become one, could be the beginning of happiness with a new understanding about a situation, or the beginning of peace or the beginning of war, there’s the beginning of creativity with a painting, a poem, a garden, a song, or a thought. There’s the beginning of the holidays, and the beginning of forgiveness, or the beginning of ease by letting go of stress. Always there are beginnings and their endings and a world of endless possibilities.

“The purpose is to be in the present moment and enjoy each step you make.” says Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. “Therefore, you have to shake off all worries and anxieties, not thinking of the future, not thinking of the past, just enjoying the present moment.”
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When you think about what the world once was and those in ancient times who understood the importance of learning about, understanding and using for higher purposes the mysteries of the world, what are your feelings? And when you look at the world of today and all the playthings we have to amuse us, and the drugs that dull our minds, and keep us from becoming actively involved in seeking the knowledge which could teach us to tap into the depths of who we really are, and allow us to understand that this is not all there is, that we haven’t begun to appreciate what’s behind all this, and what is offered to the seeker of truth, what are your feelings?

I know, long, wordy sentences, but there it is. And it came about because I wanted to read a few pages of THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES by Manly P. Hall. It’s an olympic-size book worthy of spending time reading because it bullies the mind (in a good way) into realizing the depths of life’s offerings. And possibly bullies us into wanting to participate in the world by spending time doing whatever it takes to reach higher levels of understanding. This book is one that can make you dizzy by just looking at it, but it’s written in a manner that entices the reader with its illustrations and writings to sit and stay with it to learn and reflect.

The following paragraph is from The Dore Lectures by Thomas Troward. Meditating on this paragraph eventually brings a feeling, a realization, that that which created the world never stops creating, and since we’re created in the image and likeness of that which created us, we’re the creators of our world.

“My mind is a center of Divine operation. The Divine operation is always for expansion and fuller expression, and this means the production of something beyond what has gone before, something entirely new, not included in the past experience, though proceeding out of it by an orderly sequence of growth. Therefore, since the Divine cannot change its inherent nature, it must operate in the same manner with me; consequently, in my own special world, of which I am the center, it will move forward to produce new conditions, always in advance of any that have gone before.”

It’s definitely not a dull world.

On Stuart Wilde’s website, www.stuartwilde.com, I came across a site he recommends: www.rense.com. I figure it’s vital to try to understand what’s happening in the world, you know, hear the nitty-gritty of all sides. To do this it’s necessary to garner different opinions, well-researched opinions. And SW’s recommendations are reliable. Feast your eyes on www.rense.com, the whole of it, scroll the list of articles and videos. What do you fancy reading? There’s nothing to lose in reading and thinking differently. We can see things more clearly when we get away from the usual and go down a different path. Another perspective is refreshing; there’s always something new-lots-to know and understand about the world we all live in.

Lately I’ve been thinking about those people who are running for the White House. They are planning on spending a billion or so dollars to do this. How about that! There’s so much to learn about the world, and there are times when it’s necessary to go to different sources for this, to stray a bit from the run-of-the-mill stuff.

On to another subject: do you know that Jung said he wished he had fifty years to study the I Ching? I had the book at one time, but wasn’t prepared to delve into it then. I’m ready now. My first I Ching book was by RIchard Wilhelm and I saw his name on TGShiddenmysteries. So I googled Richard Wilhelm, then clicked on RIchard Wilhelm the Marco Polo of the Inner World of China. It said of Richard Wilhelm, among other things, “his 1923 translation of I Ching stands head and shoulders above the rest.”

This from youtube in referring to the industrial revolution, “2007 the world population surpasses 6.6 billion as the majority of people now live in cities than in rural areas, changing patterns of land use.” Whew! Speaking of numbers, a lot is being written about the great numbers of tourists traveling the world and that many World Heritage sites are being damaged. The Nov/Dec 2006 National Geographic Traveler had a lengthy article on World Heritage sites, 830 of them, and how they’re managing, or not, with the vast numbers of tourists visiting them daily. People are in the world and enjoy traveling. What’s the answer to this? Well, it seems to center on the countries where the World Heritage sites are located taking greater responsibility for the guardianship and upkeep of these sites. And we, too, as tourists, need to be mindful of how we traipse on these sites, how we use the land when visiting.

Ah, what a gripping, captivating, fascinating, thought-provoking, certainly not boring, world it is!

Have you gotten an email saying by the end of May 2007 all cell phone numbers will be released to telemarketing companies? And if you don’t want this to happen to you, you’re to call 888.382.1222, the National Do Not Call (DNC) Registry.The email goes on to say that it only takes a minute to do this and it’ll block your number for 5 years, and that you’re to call from the cell phone number you want blocked.

If you go to the website, www.donotcall.gov you’ll see the words, “Those claim are not true. In fact, federal law prohibits telemarketers from using automated dialers to call cell phone numbers. You may place your pesonal cell phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry, but there is generally no reason to do so.” Also it says that “Most telemarketers should not call your number once it has been on the registry for 31 days. If they do, you can file a complaint at the website.”

If you get an email pertaining to cell phones and telemarketers, and feel a need to know more, check out www.donotcall.gov.

Many people are living with a lot of pain in their bodies, minds and emotions. The main reason is that there’s no let up to the disturbing things seen, observed, witnessed  daily. We all know the list that causes pain and suffering and leaves us feeling helpless and hopeless. If we would look pass our complicated world though, we would feel differently, and would arrive at a place that allows us to grasp the deeper meaning of Life.

There’s no denying it; our world is in somewhat of a mess right now. But, if we could realize that there’s so much more to us than what we’ve been taught, if we could get pass the surface – the things we read in the newspapers, or watch on the news, or witness in our own lives, the opinions bobbing around – things of that ilk, something grand will then open up for us.

When we believe that what we see, read, and hear about is the sum total of our lives then life becomes a drag; I don”t want to live in that kind of a world. Thankfully, that’s not the case.

The material world is a place for experiences, many of which can help us have a better understanding of Life. When we open our eyes and really look at the Creator’s creations – the abundance and beauty, the oceans, rivers, lakes, mountains, valleys, forests, flowers, healing plants, the joy the sun brings during the day, the look of the stars on a dark night, a newborn – how can we possibly not want to awaken to the other parts of Life .

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“Everything in the world comes from the mind, like objects appearing from the sleeve of a magician.” -Buddha, Lankavatara Sutra

“We have no reason to mistrust our world, for it is not against us. Has it terrors, they are our terrors; has it abysses, those abysses belong to us, are dangers at hand, we must try to love them. . . . How should we be able to forget those ancient myths about dragons that at the last moment turn into princesses; perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave.” -Rainer Maria Rilke , “Letters to a Young Poet”

Stuart Wilde tends to think about life a bit differently. And that’s an understatement. He’s a man who lives a rather unconventional life while enjoying the largeness of the world, and appears comfortable and confident in it. Many years ago I saw his book, AFFIRMATIONS, read it, and highlighted it. He’s very witty, and writes the way he sees Life. Through the years I’ve managed to keep up with his philosophy by reading his other books and listening to his cd’s. As he learned; his readers learned, too. He doesn’t do anything half-way, so there’s a trust in what he has to say; he’s a breath-of-fresh-air, honest, and oftentimes puts himself on the line. When he’s learned something different, and it works, it’s incorporated into his lifestyle, and taught to people who want to know, too. At the same time, he writes beautifully about our world and our place in it.

I’ve been trying to get to one of his seminars, however, the timing is always off. Strange how those things happen, but there’s always a reason. I think there will be a right time. If you want to have fun, if you want to open yourself to a different way of seeing and understanding our world, his website can do that for you. It’s, well – let’s just say – it’s him. Want to shake up your world, go for it; if you don’t, perhaps another time. There are numerous ways to come to an understanding of our world. Numerous ways of expressing in it, and I suspect they all lead to the same place. We have an impressive choice. www.stuartwilde.com

“Life was never meant to be a struggle just a gentle progression from one point to another, much like walking through a valley on a sunny day.” -Stuart Wilde