Uncategorized – Page 12 – WORLD FAMILY TRADING

Posted on May 30, 2018May 31, 2018 by A'Journe — 2 Comments

Toward a Planetary Memorial Day

‘The Family Is All There Is’

Think of those old, enduring connections

found in all flesh–the channeling

wires and threads, vacuoles, granules,

plasma and pods, purple veins, ascending

boles and coral sapwood (sugar-

and light-filled), those common ligaments,

filaments, fibers and canals.

Seminal to all kin also is the open

mouth–in heart urchin and octopus belly,

in catfish, moonfish, forest lily,

and rugosa rose, in thirsty magpie,

wailing cat cub, barker, yodeler,

yawning coati.

And there is a pervasive clasping

common to the clan–the hard nails

of lichen and ivy sucker

on the church wall, the bean tendril

and the taproot, the bolted coupling

of crane flies, the hold of the shearwater

on its morning squid, guanine

to cytosine, adenine to thymine,

fingers around fingers, the grip

of the voice on presence, the grasp

of the self on place.

Remember the same hair on pygmy

dormouse and yellow-necked caterpillar,

covering red baboon, thistle seed

and willow herb? Remember the similar

snorts of warthog, walrus, male moose

and sumo wrestler? Remember the familiar

whinny and shimmer found in river birches,

bay mares and bullfrog tadpoles,

in children playing at shoulder tag

on a summer lawn?

The family–weavers, reachers, winders

and connivers, pumpers, runners, air

and bubble riders, rock-sitters, wave-gliders,

wire-wobblers, soothers, flagellators–all

brothers, sisters, all there is.

Name something else.

– Pattiann Rogers

Two days ago (5/28/18) the people of the United States celebrated Memorial Day – an annual celebration intended to remember and honor those who put themselves in harm’s way to preserve our Freedom and ‘the American Way of Life’ … and especially to pay tribute to those men and women who gave their lives for this – (who died in battle or in war). I myself participated in a small ceremony Monday morning here in Central Oregon (on the Village Green, in Sisters, Oregon)

Memorial Day (here in the U.S.) is also used as a time to gather the family around the back-yard BBQ, enjoy the good weather, and (probably) drink a lot of beer. In any case – the patriotic component is regarded as “American”.

However, I think it would be better if we were also to bear in mind that the people in ALL countries have a similar experience … and grieve (just as WE do) with the loss of a loved one to the ravages of war (ANY war).

I think we are Self Absorbed … not just as individuals – but also collectively. And I suspect (having lived for 17 years in a spiritual community, which had in it people from other countries [as well as from this country] – that Americans are about the LEAST informed about the rest of the world. And this is partly because we think we own the world (which is, of course, basically true) … so – why should we bother? Everyone else can inform themselves ABOUT US. Mmm ?

Let’s have a look at ‘who died’ in WW II –

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties

Here, we see that the United States lost 419,000 lives … Great Britain : 450,000 … France : 600,000 … Poland : 6 million … China: 15 -20 million … and Russia – 20 million. So, Russia lost about 40 times as many of their people in that war as did the U.S., or England, or France.

And (according to Oliver Stone’s documentary) – it was mainly Russia that defeated the Nazis.

I would commend to you Stone’s videos –

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=oliver+stone+untold+history+of+the+united+states (Oliver Stone’s ‘Untold History of the United States’ [134 episodes])

This body of work would seem to be a sincere effort – to document the truth – and to inform the populace. Please consider making some use of it.

The American People have no monopoly on Patriotic Death & Loss.

Posted on May 23, 2018May 25, 2018 by A'Journe — 7 Comments

Crop Circles

From most points of view

this world – the Earth

is

“another planet.”

In August of 2009 a huge ‘crop circle’ appeared in a field in Holland. It appears to be a ‘human butterfly’. (It also seems to be a version of the famous drawing of Mel Gibson by da Vinci – “The Vitruvian Man”) I do not consider it an extravagant interpretation – to take this as ‘encouragement’ … as though we’re being told that we may be about to go through a metamorphosis, from which we may emerge – an entirely different creature.

No doubt – there are many crop circles which are simply man-made; but the best ones – I don’t think so. The ‘Julia Set’, for example (July 1996) – which appeared in a field just across the road from Stonehenge – earned a comment from the pilot of a small plane (which routinely carried tourists over Stonehenge). He said that on the afternoon (when the formation appeared) he had just made a run and had noticed nothing unusual in the fields; but when he came back (the same way) 45 minutes later – there in the field, quite near Stonehenge, was the fully completed “Julia Set” … a formation about 900 feet across.

The likeliest explanation – is that such formations are the work of beings with technology superior to ours … and also with intelligence superior to ours.

As far as I am aware – France is the only (sizeable) nation which admits (openly) to the existence of extra-terrestrial life.

Why is this? Why do most governments (publicly) deny the existence of UFO’s etc.?

I think it is because – not only do these visitors come here from very far away (which means they are smarter than we are) … they have not (after all this time) eaten us or sold us in the intergallactic slave trade (or something) … which means – they are also BETTER than we are. In other words, they are are Elders.

And if Humanity knew THIS – we would listen to our VISITORS, and NOT to our governmental ‘leaders’.

Mmm ?

It would be ‘bad for business’.

We live (if my studies are correct) on a Fallen World.

But on a Normal World – women (for example) are not afraid to walk alone at night … because there is nothing to be afraid of.

On the Earth (alas) – this is not the case.

My intuition tells me – that the Crop Circles are the work of intelligent and benevolent beings. They are trying to help us.

I have not made anything approaching an exhaustive study of crop circles; but I will recommend a couple videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoPY19drp7M (10 crop circles)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBjO1RyizJ4 (greatest crop circles)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74g4Ef3JB2w (Arcturians explain crop circles)

Personally, I think it makes sense to spend some time simply looking at the photos of the best crop circles … to allow them to sink in, and perhaps inspire us.

For one thing – about 1 person in 17 on this planet is Starseed. And if you are reading this, the odds are considerably higher. If you are Starseed, your soul origin is not ‘from here’. (Maybe Avalon [the Pleiades]; maybe Fanoving; maybe Wolvering)

While you probably do not have any clear memories of having lived a Higher Life, you have a distinct sense – that the way we are living (here, on the Earth) is NOT the best we could be doing.

Nor do we know what we are capable of.

Look at the patterns. (Good may come of it)

If you are skeptical …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RH_MD6qMt4 (Why crop circles are NOT man-made)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuE7-VYExPg (scientific evidence for crop circles)

Posted on May 17, 2018May 18, 2018 by A'Journe — 6 Comments

Leadership and Oppression

One of the best videos I saw this past week was a talk by Simon Sinek – ‘Why Leaders Eat Last’ ( /www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReRcHdeUG9Y ) He talks a lot during this talk about the chemicals (which are produced in our own brain and) which are associated with certain emotions.

He talks a little about cortisol (which is associated with anxiety and stress). But mostly he talks about 4 chemicals – Endorphine, Dopamine, Seratonin, and Oxytosin.

The first 2, he says, we can experience on our own; we don’t need anyone else. And these two are (both) addictive. The purpose of endorphine, he says, is – to mask physical pain (e.g., the ‘runner’s high’)

The purpose of dopamine, he says, is to make sure we get stuff done. We get a little shot of dopamine when(ever) we achieve a goal (or make visible progress toward a goal). By the way, we also get a shot of dopamine – when we use alcohol, or nicotine, or gambling, or use our cell phone. Dopamine, he says, is a dangerous drug … and is highly addictive.

The second 2 are ‘trying’ to control the first 2. We experience these in a social context.

Seratonin, he says, is the “Leadership” chemical. It’s associated with status and pride.

Oxytosin is associated with love, trust, friendship, human generosity, and sacrifice.

The role of a leader, he says, is – to provide safety.

Another good video I saw recently is –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzQYA9Qjsi0 (What the 1% don’t want you to know – Bill Moyers, with Paul Krugman, discussing Thomas Piketty’s book – Capital in the Twenty-First Century)

Piketty says that – ‘for those who work for a living, the level of inequality is probably higher than in ANY OTHER SOCIETY at any time in the past ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.”

And in the three decades between 1977 and 2007 60% of U.S. income went to the richest 1% of Americans.

Also – at state & local levels, the poorest 20% of Americans pay taxes at 11%, while the richest 1% pay at 5.6% (about half the tax rate of the poorest 1/5th)

According to a paper by Gilens & Page (Perspectives on Politics, fall, 2014) – making use of data from 1981 – 2002, they conclude – “America’s claims to being a democratic society are seriously threatened. … the preferences of the average American appear to have only miniscule, near zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.”

Posted on May 9, 2018May 10, 2018 by A'Journe — 3 Comments

Dis-crimination

Some callings are not holy and others secular.

All things are sacred in the lives of those who are spirit led; that is,

subordinated to truth, ennobled by love, dominated by mercy,

and restrained by fairness — justice.

– Urantia Book

page 1732.4

Probably you’re wondering – What we must do – to move up and beyond our Devout Materialism?

Well ! —

The above quote looks like a recipe.

Really!

Is this who we are?

Who we have been?

Subordinated to truth?

Ennobled by love?

Dominated by mercy? and

Restrained by fairness and justice?

Mmm?

I don’t think so

either.

If we had been like that (a ‘spirit-led’ lot)

would we have treated the Native Peoples … and the Blacks

as we did … and as we continue to?

No.

We would have treated them (and would now treat them) … like Family.

We would treat them decently.

If you hire a gardener, you will want to know – whether he can distinguish, whether he knows the difference – between the food-plants (and flowers) … and the ‘weeds’. Mmm?

This is an ability that is absolutely fundamental to the enterprise of gardening.

(and you would certainly require it in the person you hire)

Well-

A person grows from a society (or culture) … the way an apple grows from an apple tree.

A peach tree will (reliably) produce peaches … not lemons.

Mmm?

When I come across a person who is Strikingly Good … I think – they must have come from a good family. And I should think – they must come from a Good Culture.

But right now, rather than contemplating Personal Change, let’s just play a little Pretend Game –

Suppose you were granted a Special Dispensation one evening

and you were given a choice … about what everyone else would be like.

When you wake up in the morning – all your neighbors (and, in fact – everyone in the whole world) will be either –

a) Honest, loving, and kind

b) Deceitful, and completely selfish

And it’s completely up to you

(and you don’t have to change your own character)

You only have to specify your preference … a ?… or … b?

Would this be a difficult choice?

And – how about this? (same exact offer … except) –

You do NOT get to choose anyone else’s race or culture or nationality. That’s altogether above your pay grade.

(I did not specify to the contrary in the original offer; but now … it is specified)

Still an easy choice? Or are you starting to get uneasy?

What if (in order to have a good world to live in)

You also had to accept the fact that when you awoke next morning

Your own family members might be of Any Race?

(your only assurance will be – that they will be Decent – honest, loving, and kind)

Would you still play the game?

Is it more important to you

That the people around you … are like you?

Is that more important to you – than whether they are Good People?

It’s generally agreed upon these days that Discrimination

Is often used as a Stick; and that many people find themselves

At the ‘wrong end’ of this stick.

However –

Discrimination is not always bad.

There is a saying, that – A scalded dog

Fears cold water.

It may happen – that a dog that has (at some time) had very hot water poured on him

May become afraid of having any water poured on him. Even cold water.

When this situation develops, the affected dog becomes unable to discriminate

Between water of different temperatures. Mmm ?

He may be unable – to dis-incriminate the water itself … from the excessive heat

Which the water may (or may not) be carrying.

After all – the temperature of a substance … is surely a more abstract thing

Than is the substance itself.

And this may be beyond a dog’s comprehension.

The point is – that the ability to discriminate … in this sense

Is surely not a bad thing.

But

When someone complains about “being discriminated against”

They mean that someone noticed that they were different in some way

(a different color perhaps)

and then used that as an excuse to mistreat them.

(to treat them in a way they that they themselves

would not wish to have been treated)

Bierce says (for example) – that aborigines are –

‘Persons of little worth found cumbering the soil of a newly discovered country.

They soon cease to cumber; they fertilize.’

This offers a view of brutal discrimination

(which, unfortunately, is not rare)

It is … Discrimination + Racial ‘Superiority’ + Brutality

(this is quite often what we mean – ‘Discrimination’)

But –

When I weed my garden … I must discriminate … between the carrots and the weeds.

Even though the uprooted weeds are deliberately killed,

We do not consider it brutal.

It’s just Basic Good Gardening.

And

Just because Brutal Discrimination is (still) a reality on this world

(and is a Real Problem) …

That does not mean … that all cultures are the same.

All cultures do not, in fact, do an equally good job

Of providing their citizens with a good life –

Safety and security

Education

Economic opportunities

Etc.

Nor do all cultures do an equally good job of producing Good People

(loving, educated, kind, and honest)

When the White Man came to North America

There were quite a number of occasions when white children were captured by Natives

And then sold (to another tribe) as slaves

Or kept and raised as part of their family.

Then (years later)

When those (white) people were (forcibly) returned to their families of origin

They would flee … and return to their (adopted) “Indian” families.

Now …

Suppose you were (actually) wondering – “Which of these two cultures

(the white … or the “Indian”)

Was the better culture?”

(and not because you were plotting some mischief … but you simply wanted to understand …

With hopes of improving our Situation)

Mmm ?

And you found out about these accounts

Of people who were once “white” … and then adopted into a Native family and tribe … then

Fled back to their Native families after they had been Returned to their white (original) families …

How would you make sense of such accounts?

I suggest that the straightforward way to interpret such accounts

Is that Real Live People were given the opportunity … to live as whites

Then

To live as Indians …

And they came to the conclusion – that the Indian way of life … was preferable.

If it is ever legitimate – to regard one culture to be better than another …

This is where you would expect it to show up.

Mmm ?

Ref:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCzFaOoM8ZA (10 children abducted by Indians and later declined to return to their family of origin)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK5bSIg2QUk (abducted by Indians – Cynthia Ann Parker)

Should we (actually) think that all cultures are equally loving? …

And produce people who are equally truth-loving, honest, loyal, decent, and kind?

I think that’s nonsense.

A movie which illustrates this difference is

“Bella”

(a lovely film)

A literary reference is Conrad Richter’s “The Light in the Forest”.

Posted on May 2, 2018May 10, 2018 by A'Journe

Soft-headed Nationalism

The whole object of travel is not

to set foot on foreign land;

it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.

– G.K. Chesterton

In 1969 (when I was 23) I applied for admittance to the Methodist Theological School in Ohio. They accepted me. But I did not attend.

I’ll explain why.

I had been attending a business college (in Lima, Ohio); consequently my draft status was 2-A. The other students who were entering METHESCO in the fall had (in the spring) graduated from a regular university … and their draft status was 2-S. The 2-S status carried through the summer; but the 2-A did not.

The admissions office told me – “It’s not a problem. We’ll get you a lawyer; you can declare yourself a Conscientious Objector” (to get you through the summer)

So when I got back home to Lima …(the theological school was in Delaware, Ohio) I went down to the local draft board office and asked to see the requirements for becoming a Conscientious Objector. They pulled out a large binder and found me the pertinent section … and I read it. I learned there – that a C.O. must object to all war on moral grounds. I did not find the definition (a fairly short paragraph) – difficult to understand. And – it was clear (to me) that it did not apply to me. I knew (for example) – that if I had been a Pole when Hitler’s army marched into Poland … that I would have fought them. I am a peaceful person (and I am in general opposed to war) but my pacifist principles have limits. As soon as I read the draft board’s definition of a C.O. – I knew that it did not apply to me.

I stood at a fork in the Road of Life. And (of course) I did not know in any detail or completeness – what my life would be like if I were to take one fork or the other. But my general impression was – that it would be more worthwhile for me to go to theological school – that I would learn more and grow more than I would if I were to spend the next four years in the Navy. But – I couldn’t do it. I did not like being drafted; but I was unwilling to misrepresent myself (to lie) to get out of serving in the military.

I spent those next four years in the US Navy. And I learned some things; and I think I was pretty lucky in the Navy.

I did not come out of the military (this was during the VietNam War) – dead or maimed or scarred (as many did)

My contribution to the world may well have been greater if I had chosen the other fork; but I had to choose … and I did. And I do not regret that choice.

The reason I’m telling you this – is because I do not want anyone to think that I do not love my country. I do. I’m grateful to have been born here, and I’m glad to live here.

(I did live in Canada for a while … 1986-1995 … and I still have Landed Immigrant status in British Columbia; and, overall, I would say that life is better there. But, you know – people vote with their feet. Such decisions are complex. Currently I live in central Oregon)

Usually – when I write a blog, I do not feel any need to defend myself. But in this case, I felt I should.

This particular essay is closely connected with Blog 2 – ‘The Costliness of our Materialism’ (posted 13 January, 2018). Today’s entry is meant to be an exploration of our irrational nationalism and where it comes from.

Here’s what it looks like to me.

It seems to me that the way we are nationalistic is the result of our high school “training”. —

Football games, basketball games, cheerleaders, pep rallies, fight songs and school alma maters.

It’s as though we are deliberately training our children: to root for our team, for our school. We teach them to define “we” as “our school” or any team from our school. That these deserve our loyalty and support. And any other school – they’re the enemy. If we win the game, then that proves that we’re better than they are. And if we lose … (well – let’s not go there)

For those who go to college – the sports games, the pep rallies, the cheerleaders … it’s all just the same as it was in high school, only on a larger scale. Then – this “progresses” on to professional sports and the Olympic Games. And it also (this mindless loyalty) gets transferred to our style of nationalism – (Right or wrong – my country)

That we should think that this ‘program’ would be harmless – strikes me as a bit naive … and irresponsible.

It’s as though we have not yet figured out that our actions sometimes have sideways effects. Not all consequences are intended. But if we do a thing, we are still accountable for all the effects of that choice … whether or not those consequences are the ones we were hoping for.

Even so, it seems well agreed upon – that once we’ve attended the requisite number of games and pep rallies, our training is regarded as adequate and complete.

This is our version of “Patriot” training.

This program would not be so damaging if it were applied along with curricula which were more humane and realistic …ones which would equip us to appreciate and live harmoniously with other groups and cultures. But since it’s the only program in use, we’re teaching our children to be soft-headed, alienated, and irrational.

Human beings are already irrational enough. We needn’t go out of our way to cultivate it.

The film “Dances with Wolves” has a go at this problem. The main character (Costner’s character) converts to the Indian culture. He muses (after the Crow raid) about how immediate and personal this struggle was.

There’s a (very important) little scene where the army sergeant confronts him and (with great disgust and revulsion) calls him a ‘traitor’.

His (the sergeant’s) mindset is exactly the one which we are (apparently) aiming at – in our (universally employed) program of pep rally training.

It’s not often that I will purchase a magazine; but an exception is the Newsweek magazine (of Aug 23 & 30, 2010) The bulk of this magazine is devoted to an objective look at ‘What are the best countries in the world?’

They chose five categories of national wellbeing – education, health, quality of life, economic competitiveness, and political environment – and compiled metrics within these categories across 100 nations. This took several months. But it seems to be a genuine attempt to compare nations in a rational and useful way … so that we might learn how to make use of other countries’ programs to improve our own.

There are nine articles exploring this question – ‘What are the best countries?’ – (written by nine different authors)

It’s wonderful !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML3qYHWRIZk (Jeff Daniels – on America)

Posted on April 25, 2018April 25, 2018 by A'Journe

To Be or Not To Be – That Is the Question

Advice to a Prophet

When you come, as you soon must, to the streets of our city,

Mad-eyed from stating the obvious,

Not proclaiming our fall but begging us

In God’s name to have self-pity,

Spare us all word of the weapons, their force and range,

The long numbers that rocket the mind;

Our slow, unreckoning hearts will be left behind,

Unable to fear what is too strange.

Nor shall you scare us with talk of the death of the race.

How should we dream of this place without us?—

The sun mere fire, the leaves untroubled about us,

A stone look on the stone’s face?

Speak of the world’s own change. Though we cannot conceive

Of an undreamt thing, we know to our cost

How the dreamt cloud crumbles, the vines are blackened by frost,

How the view alters. We could believe,

If you told us so, that the white-tailed deer will slip

Into perfect shade, grown perfectly shy,

The lark avoid the reaches of our eye,

The jack-pine lose its knuckled grip

On the cold ledge, and every torrent burn

As Xanthus once, its gliding trout

Stunned in a twinkling. What should we be without

The dolphin’s arc, the dove’s return,

These things in which we have seen ourselves and spoken?

Ask us, prophet, how we shall call

Our natures forth when that live tongue is all

Dispelled, that glass obscured or broken

In which we have said the rose of our love and the clean

Horse of our courage, in which beheld

The singing locust of the soul unshelled,

And all we mean or wish to mean.

Ask us, ask us whether with the worldless rose

Our hearts shall fail us; come demanding

Whether there shall be lofty or long standing

When the bronze annals of the oak-tree close.

– Richard Wilbur

Shall All perish?

And shall this happen

Just because

We could not bring ourselves

Even to try

To prevent it?

(War Time)

There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,
And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;

And frogs in the pools singing at night,
And wild plum trees in tremulous white,

Robins will wear their feathery fire
Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;

And not one will know of the war, not one
Will care at last when it is done.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree
If mankind perished utterly;

And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn,
Would scarcely know that we were gone.

– Sara Teasdale

Unfortunately – ‘mere self-annihilation’ is not the prospect which confronts us.

What now looks us in the face is Planetary Destruction …

Perhaps down to cockroaches – (for they are very hardy)

Would it be okay with you?

Is it okay with us? – that we may simply continue as we are …

No one taking responsibility …

And we just let everything go down the tube?

Is this something you think you can live with?

How shall we explain ourselves to our grandchildren?

Mmm?

We’re going to need some mighty creative marketing

For this one.

[I find, by the way, that as I read again (a few times)

Richard Wilbur’s poem (to the prophet) –

That it makes more and more sense.]

Posted on April 18, 2018 by A'Journe

Make This Simple Test

All day every day the sun and

This planet take care of us and

Keep us alive.

Do we notice?

Do we feel a Heart Connection

With the water?

The soil?

The air?

The Good Sun?

The labor of others

Of which we are the beneficiary?

And the whole River of Life

Upstream from us?

When we remember

The complex umbilicus

Which upholds us all …

Are we moved?

Do we feel a deep love and gratitude?

Do we feel we Belong?

Mmm?

Why not?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Make This Simple Test”

Blindfold yourself with some suitable object. If time permits remain still for a moment. You may feel one or more of your senses begin to swim back toward you in the darkness, singly and without their names. Meanwhile have someone else arrange the products to be used in a row in front of you. It is preferable to have them in identical containers, though that is not necessary. Where possible, perform the test by having the other person feed you a portion — a spoonful — of each of the products in turn, without comment.

Guess what each one is, and have the other person write down what you say.

Then remove your blindfold. While arranging the products the other person should have detached part of the label or container from each and placed it in front of the product it belongs to, like a title. This bit of legend must not contain the product’s name, nor it’s generic name, nor any suggestion of the product’s taste or desirability. Or price. It should be limited to that part of the label or container which enumerates the actual components of the product in question.

Thus, for instance:

“Contains dextrinized flours, cocoa processed with alkali, non-fat dry milk solids, yeast nutrients, vegetable oil, dried egg yolk, GUAR, sodium cyclamate, soya lecithin, imitation lemon oil, acetyl tartaric esters of mono- and di-glycerides as emulsifiers, polysorbate 60, 1/10 of 1% sodium benzoate (to preserve freshness).”

Or:

“Contains anhydrated potatoes, powdered whey, vegetable gum, emulsifier (glycerol monostearate), invert syrup, shortening with freshness preserver, lactose, sorbic acid (to retard mold growth), caramel color, natural and artificial flavors, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bisulfite.”

Or:

“Contains beef extract, wheat and soya derivatives, food starch-modified, dry sweet whey, calcium carageenan, vegetable oil, sodium phosphates, BHA, BHT, prophylene glycol, pectin, niacinamide, artificial flavors, U.S. certified color.”

There should be not less than three separate products.

Taste again, without the blindfold. Guess again and have the other person record the answers. Replace the blindfold. Have the other person change the order of the products and again feed you a spoonful of each.

Guess again what you are eating, or drinking, in each case (if you can make the distinction). But this time do not stop there. Guess why you are eating or drinking it. Guess what it may do for you. Guess what it was meant to do. By whom. When. Why. Guess where in the course of evolution you took the first step toward it. Guess which of your organs recognizes it. Guess whether it is welcomed to their temples. Guess how it figures in their prayers. Guess how completely you become what you eat. Guess how soon. Guess at the taste of locusts and wild honey. Guess at the taste of water. Guess what the rivers see as they die. Guess why the babies are burning. Guess why there is silence in heaven. Guess why you were ever born.

– W. S. Merwin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Films –

The Future of Food

The Real Dirt on Farmer John

Food Inc.

Posted on April 11, 2018April 11, 2018 by A'Journe

Avoiding

Hastiness and superficiality

are the psychic diseases of the 20th century.

– Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Why is it – that more people are not addressing the problem(s) of Planetary Destruction (and Self-Genocide) ?

Because we don’t know?

No.

Because we don’t care?

No.

Because the problems themselves are insoluble?

Not really.

It’s because … it’s Uncomfortable.

First of all – it’s Sad … Tragic … depressing.

Secondly, the problems are huge … complex. How do we interface with them?

I know … but the real reasons we don’t address them (and commit to solving the problems)

are not rational. They’re emotional.

Even to Think about trying to solve such problems … makes us feel Overwhelmed and Inadequate. And – there’s the problem of Uncertainty.

There’s nothing resembling a guarantee – that we’ll succeed if we try!

How can we even feel certain we comprehend the problem?

Our reasons for not addressing the problems are –

Non-rational
Weighty … and
Numerous

Yet …

If we do not address these problems

which threaten all of life

it will be the BIGGEST MISTAKE of ALL TIME.

(and we will surely rue it) !

Here is what Solzhenitsyn has to say (about ‘mistakes’):

“It is not because the truth is too difficult to see that we make mistakes… we make mistakes because the easiest and most comfortable course for us is to seek insight where it accords with our emotions – especially selfish ones.”

(Remember?: We Americans spend more on Entertainment than we do on Education and Health Care combined.)

We’re a dysfunctional lot.

Woody Allen says –

“More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness, the other to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly.”

But I think it has more to do with the Heart than it does with the Mind.

It has to do with guts.

Mmm ?

Oriah Mountain Dreamer says –

All my journeys have been in search of the desires I have abandoned.

~~~

There are places inside me where the soothing balm of rest has never penetrated. I long for a small respite from the reaching, a moment of sweet stillness, quiet darkness, the great silence that can penetrate and loosen the small, hard knots of endless trying. I want to quit running from my own tiredness. I want to be willing and able to move only as fast as I am capable of moving while still remaining connected to the impulse to move from deep within, stopping when I have lost that slender thread of desire and having the courage and faith to wait, in stillness, until I find it again.

This is what I ache for: intimacy with myself, others, and the world, intimacy that touches the sacred in all that is life. This ache, this longing is the thread that guides me back through the labyrinth of compromises I have made, back to my soul’s desires. And sometimes I am afraid of my desires — afraid of what they will ask of me, what vision of myself or the world they will offer that may demand a sacrifice of my carefully cultivated way of seeing. If we are never consumed by the transforming fire of our desires, we risk falling in love with the sweet ache of longing, the daydream of “what if …” or “some day …”

The willingness to live our desires takes courage. So many times our desires have been used against us, used to sell us what someone else wanted us to buy. Moving toward our desire for deep commitment to Spirit, we have been sold blind obedience; opening to our desire to love, we have been sold an abandonment of self; seeking to embrace our desire for beauty, we have been sold everything from cars to clothes, exotic vacations to plastic surgery. We have been sold a lifestyle, when what our soul desired was life.

To taste our longing, to feel the ache, we risk finding our soul’s desires. We risk falling short of fulfilling those desires. We risk living our desires fully.

~~~

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive. …

It doesn’t interest me who you are, or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The creatures of Havona are naturally brave, but they are not courageous in the human sense. They are innately kind and considerate, but hardly altruistic in the human way. They are expectant of a pleasant future,but not hopeful in the exquisite manner of the trusting mortal of the uncertain evolutionary spheres. They have faith in the stability of the universe, but they are utter strangers to that saving faith whereby mortal man climbs from the status of an animal up to the portals of Paradise. They love the truth, but they know nothing of its soul-saving qualities. They are idealists, but they were born that way; they are wholly ignorant of the ecstasy of becoming such by exhilarating choice. They are loyal, but they have never experienced the thrill of wholehearted and intelligent devotion to duty in the face of temptation to default. They are unselfish, but they never gained such levels of experience by the magnificent conquest of a belligerent self. They enjoy pleasure, but they do not comprehend the sweetness of the pleasure escape from the pain potential.” – The Urantia Book p. 52.3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To be a Human Being is hard.

It’s very hard.

Even so –

We are the problem. We must become the solution.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I say to my breath once again

little breath

come from in front of me

go away behind me

row me quietly now

as far as you can

for I am an abyss

that I am trying to cross.

– W. S. Merwin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Books :

The Urantia Book (ISBN – 0-911560-50-5 )

The Invitation (ISBN – 0-06251584-5 )

Posted on April 4, 2018April 4, 2018 by A'Journe — 1 Comment

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

I have selected some of his quotes – to comprise the bulk of today’s blog post.

We live in a bumper-sticker society. (That’s about as close as most of us get to philosophy or wisdom.) Though many of these might be on a bumper sticker, I feel that together they are quite substantial.

I wish to introduce these thoughts of Martin Luther King

with a quote by J. Krishnamurti –

“It is only the religious mind that is truly a revolutionary mind.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.

If I wish to compose or write or pray or preach well, I must be angry. Then all the blood in my veins is stirred, and my understanding is sharpened.

An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.

A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.

The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be… The nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.

Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge which is power; religion gives man wisdom which is control.

The principle of self defense, even involving weapons and bloodshed, has never been condemned, even by Gandhi.

There is nothing more tragic than to find an individual bogged down in the length of life, devoid of breadth.

When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative.

I am not interested in power for power’s sake, but I’m interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good.

Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies – or else? The chain reaction of evil – hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars – must be broken, or else we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. Indeed, it is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.

Don’t let anybody make you think God chose America as His divine messianic force to be a sort of policeman of the whole world.

Property is intended to serve life, and no matter how much we surround it with rights and respect, it has no personal being. It is part of the earth man walks on. It is not man.

Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.

We who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive.

Discrimination is a hellhound that gnaws at Negroes in every waking moment of their lives to remind them that the lie of their inferiority is accepted as truth in the society dominating them.

The limitation of riots, moral questions aside, is that they cannot win and their participants know it. Hence, rioting is not revolutionary but reactionary because it invites defeat. It involves an emotional catharsis, but it must be followed by a sense of futility.

A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.

The art of acceptance is the art of making someone who has just done you a small favor wish that he might have done you a greater one.

Every man lives in two realms: the internal and the external. The internal is that realm of spiritual ends expressed in art, literature, morals, and religion. The external is that complex of devices, techniques, mechanisms, and instrumentalities by means of which we live.

Since being in India, I am more convinced than ever before that the method of nonviolent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for justice and human dignity.

If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover those precious values – that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control.

All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem.

Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself.

Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.

If physical death is the price that I must pay to free my white brothers and sisters from a permanent death of the spirit, then nothing can be more redemptive.

A right delayed is a right denied.

It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that’s pretty important.

I just want to do God’s will. And he’s allowed me to go to the mountain. And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the promised land! I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land.

I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.

Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.

All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.

Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.

We must use time creatively.

Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.

Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress.

Whatever your life’s work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better.

That old law about ‘an eye for an eye’ leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.

Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.

Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.

Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.

I want to be the white man’s brother, not his brother-in-law.

Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality. Martin Luther King, Jr.

To other countries, I may go as a tourist, but to India, I come as a pilgrim.

He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.

At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.

The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But… the good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?’

Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent.

A lie cannot live.

The moral arc of the universe bends at the elbow of justice.

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood.

The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.

Any religion that professes to be concerned about the souls of men and is not concerned about the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them and the social conditions that cripple them is a spiritually moribund religion awaiting burial.

History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.

Capitalism does not permit an even flow of economic resources. With this system, a small privileged few are rich beyond conscience, and almost all others are doomed to be poor at some level. That’s the way the system works. And since we know that the system will not change the rules, we are going to have to change the system.

The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.

If a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.

Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.

Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.

The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important.

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.

The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.

Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.

We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.

Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.

Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’

Posted on March 28, 2018May 14, 2019 by A'Journe

Meditation

[:en]

“Dirait-on”

LES ROSES

V

Abandon entouré d’abandon,

tendresse touchant aux tendresses…

C’est ton intérieur qui sans cesse

se caresse, dirait-on;

se caresse en soi-même,

par son proper reflet éclairé.

Ainsi tu inventes le thème

du Narcisse exaucé.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Abandon upon abandon,

tenderness upon tenderness…

Your hidden self unceasingly

turns inward, a caress;

caressing itself, in and of its own

reflection illuminated.

Thus you’ve invented the tale

of Narcissus sated.

– Rainer Maria Rilke

(transl. – Clarissa Aykroyd)

If you can, right now, stand to listen to a song … please do so –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWXVZlrLa6E

I am not a scholar of the French language, but I sit in meditation every morning. Also, I happen to love Rilke.

Allow me to interpret this poem myself –

Abandon for a moment

the World … the Surroundings

and go Within.

There is a place INSIDE

in your Interior … Tenderness

touching Tenderness

where

your own Awareness

your own True Self

caresses itself

without ceasing.

If right now (or any time you wish to do so) – you close your eyes … and do nothing … and just be … you will notice that in that simple quiet state – there is something. It may be subtle, but it is not nothing. I don’t know quite how to describe it … but there is a faint sweetness … Mmm?

This, I suggest, is what Rilke is talking about. It is a simple, direct experience of your true self. It is not an idea; it’s an experience.

If you choose to be aware of your breath, you may easily do so. And when you are not conscious of your breath, you still breathe, mm? The difference between being conscious of breathing … and not being conscious of your breath … is only attention. When we are not aware that we are breathing, what is missing is merely the experience of breathing.

Well …

While the experience of the self is more subtle than the experience of one’s breath, our Self does not cease to exist when we happen to be ‘not paying attention’ to it.

To be a Human Being is like being a fly crawling around on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. We are fond of the idea that we know who we are and what our situation is … but really, we do not know these things. And this puts us into a position of not even being able to think something intelligent about an activity such as meditation.

Perhaps you will remember (in the film ‘The Titanic’) the girl invites her friend to join her & her family for dinner. After the dinner she tells him – “Now they’re going to go into the drawing room and smoke cigars and talk about how they are the Masters of the Universe.”

While (historically) no such line may have been uttered … it’s still a very important line in the movie … because we will not have a proper appreciation of the sinking of the Titanic without understanding the arrogance which caused it to sink.

And this arrogance is generic … is it not?

Should we imagine that we got here clean? That we somehow managed not to internalize any of the folly which is currently being practiced (and approved) … or is common to the human species in general?

Let’s not.

If we understood ourselves, we would all meditate regularly. But we do not … so we don’t.

When (many years ago) I learned Transcendental Meditation, I resolved that I would do the practice (following all instructions, as I best understood them) … and that I would not consider quitting – for at least a year. I felt that a year would be a fair ‘trial period’. If after doing the practice for that long, I felt I should be able to evaluate whether my life had been affected in a positive way … or not. I did not want to be a brat … to quit after a few days or a week, declaring – “This is useless. I’m done with it” when I had not given it a fair chance.

Well, to be honest – I found it difficult at first … because I was habituated to “doing” … and I had signed up for a technique of ‘non-doing’. I could not DO it … just let it happen. And it was not easy for me – making the transition to ‘non-doing’.

But within a couple weeks of doing the practice, I had experiences adequate to convince me that something (different from what I had experienced before) was happening.

I’m about to explain – what to do … to meditate. But (for context) let me say – that there are many forms, many different kinds of meditation. Many assign the mind something (perhaps difficult) to do; and focus and effort are required. But not in this case.

I will ask you to be aware of your breath, but not to breathe in any deliberate manner. You will not be breathing deliberately … but … you will be deliberately aware.

If I were to say – “Think of a single, red rose” … automatically and effortlessly, the image comes to mind, mm? No effort is required.

Don’t make this something difficult.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a simple sitting meditation –

combined from a meditation on the breath (which I learned from Louise Hay)

and the basic technique which is used in Transcendental Meditation.

In this case the breath – is your “mantra”.

(Do not think that, just because the technique is simple and innocent

that it is not powerful.)

Sit comfortably

Feet flat on the floor

(or, if you prefer, sit cross-legged – in a lotus or half-lotus)

Spine erect

Head balanced (on the neck).

Close the eyes.

(Naturally, when you do this, you notice some quietness … some silence Mmm?)

After about half a minute

Begin paying attention to your breath.

Do not try to breathe more deeply than normally

(or anything like that)

Do not alter the breath

Simply observe.

To keep track

(of paying attention to the breath,

gently) count your breaths

(not aloud, just to yourself, and very gently)

When you breathe in … and out, count “one”.

In … and out : “2”

… and so on … till “10”.

Then start again with “1”.

Probably we will hear noises, sounds (from somewhere).

We do not mind them.

Automatically we hear them .

We do not resist them.

We do not pay attention to them.

That does not have anything to do with us

or what we are doing.

Also you will probably have thoughts.

(this is natural)

We treat thoughts just like noise.

Not resisting them

Not paying attention to them.

Just neutral.

If you were walking along a road

And someone came and walked beside you

That would not matter.

The fact that they are beside you

has no effect on your walking.

You are walking down the road

(being with the breath)

and someone else [your ‘thoughts’]

may be there beside you … but that does not matter.

Our attention is simply with the breath.

Now – if it should happen

that you come to the realization

that ‘I am no longer counting my breaths’ …

you do not worry about it.

You do not scold yourself.

You simply – come back to the breath

and begin again at “1”.

Whatever experiences may occur during a meditation –

that does not matter.

Whatever happens – we just

take it as it comes.

When 20 minutes has passed

stop paying attention to the breath

and just do nothing.

Just be silent

for about 2 (or 3) minutes.

Come out slowly.

Even if we did not feel “deep”

we still come out slowly.

Open the eyes downcast … close again.

Wiggle your fingers and toes

Stretch, open the eyes, close again.

Always begin your meditation with 30 seconds of silence

And end with 2 or 3 minutes of silence

As you come out

Hold onto the Silence.

Bring it with you, as much as possible.

This is not a difficult meditation.

It is almost completely effortless.

Only one thing may be difficult: establishing the routine, the habit.

If you are in the habit of brushing your teeth, it’s no trouble.

It’s simply a habit.

You should meditate 20 minutes

Every morning, after rising (and bathing) and before breakfast.

(and, if possible, again for 20 minutes, in the evening, before supper)

But at least once a day (in the morning).

You may have to struggle to ESTABLISH the habit, the routine …

But once you do, the whole thing will be effortless.

Achievement (in life) does not happen because of effort.

Achievement comes from doing the right thing.

“Yoga sta, kuru karmani.” –

Established in Being, perform action.

Standing in Union … Do.

Having achieved Unity … Act.

[:de]

“Dirait-on”

LES ROSES

V

Abandon entouré d’abandon,

tendresse touchant aux tendresses…

C’est ton intérieur qui sans cesse

se caresse, dirait-on;

se caresse en soi-même,

par son proper reflet éclairé.

Ainsi tu inventes le thème

du Narcisse exaucé.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Abandon upon abandon,

tenderness upon tenderness…

Your hidden self unceasingly

turns inward, a caress;

caressing itself, in and of its own

reflection illuminated.

Thus you’ve invented the tale

of Narcissus sated.

– Rainer Maria Rilke

(transl. – Clarissa Aykroyd)

If you can, right now, stand to listen to a song … please do so –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWXVZlrLa6E

I am not a scholar of the French language, but I sit in meditation every morning. Also, I happen to love Rilke.

Allow me to interpret this poem myself –

Abandon for a moment

the World … the Surroundings

and go Within.

There is a place INSIDE

in your Interior … Tenderness

touching Tenderness

where

your own Awareness

your own True Self

caresses itself

without ceasing.

If right now (or any time you wish to do so) – you close your eyes … and do nothing … and just be … you will notice that in that simple quiet state – there is something. It may be subtle, but it is not nothing. I don’t know quite how to describe it … but there is a faint sweetness … Mmm?

This, I suggest, is what Rilke is talking about. It is a simple, direct experience of your true self. It is not an idea; it’s an experience.

If you choose to be aware of your breath, you may easily do so. And when you are not conscious of your breath, you still breathe, mm? The difference between being conscious of breathing … and not being conscious of your breath … is only attention. When we are not aware that we are breathing, what is missing is merely the experience of breathing.

Well …

While the experience of the self is more subtle than the experience of one’s breath, our Self does not cease to exist when we happen to be ‘not paying attention’ to it.

To be a Human Being is like being a fly crawling around on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. We are fond of the idea that we know who we are and what our situation is … but really, we do not know these things. And this puts us into a position of not even being able to think something intelligent about an activity such as meditation.

Perhaps you will remember (in the film ‘The Titanic’) the girl invites her friend to join her & her family for dinner. After the dinner she tells him – “Now they’re going to go into the drawing room and smoke cigars and talk about how they are the Masters of the Universe.”

While (historically) no such line may have been uttered … it’s still a very important line in the movie … because we will not have a proper appreciation of the sinking of the Titanic without understanding the arrogance which caused it to sink.

And this arrogance is generic … is it not?

Should we imagine that we got here clean? That we somehow managed not to internalize any of the folly which is currently being practiced (and approved) … or is common to the human species in general?

Let’s not.

If we understood ourselves, we would all meditate regularly. But we do not … so we don’t.

When (many years ago) I learned Transcendental Meditation, I resolved that I would do the practice (following all instructions, as I best understood them) … and that I would not consider quitting – for at least a year. I felt that a year would be a fair ‘trial period’. If after doing the practice for that long, I felt I should be able to evaluate whether my life had been affected in a positive way … or not. I did not want to be a brat. Quit after a few days or a week, declaring – “This is useless. I’m done with it.” when I had not given it a fair chance.

Well, to be honest – I found it difficult at first … because I was habituated to “doing” … and I had signed up for a technique of ‘non-doing’. I could not DO it … just let it happen. And it was not easy for me – making the transition to ‘non-doing’.

But within a couple weeks of doing the practice, I had experiences adequate to convince me that something (different from what I had experienced before) was happening.

I’m about to explain – what to do … to meditate. But (for context) let me say – that there are many forms, many different kinds of meditation. Many assign the mind something (perhaps difficult) to do; and focus and effort are required. But not in this case.

I will ask you to be aware of your breath, but not to breathe in any deliberate manner. You will not be breathing deliberately … but … you will be deliberately aware.