Oasis

A man was walking in the desert with no water or food. He was too far in to go back and had no sense of direction. Dune after dune the journey seemed endless. The only hope was an idea in his head that began to appear in a visual form. This was an oasis , there were trees and other vegetation which meant there must be water.

The man grew closer and closer amazingly soon the oasis disappeared.

What was the purpose of the oasis?

Why did his mind play tricks on him. Perhaps it was for mere survival. He somehow managed the strength to get there a little further from where he was.

Perhaps to some religion is an oasis. A little paradise on earth to get a person through the daily chores or suffering. To some that is all their religion is, a safe place. That is OK , we all need a spiritual oasis. Then something happens the thrill of the oasis seems to evaporate , we are no longer are encouraged by the idea.

Would it have been better if we had struggled without the oasis?

It really depends on your perception. Sometimes the oasis is actually a real paradise with water to quench the thirst. We have to make the journey to find out. When visiting the Canadian Rockies for the first time on a business trip discovered what appeared to be a mountain close by actually took hours to reach them. Upon reaching them the tops were not even visible disappearing into the clouds.
The best words describing them would be majestic.
Very similar to an iceberg with a small area exposed can actually reach for a mile beneath the surface.
Which is why they are so dangerous to ships.

When someone from the country visits a city or stadium they suddenly realize it is easy to get lost in a crowd.

Within our brain is a portion that is dedicated to spatial awareness. When we meditate correctly our mind will amplify certain regions and this is one. Perhaps our speech center will shut down and our body will enter into a sort of energy efficient mode. Sort of like the personal computers of today that have a similar feature. The sticker with the green star means it has this capability. We find the brain actually consumes a lot of oxygen. Without the oxygen it will not function properly and that is why breathing is most critical in meditation.

We should actually learn to breath deeply before meditating. Most of us and I am one will take shallow breaths without noticing it. We should actually practice taking a deep breath every hour or more if possible. One of the therapies for a damaged lung would be to breath into a tube and watch a meter. Perhaps you can just learn to form your mouth like a kiss or pucker and produce the same effect. Actually very similar to blowing a trumpet. When our mouths are open more we tend to become lazy with breathing. Even some are able to breath through the nose which is even better.

Anyway not to get off subject meditation is a lot like an iceberg or the rocky mountains. It is also an oasis which you can count on. The more you meditate , the more you discover about your surroundings, the more you observe. There is nothing mystical or religious about meditation. It only enhances your brain regions that often lay dormant. They become excited just to wake up. Again one of my favorite saying is there is no mystery. It is actually better not to think about anything just relax. Mystery is not light.

Peace,

Earl.

Coal and Coral

These basic hardened structures have valuable lessons to tell. Both are made from life forms that were carbonized later to produce eloquent beauty.

Coal as we know was formed from the fern and other plant life that was around during the Pennsylvania era and other geographical regions. We can see some of the fern implanted in broken pieces. It is used as a source of fuel throughout the world. Amazingly coal can through another million years become a diamond. In fact most of our diamonds are found in Africa shows how old the continent really is.

I always tell people that are going through pain not to dwell on the coal. Dwell on the diamond.

Many years ago a 6-foot wingspan dragonfly was flying over this very spot where I am writing this. On the way to the river it may have captured a glimpse of me , who knows.

Then there is the coral another living being made up of many living organisms organized in polyps. They range in various shapes and beauty mainly found along the coastlines and amongst island reefs. Coral can feed on organisms as it is actually alive. We sometimes break a piece off from a rock and remove it from the ocean.

Mankind is very similar to coral in the sense we are made up of the same substance and form societies that feed off their surroundings. We can be colorful and each human organism forms the whole of humanity. Even when we die our carbon footprint is left behind to become part of the flora.
We do however put our corpses into boxes to try to prevents decay - why? This seems to me to be wasteful for land and resources. Many spend a good portion of their final estate on burial rather than leave to their grandchildren for education.

The coral is probably one of the most interesting of all of natures surprises. Many years of my life were spent in coral regions in the Pacific. This is where I first became a mystic , there was no place to go except inward. On the islands I grew to appreciate the local customs and languages. The language was spiritual in a sense that each character had a meaning, this is the same for the Chinese and the Hebrew. Two beautiful languages that it is hard to interpret without losing the original meaning. It may be that perhaps interpretation did not do justice.

What is the language of coal, the language of coral? Every life form has a language whether we perceive it or not. Sometimes it is just telling us about history or even nature itself. Just like we have body language frowns or smiles they also have a story. A mystic can become one with a piece of coral and listen to a story. They are quite interesting as some of the stories are millions of years old. They tell of different sea creatures and their civilizations long before mankind.

We think we are the only creatures with memories and find all living forms have memories. The coral is trying to tell us not to pollute the shorelines. The coral wants us to not drill for oil , to use the energy of the sun and wind. Peaceful creatures that have no voice except for a frequency beyond the common ear.

Let us hear the stories and live in our environment carefully.

Peace,

Earl.

Rules and Laws

These are the rules and by the way the last rule is rules are sometimes broken.

This is the Law and by the way a law should never be broken. Laws are sometimes broken.

This is the Truth.

This is the Way. the path to the Truth.

This is the  Light that shows the way to the path , to the truth.

We must first have the light to find the way to the truth.

The rules are sometimes broken. In the Bhagavad Gita the Chariot driver Krishna invited Shikhandi to go to battle with him. The odd thing was Shikhandi was a man born with female parts. He was actually a transsexual that was married to a woman until their wedding when she discovered the female organs. He was considered to be the greatest warrior of the army.

It goes to show us that regardless of someones gender or transgender the best person for the task should be chosen. Even thousands of years before Christ , homosexual and transgender existed. It never effected their position in life and it was always viewed with compassion.

We see that dharma is a spiritual rule which can at times be broken. When nature does not agree with dharma. Natural laws have no respect for spiritual laws. Nature will do what nature wants to do regardless of what spiritual mandates are put in place.

A law should never be broken. First we have to say what is a law. Is this mans law or natures law. Nature can sometimes be cruel , it can also be nourishing. If we are to co-exist with nature then we have to accept its oddities or change. Nature can break its own laws , just like man can break the rules occasionally.

We cannot count on rules and laws period.

We can only count on the light, to show us the way, to the truth.

Quit discriminating , stop bashing.

Peace,

Earl.

The Chariot

Enoch walked with God and was not.
Elijah was carried away in a flaming chariot.
Elisha asked his servant eyes to be open and when he did , he saw flaming chariots around Elisha.

Krishna was a chariot driver.
Plato explained the chariot as having a dark and a white horse.
Buddha explained the chariot as both body and mind presence.

What exactly is the chariot and why was Elijah taken away?

We should understand the lesson of the chariot is in various cultures. It was no co-incidence that Krishna was a chariot driver in the Bhagavad Gita or that the book of Kings mentions the chariots Even that Plato mentioned this in the Republic. Buddha explains the ultimate goal would be to unite body and mind.

What is this chariot everyone spoke of?

 Philip and the Ethiopian
…37And Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." 38And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.…




Philip was seen later in another town Azotus. The spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away wow!

Elijah was not heard of since until mentioned in the christian new testament with Jesus at the transfiguration along with Moses.

When we see study the Bhagavad Gita and the bible along with Plato's book of Republic and the Buddhas rendition it becomes clear. The chariot is the spirit of the Lord.
We are to live as if in a chariot.
Plato explained the dark horse as being the appetites and comforts needed for survival.
Plato explained the white horse as being the higher attributes more spirited horse.
The chariot is the guardian.

We find it is also a concept in the Tao. With the symbolic dark and white circles.

The Apostle Paul said something that was key, we are not to be too heavenly minded to be of no earthly good.
The Buddha said the key is to walk the middle path.

We find many speak of the path of enlightenment in Hindu as two part samadhi. The first part may be when you realize yourself or Buddha nature. You may actually hear your own thoughts as you are residing in higher self.

The second part is where few will ever achieve is what the Buddha tried to explain  - the middle path. Plato also tried to explain this as also did the Tao. The highest enlightenment is the chariot - to be able to balance our natures. This can only be done with the help of the Spirit of the Lord or Chariot.
When we realize this we become fully enlightened. Jesus life was both equally human and divine.

We live in the Spirit as the chariot driver. You will find it explained in many systems this second part samadhi can take you away to other worlds once it is achieved. It would be hard to explain this where sometimes you are in a split second living in another reality or consciousness then being returned.
Do not be surprised if this happens once you are in the chariot anything goes!

Peace,

Earl.

Kindness

Often we find ourselves wondering why me Lord, I am kind.

We pray for the Lord to smile upon us, for blessings.

We find after many years perhaps , kindness is often rewarded with defamation. Kindness is often rewarded with harm or even hatred. Why are things that way?

We will never see the Lords face on earth, in this life. We will never see the blessings we expect from kindness. Actually people will despise you for being kind, if not a person perhaps an animal, if not an animal a microbe. By being kind you are approaching the throne of the most high. You dare to be good, there is none that is good except the Lord.

Better to lay your treasures up in heaven and not to expose them on earth. It makes me feel uneasy to get an award or to be honored. It is Ok to expect great things, if they have nothing to do with rewards from kindness.

Someday when we see the Lord's face , we can then appreciate the treasure and enjoy the smile.
Always be kind whenever possible and keep your treasure in heaven for none to steal.

Peace,

Earl.

The Soul

Observing all beliefs and matters relating to the soul I agree in full with Plato again my favorite of all thinkers. In his book Republic it is explained what also I have concluded on the soul. I did not read the book before coming up with the same conclusions.

The soul exist in self, in humanity includes natural sciences, and in the cosmos.

We can know much about ourselves and Plato proceeds to explain our three part self soul.

The appetite - dark horse/Merchant
The spirited - white horse/Soldier
The nous - the chariot/Guardian

As you can see the dark horse represents appetites which relate to physical needs or comfort.

Ignoring any of these parts does not constitute happiness.

Plato expounded on also social , the city , humanity and natural sciences. This sphere of the soul encompasses our environment or surroundings.

The Cosmos is beyond our world and is left to interpretation. We see that Plato viewed the cosmos as having a soul. In this cosmos Plato does accept it as a mythical form. He does not deny the existence of a creator or gods, he merely states it is beyond the scope of understanding.

Through my own experience Plato is correct on all forms. Also noting that much of what is in the bible agrees with Plato also. The bible has both the dark and white horse images in Revelations which almost sounds like a Platonic guide. We find that in various religious experience or systems one or more of these are implied.

So did the church use Plato's writings to architect these forms into their own beliefs?
Some think so, however Plato also states in other writing inherent knowledge available to everyone.
So the blueprint is inherent in our genes or the creation itself. We can reverse engineer through observation of the natural sciences.

Some believe in an over soul - that we are just a drop of water that return to the ocean. I also believe this as every aspect of the soul whether in self , community or the cosmos is a part of the whole.

What may be hard for some to grasp is the dark horse , because some would say the dark horse is not part of the soul. Actually sex , food and prosperity are of the soul. Some say they need to starve themselves of those things to satisfy God.  This is where I disagree whereas we may view it righteous to be chaste. What happen to the puritans - they died out. What if only the lazy and ignorant had sex. We would only have generations of lazy and ignorant humans. What if we starved and did not get enough vitamins or proteins That is why I believe a healthy balanced diet is necessary. Eliminating only certain foods if they are proved to be unhealthy. Each persons diet may be different as some have allergies and others may need more of certain vitamins , healthy diets are more important than religious diets. I would consult a doctor before a guru concerning a diet.

The dark horse is an important part of happiness.
If a man says you will not be able to live a holy life for eating fish, that is pure nonsense. Nothing is unclean it may not be healthy though- last time I checked fish contains many healthy oils and vitamins. Now can the soul be polluted by drugs or alcohol, I would say that if a person needs a drug for health it would be the same as food for health. Certainly an over indulgence of anything is not healthy.

Why would something as wonderful as sex be attributed to evil. This belief can scar a person from having children or enjoying their partner in a beautiful way. We are told to enjoy sex in harmony with our wife or husband. If you feel it is better not to procreate and want to remain a virgin that is fine also. Many men and women had children and still have  spiritual lives it is of no consequence.

Religious diets vary from one to another, as do sexual practices. I believe it is up to the person to decide their best diet and sexual practice that suit them for health and happiness. If a religious institution starts to regulate how and when we are to eat or have sex it is taking away our freedom and joy. We can become affixed to the practice of religion and lose our true course which is matters of the heart.

In certain Hindu and Sikh beliefs the soul is God and God is soul. In a way we have the over soul. This is a universal concept of we are a drop of water returning to the ocean. That is one ways of understanding the soul. The bible does say all souls are mine which also point to this understanding.

So should we take the position of the dark horse or white horse?
The Chariot oversees both and we should be in the chariot with the Lord. We should oversee our emotions , our desires and our needs. The final test should be health and happiness not what others think.

Peace and Joy,

Earl



Earl.

Trickle

There seems to be a growing use of drugs in the nation and the world . Many think this is due to moral decay and perhaps even permeation of evil. Actually it is due to wage imbalance and people are using these drugs as an escape from a gruesome reality. We are seeing the current economics of trickle down not working and the effects of such an economy.

We are seeing that wages are not keeping up with debt. As the government accumulates huge central bank reserves the personal debt is at very high limits. Massive personal bankruptcies and political will has become detrimental to society as a whole. Advertising constantly on the TV has weakened buying restraint. People are going into debt  due to the subconscious drilling of the tube.

How can we survive the current economy?

I recommend living below your means and holding onto your cheese. There is an excellent book "Who moved my cheese" that everyone should read.

What you should not do is buy into the religious prosperity games we are seeing televised. They just want your cheese. Big rats looking for the mouses cheese. The best prosperity game is patience and living in contentment. Contentment is great gain.

When we start to see a trickle of income or funds learn to invest in yourself then you will be able to bless others. We will start to see even more drug use as it becomes legalized and even more rats looking for cheese.

Start investing in your family if they are what is important to you. Unfortunately you may say that money is not important however if you read Plato appetite is a part of the psyche along with victory and the mind. Appetite , Victory and the Mind. Appetite does not mean being greedy it meets meeting the physical needs and bodily comforts. Victory does not mean squashing a bug, it means setting goals and looking for achievement. Mind does not mean playing mind games it means learning an equitable skill and using rationality.

I really think the mindset of rationality is most successful. Doing things with no thought of tomorrow is not good. In essence we should not worry about the future when we live according to our means. We should also plan out the future by organizing our time. To become a puppet to another persons agenda is not the answer. Become self reliant to whatever means you can then start to network others as your circle expands. This is the trickle up that will work for you. Propping up idols does not work (trickle down).

I would recommend any self help courses or life coaches . It is trickle up not trickle down. This is biblical it is solid advice.

Peace to you,

Earl.

Ox mind

Having stated in prior writings  the heart is the shepherd and the mind is the sheep. This is referring to the religious mindset. In the philosophical mindset the heart is similar to an ox herdsman and the mind is spoken of being oxen. When we think of oxen we think of the yoke that keeps the two together so that work can be performed. The bible also mentions the yoke between a man and a woman each working equally. The yoke is simply trust in whatever belief you have. Trust is a yoke because it takes away some freedom to perform work rather than play in the fields.

While many will have their own explanation of the oxen. I believe it is the upper and lower self. The Buddha was about balance , the middle path. He believed that our nature was not to be extreme in ascetic practice or indulgent in desires either. He also accepted that women were entitled to be enlightened as much as anyone which for that time period was remarkable. Buddha spent much of his life trying different things from meditation to physical asceticism. He studied the current religions of that time.

Buddha was about yoking the mind rather than letting it wander like sheep. In yoking the mind it is about the questions. Ask the right questions rather than try to provide an answer. That is why I would consider Buddha the greatest philosopher or herdsman and Jesus the good shepherd.

To still the mind in order to receive mystic knowledge you have to provide an answer or control the question. The great philosophers always were about asking a better question.

We also find there are humans that are in touch with nature and matter especially the natural sciences. We are all connected through the human form as a species. You may say we are all one and yet different vessels. We are also one with our surroundings in the human form. The vessel is what makes each of us unique, we all have a different finger print a different iris which we see out of. It is supposed to be that way. What makes a cult is saying we are all the same, no we are all different and that is the beauty.

In the Ox mind , which the Buddha prescribed for the self. He realized to be balanced a yoke would need to be put in place. We need have trust and rules in which to live, this was the yoke. In religion it is in God we trust, in Buddhism it about the five rights (morals)  balancing both our lower and higher self without religions it is more about finding the Buddha nature and following a natural way. Worry and fear can come from religion , that perhaps we should not be concerned with anything except our own nature. 

Peace,

Earl.

Matryoshka

There is a meditation that is very peaceful which I will share though it may seem contrary to any belief system on the planet.

Matryoshka

You are to purchase a Matryoshka doll which is of Russian origin. This doll is one that has a baby inside the very center. Within each doll is another and so on this can continue for several layers.
Take the doll apart till you arrive at the baby. Hold the baby for a few minutes then put the doll back together.

Do this for several days.

Think of each day starting with being a baby a new life begins. A new person each day. Contrary to belief that we have one life that gets soiled and remains. As you put on your new clothes every morning you think of putting on a new person. When you take off your clothes at night think of returning your old rags to the Lord. In the evening take the doll apart to the baby and hold it then re-assemble the doll.

Give us this day our daily bread. The bread is life with each day a new person is created. You are born again each day. You need not wait to be re-incarnated. Every day as the sun rises you are a new person. The Matryoshka doll helps to understand this concept.

Peace to you,

Earl.

Is evil neccessary?

We often hear the term necessary evil. Why would evil be necessary?

All things work together for the good.

What if you were being stubborn.The good shepherd was trying to get you out of a rut onto a path that led to pasture. You being the stubborn sheep and the good shepherd being the Christos within. We need a good whack with the shepherds staff , it may seem at the moment cruel. Then on the path to the pasture we realize it was necessary to get to the pasture for nourishment.

We hear about terror in today's world , we hear about droughts and famine, we hear about hurricanes and tidal waves (tsunami) some causing total destruction. We see in some cultures they draw the face of a demon on these events. Even in our own lives we have micro events that seem to warrant that same face. This is the mindset that will get you into the rut , the mud.

Should we avoid caricature or drama ? .  How we react to a situation is in essence who we are or will become. If we need to paint a face on each dynamic in our lives , if we create drama out of each situation we may not get to pasture. Caricature and drama is what separates us from animals. Imagination makes us human. We do however get to choose which games we play. Stan Lee was one of the greatest humans , Walt Disney was one of the great humans - they expressed their ideology using imagination. If you want to find a true Zen master choose a great cartoonist. We find in ourselves this wonderful human experience called imagination. It can be used or abused.

Is imagination real? It can be .. New inventions , major innovation all of this came from imagination. Anything that is created came from imagination. Sometimes we think we have dejavu
because we experience something that somehow may have happened before. What actually occurred was you dared to imagine it, it then came into being.

Many including myself have been drawn into the caricature of ideology. Actually religion is really an ideology. We have an event and create a face on it to identify it. This caricature is then put into a dramatic play of sorts and acted upon. As we are purposely entertained by all of this the director will say this is real. We are then spun into an alternate reality that perhaps is a war between good and evil. This game is played out over and over until we arrive back at the beginning. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Everything that was created was good, God the creator said it was.

Where then did evil come from? It did not come from God. Did the darkness and light get packaged together? Similar to the Tao where we have both darkness and light. Actually the Tao is right , to simplify all of this. The only questions that would remain will be:

Do we need the caricature ? Do we need the drama? Is evil necessary?

It does tend to make a clearer point this sort of mindset. We have energies that flow in our head , we feel them ebbing and residing patterns start to evolve.  We have an awakening which we call something like kundalini or maybe we say we have entered an alternate state of consciousness. We find a sort of butterfly effect can occur or we have a vision. All of this happens as a result of merely allowing it to happen. Evil happens because we allow it.  It is simply by our own permission.

When Job was being tested and wreaked out of his family and possessions it may seem most bothersome. In this story satan had a conference with God. The story goes as thus:
Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason."

In truth this story so upset me, I wanted to rip the pages out. Poor Job was allowed to be tormented. He was righteous and decent why? Even the Lord suggested he be considered as something to be devoured.

Because in the spiritual world we are considered food. Its seems to be a culinary art , we find that Christ however turns the tables on all this. He says go ahead and eat me. Do it as often as you like in remembrance of the Christ.

We can avoid evil by simply not allowing it. Deny it the pleasure of devouring you. Do not become part of the game - try another game. If you feel abused leave the game unless you feel it will bring you some value you absolutely need. It is your choice.

To be or not to be. We in essence allow things to happen. You may say some things are out of our control. Events happen we however create the drama , the caricature. We love cartoons , loony tunes.
We love caricature and drama. That is what separates us from animals. Animals just see things in reality and we live in a loony tune. Think about it , humans are all loony. It is their nature only some take it to the extreme.

Mystery , there is no mystery. Jesus never said, I am the mystery. He said, I am the light. Some say we are predestined , whatever happens is out of our control. We are merely players in these culinary games of eat or be eaten. Sounds barbaric to me , in actuality many things happen because we allow it. We have choice to be used or abused in some cases we are the user or abuser. We as a whole allow ourselves to be used or as an individual. We should always think of ourselves as one in part and in whole. If you hurt the least of these , I am offended.

Deny evil , it will cease to exist. Be patient wait upon the truth and the truth will set you free.

Peace,
Earl.

Appointments

We find that we are generally impatient. This is perhaps the greatest obstacle in becoming successful , in becoming happy. If you are reading this and are a young person it is one of the most important lessons of your life patience.

You will find one characteristic in most successful  people is patience.

Wait patiently upon the Lord.  This is taught in the holy bible , the Quran , the Torah or any book of wisdom. When a person places a stock trade , when they get married , when you have a child, anything thing you do should be done with patience.

We are told in the bible the greatest men of wisdom and wealth King Solomon and King David were patient.

Events that happen in our appointed time bring happiness. We think perhaps a sense of desire is filled by having a sex partner before our appointed time and end up in hot soup. Perhaps we should wait for the appointed time. You may want to begin a business and it may seem like a good one. Then the business fails and you are questioning God. Did you wait for the right time to start the business , in the business world demand is important. Everything is not just about supply and therefore timing is important.

When you pray ask Our Father thy will be done. You will find that patience is as important as knowledge. It is easy in a world of fast food and hurry up society to become impatient. Believe me I have learned the hard way and am still learning the art of patience. Most grief is caused by being impatient. Had we waited to finish our education before getting married or having children. Had we just stayed at one job a little longer instead of looking for greener grass. Had we taught our children patience instead of spoiling them. All these things and more can make the difference in future happiness.

We all have an appointed time for each major activity in life. Ask for patience not just substance.

Peace,

Earl