Of religion

No wonder that Merton embraced Buddhism--and it made the church livid. --and I have to add was most certainly killed for it--by whom, I would not venture to guess. But--people who are actually are open to God, are generally  the one`s suspected of the most awful crime-- , which in  a  sense is the most terrible  thing one can say about  people who love God, who profess to love Him beyond measure--let me re-iterate--these are the folks who would actually commit these crimes--against God. What hypocrisy.

I certainly was born a Catholic--that is my religion--however, I am not that. My faith is "God", not believing, but actually "knowing within" without hesitation this truth is my true religion. Thus God--under one or thousands or millions of names is God. So, my religion encompasses Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam as well as many other belief systems--including all the mythological beliefs. Who has the truth?  They all do. The sad part is that they all want to divide, not unite--and in the name of love for God.

Rumi said it well:

I am  not Christian or Jew or Muslim, not Hindu, Buddhist, Sufi, or Zen. Not any religion or cultural system. I am not from the east or the west, not out of the ocean or up from the ground, not natural or ethereal, not composed of elements at all. I do not exist, am not an entity in this world or the next, did not descend from Adam and Eve or any origin story. My place is the placeless, a trace of the traceless. Neither body or soul. I belong to the beloved, have seen the two worlds as one and that one call to and know, first, last, outer, inner, only that breath breathing human being.

In my apartment I have images of many religions, not as idols but as reminders of God. I say  "I like to keep my bases covered"--all the major and minor ones. God -is- God -is- God--the Alpha and Omega, the Eternal, the Supreme Consciousness, the "ALL" that ever "IS' , "WAS" and "WILL EVER BE".

So what is my point? Apart from this "God" consciousness--well, it is a sort of balancing of my mind relating to why I am actually here, or as to my mission--which often is very clear , yet at time is a dark abyss which  makes me feel ever so awful  and inconsequential in the scheme of things. True--we are all in a sense rather unimportant, but maybe not . Why? Because each soul was what that created for a purpose is--but God who a purposeful Creator and a reasonable one--though we do not see the forest from the trees or the trees from the forest it dosn`t mean that there is no divine plan. We are blessed with the nature and grace of God--that is what is termed for me His image and likeness. I think some religions confuse this-- take it quite literally.

 I know I seem to be rather confused at times--moment by moment. It is my humanity shining  through, my free will and my war with my ego--whom is a real tough cookie. And a bloody hard adversary at times, one is one`s worst enemy. 

Yes--this is a real problem, especially when I rather expect things- to happen , to be answered to be reciprocated  -which disappoint me greatly.  ...to be continued  an other venue, as I don`t want to get into boiling water.

Childhood

I am a firm believer that there is a universal plan regarding who we meet in life- be that just for a moment or an entire lifetime of connection. We say very glibly often, which these days is almost a mantra- that “we are all connected”, but do we really think about it and its true meaning.

Through FB I have found my dearest friend from grade-school; or rather she has found me  and an other, with whom I wasn`t that friendly, but being in the same class, sitting in the same school benches for so many years bring us to the realization of the strong connections that we have that are often forged in childhood- a kinship of spirit that often later in life is almost impossible to find. It re-kindles certain memories and reminders of  what we thought at the time, how we felt and the plans for the future, which often were simply dreams never to be fulfilled. It crystallizes time and makes it standstill for those thought of moments, in a way it anchors us. Yet- it is such sweet sorrow to think of those idyllic days of childhood- no matter how hard things were, how difficult the times may have been.

These thought of the past, re-visiting the times often brings happiness to the heart, smile to the face and a recognition of remembrance  of whom we really are- and reminds us what is really important in life and for the heart; which are memories of which are the jigsaw puzzle pieces of the mosaic of our lives .

I am so very grateful for these two wonderful , special souls who have re-enterd my life and have reminded me of who I am really, and how blessed one is to have these special moments of realization of how very important the bonds of friendship really are and we are forever connected to souls who once have touched our lives . I am infinitely grateful to God for bringing these special people back into my life.

Silence

In praise of silence

In today`s world on can hardly commit to silence unless one is cloistered off somewhere. I have to admit I am not the silent type, but of sorts I am a contradiction. My soul craves it, but the world demands otherwise--thus one is torn. Probably it is because of this I love my own company, always have. Maybe there is a " Carmelite nun"hidden within me somewhere and maybe that is why I reflect much on the words of Merton--they speak to my soul.

I read an article the other day that was written on the 40th year of his anniversary of his death--it most certainly touched something deep within me.  I thought I should place it here as to remember silence not just as a "noun" but as a "verb"--as often it is forgotten by me.

Maybe this shall keep me more focused on "silence" and its connection to God within each one of us--or perhaps that  special "nothingness" which we are.

The article:

 The Louisville Courier Journal published the following reflection by Frederick Smock, chairman of the English Department at Bellarmine University.

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Thomas Merton's death, I want to think about silence. Certainly, Merton took a vow of silence, and he was occasionally silenced by the Vatican. But I am not thinking of those forms of silence. Rather, I want to think about silence and the poet's art.

Much of a monk's life is spent in silence. Much of a poet's life is spent in silence, too -- a poet spends a fraction of his time actually writing poems. Merton was both a monk and a poet, and thus well-acquainted with silence. Like meditation, and like prayer, poetry is surrounded by silence. Poetry begins and ends in silence. Silence is also inherent within a poem, like the silences between notes in music. As the greatChinese poet Yang Wan-li said, a thousand years ago, "A poem is made of words, yes, but take away the words and the poem remains."

Still, when we think of silence, we do not necessarily think of Merton. He was a voluble man, and a prolific writer. He continues to publish, posthumously. He always seems to be speaking to us. Bookshelves groan under the accumulating weight of his oeurvre. However, late in his life, Merton lamented the fact that he had written so many editorials, and not more poems and prayers -- forms that partake of silence. "More and more I see the necessity of leaving my own ridiculous 'career' as a religious journalist," he wrote in his journal (Dec. 2, 1959). "Stop writing for publication -- except poems and creative meditations."

"What do I really want to do?" Merton asked himself, in his journal (June 21, 1959). "Long hours of quiet in the woods, reading a little, meditating a lot, walking up and down in the pine needles in bare feet." What a man commits to his journal is, at once, the most private and the most authentic version of his self. Books written for public consumption are not errant, just not as heartfelt. In his journal for the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas (March 7, 1961), Merton wrote, "Determined to write less, to gradually vanish." He added, at the end of that entry, "The last thing I will give up writing will be this journal and notebooks and poems. No more books of piety."

Life is a journey toward silence, and not just the silence of death. Youth talks a lot --is noisy. Old age is reticent. There is so much to consider, after all. Older men tend to hold their tongues. They know the wisdom of forbearance. To have seen many things is to reserve judgment. In this modern era, when news and politics are dominated by endlessly talking heads, silence becomes a precious commodity. The mere absence of speech sounds like silence. But true silence is a presence, not an absence. A fullness. A richness that depends for its worth on the purity of intent, not just the lack of distractions.

In a late journal entry (Dec. 4, 1968), Merton wrote of visiting the grand stupas of Buddha and Ananda at Gil Vihara, Sri Lanka. "The silence of the extraordinary faces. The great smiles. Huge and yet subtle. Filled with every possibility, questioning nothing, knowing everything, rejecting nothing...." Speaking of the figure of Ananda, Merton concluded, "It says everything. It needs nothing. Because it needs nothing it can afford to be silent, unnoticed, undiscovered." He also photographed these statues, focusing on their beatific serenity.

When we are silent, we can hear the wind in the trees, and the water in the brook, and is this not more eloquent than anything that we ourselves might have to say? Of living in his newly-built hermitage, Merton wrote in his journal (Feb. 24, 1965), "I can imagine no other joy on earth than to have such a place and to be at peace in it, to live in silence, to think and write, to listen to the wind and to all the voices of the wood, to live in the shadow of the big cedar cross, to prepare for my death...."

Is it ironic for a writer to praise silence? No more so, perhaps, than to praise ignorance, which is what Wendell Berry does in his poem "Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front." There Berry writes, "Praise ignorance, for what man has not encountered, he has not destroyed." So, perhaps we should praise silence, for as much as a man has not said, he has not lied.

Praise of silence runs throughout Merton's meditations. For just one example: of his teaching of the novices at Gethsemani, he wrote (July 4, 1952), "Between the silence of God and the silence of my own soul stands the silence of the souls entrusted to me."

Certainly, since his death, Merton has been silent -- if not silenced. There is also the soft rustle, just out of hearing, of the poems and prayers he did not live to write.

Much in the above article is for me to reflect upon, live by and ponder--that often I miss because of the hustle, bustle and noise of life. But it is at times like this that we get pointed towards our destination-and we realize what is really the meaning of life, whom we really are, and that we are in the "heart of God"--that is our true home.

Whenever my father used to talk of death--he would say, "we shall all go home one day". Or when somebody died he would always say, " they went home". Never in my entire life did I ever hear my father say the word--" died ". They all went home. So shall we one day soon, so shall we.

The above article is so very beautiful it brings me to tears-, not because of Merton--but because it brings me to realization  of our "very being" here now present. It reminds me- of sadness, of pain, of joy, of happiness, of love and of gratefulness for being alive and knowing at this moment  beyond any doubt "for sure"-that there is no end to us at all. It is a comforting feeling.

Rocks,peppbles and bones

Here is magic all around us-Yet, most of us are so obsessed by accumulation of “stuff”, not what is really important –like  observing beauty, and interpreting as to what it is actually trying to tell us ever so subtly to our spirit what really matters- Yet it is the least important aspect of our lives at times. We want the best in everything that the material world can give us, yet at the end of all ; it is all worthless fools gold.

I watch the river flow at its own pace, gently, quietly; over the  rocks and pebbles- which it has over over hundreds of years, and will still for many more . In the center there is a huge boulder surrounded by thousands of twinkling reflections of sunlight beams that hit the water, creating tiny, twinkling stars  that dance on the surface and around it like fairy spirits –an awesome sight. The boulder  is like on which the “Little Mermaid” sits in Copenhagen- it is here now in my company, and it will still be here when I am long gone, many years from now- a strange thought to think of one`s mortality – as one gets older it seems to me  more and more present and things that were important fade into the back ground.

One`s life becomes more and more  reflections of  the mystery of creation , of the universe  as we seek to find an answer to our lives  so desperately- in many ways and forms; and we come up with nothing except unanswerable questions-and this river will still flow when my bones will be nothing more that a collection of calcium carbonate; now, this is something to think about.

Brick in the wall

I totally amaze myself as to how many entries I have written in a few different blogs that I keep-at times I entirely forget and by some miracle they appear out of  the ethers ; and gives me food for thought often appropriate to the day or the time or the event in that specific moment in time-almost like divination; for that brief moment time stands still. I have to admit I am no writer, neither am I a poet or  philosopher in the least, I just write all as a conversation with myself, or perhaps – with God. Often I may read the odd entry, that simply wants to be read for its own reason-and I am rather amazed as it is all foreign to me, it is not as if  I have written it. A strange feeling-maybe I don`t write it at all but, some other entity that needs to express itself, and I am just a conduit, a receptive subject as to for it to give it a voice. 

I have given much thought to may things lately-a form of self reflection, self actualization and analysis as to where things are as pertaining to one`s life-to life in a more panoramic content. I doubt if anyone has an answer or a rational explanation -we live our puny little lives in these tiny boxes- or perhaps as just an other “brick in the wall” of  the mundane, being one of  the nameless, faceless and one of the invisible hoards that makes up humanity. But-each of the nameless has a unique story to tell, that is the miracle of this life- perhaps. Sadly-these days human life has not much value- thousands are killed, slaughtered by the day for  the gain of political power and  financial  power by the elite few.

Our own story, which is absolutely of non-interest to anyone except ourselves- nonetheless we think we are special, but in the scheme of things we are merely a speck of dust within creation- hoping to make some difference, but  the question is ; do we? Religions, different faith try to re-assure our restless hearts that there is more; and all and every soul is entirely different and each one does make a difference- Are they really? Is there more? We try to make sense of the senseless, of the mystical  and of  incomprehensible that is the lot of man – answers are non-existent with our present mind ; only if we have the courage to step out of the box; one day and not just be an other brick in the wall.

The list

Now this is funny- I found this among my numerous writings scattered all around in various blogs- I did interact with it for a good while, then it got forgotten....now it appears; -so I think I want to keep this for posterity and reference. This came about when I met a new friend who-on introduction described a long list of things that he loved, made him happy and filled his soul with joy; this made me think and I complied a list of my own- rather long-often ad to it at times, but at special moments  I visit it find a few and contemplate as why it affects me, why I placed it on the list and free associate.


This list took some time to comply- a labour of love so to speak, of deep thought and considerable time-it sort of explains me in a way.....and what makes me tick- nouns, verbs and some adjectives.

I LOVE:

God* Jesus* Our Blessed Mother* 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 on love* waves *rocks* shells* the sea* driftwood* sunrise* wisteria* snowflakes* da Vinci* rain* thunder* Where have all the flowers gone?(song)*  fog* jacarandas* rain drops* romantic cards* Athens* Rumi`s words*grey pebbles* crystal* sutras* intermezzo* sheep in meadows* tender touch* Beethoven* sunshine*Leonard Cohen* full moons* Tibetan book of the Dead* appreciation* butterfly kisses* Venice*chocolate liquer*classical romantic movies*

Rebel with a cause* sonnet 116* fields of dandelions* Venus*feelings* Browning* heart beats* sailing* White Cliffs of Dover* your sweet face* alpha & omega* the past* soft lips* Parthenon* tender words* stillness* prayers* music breaking the silence* sailors* bliss* seagulls* black holes* tears of joy* serendipity* angels* black panthers(animal)* sonnets to the Portuguese* galloping horses* smiles* dreaming* Hafiz* entwined trees* Maha Mantra* silver* gloomy dark days* Aurora Borealis* visions* Plath*smell of fresh washing*  I, river* symphony* sunflowers*sunrise/sunsets* commitment*shooting stars*moonbeams*

Mozart* wheat fields* Gregorian chants* cascading waterfalls* medieval castles* supernova* master numbers* shape shifter* old radios & telephones* complicated love story* our lives together* landing on your feet* pink flamingos* puzzles of you* Rome* sparkling eyes* dogs* cats* grace* rainbows* Nepal* Carmen* dedications of love* musical notes* dependable* praying hands* crystal glasses* Ra* manifesting* Andromeda* autumn colours* the Snow Queen* soft, green moss* Notre Dame* choirs of angels* galaxies* Mohamed* tears of joy*

chivalry* Divine Office* touching of hands* Kamasutra* telephone calls* sun* your heart* my soul* Schubert* mercy* happy thoughts* songs of angels* Faure* Madrid in spring * flying fish*cosmos*  chess* ancient oak trees* Blowing in the Wind(song)* pure hearts* clear vision of love* positive intentions* ring of fire* Niagara Falls* chocolate mint* Trappist monks*  passionate love* Pantheon* life without you* Avalon* Schumann resonance* Carmen*loyalty*

how do I love thee?* magic mushrooms*fish soup* country stores* elk* myths*Trinidad* ringing temple bells* our house in the Cape* Tropic of Cancer* Desert Fathers* curtains blowing in the wind* aniti-matter* Tell me(song)* roots* hero* E=mc2* gratefulness* freedom of spirit* blue Danube* mudras* old cars* Lake Titicaca* old pick up trucks* cats whiskers* avocados* chrysalis* eternal love* Bellatrix* loving intentions* laughs* Rolling Stones* Oort cloud* Trinidad carnival* Angel Falls* hummingbird on your arm* Theotokos* cream* kissing in the dark* Indian Tree pattern china* Middle of the earth Ecuador* creation* Toucans* hearing your heart beat* Chimborazo & Cotopaxi*promises kept*

 heart traced in the sand for you* solar winds* the Prada* sound of crunching snow* Nietzsche* dreams of past lives* poetry* we are love* age of Aquarius* courage* Dickens* echoes of past loves* Mariana Trench* all about love* freckles on my face* never again* flying* totem poles* Hippocrates* angels of the hour* enlightenment* atoms* kissing your nose*  purpose* wounds of love* white magnolias* DNA* leaning Tower of Pisa* old Dodges* Koi* dreaming of you*

faith, hope, charity* Golden fleece* valley of the Kings* adoring you* peaceful surrender* searching for love* kimonos* redemption* Aramaic* babbling brooks* pomegranate juice* fountains* silkworm cocoons* seeking for love* healing* camels* ancient scrolls* Pan flute* Andes* swirling rivers* thunder and lightning* your love notes*

Amazon* gentle feelings* lamas* Intermezzo* secret messages* prophecies* Dr Zhivago* spiritual quests* music of the Spheres* Xerxes* sandy beaches* gentle touch* flame of eternal love* Pachabel* endurance* telepathy* Lao Tse* hibernation* reindeer* foxes & wolves* reflections* Paracelsus* your voice* snails* Dead Sea scrolls* quirks & quarks* entropy* St Anthony* theology* palm huts* Seasons in the sun(song)*  perfection* calypso* Zeus* strawberries & cream* sweet nothings* energy fields* nature* raccoons* being worthy* flower petals on the bed*perfume*

consciousness* Germany* spiritual writers* closeness* deserted islands*Benny Hill* transfiguration* deploring lies* sincerity* anthology of your stories* Magyars* love stories* warm baths*  Bible stories* springs of warm water* earthquakes* dawn* making love* Egyptian hieroglyphs* Royal Doulton* calla lilies* dreamers* Galapagos* soft, warm bodies* Bob Dylan* Mary Magdalen* vespers in the evening* hanging gardens* designer of the future* lush forests* Don Quixote*all is one*  windmills* kites*wildflowers*

 transubstantiation* netsukes* parrots* palmistry* blue corn-flowers* love* Greek pantheon* nymphs* romantic words* rubies* to love an angel* muse* sand castles* kitsune* images of you* our naked bodies* mission* Mayaro beach* red apples* Byron* quetzal bird* strength* blue cheese* psychic phenomenon* spirits* Easter *Maya* coral reefs* smiles of longing* curiosity* Indian yogis* Krishna & Radha* Kilauea* coconuts*Unchained melody(song)* king`s chamber*

compassion* cats & kittens* our lives in Spain as Moors* wooden crucifix* classical music* Franciscan monks* venetian glass figurines* balance*  opera* jello* mermaids* Pretoria* soul on fire* steel drums* crop circles* Kali* possible* soft breeze* jade* Chaplets of Divine Mercy* London* dried trees* aqueducts* Phantom of the Opera* gentleness* Blue willow porcelain* vibrational energy*

us-peas in a pod* silence*  red lacquer ware & boxes* secret compartments* I need you as a planet needs its sun* copper pennies* collection of stamps* mirrors* scarabs* Persia* empowerment* bamboo* playing Masquerade* echoes of sounds* St Augustine* drumbeats in the jungle* gold mines* curses & blessings* steppingstones* Gothic cathedrals* Fire & water* Saturn`s child*

Midsummer Night`s Dream* meditation* hourglasses* papaya* King Arthur`s round table* passion fruit* hermits* wild things* intelligence* Italians* tenderness* blessings* jade necklace* Wayne  Dyer* herbs* religions* Verdi*  50`s 60`s,70`s, 80`s  rock music* brown eyes* sweet words to you* aura* open hearts* Thomas Merton* white daisies* light* wisdom* sandstone cliffs* Drakensberg Mountains* glass beads*words of JohnO`Donohue*bumble bees*

Maranatha* words of wisdom* bamboo reeds* crimson ribbons* pink coral* valley of the kings* mythology* mushrooms* sacredness* words from you* conspiracy theories* the Amazon* wizards* rose coloured vision* indigos* fields of clover* tiny goldfish* April showers* Merlin* passion* turtles* clarity of mind* chess* Gandhi* saffron* black cauldrons* Excalibur* positiveness* ashes to ash* heart song* limitless*  Shakespeare* wood carvings* baby lambs* caves* hidden places*  fog horns* Bouguereau`s beautiful art*  The Beatles* winding roads* Lourdes* mystics* old shipwrecks*

 spring* equinox & solstice* astrology* Cancer & Aries* paper mache* Rumi`s time(3-4am)* glass marbles* chicken curry* Tobago* Halleluiah(the song)* wild horses* beaded sweaters* Bizet* vanilla milkshakes* Standchen of Schubert(Serenade)* serenity* Bellatrix* Planet-X* Isis* romantic movies* St Jude* black crickets*  Pride and Prejudice* reiki* promises kept * Van Gogh* soft music*

Johannesburg* litanies* orchids* Camelot* August 2006* tree canopies* love notes* floating markets* Nile* other dimensions* Rigel* angel hair* grapes* Aida* white sand* pagodas* magic* absolution* My Way(song)* volcanoes* Shiva & Kali* laughter* Pompeii* ancient swords* Holy crowns* knights in armour* white marble* Degas* jungle* Alexander the Great* universe* infinity* proteas* rivers* stars* Sacred heart* Rembrandt*

pine scent* Buddha* wedding rings* royal blue* gentle sighs*prophets of old* colours of love* dedication of love* meeting of minds* dancing in the moonlight* winter nights* water colours* salty air* Hinduism* safaris* Durban* lizards & chameleons* peach trees with blossoms* Napoleons letter`s* Angelus* weeping willows* Stonehenge* butterflies* Big Foot* soulfulness* Immaculate Heart* tapestry* wine*

Thornbirds(Movie)* roses* Eros and Psyche*  lucky pennies & four leaf clovers* cheesecake* chocolate covered almonds* our bliss* message in a bottle* the Rhine*  gratefulness* Immortal Beloved(movie)* song of whales* notes in pencil* Shelley* confessionals* Tales of Hoffmann* ancient manuscripts* Gauguin* Scotland* frosty windows* love potions & spells* theosophists*

Romeo & Juliet* old clocks* apple blossoms* The Prophet*loop ear-rings* Easter Island* romantic reminders* Wuthering heights* sunshine* chaneling* animal totems* frogs* loving you* spiritualists* light energy* Vienna* neon signs* our soul light* gentleness* mediums* inspirations from you* entwined souls* Gypsy fortune tellers* hugs* Rumi* cheese cake* crackling fires* our love letters*Desiderata*  Jane Eyre*

peace* soft kisses* Foo dogs* ivory towers* aura colours* stardust* light houses* Palermo* art* the Louvre* Suzanne(song)* homesickness* German New Thought ministers* chiming clocks* Loch Ness monster* fjords* howling wind* dolphins* Canada geese* dark knight* sea horses* I Ching* humility* Tibet* penguins* Imagine(song)* 16^th, 17^th, 18^th, 19^th century* old monasteries* Byron*  mingling of blood* Kruger Park* praying mantis* slow dancing* Quito*

fairies & elves* tree trunks*  our love* truth* Dalai Lama* joy* Tuscany* origami* hara-kiri* squirrels* olive trees* compliments from you*  tiny ants* Paris* your hands* mindfulness* bubble bath with you* being on time* water* Sumerians* rock paintings* electric storms* blueberries* lotus* Iliad  & Odyssey* didgeridoo* light beings* bees* soft pillows* chestnuts from BME*

flea markets in summer* birthday candles* daily prayers* the Moors* church alters* The tempest (play)* sand dunes* adoration of love* baby ducks* peaceful harbours* Bach* messages from Our Lady* smell of fresh bread* Gone with the Wind* manta rays* love songs* Gnostics* lit scented candles* Avalon* creativity*  sleeping in each others arms* positive thoughts* firebird(the legend)* weathervanes* confessions of love* feather pillows* pandas* soft skin*

Indigo Dragon* imagination running wild* fractals* Michelangelo* icebergs* silk scarves* Monet* lace mantillas* Group of Seven* sweet thoughts of you* flying into the sky* winding rivers* Inuksuk* red aloes* my love for you* walking in the rain* dharma* forever and a day* sincerity* horse riding* Zorba the Greek(movie)lightning* Budapest* compromise* starry skies* consolation*

 Rumi* memories* holy ground* wilderness* holy water* mantras* Star Trek* ballads* meditating together* centipedes* good wishes* sounds of stillness* sparkles of light* Chaka the Zulu* my love* sailing ships* Troy*daffodils* Captain Kirk & Picard* happiness* our life* Shakespeare* honesty* silk material* St Francis` prayer* Mexico* Galatea* old ships* morning star* our morning missives* glass paperweights*kangaroos* sadness* ibis* new age* fluffy clouds* shrine to our love*

Mother Teresa* understanding* I within you, you within me* Puccini* red robins* ice storms* Love itself was gone(song)* Bodhi tree* one spark* flamencos* cacti* love stories* dragon flies* red  MG sports cars*  Avatar(the movie)*Lauds & other angels of the hour* wishes  fulfilled* your gratefulness cards* permanence* Sanskrit* reclining Buddha* flower child* pearls* shadows* Tao* haiku* special Elibron cards* oil paintings* your love for me* wonder* sun spots* green pears* Monets garden* hot chocolate* clairvoyance* sleighs with bells* forget-me-nots* flock of sheep* white robes* our destiny* karma* you making dinner* touching eternity* Attila the Hun* old castles* blessings*

The nutcracker* angels & all* numerology* British comedies* deep crevices in rocks* Mayerling* Lipizzaner stallions* black and white movies* beautiful cards from you* Sleepy Hollow* old VWs* old keys* diaries of life* my fig tree* after glow* wedded forever* dinosaurs* rock grottos* our hidden thoughts* church graveyards * Oracle of Delphi* heroism* must it be, it must* Chichen Itza* messages on mirrors*  creeping vines* sleeping together in a hammock* forest whisperings* ever with you* bats* Spanish castanets* spiritual life* Ganges* smell of burning incense* the Raven by Poe* chickadees*

Canon in D* rock rose* divination* falcons* latest madness* tropical storms* moccasins* fantasy art* radiance* vows made to each other* antiques* speed of light* pyramids* family get togethers* super nova* coloured pebbles* sheepdogs* afterglow of you* St. Jude* Dobermans & Airedales* impossible dreams* Chariots of Fire(movie)*Old Baxter the deliverer of our mail* Siamese angels* chivalry* deserts* Vincent`s Starry Night* love child* beads of water* Florence*

 fire & ice* justice* dragons* La Scala* ancient temples* dark caves* Anacondas* Spanish guitars* quiet thought of you* Jamaican rum* scent of roses* phoenix rising* smoke in your eyes* fireflies* Nepal* kismet* the perfect love story* ecstasy* violins & harps* stone Irish crosses*

The Greek Islands* red poppies* solar winds* your breath* Tennyson* tigers* blue star Kachina* starburst* prayers* Downton Abbey* watching the sun come up* ancient shipwrecks* red grapes* faded images* chipmunks* making love in the dark* Thanksgiving* ballet* Mt Everest* wishing wells* South Africa* quartz* impossible dreams* stone castles* magic dust* never ending story* hollow tree trunks* beating hearts* eggnog* Pygmalion* chakras* beauty of nature* captivating  heart*

gratefulness candles* star fish* hollyhocks* thatched roofed cottages* miracles* promises of forever* white cotton sheets* palm trees* fate* your breath* white wine* shadows at dusk* Venice* holly* sonnets* seagulls on the beach* Handel`s Messiah* reflections of light* holy men* stars in your eyes* Sufis* your lips* arrows* bi-planes* rock roses* attics* green snake* understanding* court jesters* Christmas carols* kissing you all over* lions with manes* fountains* bangles* diamonds* drinking wine in bed* cranes(birds)* love potions* Wicked moon messages* attics filled with secret treasures* synchronicity* tumbleweeds*your heart beat *

Carpe Diem* avatars of light* Mr Bean** Tazmanian Devil* green olives* hidden treasure* hawks* your words* prayer beads* chanting* hippies* my commitment* peace sign* frescos in churches* twin flames* Rafael* comets across the sky* Ankh* wet pavements* glass half full* paddle boats* Vaal River* pillow fights* white feathers* nirvana* beliefs* chance* quills* twirling Dervish* dales & glens* automatic writing* soul connections* blue auras*

First Kiss(painting)* dark chocolate* shocking pink lip stick* firebird* pizza in candlelight* dark and light matter* elves* icicles on evestroughs* Cape of Good Hope* fairy circle* sandy beach* heaven* beavers & otters* fountain pens* present moments* church steeples* family crypts* tracing the lines on your face* Komodo Dragon* existence* dragon hearts* loving you* poppy-seed cakes* our legacy* healing sounds* rolling hills* gentle touch* pink satin* black knights*

Old Benedictine abbeys* mugs of coffee* dusty country roads* moonlight* good health* mercy* white doves* dark side of the moon* kissing your eyes* falling stars* wishes fulfilled* your touch* having balance* mirrors* looking at both sides* heart songs* compassion* wrought iron* martial arts* wooden bridges* silver bangles* feelings of love*

 singularity* Masterpiece Theatre* my other wing* swallows * Skukuza & Shigwedzi* star crossed * promises of eternal love* whitewashed walls* antique music boxes* architect`s drawing board* my star* ships floating down the Danube* guidance* Mozart* inquisitive minds* Lancelot* coming home to your heart* hooded monks* eastern spices* rocky shoreline* loyalty* amber* us* split souls* night* morning rituals* candle light* Schubert`s lullaby*

 Gunoud`s Ave Maria* chimpanzees* cherubs* stained glass* red double decker busses* Attila the Hun* glass windows* plans of life* sand castles* be whom you want to be* creeping vines* broken fences* green pastures* marble statues* yellow trams* taste of honey* flaming meteors* daffodils* black eyed Susans* gentle surf in the moonlight* meetings of lovers* fancy ancient script writing* cosmos* eternity* night moves* words of love* Old man River* cinnamon sticks* springboks*

patron saints* carved soapstone figures* enthusiasm* eagles flying* gold ingots* sound of trumpets*  emerald Buddha* sour pickles* flowers in a basket* frosty windows* ice crystals* our memories* lakes of fire* Mennonites* old lace* tadpoles* long dresses*  deserving* possibilities* red clay* water jugs* Magyar alphabet* leaves* black velvet* Lily-of-the valley* volcanic black sand* PBS* horse shoes* fairy tales* coincidence* smell of hay* old letters/cards* pencils*

Madame Butterfly* tiny spiders *smell of cut grass* secrets*  moonbeams on lakes* rosary* wide range thinking* computer* faithfulness* romance* scent of rain* ticking clocks* hour glass* lily pads* thatched roofs* smell of cigars* papaya* Ecclesiastes 3:8*………….

Mmmm, just a few thing that come to mind. Good to think about it at times life is far too short not to.

Higher awareness

The planet is destroying itself. We are killing each other by the thousands daily, every second many children die of thirst, different species vanish by the score as there is a scorched earth policy that we humans practice. Yet, we seek enlightenment and spirituality most voraciously at least many of us-yet if we examine our beliefs very closely we are no way closer to that “grand realization” than the day we were born. We go from  sacred writings to the latest  chanellings from the ascended masters- I have to say that  I have been there, done that,- well probably not as much as many, but I have tried; but I  have to confess I am not one iota closer to the truth.  Well- if there is a truth anyway, maybe there is not and Steven Hawking is right- and our actions regarding everything matters not.

There is no direction given, no way to follow- faith at this point is strictly personal. We cannot prove or disprove the validity of any of our spiritual beliefs, be that our soul or God.  One perhaps gets lulled into believing that one has the truth- but sorry to disappoint you folks; but the truth ain`t out there only in our deluded minds. It is wonderful to think that we are more than merely an organized batch of protoplasm, with a couple of strands of DNA having free reign over the rest of creation, but in truth we are in total darkness regarding our origin and destination. All religious, spiritual  beliefs give us a safety net, a sense of security-so we can sleep at night thinking that there is more  to all this than eventually a dark, cold grave.

Do you ever think that maybe there is nothing and all this searching is in vain? One minute we are here, the next wer`re gone-but gone where? Oh, yeah- those NDEs….well the mind can play remarkable tricks as those brain chemicals go wild-for no one has ever come back from death, well maybe- Jesus; but maybe he never did. So, the question is –do we keep on searching,  trying to catch that illusive, spiritual experience or do we not, for we shall never be able to prove it. But, if by chance we did, then perhaps we would look at ourselves, others and the planet differently –and just maybe the human race could wake up to the fact that  indeed we are spiritual beings having a human experience and all of creation is sacred- and we would quit trying to destroy ourselves.