Tag: Philosophy

Daily OM for January 15th – Compelled to Create

Compelled to Create
Embracing Your Muse

Nearly all creative possibilities are related to the muses that inspire us. 

 

Inspiration is an intangible yet inseparable part of the creative process. Nearly all creative possibilities are related to the muses that inspire us. The ancient Greeks believed that all creation, whether artistic or scientific in nature, was motivated by goddesses who served as the literal embodiment of inspiration. These were the Muses—the givers of the creative spark. We still rely on muses to drive the creative process, though ours may take a diverse range of forms. People we meet, intriguing ideas, movies, books, nature, and cultural ideals all have the potential to awaken our imaginative minds. When we are touched by our muses, we understand viscerally that we are capable of producing our own unique kind of greatness.

Many people move through life unaware of the presence of their muse. This lack of awareness can be compounded by the fact that we may have one muse that remains with us throughout our lives, multiple muses that inspire us concurrently, several muses that come and go as necessary, or a single muse that touches us briefly at specific moments. You will know that you have found your muse when you encounter a force that makes you feel courageous enough to broaden the range of your creativity. The presence of this force will erase your self-doubt and motivate you to give your thoughts and feelings form. Should your muse continue to elude you, however, there are steps you can take to increase your chances of falling under its inspired influence. If you surround yourself with people who support you, keep a pen and paper handy, immerse yourself in culture, and brainstorm frequently, you will soon reconnect with your muse.

Once you have identified your muse, embrace it by giving yourself over to the creative inspiration it provides. No matter what you are moved to create, you will find that neither fear nor criticism can penetrate the wonderful bliss that goes hand in hand with the act of taking an idea and turning it into something the whole world can enjoy.

Who Were You Before You Were You?

Witchy Comments=

Who Were You Before You Were You?

  • Deepak Chopra

Even though we all identify with a very limited slice of time and space, equating “me” with one body and one mind, in reality you also live outside yourself in the field of awareness.

The Vedic seers say, “The real you cannot be squeezed into the volume of a body or the span of a lifetime.” Just as reality flows from the virtual to the quantum to the material level, so do you. Whether we call this reincarnation or not almost doesn’t matter. The package of body and mind that came before is a stranger to you now, and the one that might arise after your death is equally alien.

On a deeper level, millions of seeds have already been planted. Some are the thoughts you will have tomorrow or the actions you will follow a decade from now.

As we watch those seeds sprouting in the fertile field of time and space, awareness wakes up to itself. This is how a single fertilized cell learns to become a brain – it makes up to itself, not on the chemical level but on the level of awareness.

Imagine that expanded awareness is normal. Time and space could just be convenient concepts that hold true in the material world but dissolve gradually as you approach the quantum level. This is what I believe reincarnation is about.

All of the virtual and quantum levels are open to us all the time. To navigate them completely is impossible; they open up to us according to our own needs and abilities. But no part is intentionally closed off.

It is more normal to learn from the past than not to, and people who shut out their former lives are shutting out lessons that give this present lifetime its purpose and meaning. For someone who has absorbed these lessons fully, there is no need to go beyond this lifetime, and yet such visitations are still part of the natural order of things.

Adapted from How To Know God, by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2000).

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for January 3rd is 28: Excessive Pressure

28: Excessive Pressure

Hexagram 28

General Meaning: Something is out of balance. This hexagram points to some pressure that is threatening stability and needs correcting. But if a dam is about to burst, moving out of the way is the first priority.

When a person in a sagging mine shaft feels the earth begin to tremble, it is time for quick, instinctive action and nimble footwork. At a time like this, only extraordinary measures will work. When the roof is collapsing, run first, choose your destination later.

Extraordinary times bring out the best and worst in people. Natural disasters bring with them stories of great heroism — but also looting and rioting. When the pressure is on, powerful moments present opportunities to make positive gains. Everything is in a state of flux. One can either move towards positive change and improvement or towards stagnation.

This may be the moment you’ve been waiting for. Although a current challenge may seem to be more than you can handle, remember that a flood reaches its high-water mark for only a few brief moments, and then begins to subside. Action must be taken now to ensure opportunities for success later on. You will never discover the true extent of your own abilities until you, at least once in your life, dive into a crisis with complete abandon, dedicating every ounce of your energy, every fiber of your being, to the cause at hand.

Dare to win.

Daily OM for January 2nd – Eternally Present

Eternally Present
Past Life Healing

The key to working with past lives is maintaining awareness of the current reality in which the present takes priority.

Exploring our past lives is a valuable way to understand ourselves better and often leads to healing and the resolution of issues plaguing us in this life. However, the key to working with past lives is maintaining an awareness of the current reality in which the present always takes priority. Past lives can be fascinating and entertaining, or emotionally seductive, and we can get lost in them, losing touch with the most important thing—the life we are living right now.

Of course, there is a deep connection between our past lives and our current life, so it’s sometimes hard to say where one begins and the other one ends. For example, we may be aware that one of our closest friends or partners is someone we knew from a past life, and that connection feels like an unbroken chord reaching into the past, reminding us of the vast nature of the soul. We may have issues with this person that stem from the past, or we may just be blessed with a deep love that we are fortunate to have with us in this life. Either way, the issues must be resolved in this life, in the present moment. The love is our gift to experience in this life, not in the past. In many ways, the gift of dealing with our past lives is the profound revelation of how truly eternal we all are. Once we comprehend this, we can let go of focusing on the details of the past and simply allow our awareness of the eternal to positively influence our ability to be in the present moment.

You will know you have received the full fruits of past-life exploration when you find yourself even more powerfully present in the eternal now. The past becomes less distinct as it resolves itself, merging with the present and the future in the nexus of consciousness that holds all time and space. We realize that this moment holds everything within it, the resolved and the unresolved, the past and the future, and that it is from this moment that we must live our lives.

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for December 30th is 48: The Well

48: The Well

Hexagram 48

General Meaning: Throughout various cultures and political systems of the world, the well has served as a universal symbol for that which sustains life and provides a constant, inexhaustible source of life-giving nourishment for mankind.

Like the well, human nature is the same around the world. The passage of time does not change its essential dimensions, nor take anything away. Still, just as a well can be deepened to produce clearer, cleaner water, so can we enrich our lives by delving deeply within — into our natural selves, or souls.

Beware of shallow thinking. Like a little learning, it can be dangerous. The image of the well suggests that along with depth comes clarity. Be patient, and penetrate both your problems and your own nature to the core. If you do not lower your bucket to the depths, you’re very likely to come up empty. When greater depth is desired, a lessening of speed is often required.

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for December 29th is 18: Repairing What is Spoiled

18: Repairing What is Spoiled

Hexagram 18

General Meaning: Something is starting to rot and it is time to repair the damage. In the world of human affairs, indulgence and corruption grow like weeds in an untended garden; they must be faced squarely, and rooted out through bold action. Eliminating corruption — and the sloppiness that leads to it — is one of the most ennobling of all human enterprises. Correction of flaws in the system clears the way for fresh, new beginnings.

The time has come to become lean and efficient. The weeds must be rooted out now, before the garden is overwhelmed. Fighting decay, sloppiness and corrupt agendas is not a simple matter; all steps must be evaluated carefully. Planning must precede action. Resist the temptation to strike out prematurely. Gather strength behind you, and summon your inner resources, because arresting decay is no simple task. When you do act, make your strike as precise and clean as the path of the surgeon’s knife.

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for December 28th is 46: Pushing Upward

46: Pushing Upward

Hexagram 46

General Meaning: The forces of growth in springtime demonstrate advancement, as new life pushes upward through the earth’s crust, and the sap is rising. The emphasis is on upward motion, from obscurity to influence, with growth fostered by adaptability and the absence of opposition. Constant, flexible growth is the key attribute of a plant pushing upwards. This reading suggests a period of new promotion and prosperity in your life.

A wise person, in harmony with fate, is sensitive but determined. Make a sincere effort to apply resolute effort. Break through inertia, and good fortune will follow. By remaining flexible and tolerant, you will be able to retain the kind of conscious innocence that fuels growth and advancement. Will power and self-control are necessary to manage this growth skillfully, but the natural enthusiasm of the life force is behind everything.

What is Absolute Truth?

What is Absolute Truth?

Author: Disciple of Oghma

Absolute Truth is the purpose and quest of life. Whether people seek truth or not (and why) quietly motivate our society. Do they seek it for personal enlightenment? An enrichment of their lives? To spare their children the hardship and pain they have spent in an attempt for it?

Do they seek financial and social prosperity? Seek to use it to dominate? Or ‘guide’ others in a quiet attempt at self-flattery? Or do they flee from it? Numb them to the soul’s cry to understand the world and its place there in? Is it as Mark Twain said, “Most people’s lives are a prolonged effort not to think?”

So what is absolute truth? Does it exist or is it a creation of man to complicate his life to make him feel superior to animals by possessing something they do not?

Animals live in the now. Hunter and prey instinctively understand their place and find fulfillment in it never seeking to step aside from it. Are they wiser? All these things are aspects of truth. Some wrap Truth in myth. In an attempt to Quantify it and break its meanings down to a base level so as to convey their understanding of it to another. They wrap it in fable obscuring it. Repeated over time the story itself is emphasized and the meaning faded. Then the wrapping becomes the bone of contention. Others reject the truth because the fables veracity is disputed.

Instead of seeking the truth behind the symbols it becomes an excuse to quarrel over whose story is accurate. They each side feels superior and treats the others with snide unkindness. Does it really matter if the world sprang from one man and one woman, or if god dipped a sword in the sea and the drops that fell became land, or if slime turned to fish who grew legs?

We cannot prove beyond doubt any one fable as true for no verifiable witness remains. The truth is that the land is here and was here before us and will likely be after. It is an unnecessary argument. This only truly matters to Organizations that financially thrive off of domination and control of people by the means of defining their realities and perceptions. Such organizations do have helpful side affects but peace granted by slavery and the personal refusal to accept responsibility is at the heart of evil.

So what is truth then?

Truth is Perspective. Your thoughts, feelings, and emotions are just as your perceptions sight, sound, smell, taste, touch little more than data in the form of electrical impulses in your brain. So your perceptions shape your reality.

If one person perceives blue as green is his reality different than another’s? The other can adamantly explain the error of perception but to the color blind man the meaning has no distinction. In his reality, blue IS green. Is he wrong? Why? Is his perception of reality any more or less worthy to exist? Who has the right to demand he attribute meaning to his reality that is in contrast to his perceptions?

Some perceptions are commonplace possession. Killing is wrong. Love is right. Even then the perception of those complex meanings vary quite a bit. For order and balance to exist there must be commonly accepted norms. But on small personal matters considering others perceptions can be a learning experience and quite enlightening.

So the absolute truth? Truth is perception. So perception must be reality. Our civilization and the world we live in and our understanding of it is based off of our shared and jointly accepted perceptions of our world.

Although there are anomalies. Consider emotional ideal of Love. Everyone and no one agree. Everyone feels it but no one can describe it. Is it a need to project attractive ideals, needs, and perceptions on a person? Is it a shared need for one person to be all you think you need? A bond based on need? It is all of and none of these things to all people.

What is a name and why do we feel compelled to apply one for everything? Is a name a summation of a person’s hope and dreams? Outstanding qualities? Like or dislikes? If so why is it applied by parents to a child?

Why is the name not something the child seeks as they come into their majority? Is it a means to apply authority over or bind them to us? To name something you have quantified it? You know it and understand it and now it has no other value beyond its recorded purpose? No and yes. It is all based on personal perspective.

Then it is your choice whether to consider it or accept preconceived notions. To allow others to think for you and decide what reality envelops you. To let them decide if your life decisions should be based on the decrees of their perception of god (s) . If there is an absolute truth gospel given by the creator (s) and if you do or do not follow it your life will be affected for good or for ill.

The belief in God is not absolute truth. The perception of god and relationship with him, her, and/or them is a limitation of understanding that you place upon them. The limitations of name, story, and exhortations of lifestyle are tools to help people understand and develop their relationship with their creator and their world. They are not a tool by which to measure another’s developments and relationships.

Such things though perceived as absolute truth are not. Absolute truth is simply the understanding that people’s realities are the sum of their perceptions and the conclusions they draw from them. If their conclusions differ from yours it is your choice to review them and in effect review your own conclusions of reality. No ones opinion is more valuable than another and no one has to agree with anyone else.

In the end of such sharing is the complete reality. An interwoven conclusion of shared perception. A shared dream.

Bright Blessings To You, My Dear Friends!

Blessed Be Comments
Bright Blessings

 

Earth Mother
Giver of life
Strengthen me during my life-long strife.
Teach me Your ways of perfect love,
peace, and wisdom true.
Spawn from my purest heart
These words to You
May this prayer help me to better
myself in word and deed,
To a higher plane I shall succeed.
Beautiful Light of Goodness Fair
Lore of old we both do share
A Witch’s brew, I drink to You
My love for You, by day, by night
In thought and in sight
Will my soul learn
the meaning of this life again.

 ~ Author Unknown ~  

~Magickal Graphics~

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for December 23rd is 59: Dispersing

59: Dispersing

Hexagram 59

General Meaning: Nothing survives forever, not even rocks, not even the most rigid of structures. The erosion of that which has been solid is not necessarily bad: it can mean that something new is being created. The image is of ice floes, hardened in winter, dispersing in the warmth of spring; when the ice melts, a mighty river emerges.

Rigidity in the hearts of men and women tends to breed a separateness that can only be thawed by a greater force: typically, some strong spiritual stirring. The thawing of cold hearts always improves conditions.

The first thing to dissolve is any internal rigidity that separates you from others. Try to work more closely with your mates, concentrating on common activities which evidence your integrity and native goodwill. Sudden, strong action in support of a greater good can lift the spirit, and lead toward new possibilities in many areas. Spiritual impulses — including a strong sense of justice — should be honored, and acted upon. They can provide the initial impulse to important and constructive change.

And if you should have any lingering business or partnerships which are inactive or not working, you might consider dissolving these as well.

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for December 22 is 29: Dangerous Depths

29: Dangerous Depths

Hexagram 29

General Meaning: Exposure to passing dangers brings good fortune to those who move beyond them. Like boaters passing through white-water rapids, when you are faced with serious challenges, you must remain alert, take all available precautions, and above all, keep going forward so as to remove yourself from harm’s way. Once the danger has passed, good fortune.

The positive aspect of challenges is that they offer an excellent chance to cleanse the senses and strengthen the spirit. Surviving crises brings tremendous reinvigoration, and sharpens the eye and mind for future challenges.

It is reckless to court danger, but critical to inner development not to shrink from it either. Those who respond to challenges most effectively are those who are able to establish an inner bubble of calm in the midst of the action. A calm center keeps one rooted in the moment, alert and focused. Courage at such times springs from focused attention, from a willingness to penetrate the moment of danger to its very core, so as to shape it and transform the situation.

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for December 21 is 4: Youthful Folly

4: Youthful Folly

Hexagram 4

General Meaning: Be on guard for careless or rebellious attitudes characteristic of youthful inexperience. Just as a youth requires instruction, this is a good time to focus on learning your lessons from a patient teacher or life experience. Is there some circumstance in your life that you failed to comprehend, perhaps because you could not appreciate its inherent complexities? Be respectful of anything or anyone who has something to teach you right now.

In order to be prepared for challenges, let education be a part of your life. Continually develop the strong mind and will necessary to carry you through confusing times. The wise realize that experience is a powerful teacher, even though we cannot be forced to learn, even from experience. Be a good student, one who delights in learning, one who nourishes his or her expanding awareness, one who is paying attention!

Examine your attitude for factors that limit your openness. Observe how you deal with the mistakes of others. You must let people live their own lives and learn their own lessons. Offer others your wisdom or advice, but only if the other person is receptive (when in doubt, ask). Otherwise, give up trying to convince him or her that you are right, which is only exhausting and counter-productive. If people are not receptive, let them go their own way — even into difficulty or dangerous circumstances. It is the only way they can learn right now — and without learning, no one can achieve success. This does not mean that you should not care — just that taking care of someone too much can be harmful. Live and let learn.

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for December 19th is 33: Retreat

33: Retreat

Hexagram 33

General Meaning: All worthy goals meet resistance of some kind. When negative forces predominate, a well-timed retreat is a good way to stay on the path to ultimate success. Tibetans know this.

Strategic retreat is not to be confused with escape or surrender. Successful retreat demands quick and nimble movement — taking up a new position before you are damaged by the current situation. You are not admitting defeat by temporarily retreating, but simply increasing your options, and preserving your resources. Sometimes it is necessary to slow down, let go or move back in order to develop countermoves for the future. Timing is critical, as is how well you position yourself after realignment. Considerations of personal security are critical.

Periods of withdrawal or retreat call for cool-headedness. It is necessary to keep your wits about you. Attend to small details while allowing yourself time to contemplate the whole picture. Be creative; not all progress follows a straight line. Self-confidence is also essential; small setbacks can easily become defeats if we allow ourselves to become mired in self-doubt or self-pity.

Waves of progress are, by their nature, short-lived. Learn to attune yourself to the up-and-down cycles of life. When the wave is behind you, ride it in; when it’s not, lie low. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you can ‘fix’ any situation whenever you feel like it. Some things are bigger than you are. Hold your pride in check and you will be better prepared to find creative openings

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for December 17th is 56: The Wanderer

56: The Wanderer

Hexagram 56

General Meaning: A seasoned traveler knows that a special kind of decorum is called for when one ventures far from home. He or she must develop a yielding nature outwardly, so that the ‘local contact’ or host can open doors and prevent unseemly errors. But inwardly, the wanderer knows that it is sometimes impossible to discern the true intentions of strangers — are they hostile, friendly or merely opportunistic?

The twin houses of mystery and discovery rule any journey. Each new day is launched on a fresh landscape, one that reaches out to grab our full attention. Though new adventures are a great teacher — and often a great equalizer — there is an art to living lightly in a strange land. Mindfulness and discernment become the keys not only to success, but also to survival.

If you are entering a new environment of any sort attempt to be sincere, flexible and undemanding, rather than obstinate. Let go of old attitudes and habits that could encumber you, or make you overly conspicuous. The onset of a great journey is not a favorable time to enter into binding agreements, or to start new enterprises.

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for December 16th is 62: Attention to Detail

62: Attention to Detail

Hexagram 62

General Meaning: Ambitious undertakings are not in order now, but attention to small matters brings progress. Such is the case of a person whose resources are meager, but who, through modesty and perseverance, rises to accomplish great things.

The key to success when small potential influences the larger scene is to avoid pretentious ambitions and grandiose goals. The power of the small is served by slow and steady advancement, and succeeds through an honest awareness of its own limitations, without reservation.

Modesty stemming from recognizing your limitations is a fine quality, but it can be seen as weakness if it is not accompanied by conscientiousness. It is important to understand the demands of your situation, and not to expect success in big things right now. The wise person recognizes the nature of the time. So, know your own role, carefully attend to details and act with humility, and you can achieve your goal even with few resources.

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for December 14th is 39: Temporary Obstacles

39: Temporary Obstacles

Hexagram 39

General Meaning: Have temporary obstacles been blocking your way? In the course of trying to reach a goal or to fulfill a personal ambition, obstructions inevitably present themselves. This is not always a bad thing. Obstacles, difficulties and even setbacks that are eventually overcome often turn into assets. Without irritating grains of sand, oysters would never make pearls.

The obstacles pointed to here are not permanent, yet they are in the way. As when a large boulder falls in the road, the best course of action is usually to go around it, rather than to try to move it out of the way. Temporary obstacles must be seen for what they are — temporary — and should not be allowed to take on too much significance.

A positive aspect of even the most difficult obstacle is that it may cause a person to turn inward, and gain greater depth and character. While the ignorant bemoan their fate and seek to blame their problems on others, the wise seek the cause of the problem within themselves. Through this type of introspection, obstacles become a means for personal growth and self-discovery.

Without air resistance, no plane would ever fly.

If you are facing temporary obstacles, try not to be overly concerned. Obstacles are a part of achieving every goal and furthering every undertaking. Setbacks and reverses can affect morale, but keeping up your self-confidence in the face of challenges is part of a successful solution to many of life’s problems. Obstacles of short duration are best handled with a yielding attitude. Go around the rock, don’t put your shoulder to it.

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for December 12th is 15: Humility

15: Humility

Hexagram 15

General Meaning: Humility is often rewarded in human affairs, just as the erosion of a great mountain fills the valley. It is the way of nature to fill the empty cup. Regardless of your position, humility is a positive and deceptively powerful attribute. If you are in a high position but are still humble, people will be drawn to you and the causes you espouse. If your position is lowly, humility will endear you to those of higher status. True humility is a virtue to which all should aspire.

The most successful and happiest people are those who know how to bring each situation into balance by reducing that which is too great, and adding to that which is too little. Such a person craves not power, but balanced and stable relationships. Humility is the virtue that supplies the balancing power, as humble people are not prey to the many illusions that grow out of self-importance. If humility is not natural to your disposition, make a conscious effort to develop a strain of self-effacing humor.

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for December 11th is 12: Standstill

12: Standstill

Hexagram 12

General Meaning: A state of standstill is a state of decline. Confusion and disorder prevail. Inferior elements are on the rise, while the powers of clarity and creativity are waning. In such times, the wise take shelter in their own integrity and quietly remain faithful to their highest selves. Retreat from public activities and common exchanges until the time once again favors assertive action.

During periods of stagnation, inferior elements can rise to power. When the inmates are overrunning the asylum, summon up your fortitude, hide your worth and withdraw. Concentrate on your personal affairs with a quiet dignity, even if that means giving up short-term rewards.

Desiring to change a situation too quickly often creates extra conflict. By accepting hardship, while striving to maintain integrity, you are preparing for future growth. A seed of prosperity is often hidden inside the husk of misfortune.

Transcendence Through Meditation

Transcendence Through Meditation

  • Deepak Chopra

One way to develop a physiology that embodies the qualities of the unified field is to have direct experience of it.

Meditation allows the mind to experience more and more abstract levels of the thinking process and, ultimately, to transcend to that most abstract level of awareness, transcendental consciousness, which is the unified field itself. This is the state of pure awareness, pure consciousness.

Meditation has been part of the spiritual tradition of almost every culture. There are a number of scientific studies that show the beneficial effects of mediation. Blood pressure comes down. Stress is alleviated. Basal metabolic rate goes down. Insomnia, anxiety, and a number of psychosomatic disorders are relieved and disappear. Moreover, there is increased brain wave coherence, which also improves attention span, creativity, learning ability, and memory retrieval.

Also, the effects of mediation last into our daily activity, and soon our activity becomes saturated and influenced by the qualities of the unified field. This is because by experientially knowing something we become it. Once we become it, we begin to embody all its properties.

Therefore, transcending becomes a very practical procedure–to not only experientially know and understand the qualities of the unified field, but to have their values expressed in our daily life, in all our daily activities.

Adapted from Creating Affluence, by Deepak Chopra (New World Library, 1993).