Dear Human:

A reply to Courtney A. Walsh..see below..            (Thanks, CP..!!)

Another perspective..  :)

Dear Human:
You've got it all wrong.
Unconditional love is recognized not mastered.
It is what you are not where you came from or return.
Love is not personal but impersonal.
Love is eternal. Recognize this first
then notice the colorations.
Messy love.
Sweaty love. 
Whole love.
Infused with divinity
Stumbling within grace
Messing up as beauty.
Always.
You are already infinite YOU.
Colored as
gorgeous and flawed and fabulous.
Forgetting then remembering.
Unconditional love is the story which is not a story.
No adjectives needed.
Or modifiers.
Or the condition of perfection.
Show up as your real identity.
and you will do your best.
Stay present and feel fully.
Shine and fly and laugh and cry and hurt
and heal with your new recognition.
Recognize this and you will be YOU.
It's all there is.
Enough 
and Plenty...

Dear Human:

You've got it all wrong.
You didn't come here to master unconditional love. 

This is where you came from and where you'll return.
You came here to learn personal love.
Universal love.
Messy love.
Sweaty Love.
Crazy love.
Broken love.
Whole love.
Infused with divinity.
Lived through the grace of stumbling.
Demonstrated through the beauty of... messing up.
Often.
You didn't come here to be perfect, you already are.
You came here to be gorgeously human. Flawed and fabulous.
And rising again into remembering.
But unconditional love? Stop telling that story.
Love in truth doesn't need any adjectives.
It doesn't require modifiers.
It doesn't require the condition of perfection.
It only asks you to show up.
And do your best.
That you stay present and feel fully.
That you shine and fly and laugh and cry and hurt and heal 

and fall and get back up and play and work and live and die as YOU.
Its enough.
It's Plenty                

Courtney A. Walsh, inspirational poet, blogger, author

Translucent

trans·lu·cent

transˈlo͞osnt,tranzˈlo͞osnt/

adjective

1. (of a substance) allowing light, but not detailed images, to pass through; semitransparent.

   "fry until the onions become translucent"

   synonyms:

   semitransparent, semiopaque, pellucid, limpid, clear;

Knowing for the first time..(after TS Eliot)

Knowing for the first time

means becoming aware

that there really is

no first or next time..

It means realizing

time has asserted itself

as a fencing

with barbed-wire barbs

claiming their sequence

marking the surrender

of our freedom..

As time-barbs dissolve

in our space of being

 we know with joy

for the first and all time...

Oceanwaveinplay..

Everything is transparent

Liquid

Luminous

Dense matter dissolves

with an experience of

Mindmatterinplay..

Oceanwaveinplay...

But does some objectivity
remain?
If the mind is involved
transparency remains
it seems
as a subtle object...

Blest be the tie that binds..

Blest be the tie that binds..

written by John Fawcett

so long ago (1782)

We search his words

for our insight

gained from his..

The experience of unity

of consciousness first:

joined in heart

as perfect Love 

and Friendship..

A soothing
A melting
with this Understanding
and a Freedom

named all Eternity...

Song of the AVADHUT

http://www.themysticsvision.com/uploads/1/3/9/2/13928072/dattatreya-song_of_the_avadhut__2014_.pdf

Stretching

Stretching

We stretch

inward and outward

and when we do

the mind extends

seeking and finding

those many objects in

 an everyday realm..

We focus..we say.. on

what really is real

and the ages attest..

The effort of stretching

locates many things

 there and then there..

Rest is simply

relaxing the stretch

but it seems

the stretching persists

through the daily

stress and storm..

We are just waiting...

To thine own self be true..

To thine own self be true..

This advice

prompts an inquiry of
the self to which

one should be true..

It is assumed

the self sought

will be known 

when met..

Meanwhile..the eclipse

need be recognized:

that self which seems

to be asserting itself

gaining our attention

obscuring our view..

Only when one

make this inquiry

can one be true...!

Fractal Canvas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UcKhas3HCk

Shakespeare and Non-duality...

R Spira:  All Things Seem But Cannot Be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW7O_K24tiQ

What Shakespeare Can Teach Us About Spiritual Enlightenment (blog)
http://www.nondualitymagazine.org/nondualitymagazine.5/nonduality_magazine.5.robertpuff.htm

Shakespeare: An Enlightened Being (from the blog link above)

During my undergraduate years, I had the privilege of taking a Shakespearean class and was also able to travel through Europe.  I vividly remember going to Stratford-upon-Avon and watching a Shakespeare play, As You Like It.  The words, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances. And one man in his time plays many parts; his acts being seven ages,” struck a profound chord deep within me.  Shakespeare’s words are not merely those of a playwright but instead, those of an enlightened being. He describes who we are with great insight and accuracy. 


             

Joseph and brothers

Joseph and brothers

Brothers are different

in Genesis or our story..

Each an expression

of Consciousness

which need be

directly recognized..

Like those disciples 

all their differences

appearing and

making so much

difference..

We all color

Consciousness in a

sundry of ways..

Yet for some

apparently

a clarity is seen

to others hidden

but always

available to all..

all of That..

all of That

To begin with

the gifted approach

is to recognize

Awareness first..

This truth need be

known and felt..this

Awareness..our Self..
all of That..!

After this beginning

we need know

that time and space

are appearances

appearing within

all of That..

These appearances

whether universe

or tooth-ache

are imposters

if posing as

all of That... 

I remember Lucky

I remember Lucky

Lucy was a boyhood dog

just a mixed mongrel 

black and white

as I remember..

In horror

I saw it happen

a body twisting

and bleeding under

motored wheels..

A cold February disposal

by a traveled roadside..

Of course..Lucky lives

in my placeless place

here and now...

Transparency Vibrating

Transparency Vibrating

Polarity 

seems as separation

the This and That

of our world..

That is..until we experience

the Poles vibrating

and a Question:

What is it that is

vibrating..?

The What must be 

bound as One..

With frequency increasing

transparency arrives..

And with decreasing

the Poles once more

come into view..
Now we know:

Transparency itself is

vibrating and

manifesting...!

Eclipse..!

On Monday

the Event..

The sun teaches

a lesson on veiling..

Absence asserts

but on the edges

(wear appropriate glasses..!)

the sunlight is recognized..
On the edges

the light of consciousness

asserts and promises..

The moon veil

poses as our dark patches

in life in this moment

but the patches dissolve

in bright sunlight

which was missing

only from our

eclipsed perspective..

War and Peace

Consciousness first and only

this experiential truth

calms the struggle..

A struggle created by

forgetting the reality and 

nature of consciousness:

a seamless whole

eternal and infinite and

our identity..

From forgetting emerges

the many oppositions

feeding war and peace..

Peace seems diminished

until understanding says:

war merely colors

the seamless transparent

wholeness..Peace...

Science struggles

Science struggles

to enwrap consciousness

in a thought-filled cage..

Pressing consciousness

through the bars and

with temporary relief

from a seeming demand

to reckon with an observer

an inner presence entangled

with sights and sounds..

We are all struggling

to find Peace..Happiness..

Struggles are the 

messages from These:

a simple request to re-direct

our gaze and ears

to that which precedes..

The consciousness of 

our deep intuition...

The Direct Approach

The Self is not to be found as a prize
at the end of a long journey.
It is not produced or created.
It is, in fact, a discovery, a recognition.

There can seem to be obstacles
that block you from this revelation, but these are only
what you give attention and importance to.
It is only a shadow, for these obstacles do not really exist
other than through belief.
You have all the power to discard them and keep your peace.

So to begin, start where you want to finish.
Start at the finishing line, at what is naturally present,
what is already here, at the place where you do not need
to maintain or sustain anything.
There you will discover that which you are searching for
is your own inseparable Self.

~ Mooji 

Thanks to Mooji FB Page

Rupert Spira:  The Direct Path
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW9kvq1qeAw

Rupert Spira: Awareness Without Objects
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRLrgoPkSU4

Rupert Spira:  The Short Cut Question "Am I Aware?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG9WuSk5gTI&t=73s

Rupert Spira: There is no World Outside Consciousness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57QJucO1R3E

Rupert Spira & Lisa Natoli: The Direct Approach to the Light of Pure Knowing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuudCtLudFc&t=14s

Rupert Spira:  The Three Stages of Understanding 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCFdBsaWWE4

Gangaji:  The Religion of ME

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSGLI98zEGM&t=107s

Kirtana:  Already Home, Already Free
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOw89VRAnJU&index=14&list=RDakjcD6d2T_M

Kirtana:  I Am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55OA3OGxgrA&list=PLhSAM5hdr14c3Mmxxl16E43Sl62Szbdb3&index=2

Beauty and your brain..

https://www.ted.com/talks/anjan_chatterjee_how_your_brain_decides_what_is_beautiful?rss

"Do you believe everything you hear?"

"Do you believe everything you hear?"

This is the smiling greeting and question 

of an elderly man

observing a noisy construction 

with traffic delay..

Focusing on the noise..the hearing

as a passing experience..and remembering

that nightfall will return the quiet with

only an occasional punctuation..

But how about the belief..?

It seems we are led to believe the

hearing if it is processed as a shaping

of our awareness at this moment..

Our awareness takes the hearing shape:

a pearl of  discovery in our age..!

Thamar

Thamar

She was asked for a

church Testimony..!

And was told it was OK

to talk about her 

schooldays as a teacher..

The Testimony was

about an epiphany and
a little boy and

this is how it unfolded..

These kindergarteners 

a few of them anyway

act as squirrels..!

Squirrels..!!

They exhibit chaotic

unpredictable motions

requiring a teacher's

instantaneous response..

One year 

one of these squirrels 

named Thamar

out-squirreled all of

the other squirrels..

This child of Jamaica

soon became acquainted

with the teacher's

marks on a blackboard

which meant:

Squirrel curtailment..

Time for recess

was diminished with

each succeeding mark

on that blackboard..

Three marks and

a recess evaporated

in front of Thamar's

penetrating eyes..

Recess..how important

is it to a restless boy..?

He had a dream

and in that dream

God spoke to him

about His dislike

of white women

placing marks on

a blackboard which

most adversely

affected his Freedom..

The following day

he was energized

to relay this

divine message to

that teacher bearing

her chalk..!

And the message

pierced  her heart

writing a happy 

epiphany 

ending this story:

The chalk was retired

and Thamar's Freedom

embraced...

Extinction

https://science.slashdot.org/story/17/08/13/2130215/astrophysicist-believes-technologically-advanced-species-extinguish-themselves

Torchlights

Torchlights

on parade

many outward lights

with darkness concealed

until a bursting..

The allowing parade

and the anti-parade:

expressing our Freedom..

We celebrate Freedom

but also discernment..

We perceive darkness

and seemingly

discernment muffled

among those whom

democracy so recently

appointed...

Biocentrism

Biocentrism

The observer

in

biocentrism

is

a propitious step

away

from the object enticement

we

have believed so long..

And

The observer

is

posed as creator

yet

we ask:  who is observing..?

Where 

is Consciousness in biocentrism..?

Seemingly

Consciousness remains lodged

in

the head and

we

have not yet reached

a

realization of the

illusory

nature of an independent 

world...

However..

the subjective path

seems as gaining

illumination...

Testimony

Testimony

What might testimony reveal

of what is important in spiritual paths

in this age of agony and separation..

Any start seems to be:

What is really of great value

precious in our experience..?

Freedom and Happiness

seem to be names of that

precious pearl..

The question for us is:

how to find this pearl..

We know the descriptions of

many searches and promises

for eventual fulfillment..

Material and spiritual goals

are posed with expectation..

My STRETCH gatherings

are there to shorten

these processes and to

allow recognition that

although 

searches are important..

the pearl needs no search..

The Pearl is our 

immediate Identity... 

Lament for Billy Squirrel

Lament for Billy Squirrel

Let's name him Billy..

Whether

unavoidable or carelessness

he lies on the pavement

an unsightly mess of

fur and blood..

What is lost..?

Consciousness rises as

each and every animal

appearing as each

in experiential uniqueness..

Through special minds
of each animal 

which we do not know

there is temporary coloration

within and made of

Consciousness..

A vibration now lost..

There is more here

than the disregard

ascribed by our

culture of separation...

STRETCH...August 10, 2018

STRETCH

August 18, 2017

Myron Stratton Home

10:00 to 11:30 AM

Facilitator:  Charlie Coon

(charlesrcoon@gmail.com)

Content:  "The Hard Problem of Consciousness"

Through videos and conversation we will consider how science
is addressing the nature of Consciousness.  Biocentrism and
Panpsychism are two examples.  

(FYI:  Next month STRETCH will return to the third
Monday, each month, 3:30 to 5:00 PM, at the 
Myron Stratton Home.).

Videos:

Top 10 Spiritual Teachers on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtmAY6E1ie4&t=20s

Robert Lanza:  Consciousness is the Key to Understanding Reality
https://www.scienceandnonduality.com/robert-lanza-article/

TED Talk, David Chalmers:  Panpsychism and Explaining Consciousness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiYfN7-gaLk

Rupert Spira:  The Universe is Not Conscious
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78gteVJwdDI&t=44s

Rupert Spira:  Consciousness is Not Produced By The Brain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icBYIUTZ5gI

A Commitment to Truth, Love and Beauty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPXzDCzp_tI&t=701s

Quotes:

“Now I have to say I'm a complete atheist, I have no religious views myself and no spiritual views, except very watered down humanistic spiritual views, and consciousness is just a fact of life, it's a natural fact of life.” 
-- David Chalmers

“Consciousness poses the most baffling problems in the science of the mind. There is nothing that we know more intimately than conscious experience, but there is nothing that is harder to explain.” 
-- David Chalmers

“How does the water of the brain turn into the wine of consciousness?” 
-- David Chalmers

“Why should physical processing give rise to a rich inner life at all? It seems objectively unreasonable that it should, and yet it does.” 
-- David Chalmers

“Things are still in early stages, but one can imagine that as we build up and systematize our theories of these associations, and try to boil them down to their core, the result might point us toward the sort of fundamental principles I advocate.” 
-- David Chalmers








“Many of our ideas and beliefs about ourselves and the world are so deeply ingrained that we are unaware that they are beliefs and take them, without question, for the absolute truth.” 
-- Rupert Spira

“When feeling is divested of the feeler and the felt, it shines as love; when seeing is divested of the seer and the seen, it shines as beauty.” 
-- Rupert Spira

“The mind, the body and the world are made out of Consciousness but Consciousness is not made out of them. It is made out of itself. Therefore everything is made only out of Consciousness.” 
-- Rupert Spira


Articles:

Deepak Chopra:  on Panpsychism
http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/chopra/article/If-Reality-isn-t-Na-ve-We-Shouldn-t-Be-11816979.php

Reduction

Reduction

This is the process

which seems vital

to our time and culture..

We need the experience

that perceptions are

what we know of

the world just now..

The world becomes

subjective..and we find

it has always been so..

So we reduce

the seeming world

to perceiving as object..

Then..that object to

that in which

and as which it is:

Consciousness...

Quiet Desperation

Quiet Desperation

Most people

live lives that might

be described this way..

There are temporary joys

we might say

removing attention from

quiet desperation..

Temporary..?

Why..?

Is it the pressing belief

assumption not questioned

of  lives lived 

in and as separation..?

An illusive separation

fills our days

clouding our recognition

of Who we are...

"I"

This common name

whatever the language

the meaning of which

leads to vitality

through real Understanding..

Peace and Happiness

can only come

through this Portal

I

the Portal between

Self and self..

Self as Awareness

self as separation...