Dying purple

Dying purple

One particular leaf

fallen in Autumn's avalanche..

The end of summer green

 replaced with dying purple..

A quick photo and I depart

wondering in time hence

of the location and color now

of this one leaf that graced

my earlier perception..

The leaf has now transformed

into a thought..a memory..

appearing in a placeless place

of my original perception..

And the photo..presents a

new perception and a

new memory when 

that perception ends..

The mind of perception

and memory..we must say
remains transparent and full
as the leaf and
its parading reminders
shape the mind
in dying shades of
purple...

Halloween

Halloween

'Tis the time of the year

when death comes to visit

in a friendly way..

In this season we are offered

the experience of death

hidden in laughter of children

dressed in their frightening best

vocalizing: Trick or Treat..!

Perhaps it is a form of an NDE

Near Death Experience

in a community sense..

A tricking of death

exposed in light and laughter..

Experiencing death before we die..

Giving our temporary attention..

But then reflecting:

What else is temporary

and what is permanent..?

Thoughts and perceptions

of course

just come and go..

These mind things rise

and very soon die..

And what remains..?

Life itself remains..and

when we lastly depart..with

our thoughts and perceptions..

We as Life 
again simply remain...?


also see:  Gangaji, Facing Death
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWIPoecz_A8

Prayer

Prayer

What is it..?

Objective or Subjective..?
Reaching or Sinking..?

Nonduality..East and West
looks to the Old Testament
for the premier expression
simply:  I Am...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1q9RNDZlnM

Inside and Outside (Mooji)

Inside and Outside

Viewing outside we see some-things

and viewing inside we see

other more subtle some-things..

But..we ask

who is the viewer of these some-things

and..alas..we might say..we find no-thing..

And perhaps unexpectedly

we also find Joy...!

Mooji video:

http://online-satsang.com/hp_wordpress/?p=1143

Collective Evolution

This piece will likely be controversial!  Could it also be

mind expanding..?

http://www.collective-evolution.com/2017/10/23/you-asked-for-our-stance-on-trump-so-here-it-is/

Halloween and Other Death Experiences!

Halloween and Other Death Experiences!

Pillar Cafe, October 31, 2017..10-12 AM

CharlieC facilitating...

Discussion Questions:

1.  What are your thoughts about Halloween?

2.  How does Halloween portray death?

3.  Why is the fear of death so prevalent in our culture?

5.  How do other cultures treat death?

3.  What is a Near-Death-Experience (NDE)?

3.  Reflecting on Firuz' topic last week..how does

Unity/Diversity relate to death.

4.  How does religion treat death?  Atheism?  Agnosticism?

5.  How do the U. S. Armed Forces treat death?

6.  How many forms of death are there?

6.  What is Resurrection?  Reincarnation?

8.  How are Life and Death related?  In sacred writings?

7.  What can you say about mourning over death?

BACKGROUND:

"The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague.
Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?"
---Edgar Allan Poe

“My experience showed me that the death of the body and the brain are not the end of consciousness, that human experience continues beyond the grave. More important, it continues under the gaze of a God who loves and cares about each one of us and about where the Universe itself and all the beings withing it are ultimately going.” 

― Eben Alexander, Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” 
― Steve Jobs

"If a man considers he is born he cannot avoid the fear of death. Let him find out if he has been born or if the Self has any birth. He will discover that the Self always exists, that the body which is born resolves itself into thought and that the emergence of thought is the root of all mischief."
---Ramana Maharshi (Sage from India)

for more see:  https://luthar.com/2010/01/11/on-death-and-dying-words-of-bhagavan-sri-ramana-maharshi/

Dia de los Muertos
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/dia-de-los-muertos/
https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/evangelina-portillo.html  (Fine Art: Death as Celebration with color)

“To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover'd country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action...

― William Shakespeare, Hamlet

Death QUOTES
http://www.notable-quotes.com/d/death_quotes.html

Substances

There are numerous substances which 
apparently lead to very wonderful experiences..
The question arises..however..on how these 
experiences compare with an experience
of a dream..or a joyful experience in the 
wakened state..what they have in common
is their temporary nature..and the discovery
that all states take place in consciousness..
and are actually made of consciousness..so..
if we are searching for permanent peace
or happiness..we must become acquainted 
with the consciousness within which all the 
activities of mind take place..
The breakthrough realization is that a substance 
is unnecessary for a discovery of consciousness.. 
of our true nature..the presence of consciousness 
is formulated in various ways..but
perhaps most simply as the experience: I am.. 
which is available to all of us..24/7...CC


CC - Here is a very interesting presentation about the positive effects of ayahuasca.  Maybe this is a good feature for your blog, as love is one of the main enhancements of this drug.  This presentation is rather extensive and provides a history of mind altering drugs and their present use.

CP

 https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:JvWYZKa3ZKkJ:https://medium.com/s/spirits-in-your-brain/can-psychedelics-tune-you-in-to-the-divine-b629f428611c+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

CP:  Below is another source...

STRETCH

We STRETCH

as a mind

to the experiences

of our days

and the dreams

of our nights..

This a subtle 

effort

which tends to

deceive..

Deceiving is our

notion of reality

as separate

as departed from

an illusory

no-thing-ness..

Some name this

as Maya

a deception of

believing the

STRETCH

tells it all..

So the purpose

of our days

is to release

as a band 

is released

and observe

the immediate

fall of Peace...

In praise of silence

In praise of silence, the less said the better.

See: http://beingsilentlydrawn.blogspot.com/2017/10/in-praise-of-silence.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2Ffmalc+%28being+silently+drawn...%29

Holographic Seeing

Holographic Seeing

Whole in the part..

World in a grain of sand..

We in seeming separation

are apparently not aware

of our Holographic Self..

It is a simple refocus

from part to Whole..

Seeing of the part anew

finding the part

made of only

the Whole...

gospel

gospel

We hear the expression:
the gospel truth
seeming to mean
an absolute truth..
What might be the meaning
of this word
untethered from religion..?
What is the Good News the
word often prompts..?
Could it be that gospel
is simply a notification
of our true nature
not contained in bodily 
boundaries..?
A Google search will soon
entangle this word
in religion's many 
containments..
If we slide past these
might we find the freedom
in the Good News:
this word..now Free...





The term gospel is found ninety-nine times in the NASB and ninety-two times in the NET Bible. In the Greek New Testament, gospel is the translation of the Greek noun euangelion (occurring 76 times) “good news,” and the verb euangelizo (occurring 54 times), meaning “to bring or announce good news.” Both words are derived from the noun angelos, “messenger.” In classical Greek, an euangelos was one who brought a message of victory or other political or personal news that caused joy. In addition, euangelizomai (the middle voice form of the verb) meant “to speak as a messenger of gladness, to proclaim good news.”1 Further, the noun euangelion became a technical term for the message of victory, though it was also used for a political or private message that brought joy.2 (from Bible.org)

Existence

Existence

Can we experience

existence

without reference

to the body..?

Is this frightening..?

Or is it real freedom..?

Our bodies simply

are thought's boundaries

which corral 

the multitudinous flow

of inner thoughts and

sensations and

of outer perceptions..

All of these mind things

are temporary shape-ings

of our true nature:

an infinite and

unshaped Existence...

Self-Identity

Self-Identity

The large question mark

points to a wish

a longing to find

our real Identity..

Not the identity we found

in childhood years

which lingers for most..

 In years as children

we discover a self

separated and ready

for a life

with promise and color..

When this life sours

when we intuit

another identity 

seemingly out of reach

our path of discovery

need be continued..

Teachers and guides

are there for us

to pursue and search

for the Identity

we somehow know

is made of a

peace and happiness

not satisfied by worn 

childhood knowing..

A teacher's message

if heard correctly

will point to our

new Identity and

will also caution

against a pedestal 

for the teacher

with beliefs to anchor..

Almost home..

Waiting for that

morning resonance...

What is timeless and What is endless..

"Reality Requires Consciousness"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n5GD69wFOA&list=WL&index=89

Recognizing Transparency

Recognizing Transparency

We ask how..?

It appears that we must

transcend cultural beliefs

topped with the assumption:

I am my story which I see

unfolding in the world..

Without question the story

lies there for all to see..

It is our grammar school

subject and object

lessons..such as:

"See Spot run"..a hallowed

happening in the venerable

Dick and Jane..

So..a new grammar we need

A grammar to gather

for Oneness to shine

with new recognition of

our Transparency...

The Portal

The Portal

I Am

is formed in the mind

but it is a portal

introducing that which

is beyond the portal..

We give attention to

the portal

but the attention dissolves

as it turns

to that beyond...

A Memory

A Memory

The photograph of Second Avenue

in Durango, Colorado

with the centerpoint 

of Durango High School

seemingly in the center

of the Avenue..

My father worked in the

motor company on the left

Locke Nash Motor Company

selling the venerable Nash auto..

What is the meaning of photos

such as this..?

These colorations of the 

present moment..

The pearl of value

is being able to say

that the scene

the garage and centerpoint

live in memory/thought as

 Here and Now

as it did "then" 

when direct perception

added the color

to the same..the one

Here and Now...

Saint Brendan's Voyage

Saint Brendan's Voyage

The voyage
was a search for
their Selves in God
in the geography of discovery
in the early north sea..
These hardy Selves
may have preceded the 
Vikings of history
by some five hundred years..

Each of us searches for
Peace and Happiness
and most of us
search in our geography
for the thing of happiness..
The thing of happiness
soon disappoints and we
search further our geography
for a thing more lasting..
Hopefully discovering one day
our geography does not
locate our happiness..

Saint Brendan and his brothers
were immersed in geography
but they knew their search
was within themselves and their
Selves were not separate
but made of that for which
they had already found.. 

Art is remembrance

The function of an artist is to bring into the field of the waking-state mind knowledge that comes from the broader medium of mind in which it is precipitated but to which, under normal circumstances, it has no immediate access. The result is a work of art that inspires humanity to a life of love, beauty and understanding. As such, the artist is a function, not a person. It is the function within humanity that serves to restore the balance where separation, despair, conflict and hostility have eclipsed the light of love and understanding that lives in each of our hearts. Art is remembrance. (Rupert Spira)

The Fire

The Fire

Eventually

all of it must burn..

The isolated thoughts

which claim identity..

An appearance

posing as permanent..

Simply knowing

a thought as appearance

an appearance 

coloring the Knowing

is the spark

igniting

The Fire...

Advaita confusion..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KXidr0z1RY&feature=youtu.be

What is Maya?

A program on the exploration of 

CONSCIOUSNESS and NON-DUALITY

Sponsored by:  the PILLAR Institute for Lifelong Learning

facilitated by:  Charlie Coon

charlesrcoon@gmail.com

Where/When:  The Myron Stratton Home

South Highway 115

Third Monday of each month, 3:30 to 5:00 PM

For Monday, November 20th, the topic was:

What is Maya?

STRETCH uses short videos and conversation to explore each

monthly topic.  The experience of recognizing who

we really are...this is the purpose, a most vital

discovery for the time in which we are living!

"Maya is not the same as ignorance. Ignorance is the belief that this display of appearances is real in itself, that is, that it is made out of something other than Consciousness. Upon awakening to the reality of our experience, ignorance disappears, but Maya does not."

~~Rupert Spira

Kirtana:  I Am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55OA3OGxgrA

Mooji:  Fasten Your Seat Belt, You're Coming Home to Yourself
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC7rQibuK8U

Rupert Spira:  No Things Exist in the Absence of Awareness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFr6xzPXX48

Rupert Spira:  The Separate Self That I Mistake Myself to Be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Wn5pDTUTI

Rupert Spira:  Ignorance Disappears Maya Remains

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zow7zPChO_A

"Being Aware of Being Aware" (New book title)
A Conversation:Rupert Spira and Deepak Chopra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOuMx-dsvx8&t=261

9 Rules..

9 Rules

The Shaman discovers Truth
following which
religions make their rules and dogmas
and the rules are numbered..
Numbered as time numbers the eternal..
All are limitations of the Shaman's Truth..
The finite mind narrows and confines the Truth
defines those rules-for-living
and a religion is born..
The Perennial Truth...


http://prepareforchange.net/2017/10/07/9-rules-for-living-as-learned-from-proper-ayahuasca-shaman/comment-page-1/

Daniel and Lauren

TO THE

Bride & Groom

We view 

from what seems afar

a day of celebration

arriving quite soon..

And our sentiments express:

So Happy we are

that the two of you

found each other..!

For now

that greeting stands

as our expression of joy

over distance and time..

The following greeting

with some reflection

has more to do

with your lives as lived..

We wish you to know

within and beyond

your coming celebration

there is Love:

Not separate..but as one..

Intimate with you today..and

In each tomorrow..and

There in that day

when one found 
the other...

for Lauren and Daniel

October 28th, 2017

Thanking

I think as long as you are a human being
there is thanking, gratitude for being,
not for being human,
but for being
what you fundamentally are.
Thanking for the sake of thanking.

Jean Klein

Photo:  Peter Bowers

See:  http://beingsilentlydrawn.blogspot.com

Thanking

Thanks for the Jean Klein words above..

Being thanks itself

by knowing itself..

That is how each of us

find real peace and happiness...CC

Just breathe

Just breathe

What is it..? Breathing

We have believed: 

the body breathes

breathes composed air

filling the needs

bodily oxygen needs..

But what happens now

as we consider

breath as sensation

a vibration within

our Identity:  Awareness..

The mind has reported

through our years

we breathe some-thing..

But we know now

the breath is vibration

vibrating That

of what we are..

we breathe no-thing...

Something and Something Else

Something and Something Else

See that:

weight means attraction

yes..gravity 

something and something else:

As Mr. Newton believed..

Is it now time

to see that this

separation of somethings

raises a question..?

Since our school years

long ago for some

we remember the lesson:

forces of attraction are

 inversely proportional

to any two weights..

Yet what about Reality

stated now as:  Not Two..?

What word can we use to

replace well-worn Weight..?

Perhaps simply: Sensation..

Sensation is Sensing

a temporary flavor of

our true Identity..

Now..where are those 

somethings..?

They have departed

as their paradigm

has shifted...!

Safety

The world seeks Safety

'mid hurricanes and massacres..

We observe and are filled

with  unease and horror..

No locality seems safe

some say: not if but when..!

Rules and controls

find their voice

and shout out against

those opposing 

restrictions of freedom..

These perennial arguments

as they weary and excite

lead to the question

of the argument itself..

Is the argument destined

to repeat and repeat..?

Or might we find

new questions:

Who is observing and

arguing about those

seeming restrictions..?

Is that one not more..?

More than the clamor

and the anxiety rising..? 

Living in Safety..?