Renunciation has both sadness and joy in it: sadness because you realize the futility of your old ways, and joy because of the greater vision that begins to unfold when you are able to let go of them. This is no ordinary joy. It is a joy that gives birth to a new and profound strength, a confidence, an abiding inspiration that comes from the realization that you are not condemned to your habits, that you can indeed emerge from them, that you can change, and grow more and more free.
~Sogyal Rinpoche

More Kandinsky

I really like him at the moment

Over the last couple of days, almost every time (except twice) I click on the "next blog" button it hasn't been giving me advertising ones and the such, but instead ones written by real people, interesting ones, a lot of which I now read. I like them, it's nice just reading what people write about their everyday lives, and looking at pretty pictures and stuff. Because they often have cool things to say. Oh, and a significant number of them have been from Santa Monica or Santa Cruz, California, and Rob Brezsny from Free Will Astrology lives in Santa Cruz. AND one talked about something that was talked about on the blog listed on Free Will Astrology, and well as talking ab out a random artist I looked at a couple of years ago who I didn't care about at the time but have since reevaluated that opinion. And they've all been about things relevent to me at this point in my life. So yeah, I just think it's cool
:)

I'm really growing to like taking complete responsibility for everything I do; it makes me feel so empowered, like I can do what I want, rather than just thinking it's just how I am or something. I can say to myself this is what happened, no excuses, no beating self up about it, it's not what I want, therefore I just won't do it again. It's scarey at first, there's always inate resistance, but once you begin to overcome that it's nice.

Kandinsky!

The common people

A series of marvelous coincidences:

For the past few weeks I have been seeing hearts wherever I look - in patterns in the grass, the paint on the walls, the carpet, the clouds. Common things. They would just be there when I looked and jump out at me.

Then, I don't remember what it started with. Ah, yes. Subtle Being posting on normal, everyday events. Commenting on lost writings that spirit is right here now. A Course in Miracles. The need to unite spiritual practise with the mountains of school work I am choosing to be buried under. A post On Being Ordinary on a mailing list I belong to: So much easier to sit in the sunlight and enjoy the show wheneveryou can. To just be an ordinary person and live an ordinary life. Nomethod or experience can bring you closer to or further from whatyou already are: you are nothing more, or less, than the ordinarystuff of life. How relaxing And how extraordinary is the ordinary. A thing from another mailing list I belong to: Do you think most realize that what they're really after is more "living," not more rewards? Yet by conditioning the former upon the latter, they have a tough time with both? Yeah, not yet. But one day they will. Sometimes, not realizing what you have, means not knowing what you want. You know, for most people. Hehehe. The Course in Miracles. Yesterday afternoon, watching the end of the movie Hope Floats: it's what's in the middle that counts. So, when you find yourself at the beginning, just give hope a chance to float up. And it will. A conversation started by Jeff at dinner last night about enjoying now, being the best you can be now, about how if you won the lottery or something and had millions of dollars at your disposal, what you do in your day to day life shouldn't necessarily change that much because you should be living your best already (unless of course you're a struggling writer or something who works in a cafe just to provide money for the real dream; but even then you can still make the most of the day job). So many messages saying something along the lines of the time is truely now. Paulo Coelho's mailing list Warrior of the Light: “Lord”, I finally said. “I am not nailed to that cross, nor do I see You there. This cross is empty and so it shall remain for ever, because the time of Death has passed. This cross was the symbol of the infinite power that we all have, nailed and killed by man. Now this Power is born again to life, because I have walked the path of common people and in them I have found Your own secret. You too walked the path of common people. You came to teach all that we were capable of, and we did not want to accept this. You showed us that Power and Glory were in everyone’s reach, and this sudden vision of our capacity was too much for us. We crucified You not because we are ungrateful to the son of God but because we were very afraid to accept our own capacity. With time and tradition, You again became just a distant divinity, and we returned to our destiny as men. “There is no sin in being happy. Half a dozen exercises and an attentive ear are enough to make a man realize his most impossible dreams”.
Think there's something in that?
I didn't fully realise the wonderfulness and coincidentalness of this until I thought it out here. Looks to me like the universe always provides the answers to that which we seek.
:)

LOVE OF THE COMMON PEOPLE

Living on free food tickets
Water in the milk from the hole in the roof
Where the rain came through
What can we do

Tears from your little sister
Crying 'cause she doesn't have a dress without a patch for the party to go
Oh but you know she'll get by

'Cause she's living in the love of the common people
Smiles from the heart of the family man
Daddy's gonna buy her a dream to cling to
Mamma's gonna love her just as much as she can
And she can

It's a good thing you don't have bus fare
It would fall through the hole in your pocket
And you'll lose it in the snow on the ground
Out walking your dog to find a job

Trying to keep your hands warm
But the hole in your shoe lets the snow come through
And it chills you to the bone
You better go home where it's warm

You can live in the love of the common people
Smiles from the heart of the family man
Daddy's gonna buy her a dream to cling to
Mamma's gonna love her just as much as she can
And she can

Living on dreams ain't easy
But the closer the knit the tighter the fit
And the chills stay away
You can take them in stride, for family pride

You know that faith in your foundation
And with a whole lot of love and a warm conversation
But don't forget to pray
Aaking you strong where you belong

Where you can live in the love of the common people
Smiles from the heart of the family man
Daddy's gonna buy her a dream to cling to
Mamma's gonna love her just as much as she can
And she can

"Thoughts become things... choose the good ones!"
-- www.tut.com

Happy Fourth of July!

I know I'm a day late, but better late than never

I also realise that I am in fact not American. Nor do I generally have any allegiance to that evil country, at least not in the past.

However, there's no harm in remembering how wonderful and powerful the that nation's founding principles are, whatever you're views are on contemporary controversy. Therefore, here's a bit from the Declaration of Indepedence. May we all put these principles into practise in our own lives

:)

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.


The only justification needed for love and forgiveness is the fact that we are alive.

:)

All thoughts, feelings, behaviours are like muscles. They strengthen or diminish in direct proportion to how much you exercise them.

Therefore, faith, hope and love are muscles, too.

So, I am running for love (quite literally; a nice little ritual)

:)