New Spiritualibus Blog Posts – Excerpts

An experience of stepping out
Rather courageous some think
In view of stated consequences
The bubble of shared protection
Bursting in a dogmatic challenge
Required essences be sorted out
From construction debris hazards
Or propaganda, put more bluntly
Left behind for good all unified
Sooner or later realizing truth
As God, spirit, and the divine
Free of limits and any brand
Or dangling carrot numbers
Before many beings’ noses
Can help one out of a pinch
But at long last will conclude
Having fulfilled a good purpose
Therefore detach, keep going on
With happy moments in deep love
Radiant as soul in full view for all
Observe how God realizes itself
And dwell in spiritual freedom.

“Das Mülirad isch broche, Simelibärg!” — go in peace — for KHT

From “I Heard The Owl Call My Name” by Margaret Craven

“‘The salmon is still the swimmer in our language, and I can remember my grandfather speaking to him as you do now. I had forgotten.’ ‘Do you see him enter the river often?’ ‘No, not often. He enters usually at night.’ ‘And in the end, does he always die?’ ‘Always. Both the males and the females die. On the way up the river the swimmer will pass the fingerlings of his kind coming down to the sea. They want to go and are afraid to go. They still swim upstream, but gently, letting the river carry them downstream tail first, and the birds and the larger fish pray upon them to devour them, and pretty soon they turn to face their dangers.’ ‘And when they reach the open sea?’ ‘Then they are free. Nobody knows how far they go or where. When the time comes to return, their bodies tell them, and those hatched in the same stream separate from all others and come home together. And in the end the swimmer dies, and the river takes him downstream, tail first, as he started.’” — pp. 38-39

“‘When I reach here and see the great scar where the inlet side shows its bones, for a moment I know.’ ‘What…?’ ‘That for me it has always been easier here, where only the fundamentals count, to learn what every man must learn in this world.’ ‘And that…?’ ‘Enough of the meaning of life to be ready to die,’ and the Bishop motioned Mark to start the motor, and they went on.” — p. 140

An experience of stepping out in front of a moon

There are some who talk
And others who listen
Mostly to themselves
However — in hopes
Someone may hear
And dance, at last
Dreams come true
From young to old
Hunt mosquitoes
After all preventing
From being eaten up
As source of blood
The physical world
In nature’s hands
So many humans
Mess with things
Fight each other
But most oneself
Until pay the price
At last we are free
In heart and head
First of all as soul
In consciousness
Spirit and divine
Detached let go
And dwell in love
At peace and free
Right here and now
At home in silence.

“Among suns, moon, and stars” — a hopeful blues

The value of music for enjoyment and for enlightenment

“Such is the body, a heap of filth surrounded by impurities of all sorts; and yet intelligent people utilize it as a means for worldly enjoyment [bhukti भुक्ति ] and for salvation [mukti मुक्ति ]. The pursuit of the manifest [saguṇa सगुण ] leads to worldly enjoyment and the meditation of the unmanifest [nirguṇa निर्गुण ] leads to salvation. Contemplation attainable through one-pointed concentration of attention is not conveniently within the reach of people; therefore, under the circumstances, the sages take resort to the easier means of worshiping the unmanifest nāda [ नाद sound, tone, or vibration]… Even that, being devoid of emotional color, does not interest the (common) people. Now, therefore, we shall describe the creative process of the manifest sound, which expounds … the entire subject matter of music which is the means of peoples’ amusement as well as of attaining freedom from the limitations of existence…”

— Saṃgītaratnākara संगीतरत्नाकर (“Ocean of Music and Dance”) of Śārṅgadeva शार्ङ्गदेव (1175–1247), Sanskrit to English translation by Dr. R. K. Shringy with Dr. Prem Lata Sharma, pp. 103-107

Some who talk the old, no longer used road out of sight

Congruence
Of contrasts
Ma and Pa
In or out
Ex and con
Cave or hill
To and from
Ahead or back
Reg and pro
Duality meets
In every mix
Of harmony
And balance
Soul — spirit
Some call it
The divine
Moment now.

“Ma Sa Papa” — hearts long for peace

From “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” by Charlie Mackesy

“I’m so small,” said the mole. “Yes,” said the boy. “But you make a huge difference.”

“What do you think is the biggest waste of time?” “Comparing yourself to others,” said the mole.

“One of our greatest freedoms is how we react to things.”

“When have you been at your strongest?” asked the boy. “When I have dared to show my weakness.”

“Sometimes I worry you’ll all realize I’m ordinary,” said the boy. “Love doesn’t need you to be extraordinary,” said the mole.

From “Big Panda and Tiny Dragon” by James Norbury

“I wish this moment could last forever,” said Tiny Dragon. “This moment is all there is,” said Big Panda.

“We’re lost again,” said Big Panda. “When I’m lost,” said Tiny Dragon, “I find it helps to go back to the beginning and try to remember why I started.”

“What are you thinking about?” asked Tiny Dragon. “Nothing.” said Big Panda. “It’s wonderful.”

“When you light a lantern for someone else, you cannot help but light up your own path.”

(pp. 45, 83, 95, 111)

Luck dragon surfing on a beam of light from above

Family life
All absorbing
Helping one another
Letting go of ego self
Some individuality
When collectively
Being together
Getting along
With growth
Unfoldment
And renewal
Of generations
Checking in
And — out
And in again
Cycles churn
Our lives
As family
Of friends
And blood
So sweet
At times
Or — not
I choose
Conscious
Somewhat
And with love
Alone at times
Then again together.

“कुम्भक Kumbhaka” — between in and out, out and in — for M-A

Shared love and commitment create sweet family life

“The word family… means something different to everyone. While one person may define family as the relatives who share their home, another may consider family to include extended relatives residing near and far. Still, someone else views their beloved circle of friends or their pets as family. Families are vastly different, but they all function under one single premise: shared love and commitment.”

— The Meaning of Family by Kristin McCarthy, M. Ed. on Love to Know

“Doesn’t it look beautiful?” — asked a humble family cook in the end