Cat, Candle and Coffee

Early one morning during a time of meditation/prayer I sat in my favorite chair, which I realize, is far too comfortable for proper meditative posture not to mention the traditional prayerful kneeling pose. In the past I have fallen asleep on my knees just as easily as in my favorite chair, thus I opted for the sitting position, which was less presumptuous, as if I could manipulate God by my pious posturing. 

At any rate I sat with my cup of coffee in my right hand, our softly purring orange tabby, named appropriately, “Marmalade”, draped across the left arm of the chair as I stroked his neck and back and stared into the flickering candle on the table in front of me. I realize that there is no meaningful way to express fully how it felt to experience the sense of presence I was melting into like the warmth of hot fudge flowing slowly over the cold of the ice cream, or the coolness of my heart for that matter.

And yet the ‘presence’ was not external to me. It flowed up and through and out of every cell of my being. This was not some ecstatic religious peak experience that lasts for a moment and then just dissipates as you return to your normal unconsciousness. Rather than a ’stage’ experience that lasts for a while and then morphs into a different stage, this feels more like a ’state’ of being that is a way of experiencing life in every moment of now.

Awakening is not just a stage experience that one achieves through rigorous religious or spiritual practice although those things are helpful for many things. Rather it is more a state of almost constant consciousness. A consciousness of all the little things that comprise what we call our life, all of which is of no small significance. 

It is in the simple acceptance of all that arises moment to moment with joy, with each and every breath, both the good and the bad. It is the simple flicker of a single candle. It is the soft purr of peaceable contentment at each loving stroke of the hand across the striped fur. It is the soft sleepy snore of a loving wife in the bedroom. It is the quiet of the early morn. And in that silence I heard a still small voice.

How does dualistic thinking turn us into accusers?

Until we can experience the reconciling of the seeming opposites and the mass of contradictions that we are, we will continue to live a split life and we will inevitably be accusers. The negative energy inside of us has to go somewhere.  You will tend to hate another race, reject another religion, or fear another country. You have to.  I am not saying you might.  If you are a split person, I’m saying with 100% certitude you will be an accuser, you will be a blamer, you will be a fearer, and you will be a hater. You have to be, because that negative energy doesn’t know where else to go.  When you don’t recognize a negative spirit within yourself, and when you don’t allow God to reveal and heal it within you, you will always and inevitably hate it elsewhere.   We will have no new politics or no new church with this attitude. We will not have a new worldview as long as people live inside the dualistic mind, because we will always be accusers of others.  Remember the very word “satan” literally means the accuser.  The constant satanic impulse is to try to change others instead of changing ourselves. Adapted from A New Way of Seeing, A New Way of Being: Jesus and Paul (CD)

Breath

My contribution to "One Deep Breath" Haiku blog:


there is just one breath

cosmologically speaking

do you know of it?


the earth knows of it

the green and yellow of it

blazed across land and sky


Sun pulses its breath

gives its life to all freely

do we not love it?

Amatively Speaking

The word is: Amative

If it is a falling
in love it was most amatively
a thing later to be regretted
since such preoccupation
of body and soul taxes...
body and soul.

Thus a falling it was
one night when the moonlight
etched its verse across
your mind leaving a mark
on your heart, indecipherable
script...soul words.

Words read when mouth
gently touches a mouth
and becomes a thunderous
shout in the brain, boundaries
given new meaning in
synapses mis-firing.

RonRusso

Sweet Dirt

My contribution to the haiku poetry blog




Oh, the earth, dirt, mud


Amazing taste on young lips


How it made us spit!

Comments?....

(Click on image to see full size)


hehe : )

Anyone relate to this?

Rumi

Rumi.

I can always count on mr Rumi to come up with the most esoteric, pithy little statements that take one to another level altogether.

"Let the waters settle
you will see stars and moon
mirrored in your Being."
Rumi

Here's another favorite of mine...Lao Tzu

Emptiness here is the same as Emptiness there.

The space behind your mind is the same as the space behind mine.

What sees out my eyes, sees out yours.

Walk outside, breath the air

Walk outside and remember.

The Tao is an empty vessel; it is used, but never filled.

Lao Tzu

On Writing

"We transition from the clean page to the dizzying rush of word
upon word to the saying said and the calm point that comes
after the spirit has manifested itself in language. The paper
holds the words; they are secure and steady there. We become
steady as well. For the time being, mystery has unveiled
itself."

"To write spiritually is to engage in a search for authentic
language. You’ll find your truth by writing your way to it."

Patrice Vecchione

the revelation

He thought he saw it!
It was that fleeting moment
of revelatory bliss
when the universe opened
in his mind and he saw,
perhaps for the first time
the beauty of being one.

She was he in her form.
another expression in the sublime
union of all.
When she saw it, it became so clear.
No separation. No distance. No time.
Looking into his eyes she saw herself.

He was her in his form.
Thus expanding the horizon to….
to the infinite intimacy
ablaze in his brain.
The fire of compassion
thus lit cannot be extinguished
since it is the nature of being.

She, one with he
saw them all standing there
in the street and they marveled in wonder
as all space collapsed into itself
till all that was left
was the warm glow of
emptiness.

© 2007 by Ron Russo the revelation

Separation....

In Christian circles we say that sin separates us from God. The concept of sin is, at its root, the forgetting of who you really are. When you remember that you are indeed, one with God and of necessity everyone else, then you do not do those things that we love to categorize with terms such as ‘sin’. Our forgetfulness separates us. One of our many illusions.

“Nothing can separate us from the love of God…”

One Hand Clapping....

This in response to a discussion about the extinction of species while sitting in meditation this morning:

Classic query: What is the sound of one hand clapping?
My response: There is no hand, there is no clapping,
there is no sound.

Query: What is the sound of one species demise?
It is the thunderous sound of one tear
crashing to the ground.
It is the tear of all form and its joy.
Form arises for a season.
Its mortification sure.

Save what can be saved. Weep for the moment.
That is what we do. Rejoice in the emptiness
of all form. Form is the illusion
that arises to make emptiness seem real.
Is there no thing?
Is there something?
Yes.

ee cummings....

Another of my favorite poets once again.


i like my body when it is with your
body. It is so quite new a thing.
Muscles better and nerves more.
i like your body. i like what it does,
i like its hows. i like to feel the spine
of your body and its bones, and the trembling
-firm-smooth ness and which i will
again and again and again
kiss, i like kissing this and that of you,
i like, slowly stroking the, shocking fuzz
of your electric fur, and what-is-it comes
over parting flesh . . . . And eyes big love-crumbs,

and possibly i like the thrill

of under me you so quite new

ee cummings....

viva

somewhere i have never traveled, gladly beyond
any experience, your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look easily will unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skillfully, mysteriously) her first rose

or if your wish be to close me, i and
my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility: whose texture
compels me with the colour of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens; only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands

Think For Yourself

"Once in a while it really hits people
that they don't have to experience the world
in the way they have been told to."
– Alan Keightley
"I think the reward for conformity is that everyone likes you
except yourself."
– Rita Mae Brown

Thomas Paine

This one hits close to home….me, mister nice guy. Is it ok sometimes to sacrifice total honesty in an effort to be kind?
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest."
Thomas Paine, philosopher and writer (1737-1809)

--
Remember who you are and be that!

the revelation....

He thought he saw it!

It was that fleeting moment

of revelatory bliss

when the universe opened

in his mind and he saw,

perhaps for the first time

the beauty of being

one.

She was he in her form.

another expression in the sublime

union of all.

When she saw it, it became

so clear. No separation.

No distance. No time.

Looking into his eyes she saw

herself.

He was her in his form.

Thus expanding the horizon

to….to the infinite intimacy

ablaze in his brain.

The fire of compassion thus lit

cannot be extinguished

since it is the nature of

being.

She, one with he

saw them all standing there

in the street and they

marveled in wonder as space

collapsed into itself till

all that was left was

the warm glow of

emptiness.

ronrusso

Compassion....

“Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded.
It’s a relationship between equals.
Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others.
Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.”

–Pema Chodron

Changes....

Sometimes we tire of that which seemed thoughtful
in the moment of our time together
sometimes we look at things differently
in the time of our remembering
about who we really are at this time
So the perspective (it’s always about perspective)
changes, like day follows night
or is it night and day
….perspective

rerun….reborn

Guilt....

“When guilt rears its ugly head confront it, discuss it and let it go. The past is over. It is time to ask what can we do right, not what did we do wrong. Forgive yourself and move on.”

–Bernie S. Siegel

“I have made it a rule of my life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy . . . you can’t build on it; it’s only good for wallowing in.”

– Katherine Mansfield

“If we don’t forgive ourselves for our mistakes, and others for the wounds they have inflicted upon us, we end up crippled with guilt. And the soul cannot grow under a blanket of guilt, because guilt is isolating, while growth is a gradual process of reconnection to ourselves, to other people, and to a larger whole.”

– Joan Borysenko

“Light burdens borne far become heavy.”

– French proverb

Field of Need....

In the fields of her need

deep voices sang

of flower dust

“Ah, me,”
the sun grows!

RonRusso

Rumi....

Another quick quote from Rumi while I try to get moved into our new house. (The irony is not lost on me). Been a little busy lately….

There is none dwelling in the house but God.
When a man is awakened he melts and perishes.
Jalaluddin Rumi

Goldfinches....

Some goldfinches were having a melodious argument
at the edge of a puddle. The birds wanted to bathe, or
perhaps just to dip their heads and look at themselves,
and they were having trouble with who should be
first, and so on. So they discussed it while I stood in
the distance, listening. Perhaps in Tibet, in the old
holy places, they also have such fragile bells. Or are
these birds really just that, bells come to us—come to
this road in America—let us bow our heads and
remember now how we used to do it, say a prayer.
Meanwhile the birds bathe and splash and have a
good time. Then they fly off, their dark wings open—
ing from their bright, yellow bodies; their tiny feet,
all washed, clasping the air.

by Mary Oliver from Owls and Other Fantasies: Poems and Essays
© Beacon Press. Reprinted with permission.

Back home....

We're back home! Jen's sleeping on the couch after returning from the surgical center. Still under the influence I'd say! (Anesthesia and waking up at 4:30 am).
We stopped at Wendy's and brought home lunch for us both. (She hadn't eaten since last night).
Anyway, she's doing fine. The cartilage in the knee repaired and even some arthritis was cleaned up, though that will return probably in time. All in all the doc said all went well and she should feel a lot better after recovery and therapy.
We are thankful. To God and all of you.
In another post I'll tell how I had to fork out a ton of money out of pocket unexpectedly for the surgery I assumed was covered by Blue Cross & Blue Shield. Yeah, right! In the meantime here's a news item I found on the net a while ago....

Buying the pharma

Last year's Medicare drug benefit bill was a pork-filled giveaway for pharmaceutical companies and for insurers unable to compete with Medicare on a level playing field. (Not so coincidentally, seniors were recently hit with the largest Medicare premium increase ever). Now, investigators have found that, before the drug bill passed, then-Medicare head Tom Scully - who already had one foot in the revolving door to become a big-bucks health care lobbyist - threatened to fire Medicare's chief actuary if he told Congress how much the bill would really cost.
Learn more....

Jennifer's surgery....

A quick update: My wife Jennifer undergoes surgery on her left knee as we speak to fix torn cartilage. Supposedly not a biggie, but you never know. They will have to put her completely under because of acid reflux and the risk of asperation (fluid backing up and getting in her lungs). Normally they just do a pain block to her knee. I will go back to pick her up later about 10:30 this morning.
Thanks for your prayers, although by the time you read this it will be over. However, the recovery might be a little difficult. Fill you in later.
Ron

Musings....

Why is it that no matter what color of bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?

Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?

Why is it that no plastic garbage bag will open from the end you first try?

How do those dead bugs get into those closed light fixtures?

Considering all the lint you get in your dryer, if you kept drying your clothes would they eventually just disappear?

Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?

Is it true that the only difference between a yard sale and a trash pickup is how close to the road the stuff is placed?

In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?

If at first you don't succeed, shouldn't you try doing it like your wife told you to do it?

The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends ... if they're okay, then it's you.

Conspiracy of Cordiality....

What we call “church”
is too often a gathering of strangers who see the church as yet another “helping institution” to gratify further their individual desires. One of the reasons some church members are so mean-spirited with their pastor, particularly when the pastor urges them to look at God, is that they feel deceived by such pastoral invitations to look beyond themselves.
They have come to church for “strokes,” to have their personal needs met. What we call church is often a conspiracy of cordiality. Pastors learn to pacify rather than preach to their Ananiases and Sapphiras. We say we do it out of “love.” Usually, we do it as a means of keeping everyone as distant from everyone else as possible. You don’t get into my life and I will not get into yours.

Choosing between friendly religiosity and the hard-won peace of Golgotha

Source: "Resident Aliens" by Stanley Hauerwas.

Harry Truman....

"There is nothing more foolish than to think that war can be stopped by war.
You don't prevent anything by war except peace". Harry Truman.

Ponder this....

Here is a paragraph to ponder. Something to meditate upon. Don’t try to figure it out intellectually. Just mull it over a while. Let it roll around on your tongue like a fine wine. If you can’t understand it after a while, that’s okay. Just put it on the back burner and let it simmer. The day will come when it will hit you like a ton of bricks and you won’t feel trapped anymore.

People typically feel trapped by life, trapped by the universe, because they imagine that they are actually in the universe and therefore the universe can squish them like a bug.
This is not true.
You are not in the universe; the universe is in you.

From ‘One Taste’, pg 448, Ken Wilber

Goody goody?....

It's got nothing to do with being a perfect, goody-goody, selfless, sacrificing, spiritual saint.
Blagh! Some of those things are not bad it's just that
that whole characterization was meant for a different audience at a different time,
and they really had issues.

It's got everything to do with being yourself,
trusting the magic,
following your heart,
dreaming big,
and having fun.

Jib Jab....

I know most of you may have already seen this, but it was so funny I had to pass it along for those who have not seen it.
here's the link to JibJab
Have fun!
Ron