Photos: A few images from my Autumn walk
I popped out for 30mins today to try and shoot the sunset. I just missed it but there was still enough light to shoot some reflections on mystic lake..
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10-17-09 Latest on Elizabeth Clare Prophet Pioneering Spiritual Leader
On October 15, 2009, renowned author and pioneering spiritual Elizabeth Clare Prophet died. See http://www.TSL.org
The Summit Lighthouse was founded in 1958 by Elizabeth Clare Prophet's late husband, Mark L. Prophet. Upon his passing in 1973, Mrs. Prophet took the helm of the organization, shepherding decades of tremendous growth.
A world renowned spiritual leader and author, she is recognized for her prolific writings and leaves behind a tremendous body of work.
Today, many of the more than 100 books she and Mark produced are available in a total of 29 languages and sold in 40 countries around the world, including such spiritual classics as The Lost Years of Jesus, The Human Aura and Reincarnation: The Missing Link in Christianity. “Elizabeth Clare Prophet was a spiritual pioneer whose message of a profound and practical pathway to God transcended mainstream religion and presaged the advent of modern spirituality,” says Summit Lighthouse President Valerie McBride. “Her message of liberation through the individual’s personal walk with God continues to inspire many in their quest for self-realization.” Mrs. Prophet was a modern-day mystic, a writer, a lecturer and a spiritual teacher. She taught that practical spirituality could provide tools to surmount not only the challenges of daily life but world problems as well. Through her Summit University Forum series, Mrs. Prophet welcomed world leaders in politics, economics, health and finance to discuss the issues of the day. As one of the most widely known female religious leaders of her time, Mrs. Prophet made numerous media appearances on radio and television, including Nightline, Sonya Live, Phil Donahue and Larry King Live.In 1971, reflecting her devotion to children, Mrs. Prophet founded Montessori International, which was open to the public. In 1973, she founded Summit University, a college of religion, science and culture, and in 1975, Summit University Press to publish and spread her writings around the globe.
During the 1970s and 1980s, she led pilgrimages and lecture tours across the United States and nations around the world including India, the Philippines, Canada, Australia, establishing religious centers on almost every continent.
Now in its 51st year, The Summit Lighthouse continues to grow with local groups established in over 250 cities worldwide. See http://www.TSL.org The Summit Lighthouse carries on the Prophets’ core message of developing an intimate relationship with God through practical spirituality and the wisdom of the world’s major religions, East and West. Says McBride, “It is a mission that we continue in the hope of blessing and uplifting millions with her message of soul liberation. We are honored to build on the legacy that she and Mark Prophet established.”Read Press Release (PDF)
Balance is the path
Being that the theme of this blog is balance, I'll spend a moment or two really defining what balance means to me.
Balance, as defined by "one woman", is a constant shift between two opposite feelings or emotions, and a constance embrace of those very two opposite feelings or emotions to attain that "balance".
The yin yang sign is a natural winner in terms of a visual. So simplistic. One circle, half black and half white, with a flexible s-shaped dividing line between them. Within each half is a very small circle of the color of the opposite half. Nothing I can think of can describe balance better than this. The yin yang, so publicized in the American culture, has to some degree lost it's depth and it's meaning, and has joined the ranks of the cliche. But at it's core, we simply need to think about this and "move into" the visual rather than just looking at it and moving on. When we "move into" the visual and feel it's meaning, we see that the idea of "balance" is directly related to the idea of "embrace".
From my viewpoint, we, as humans, are clusters of uniquely imbalanced emotional systems that live in harmony/disharmony with one another. For whatever reason, genetic or conditioning, we are imbalanced in precise and exact ways that are as unique to us as are our fingerprints. My guess is that the goal is to become balanced emotional systems, and to go beyond that as, well. When we do, our lives change.
We do not have to be pefect for these changes to take place; we simply need to see the "balance" between two opposites on a particular issue in our lives, and that issue slowly heals as we work on that balance. It's a process; each issue only heals itself when we stand between and within the opposites and embrace them both.
I posted last week about the balance between what we really have versus what we really want. Let's call those two emotions "the spiritual" and "the material". We must find our own unique balance, but it must be an intentional space we attain, as opposed to "just the way we are". So, I embrace the idea of seeing the spiritual beauty in our lives each and every day, but not just living in that space and ignoring our material side. I embrace the idea of enjoying our material desires each and every day, but not just living in that space, either, and being run by it. Both sides have it's advantages and it's disadvantages. The goal is to slip back and forth between the opposites, embrace them both, and find our unique way.
Remember, thought, that the spiritual or the material sides are simply "feelings", or subpersonalities. The goal is also to know that we are not either of those emotions. We are not really the black or the white in the yin yang. We are not really emotions or feelings, at all. Any emotion or feeling...we are not. I am not actually the emotion that wants a new kitchen and bigger bank account; that is simply an emotion, and I am glad it's a part of me; I embrace it and make room for it every day. I am also not actually the emotional that sees the miraculous around us, and in my son. That, too, as beautiful as it is, is simply an emotion, too, and I am glad it's a part of me; I embrace it and make room for it every day.
My guess is, that in our truest form, in our unprogrammed born form, we are actually of the S-curved space that forms between the black and white in the yin yang. That invisible space that does exist between two polar opposites, but few notice it or pay it any attention. It does not matter what set of opposite emotions we put on the left or right side of that space, that space is a constant and it does not change. That, I believe, is our truest form. That, I believe, is the space of The Totally Other and is where we are from.
"Balance is the path."
Please note that this is original content and I am the author and copyright holder. This is original intellectual property belonging to onewomansthoughts.posterous.com. Use of copyright protected material without permission is illegal under copyright laws.
Without direction, the mind goes to what it doesn't have
It seems to me that the mind is insatiable. It's focus goes to what it doesn't have.
Think about that one for a moment or two and you'll discover how true it is. Both the wealthy and the poor can be unhappy. Weath is not a guarantee of happiness or inner peace, or of seeing life clearly. It's true that the wealthy have more financial freedom and less financial worries. The rich have more objects and more quality as well, but the "happiness" benchmark goes higher and the material focus of the mind goes higher. It levels the playing field; when it comes to being materially happy, the wealthy and the poor are both not getting their needs met. We all share a mind that hyper-focuses on what's missing, not on what we have. One must have that new car, or the next size up house, or that vacation. More needed please. It feels good, but it's fleeting. Soon after, the mind is looking for the next object to bring you to a high, and also to a low. Things and abundance of materials are great, no denying that. But knowing that isn't enough. The mind needs loving and gentle direction and understanding to stay focused on the truest prizes we have. If not, mankind will waste precious time from allocated lifespan feeling like happiness is out of ones reach. The financially poorer amongst us will feel like the wealthy have happiness but that they themselves have been left out. The financially priviledged will think they have achieved what happiness is, but their object happiness will still be fleeting, and they too will not find the deep bliss they deserve.
WE ARE BLESSED. The planet is magnificent and amazing. The oceans are incredible, as is the sound of the sea and the feel of the breeze. The grass and the trees and the flowers, with endless varieties and colors and textures and aromas are delightful. The mountains, and rivers and streams, and the seasons, and the crispy bronze autumn leaves are all magical. Lying in bed in the dark and in the quiet on this autumn night, I listen to the sound of nothingness and I hear it's incredible beauty. Then my focus goes to my child. I took him to bed and we read and while I was still lying next to him, his small hand took mine right before he fell asleep, and it cupped in my palm. I felt the beauty of it, and heard him breathing. As he sleeps, I feel the emotional warmth of him, and his bed, and his sheets and blankets and toys and his room and I know that I've been Blessed. Ahh...my focus is right on track now...I've slipped into the space where I can really see how good life is and what I really have. I'm not worrying about what's missing...the vacation, the leaves that need raking and bagging, the much needed landscaping, the kitchen that needs redoing, the bank account that should be growing faster, the business, and the bills, and the health of loved ones. All this leaves me while I watch my son sleeping in the dark because the sound of his breath and the feel of his hand cause me to "see".
Blessings are everywhere and are experiential. We are alive, and safe in a good country, we miraculously have moving body parts, and a heart that beats, and a soul that feels. We feel love. We are all different...with different thoughts, and lifestyles, and skin colors, and cultures, and foods...and this is remarkable and lovely beyond words. As my child dreams sweetly, I thank our Creator that I am here in this very moment, and I am thankful for the insight to notice the perfection of it. To grasp it all and to drink in the calm beauty. I am thankful that I am here alive, to see my son become and to change, and to see the cumulation of his molecules assemble and reassemble as he grows. I am lucky to know this child, to guide this child, and to be alive to watch over him. And I pray that God keeps this child well and healthy and that he grows up and thrives. I pray to be here to watch and enjoy each and every miraculous moment. And I feel enveloped in Bliss. The Bliss that is Ours...all of ours.
Do the bills need to be paid and are vacations sometimes nice? Of course. Will my leaves outside be racked and bagged? Yes. Do I still have worries about the business, and the bank account and the health of loved ones? Yes. Do I still want my kitchen redone? It would be nice. But so many times during the day I come back to that magical place where I "see" again, and I know that these needs are simply desires, but not my true bliss. Each and every one of us has some form of this bliss available right now. All of us. With loving direction and practice and consistency, the mind can go to WHAT IT DOES INDEED HAVE and life can be a majestic experience...every day...for all.
"Balance is the path."
Please note that this is original content and I am the author and copyright holder. This is original intellectual property belonging to onewomansthoughts.posterous.com. Use of copyright protected material without permission is illegal under copyright laws.
My First Post
Hi everyone. I'm one woman. One of my favorite things to do is to simply think about things, and to examine, to learn, and to deepen my understanding and compassion. A work in progress that is hardly finished. I like to think about lots of things: politics, spirituality, the psychological makeup of mankind, and about the importance of being silly and playful no matter our age is. So much goes through my mind, but it escapes me and then it's a lost thought, wandering aimlessly out in the ethers. So, I'm setting forth to just write my thoughts down now and again, and if someone finds my blog and wants to respond to me, it would be great. That's all for now... (:
