tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86586721839185255512024-03-13T05:20:13.111-07:00Open Your WingsMichael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-87187390762388045092013-11-04T10:51:00.000-08:002013-11-04T10:51:28.122-08:00Getting High<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKL-X1pywSCZS0RElVsJ9XDuQ7KyFV3SUR8EEhLfCVvM9Nm54BmNorj8-Xn65NLrzM37KDX4y6_7rxH3Jy3m8eh1q65oICWOaw4tNaKuywEScH8QbJ0gQi2gWB9k4gn1PG6Zj21mBtzFhr/s1600/rumi_banda1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502414028059337842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKL-X1pywSCZS0RElVsJ9XDuQ7KyFV3SUR8EEhLfCVvM9Nm54BmNorj8-Xn65NLrzM37KDX4y6_7rxH3Jy3m8eh1q65oICWOaw4tNaKuywEScH8QbJ0gQi2gWB9k4gn1PG6Zj21mBtzFhr/s400/rumi_banda1.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 183px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 220px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">He learned to read the ancient Persian language.</span><br />
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Why?<br />
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As a teenager, he and his friends had heard that if you read the poetry of Rumi in the original language that it lifted you into ecstatic states.<br />
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He said it worked.<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">From Another Culture</span></span><br />
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He was from Pakistan. He was a co-worker of mine who ran the shipping department at a place where I worked many years ago in San Francisco.<br />
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He was trained as a lawyer in his country, but his father had a falling out with the government which ended up ruining the careers -- and safety -- of the rest of the family. For that reason, he immigrated to the US.<br />
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Reading Rumi in the original ancient Persian made these boys high -- but in a safer way than drugs. My Pakistani friend believed that the wonderful feelings people were seeking through drugs was a natural desire for higher states of awareness. But drugs were the wrong way to go about it.<br />
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That all made sense to me. I had <a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/08/drunk-from-book.html">similar experiences</a> with the written words of my Eckankar Discourses and the Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad. The discourses, especially, are said to be written with a secret, internal rhythm that unfolds the spiritual consciousness.<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Some Strange Attraction</span></span><br />
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At that time, I didn't know much about the 13th century Persian poet, Jalaluddin Rumi. I had read a little about him in Paul Twitchell's landmark book, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Tiger's Fang</span>.<br />
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After my co-workers story, I had a better clue as to why Rumi was the most popular and most read poet in America. However, it wasn't that way until recently.<br />
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Until the 1980's his poetry had few English translations, and they were poor at that. Then Coleman Barks, a literature professor from Georgia, starting publishing wonderful English translations of Rumi's poetry.<br />
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For centuries, people in other cultures around the world have known of and loved Rumi --- he's just new to us in America. In modern times, his tomb in what is Turkey today is one of the most popular pilgrimage attractions the world over. Rumi is beloved by Muslims, Hindu, Buddhists, and Christians, just as Rumi himself embraced all religions.<br />
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Rumi didn't just sit down to compose his poems as one might expect. More often, a disciple would follow Rumi around to capture on paper what rolled off his tongue from the incredible, visionary states he lived in.<br />
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Then, again, Rumi wasn't always that way.<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Spark That Ignites</span></span><br />
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Following in the footsteps of his father, Rumi was an orthodox religious leader. He taught law at the university. By most accounts he was a rather dry, stodgy, book-worm.<br />
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But then he met someone. Rumi's son Sultan Walad wrote:<br />
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After meeting Shams, my father danced all day and sang all night. He had been a scholar -- he became a poet. He had been an ascetic -- he became drunk with love.<br />
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It was Shams of Tabriz, a renegade dervish of strange and unnerving powers, who accousted Rumi one day on the road.<span style="color: #000066;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #000066;">With this one simple question -- and with the piercing gaze of Shams' eyes -- Rumi's entire view of reality changed.<br /><br />The question was merely an excuse. Shams' imparting of an inner awakening is what shattered Rumi's world.<br /><br />The truths and assumptions upon which Rumi based his whole life crumbled. . . . replacing Rumi's book-learned knowledge (and his lofty regard for such knowledge) with divine knowledge and the direct experience of God.<br /><br />. . . after Shams' question, Rumi looked at Shams with utter amazement, realizing that this was no ordinary dervish, but the Beloved himself in human form. From that moment on, Rumi's life was never again the same.<br /><br />Shams catalyzed a profound experience for Rumi that transformed him from a dry academic to a mystic drunk with God. Shams enabled Rumi to encounter the divine reality that Rumi yearned for but until then had only known second-hand.<br /><br />. . . the two men were inseparable; they spent hours a day together, sometimes isolating themselves for long periods to pray and fast in divine communion with God.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #000066;">Rumi was totally lost in this new found love that his master revealed, and all his great attainments were blossoming through that love. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #330000; font-size: x-small;">Excerpts from </span><span style="color: #330000; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;">'Rumi: In the Arms of the Beloved'</span><span style="color: #330000; font-size: x-small;"> by Jonathan Star.</span></blockquote>
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I love this story revealing the catalyst behind Rumi's poetry. Can there be any doubt that Shams was the Living ECK Master of those times?<br />
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While Coleman Barks, and others, have labored to give us a taste of what Rumi expressed in free verse, there is so much more that we are missing.<br />
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I heard Coleman Barks marvel about the amazing rhyming and alliteration in Rumi's poems, which make the sound of the language that is so musical in itself, rival the expansive meanings of the poems. He further regretted the play on words and double meanings that made Rumi's poems so remarkable -- and so impossible to translate in kind. Then there is that mysterious underlying potency that my Pakistani co-worker experienced when he got as close as possible to the authentic expression. What of that?<br />
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Yet we love it still.<br />
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In spite of the obstacles of language and translations . . .<br />
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<span style="color: #000099;">Rumi's poetry has the magical ability to show us this truth and to unlock love's precious secrets.</span> <span style="color: #000099;">Within the folds of his words we gain entrance to a hidden chamber; we hear whispers that are ancient, yet intimate; we behold the endless love story between the individual soul and God.</span> <span style="color: #000099;">Like looking into a polished mirror, or like being in the presence of a holy being, reading Rumi's poetry shows us ourselves and our state, but more than that, it shows us the boundless glory of what we can become.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #330000; font-size: x-small;">Beautifully presented by Jonathan Star in </span><span style="color: #330000; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;">'Rumi: In the Arms of the Beloved'</span><span style="color: #330000;"><br /></span><br />
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Thanks to my Pakistani friend, I looked for Rumi. And since, I've found other sacred writing that seems to allow the Hand of God to reach out between the lines to touch me.<br />
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I encourage you to try what I and my Pakistani friend have explored:<br />
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Find the most sacred writing you can: the Christian Bible, Rumi, Stranger By the River, etc. Read it outloud, but don't worry about the intellectual meaning so much. Just relax. Let the sound of the words work their magic on you. Let the words be the key to secret worlds within yourself.</blockquote>
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Let the words take you where they came from to begin with.<br />
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Get high that way.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Since we live where</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">everything is music --</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">--- Everything is dancing.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">~ Jalaluddin Al Din Rumi</span></blockquote>
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Read slowly and concentrate on what you are reading. Let your spirit and the spirit of the author commune, and you will then sense what is between the lines—those great things which words cannot express. —Theron Q. Dumont, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604590513?ie=UTF8&tag=experimecom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1604590513"><i>The Power of Concentration</i></a><img alt="" border="0" class="blntvfdaephfhvrtakvh" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=experimecom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1604590513" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Do you know someone who might enjoy this?<br />Please share with the links below.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Drunk From a Book</span>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-82352515254265153642010-08-21T17:53:00.000-07:002010-08-31T11:30:40.996-07:00Wake Up Calls<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8REVD0zUNwGoo4vQk2YK2Bbnp0lk9rBNWtyudO7j0bSAUp3OBjmNvfZNV05TOueO7B0p_cSLNZXMieRsaTOj8eXUT398AcL4LCzDP2k423ERug6PUpdLhlSdk_lppveoC0cT2cpuW0LoP/s1600/wake+up+1.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8REVD0zUNwGoo4vQk2YK2Bbnp0lk9rBNWtyudO7j0bSAUp3OBjmNvfZNV05TOueO7B0p_cSLNZXMieRsaTOj8eXUT398AcL4LCzDP2k423ERug6PUpdLhlSdk_lppveoC0cT2cpuW0LoP/s400/wake+up+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503141626744040962" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Have you</span><br />had a spiritual experience?<br /><br /><br />How did it change your life?<br /><br />Often, people will come to an Eckankar meeting seeking explanations or answers about their spiritual experiences. Where else can you go when your priest or minister doesn't know?<br /><br />Sometimes it's not all love and wonder.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Chicks Can't Get<br />Back in the Egg</span><br /><br />One fellow I met laid down for a nap on a Saturday afternoon. He expected only rest and recovery after a tough week. Instead, he found himself up on the ceiling looking back down on his body.<br /><br />In that higher state, it was plainly aware to him that he was not just a human body. Rather, he was an occupant of that body. He was a Soul.<br /><br />A lot of other things were just as obvious to him, such as the meaning of life and why he was on earth.<br /><br />Just as suddenly, it was all over. He tried to talk himself out of it as just his imagination. However, it was just too real.<br /><br />Oh, he'd heard of such things before. But he paid them no mind. Religion and such was the farthest things from his mind.<br /><br />In fact, he was very happy with his life. He went to work, came home, popped open a beer or two. Ate in front of the TV. Went to bed early looking forward to doing it all over again the next day.<br /><br />"I wish it had never happened to me," he said.<br /><br />"I know there is much more to life -- and I can no longer be satisfied with just my beer and TV. I wish I could go back."<br /><br />What was he to do now?<br /><br />I didn't know what to say to him. At least I could understand what he was saying.<br /><br />At the time, I was one of those people in Eckankar who were trying to have just that experience that this fellow had. And here this guy had it, and wished he didn't.<br /><br />A little bit more, I started to respect these powerful things I was asking for.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Repercussions</span><br /><br />Another fellow had a past life experience.<br /><br />It was made plain to him that what we find in our lives today is often because of what we did in previous lives. In other words, we deserved what we got.<br /><br />This kind gentleman with graying temples was clearly distraught by this realization. He tried to forget it, but he couldn't.<br /><br />Often referred to as <span style="font-style: italic;">karma</span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>, this cause and effect dynamic we encounter in the human state means, in part, there are no victims. No accidents.<br /><br />And it was affecting his work. He was a judge.<br /><br />"I have to pronounce a man guilty. But what if the so-called victim deserved what he got based on his behavior in a past life."<br /><br />What had been simple and clear cut was no longer so simple and clear. This judge was struggling to reconcile his role within the greater context of karma and reincarnation. How to live rightly with a larger view of life?<br /><br />Again, I didn't know what to say. I just listened. The Inner Master would have to help him. I was out of my depth.<br /><blockquote>* * * * *</blockquote>Like a kind hand jostling my shoulder, something was waking me up to appreciate the awesome responsibility of spiritual realization.<br /><br />Could I handle it when it's my turn?<br /><br /><br /><br />Related Posts<br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/08/meeting-master.html">Peek A Boo!</a><br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/whats-better-than-faith.html">What's Better Than Faith?</a><br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/chicken-eagle.html">Scratching In the Dirt</a>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-63294024123378932392010-08-11T12:39:00.000-07:002010-08-14T20:38:46.741-07:00Drunk From A Book<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlh-f49TpIMZhMx_SCcknjXBh2qmGU3ESw9_GIwstozn7P5tydwHVb3aGVL5AP0LUJNwFqe1vZrPmLFKnhLwzzjoaY28ShPCxRCs0WwMUckltNuTPxAOodxJNwrpbi-H0jcyt8A02iH7B/s1600/drunk+twoD.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlh-f49TpIMZhMx_SCcknjXBh2qmGU3ESw9_GIwstozn7P5tydwHVb3aGVL5AP0LUJNwFqe1vZrPmLFKnhLwzzjoaY28ShPCxRCs0WwMUckltNuTPxAOodxJNwrpbi-H0jcyt8A02iH7B/s400/drunk+twoD.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502382555427582610" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Something<br />got me interested in reading spiritual books</span><span style="font-size:130%;">.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It had to be the set of tarot cards I asked to get for Christmas.<br />I was 14 years old.<br /><br />If you have a set of tarot cards, then you need to learn to use them. So, I went to the library and got some books on the topic. Nothing much came of the tarot -- but I was introduced to a whole new shelf in the library. Next to the tarot card books were volumes on all kinds of strange things: prophecy, astrology, dreams, meditation, etc. So I read all that was there.<br /><br />Having exhausted my local library's section, I only found myself hungry for more.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Striking It Rich</span></span><br /><br />Luckily, I lived in Virginia Beach, the home of the Edgar Cayce Foundation. There was a big building down near the ocean beach that included a library full of books on all things psychic, religious and spiritual. On my first visit I felt like I had struck it rich.<br /><br />On Saturday's, I'd ask my Dad to drive me down to the Edgar Cayce place. He would drop me off and come back for me a few hours later.<br /><br />In my T-shirt, knee-worn jeans and tennis shoes without socks, I'd sneak upstairs into the library. Thankfully, most people paid me no mind as I wandered in and out of the shelves.<br /><br />In time, I'd come in and pile the books I was returning onto the front desk. Then if old Mrs. Gillespe was there, I'd get a little smile. She was ancient looking, full of wrinkles. The knuckles of her hands were huge, swollen with arthritis. But so nice to me.<br /><br />"Well, what will it be this time, young man?"<br /><br />"Oh, I'm tired of reading about Buddhism. Now I'm curious about Vedanta. And I want to read about hypnotism and astral projection, too."<br /><br />Like a prospector searching for gold, I'd flip through one book after another, on the trail of the mother lode. I had to watch the clock carefully so my Dad didn't have to wait for me downstairs in the parking lot. The time just seemed to fly.<br /><br />I remember seeing those Eckankar books on the bottom shelf over hear the window. It was the <span style="font-style: italic;">Ancient Science of Soul Travel</span> in those days. But I had tried astral projection (an entire two times) and since that didn't work, I went on past the Eckankar books.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Key to Secret Worlds</span></span><br /><br />Looking back, I can see a major turning point happened a week before Christmas of 1975. I was in a shopping mall with my Mom and two younger sisters.<br /><br />Because I had strict instructions not to buy anything, I was just loitering in the mall. Impatiently, I paced back and forth waiting for my mother's shopping to be finished.<br /><br />From my pacing spot, I could see into the opening for Walden's Books. A book cover even caught my eye. Oddly, it seemed to glow. It said, <span style="font-style: italic;">ECKANKAR - The Key to Secret Worlds</span>. Right there in the middle of the mall, I just had to have that book!<br /><br />Only later did I wonder how I could have possibly seen that book so far away on the <span style="font-style: italic;">back wall</span> of the store.<br /><br />The clerk said, "With tax, that's $2.03."<br /><br />But I only had two dollars in my wallet.<br /><br />"You'll need three more cents," she said.<br /><br />I had to have that book. Since necessity is the mother of invention, I suddenly got more creative than ever. I tried a few excuses and deals, yet I just ended up begging and pleading until the clerk let me have the book in exchange for my two dollars. Yep, I was a 15 year old baby.<br /><br />I tried to hide the book in the back of my pants underneath my coat. Yet, mothers seem to have radar vision, and I was found out. I can't remember the punishment I received for breaking her rule --- fortunately, the book wasn't taken away from me.<br /><br />That book blew me away. It seemed to condense, explain and put into perspective all the other books I had ever read on spiritual topics.<br /><br />But more than that, I had the distinct feeling that I had found it. Whatever it was I was trying to get to, I had finally <span style="font-style: italic;">gotten there</span>. It felt very, very good.<br /><br />I read that book from the mall over and over again -- each time trying to grasp the key to the secret worlds. I couldn't quite figure it out. Then, I remembered those other Eckankar books at the Edgar Cayce Foundation. Maybe they could help.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Better Than Beer</span></span><br /><br />One of those books happened to be the <span style="font-style: italic;">Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad</span>, the Eckankar bible. Even though I read all the books on Eckankar from the library at least twice -- the <span style="font-style: italic;">Shariyat</span> was the one I read over and over and over again.<br /><br />This may surprise you.<br /><br />The <span style="font-style: italic;">Shariyat</span> is not an easy read. It's like . . . uh, like a bible. I prefer stories and down to earth kinds of things. That metaphorical, abstract, philosophical kind of stuff wasn't my cup of tea. In fact, it was way over my head.<br /><br />So why did I read it over and over again?<br /><br />It made me drunk.<br /><br />I've never really ever been drunk, for real. However, after school when the guys would invite me out into the woods to drink some beer that an older brother had bought for them, I always declined. I only hoped their beer made them feel half as good as that <span style="font-style: italic;">Shariyat</span> book did for me. I had to rush home to read that book some more. It's all I thought about all day.<br /><br />If I read those words on the page, after a few paragraphs I started to feel real relaxed. A few more paragraphs and I'd get a little woozy and nice and warm all over. I would sit on my bed leaning up against the headboard, and let this blissful feeling melt me away. Everything in life made sense, without even trying. Oh, it was wonderful.<br /><br />Today, I call it a feeling of love. At that age, I'd never experienced anything like it.<br /><br />I had no idea what I was reading. I understood practically nothing of the words. But I didn't care in the least. If I just kept reading, that wonderful feeling would continue until I got so relaxed that I couldn't hold my eyes open any longer.<br /><br />I'd wake up again after about 15 minutes, pick up the book and go at it again. I did that until suppertime most days. It was hard to get my homework done with that book tempting me.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Secret, Internal Rhythm</span></span><br /><br />It took me years to have any success at what I hoped from my narrow understanding of Soul Travel. If anything, I just wanted to Soul Travel away and never come back -- but it doesn't work that way.<br /><br />However, whatever it was about that <span style="font-style: italic;">Shariyat</span> book -- I wanted it. Greedily, I wanted lots more of it.<br /><br />So I joined Eckankar.<br /><br />Then I got the ECK discourses in the mail each month. They had a similar effect on me. I remember one of them made me cry.<br /><br />I had read that the ECK discourses are written with a secret, internal rhythm that gradually unfolds your consciousness in a very precise and orderly manner. I could only suppose that's what I was feeling.<br /><br />That's what Eckankar has always been to me. Not knowledge or beliefs. Not even dreams or Soul Travel. I don't even care if I understand any of it.<br /><br />Eckankar, to me, is that stuff that came out of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Shariyat </span>and the ECK Discourses.<br /><br />Thankfully, I can drink of it still.<br /><br /><br />How have spiritual writings helped your spiritual awakening?<br />What are your most powerful spiritual books?<br /><br /><br />Related Posts<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/michael-mom-said-dont-you-remember-your.html">Who Were Those Mean Men?</a><br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/first-time-with-sound-current-2.html">I Couldn't Hear It</a><br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/08/there-was-something-about-paul.html">There Was Something About Paul Twitchell</a></span>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-74300743071889155932010-08-10T13:26:00.000-07:002010-08-13T14:10:58.600-07:00Mountain Climber<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3b3QjkazoGmtAvcN8AtRT-1CG26zX-lLnIGl6EWaN01zW_PnC4jFW2qoSnsa8xR75mIbwnfypqPQVQEjFB89t94zmz_ebIzgv6Vkfv8uhBWYqVBcYB2Wbcx1mB7gmSdWrdL3U92aCGAC/s1600/majestic+mountin.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3b3QjkazoGmtAvcN8AtRT-1CG26zX-lLnIGl6EWaN01zW_PnC4jFW2qoSnsa8xR75mIbwnfypqPQVQEjFB89t94zmz_ebIzgv6Vkfv8uhBWYqVBcYB2Wbcx1mB7gmSdWrdL3U92aCGAC/s400/majestic+mountin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502403994756043618" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >I called out to him, "Harold, wait for me!"</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />As I broke out of the trees, Harold was getting further away, stepping briskly from rock to rock.<br /><br />"Harold, wait for me!"I shouted as loud as I could. "I'm coming. I'm coming!"<br /><br />But he didn't stop. So I just ran all that much faster, scrambling over the rocks, desperately trying to catch up to the Master.<br /><br />My continued shouting brought no response.<br /><blockquote>* * * * * *</blockquote>Strangely enough, just moments before I had been in Chris' living room. The ECK Satsang class was drawing to a close. We typically ended by singing the HU for a minute or two.<br /><br />I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Then I softly sang "Huuuu . . . " with the other four members of the class.<br /><blockquote>* * * * * *<br /></blockquote>Suddenly, I found myself in a wooded area. I could see the light streaming through the trees from an open area ahead of me. I started walking that way.<br /><br />Chris' living room was no longer within reach -- like something barely forgotten, like a word just on the tip of my tongue.<br /><br />As I got closer I could see a rocky streambed where the trees ended. To my surprise, I saw Harold Klemp, the Living ECK Master, making his way along the stream.<br /><br />"Harold, wait for me!"I shouted. "I'm coming."<br /><br />Only after I caught up to him did he stop and turn to face me. We were now standing at the base of a huge mountain. It was a near-vertical wall of rock that ascended into obscurity beyond the clouds.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Is that where he's going?</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">How far up does it go?</span><br /><br />He looked at me -- but with the most expressionless face I've ever seen. There was no greeting. No response at all.<br /><br />A bit disconcerted by the silence, I stammered, "I . . . um . . . I want to go with you."<br /><br />He just looked at me. That's all.<br /><br />Today, the look on that face is my definition of <span style="font-style: italic;">inscrutable</span>. Could I go with him? Did I say something wrong? There wasn't an iota of feedback on his face.<br /><br />Shifting my feet and wiping my sweaty palms on my pants, I didn't know what to do but stand there. And wait.<br /><br />Finally, he said, "The way I go is very long."<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Long!</span><br /><br />I looked up at that rock wall and then I looked down the way the stream traveled. Maybe if I followed the stream, I could get wherever I needed to go just as quickly.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Nah, so it's a little bit longer. No big deal.</span><br /><br />"That's okay," I replied. "I'd like to go with you."<br /><br />Again, only that inscrutable face. Why didn't he say something? I couldn't make out even the slightest smile or frown. Did he want me to go or not?<br /><br />So, I just waited. I felt naked, sort of like in a spotlight. Somehow, I stood my ground.<br /><br />Eventually, he spoke again. "The way I go is very long and very hard."<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Hard!</span><br /><br />Long and Hard? Uh, oh. That didn't sound good at all. I could handle a bit longer. But harder too! I'm sort of allergic to hard work. The prospect of following that stream was looking much better all the time.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Eh, what's a little hard work. Okay, suck it up.</span><br /><br />"That's okay," I replied. "I'd like to go with you."<br /><br />Again, that blank face. Was he trying to discourage me? Was my request out of line? I couldn't tell.<br /><br />I was pretty uncomfortable with him looking at me that way. But I waited.<br /><br />"The way I go is very long and very hard and very painful," he finally said.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Pain!</span><br /><br />Well, that does it. Maybe I could handle a little sweat and extra time, but pain? Why put up with that? It couldn't possibly be painful following that stream instead.<br /><br />When that pain idea finally stopped bouncing around inside my head, I swallowed hard and unclenched my jaw. I was scared, but I could still see what I wanted.<br /><br />"That's okay," I replied. "I'd still like to go with you."<br /><br />Not a flicker on his face. I couldn't read him at all. I worried about what he must be thinking of me.<br /><br />Again, it seemed like a long wait before he said anything out of that deadpan face.<br /><br />"The way I go is very long, very hard, very painful, and I cannot guarantee you any success."<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >All for nothing?</span><br /><br /></span>No way, José! Who in their right mind would do that? Why waste all that time and effort if nothing is to come of it? There has <span style="font-style: italic;">GOT</span> to be a better way.<br /><br />The rattling pots and pans inside my head finally quieted down. On one hand I had long, hard, pain for maybe nothing. But then on the other hand, I could go with the Master. Which would it be? I surprised myself.<br /><br />"That's okay," I replied. "I'd just really like to go with you."<br /><br />No response. But I was getting the hang of this. So I waited. If he was trying to discourage me, it wasn't going to work.<br /><br />"The way I go is very long, very hard, very painful. I cannot guarantee you any success, and you are likely to die."<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Die!</span><br /><br />That one hit like a punch in the gut.<br /><br />Oh, no. Not good. Not good at all. But after I got my proverbial breath back, it still didn't matter. Come what may, I was going. By this time, I was convinced nothing outweighed the chance to go with the Master. Without wasting a moment more, I responded.<br /><br />"I don't care about all that. I just really, really want to go with you!"<br /><br />Without the slightest twitch of an eyelash, he just turned away from me and started climbing up that wall of rock.<br /><br />I wouldn't of had a clue about how to proceed on my own, so I carefully watched where he placed his hands and feet. I mimicked his moves exactly, right behind him.<br /><br />He never looked back. It was up to me to follow as far as I could.<br /><br />There was nowhere else I'd rather have been.<br /><br />* * * * * *<br /><br />"May the blessing be," spoke the class leader, signaling the end of the HU chant.<br /><br />I opened my eyes, not quite sure whether I was relieved to be on the ground in Chris' living room or disappointed that I wasn't up there hanging on for dear life with the Master.<br /><br />It seemed I had been gone for an hour, but everyone else acted as if it had been only a minute or two.<br /><br />Regardless, I returned a different person. I knew something I didn't know before.<br /><br />I was going. No matter what.<br /><br /><br /><br />Related Posts<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/08/buttered-toast.html">Buttered Toast</a><br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/08/meeting-master.html">Peek A Boo!</a><br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/michael-mom-said-dont-you-remember-your.html">Who Were Those Mean Men?</a></span>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-26353965504793403942010-08-09T07:39:00.000-07:002010-08-14T17:09:03.679-07:00Beyond Perfect<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqiUrYZlSvogj_BI9sTRbR-jx_O9qJ67RniyV0JIIpwzzmx7H2vn5MhND9S3BP6g9FHh7-Ni-5k3XiC9PbKBSpTyArofq0_hktzjzfrw5xq4HoIAv3OkAMBMKCnkNdQJg3f_o9Rfg64jJ7/s1600/girl-singing-300x199.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqiUrYZlSvogj_BI9sTRbR-jx_O9qJ67RniyV0JIIpwzzmx7H2vn5MhND9S3BP6g9FHh7-Ni-5k3XiC9PbKBSpTyArofq0_hktzjzfrw5xq4HoIAv3OkAMBMKCnkNdQJg3f_o9Rfg64jJ7/s320/girl-singing-300x199.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501963910097452706" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Am I good enough<br />to do these things<br />out in the world?</span><br /><br /><br /><br />Too often I hold back because I'm not 'good enough' in some way. Whatever ruler I'm using, I just don't measure up.<br /><br />So what can an ordinary, less-than-perfect person, such as myself, bring to the world?<br /><blockquote> * * * * * * *</blockquote>My friend Rhonda learned something about this in music school. She was in a vocal literature class as a music major in college.<br /><br />The first assignment of the class was to get up and sing a song in front of the class. When the assignment was explained by the professor, her stomach got queasy. <span style="font-style: italic;">Sing in front of everybody! I can't sing — I'm not a vocal major!</span><br /><br />Rhonda — and likely every other non-voice major — dreaded what was to come.<br /><br />One of the very first students to sing for the class was a very polished performer. She was a vocal major who had obviously spent years studying and perfecting her craft. This singer got up and sang not just any song, but an art song.<br /><br />Every note was near perfection. No doubt she had worked on this song over years until it was truly polished -- honed to excellence by all technical standards.<br /><br /><blockquote>"I'm glad I didn't have to get up and sing after that beautiful performance," Rhonda commented. "But someone had to."<br /><br />"You could see the next singer literally trembling in front of the class. This young woman was a timid sort of person to start with, and she was a piano major, not a voice student. A soft spoken kind of person who usually sat in the back of the room, she was the last person who would want to call any attention to herself — much less sing in front of the class."</blockquote><blockquote>"But she had to do this. So she did.<br /><br />"It took her a minute to get her voice working. The whole class was still enough to hear a pin drop.</blockquote><blockquote>"What we heard was a very quiet voice that had a slightly squeaky quality to it. Not a beautiful sound by any means. I doubt she had had any vocal training at all. She had her hands clasped tightly in front of her, I suspect to keep them from shaking so much."<br /><br />"However, as rough and awkward as her performance was, one thing quickly became clear to everyone in the room: she loved this song."<br /><br />"As we listened, we could feel the love and presence that she brought to it. And I was moved. I was touched. It was so beautiful."<br /><br />"As I reached into my purse for a tissue I noticed that I wasn't the only one in the room that needed to wipe an eye."<br /><br />"When the song was finished, I sat there, a little breathless, and amazed at what I had experienced. The strange thing was that the first performance with the polished performer hadn't touched me in the least. The first singer was excellent, maybe even perfect, but I now realized something was missing. It had no heart. No love."</blockquote><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Instead of Perfection</span></span><br /><br />Rhonda made a few points for me after the story:<br /><br />► These days I'm moving away from worrying so much about the technical details of my performances and presentations and trying to just work on my state of consciousness before I go on stage.<br /><br />► I am not always excellent — in fact, sometimes my talks are a bit awkward and strange — not nearly as polished and professional as they used to be. But I think I'm bringing more of myself to the table, more presence, more love, and more trust that everything's going to work out just the way it needs to if I can just get out of the way.<br /><br />► I think it's important to do our best, but at the same time, I think that doing our best will never be perfect, and usually not even excellent, because it takes so many years to excel at any one thing.<br /><br />► Many of us are generalists and do not choose to go deep into one or two things. Our gift is that we bring a little of everything to the table.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">♥</span> But we can still do our best at that, and above all, do it with love and for love. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Then it is beyond excellent — it is an expression of love</span><span>. And that comes through</span>.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Secret Ingredient</span></span><br /><br />I read about someone who saw the great opera singer Pavarotti backstage before one of his performances. Pavarotti was saying to himself, outloud, "I love my audience. I love my audience. I love my audience."<br /><br />There are a lot of good singers. Perhaps Pavarotti brings something more to the audience that makes him great.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">God doesn't look at how much we do, but with how much love we do it.</span><br />--- Mother Teresa </blockquote><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Do you know someone who might enjoy this?</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Please share with the links below.</span><br /><br /></span></span><br />Related Articles<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/08/buttered-toast.html">Buttered Toast</a></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/chicken-eagle.html">Scratching In The Dirt</a></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/whats-better-than-faith.html">What's Better Than Faith?</a></span><br /><br />Related On The Web<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://thetalentcode.com/2010/07/22/why-being-terrible-is-kind-of-wonderful/">Why Being Terrible Is Kind Of Wonderful</a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><br /></span>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-58114902125049702152010-08-08T11:20:00.000-07:002010-08-08T11:56:02.331-07:00The World Speaks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.roerich.org/wwp.html"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidJmsLlnHxGRUpX6MYknRKJQ67uL5PdVxSlksvhNW01deIFjj3wljqNubCDvn3hEz-W3RcXhdEDxzpk4bvjQbPBbh_MARsK0EzPRgdPvcJtwN8GSg8fnsnbULRMGoskFtIPjtHaeWFXAB2/s400/echo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503108835127513138" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />A Parable<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">A father and son were hiking</span> in the high mountain passes.<br /><br />The views were vast with brightly lit, snow-capped peaks looking down on them. Far flung valleys stretched out below them. In the midst of such majestic scenery, the two wayfarers felt they were but a speck in the immensity of nature.<br /><br />There was hardly a sound except for the heavy breathing of the two hikers trudging up the steep incline until the young son twisted his ankle on a loose stone.<br /><br />"Ouch! That hurts!" blurted the boy.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ouch! That hurts!</span> imitated a voice in the distance.<br /><br />With a puzzled look on his face, the boy looked this way and that way.<br /><br />"Who is that?" he called out.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Who is that?</span> he heard in response.<br /><br />"Why won't you show yourself?" he demanded.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Why won't you show yourself?</span> came a reply from nowhere and seemingly everywhere.<br /><br />Not liking to be made fun of, the youngster became more flustered.<br /><br />"You coward!" he blasted.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You coward,</span> mirrored back an enormous voice.<br /><br />"I hate you" he screamed.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I hate you</span> was all that could be heard from every direction.<br /><br />Turning to his patient companion. "Who is it, Dad. And why is he hiding from me?"<br /><br />"Son, what you are hearing is your own voice, reflected back by the mountains. It's called an echo. This is the way with all of life. If you can learn this lesson, you can be free. Watch and listen.<br /><br />"You are great" shouted the father.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You are great,</span> boomed the echo.<br /><br />"You are invincible" he sang out.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You are invincible</span>, crooned the scenery around them.<br /><br />"I love you," called out the father.<br />As if the entire world was speaking, all the father and son could hear was:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >I love you. <span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">I love you.</span> <span style="color: rgb(192, 192, 192);">I love you . . . . . </span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">(Apologies to the author. I no longer have the source of this.)</span></span><br /><br />Related Posts<br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/chicken-eagle.html">Scratching In The Dirt</a><br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/08/buttered-toast.html">Buttered Toast</a>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-36497599980278353252010-08-08T09:42:00.000-07:002010-08-13T11:45:46.477-07:00Secrets of Life<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrzZRNLYEAEpMDeXPdPKwQtIlqN8EhksnQK-Pus65umRmavMAAKOvX9F5RZwESKy7pJVXAPh8QNWz92Q7tNNeMdHgcNqvIT2TsAJiu8rBbJuXOKONzG_xqglU_cELXRVLvuyF4MVMiEz6/s1600/whisper.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrzZRNLYEAEpMDeXPdPKwQtIlqN8EhksnQK-Pus65umRmavMAAKOvX9F5RZwESKy7pJVXAPh8QNWz92Q7tNNeMdHgcNqvIT2TsAJiu8rBbJuXOKONzG_xqglU_cELXRVLvuyF4MVMiEz6/s400/whisper.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502365963190069762" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Oh, is that</span><br />a famous Spiritual Master? </span><br /><br />Looking around at the plain, misty environment, Bob recognized that he was in a dream.<br /><br />The stocky, white-bearded fellow approaching him was familiar looking, but it had been awhile since Bob was fortunate enough to have been in the company of this great spiritual being.<br /><br />With anticipation building, Bob wondered what kind of experience he was in for this time.<br /><br />Without a word, the spiritual master stopped directly before him. Bob could see how smooth his brown skin was. Those eyes were just black pools.<br /><br />The master leaned forward, moving his head in closely over Bob's right shoulder. Then closer still, the Master whispered into Bob's ear.<br /><br />Oh, if I could only tell you what was said. It was a secret of life that Bob had sought for a long, long time.<br /><br />Bob was astounded. His insides swelled with a humbling gratitude. But by the time he could find words to thank this magnificent gentleman, he had already moved off. No doubt away on some vital business of God.<br /><br />Marveling at his good fortune, Bob noticed someone else walking his way from the distance.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Oh, my gosh!</span> he thought. <span style="font-style: italic;">Is that another Spiritual Master?</span><br /><br />Indeed, it was.<br /><br />This elderly Asian wiseman glided up close to Bob's side. There was the tiniest smile, and his eyes had a twinkle. Up on tippy-toes, this God-infused being leaned in and whispered into Bob's ear.<br /><br />Another great secret of life!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">If the world even had a clue!</span> Bob was flabbergasted. By time he looked down to thank the ancient-looking gentleman, he was gone.<br /><br />Bob could barely believe his great fortune. Two Master's visits. Two secret's of the universe . . . but wait.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Oh, no! What did the first Master say? Augh!</span><br /><br />In his excitement over the second Master's breathtaking disclosure, Bob had forgotten what the first Master had revealed.<br /><br />With his head hung down in disappointment, Bob didn't even notice a third Spiritual Master approaching until two boot-clad feet appeared in front of him. Looking up Bob saw yet another Spiritual Master that he recognized from pictures in a book he had at home.<br /><br />Dazzling blue eyes and a wide smile out of a square jaw were all that Bob ended up remembering. Stepping even closer, the bald head leaned in to Bob, and whispered in his ear.<br /><br />Another amazing secret of the cosmos!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The power! The freedom! Should mortal man be allowed to know this?</span><br /><br />Bob's mind reeled and rocked. Regaining some composure, he looked this way and that way, but the majestic being was gone.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">How can I ever thank him?</span> Bob wondered. <span style="font-style: italic;">Am I even worthy of such trust.</span><br /><br />He was overwhelmed by this great fortune. Three Master's visits. Three of the most precious secrets of . . . . but wait.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Oh, no! What did the second Master say? Awwww!</span><br /><br />Staggered by the third Master's revelation, Bob had forgotten what the second Master had divulged.<br /><br />Bob's gut clenched. The agony of having such a treasure within one's grasp, and then losing it.<br /><br />A glance down the street showed another familiar form strolling his way. It was his regular dream companion, Harold, who just happens to be the Living ECK Master.<br /><br />"What's up, Bob?" Harold asked. "You look a little upset."<br /><br />"Oh, Harold. I can't believe it -- but three Spiritual Masters visited me. Each one whispered a wondrous secret of life into my ear. But the terrible thing is that I've forgotten what the first two . . . . Oh, no! Darn it! Now, I've forgotten what all three told me! It's all gone. How will I ever know it again?"<br /><br />Harold chuckled a little.<br /><br />"Bob, you can quit your worrying," soothed Harold, while patting those slumped shoulders.<br /><br />"Just keep singing HU like I taught you. Then everything you heard -- and more -- will become a part of you. You won't have to remember it. You'll be living it."<br /><br />A good and light feeling perked Bob up. His worries evaporated.<br /><br />But that always happened when Harold was around.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-size:85%;" >(Based on a true experience)</span><br /><br /><br />Related Articles<br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/everyones-light-turned-white.html">Everyone's Light Turned White!</a><br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/08/buttered-toast.html">Buttered Toast</a><br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/chicken-eagle.html">Scratching In The Dirt</a>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-83779159339198161272010-08-01T17:51:00.000-07:002010-08-05T12:13:06.071-07:00There Was Something About Paul Twitchell<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcGZYOTxG0ewg_zhUXV_-bgMdui7VMEQEPaeWxe6TQcos8snESU3pLYV0Ls6YxJqtObsFrlqMbtoCTsT5bmO5W9cHGbcJsNxzwgt5RdK-nooQX2CA78tGBxgk18xmbXaxcXRMagZQ_Q0J/s1600/Paulji.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 246px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcGZYOTxG0ewg_zhUXV_-bgMdui7VMEQEPaeWxe6TQcos8snESU3pLYV0Ls6YxJqtObsFrlqMbtoCTsT5bmO5W9cHGbcJsNxzwgt5RdK-nooQX2CA78tGBxgk18xmbXaxcXRMagZQ_Q0J/s320/Paulji.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500634865117085330" border="0" /></a><br /><br />by Bob Hayes<br />Veracruz, Mexico<br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-size:78%;" >See concluding note<br />at the bottom<br />for source of this article.</span><br /><br /><br /><br />There was something about Paul Twitchell.<br /><br />Occasionally you hear people say that he was a fraud -- that he invented Eckankar wholesale out of his borrowings from other teachings, and so forth.<br /><br />I've never paid them a moment's mind. They had obviously never <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">met</span> Paul Twitchell.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Importance of an Ideal</span></span><br /><br />There's a letter in the first volume of <span style="font-style: italic;">Letters to Gail</span>, from December of 1962, very near the beginning of that strange courtship, in which Paul discusses with Gail the need for "an ideal or image by which to shape the inner life."<br /><br />He states emphatically that such an ideal is, "one of the basic principles of the ECK [spiritual] life . . . You can take any of the philosophers, mystics or even the life of the ECK Masters to live by, " he says. "Or you can take a single line of scripture, poetry, or music. One of these will make for you life, an image or a picture to live by inwardly."<br /><br />I first met Paul physically in the summer of 1970, at the first Eckankar Youth Conference in Chicago. I'd just turned 18. I saw him again at the 4th Eckankar World Wide in Las Vegas, and again at the Midwest Seminar in Chicago the following spring (1971). Three times in a year; the last year of his life.<br /><br />But it was also, in many ways, the <span style="font-style: italic;">first</span> year of my own life, for the images that I came away with in that short year have shaped the remainder of my life in decisive ways.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >A Completely Different</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Experience</span></span><br /><br />I first wrote Paul when I was 16, after having been guided to purchase a copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/My-Soul-Am-Free/dp/0881550035/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280710926&sr=8-1"><span style="font-style: italic;">In My Soul I Am Free</span></a> in a dream. In my letter I told him, with all the self-dramatizing high seriousness of adolescence, that I felt I had wasted enough of my life already and that I was henceforward putting my spiritual affairs in his hands. Where <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> came from, I still am at a loss to say. I received a booklist by way of reply.<br /><br />During the next two years, I ordered everything I could afford with my allowance, and kept it all locked in a drawer, not so much because I wanted to hide the material from anyone, but because of its sacred character.<br /><br />I'd already read a great deal of other paths -- Tibetan Buddhism and Vedanta, mostly -- and although I found many things in them that moved me deeply, I felt somehow that each of them was ultimately like a large house, with a foundation and a roof and walls: interesting to walk around in, but I couldn't see myself <span style="font-style: italic;">living</span> in any of them.<br /><br />Then I read Paul's writings for the first time. The experience was utterly different. Instead of feeling myself in some sort of human construction, I had the feeling of standing at night under a sky burning with stars. There was the same sense of infinitude and depth, the same awed feeling of ungraspable mystery, the same apparently chaotic spangling of insight across the face of the void.<br /><br />And I began having even more experiences with the ECK Masters in my dreams. I'd already been seeing Rebazar, long before I'd read a single book on ECK, but I'd assumed at first that he was Lobsang Rampa -- until I went to my first seminar and realized from the paintings of him there that he was indeed Paul's teacher, the same kind man who came and cloaked me in a blue light and went with me out the upstairs window at night.<br /><br />But the clincher was the image of Fubbi Quantz, who also began appearing in my dreams at this time. It's hard to describe the feeling of wonder that came over me when I discovered at my first seminar that two of the figures I had assumed were denizens of my own private inner world were actually the familiar and beloved teachers of many thousands of other people all over the world.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">An Irresistible Pull</span></span><br /><br />But at this point, I had still not yet me another ECKist [member of Eckankar]. Then one day I found an advertisement in Fate Magazine for an ECK seminar in Chicago, a youth conference. I began making plans. I knew my parents wouldn't let me go -- not because of any resistance to the ECK teachings -- but for common sense reasons, like lack of funds.<br /><br />I secretly sold off everything that remained of my suddenly outgrown childhood -- stamp collections and so forth -- and managed to scrape together $35. Then my poor parents unwittingly made the mistake of presenting me, on my 18th birthday, with a second-hand VW to be used for college, along with a gas company credit card. A couple of weeks later, I climbed out the window at 4:30 in the morning -- the same second-story window I was accustomed to use with Rebazar -- and headed for Chicago, a thousand miles away from where I was living in North Texas.<br /><br />I wasn't running away from anything -- I was running toward something much larger than me, something that drew me irresistibly. I couldn't believe I was doing it. I had always been a rather too-well-behaved A-student, and this was completely out of character. but I didn't allow myself to think about it. I drove.<br /><br />Like most other ECK chelas [students], I suppose I could write volumes about my experiences at the first seminar, my first contact with other ECK chelas -- there were only 120 people in attendance -- and my multiple contacts with Paul at that time, but I am going to limit myself here to a few words about Paul himself.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Real Message of ECK</span></span><br /><br />Up to the moment I first saw Paul Twitchell, most of what I knew about spirituality came from books. Humility, compassion, spiritual freedom, love and all the other divine qualities were merely words. But when I stood in Paul's presence, I suddenly realized that I had never really seen or experienced them until that moment.<br /><br />I had known mock-humility, and modesty, perhaps, but <span style="font-style: italic;">real</span> humility was something I could only vaguely imagine. Yet here it was, unmistakably -- the genuine article. I felt as if I'd spent my entire life indoors, seeing only paintings of the night sky, and then suddenly had been thrust out under the open sky on a clear summer night.<br /><br />It was remarkably similar to the feeling I'd had when reading his books. I somehow sensed then, and I still hold it true today, that the divine qualities which the Mahanta embodies are the real message of Eckankar: the Mahanta's presence is the only place I have ever had the experience of seeing those God-like qualities, infinite and deep as the night sky, made fully and completely manifest -- accessible, tangible, and poignantly human.<br /><br />His presence here is, for that reason, the promise of our own mastership, the promise that our highest goal and ideal of God-Realization is actually realizable.<br /><br />It ceases to be a mere idea or abstraction and becomes a reality in our lives, a <span style="font-style: italic;">real</span>-ization: a making-real of those very divine qualities in our lives. This realizing is a long and strenuous process, of course, but one which is impossible to achieve without a pattern, a plan, a blueprint, an image or ideal by which to shape the inner life.<br /><br />When I first met Paul Twitchell -- just watching him from a distance talking with people or walking through a room, hearing the tone of his voice, the qualities of his gaze -- I knew instinctively that I had found such a pattern.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Our Highest Possibilities Awakened</span></span><br /><br />But lets be clear about this: the ideal or image with which one imaginatively fuses is not that of the man. It is the image of those divine qualities which one is able to glimpse shining through him unobstructed by all in him that is merely human. To focus on the man is a bit like focusing on the window pane instead of on the starry firmament beyond it.<br /><br />I'll leave you with one concrete example. I spent a lot of time at that seminar simply standing near Paul while he shook hands with and greeted the people who clustered around him in the hallways and meeting rooms of the LaSalle Hotel.<br /><br />This meet-and-greet with the Master is known as the Darshan, and it is a profoundly important moment in the spiritual history of Soul. I had been shaken to my depths by it when I was first introduced to Paul, and I was interested to watch how others were handling the same event.<br /><br />I'd been watching another man do the same, a diminutive black man whose face shone with love for Paul as he watched others lining up to shake hands and exchange a few words with the Master. Paul noticed too, and, after talking for a while with several other people, he suddenly turned and greeted this man by kissing him on both cheeks.<br /><br />Now, remember that this incident took place in 1970, a few blocks away from the Cabrini-Green projects, a hotbed of racial strife in 1960s Chicago. Men just didn't kiss each other in those days -- much less a black man and a white man.<br /><br />This was just the sort of thing that would have blown his cover if Paul was in fact a fraud. Had it been anyone else, this gesture would almost certainly have smacked of the self-consciously theatrical or the grotesquely sentimental. But the marvel of it was that it did not.<br /><br />It was something so absolutely natural and genuine, so spontaneously right and appropriate, so unaffected and truly humble and at the same time full of a love whose larger-than-human majesty is really beyond my power to describe, that it took a few seconds for me to realize what had just witnessed.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Still Available Today</span></span><br /><br />I am struggling here to convey a particular feeling -- an atmosphere perhaps -- that I associated with Paul from the very first. There was something about him -- something that awakened in you the dim memory of your own highest possibilities. Something that fired the imagination with visions of worlds within worlds at the same time that it inspired tremendous confidence that the Divine was something well within reach -- closer than your breath, as near as your heartbeat.<br /><br />After Paul's passing, I felt that same night-sky feeling on one other memorable occasion: in 1981, at a World Wide Seminar in Los Angeles. I'd been haunted by something all day, unable to put my finger on what I was feeling, when suddenly, standing next to a bank of elevators in a large hotel, I knew what it was: it was Paul. It felt like the old days when he was still around. It was as if he were standing there next to me again, and my heart felt like it was going to explode if I didn't say something to someone quickly. I grabbed a fellow high initiate and told her excitedly that it felt like Paul was back. She looked at me oddly for a moment, then took me by the arm and led me away from other people in the hall.<br /><br />"The Rod of Power has just been passed," she whispered. "We have a new Living ECK Master."<br /><br />"Who?"<br /><br />"Harold Klemp. They'll announce it tonight."<br /><br />I'd gotten it wrong. It wasn't Paul that was back. It was the Mahanta. But I was even happier than if Paul had physically returned.<br /><br />The Mahanta Consciousness had fully embodied itself here again, in a new Living ECK Master. It was quite clear to me at that moment -- and it remains just as clear today -- that the same fire that burned in Paul Twitchell continues to burn in the current Mahanta.<br /><br />It was the first lesson I learned from Harold. And it has been my great good fortune that it was by no means the last.<br /><br /><blockquote>* * * * * *<br /><br /><br /></blockquote>I've saved this testimony in my files because I can relate to his experience. And it's so beautifully written. My own story is the same, but different.<br /><br />I also started with Eckankar when I was 15 years old -- and my initial experiences <span style="font-style: italic;">knocked my socks off</span> so-to-speak, as well.<br /><br />I loved this written piece so much I wanted to share it here. However, it is without the author's permission, since I don't know how to contact him. I just hope he doesn't mind.<br /><br />A few years ago, this personal story was read at an event on an anniversary of Paul's translation (death) that honored Paul's monumental efforts to make Eckankar available to us in our times. A few aged people spoke of their most outstanding memories from 40 years ago of Paul Twitchell. I loved every minute of it.<br /><br />And, of course, the experiences we like to share of Harold Klemp in our lives today are no less fascinating. In fact, I never tire of hearing them.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Related Posts<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/08/buttered-toast.html">Buttered Toast</a><br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/08/meeting-master.html">Meeting The Master</a><br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/everyones-light-turned-white.html">Everyone's Light Turned White!</a><br /></span>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-45464083644728779642010-08-01T12:00:00.000-07:002012-05-21T10:54:48.606-07:00Buttered Toast<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNr9eGynGg_uqp84KztKej3cJcHmNt4oQIXmJd4nZfXbMngCm-uyvXgnVLNrxzNuU_yR38csW9lIXloZiMzE7eWxOpn6Ss2Cdansjihlu3w5z-zVpj1-2Xv86FXM1Jy_CUIMIf9KZumNzu/s1600/buttered+toast+image.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500519352524170706" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNr9eGynGg_uqp84KztKej3cJcHmNt4oQIXmJd4nZfXbMngCm-uyvXgnVLNrxzNuU_yR38csW9lIXloZiMzE7eWxOpn6Ss2Cdansjihlu3w5z-zVpj1-2Xv86FXM1Jy_CUIMIf9KZumNzu/s320/buttered+toast+image.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 183px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 276px;" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;">"I picked flowers</span> from my garden to fill several vases for my home," explained Bea.<br />
<br />
"I was replacing previous bouquets that had to be thrown out days ago."<br />
<br />
She made sure she had plenty of flowers left over to share a few with her house guest. The elderly gentleman lived in a grandmother's apartment attached to her house.<br />
<br />
On this occasion, like others before that, Bea noticed something unusual: his flowers never seemed to wilt.<br />
<br />
She recognized the same flowers in his vase from her last cutting -- the exact same flowers with which she had decorated her home. Yet, Bea's flowers had aged to the point that they needed discarding.<br />
<br />
How was it that his flowers stayed so fresh and attractive for so long?<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Holy Man</span></span><br />
<br />
This house guest was no ordinary person. He was from India. He was a Hindu scholar, and considered by many in his home country to be a 'guru,' a spiritual teacher.<br />
<br />
In addition to being a well-regarded artist, Bea Burns was a professor of philosophy at the nearby university. When the university invited this Hindu professor to teach for a year, Bea offered her apartment. It was close to the university, and close so she could make his stay in this country a little easier.<br />
<br />
In ways she never expected, this was a highlight in Bea's life.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Secret Ingredient</span></span><br />
<br />
"Whenever I would visit with him in the apartment," Bea continued, "he would always offer me something to eat. It was important to him that he give me something, no matter how small."<br />
<br />
Of course Bea wasn't hungry, but she was a gracious guest. She would agree to "just a taste" of something.<br />
<br />
Invariably, the well-mannered and impeccable sage would toast her a piece of bread. On it he would carefully and patiently spread a little butter, then tenderly and delicately present it to her on a small plate.<br />
<br />
"The taste was nothing less than exquisite, " Bea marveled.<br />
<br />
"It was the best tasting food I have ever had," she insisted. "I have never before tasted toast, or any food for that matter, that had this kind of effect on me."<br />
<br />
Just a simple piece of toast.<br />
<br />
This made no sense to Bea. She made toast for her husband and herself every day. But it wasn't like this.<br />
<br />
She could see the package of bread on his kitchen counter. It was the exact same bread she had upstairs in her own kitchen. Likewise, with the butter. It was the same ordinary brand of butter she had always bought. The toaster, itself, was an old one that Bea had herself used for years before furnishing the apartment with it. The little plate was just as unremarkable.<br />
<br />
This kindly, pleasant man looked just as ordinary: regular western clothing, graying hair, glasses.<br />
<br />
Though they sometimes talked about deep thoughts of philosophy, that is not what Bea remembers so fondly.<br />
<br />
"On numerous occasions, I was gifted with this simple buttered toast," Bea said.<br />
"And I understood why the flowers stayed so fresh."<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Kindred Spirit</span></span><br />
<br />
Bea Burns was a remarkable woman, herself.<br />
<br />
She had survived not one, but two near-death experiences. One was from an airplane crash, the other on an operating table. She came back remembering what happened beyond the veil. The light, the love, the meaning underlying life on earth.<br />
<br />
One of her sons was overweight in his teenage years. His self-imposed liquid diet removed all the fat -- and opened his spiritual eye. Strangely enough, the family just happened to be vacationing in Virginia Beach, the home of the famous psychic Edgar Cayce.<br />
<br />
Word got around about the boy on the beach who could see colors around everybody. Hugh Lynn Cayce, who carried on his father's work, consulted with the family. He explained the boy's fat-loss diet was akin to fasting, a means historically used to release extraordinary perception. Taking an interest in the boy, Cayce became a long lasting friend of the family.<br />
<br />
Bea also was a close friend to the head of the North American Theosophical Society, another prominent group pursuing unorthodox spiritual interests.<br />
<br />
She came to the Tuesday night HU Chants in my rural county. Bea always had a different friend in tow to introduce to the HU.<br />
<br />
She lit up several churches, historical groups, civic organizations, and other things in the county. For example, that fellow now teaching Tai Chi in town --- because Bea encouraged him to do it. I think everyone in the county knew her.<br />
<br />
Yes, all the 'flowers' seemed to bloom in her presence.<br />
<br />
Bea never made me a piece of toast, but knowing her was exquisite, like nothing before or since.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="quotesource" style="font-style: italic;">
</div>
<blockquote style="font-style: italic;">
People of the golden heart are full of love and have the ability to give of themselves. They are the shining lights.</blockquote>
<div class="quotesource">
<span style="font-size: 78%;"></span></div>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-size: 78%;">—Harold Klemp, The Language of Soul</span></blockquote>
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<i><a href="http://www.eckbooks.org/items/The_Language_of_Soul-943-6.html" target="_blank"><br /></a></i><br />
Related Posts<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/08/beyond-perfect.html">Beyond Perfect</a><br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/08/there-was-something-about-paul.html">There Was Something About Paul Twitchell</a><br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/first-time-with-sound-current-2.html">I Couldn't Hear It</a><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/spare-no-effort.html"><br /></a></span>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-36157183896285677872010-08-01T09:35:00.000-07:002010-08-13T10:57:08.793-07:00Worth Everything<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gC_cFuoFikEx8IX-lpoBXAGX2DLcNUZqE8M_P9CoxjnUoa4VbpocVXGcAHl1Owau-rXgvvxQg312e2ga5SS7E5lhEly8V5CDP_DTzAJBqwbSkaLkyruN8HOsY8kKQqWd3mQUAOCacQf8/s1600/lighting-wallpaper.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gC_cFuoFikEx8IX-lpoBXAGX2DLcNUZqE8M_P9CoxjnUoa4VbpocVXGcAHl1Owau-rXgvvxQg312e2ga5SS7E5lhEly8V5CDP_DTzAJBqwbSkaLkyruN8HOsY8kKQqWd3mQUAOCacQf8/s320/lighting-wallpaper.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500560203028645538" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">The temple bell stops --</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">but the sound keeps coming out of the flowers.</span><br />-- Basho</blockquote><br /><br />"I took your book back to my daughter's house and started to read it. As I was reading, I knew it was the answer I had been seeking."<br /><br />I recognized her immediately. She had on that black coat and carried that little quiet dog.<br /><br />She had sat down next to me on the bench. In a very kind voice, she explained she had come back to thank me for the book.<br /><br />I jumped in to say, "You're welcome. No big deal."<br /><br />But there was more she wanted me to know, so I just got quiet and listened.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Kitchen Table Conversation</span><br /><br />"I am in town visiting my daughter," she began. "I live in Tennessee."<br /><br />I felt everything become still. That often happens if it's going to be one of those special moments.<br /><br />She explained that only a few days ago before she came out to visit her daughter, she was sitting at the kitchen table talking to God. "Please show me the way for me," she was asking.<br /><br />Going further, she expressed her unhappiness with the churches in her town. She has tried them all, but they did not have what she was truly looking for.<br /><br />"They are all such good people," she mentioned, "but something was missing for me, and I didn't know what to do about it."<br /><br />That's when a little tear leaked out of one of her eyes.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">A New Awareness</span></span><br /><br />As she was talking, something was happening inside of me. Something was expanding larger and larger. The overriding impression was that this moment was <span style="font-style: italic;">worth everything</span>.<br /><br />This powerful awareness was brand new to me.<br /><br />All the pains and troubles of living were worth it so that I could sit there with that lady. In that moment, I just knew that if I had been asked beforehand – and maybe I had – I would have gladly agreed to live this entire lifetime just for that moment, just so that I could be there with this woman on this day. It was that important. It was worth everything and anything.<br /><br />"And then I come here and find your book," she concluded. "I just know that what's in this book is what I have been looking for so long."<br /><br />I don't know how long I was expanded out like that. It could have been a few seconds or a few hours, I could not tell. Rationally, it must have just been a minute or two. Either way, I now knew what eternity really was.<br /><br />"This is my answer from God. I don't know how to thank you enough." With those last words, she stood up, smiled at me, then left in a slow, gentle pace.<br /><br />I never saw her again. And I don't know whatever happened with her spiritual life. Did she feel that expanded state just then, too?<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Free Book – Take One</span><br /><br />While in college, I often had the urge to share my religion with people who were interested.<br /><br />It is a natural kind of thing. When you receive greatly, you naturally want to return the gift in some way. Now I understand it as a spiritual law. In other words, everybody feels this way.<br /><br />I believe people who don't give just have not received yet. Maybe that takes opening their own hearts.<br /><br />I got so much from those Eckankar books, I just had to share them in some way.<br /><br />So how did such a shy kid do this?<br /><br />I would go to the local shopping mall and set up a card table. On the table I would pile little paperback books with a small, handmade sign that said, "Free Book -- Take One." The free book was an introductory one to Eckankar.<br /><br />Then I would simply sit nearby on one of the mall benches and do my homework.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >No Proselytizing Here</span><br /><br />Of course, I had permission from the management of the mall to do this. They saw no harm in it. They knew I wasn't going to accost anyone.<br /><br />In fact, I didn't want to talk to anyone. I was quite shy in those days. Besides, I had alot of homework to get done.<br /><br />Every now and then, someone would meander by. A few would pause at the little table, maybe flip through one of the books, then put it down and continue on.<br /><br />Sometimes people would take one, sometimes not. I didn't care either way. It's up to them what they want in their life. However, what was important to me was the opportunity to make it available. That's all I could really do.<br /><br />"May I have one of these books?"<br /><br />"If you would like to read it, please take one."<br /><br />I thought it odd that people would interrupt my studying to ask. The sign was large enough to easily read. Regardless, I would always reply the same way. Not much to it. Looking back, it was a nice connection with these people.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >She Caught My Eye<br /></span><br />One Saturday, this elderly lady wandered by the book table.<br /><br />I think I noticed her on the first pass because she was wearing a black coat in spite of it being spring time. I could understand that. Older folks circulation often wasn't what it used to be, so they can get chilly, especially in an air-conditioned building.<br /><br />Also, this lady carried a small dog in her arms, something like a chihuahua. The dog was very quiet, just peacefully riding along, cuddled in the crook of the woman's arm.<br /><br />I guessed I noticed her because she looked a little odd. But maybe there was another reason.<br /><br />A few minutes after her first pass by, she came by again. Real slow. Out of the corner of my eye I could see her focused on the free books. I wondered if she would take one.<br /><br />Finally, she spoke. "May I have one of these?"<br /><br />I gave the standard answer. Then she left with the book. There was no more to it than that.<br /><br />However, later that day she came back. It had been about three hours since I first saw her, and I was packing up the books.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Not About the Book</span><br /><br />When I was expanded out into that worth everything moment, I realized that it's not so much about the book. Oh, it's a great book. However, the lady asked of God, and the answer came. She knew in that moment -- this time for sure -- that God loved her. Is that not worth everything?<br /><br />I was completely unaware that something so important was happening.<br /><br />The big gift to me was God had her come back to tell me, so that I would know. That was God speaking to me, letting me know that I am loved, too. Also, that my inner compulsion to sit by a card table in the mall was no waste of time.<br /><br />I realized -- it became <span style="font-style: italic;">tangible</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">real</span> -- that all I want to do is be an instrument of God like this again. And again and again.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Rich Beyond Belief</span><br /><br />This was just my first time recognizing this "It's worth everything" kind of moment.<br /><br />Sometimes it happens when I am all by myself. Other times it is with someone else. Regardless, I distinctly know that no matter what I have been through, it was worth it. If nothing else ever comes of this lifetime, that single moment made it all worthwhile.<br /><br />That awareness is the whole thing. The point. The truth. Most often, I just cannot see it. Yet more and more, I find it there, quietly standing by my side. The simple knowingness that "this is worth everything." No price is too great to pay.<br /><br />It's not something to believe in. It must be real. Alive. It is a state of consciousness. A higher consciousness, perhaps.<br /><br />And that's worth everything.<br /><br />It's the same for you, right?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Related Articles<br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/everyones-light-turned-white.html">Everyone's Light Turned White</a><br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/its-amazing.html">It's Amazing</a>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-29730076182274799242010-08-01T07:42:00.000-07:002010-08-13T11:13:02.555-07:00Peek A Boo!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Tci1LUkYY1QIPtz13tgmp_FhJQj872VBVLBVQXwrC9CkrDFztaZIMzPDcImyILyFZ2PziN-s85G7mhM8S1huXuOytRf4CGcLV4buLiEvMJp4i5w6dniGa-YES9spMSOVPYodidjB8o2U/s1600/Haroldcoloreyes1_cr.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 132px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Tci1LUkYY1QIPtz13tgmp_FhJQj872VBVLBVQXwrC9CkrDFztaZIMzPDcImyILyFZ2PziN-s85G7mhM8S1huXuOytRf4CGcLV4buLiEvMJp4i5w6dniGa-YES9spMSOVPYodidjB8o2U/s200/Haroldcoloreyes1_cr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500476313131273682" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />"Michael," I heard Sarah's voice mildly ask after I finished chewing a few bites.<br /><br />"How are you, really?"<br /><br />When I looked up from my plate to her face, the eyes that were looking at me were not the same eyes that had been in that face telling jokes.<br /><br />This new pair of brown eyes looked not just at me, but into me, deep into somewhere I've never even looked myself. Eyes that came from somewhere out of this world.<br /><br />Suddenly, I felt my throat begin choking up. Quickly, I looked away. With my head down, I blinked fast and furious to prevent any tears from spilling out. I took a deep breath to try and keep my stomach inside of me.<br /><br />There was no mistaking it. I recognized those eyes instantly -- the eyes of Harold Klemp, the Living ECK Master.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Meeting the Master</span><br /><br />We were sitting at a restaurant table. My wife and I, and another couple. It was during the break at an Eckankar seminar.<br /><br />Up to this point, I was laughing so hard my gut hurt.<br /><br />While we waited for our food, the other woman, Sarah, was telling these bawdy jokes. They were so funny! The subject matter was not what I would have expected from a higher initiate of Eck. And, to tell you the truth, I was a little embarrassed by the content of the jokes. Yet, they were so hilarious.<br /><br />I can't remember ever laughing so hard.<br /><br />Then our plates of food came. We calmed down, and dug in. My wife started up a conversation with Sarah's husband, who was sitting across the table from her, about their music professions. They were both musicians.<br /><br />Sarah and I, sitting across from each other, were left to ourselves. I couldn't think of anything to talk about, and Sarah seemed busy with her meal.<br /><br />That's when I heard her voice ask, “How are you, really?”<br /><br />And I looked up into those brown eyes looking at me – or rather, <span style="font-style: italic;">into</span> me.<br /><br />With the look of those eyes, I felt powerful things inside. Often, I think people use the word 'love' to label these kinds of feelings. I don't know how to tell you what it was --- but it was good. Very good. All at once it was the most powerful experience of intimacy and understanding I've ever known. And while I craved what I felt like a man dying of thirst in the desert, I was terrified. And awed.<br /><br />Those eyes did something to me. But my body reacted involuntarily.<br /><br />Then, as soon as I regained some measure of control, I dared to peek up again, desparately embarrassed, but also desparately wanting to look into those eyes for just a moment more.<br /><br />Leaning over my plate, barely lifting my head enough to shift my eyes back to Sarah's face, all I saw was Sarah. Just Sarah's eyes.<br /><br />"Well," she grouched. "are you going to tell me how you're doing or not!"<br /><br />"I'm . . . I"m fine." I croaked out.<br /><br />I quickly shoved a forkful of food into my mouth to delay any need to talk further. I needed to get ahold of myself. Regardless, I was strangely quiet and, perhaps, rudely preoccupied for the rest of our meal together.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Personal Touch</span></span><br /><br />Later, after my mind settled down, I understood I got to meet the Master, again, at this seminar. It had never happened like this before, and never has since. But always, somehow or someway, I seemed to get a little personal attention from the Living Eck Master at these seminars.<br /><br />That's really the only reason I ever went to them anyway.<br /><br />With thousands of people at these Eck seminars, there is no way a single man can meet each attendee. But that's never been a problem because the inner side of the Master does not suffer from such limitations. Or so I discovered.<br /><br />In fact, the outer Master promises, "I am always with you."<br /><br />This experience got my attention and was a bit more dramatic than most other experiences with the Master. It helped wake me up to the more subtle experiences that happened below my radar.<br /><br />Even so, this explains for me the massive spiritual benefits in Eckankar. It's not the books, the ideas, the classes. It's the presence of the Master.<br /><br />If a book or a seminar -- or even a bawdy joke -- can open someone's heart even a tiny crack, maybe they can glimpse what has been waiting there all along.<br /><blockquote><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">So the Master pours his love upon the devotee to lift that Soul higher upon the path of God. It is as Jesus said, that those who came unto him would be lifted up</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">--- </span><span style="font-size:78%;">Paul Twitchell, Stranger By The River<br /></span></blockquote><br /><br />Related Posts<br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/michael-mom-said-dont-you-remember-your.html">Who Were Those Mean Men?</a><br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/chicken-eagle.html">Scratching In The Dirt</a>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-12057392603255139712010-07-30T20:48:00.000-07:002010-08-05T12:30:41.906-07:00They're Happy Because They Eat Lots of Butter!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.westonaprice.org/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 295px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1PFz9xjrmhKbCKxWfz5J9IqGJJipc_8xwuuK6MIvnQ0V-MZslinf_ExZIlSnQTk_xmHI_M_8erEA31Rt88SOZNso9sIKNMdnaQYCPhowMLLp5-nkAmh24LB3SBv46FwhkNST5tQjl34/s320/butter+family.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419636466517614306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><br /><br />They also eat plenty of eggs, seafood, cream, cheese, liver, meat, cod liver oil, raw milk, and other <span style="font-weight: bold;">nutrient-dense foods</span> that have nourished generations of healthy people worldwide.<br /><br /><br />Meet them at your local chapter<br />of the <a href="http://www.westonaprice.org/">Weston A. Price Foundation</a>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />There are plenty of ‘experts’ telling you what to eat. Yet, modern degenerative diseases are still on the rise.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Do you want PROOF?</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">What if you could find a group of people who were healthy and happy</span> -- generation after generation -- living their entire lives without tooth decay, heart disease, diabetes, mental illness, and such. Would you be curious about what they ate?</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />I mean an </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >entire village</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> where even the elderly had all their teeth with </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >NO</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" > cavaties</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> -- and </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >NONE had the modern degenerative diseases</span><span style="font-size:130%;">.</span><br /><br />Those healthy people were our ancestors -- as little as 100 years ago. But we've forgotten what true health looks like. And what they ate before modern foods.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Here's the proof</span>. It was meticulously recorded by Dr. Weston A. Price.</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> That and much more is on the </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.westonaprice.org/">Weston A. Price Foundation</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> website.</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> I hope you take a peek.</span><br /><br />You can shake hands with PROOF! Meet people restoring their health with real, traditional foods at your local chapter of the <a href="http://www.westonaprice.org/chapters/index.php">Weston A. Price Foundation</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">One of Many Examples</span></span><br /><br />When Weston Price visited the Torres Strait Islands north of Australia, he spoke to a doctor who had suspected only one case of cancer and operated on none among more than 4,000 natives eating their traditional diet, but had operated on dozens of whites eating diets of refined foods living in the same area.<p>It should be humbling to us that these natives did not have any of the money, research methods, or medical equipment that we have, yet were far more successful at protecting themselves against cancer and other degenerative diseases than we are. What they did have was traditional wisdom accumulated over the ages -- something to which our society offers little respect but nevertheless confirms over and over again with the tools of modern science.<br /></p><p>Those of us in the know can get ahead of the game by deferring to traditional wisdom here and now, and thus obtain protection from modern disease and support for longevity and vibrant health.</p><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >OVERVIEW</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Dr. Weston A. Price was a dentist in the 1930’s. Not just any dentist, but the Director of Research for 25 years of the American Dental Association. He wondered about the cause of cavities. But figuring it out was pretty tough since everybody had them. Finally, he realized he needed to look at people who did NOT have cavities to figure it out.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">But where to find them?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">It seems in the 1930’s travel was opening up all around the world, and travelers were coming into contact with isolated primitive peoples. The travelers always remarked about how beautiful their teeth were. That got Dr. Price’s attention.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">For a 10 year period of time, Dr. Price traveled to every isolated group of people — untainted by modern foods — that he could find to study them. He went to an isolated village in the Swiss Alps (the tiny footpath into the village inhibited the arrival of modern foods), as well as isolated parts of Scottish Islands, Peruvian mountains, Eskimos, African jungles, Australian aborigines, and South Sea Islands.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwc3QE2Lj8aUzOcw6pqecyt_1iD-B0r-Is5QLpXjBdRbkPtbdK0bAbduhwooGwMGA4q0kdd0yvz3fSsuQ9rM_dC5elEFKmGkQkKSX5tPM27Ct5-lK5MJvo6f3wOgaZGduzWNGhyUTDTo/s1600-h/IMAGE+-+Swiss+Girl.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwc3QE2Lj8aUzOcw6pqecyt_1iD-B0r-Is5QLpXjBdRbkPtbdK0bAbduhwooGwMGA4q0kdd0yvz3fSsuQ9rM_dC5elEFKmGkQkKSX5tPM27Ct5-lK5MJvo6f3wOgaZGduzWNGhyUTDTo/s200/IMAGE+-+Swiss+Girl.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336441897408285538" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Here’s the amazing part</span>:<br />in every case, ALL the people had perfectly straight teeth and no cavities. (They didn't use tooth brushes either.)</span> Even the elderly had beautiful teeth.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Another surprise</span>, none of them had tuberculosis (a big issue at that time), nor heart disease, nor diabetes, nor mental illness. None of the modern degenerative diseases. Dr. Price was struck by their positive attitudes and cheerful dispositions.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTMgnZyzxDSCy-pmNWCNlE7J54sLt8qinsXw0bszHSkbOvq5A5fAmwNg1aBTU5g2UI2KZ8I9Z4PgzU054LqDHINBFyhFygkN45QW-dGib4KCKybE9bbAgqJh22eIoaGIF9FEsAhbtrqY/s1600-h/IMAGE+-+Peru+Man.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 76px; height: 76px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTMgnZyzxDSCy-pmNWCNlE7J54sLt8qinsXw0bszHSkbOvq5A5fAmwNg1aBTU5g2UI2KZ8I9Z4PgzU054LqDHINBFyhFygkN45QW-dGib4KCKybE9bbAgqJh22eIoaGIF9FEsAhbtrqY/s320/IMAGE+-+Peru+Man.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336443700543471746" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">And when a family left the village to move into town where modern foods were available, the degenerative diseases appeared quickly. Several photos compare identical twins where one twin stayed home and ate the traditional foods, but the other twin was raised in town on modern foods. Their faces and their teeth looked so different.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXSz3KZvES9wUrNtzez4OMKImDR3TYkwobIrLJoaD0638O4vRtjtAl7VprOLj69cL0sfUktYLr_b3XMsrKR-cF8Vgm1yPrG_Uk126A0bpDHt0ZG9Q1C0qCfrbNU-6mmGocAvwMTmHyQQ/s1600-h/IMAGE+-+African.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 68px; height: 83px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXSz3KZvES9wUrNtzez4OMKImDR3TYkwobIrLJoaD0638O4vRtjtAl7VprOLj69cL0sfUktYLr_b3XMsrKR-cF8Vgm1yPrG_Uk126A0bpDHt0ZG9Q1C0qCfrbNU-6mmGocAvwMTmHyQQ/s200/IMAGE+-+African.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336442384913348578" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >So what did they eat?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">What they ate in each location was almost completely different. Their environments were completely different. The northern Eskimos ate mostly meat. How could that be? Aren't we supposed to eat alot of vegetables? The Swiss ate mostly dairy and grains. But dairy is bad for you, right? So far, still confusing?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">But . . . Dr. Price realized <span style="font-weight: bold;">ALL of their traditional diets shared the EXACT same principles</span>. Just 11 principles. He believed these principles were the reason for those peoples exceptional health. Dr. Price also wrote about the ‘miracle’ cures he made with these principles back home in Ohio.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Like a small cry in the wilderness, the </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.westonaprice.org/">Weston A. Price Foundation</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> is making the recent science verifying Dr. Price’s discoveries known to the public. Certainly, the research he did is impossible to replicate at this time. As well, the Foundation is trying to protect America’s food supply from corrupt agribusiness and pharmaceuticals.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Several — perhaps surprising —– principles to get you started:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >#1 All traditional diets highly valued saturated fat</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> — in a distinct contrast to today’s fears.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hence, the age-old, worldwide ‘traditional’ healthy habits of buttering bread, milk on cereal, gravey on meats, etc</span>. Without the fat, the food doesn’t help you as much.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">There is plenty of the most reputable science out there that verifies that saturated fats are important in </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >preventing</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> heart disease and in </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >losing</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> weight -- don't you wonder why that information is being hidden from you?</span><br /><br />You can meet many people curing their heart disease by heaping butter on their foods, lots of egg yolks and bacon -- just visit a local chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation.<br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />The saturated fats are necessary for many reasons, but especially the fat-soluble vitamins they contain. In fact, your body cannot take advantage of the other vitamins and minerals without them.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:georgia;">The traditional diets worldwide had 10 times the fat-soluble vitamins when compared to the American diet of Dr. Price’s day.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I’ve seen this on those wild animal shows on TV — a polar bear that killed a seal only ate the internal organs and the fat, leaving the lean meat behind. The biologists on the television show completely understood this! In contrast to our medical doctors who would probably tell you that the polar will get heart disease because of his poor eating habits!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Native Americans once did the same thing: in times of plenty, they kept the organ meats and fat, leaving the lean meat behind. In fact, eating lean meat was taboo. Eskimos never ate lean meat without dipping it in seal oil. And on and on.</span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8PDP-V10EjCzMeGfmunfZyuB0ZALyv-7680VXWLkxiGEEmHZXldddGhvYJxLcRsn-Po0HXw8CkRYDHgJeIiacX5YmXUAoVEgrgWEGZdL7zmJSQ0O47vl0g6UDdOMFYavRrI4baZo7ZzM/s1600-h/IMAGE+-+Eskimo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8PDP-V10EjCzMeGfmunfZyuB0ZALyv-7680VXWLkxiGEEmHZXldddGhvYJxLcRsn-Po0HXw8CkRYDHgJeIiacX5YmXUAoVEgrgWEGZdL7zmJSQ0O47vl0g6UDdOMFYavRrI4baZo7ZzM/s200/IMAGE+-+Eskimo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336452383731681250" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">But today, everyone is eating </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >lean</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> meat -- and heart disease is </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >still</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> the number one killer.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Why the fears of saturated fats today? You can read the history on the website. The greed and deception behind it all — at the expense of the American people — is amazing.</span><br /><br />[Note: Don't try this from your local grocery. The fats encouraged by WAPF are fats from healthy animals -- NOT factory-farmed sick animals and NOT highly-processed vegetable oils that predominate store shelves.]<br /><br />Read more at the <a href="http://www.westonaprice.org/">Weston A. Price Foundation</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >#2 Traditional diets never used grains or nuts without soaking or fermenting them</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">. Whether it was Africa, South America, Asia, or North America, they never just cooked and ate grains like we do today. Somehow they knew they wouldn’t be healthy if they did.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Modern science has revealed the phytic acid in grains, seeds and nuts that blocks mineral absorption — which is deactivated by soaking. In other words, all that whole wheat bread you’re eating is contributing to your mineral deficiencies.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Isn't that amazing? All around the world, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >all</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> of these isolated peoples knew to soak their grains before eating them.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Do you still have a great-grandmother? Ask her about this: the Quaker Oats box used to say ‘soak it overnight before cooking.’ In our hectic lives today, we’ve forgotten why and ignored this healthy habit.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Grains are largely responsible for the high cholesterol that so many people have. Is that new to you? Learn more from Dr. William Davis -- </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/">the Track Your Plaque guy</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> -- who has his patients reducing severely high cholesterol readings to normal in a matter of weeks, simply by eliminating wheat from their diet. He doesn't know why; it just works almost every time. Read more about how Dr. Davis is helping people reverse their heart diseases </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/">here</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >#3 Eating alot of fermented foods</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> is another principle. All around the world it was a significant part of the diet (of course, without refrigeration stuff starts to ferment fast!)<br /><br />Certainly, the probiotics are vital. Today we know a healthy intestinal flora protects us from powerful virus's and even mercury and other heavy metal poisoning.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Even so, fermentation works like magic on our foods. Example: when the Eskimos were asked about the fermented fish they ate ( yuck!). It was explained that when they fed their sled dogs fresh fish, they got tired in the afternoon. They noticed that when they fed the dogs fish that had gone rotten (fermented) after being buried in a hole, the dogs could run all day. The eskimos noticed that they were healthier from eating the fermented fish as well.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">This is your rationalization to drink alot of beer! But it has to be the real thing, not the pasturized, processed stuff.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:georgia;">Furthermore, the leavening (fermentation) process, unlike today’s quick yeast breads, makes the grains not only more digestible (think celiac disease) but actually multiplies the nutritional content. Even a white, refined flour </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >sourdough</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> (fermented) bread is can be better for you than a regular whole grain bread.<br /><br />Yes, the ancients probably also did this because food stores longer when fermented, just as leavened/sourdough bread lasts much longer without drying out than quick yeast breads.</span><br /><br />Learn more at the <a href="http://www.westonaprice.org/">Weston A. Price Foundation</a>.<br /><br /><a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikS7VAXJWYJQ4N9dGhfggyRpi_RCEw_usCrebPqw6MwG3DzJauJ3iFYvDKDR8EJFdEOPz52oeKhtHW1lyefPblO9FUGOj4t_qVyINB5TNpevIe5liqu-K82xL3S98X1QwMwfo2539h4Os/s1600-h/IMAGE+-+Amer.+Indian.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 124px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikS7VAXJWYJQ4N9dGhfggyRpi_RCEw_usCrebPqw6MwG3DzJauJ3iFYvDKDR8EJFdEOPz52oeKhtHW1lyefPblO9FUGOj4t_qVyINB5TNpevIe5liqu-K82xL3S98X1QwMwfo2539h4Os/s200/IMAGE+-+Amer.+Indian.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336442837231048946" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >A final tidbit: there were no vegetarians.</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> Look as hard as he could, Dr. Price could find no ‘traditional’ vegetarians. Those who had adopted it for religious reasons were not as healthy as their counterparts.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">The closest to being vegetarian were some of the South Sea Islanders. Most of their diet was non-meat — however, the people of one island risked their lives regularly to capture sharks to eat their livers. When asked why all the trouble, they explained they could not maintain their good health without it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Dr. Price concluded <span style="font-weight: bold;">it’s not about the meat, but rather the fat soluble vitamins</span>. Therefore, the common principle among the divergent worldwide traditional diets was not meat-eating, but rather the animal fat and fat-soluble vitamins. You can see how each culture applied the same principle in many different ways -- like eating insects -- but you can find a way that suits your life instead.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I wanted to get you started — if you made it this far, you might want to check out their </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.westonaprice.org/">website</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">. There are 9 more principles that just might amaze you. And the scientific research to back it up.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">If you want to be much healthier, <span style="font-weight: bold;">you and your family need this information</span>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Price’s book, </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >Nutrition and Physical Degeneration</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">, is pretty old and crusty, written in the late 1930’s. More recent is Sally Fallon's </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Nourishing-Traditions-Challenges-Politically-Dictocrats/dp/0967089735/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242489878&sr=8-1"><span style="font-style: italic;">Nourishing Traditions</span></a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> cookbook.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Get The DVD</span></span><br />I like to lend out Sally Fallon’s (the president of WAPF) 5-hour DVD presentation. I found it fascinating. In the first hour, she details Dr. Price’s travels with many, many photos of the people he encountered and what they ate. The photos show wide faces and perfect teeth regardless of the race. Then she explains the 11 principles in detail WITH the modern science behind it. What I’m saying is that Sally Fallon presents this stuff much, much better than Dr. Price ever could.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">By contacting a local chapter leader — on the website — you can likely borrow the DVD. That’s what they do around here. Or let me know, I’ll lend you my copy. (it’s sort of expensive, $50)</span><br /><br /><blockquote>"People don’t always know when they’re being lied to,<br />but they always know when they’re being told the truth."<br />-- a wise man</blockquote><br />Time and time again, I have found that when people are introduced to the traditional health wisdom of our ancestors, they report that they know it is true – at their core.<br /><br />When it comes to health and nutrition, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Degenerative diseases, obese babies, sick children, depression, and infertility are NOT natural, and not inevitable. By living according to nature’s wisdom, we can end the cycle of degeneration that has come to characterize civilization itself.<br /><br />It is time to reconnect to the nourishing traditions of our ancestors, and reclaim the radiant, healthy lives we were designed to live.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">That's what local chapter leaders do -- they don't tell you what to eat! -- they help you learn where to get 'real' food where you live. They connect you with like-minded people nearby so you can learn the traditional, forgotten ways of preparing foods and how to creatively apply the dietary principles with children and hectic lifestyles.</span><br /><br />You can shake hands with PROOF!<br />Meet people restoring their health with real, traditional foods.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Check out this article in the </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/08/05/ST2008080502711.html?tid=informbox">Washington Post</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">.</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.westonaprice.org/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ikBQDMtqqBNdFwssHgl8WCb3Lz_MGhAy-JRwAmiGm7xeDF__5Val1u7LeqtdBgWqMGYMArlnqGbmF_ggnnKG1MN7t5ZYW7BPORGesArkoQ1-1x6ridY5FUYpcFygJndtUH658gINA7U/s400/IMAGE+-+Logo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336860755789398722" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Books that opened my eyes about food.<br />Highly Recommended.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nourishing-Traditions-Challenges-Politically-Dictocrats/dp/0967089735/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262623146&sr=8-1">Nourishing Traditions</a> by Sally Fallon<br />A cookbook, but much, much more. The 100's of fascinating historical sidebars are worth the price of the book. The guide to healthy eating that everyone is looking for.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Animal-Vegetable-Miracle-Year-Food/dp/0060852569/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262623173&sr=1-1">Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life</a> by Barbara Kingsolver<br />A wonderful read by a popular author. It will open your eyes to better food choices. In my local library.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural-History-Meals/dp/0143038583/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b">The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals</a> by Michael Pollan<br />If you want to know where your food comes from and what you’re really eating, read this book. A best seller, in your local library.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Seeds-Deception-Government-Genetically-Engineered/dp/0972966587/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262623270&sr=1-1">Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating</a> by Jeffery Smith<br />A rather alarming exposé of genetically modified foods. Most people are shocked enough within the first 10 pages to order copies for family and friends. Find out why Europeans and other countries have banned the foods we are eating.<br /><br /><br />And then contact your the chapter leader of your <a href="http://www.westonaprice.org/chapters/">local chapter of the Weston. A. Price Foundation</a>. They will be glad to tell you where you can buy better food in your area.Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-68442042573953822522010-07-25T10:58:00.000-07:002010-07-26T14:10:55.782-07:00What's better than Faith?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xme-Y56gQI0J8KGWtN1TB0DxI3yHmUAaKsVbC5gXGBKKIFbVAouSJGvehL5E6zkWCHUWXG0q6ZbzII0r2s-MpsDZ3j-x3gJk4zCSl7nHjP7yZqZGZB-a0hu70J09BMSZtcDThriTjLwq/s1600/girl+driving2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497911445090587986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xme-Y56gQI0J8KGWtN1TB0DxI3yHmUAaKsVbC5gXGBKKIFbVAouSJGvehL5E6zkWCHUWXG0q6ZbzII0r2s-MpsDZ3j-x3gJk4zCSl7nHjP7yZqZGZB-a0hu70J09BMSZtcDThriTjLwq/s200/girl+driving2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 133px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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Why settle for faith and belief as a path to heaven, when we can have <span style="font-weight: bold;">spiritual realization</span>?<br />
<blockquote>Once a young child was out for a drive with her parents. As the car came to a stop at a traffic light, the child asked,<br />
<br />
"Is this an intersection?"<br />
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Assured that it was, she mused, "I've seen a lot of them, but this is the first time I knew it!"<br />
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That was a realization. A small one, no doubt, to her parents. . . . Now she knew this single fact for sure. From then on, intersections held a special meaning for her.<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"> ---- Harold Klemp<br />
Autobiography of a Modern Prophet, p. 446</span></blockquote><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: 100%;">God's love </span>may be very close. Everywhere.<br />
How much do I REALIZE It?<br />
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The stories I share here are my little 'intersections.'<br />
Read on, if you like.<br />
<br />
<br />
Related Posts<br />
<a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/first-time-with-sound-current-2.html">I Couldn't Hear It</a><br />
<a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/everyones-light-turned-white.html">Everyone's Light Turned White!</a><br />
<a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/michael-mom-said-dont-you-remember-your.html">Who Were Those Mean Men?</a>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-10428436988913565842010-07-20T10:34:00.000-07:002010-08-02T11:42:10.654-07:00Contagious Happiness.<span style="font-size:130%;">It's 7 minutes of delightful story<br />-- a fun reminder of my individual contribution to the world around me.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jedd2FiZTqM&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jedd2FiZTqM&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><br />Related VideosMichael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-15030259412040223092010-07-12T10:38:00.000-07:002010-08-02T11:41:36.458-07:00You Are Reading My Mind<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hClJLxsS1TY"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtYsFyM3xF18ARkt6tiwZkb9bRmxb-jSYuqODWXV639VkoaoDhEQOVMbN4N_L9awoxnsR6pc9wJy4oiIfSEXHajNxcqV1jFPnF57Jlg4TbN46sHWcCaBRCvEKZ6UenwZzZBYlJWLSq2kt5/s400/Snapshot+-+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500883007850971074" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Or controlling my mind?<br /><br /><br />How powerful are<br />our thoughts?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Click the photo to see the video.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">This video is just a simple reminder to keep up my inner discipline.<br /><br />Of the 4 minute video, the final stunt within the last minute is the most awe inspiring --- because it's ordinary people like you and me doing it.<br /><br /><br />Related Videos<br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/contagious-happiness.html">Contagious Happiness</a><br /></span>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-14362976316710190102010-07-11T13:28:00.000-07:002010-08-01T13:15:22.225-07:00Everyone's Light Turned White<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIdAMV1fXA5zymTt7W59Gh0KZ7Y1ev1BcTX2WZaJ3r5VjnviySuhPnpHWMmtoIF8DrOpaZYdW-pmYS0nLauUqpInDjQ-1yjNieX87aRI790iPnqJ8hOnoPahHCQsbLUmCWa00-FeV6trJq/s1600/aura_1-690x448.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492758627350941810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIdAMV1fXA5zymTt7W59Gh0KZ7Y1ev1BcTX2WZaJ3r5VjnviySuhPnpHWMmtoIF8DrOpaZYdW-pmYS0nLauUqpInDjQ-1yjNieX87aRI790iPnqJ8hOnoPahHCQsbLUmCWa00-FeV6trJq/s200/aura_1-690x448.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 130px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" border="0" /></a><br />"I can see auras, you know."<br /><br />She cocked her head, and closely measured my response. I didn't flinch. This elderly lady had approached me after the workshop was finished.<br /><br />"I cannot see them like that, but can feel auras," I responded.<br /><br />"Well, I can see them," she curtly said. And went right on to say, "I wasn't sure I wanted to attend this meeting, but when I saw the light around each of you at the front of the room, I knew it would be okay."<br /><br />She paused, perhaps gathering her thoughts.<br />I waited patiently. This might be interesting.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">How to <span style="font-style: italic;">See</span> Better</span></span><br /><br />"I want to share something with you," she said. "When the workshop started, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">everyone's</span> aura in the audience was a different color."<br /><br />She went on the explain that there were oranges, and pinks, and blues and browns. A variety of colors distinct and mixed. Then she explained that each of the varying colors indicated a different state of mind. I knew that, yet continued to listen carefully.<br /><br />"But when you taught the group to sing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">HU</span>, then <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">everyone's</span> light turned white!" she exclaimed.<br /><br />She continued on to explain that the white light is the pure spiritual light. "So, singing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">HU</span> brings out your spiritual side. Then it's easier to see the answers you need, and easier to hear that guiding voice in your heart."<br /><br />Turning on her heel, she stepped away just as curtly as she had started. Mission accomplished, I guess.<br /><blockquote>* * * * * * *</blockquote>I was so grateful to have heard her experience -- yet at the same time I was a little disappointed. I wish she had spoken up during the workshop for everyone to hear.<br /><br />A small, inner voice comforted me: "Everyone else had their own experience. That's enough."<br /><blockquote>* * * * *</blockquote>If you want to <a href="http://cache.eckankar.org/windows/Night-of-the-Bells.wmv">try the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">HU</span> chant</a>, learn how in this short video by Harold <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Klemp</span>, spiritual leader of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Eckankar</span>.<br /><br />The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">HU</span> chant is a fundamental part of my spiritual exercises. Often, I include it as part of my contemplation time, or I devote the entire 20 minutes to singing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">HU</span>. Gently and sweetly alert, for whatever Spirit has for me that day.<br /><br />Related Posts<br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/singing-hu-what-it-can-do.html">The Most Beautiful Light</a><br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/first-time-with-sound-current-2.html">I Couldn't Hear It</a><br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/whats-better-than-faith.html">What's Better Than Faith?</a>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-33533062983755906462010-07-11T13:13:00.001-07:002010-08-01T21:13:43.673-07:00The Most Beautiful Light<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPvCbQLgekFRDe82H4DOpPXG9PJ_TGTzhkr0qCVXgR38aHObjK0yOaRe9N8D_q09x5PKjo3_0TdEUK-OxVeepfAJYrzmZHd7KZcHRwkr7Ek0uXmdRB3mr-3YL66sIxH6MxGe2zWpTK9hk/s1600/beautiful+light+pic.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPvCbQLgekFRDe82H4DOpPXG9PJ_TGTzhkr0qCVXgR38aHObjK0yOaRe9N8D_q09x5PKjo3_0TdEUK-OxVeepfAJYrzmZHd7KZcHRwkr7Ek0uXmdRB3mr-3YL66sIxH6MxGe2zWpTK9hk/s320/beautiful+light+pic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500660358219759746" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />"What happened?" she wondered.</span><br /><br />"How could I understand the book now, when it made no sense just a few weeks ago?"<br /><br />Because it made her calm and relaxed, she had been sitting quietly and <span style="font-weight: bold;">singing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">HU</span></span> each day.<br /><br />"But then, one day, I saw a light --- even though my eyes were closed. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Afterwards, I had to know what it was. So I pulled out that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Eckankar</span> book which I gave up on the first time. Strangely enough, this time I understood every page!"<br /><br />"The book didn't change. So it dawned on me, I must have changed. I understood more than before.<br /><br />Because of singing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">HU</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(true story from a friend)</span><br /><blockquote>* * * * * * *</blockquote>It seems more and more people have experienced the Light of God. They have one thing in common: their new outlook on life is a radical change from earlier.<br /><br />Are you one of them, too?<br /><blockquote>* * * * * * * *</blockquote>"I tried it," she mentioned.<br /><br />"And now I sing HU a little before I read the Bible each evening."<br /><br />It was the lady at the house where we were building a porch onto her home. I was a carpenter's helper for the summer break from college.<br /><br />During my lunch break one day, the lady asked me about religion as she delivered ice tea around the work site. Worried about attempts to convert me, I tried to put her off. However, she was kind and she listened, so I told her about how I use the HU.<br /><br />It was our last day, and the porch was completed. The lady took me aside to thank me. She explained the HU helped her understand the Bible even better. On occasion, the Bible would 'speak to her' in some mysterious way.<br /><br />I found it just as fascinating as she did.<br /><br />That's how I learned that the HU can be used by Christians, and likely, anyone of any religion. Why not? We're all children of God.<br /><blockquote>* * * * * * * *</blockquote><a href="http://cache.eckankar.org/windows/Night-of-the-Bells.wmv">Learn how to sing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">HU</span></a> in this short video (3 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">mins</span>.) with Harold <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Klemp</span>, spiritual leader of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Eckankar</span>.<br /><br /><br />Related Posts<br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/whats-better-than-faith.html">What's Better Than Faith?</a><br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/everyones-light-turned-white.html">Everyone's Light Turned White!</a><br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/michael-mom-said-dont-you-remember-your.html">Who Were Those Mean Men?</a>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-88661586592932126142010-07-11T08:22:00.001-07:002010-07-26T14:36:30.095-07:00It's Amazing!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Bjco51L7WFEYLgfMSH0F-2UwLxbVlwf5oul4txC-vcYkLFPjCQGQO2YFSwPafqmZXTszIZZ-YQdo1MryZQKdw8OvGqGKXCz6bKOJRT-UgAnreSrMochD5ZN9LiX4aXZkpL6goXPUCyP5/s1600/Little+Soul+4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492684442634327570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Bjco51L7WFEYLgfMSH0F-2UwLxbVlwf5oul4txC-vcYkLFPjCQGQO2YFSwPafqmZXTszIZZ-YQdo1MryZQKdw8OvGqGKXCz6bKOJRT-UgAnreSrMochD5ZN9LiX4aXZkpL6goXPUCyP5/s200/Little+Soul+4.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 154px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 126px;" /></a><br />
<br />
Strolling along, whistling a happy little tune, a traveling Soul comes upon another Soul.<br />
<br />
This little Soul is also smiling, but looking this way and that way and all around with a wide-eyed look of fascination on It's face. Having seen these rubber-necked, bug-eyed Souls before, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">traveler</span> chuckled to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">himself</span>, "a newly awakened Soul."<br />
<blockquote>* * * * * * * * * * * *</blockquote>You see, many Souls are asleep. Their eyes are closed. They move through life without seeing and knowing. But that's okay, they need the rest. One day when the time is right, each will awaken, rub the sleep from their eyes, and look around with the same surprised look on their face as this little Soul.<br />
<blockquote>* * * * * * * * * * * *</blockquote>Finding the company of these newly awakened Souls to be quite pleasurable, the traveling Soul stops to visit.<br />
<br />
"Isn't it amazing?" uttered the little Soul, almost breathless.<br />
He was gazing with fascination near and far, barely even noticing the traveler.<br />
<br />
"Yes, it is truly amazing," gently replied the traveler. Smiling to himself, he was immensely enjoying the freshness of the moment.<br />
<br />
"Look at that," awed the little Soul.<br />
<br />
"And this, and that over there, " sounded the astonished voice as if it was just found again after long being lost.<br />
<br />
"How does that work?<br />
"Oh, and what does that over there mean?<br />
"Gosh, why it that like that? . . .<br />
<br />
The questions poured -- and then gushed -- out of this little Soul as he began to notice more and more with each passing moment.<br />
<br />
But after a while the questions ebbed and slowly trickled into a silence between the two Souls. If they could hear anything at all, it was simply the sound of wonder.<br />
<br />
Puzzled by the traveler's lack of response, the little Soul asked, "But you have been here and seen. And you don't know?"<br />
<br />
"All I know," marveled the traveler in the humblest tone, "is that it just gets more amazing."<br />
<br />
Those little eyes, which you would never have believed could get any wider, just opened even wider!<br />
<br />
"That's amazing," he breathed.<br />
<br />
<br />
Related Posts<br />
<a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/chicken-eagle.html">Scratching In The Dirt</a><br />
<a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/michael-mom-said-dont-you-remember-your.html">Who Were Those Mean Men?</a><br />
<a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/singing-hu-what-it-can-do.html">The Most Beautiful Light</a>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-71578605114518098552010-07-11T07:24:00.000-07:002010-07-26T14:34:01.418-07:00Scratching In The Dirt<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCoQf1VqYBldubrAPlG0ko8tgQk1YLySLRJdUlck1yy4HnazzMRIiX-9iJT8HoZAuPvpOdM47g5NkItiCnXjBiGpjfngLJyN27yuapEyOm1pU6xy-m12FtL6ykVBD5Q4Bn0oV_2kWTeX3b/s1600/eagle4a.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492656538369615906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCoQf1VqYBldubrAPlG0ko8tgQk1YLySLRJdUlck1yy4HnazzMRIiX-9iJT8HoZAuPvpOdM47g5NkItiCnXjBiGpjfngLJyN27yuapEyOm1pU6xy-m12FtL6ykVBD5Q4Bn0oV_2kWTeX3b/s200/eagle4a.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 110px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 170px;" /></a><br />
<br />
The Blackfoot Indians tell this story.<br />
<br />
While climbing in an area of steep cliffs, an Indian brave came upon a eagles’ nest. There were several eggs in the next, and he managed to steal one and carry it back to his village. He placed the egg in a hen’s next, and after it hatched, the young eagle followed the mother chicken about and grew up believing itself to be a chicken.<br />
<br />
All day the young eagle walked about with its head lowered to the ground in the same way the chickens did, scratching in the dirt, pecking at worms and seeds.<br />
<br />
One day, when the eagle was fully grown, he looked up and saw a magnificent bird soaring in the heavens. He went to the old grandmother hen, who knew many things about the world, and asked, ‘What’s that bird, Grandma?’<br />
<br />
"That's an eagle," answered the old grandma hen.<br />
"How wonderful it must be to fly so high," he said.<br />
"Yes, it must be, " she agreed. "But forget it. You're a chicken."<br />
<br />
So without further question, the eagle lived out the rest of his life a chicken, scratching in the dirt.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The rest of the story is . . .</span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Fql0PJD6FKjbwo7GtZ62QJCgWM4mFNdi8jWKwByfm2eDePyxnyYSn64-dyDPR_cf2pXrPEvHc6m_rqWG3PVzt6OW4XMCL3OwFMqr1n2uBtyKnwoVqSjRcFGBt67B_RYdOT-xOSQcnz93/s1600/eagle+7.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492656269866074770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Fql0PJD6FKjbwo7GtZ62QJCgWM4mFNdi8jWKwByfm2eDePyxnyYSn64-dyDPR_cf2pXrPEvHc6m_rqWG3PVzt6OW4XMCL3OwFMqr1n2uBtyKnwoVqSjRcFGBt67B_RYdOT-xOSQcnz93/s320/eagle+7.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 142px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 170px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoGp9SagrMR7OdcAC0T8vQ89PFzxKTnSBxn6cKxqBGU0WSSIGzIHbLy1xYfnnAbnQ4uMywUGdCWDUZzPHLFZAZgkhI5K8dPBDojHGG4zB0W6j28uMq25popIf5eIKutVxgQVYzT2Z5Ueg/s1600/interviewer2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492656200436225938" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoGp9SagrMR7OdcAC0T8vQ89PFzxKTnSBxn6cKxqBGU0WSSIGzIHbLy1xYfnnAbnQ4uMywUGdCWDUZzPHLFZAZgkhI5K8dPBDojHGG4zB0W6j28uMq25popIf5eIKutVxgQVYzT2Z5Ueg/s200/interviewer2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 123px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 72px;" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Interviewer</span>: Excuse me, could I ask you a few questions?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Chicken-eagle</span>: Sure.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Interviewer</span>: I heard that you have seen the eagle flying high in the heavens.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Chicken-eagle</span>: Oh, yes. How wonderful it must be to be so free. If I could fly like that I’d be the happiest creature on earth!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Interviewer</span>: Did you know that this spiritual book says ‘You are an eagle.’<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Chicken/eagle</span>: (with attitude) No way, buddy. Have you lost your mind. I’m a chicken. Can’t you see me here scratching in the dirt like all the other chickens!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Interviewer</span>: This book was written by an authority who says . . .<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Chicken-eagle</span>: Are you calling my Momma a liar? She said I’m a chicken, so I’m a chicken. Okay? If I was an eagle, why would I be sleeping in this chicken coop every night?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Interviewer</span>: But those wings of yours. Surely you can fly high with wings like that?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Chicken-eagle</span>: These wings? They’re too big! I tried opening them once and knocked three other chickens in the head. Gave them black eyes. The other chickens didn’t like that one bit. I’m never going to do that again.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Interviewer</span>: At least you can see that you are different than the other chickens.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Chicken-eagle</span>: It’s awful, isn’t it? I don’t know what I did in a past life to be cursed with this ugly body. My wings are too big, and this beak makes it so hard to eat seeds and bugs.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Interviewer</span>: Do you like eating those bugs and seeds?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Chicken-eagle</span>: Of course! . . . . (sheepishly) well, honestly, I really don’t. But you see, I just try to be real nice and not make waves so that all the other chickens will accept me. Maybe in my next life I’ll be more like everybody else.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Interviewer</span>: If you don’t like to eat bugs, then why do it?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Chicken-eagle</span>: The wise-old chickens say it builds character. Suffering is our lot in life. And besides, I should be grateful that I have bugs and seeds to eat!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Interviewer</span>: The spiritual master, who wrote this book, says he can even teach chickens to fly like an eagle.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Chicken-eagle</span>: And leave the other chickens! Are you trying to get me killed? Every bird knows if you go off from the chicken coop, a fox could eat you.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Interviewer</span>: But you said if you could fly high like that you’d be so happy.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Chicken-eagle</span>: Listen, man, even if I could, I just can’t go flying off like that. I’ve got <span style="font-style: italic;">responsibilities</span>! Can’t you see! I’ve got to eat these bugs and seeds.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Interviewer</span>: What if there was something you could do in this life to find a greater freedom.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Chicken-eagle</span>: Oh, well, I’ve been taught the way since childhood. See that black rooster over there? He teaches us that if we eat enough bugs and seeds and get real fat, we’ll get to go to heaven. Then we’ll be happy.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Interviewer</span>: Do you believe that will work?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Chicken-eagle</span>: Of course. Why else would all the fat chickens disappear?<br />
<br />
THE END<br />
<br />
<br />
Spiritually, are we not eagles? --- How do we know?<br />
<br />
Are we the slave?<br />
Or free?<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;">NOTE: The initial parable came from Harold Klemp, Unlocking the Puzzle Box, pg. 35</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;">Related Posts</span><br />
<a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/its-amazing.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">It's Amazing!</span></a><br />
<a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/everyones-light-turned-white.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Everyone's Light Turned White</span></a>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-88598161869675090462010-07-10T12:05:00.001-07:002010-07-26T14:28:24.326-07:00Who Were Those Mean Men?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXXXxKEr1ZCHg5G_kOZ8lA7yAQYtRkQMQfbcZXhY4aMQHEvZ631nFFl7ty5d1-8YobZXgfqGIsOFNWM2dUYk9WVWnpQ7pInmvrYISEiUUDTaCUNvOJilaxab-5QKTY-3l9t8N76xK2aE5/s1600/Baby+picture.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492355898498770562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXXXxKEr1ZCHg5G_kOZ8lA7yAQYtRkQMQfbcZXhY4aMQHEvZ631nFFl7ty5d1-8YobZXgfqGIsOFNWM2dUYk9WVWnpQ7pInmvrYISEiUUDTaCUNvOJilaxab-5QKTY-3l9t8N76xK2aE5/s320/Baby+picture.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 220px;" /></a><br />
"Michael, " mom said, "Don't you remember your recurring nightmares as a kid?"<br />
<br />
"Uh, what nightmares?" I mumbled.<br />
<br />
"I think your nightmares were really Soul Travel experiences," she commented. She had the book, <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">In My Soul I Am Free</span> by Paul Twitchell in her hands.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stuck In A Body -- Or Not?</span></span><br />
<br />
This was many years later that my mother reminded me of the bad nightmares I used to have. She had been reading an Eckankar book which emphasizes that our human lives, in truth, are animated by Soul, an individualized spiritual essence. That's the real you and me.<br />
<br />
The cool part: Soul isn't stuck in the body until death. Far from it. <span style="font-style: italic;">Soul Travel</span> is the phrase used to described the experiences that we have, as Soul, outside the range of our normal human consciousness.<br />
<br />
Reading about that must have jogged my mother's memory.<br />
<br />
"Remind me again," I asked.<br />
<br />
"Let's see," she said, with her finger tapping her lower lip.<br />
"You said there was this loud music, and zooming real fast down a tunnel . . . .<br />
<br />
And it all came back to me. I'd completely forgotten.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Oh, No -- It's Happening Again!</span></span><br />
<br />
I would awaken in a dream, zooming around. I thought of it as a roller rink or ice skating rink. Smooth and slick and fast -- and sort of out of control -- just like I felt on roller skates.<br />
<br />
There was this loud organ music playing, real echo-y, like it might be inside a cavernous roller skating rink. And when I heard that music each time, I'd say to myself, 'I'm gonna have another one of those bad dreams!'<br />
<br />
Then I'd zoom off into a dark tunnel. I think I screamed the entire way. . .<br />
<br />
And that was it.<br />
<br />
The last thing I'd remember each time was being ruthlessly shoved into a tight, suffocating place by these 'mean men.' Then I'd wake up in my bed. Terrified. And rush to my parents bedroom.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who Were Those Mean Men?</span></span><br />
<br />
Mom explained it this way, after reading the Eckankar book:<br />
<br />
● The music was the Sound Current. The spiritual Sound often precedes or accompanies spiritual experiences, just like the spiritual Light often does.<br />
<br />
● The dark tunnel is similar to commonly reported near-death experiences of entering a higher realm beyond death.<br />
<br />
● The 'mean men' were most likely Spiritual Masters or Guides, who insisted I return to my human state of being.<br />
<br />
● I probably didn't remember what happened in the heavenly worlds because my childhood mind could not relate to, or accept, the unfamiliar experiences.<br />
<br />
● And quite possibly, I would have rather stayed in the heavenly states of being, instead of returning to earth, thereby explaining my childish accusation for the 'mean men.'<br />
<br />
It's not unusual for young boys to have nightmares, so my parents were advised not to worry. But it was odd that I described the same dream again and again over several years before and just after I started school.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The <span style="font-style: italic;">Light</span> Comes On</span></span><br />
<br />
Just like that, it all made sense -- like an odd piece to a puzzle that finally fits somewhere. A new idea in a book replaced a confusing memory with understanding. And a kind of satisfaction.<br />
<br />
Later, I practiced spiritual exercises with the primary intent of experiencing the Light and Sound of God. I learned that this was the most direct communion with God. Beyond a spoken word or idea, this 'Voice of God' leaves an individual changed in some way. For the better, of course.<br />
<br />
As a child I couldn't appreciate these gifts. However, it's with a great fondness that I remember it today.<br />
<br />
<br />
-- Could any of your confusing memories have a spiritual explanation?<br />
<br />
-- Have you heard any unexplained sounds with your spiritual experiences? Maybe like a wind, or a flute, or bells, or a humming?<br />
<br />
<br />
Related Posts<br />
<a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/singing-hu-what-it-can-do.html">The Most Beautiful Light</a><br />
<a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/first-time-with-sound-current-2.html">I Couldn't Hear It</a><br />
<a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/everyones-light-turned-white.html">Everyone's Light Turned White</a>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-9927992392697576842010-07-07T17:04:00.001-07:002010-09-10T06:17:56.717-07:00I Couldn't Hear It<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRi54N9eS0_Dgi4FscqxiaiUycLGlaWof6lglGJo4RNho3oTzU4IFnj3eaaki-aR9f_wwM-JPQYyIo7g03v_LLJRBOj38a_uj7SSQonVQbX8DL0TaxUR_wXmo_GNb0Gy9WgbqYlLSAKlN/s1600/Sound+Current.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491350385706186194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRi54N9eS0_Dgi4FscqxiaiUycLGlaWof6lglGJo4RNho3oTzU4IFnj3eaaki-aR9f_wwM-JPQYyIo7g03v_LLJRBOj38a_uj7SSQonVQbX8DL0TaxUR_wXmo_GNb0Gy9WgbqYlLSAKlN/s200/Sound+Current.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 250px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" border="0" /></a><br />No wonder . . .<br /><br />I was trying to hear God's Voice -- amidst the vacuum cleaner, the TV, the traffic outside. And the refrigerator!<br /><br />It was there -- I just didn't know it.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />After I started studying the Eckankar teachings, I wanted to hear the Sound Current that is so often written about. Apparently, it is one of the twin aspects of the Life Force, or Divine Spirit. And hearing it can change you forever.<br /><br />That's what I wanted -- to be transformed! I figured that would fix me up.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">All I Heard Was Noise</span></span><br /><br />After school, I'd sit on the edge of my bed and try to calm myself. I'd try to look into the spiritual eye. I'd try to listen as Soul, inside myself. But believe me, this meditation thing just didn't come easy for me. I just wasn't the 'prayerful' type of person.<br /><br />At first, I couldn't sit still for more than a few minutes. Typical teenager, my mind was racing on about this or that. How could I ever hear the Sound Current like that?<br /><br />And worse, the noise in my house. My sister was always talking on the phone, or the TV was going out in the living room. My mom was bustling around the house with her chores.<br /><br />For heaven's sake, I'm trying to have a spiritual experience here!<br /><br />I had the door to my room shut -- but the more I tried to get quiet inside myself, the louder all the household noises became. I could hear the central air conditioning running. I could hear cars passing outside on the street.<br /><br />I could even hear that low humming sound of the refrigerator in the kitchen. You know, how some low sounds carry so well, penetrating walls, underneath all the other noise in the house.<br /><br />I'm not sure what I was expecting to hear of the Sound Current. But I was sure I'd know it when It came. I'd read about Sounds like a flute, or symphonic music, or bells and chimes. Regardless, I knew it was going to be glorious when I finally learned to hear it.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Why Monks Move to the Mountains</span><br /><br />I had to do something about the distractions. My first solution was to sit on the floor in my closet and shut the door. I could still hear all the noise I mentioned above, but it was muffled somewhat. And quieter. It helped a little.<br /><br />The worst thing was that low hum of the refrigerator. That reverberating sound seemed to penetrate the walls. And it seemed that refrigerator was running most of the day!<br /><br />I had a few dollars in my wallet from mowing neighbors lawns. So the next time I was in K-Mart, I tried to find something to muffle these distracting noises. I needed extra help if I was to hear the Sound Current.<br /><br />I couldn't find any ear plugs, but they did have some ear mufflers in the sporting goods section. The kind of ear protection hunters might use, shooting loud guns.<br /><br />When I got home, I climbed into the closet. I pulled the door shut, then fumbled to get the ear mufflers on my head. Yes! That was an improvement. If I listened hard, I could still hear my sister's TV, but just barely. And mom's vacuum cleaner, but just barely.<br /><br />But darn it, that low hum of the refrigerator wasn't diminished at all. It was so distinct, I couldn't get my mind off of it. I was frustrated. And angry. Disappointed mostly. How was I ever going to hear the Sound Current?<br /><br />Now I knew why those monks liked to go far away and live in some cave up in the mountains. So that is was QUIET! So they could become aware of the spiritual dimensions without such distractions.<br /><br />After awhile, my enthusiasm waned quite a bit. The rule was to practice 20 minutes a day. I didn't live up to that standard, but I tried a little each day. Who knows, maybe one day I'd get lucky or something?<br /><br />I tried a few more things -- but try as I might, I couldn't solve the refrigerator's noise problem. I just got used to it. No matter how hard I tried, I never heard the Sound Current. Not once.<br /><br />I blamed the refrigerator, of course.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why It's Caught, Not Taught</span></span><br /><br />To make a long story short --- down the road I went to college. That first year I was to live in a dormitory room. That means, a cinderblock-walled room with a sink, two desks, two closets, and a bunk bed.<br /><br />My second day on campus, I waited for my roommate to go off to a class. I wanted to squeeze in my spiritual exercise while I had the chance.<br /><br />I sat in my roommate's recliner chair that he'd brought from home. I closed my eyes, and got quiet inside myself. I did my best to ignore the distracting noise out in the hallway.<br /><br />As I settled into myself, there it was again! That darn REFRIGERATOR! I couldn't escape that low humming sound, no matter how far I got from home!<br /><br />But . . . . wait a minute. I wasn't at home. In fact, there was no refrigerator. I opened my eyes, and there was nothing in the cement-walled room that could produce a low humming sound.<br /><br />If it wasn't coming from something in the room, where was that humming sound coming from?<br /><br />It hit me like a ton of bricks:<br /><br />-- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Could that sound I've been hearing for the last two years be the spiritual Sound Current I've sought all along?</span><br /><br />-- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Could the sound I've been trying to ignore be important?</span><br /><br />Oh, and then there was this little tiny speck of blue light that was always floating in my peripheral vision. I thought that was just an overactive retina or something. It kept distracting me in my efforts to see the Spiritual Light. Surely, the Spiritual Light would be a glorious techni-color light show?<br /><br />Nope! In my case, the Light and Sound of God was simply a deep humming sound and a tiny blue light.<br /><br />Why was the blue light so tiny? I did get an answer on that later on: That was all I could handle. Humbling, to say the least.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Lost, But Now Found</span><br /><br />So, what did these little drips and drops of the <a href="http://www.eckankar.org/light.html">Light and Sound God</a> do for me?<br /><br />If anything was happening, I certainly missed it at the time. I didn't get adventurous Soul Travel journeys (which probably would have scared me to death!). I didn't get a single mind-blowing, psychedelic experience.<br /><br />I didn't feel any transformation at all.<br /><br />Of course, now I realize I was doing everything possible to AVOID my spiritual perceptions -- mistakenly, for sure. And I spent very little time with it because I didn't like what I got.<br /><br />Looking back, all that happened was a gradual, naturally-unfolding insight into my daily life. Often ideas would just pop into my head from nowhere -- didn't that happen to everybody? Also, there were these uplifting dreams quite often. And while reading the spiritual books, special meanings would seem to leap off the page at times. Strange coincidences happened.<br /><br />In fact, lots of small things were happening in my life, expanding me in many unusual ways.<br /><br />Today, I wouldn't trade a single one.<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;"> . . . All the world became light and a<br />strange humming sound entered into his heart,<br />giving him peace. . . .</span><br />--- <span style="font-size:85%;">Paul Twitchell, Stranger by the River</span></blockquote><br /><br />I'll try to share what I can of these things.<br />Please let me know if you've experienced anything like this.<br /><br /><br />Related Posts<br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/singing-hu-what-it-can-do.html">The Most Beautiful Light</a><br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/everyones-light-turned-white.html">Everyone's Light Turned White</a><br /><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/michael-mom-said-dont-you-remember-your.html">Who Were Those Mean Men?</a>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-11436373833178742362010-07-07T11:12:00.001-07:002010-07-26T14:26:35.296-07:00A Living Fire<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-size: 100%;">. . . And with his sword my breast he cleft,</span></span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">My quaking heart thereout he reft,</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">And in the yawning of my breast</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">A coal of living fire he pressed.</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"> . . .</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;">-- Alexander Pushkin, </span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">The Prophet</span><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Related Posts</span></span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/encounter-with-greatness.html">Encounter With Greatness</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/whats-better-than-faith.html">What's Better Than Faith?</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/michael-mom-said-dont-you-remember-your.html">Who Were Those Mean Men?</a></span> <br />
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</span>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-537116572864963882010-07-07T09:25:00.000-07:002010-07-26T14:23:54.559-07:00Spare No Effort"Travelers, it is late. Life's sun is going to set.<br />
During these brief days you have strength,<br />
be quick and spare no effort of your wings"<br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;">(I'm not sure who wrote it -- but I like it.)</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
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<a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/living-fire.html">A Living Fire</a><br />
<a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/whats-better-than-faith.html">What's Better Than Faith?</a>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-3529414446919576642010-07-02T10:29:00.000-07:002010-08-02T10:33:10.043-07:00Christian the Lion<span style="font-size:130%;">This never fails to open my heart.</span><br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oiGKWoJi5qM&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oiGKWoJi5qM&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658672183918525551.post-70870908942855068792010-07-01T07:03:00.000-07:002010-07-26T14:17:51.284-07:00Encounter With Greatness<span style="font-size: 130%;">. . . What is extraordinary and eternal<br />
does not want to be bent by us.<br />
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I mean the angel who appeared to the wrestler<br />
of the Old Testament,<br />
And when the wrestler's sinews grew long<br />
like metal strings,<br />
he felt them under his fingers<br />
like chords of deep music.<br />
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Whoever was beaten by this angel,<br />
who often simply declined to fight,<br />
went away proud and strengthened<br />
and great from that harsh hand<br />
that kneaded him as if to change his shape.<br />
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Winning does not tempt that man.<br />
This is how he grows.<br />
By being defeated decisively<br />
by constantly greater beings . . .</span><br />
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-- Maria Rilke (title unknown)<br />
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<a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/living-fire.html">A Living Fire</a><br />
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<a href="http://openyourwings2.blogspot.com/2010/07/whats-better-than-faith.html">What's Better Than Faith?</a>Michael Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01099310862579798449noreply@blogger.com0