From the Beauty to the Flow

To be part of the flow, you have to release the beauty within   - for example, within our eyes is the beauty of sight, just as within the seed is the beauty of the flower.  And what we see is governed  by what we are interested in and by……  We can see the detail close to hand , or take the longer view as we gaze into the distance or the significance of what we are looking at… or go deeper still and appreciate that to see at all is a very great gift.

The long or the short  view - our is the choice – yet only when we arise above the level we occupy, can we see things from another perspective.

Always on the planet, duality offers comparison but the deeper reality reveals itself only through a third vector, whatever that third thing is….

Take the warring going on between different religions as one example ....the duality view would see the differences...but a third vector might see the obvious truth that we are all humans and how natural it is for us to seek a connection with the higher ... And how could one possibly want to crush in another that very same urge one feels oneself? 

Itinerant Intelligence

There are many types of intelligence talked about these days……from emotional to spiritual to good old fashioned IQ.

This blog sets out to explore  something rather different to all of these  -  the idea of an intelligence which is born not out of the brain or heart activity of an individual but from a connection between a person’s attitudes, values and actions and an intelligence which  resides outside of the person but which will join them and help them according to what they are attempting to do. 

Is this a new idea  ?  Well, in parts no  …..but in other ways, yes, very much so.  It may well be part of the new evolution of consciousness which is much talked of in the 21st century but actually very little described or explored in depth..

So, where are there seeds of this truth , already partly realized in history ? 

Well, let’s think back in history over a longer period of time and review certain prime times when there seems to have been some major breakthrough in thought, or art or religion.

Lets start 2500 years ago when there was a flurry of new thought across the globe from as far away as India, to China to Greece.  This was the time of around 500BC where within a hundred years, we saw the lives of Gautama Buddha, Lao Tse, Confucius, Socrates, Zoroaster  and perhaps others less well known of this period.    This time saw the birth of Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, the building of the Parthenon, the refinement of the Acropolis and the birth of the Golden Age of  Athens. In other words many of the ideas and philosophical templates which were born in this age, were major influences upon the unfolding of modern man and  are today’s still key  influences in today’s thinking.  Pre 1000 BC, there was far more emphasis on the importance of the collective, than the individual.  For example, tribal law was almost exclusively designed to protect the continuity and well being of the whole tribe. To us it can seem harsh, yet the survival of the whole was always of paramount importance and far succeeded the importance of ‘fairness’ to the individual.

The various thought influences which appeared around 500BC lay the seeds of the rise of the importance of individuality, and all that surrounds that significant shift from the collective to the unique aspect of each one of us.

But let’s pause a moment , return to 500BC and consider the odds against this extraordinary ‘crop’ of great thinkers all happening within a hundred years of each other. The odds against this being coincidental are stacked pretty high. This was not the time of the internet or global communications but a time when travel was by boat, horse and foot. It is an interesting facet of life today that there is a new trend appearing which is to see things from a global or world citizen perspective. ..something which would have been impossible in 500BC.

The proposition that is being put forward is that these great men were all responding to an intelligence and  possibility of their time. Some might call it the Zeitgeist, to use a later term, or the spirit of their age.  Whatever we call it, if there is such an external influence which man responds to, then it is a pretty amazing part of our human history, that has often been ignored! As a student of history at university, there was certainly no reference, outside of men and nations, as being those responsible for events and trends.

Perhaps, there has been an unsung and unseen hero appearing and disappearing on our time line of refinement and progress!

It’s fascinating that 500 years after this extraordinary philosophical appearance, we have the birth of Jesus Christ, and another 500 years later the appearance of Mohamed. With them appear two other hugely influential religious philosophies which have shaped much of our population’s thoughts , ethics and religious beliefs.

Move forward yet another 1000 years, and we see around 1500, the advent of the Reformation and Renaissance where Western thinking went through massive change in understanding, religion, art, architecture and  music. …and again one might ask what prompted this great surge of new learning, overturning of outdated views, inventions like the printing press, and a review of religious authority.  In hindsight, it is easy to say, well it was just the Reformation or the Renaissance but names can often blind us to the hugeness of what was changing in humanity at that time.

Again one might zone in on another aspect of this which was the way that for example, so much music appeared in Germany ..or why there was such a concentration of painters in France…was it just one person inspiring another or could it be that there was an influence which moved people to think, see and hear in new ways…which lead to the new art and music?

It ‘s fascinating that the truly great creative people often talk in terms of ideas dropping into their mind  - almost from left field.  That great Eureka moment when something is thought that has never been thought before. Einstein is quoted as saying “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”

So where does this new knowledge come from ? Do we just dream it up, or is there perhaps a helping vitamin from elsewhere which stimulated the human mind to new elevations. I sometimes try and imagine what it was like for those creatively involved with new appearance…men like Leonardo Da Vinci, the archetypal ‘Renaissance Man’ What was their ‘Muse’..or  ‘Inspiration’  ?  How driven they must have felt, how energised ..and perhaps how lonely at times? For surely, they must have been surrounded by thousands of other people for whom life was ‘business as usual’ and although living through it, the Renaissance somehow passed them by as they got on with the every day maintenance of living their lives?  How can some people be driven , yet others not notice this new vibrancy and possibility? Indeed, many in the establishment not only ignored the significance of the appearing new learning but were positively threatened by it and persecuted those who were its pioneers as they disturbed the status quo of power, religion and politics.

Ok….so these are some snaps from the past ….but what of today?

Are we in a similar time of upgrade and new energy, which began in the 20th century?  A time of re-evaluation of what is important, of our ethics and values? An opportunity for making a quantum leap in intelligence ?  It becomes increasingly difficult to deny we are in the throws of a major world crisis which is outplaying in so many ways .....more and more people feel and know the reality of this. But there are also a growing web of people who detect this apparent and worrying breakdown,  is an inevitable, though painful, part of something very new and exciting making an appearance.

Identity

Identity is one of those issues which is far reaching. It came up at one of the Philosophical Salons recently and has been an ongoing point of dialogue  ever since...

One person's thoughts were that mostly identity is seen through what one does for a living...a doctor, housewife, teacher, secretary .... within which comes attachments of success, failure etc  Another through their relationships with others ... a mother, sister, grandfather ... There is gender identity, national identity, identity through fashion statements, appearances, age identity like...I am middle aged...they are an elderly person ....  and then there is health identity - like  'he has cancer'..'she is a health freak' etc and on and on....even down to what football team one supports!

And all of these perhaps have a bearing on how we view ourselves. Perhaps the most important aspect is how that identity or self view affects our well being and sense of self worth - does it liberate us into being more ourselves or begin to box or diminish our possibility. This is where it ceases to be a 'philosophical' concept  and becomes an intrinsically important part of living a progressive and satisfying life.

It was interesting too to hear more personal reflections as to what had become the most significant aspect to us as individuals...for example one lady felt that it was to do with the quality of her relations with others...this for her was the most significant aspect of her own identity  ....and another felt it was to do with what qualities she grew in herself .. like to what degree her life was part of the growth of kindness, compassion and humanity in the world.

The Positive side of the Downside!

One of the Philosophical Salon evenings recently explored the upside of difficult times. We discussed how when times are really hard..for example when  good health goes from being reliable to uncertain..or we go through life changing events, a difficult mid life crisis, relationship breakdowns ...whatever life throws at us ...  it can really break down our sense of identity. 



At the time, this can be pretty shattering on top of whatever problems one is dealing with ... when we just do not seem to recognize ourselves any more ...but coming out the other side, it can look quite different. In fact, it can be really quite liberating ! So much of our future possibility is governed by our self view, and when this gets fragmented, it can open up a whole new world of opportunity!

Philosophical Salon

I've always loves the idea 'the Philosophical Salon' - an idea from around 100 years where people would meet together to exchange ideas... pre -internet and electronic communications, they usually happened in people's drawing rooms - often in the European Capitals like Paris or London - and would include people from lots of different  backgrounds....philosophers, musicians, artists, doctors, writers. The occasions were social, but with style ...   and it was understood the conversation went a bit deeper than the weather !!


Inspire by this, I've recently organised gatherings at home with people who  like to exchange about life, and its meanings ...   and have had around five get togethers so far.

I thought I mights start to write up some of the ideas and issues which have arisen...as a kind of inspirational diary !

Working it Out for Ourselves

I met with some friends recently and was asked the question 'What do I think about life after death?'

It struck me that like so many people today, I could have  talked  about  the Christian view of Heaven and Hell, the Muslim view of Paradise, The Hindu View of Reincarnation...and on and on ...but isn't it interesting that we live in a time when we have access to so many points of view, whereas centuries back one might have been immersed in only one culture?

But the question was to me ... and what a great opportunity to answer the question from my own life and experience as well as the researches I've done into religions and spirituality.

First thought for me is I wouldn't start with life AFTER death but with  life BEFORE death and consider that human life is a spectrum that goes from the  physical to the spiritual. The physical part obviously has a very limited life span and at death goes back to the earth. Then you have the mental and the emotional lives which are less physical and can either have a  strong centre of gravity in ones life or not. If ones thoughts and feelings are like leaves in the wind, blown along by current opinions, newspapers, TV and media ..then perhaps it also has a limited life. But if in a life, a person comes to their own values, principles and views, then perhaps they are building a mind which can continue to live beyond this life.... particularly if their values are in tune with the ways of the universe -constructive, constant, refining and evolving.

And then there is the soul and the spirit - how to describe those?  They are like life or light itself - a little bit of 'god stuff' in us all...so when we live our life do we give them opportunity and sustenance  ... does what we do light them up ... light us up ?

So, when thinking about what happens when we die...I feel a useful place to begin that ponder is how we actually live ! Do we experience and connect to  some of the magic of the universe - perhaps when we listen to the sweet harmonies of Mozart or stand under the night sky or look in the eyes of a child or a loved one ?

We think too much and feel too little.

 

“We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity; more than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.” This is a quote from Charlie Chaplin in 1916. Perhaps all the more poignant as it was mid World War One

 

I wonder what he would have made of our world today?

Is Humanity Polarising?

After writing my blog last week about the inspiring attitude of the Palestinian and Israeli parents, and feeling uplifted by their attitude, I was sent an article about one of the fastest growing sports in the US amongst children - called Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)  I found it so distressing that I've pondered for a week about whether to blog or not about it...but decided to go ahead...So what is it all about?    It's a sport where two children are put in a metal cage to fight each other - some as young as five years old - and it's popular on television.

This is so barbaric on so many levels, it speaks for itself. To me,it's promoting sub animal behaviour in the young with parents and adults encouraging it.

It makes me ask the question - Is Humanity polarising?  Some trying so hard to mindfully bring more kindness, understanding and compassion into society and others who mindlessly career towards cruelty and barbarism?

If so, then every kind act, every mindful decision each one of us makes really counts towards what sort of world we live in, what sort of life we are building.

Breaking the Circle of Blood - Parents for Peace

I listened to a very inspiring conversation this morning between two parents who had both lost children. One was an Israeli woman whose son had been shot by a Palestinian sniper and other a Palestinian man whose ten year old daughter had been killed in the Israeli Palestinian conflict.

Both had come to the same conclusion - that peace can only come to their countries when individuals say enough is enough. The lady movingly described how when she was told of her son's death by the army, her first response was "You may not kill anyone in the name of my son"

They are visiting the UK to talk to Tony Blair and on radio she made the point to people here that if they say they are pro either the Palestinian or Israeli cause, then they import the conflict to this country. The only cause to be pro is 'RECONCILATION'

Apart from being uplifted by their personal stance, I was caught yet again at the growing trend which looks to solutions to big problems, coming not from the 'top down' in society, but from ordinary people - from 'the bottom up' - taking a position together. The base of any pyramid is very much larger and broader than the tip!

Importance of a Framework

I heard a fascinating radio program this morning on the way to work by an academic paleontologist.
He was describing the archaeologists who were finding fossils in Elgin near Aberdeen, way back on the 1830s. At one point he said something which to me was quite riveting...that even if  they had  found a tiny piece of a dinosaur bone, they couldn't have recognised it, as they had no framework or language reference within which to place it, as it was pre the major discoveries which lead to our understandings about the lives and time of the dinosaurs.

To me this is such an important statement..not so much about the understanding of 'old bones', but about the way in which we perceive the world. Without the necessary framework or template , it is very hard to see life in brand new terms. It reminded me a lot of our current times, when those people who have embraced the concept of living in times of change, find it far easier to see the symptoms and signs of the change, even when quite subtle ....and yet  those who live  with the framework of 'no change', miss things which to me are staring us in the face.

I guess it has always been like this through the centuries when small groupings forefront new arisings and understandings, like early astronomers such as Galileo,  flying in the face of the Christian view of the Creation and facing the wrath of the old thinkers!

The Survival of the Kindest

Loved this link I was sent this morning !
http://wakeup-world.com/2013/08/06/evidence-that-humankind-is-evolving-to-become-more-compassionate/

  All about how evolution would naturally lead a person to more empathy, compassion and kindness.  Lots of powerful  examples eg how anger is detrimental to health. Well worth a read!

'Little Big People'

Strikes me it's often the 'little big people' who make the world a kinder, nicer place to live in. Think of the countless generations of parents who have worked hard to make life better, safer and sweeter for their children. The mothers who have gone without to ensure their children grow stronger and healthier? What about in a hospital where the doctors may get the acclaim and have greater skill, but so often it's the nurses who bring the humanity and tenderness to those in need?

Apart from those who know them personally, they may never go down in history as heroes, but those countless millions of people throughout the world and throughout the ages have MADE A DIFFERENCE! And all of us alive today who also care and are concerned about some of the current trends, can also make a difference simply by deepening our values and living our lives in accord with them. So many people I talk to are horrified by features like corruption and self-interest in politicians, religious wars, growing terrorism, break down in families and the list goes on and on.  In the face of that growing tide, many people feel their lives can't do anything to stem it.

So this blog is just to say, that there are an awful lot more ordinary people at the base of a pyramid than those who are in the limelight at the so called top! And every kind act, especially deliberate conscious acts of compassion, can make a huge difference! And when the base moves, it all moves as we live in an inter-connected world!

Serendipity - bottom up!

After work last night, I spent an hour in the sun with a friend, mulching over some of the apects of our current times...and what we had been observing. One feature which we dicussed was the way people here in the UK ( and elsewhere) are becoming so disillusioned with leadership from the top down. Whether one is talking about religion, politics or health issues  - there is a growing lack of trust in those who are supposed to be offering leadership. .. a  growing sense that they do not really have the interests of the people at heart. Nowhere is this more clear than in politics...where self interest and keeping themselves in power seems to be a major driver. We were talking about the possibility of change being effected from the  'bottom up' rather than 'top down' - not as a revolutionary, reactionary sort of force which history has often shown to be destructive, but as an evolutionary pro-active participation in finding genuine new ways forward.

This morning I opened an email from Avaaz...describing  "that across the planet, millions of people young and old are flooding the streets and mobilising online, to reject corruption and injustice and speak of a more beautiful world. A new Twitter hashtag in Brazil tells the story: 'OGiganteAcordou' Translation: “The sleeping giant has awoken" As one example,the Brazilian Senate  is voting to give any 500,000 citizen petition, the power to directly introduce measures to the government.

This is a fascinating area and one in which so much more could be explored but in true blog fashion - short is best ...more to follow!!!

Been Some Time ...

It's been some time since I've posted a blog ...so good to start again today! One of the aspects of living in times of change is that we are seeing  a massive breakdown in the status quo ...and it can be quite daunting watching the outplay of this as it appears on the news and media. One feature I watched actually prompted me to start blogging again. This was a news item saying that more young UK soldiers have died from suicide than they had from attack from the Taliban. Somehow this was a bit if a heart stopper for me ...and it struck me again how much easier it is to see the breakdown of the old rather than the appearance of this brand new human possibility - which like all newborn life appears small first...and therefore is more difficult to detect than the avalanche of things going askew.

Contemplation from the Pope

It has been much quoted this week that the Pope in his final speech had said that he had sometimes wondered whether God had been asleep on his watch. What an extraordinary thing for any Pope to say and indicative of just how extreme are the goings on in our time.  It struck me as a very brave thing for him to say ... and I admired his frankness.  Struck me too how strange it is to reflect the mess which humans can make, back on to God ...perhaps a more sensible way to think is that God, the universe and humans too ...  are all in a growing situation .. not perfect ..but with the ability to grow and refine and to move forward ....surely this is the greatest gift of all  ... and in a world which is so full of problems...perhaps one simple goal is to be a positive player within this unfolding situation..whatever our race or creed ?

Expendable?

Had an odd little wake up call this week....Small domestic incident but really made me think !My kitchen swing bin has been driving me nuts as the lid kept coming undone ...and each time, it happened it was a bit irritating and I kept putting it back together and thinking , must remember to get a new one ! Then I stopped and looked again and though how ridiculous..you haven't even tried to mend it .. which I then did within five minutes and with only a piece of thread! Perfect job and back in working order...and so satisfying ! Thing is, it made me think how quick I am to throw anything away at the drop of a hat ..this attitude that everything is expendable and throwaway so permeates life today  ... and I just thought to myself, I do not want to think like that because with it comes a lack of value, and lack of creative thought !  

Grave to Irreversible

I went to a lecture recently on sustainable issues. In relation to climate change, it seems scientists have a chart which goes from grave, very grave, runaway to irreversible ... and their current assessment of our situation sits between very grave and runaway. If we don't take urgent action now, it will be in the irreversible category by 2050.  The forecast being that without strong steps being taken within 20 years, the climate will be 4-5 degrees hotter by the end of the century.  Pretty serious situation, especially when so many governments are what he referred to as sustainable illiterates! It's a strange thing .. and I've felt it myself at times, that one can hear the facts ...yet they don't really register in real terms of evoking a response.  Why is that ? Are we just so flooded with information and imagery .. often horrendous things like violence and famine...that we've developed this ability to shut off from the impact of the truth staring us in the face?

The Love of Power into the Power of Love

It was inspiring this morning to read in my mail,  some words by Edgar Mitchell, one of the many astronauts who had a life changing experience upon seeing our beautiful blue planet from space. He described himself as "a pragmatic test pilot, engineer and scientist"  Yet after his "breathtaking experience of seeing planet Earth floating in the vastness of space" from Apollo 14 on the moon, he had an instant direct knowing that life in the universe is no accident.  His vision of the future reads like this :- "The union of head and heart, insight and instinct, will ensure that science comes to comprehend the non-material aspect of reality as well as it knows the material, our knowledge will become wisdom, our love of power will become the power of love, and the universal human of cosmic consciousness will emerge."

It's fascinating that so many space travellers come back changed people...and fantastic that we can now all visualise our planet from space .. and perhaps reach for that universal perspective, in whatever form it may take!

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD!

I turned on the radio in the car in time to hear a well known (now retired) politician being asked what would be his favourite song. He said with no hesitation 'What a Wonderful World' by Louis Armstrong. I loved his choice and even more his reasoning!  He spoke of coming out of high powered political meetings, and seeing the daffodils in spring, the roses in summer and feeling the stability and beauty of nature .... of the value for love and friendship between people...and of making opportunity for the next generation to learn and improve ....  That, I thought was the most sensible thing I'd heard from any politician in a long time!!! And in a fast changing and often disturbing world, how important to work out what is really important in life.

What's happened to religion?

Had an email from a friend yesterday talking about a recent Dawkin's program on religion, morality and sexuality. His point was that 'religious peoples' behaviour when it came to the so called sexual 'taboos' was exactly the same as the non religious. The only difference being that 'religious' folks lied about it and felt guilty! Whilst I could see where they were coming from, it made me feel very sad to see how easily the flaws in all the major religions, where politics, power and control are often more of the driver than a simple love of God and life, so easily puts people off the idea of religion itself...that very simple  relationship between a person and that amazing intelligence which both created and maintains life, including our own!