consciousness

The Emerald – ND #143

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Sky Bridge (to our ancestors?) – Photo: L. Weikel

The Emerald

It’s been almost exactly two months since I discovered a podcast that I’m excited to share with you. It’s a wonderful respite from my usual fare, which runs the gamut of legal analysis of current affairs and politics to astrology. Instead of any of those topics, The Emerald covers subjects that make me smile and nod, and occasionally gasp at the resonance with what I know in my heart to be true.

I took a podcasting course two years ago, and then re-took it again this past fall. No, I haven’t been holding out on you. The idea remains, but finding the internal bandwidth to create it on a consistent basis eludes me. For now, anyway.

But the course itself was wonderful, both technically and in the fact that it introduced me to a cadre of people I never would’ve met had we not shared the aspiration to give literal voice to our passions. I hung out in a couple of groups self-selected for our shared interests, and it was in one of those that I received a recommendation to check out The Emerald Podcast.

An Irony

In spite of the fact that I took a podcasting course – twice, no less –I actually listened to very, very few, especially at the time. I don’t want to spend my time in nature with AirPods in my ears. I still resist shutting out the voices of the wind and birds, the stomping of deer hooves and accompanying snorts, the songs of the peepers, tree frogs, crickets and locusts. (Yes, I was surprised the other day to hear locusts so early in the summer.)

I listen to more podcasts now, though I still find myself only listening part-way to a lot of them. The Emerald, though, is different. The creator, Joshua Michael Schrei, has both a delivery and depth of knowledge that I respect, enjoy, and am inspired by.

Yearning to Share

A real plus for me has been the fact that I discovered The Emerald only recently – but it began back in 2019. So I have four years’ worth of episodes I’ve been slowly working my way through, savoring them bit by bit.

But the episode that captured my attention and engendered my devotion was this one: Animism is Normative Consciousness. It’s a rebroadcast (May 9, 2023) of one of his earlier episodes. I’m not entirely sure what possessed him to go back and add to it, apparently tweaking it from its original broadcast (which I believe I’m only an episode or two away from reaching). But as it happens, the remastered episode landed in my email inbox on May 9th of this year and its title kept nagging at me until I surrendered. All I can say is that, when I finally listened, it made my heart beat a little faster and all my cells sing, “Yes!”

So, my friends. I want the opportunity to make your hearts sing in exclamation, too. Give this a try. You’ll catch your breath and know the truth of what you’re hearing. And hopefully, you’ll understand why I’ve been yearning to share this with you.

ND #143

Random Discoveries Again – Day 951

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View From Above – Photo: L. Weikel

Random Discoveries Again

I wrote last night about two poems I came upon a few days ago, discarded in the tall grass and weeds beside the road. The question is whether these so-called random discoveries*, again, are indeed random or are somehow, in some way, orchestrated by consciousness we just can’t yet prove.

I make no secret of the answer my experiences would seem to support. And just because I can’t prove the existence of the consciousness behind such discoveries does not disprove its existence.

The bottom line is that I choose to expand my awareness to include the numinous. My life is immeasurably enriched by my choice (and capacity) to soften my gaze and thereby see a little bit more of what surrounds and infuses our world and, indeed, each and every one of us. Embracing the possibility that these discoveries are anything but random increases my risk, perhaps, of being perceived with ridicule or pity. But I’ve reached the point where I throw my lot in with the magic I know is Truth.

With that, I hereby proffer for your contemplation the other poem by Charles Bukowski that managed to find its way into my life. Torn out of a book and crumpled up. Tossed into the weeds along a single lane country road, only to be discovered by a 62 year old woman and her Boston Terrier; these words were published 55 years ago.

The Genius of the Crowd

There is enough treachery, hatred violence absurdity in the average

Human being to supply any given army on any given day

 

And the best at murder are those who preach against it

And the best at hate are those who preach love

And the best at war finally are those who preach peace

 

Those who preach god, need god

Those who preach peace do not have peace

Those who preach peace do not have love

 

Beware the preachers

Beware the knowers

Beware those who are always reading books

Beware those who either detest poverty

Or are proud of it

Beware those quick to praise

For they need praise in return

Beware those who are quick to censor

They are afraid of what they do not know

Beware those who seek constant crowds for

They are nothing alone

Beware the average man the average woman

Beware their love, their love is average

Seeks average

 

But there is genius in their hatred

There is enough genius in their hatred to kill you

To kill anybody

Not wanting solitude

Not understanding solitude

They will attempt to destroy anything

That differs from their own

Not being able to create art

They will not understand art

They will consider their failure as creators

Only as a failure of the world

Not being able love fully

They will believe your love incomplete

And then they will hate you

And their hatred will be perfect

 

Like a shining diamond

Like a knife

Like a mountain

Like a tiger

Like hemlock

 

Their finest art.

*Speaking of random discoveries, as I was proofreading this post and re-reading the link to Charles Bukowski, I finally saw that Henry Charles Bukowski’s actual birth name was Heinrich Karl Bukowski. Hence, in a manner of speaking, this literally was a message from Karl. Gotta love it.

(T-160)

Drastically Different – Day 752

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Photo: L. Weikel

Drastically Different

Walking this evening in the brilliant clarity of late fall atmosphere, I noticed the simple beauty of this tree growing alongside the road. Both branches part of the same trunk, I couldn’t help but notice how drastically different were the paths they were growing along.

One seemingly chose to take the straight up path, while the other chose the scenic route.

The stark difference in the appearance of these branches brought me up short. I’m not even sure why. Perhaps because they’re growing from the same trunk and it would at least appear from my perspective that they haven’t been exposed to substantial differences in environmental stresses.

So what in the world would cause one to go all swirly and creative, while its sibling just buckled down and got to work at the business of reaching for the sky?

Nature vs. Nurture

If these branches were human, we might attribute the differences in their ‘personalities’ to…what? Their nature? Their inherent souls, which even if their bodies were identical would still encourage development of their own unique, creative characteristics?

Is that possible with trees? Could it be that each branch of this tree has its own way of reaching for the sun? Might the curly branch be yearning for its individual expression along the same lines as Jonathan Livingston Seagull* did, while the straight branch just did what was expected?

These are the paths my mind wanders sometimes takes when we walk in darkness.

Photo: L.Weikel

*affiliate link

(T-359)

Yes, I Did – Day 510

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Photo: Blue Dragon Journal.com

Yes, I Did

In case you’re wondering, yes, I did stop what I was doing this evening at 10:40 p.m. so I could sit with people worldwide in 20 minutes of meditation. If and when I suggest others do something for themselves or the greater good, I do my best to follow through and do it myself as well. Karl joined me, and I’m grateful.

My Experience

Obviously, everyone who engaged in this process had their own unique experience. A substantial part of my ‘time’ felt like it was spent connecting to other people I know who are mesa carriers, as well as people I know, love, and care about. People I do not know personally, but whose hearts I recognize. I saw myself connecting to each of you and beyond, connecting through the warp and weft of brilliant golden threads that spread across our beautiful Mother Earth in pattern after pattern of the flower of life. I felt myself joining countless others weaving these golden threads of light together and reinvigorating not only the cekes (streams of light) that join us heart to heart, but also the ley lines spanning our beloved planet.

I imagined the collective dross conjured by humanity, the ‘hucha,’ the heaviness, the greed and cruelty, the disease, pain, and profound grief. I saw this lack of light in its chokehold over our world and then witnessed it breaking apart, exploding into a massive black powder that dissipated into thin air.

There was a palpable sense of all of us joining together to raise our collective vibration up a notch or two (or more?) creating a higher vibration of caring and compassion for each other and all beings with whom we share this planet (including Mother Earth herself). I flew over all the healthcare workers not only here in the U.S., but across the world, doing their best to alleviate the suffering of others and sent them gratitude and peace.

I thanked the souls who are choosing to leave the planet at this time, hoping their sacrifices call  attention to the insanity of our way of life so they will be catalysts for profound change.

Interesting Discovery

When I searched just now for an imagine to include with this post, I tried to find something that reflected what I saw in my mind’s eye. I was led to the image I’ve included, which is linked to this web site. I’ve not read anything on it yet, but it looks intriguing.

But the image was so strikingly similar to what my meditation envisioned, I just had to include it. And it was only fair to include a link to the website itself.

Thank you – each of you – who participated this evening. I know I felt the connection, and I hope you did as well.

Flower of life – Photo: pinterest

(T-601)

Star Wars – Day 406

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Star Wars     

I’m tired and I’m ready for bed.

This evening we went to see the latest Star Wars movie, ostensibly the last in the ‘series’ of nine that began in 1977.

Don’t worry; no need for any spoiler alerts. I’m not intending to reveal anything substantive.

The Illusion of Time

I just want to declare how weird it felt. It was almost as if I could bi-locate and imagine myself sitting in the theater where I saw the first Star Wars back in August 1977. I was in Monroeville, with my brother and his family. I’d just arrived home from a year abroad in Sweden and was about to head off to my freshman year at Penn State.

Here I was, a lifetime later, in a theater with one of my grown sons sitting beside me. And not only have some characters in the movie aged appropriately, but I have too. And even more surreal, my son is actually just a couple years shy of being twice as old as I was when I saw that first movie.

It’s just all so weird.

Yes, I keep using the same lame description for what I’m feeling. But throughout the 2 hour and 22 minute movie, I found myself slipping out of linear time and looking at everything from a different perspective. In some ways, so much has changed since 1977 and in others we are pathetically mired in the same old junk.

One Thing

There was one thing that stood out to me. When I watched the first Star Wars, I felt such a distinct and powerful connection to the whole concept of The Force. I just knew it was real. And I was absolutely convinced that somehow, some way, I would learn about The Force, quite possibly even learn how to consciously work with it myself.

Little did I know.

Or maybe – just maybe – the more appropriate expression is, “Wow, we really are being given an opportunity to LIVE THIS. Right now.”

What a wild time to be alive.

I know; it’s just a dumb movie. But all of this feels bigger than just a movie. Unfortunately, I’m having a hard time articulating precisely what I mean by that this evening.

Maybe I’ll have another go at it some other day.

(T-705)