God's self management.

[hallow]

Originally Posted by BigJohn

Just think.... if the meteorite of about 65-66 million years did not arrive in modern day Mexico, the dinosaurs might still be alive. Which makes you wonder, would us humans be the dinosaurs pets or part of their diet?

without that event, I don't think we would be here. Imagine what that event changed. Yellow Stone park in our own backyard could be another ticking time bomb. But what do you do. Love like it's the last day on Earth every day. Give thanks for one more day, everyday.

Originally Posted by janielee

“How then should I love God?’ You should love God non-mentally, that is to say the soul should become non-mental and stripped of her mental images. For as long as your soul is mental, she will possess images. As long as she has images, she will possess intermediaries, and as long as she has intermediaries, she will not have unity or simplicity. As long as she lacks simplicity, she does not truly love God, for true love depends upon simplicity . . . Indeed, you must love him as he is One, pure, simple and transparent, far from all duality. And we should eternally sink into this One, thus passing from something into nothing. So help us God. Amen.”

― Meister Eckhart, Selected Writings

janielee,

Wow !!! Thanks so much for sharing this.....I could have easily missed it and that would have been to my detriment. In this day and age the mind is our automatic default mode. And in these times of sensory overload we don't leave sufficient time for the Spirit to inform us. Over time we have moved from an agrarian society to what we have now. I speak with the memory of having grown up on the farm. Long days alone in the fields provided much time for contemplation in the setting of nature. Nature can be self-therapy in that way allowing one to not be assaulted by the turmoil of this world that we now live in. This is a gem from the past.....validating the wisdom of a different time and demonstrating that what has preceded us can be a companion and informer for our present lives.

[davidsun]

Originally Posted by Honza

They practice the art of self preservation. They CONTAIN themselves. Which is something I have never done. In many ways I gave myself away.

'Containment' = 'I'solation.

Relationship is the way to integrating (i.e. becoming One) with The Flow of Life.

Because Life's Flow if 'wavy', as in the case of 'surfing', one just has to figure out which (kinds of) waves are the best one's to 'catch' and learn to maintain one's balance while 'navigating' their propulsive energy 'curve'.

Those who "practice the art of self preservation" and "CONTAIN themselves" end up going nowhere!

Originally Posted by davidsun

'Containment' = 'I'solation.

Relationship is the way to integrating (i.e. becoming One) with The Flow of Life.

Because Life's Flow if 'wavy', as in the case of 'surfing', one just has to figure out which (kinds of) waves are the best one's to 'catch' and learn to maintain one's balance while 'navigating' their propulsive energy 'curve'.

Those who "practice the art of self preservation" and "CONTAIN themselves" end up going nowhere!

davidsun,

As you might imagine there is a flip side to this coin. Relationship is the way to integrating as you say. But the way it plays out in real life instead of 'becoming one' is that it grants power to the favored instead of unity of all. Look at the majority of relationships that we are familiar with....clubs, organizations, churches, even families(inherited wealth,etc.) and the best example: political parties.

To enter any relationship means giving up some measure of individuality and, at some point, sacrificing some closely held beliefs and principles. In regards to politics it is evident in a unique way in the States. Here we have a two party system, essentially an either/or choice. The way it works out in real life is that it degenerates into hot rhetoric of right/wrong,,,,,,,good/evil. What could exhibit more duality than this ? Not simply duality but genuine hate. There are a legion of individuals who have embraced this model and relegated firmly held moral beliefs and principles to be on the 'winning side'.

Furthermore, the desire to enter relatiionships as I have mentioned is, to a large extent, ego-driven. We seek the approval of others not wishing to alienate ourselves from them. Many times we ignore our conscience and hold our tongue(not expressing our true belief) to retain the reward of power(perceived or real).

The 'practice of self-preservation' rather than being an act of individuality is actually a surrender to the mentality of the herd. True, they go nowhere in this world but they retain their integrity. They relinquish the material for the benefit of their soul. Jesus: "What profit a man to gain the whole world yet forfeit his soul ?"

The escape from duality might involve re-examining relationships and avoiding the judgment of others based on which tribe they belong to. Sometimes we need to make the same declaration as John the Baptist...."I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness". The true God is the God within us and that same one leads us to the truth.

Originally Posted by Molearner

janielee,

Wow !!! Thanks so much for sharing this.....I could have easily missed it and that would have been to my detriment. In this day and age the mind is our automatic default mode. And in these times of sensory overload we don't leave sufficient time for the Spirit to inform us. Over time we have moved from an agrarian society to what we have now. I speak with the memory of having grown up on the farm. Long days alone in the fields provided much time for contemplation in the setting of nature. Nature can be self-therapy in that way allowing one to not be assaulted by the turmoil of this world that we now live in. This is a gem from the past.....validating the wisdom of a different time and demonstrating that what has preceded us can be a companion and informer for our present lives.

I thoroughly enjoy his writings, thanks for the comments

[davidsun]

Note: I haven't had the time to reread this and catch/correct an glitches

Originally Posted by Molearner

To enter any relationship means giving up some measure of individuality and, at some point, sacrificing some closely held beliefs and principles. In regards to politics it is evident in a unique way in the States. Here we have a two party system, essentially an either/or choice. The way it works out in real life is that it degenerates into hot rhetoric of right/wrong,,,,,,,good/evil. What could exhibit more duality than this ? Not simply duality but genuine hate. There are a legion of individuals who have embraced this model and relegated firmly held moral beliefs and principles to be on the 'winning side'.

I agree with this 'analysis'. However, IMO, the 'degeneration' (as you put it) is a function of people's soul-immaturity (not everyone is 'immmature!) wherein they don't fully recognize that they are relationally connected to others and therefore not separate from them, that they (and others) are integral parts of The One and Only Flow of Life. It is not a function of living 'in' duality' - actually, (IOW really!) The Flow of Life is characterized by (infinite) 'multiplicity'.

What 'the world' (of embodied multiply experience!) gives us is the opportunity, which includes many challenges - your 'challenge' right here right now is to open-mind-and-heart-edly relate to what I am saying to you - to reach a 'synthesis', to integrate with others, to learn.choose to 'love' to one's neighbor as one's 'self'. IMO, this opportunity is cannot be properly/fully ultiilzed and taken 'advantage' of by simplistically rejecting/denying the fact that we (all!) live 'in' a 'dualistic', actually infinitely 'multiplistic', world - and scapegoat 'blaming' the experience of 'hate' on people's thinking that the world is actually so.

E Pluribus Unum (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_pluribus_unum). What this dualtistic/multiplistic world gives us (nascent, individuating!) souls is the opportunity to 'do' to climb out of and overcome (petty) selfishness. That is the purpose (to avail themselves of said opportunity) for which souls incarnate, IMO - they could not and so would not grow/develop/evolve/mature otherwise!

Originally Posted by Molearner

Furthermore, the desire to enter relatiionships as I have mentioned is, to a large extent, ego-driven. We seek the approval of others not wishing to alienate ourselves from them. Many times we ignore our conscience and hold our tongue(not expressing our true belief) to retain the reward of power(perceived or real).

Again, as I said, not everyone is narrow-mind-n-heart-edly so. As a result of their observations and experiences many have expanded and continue to expand their sense of their own ego-'i'dentities. From my treatise:

The learning and consequent wisdom-development I speak of is in the ‘direction’ of more fully appreciating the functional commonalities and connections between one’s ‘self’ and other ‘selves’ and so of relationally engaging with others as well as Life-at-Large in ways which, more and more so in the long term, synergically augment and improve the quality of both our own and others’ experiences and expressions of Love and Joy, thereby increasing the likelihood that not just our own but others’ wishes and desires to experience and express Love and Joy will be optimally fulfilled as well in the process (except of course if, when and as said others are so other‑exploitive and self-aggrandizing that they sully and diminish the potential for conjoint experience and expression of Love and Joy, in which case non‑cooperation and counteraction may be our choice, for the same aiming-to-maximize the experience and expression of Love and Joy in relation to and with others in Life’s Flow ‘reason’).

All of which explains our gradual progression (albeit, as a result of their still selfishly biased calculus in the foregoing regards, not in every soul’s case, and, even in the cases of those who do progress in this regard, often in periodically regressive, learning the ‘hard’ way, fashion!) from completely selfish, to familial, to clannish, to tribal, to ethnographic, to anthropocentric, and, finally, to cosmically all-inclusive, completely self-transcendent psychospiritual ‘i’dentifications and corollary allegiances, meaning that, with experience and education, over the course of time, folks increasingly think, feel and believe and so more and more conscientiously act knowing that, though each and every individual and group is unique and so differs from others in significant ways, one’s ‘self’ and all other ‘selves’ are really integral aspects of Life’s Flow and so, despite apparent differences, we are all relationally connected aspects of the same (pertaining to the Universe we are in, at least) Cosmic Being-Doing, which is Life Itself in action!*

<< Footnote**Hence the historically resonant, exhortative declarations by ‘fully awakened’ souls, such as: “Put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him**that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond [i.e. an ‘owned’ slave or ‘indentured’ servant] nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.” (Colossians*3:10-11); “As the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” (I Corinthians 12:12‑13); and “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ.” (Galatians 3:28).>>

Originally Posted by Molearner

The 'practice of self-preservation' rather than being an act of individuality is actually a surrender to the mentality of the herd. True, they go nowhere in this world but they retain their integrity. They relinquish the material for the benefit of their soul. Jesus: "What profit a man to gain the whole world yet forfeit his soul?"

Agreed, again with the qualification that people are a different levels in terms of become 'individuated' (free of herd-'instincts') souls.

Originally Posted by Molearner

The escape from duality might involve re-examining relationships and avoiding the judgment of others based on which tribe they belong to. Sometimes we need to make the same declaration as John the Baptist...."I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness". The true God is the God within us and that same one leads us to the truth.

Agreed, again with the qualification that I think that the experience of 'duality' (multplicity, really) is best embraced (hugged ) for purposes of soul-growth and the actualization of more sublime Love and Joy experience and expression. The way I see it, those who aim to 'escape' from relationality in said regard (which many here still do!) are bound to end up abdicating and so abandoning and betraying Life''s ubiquitous (ensconced in everyone!) imperative.

I reinvite you to reconsider closely reading and deeply contemplating what I have shared by way of my treatise as this is the focus of my treatment of the truth therein. Another quote from it as another hand-extended "C'mon, Bro!" :

Any and every soul’s developmental ‘journey’ merits ongoing introspective review and reevaluation and, when and where appropriate, the refinement – this is what conscious evolution is all about! – not just of the ‘content’ of what one personally thinks, feels, believes and does in relation to others and Life‑at‑Large, but also of the ‘significance’ one places on and so ‘ascribes’ to one’s self and other selves, in your case the very ‘self’ that thinks, feels, believes and does so. To possibly help expedite such process, here’s a discussion of some often overlooked (because of ‘innocent’ ignorance) but just about as often (for personal expediency) swept under the rug details and issues which, when and as overlooked and/or ignored, often result in folks who don’t yet fully grok what actually happens when a soul transcends selfhood (by whole-mind-n-heart-edly acknowledging and embracing the fact that it and others are integral aspects of The Entity of Life’s, i.e. of Christ’s, Being-n-Doing) being bamboozled by as well as bamboozling others.

For one thing, one’s selfhood doesn’t then just evaporate into insubstantiality or dissolve into inconsequentiality as many have historically, apparently self-effacingly and seemingly humbly, for supposedly unselfish reasons, self-deludingly imagined and other-misleadingly proclaimed. Take the words of anyone who speaks, preaches, or acts in ways which imply that he or she (or his or her ‘kind’) is so self-abnegating as to therefore be especially holy and (so) especially worthy of devotion, reverence, obedience, generosity, etc. with a grain of salt. A posture of personal insignificance may indeed be adopted as a result of a person’s genuinely loving and enjoying and so wishing not to in any way detract from the glorious Magnificence and mind-boggling Grandeur of Life-at-Large, in contrast to which the gestalt of his or her present self as well as the gestalts of other selves may indeed appear – to him or her, that is – to be relatively unimportant. But obsequious, Cosmic Presence or Persona ‘adoring’ stances and corollary behaviors may also be consciously or unconsciously coat‑tail‑rider ‘gain’ motivated, and sometimes even downright wolves-in-sheep’s-clothing predatory in relation to unwitting others!

To put any self or other generated razzle-dazzle that may presently be interfering with your clearly seeing what’s really what in this regard into perspective, let me point to and emphasize the implications of the obvious fact that genuinely devoted husbands and wives – ‘lovers’ of all kinds, really! – recognize that their lives are far from being insignificant in relation to those they love and ‘espouse’. They live and act with consummate awareness of the fact, as well as experience and evince a certain degree of self-appreciation as a result of knowing, that their personal presence and relational engagement functionally complements and enriches their spouse’s lives in ways which they could not and would not be otherwise. This, even as they acknowledge and are deeply grateful for the fact that their own lives are also complemented and enriched in ways that they otherwise would not be by virtue of their having been ‘espoused’ (as a self) themselves. Similarly, Cosmically ‘awakened’ souls continue to live and make choices as personally response-able, choice‑implementing selves who are well worth every ‘bit’ of their ‘salt’, albeit they do so so ‘sacrally’, without putting themselves on any kind of ‘pedestal’, knowing that they are vital components of Life’s Grand Being‑n‑Doing, in other words knowing that they are Love and Joy experiencing and expressing ‘buds’, ‘leaves’, ‘flowers’ and potentially ‘seed’ bearing ‘fruit’ on ‘the Tree’ of Life Itself!

High Five again, Brother!

We come here to interact with others and get there personal opinion on what were talking about and NOT to talk to a book so even though your book may tuch on the topic quite referencing your book on every topic you comment on because no one came here to read your book I mean come on you references it over 20x on 1 thread . It wont kill you to take the time and write out a new and slightly different short version that's unique and specific for each topic you know I think its called actual genuine communication and not a book reading.

[davidsun]

Originally Posted by Molearner

Furthermore, the desire to enter relatiionships as I have mentioned is, to a large extent, ego-driven. We seek the approval of others not wishing to alienate ourselves from them. Many times we ignore our conscience and hold our tongue(not expressing our true belief) to retain the reward of power(perceived or real).

The flaw in your logic, Mo, is that not every 'ego' is selfishly 'approval' or 'ingratiation' driven or personal-power (reward?) driven. There are degrees of selfishness/unselfishness which your 'attitude' doesn't take into account, so your 'judgments' on this score are 'biased', IMO.

[davidsun]

Originally Posted by MAYA EL

It wont kill you to take the time and write out a new and slightly different short version ...

True ... and your opinion is soundly re-heard and re-registered ...

BUT please note: not dying (or pleasing you!) is not the reason I come to partake and share here, MAYA EL.

Please also note: you (as well as others) are free to not read my posts (just put 'davidsun' on your ignore list and you won't see what's in them). You'll miss my shorter 'slightly different' posts as well as quotes from other authors which I often share in that case, however.

I made it perfectly clear that I was not speaking from a personal standpoint so the narcissist undertone is not needed. Also I dont like putting people on the ignore list because I feel that everyone has something to share and that I can learn something from anyone and so if I block you I may be cheating myself out of some form of valuable information down the line because I try to keep an open mind. I just feel and I'm sure many others do to that you are only hear to hock your book in a desperate attempt to create a legacy for yourself and by doing so you are wasting a lot of people's time in conversations that may appear to be productive but are in fact just wasted due to the lack of genuine one-on-one interaction
Do to your premeditated motive of self-promotion. Like stated before there are threads are you have reference to book over 20 times in that one through it alone which there is no need for that and as I'm sure many will agree that thread has many wasted pages the pointless dialect between Jedi ego Strokers. But I do not expect you to agree with me he seemed pretty dead set on your mission.