Happy Howl-O-Ween

Haunted Houses

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

All houses wherein men have lived and died
Are haunted houses. Through the open doors
The harmless phantoms on their errands glide,
With feet that make no sound upon the floors.

We meet them at the door-way, on the stair,
Along the passages they come and go,
Impalpable impressions on the air,
A sense of something moving to and fro.

There are more guests at table than the hosts
Invited; the illuminated hall
Is thronged with quiet, inoffensive ghosts,
As silent as the pictures on the wall.

The stranger at my fireside cannot see
The forms I see, nor hear the sounds I hear;
He but perceives what is; while unto me
All that has been is visible and clear.
[...]

So from the world of spirits there descends
A bridge of light, connecting it with this,
O'er whose unsteady floor, that sways and bends,
Wander our thoughts above the dark abyss.

From "Haunted Houses" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Public domain.

Flickr Friend Carl

My comfort blanket......

The only time i feel comfortable or worthwhile is when i'm in nature with my camera in hand......
I'm a very socially awkward person, self conscious..... I either say the wrong thing or don't know what to say at all!
In the 'real' world no-one understands me.....i don't think i even understand myself!! I can well up with emotion and self loathing one minute and then feel better again the next.....
Flickr is an escape...... it's not real life........
I've been through some very tough experiences in my life, but i know everyone has their own hardships....maybe i'm just too weak to deal with them...
I've also many things to be truly grateful for, yet my messed up head leaves me unable to appreciate them properly.....
It's a bad day..... but tomorrow i will feel better again no doubt.......
So.... sorry for these words....... forgive me for writing them here, but it helps.... i have no-one else i can share them with....
Flickr and my flickr friends makes me feel more important than i actually am...... it makes me feel more loved than i deserve to be......
It seems i crave attention here, but that's because in the real world i hide away and fade into the background....... don't judge a book by it's cover......
I can only show my heart in my pictures.... i don't know any other way......
Thankyou for reading,
Carl xxxx

Sylvia Plath

It's the birthday of the poet Sylvia Plath (books by this author), born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1932. She went to Smith, and while she was there she struggled with bipolar disease, she attempted suicide, but she made it through and won a Fulbright Scholarship to England. And in England she met another poet, Ted Hughes, and they got married. She published her first book of poems, Colossus (1960), and gave birth to two kids. She wrote the poems in Colossus slowly, deliberately, and constantly looked up words in her beloved thesaurus. But then her husband left her for another woman, her depression came back in force, and that winter after he left she wrote almost all the poems that would eventually become the book Ariel. She was seized with creative energy, and she wrote feverishly, sometimes completing several poems in just a few hours before her kids woke up.

In 1963, she published a novel, The Bell Jar, and two weeks later she committed suicide. She had only published one book of poetry during her life, but she had written enough poems to fill three more books, which were all published after she died, including Ariel (1965),whichwas filled with personal poems about marriage, motherhood, and depression. The poems in Ariel are usually considered Sylvia Plath's best work—poems like "Daddy" and "Lady Lazarus."


Quote from Kurt Vonnegut:

My uncle Alex Vonnegut, a Harvard-educated life insurance salesman who lived at 5033 North Pennsylvania Street, taught me something very important.

He said that when things were really going well we should be sure to NOTICE it. He was talking about simple occasions, not great victories: maybe drinking lemonade on a hot afternoon in the shade, or smelling the aroma of a nearby bakery; or fishing, and not caring if we catch anything or not, or hearing somebody all alone playing a piano really well in the house next door.

Uncle Alex urged me to say this out loud during such epiphanies: "If this isn't nice, what is?"

Kurt Vonnegut

American Author

Set Your Sights High

Set your sights high, the higher the better.
Expect the most wonderful things to happen,
not in the future but right now.
Realize that nothing is too good.
Allow absolutely nothing to hamper you
or hold you up in any way.

Eileen Caddy, 1917-2006

Spiritual Teacher and Author

Open Intelligence and Eckhart Tolle

Yes, I've loved Eckart Tolle for a decade or so. I used to love to travel and listen to him on CD's for hours of travel. My husband and I felt like this was a "date" to do this together.

I also enjoy Gangaji, an American woman who also speaks of silent awareness.

Yes, they are all talking about the same thing and Candice doesn't make any bones about this.

What is unique in Balanced View is the universal support offered individually on tap and for free or your decided donation. This is amazing.

It is Buddhism without the cultural trappings that might not make it available to every person.

And the Balanced View group has had a wonderful time refining the language to be accessible to every one at this point and time in history.

That is my experience at this point.

Coincidence? I just played an Eckart Tolle piece the other day when I happened upon it in my research wiles and loved the look on his face as he described the peace that emanates from a flower...that warming recognition of open intelligence in every thing and every one...in, as and through all data.

It is no coincidence that more and more of the world are awakening to open intelligence and the language may vary a bit...as the view becomes more accessible, the language is realized to only be the pointers to what has always been the case. I love the regular support I get for growing my recognition of this and Balanced View offers the whole package.

So do Buddhists with the Sangha (the community)--Candice used to called her meetings Sanghas, the teacher (guru--a realized being, one who has seen through all of his/her data or points of view), scriptures or holy texts (books, media, video clips) and the practice, one of the key practices of Buddhism would be "short moments" and there are many others, but Candice and others have realized that this practice is so incredibly effective on the way to the continuous recognition.

I'm excited to continue with these four comforts, four mainstays, four supports at my disposal without having to travel anywhere for these supports and teachings. And very, very lucky.

Thank you, Phyll!

Love,
Kirsten

On Fri, Oct 21, 2011 at 9:54 PM, Phyllis Perry <pepstar27@yahoo.com> wrote:

 Hi Kirsten,

   Thanks for all of your shares and e-mails.

I always enjoy hearing from you!

    Just read a quote by Eckhart Tolle, writer

and philosopher.  Sounds a lot like principles

of Open Intelligence.  I wonder if Candice follows him.

or likes his work?  There are many principles of OI

that seem to overlap with other theories and

philosophies, like Buddhism, Eastern Thought,

Eckhart Tolle, etc.  Is that a coincidence or intentional?

  

Luv,

Phyll

Here's the quote.  See what you think:

If her past were your past, her pain your pain, her level

of consciousness your level of consciousness, you would

think and act exactly as she does. With this realization

comes forgiveness, compassion and peace.

Eckhart Tolle

German Author and Spiritual Teacher

Phyll,

Read the quote at the bottom of this page from my dear Gangaji. I used to travel up to Ashland to see her and attend her open meetings and special retreats. She is my "teacher" too in that it is clarity that she points too. We have that recognition brought to our attention now. Such a sweet gift.

See a quote from her at the bottom of the page.

Love,
Kirsten

Silent, conscious awareness is naturally naked of phenomena and is nakedly present in the core of all phenomena. It is only our distraction with phenomena – "clothing" made of thoughts, images, sense impressions and memory – that keeps our core cloaked from recognition.

By inquiring into your life story, you can recognize the layers of ephemeral distraction that keep your attention busy with entanglements. When you recognize this, you can reclaim your attention. You can allow the distractions to fall away, or you can see through the distractions all the way home, to the silent core.

from Hidden Treasure

Happy Birthday Thay

It's the birthday of writer and Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh (books by this author), born in Quang Ngai, Vietnam (1926). He has published more than 100 books, including Peace Is Every Step (1992) and The Miracle of Mindfulness (1999). He said, "Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy."

Human Being Not Human Do-ing

I am a human being, not a human doing. Don't equate your self-worth with how well you do things in life. You aren't what you do. If you are what you do, then when you don't... you aren't.

Dr. Wayne Dyer

American Author and Inspirational Speaker

Jane

Jane

by George Bilgere

Jane, the old woman across the street,
is lugging big black trash bags to the curb.
It's snowing hard, and the bags are turning white,
gradually disappearing in the storm.

Jane is getting ready to put her house on the market
and move into a home of some sort. A facility.
She's just too old to keep the place going anymore,
and as we chat about this on the sidewalk
I'm thinking, I'm so glad this isn't going to happen to me.

It seems like a terrible fate, to drag out your trash bags
and then head for a facility somewhere.
And all the worse to be old in a facility. But then,
that's the whole reason you go there in the first place.

But the great thing about being me, I'm thinking,
as I continue my morning walk around the block,
is that I'm not going to a facility of any sort.

That's for other people. I intend to go on
pretty much as I always have, enjoying life,
taking my morning walk, then coffee
and the newspaper, music and a good book.
Europe vaguely in the summers.
Then another year just like this one, on and on,
ad infinitum.

Why change this? I have no intention of doing so.
What Jane is doing—growing old,
taking out her ominous black trash bags
to vanish terribly in the snow, getting ready
for someone to drive her to the facility—

that may be her idea of the future (which I totally respect),
but it certainly isn't mine.

"Jane" by George Bilgere. Reprinted with the permission of the author.

Home Sweet Home

"By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established, by knowledge the rooms are filled
with all precious and pleasant riches."
~Proverbs 24:3&4

Quote for the Day

‎10 years ago we had Steve Jobs, Bob Hope and Johnny Cash – Now we have no Jobs, no Hope and no Cash.

The Secret

The Secret of “Doing Without Doing”

By Dr. Robert Anthony On October 7th, 2011

One of the misconceptions most people operate under is that you get what you want in life by what you DO, or through the actions you take.

Most people believe that the DOING or action part is what makes things happen. However, this causes you to create in reverse. Let me explain… The reason we put a lot of emphasis on action is because we do not understand the power of our thought. If you analyze it, 90% of most people’s actions are spent trying to compensate for inappropriate thought.

The Chinese philosopher Lao Tsu said that, “In the practice of the Way, every day something is dropped. Less and less do you need to force things until finally you arrive at non action. When nothing is done, nothing is left undone”. What he is talking about is “doing without doing.”

The problem is that most of us are preoccupied with “doing.” Unfortunately, most of our doing usually involves struggle.
In the western world we are conditioned to be action-oriented, so we place a tremendous value on doing. We are so busy doing that we do not realize that all this “doingness” causes us to create in a reverse fashion. Most of our actions are out of fear, worry or doubt because we believe nothing will get done unless we DO something.
In other words, we are trying to force our desire into manifestation through action. If your decision to DO is dominant, then you will not focus on what you want to BE in the present moment. Instead, BEING is the first and most important step in the creative process.

Here is the secret. It is not your action that makes things happen, it is your intent. You can reduce the need for action to a very minimum by allowing yourself to focus on what you desire until you feel the positive energy begin to move within you.

This energy is not based on doubt, fear, anxiety, worry or need. If you focus on what you want instead of what you don’t want, you will know when it is time to take action. And when you do, it will be effortless. Doors will open and the entire universe will conspire to assist you in your desire. Put simply, you should take no action on anything until you have visualized your desire and made it real enough in your mind that your next step —  whatever it is — seems like the most logical one. How can you know the next logical step?


Here is the test that you can give to yourself before taking any action. If you focus on what you desire and still feel overwhelmed or anxious, then you are not ready for any action. You know you are ready when it feels like the next logical step is effortless. There is no effort, no strain, and no pain. What we want to do is to use the leverage of energy, the same leverage of energy that creates everything in the universe. However, we are so caught up in the reality of WHAT IS, that we feel we must create everything through mental effort and physical activity.

Have you ever seen people who seem to have all the wonderful things in their life without much effort? It almost seems like they have an advantage over everyone else. Then you see the people who work the hardest usually have the least. That doesn’t seem fair does it? But that’s the way the universe works.

Unfortunately, those who work the hardest usually have the least because they haven’t learned the leverage of aligning their energy. They are going about creating their lives the hard way. They are trying to use their actions to create what they want. We have also been programmed that in order to have what we desire we must work hard.
How many times have you heard the phrase “No pain, no gain”?
The implication is that if you want to make something of yourself, you must work hard.

The message is clear: If you are not hurting or struggling, you are not moving forward. But here is the truth: Anytime you are struggling you are mis-creating. Anytime you feel pain or struggle, your magnetic point of attraction is directed to that which you do not want, rather than to that which you desire.


Actions are necessary, but they are the last component of the creation processes.
Actions cannot be used effectively to initiate results, because initiation is the function of BEING, then thought, then action. Remember, the creation of anything is through your vibration. Everything vibrates, and it is by that vibration that we harmonize and attract experiences to ourselves. So before you act or do anything, first ask yourself, how am I vibrating?

How do you know the answer? You tell by how you FEEL. Your feelings show you your vibration. How you feel determines what you attract. When you use the process of creating by only focusing on what you want instead of what you don’t want, you will see that the universe will provide a different set of circumstances for you that requires much less action. This puts you in a state of “doing without doing” or action without effort.

Author Bio: Dr. Robert Anthony is an internationally renowned expert in human potential. He teaches you how to manifest what you desire through the power of your mind. He offers the dynamic “The Secret to Deliberate Creation” training course, revealing how you can quickly and easily manifest wealth, life purpose and happiness.

We Don't Need to Suffer

September 30, 2011 We Don’t Need to Suffer Learn and Let Flow The idea that we have to suffer or live in poverty in order to be spiritual is an old one and can be found in the belief systems of many philosophies. Most of us carry this idea around subconsciously, and we may be holding ourselves back from financial or emotional well-being, believing that this is what we must do in order to be virtuous, spiritually awake, or feel less guilty for the suffering of others. While it’s true that there can be a spiritual purpose to experiencing a lack of material well-being, it is rarely intended to be a permanent or lifelong experience. What we are meant to find when material or emotional resources are in short supply is that there is more to our lives than the physical realm. Intense relationships and material abundance can distract us from the subtler realm of the spirit, so a time of deficiency can be spiritually awakening. However, once we recognize the realm of spirit, and remember to hold it at the center of our lives, there is no reason to dwell in poverty or emotional isolation. In fact, once our connection to spirit is fully intact, we feel so compelled to share our abundance that lack becomes a thing of the past. If you find that you are experiencing suffering in some area of your physical life, perhaps your spirit is asking you to look deeper in your search for what you want. For example, if you want money so that you can experience the feeling of security but money keeps eluding you, your spirit may be asking you to understand that security is not to be found through money. Security comes from an unshakable connection to your soul. Once you make that connection, money will probably flow more easily into your life. If relationships elude you, your spirit may be calling you to recognize that the love you seek is not to be found in another person. And yet, ironically, once you find the love, your true love may very well appear. If you feel stuck in suffering to live a spiritual life, try to spend some time writing about it. The root of the problem will appear and it may not be what you expected. Remember, the Universe wants you to be happy. We do not need to suffer or live in poverty to be a spiritual person.