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Brief look at the Golden Mean

12/29/2014

261. Past

Elements of the universe

Golden mean

I've been aware, since childhood, of the Golden Mean (a proportion). Since reading in school about the Greek Parthenon and its influence in architecture and sculpture, it has popped up frequently. I read about Leonardo Da Vinci's use of it as a guide for human proportions. The length of one limb relative to another is one example. The knuckle to the finger's middle joint and then to the outward joint another. If you apply it to a good work of art the key points of it should fall on the golden mean. Supposedly the old masters were conscious of this relationship in their paintings and designs.

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Centralized government versus centralized capitalism

12/29/2014

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260. Past

Principles

Economics

Centralized government versus centralized capitalism

I was speaking to Al, a younger friend who is presently working as a park ranger, and he was talking of a “New World Order” coming in. He referred to the prediction in the “New Testament Revelation”. He's usually not biblical. I have studied that chapter and find it terribly inconsistent and not chronological. World control was mentioned by the Jewish prophet Daniel and other prophets allude to it. The New World Order is a favorite subject of the conspiratorial and prophesy minded. However, one doesn't have to be an evangelical Christian to see some type of world unified government coming into being.

The United Nations has been a step in that direction. We went from a colony to statehood to nationhood. To some extent it is the way of the world. When individuals clash, a third impartial party can restore rule. When countries clash, the same applies. If we can't get along, either a third, more powerful entity is needed, or some type of government. The 20th century left us with wars and more wars that just continue. It is understandable to want a unifying force, or a “New World Order.”

However, often people corrupt institutions and these institutions, which seem omnipresent and omnipotent serve and perpetuate themselves, robbing the people of their freedom and liberty, or at least the ideal of them. What's to stop a dictator from taking over, becoming our enforcer and Godlike in his/her eyes. That can be scary. We are almost better off with the chaos and mayhem of anarchy. At least it is what it is.

I made the point to Al. I don't think we need a “revelation” or to be fundamentalist Christians to sense that there might be a culmination soon. It is all around us in every facet of thinking. You might first become aware of this through evangelical Christianity but it's all over the place, in many religions, scenarios, metaphysical thinking and just plain day to day observation.

So, without the dominating force of big government what are we left with, predatory capitalism that has no regard for nations and sovereignty or perhaps a return to small feudal like warring factions? Perhaps all will lead to just mush. Or could society become at its worse one, big, slavery system, with the strong dominating the weak?

We are headed towards a flawed “New World Order” on one hand, or a market place with little government that exploits the people, instead of helping them. All is not quite right whether it be a monster government or a monster corporate system.

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Already complete

12/29/2014

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259.

Spiritual principles

Already complete

I'm always reaching for a point, a destination to get to, something to finish. It can get tiring. Even planning to finish up and clean up and complete what has been started is engulfing. Even winding down takes a supreme effort.

One feels what ones does is never enough. Relief will come after you finish the next hurdle. It is always around the next corner. What I do is never enough.

I say this as I spend hours going through my scans, organizing files, bringing order and resolution to 18 years of an effort.

I then read something which is true, which resonated within, and rang some bells in my brain. Basically what was stated is that I have to recognize completion has already been achieved. One can relax. One can rest in this wholeness.

There is nothing one can do in this world that will be more than I already have. I don't have to run after things or achievements. They, all, have been achieved. If one believes there is a God, and there is truth in this, and there is love and fulfillment in this, and one is at home in this, why look for scraps when one has the whole meal? This is not mushy or feel good stuff. This is true. Awareness of a bigger force outside yourself is a big thing.

So the relationship with doing things changes. You are not doing and becoming more to climb up a ladder and then upon reaching the top rung look from the top and say 'ah, I have arrived, I am here and I can finally breathe.' Rather one is already there from just where you are at. True, the view might get better the higher up you go, but it is also pretty nice from where you are at.

So how does this translate into practical living, the day to day stuff? Well, nothing seemingly changes on the surface. You still might be on rung 3 of the ladder. However, you get a glimpse from time to time of the view from rung 15. Plus you can relax a little more at rung 3. There is no hurry and maybe things can slowly become a little more effortless.

Even if you got stuck at rung 3 and say you became sick and even lost your life. My God you say, so many loose ends would remain. Nothing would be finished. I'd leave a mess. But you know what, things would still get to where they have to get. The essence would still get done. You could still rest in completeness. It's not all on your shoulders.

We can continue on then, maybe with a little less pressure and not so one dimensional and from time to time feeling a little more relief.

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Misuse of ritual

12/29/2014

2 Comments

258. Past

Principles

Ritual

Misuse of ritual

There is a value for rules and rituals. Rules and rituals guide us towards inspiration. They are activities aimed towards an original inspiration, but are not the inspiration itself. However, they can be used in self-serving ways and become devoid of meaning.

I recall watching African women doing a tribal dance in a line and thinking what nonsense. This won't help them. It might quell the fears of some by hyping themselves up into a frenzy and boosting their confidence, but it also covers true understanding. I recall watching a Japanese tea ceremony and initially being inspired by its intricacy. Soon, however, I became impatient with its self-importance. Yes, there is a place for ritual on one level but on another level rituals can be empty.

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Ego, power, resistence

12/29/2014

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257. Past

Principles

Voids

Ego, power, resistance

In the physical realm matter expands to fill a void. In the psychological realm man's ego fills a void too. The ego is power, and this power expands. It is hard to stop and will expand as far as it is able. It fills the void because there is no resistance. An equal or more powerful form is needed to quell it.

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No comfort from the start

12/29/2014

2 Comments

256. Past

Personal

No comfort from the start

For some of us there has been no comfort zone from the beginning. A lioness licks its cubs all over their bodies, stimulating breathing and digestion and a feeling of wellbeing. The cub then is set up to know what it needs from life to feel content. As a child I had asthma which meant my very relationship with breathing was compromised. For some of us, there was no comfort zone from the start.

The only plus from this bad start is that one is forced to seek the ultimate cures because nothing else will satisfy.

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Two types of people

12/29/2014

2 Comments

255.

Principles

Health

Two types of people

A long time ago I think I recall hearing someone say “There are two kinds of people. Those who sleep well and those who don't.” I think it was my friend John who was observing his wife enviously. Even though on medication, and moody, and inconsistent, her strong German Midwest constitution endured whatever abuse that came her way or was self-administered. I'm not sure if it's true, but it does seem as if people who sleep well have a certain durability that people who don't, don't. They seem able to turn everything off. I remember a story of my dad in the Navy who, when on guard duty, fell asleep standing.

Anyhow, I’m a person who isn't a good sleeper although lately I have been. Maybe the reason is that my allergies, stirred up by the rising pollen count, are bad enough to tire me out but not bad enough to keep me up.

Some things I've done lately have helped and I thought I'd share them. I heard a lady on the radio who has cancer and in certain arenas is conservative, but is also open to natural remedies. She mentioned every night she played tapes by the New Age musician Steven Halpern, which put her to sleep quickly. I once had met Mr. Halpern in New York at someone's apartment before he moved to California. During our brief conversation he had mentioned he had been a vegan for 7 years but had to switch to meat.

Halpern, the quintessential New Age musician, had been a jazz player and then became interested in yoga and the chakras and the sounds and tones that related to each of them, eventually getting a Phd in musicology. On Pandora, a computer program, or app, I tried listening to some of his sounds and although intellectually dubious I was surprised to see how relaxing they were. The music didn't seem to take from you nor have you anticipate what was next. Instead it was just there. Some of his recordings were less successful but as said, some recordings replaced the restless silence with calm and sleep came my way.

Because my allergies sometimes act up, I sometimes sleep on a patio chair with a raised back. When doing so my head is pointed to the West. Lately, I've slept on the couch which is softer and where my head rests towards the North. Years ago I learned I think from Feng Shui, the Japanese art of furniture placement, that energy passes properly through the body when sleeping this way. The North pole pulls energy up through the head and the energy from the South pole enters through the feet. At least this is what I remember and the alignment seemed to help me sleep.

Finally, if these solutions don't work a grade B Sci Fi flick might be so silly you fall asleep out of boredom. In this vein, I'm sure many of you have other subtle tricks.

So, as said, half of the human race has trouble sleeping so I thought I'd share a few ideas.

Sleep well and if not, be patient.

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Still real

12/18/2014

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254. Past

Reason

Still real

I’m writing for those of you who, like me, have spent a lifetime trying to figure things out. It seems as if we had no choice. The institutions, both religious and secular, were so big and impersonal. They had their own agendas. We were alone in our search and often didn’t even know it, or couldn’t admit to it. The implications were too large. Friends and family rarely understood what we were after, at least not until many bridges were crossed.

At times it seems as if some of us were handpicked for this special search. At other times, the wisdom and truth seems to be equally spread out. Gems come from all people. There is no clear answer to this.

Surprisingly, when many years have gone by, and age becomes a reality, the insights, truths, perspectives previously arrived at seem almost superfluous, a waste of time, a mere game that had to be played out. Was the search a stage that had to be outgrown, a skin that had to be shed? Was this just a long preamble before we realized life was just life, to be lived, with no preconceived notions and no firm answers? Was life just unexplainable?

Perhaps so. The quest for psychological, spiritual, metaphysical and religious truths dissipates with time. Survival, our basic needs, our basic wants trump everything. Searching almost seems childish. Sometimes just talking about the “bigger picture” feels awkward and out of place. There is really nothing to say. Just live out your life and try to get what you can out of it. This is the common solution.

But is it enough? Is there an underlying current that shouldn’t be ignored? Did the yearning for answers really have more value than a sophomoric term paper? I sense, but can’t prove, the answer is yes. It might be faint, maybe barely a memory, but again I sense it is real.

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On learning

12/18/2014

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253.

Thinking and learning

On learning

Very early in youth learning was connected with discovery and movement. It was grabbed in a way. Objects were drawn and small planes were built and cars were cut out of magazines. It was as if by learning I was connected with growth as I expanded into the universe.

With school and other pressures learning took a turn. It became synonymous with getting ahead, ambition, ego and success. At the very least you weren't made fun of. The end result, the goal, the grade, took precedence. The early learning still took place, but it was underground, in spurts, secondary, a side thing, decreed not important. Flat learning ruled the day.

Later, the world being faced, truth from lies having to be separated, with everything having a price in one way or another, I learned what I needed to know. Scholarship, the practical, the theoretical, the esoteric, the scientific, all were there to be scrutinized. This was not for their own sake, but rather for the sake of clarification in order to move on. Whether one wrestled with the meaning of life or fixing the faucet or getting rid of the computer virus, learning served the need to get where one had to go. One needed information to answer certain questions. Answering these questions brought completion and resolution and continued movement.

Now a new realm has opened. Learning is for its own sake, with no designs, purpose or destiny attached. The very thought of a goal makes it unpleasant. Ego is not present. Hearing presented information is listened to and no agenda is being served. One has stepped out of one's own way and can learn with no strings. Learning in this way has simply become receiving what life brings to your table and being fed while making no demands.

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The pull is up

12/18/2014

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252. Past

Spiritual principles

The pull is up

In one sense God is always okay. He seems always forgiving and positive. It feels as if the pull is always upwards, at least in this era of time. Even if one commits something horrible, say a murder, if one is contrite he will meet you in a positive and helpful way. If you have an attitude then communication will be hard and he will be silent. The self-condemnation comes from ourselves when he is not present to lift us. Certain laws are set in motion when he is cut off and we self-judge which has negative ripples.

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Steven B. Nussdorf records his lifelong search to find meaning outside of the normal channels. He uses writing, poetry, and drawing to document this effort.

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