"I will be helped by the Spirit in consciously controlling my strong independent streak, so that my unconventionality will always manifest as ingenuity in thought and action, rather than reckless or self-righteous behavior. I will slow down my pace so that I may allow myself sufficient time to reflect and receive guidance of the most suitable direction for me to take at a given time."
Friday, July 31, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
The Illusion of the Ego
The Illusion of the EgoBy Remez Sasson
Who are you? How would you describe yourself? If someone calls your name, would you turn your head to see who called you? Are you the name that was called, or is it just a way to refer to you? What if you changed your name, would you still be the same person?
You change the clothes you wear. You change your hairdo, and may dye your hair sometimes. Does this change who you are?
You change your job, car, house, but yet you still are the same one. These are outside changes. The "inner you" never changes. Most people consider their possessions, dress, name, job etc, as being an inseparable part of themselves. If something of theirs is broken or lost they feel as if they have lost a part of themselves. This is the ego at work.
The ego is the erroneous identification of the limitless spirit with the physical body, the emotions and thoughts. The perfect homogenous spirit expresses itself in the world through these three, and identifies itself with them.
The ego is not an independent entity. It is just the union of the spirit with the other three components, the body, emotions and thoughts. According to the philosophy of nonduality, these components, except the spirit, are not independent and constant, and therefore are not real. They are the products of the mind.
The spirit infuses them with life and expresses itself through them. The identification of the spirit with this trio is so strong that hardly anyone notices this erroneous identification. The spirit is free, perfect and independent. The body, thoughts and feelings are temporary and dependent on the spirit. This mixture is the cause of fear, desire, misunderstanding, anger and conflicts in the world.
When talking about the spirit I don't mean a particular soul, but the True Essence, the One vast and limitless Spirit, which is beyond every manifestation.
Each ego unit considers itself as real, and desires to survive and gain power over the other egos. This leads to clashes between them. Each one is shackled to its belief system, thoughts and ideas, and will do everything to defend them.
People also feel being a part of, and identify with the larger ego of family, workplace, neighborhood, football or basketball team, political party, city, country, religion etc. They identify with a thought, an idea or a common cause, and join together, sometimes against other groups carrying a different set of thoughts.
Look what happens at sport contests. If you support one sport team, and your team loses you get depressed. If it wins you get happy. The same thing happens with political parties or with other kinds of groups.
These units sometimes fight with each other, everyone believing they are right and the other party wrong. Isn't it a bit funny? If we consider that the Spirit is one, but manifests in myriads of forms, why then should we identify with one particular and temporary form? What if we become aware of this Spirit, and shift our awareness into it? Would we stay the same, or will we rise above the ego?
The ego is dependent on the thoughts that the mind thinks. These thoughts evoke feelings and desires, which evoke action. If a desire cannot be fulfilled, anger, unhappiness or hostility arises.
Believing we are this ego, each one of us enacts the role of a specific actor on the stage of life. This ego is the mask hiding the real Spirit that we are. Identification with the role we play makes us forget who we really are, and go on thinking we are this or that.
Forgetting our true essence is due to seeing through the eyes of the ego. This is the reason for suffering, unhappiness, depression, anger, conflicts, lack of satisfaction and every other negative feeling. But these negative feelings and situations are sometime the reason for the awakening of the desire to find who we really are, to come home and to return to what we really are - The Pure Spirit.
Thermodynamics
It is a universal phenomenon that something that brings about randomness is more likely to occur than something that brings about order....
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Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Future
We spend our whole lives worrying about the future, planning for the future, trying to predict the future, as if figuring it out will cushion the blow. But the future is always changing. The future is the home of our deepest fears and wildest hopes. But one thing is certain when it finally reveals itself. The future is never the way we imagined it.
GA
GA
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Which color best suits your personality? on Facebook
You are Blue!
You are blue! You are a deep, sensitive dreamer. You are usually laid back and calm, though, like an ocean, you can kick up a good storm, too! You are probably a daydreamer, who has his/her head in the clouds. You love spending time with your friends, and probably just go with whatever they want to do (you're a go with the flow type of person, just like water!). You are emotionally inclined - unlike reds, who feel passionately and intensely, you feel things deeply and strongly. You are extremely loyal, and your friends can always count on you to be there for them. Blues are almost always very intelligent, and they strive for perfection in many areas. You may tend to beat yourself up for your imperfections. Other people admire you and strive to be like you, but you probably have a hard time understanding why. You can be light and fun at times, and other times deep and introverted. It just depends on your mood. Sometimes you throw people off with your random changes in disposition, but your friends love you anyways. You can be a very wise, intellectual person, but you have to pull yourself up out of your own thoughts first! You, in a nutshell: Deep, emotional, wise, loyal, slightly moody, feeling, sensitive, supportive, intelligent. BLUE!
And I thought I picked a place that was lowkey to live in so I could focus on my studies...Guess not ha ha...Go Naples!
America's Top 10 Alcohol-Drinking Cities—and 10 Most Sober Cities, Too
Posted December 17, 2008With Christmas and New Year's almost upon us, you may be raising your glass and downing the spirits more than you're used to—along with many others. According to a nationwide poll released this year, most adults who attended work holiday parties said drunken bad behavior can often result. And insulting the boss is the least of it; nearly 60 percent of the surveyed partygoers saw a coworker drive while drunk.
The poll, by Caron Treatment Centers, a not-for-profit organization for addiction treatment, helps explain some disturbing statistics reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Half of the almost 400 traffic deaths on Christmas 2006, and more than half of the 456 New Year's deaths that year, were alcohol-related.
But don't forget, the risks of heavy alcohol consumption exist year-round. And heavy drinkers—classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as men who have more than two drinks
a day or women who have more than one drink a day—can pose a threat to those around them.The list below ranks the 10 U.S. metropolitan areas—defined as counties or groups of counties with a population of 10,000 or more—with the highest rates of heavy drinking. A second list identifies the 10 metro areas with the lowest rates. Is heavy drinking a problem in your community?
Heaviest Drinking Metro Areas % Who Drink Heavily 1. Reno, Nev. 9.4 2. Palm Bay-Melbourne, Fla. 9.1 3. Boulder, Colo. 9.0 4. Austin 8.8 5. Charleston, S.C. 8.7 6. McAllen, Texas 8.6 7. Naples-Marco Island, Fla. 8.5 8. Riverside, Calif. 8.4 9. Cape Coral, Fla. 8.1 10. Barnstable Town, Mass. 8.0
Most Sober Metro Areas % Who Don't Drink Heavily 1. Provo-Orem, Utah 99.4 2. Idaho Falls, Idaho 97.9 3. Hickory, N.C. 97.8 4. Ogden, Utah 97.5 5. Brownsville, Texas 97.2 5. Fayetteville, N.C. 97.2 5. Raleigh, N.C. 97.2 5. Wichita, Kan. 97.2 9. Cheyenne, Wyo. 97.0 9. Farmington, N.M. 97.0
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Who is your Guardian Angel?
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Taking a mental break and playing on crackbook...
Rose took the What does your birthday say about you? quiz and the result is September
Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people's mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Thinking generous. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves sports, leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.
via facebook.com
I AM getting stuff done!! Just multitasking the menial with the ridiculous but more fun stuff...
Rose took the Who is your lifetime match? quiz and the result is They are born between 21st January - 19th Febuary
You frequently change your mind and you like playing with fire. After a few coy glances, you can get people to take a bite from your hook but when a more beautiful fish comes along, you usually would smile in his/her direction and jump in the water after them. This pairing brings together free thinkers that need a lot of space in relationships. A whirl of stimulating activities gets the ball rolling, since you two are curiosity seekers. Nothing is taboo for this kind of person, and you are flexible enough to try new things. This leads to lots of experimentation, on dates and in the bedroom. They are drawn to the unconventional, and accept the restless and inconsistancy in your nature. And you will be charmed by the original ideas coming forth from them. Both of you like to go your own way a lot, so neither will take it personally. They understand the need for intellectual independence, and will have lots of separate friends. This relationship has long-term potential, since there's always more to learn and talk about. This person will knows how to calm the mentally unstable... they can be soothing to your nerves.
via facebook.com
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
"It was wide and deep, and even though her touch was soft, it seared like hell."
Here's the game: Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
• Turn to page 56.
• Find the fifth sentence.
• Post that sentence AS YOUR STATUS. AND POST these instructions in a comment to this status.
• Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST book.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Being Einstein
A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. - Albert Einstein
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