04

Our life does not happen accidentally, while we are in pursuit of our dreams. It isn't what occurs while we are doing something else. Something more fun. Our life is the intentional production of the mutual collaboration between the conscious and unconscious aspects of ourselves. We are two selves: Conscious and Unconscious (We call it the Unconscious because the conscious side of us is not conscious of it, which makes dealing with it a full-time operation requiring our complete attention, total devotion and faithful allegiance). When the old Chinese mystics talked of the Tao, they were talking about the Unconscious self. And being in accord with the Tao was held to be the key to balance and harmony, stability, character, wisdom and peace. It still is. Our Conscious self is good for knowing how to do something, relying on intellect, logic and reason to come up with the best, most efficient, way of getting things done. But. On its own, it has no idea of what to do. Consciously, we know what we want and don't want, what we like and don't like, what is pleasing what is displeasing, but we have no notion of what we should want, or of what we have no business even thinking about. Our Unconscious self is good for what, when and where, and has a knack for knowing what is called for in each situation as it arises. When our Conscious and Unconscious selves are communing with each other, in full accord, and on the same page, our life has a radiance about it and a flow to it, that cannot be fabricated in some other way. Our duality is dancing in a manner that declares our unity, which is something to be relished and enjoyed as the purest expression of the experience of being alive.
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03

Notice what catches your eye, and look closer. Move toward that which moves you. Pay attention to the things you are quick to dismiss, discount, disregard, ignore, and stop doing that. The Most Important Things are the cornerstones the builder dismisses, discounts, disregards, ignores. "Nothing good comes from Nazareth!" The pearl of great price lies in the bin of costume jewelry waiting for one who sees to take notice and look closer. Our destiny hangs in the balance, dangling by the finest thread. Our name is called by the faintest whisper. The first test is the hardest: Will we see what we look at? Will we hear what is being said? Nothing of consequence is the key to everything that follows. The path that leads to awakening and enlightenment begins with the silliest choices. Our future life hinges on-- and takes shape around-- our being open to the offerings of the present moment, and willing to trust directions from the unlikeliest of guides. Having expectations, strong opinions and harsh judgments-- being impatient, insistent and hard to please-- increase the internal noise level, and make it difficult to recognize the grace at work in our circumstances, or to allow impromptu shifts toward uncertain outcomes. We are always forgetting that we did not intend to be where we are, or plan any of the steps that led us here. The future will be an extension of the past in this regard, and we can rely on knowledge beyond reason, logic and intellect to pilot our boat on its path through the sea. Those gifts are well-qualified to deal with How, But. What, When, and Where are within the purview of more than words can say. Choosing the gifts and the giver puts us in the position of the moved in response to the mover. Recognizing what is asked of us and responding in ways appropriate to the occasion are all that is asked of us in each situation as it arises. All our life long.
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02

We have to know what moves us and allow ourselves to be moved by it-- to be owned by it-- to belong to it-- to be possessed, seized, dominated and controlled by the things that move us-- moved against our will-- "Without hope, without witness, without reward" (Steven Moffat)-- to live in the service of, with filial devotion and liege loyalty to, that which moves us! In the spirit of the old alchemical formula, "One book opens another," the thing(s) that move(s) us will move us to the thing(s) that move(s) us, and we will be carried all our life long from one thing to another on an adventure that never ends. This is the Hero's Journey. Don't be a sissy.
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01

Our idea of God is not God. This is the foundational realization. We can never get beyond our idea of God to God. In order to approach God, we must abandon our idea of God. Theology has to go. Meister Echart said, "The final leave-taking is leaving God for God." Our idea of who we are is not who we are. The final leave-taking is leaving ourselves for ourselves. We become God. God becomes us. And that's that. In the end, we are all one. All of our divisions are false divisions. All of our dichotomies are false dichotomies. All of our dualities are false dualities. Our idea of reality is not reality. It is all a joke we play on ourselves. It all ends in laughter. That never ends.
So on time. The great blue heron has always been my anima…I lingered with one for a while on my last day of work on the Ranch. Took it as a good sign that my timing was/ is right. Yesterday was my birthday, and you gave us the great blue as your photo of the day. Hope to keep my tuning & timing in line with the way it is! Peace on you, Jim, & much love! E$
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