November 04, 2020

03

It is simple enough to find the still point--
the fulcrum,
"The still point of the turning world,"
(T.S. Eliot),
the center of our own ground of being,
the Axis Mundi,
the center of the world,
of the universe,
of eternity,
of infinity...

Stand still.
Sit quietly.
There you are.

You are the still point.
We all are.
When we are being still and quiet.
In quest of the Source
from which we come
and to which we return.

The Source is the unknown depth
within each of us,
connecting all of us,
known as the Ātman in Hinduism,
and as the Psyche in psychology,
the Source is the Mystery at the Heart
of Life and Being
in all living things.

We can connect with the Source at any time
simply by standing or sitting quietly,
and opening ourselves to the presence
that is with us always.

Then what?
Then we listen!
And remain alert to whatever arises within.
And respond to it in ways that are appropriate
to the occasion.

The old Taoists held that
the Tao gave rise to the Source (The One),
and the Source gave rise to Yin/Yang (The Two)
And Yin/Yang gave rise to Heaven and Earth 
and Humanity (The Three)
and from The Three come everything.
I say that is an interesting theory,
but what can be known
is the presence that is always with us
to comfort and console,
uplift, encourage and enable,
guide and direct.

It only takes sitting or standing quietly listening
to know what I'm talking about.

–0–

02

The people who think about killing themselves
are right about something needing to die,
and wrong about what that is.

It is not their actual, physical, body 
that needs to die.
It is their attitude,
perspective,
point of view,
way of seeing what they look at
and feeling the way they feel
in light of what they believe to be the case
that needs to go.

They do not need to kill themselves!
They need to change their mind about themselves
and their situation in life!


They need to grow up, some more, again!

And that is like dying!

And that is the death to choose to die
whenever you are faced with wanting to die!
Just die to your way of seeing/interpreting/evaluating
your situation!

Change your mind the way your mind needs to be changed,
and live on!
Live on!
Live on!

–0–

01

We cannot help how we see things--
anymore than we can help
the color of our eyes,
the tonal range of our voice
or the pattern of our fingerprints.

How we interpret what we look at,
how we make meaning of what we perceive,
in light of what we live--
and why we live in light of that
and not something else instead--
what we revere as important
and disdain as worthless,
what we believe
and what we believe in,
and how all of this reflects who we are,
are things we are no more in charge of than
the dreams we had last night
or the time we spend 
reflecting on anything.

We are not our own.

The most we can do is realize that,
and devote ourselves to the lifelong task
of being aware of what moves us to action,
and the type of action we are moved to take--
seeing how we see
and the meaning we make of things,
and wondering what that is about
and where it comes from.

Introspection,
examination,
exploration,
inquiry,
curiosity,
inspection,
seeking to discover who we are
and what we are about,
and how good the good is we call good,
transforms the relationship
we have with ourselves
and all other selves,
opens us to the truth
of what we call "true,"
and carries us to the brink
of the mystery at the heart
of life and being.