A discourse on Expectations by Socrates & Plato

One day, Plato asked his teacher Socrates, "What is love? How can I find it?”

Socrates answered, "There is a vast wheat field in front. Walk forward without turning back, and pick only one stalk. If you find the most magnificent stalk, then you have found love."

Plato walked forward, and before long, he returned with empty hands, having picked nothing.

His teacher asked, "Why did you not pick any stalk?"

Plato answered, "Because I could only pick once, and yet I could not turn back. I did find the most magnificent stalk, but did not know if there were any better ones ahead, so I did not pick it. As I walked further, the stalks that I saw were not as good as the earlier one, so! I did not pick any in the end.”

Socrates then said, "And that is LOVE."

On another day, Plato asked Socrates: "What is marriage? How can I find it?"

His teacher answered, "There is a thriving forest in front. Walk forward without turning back, and chop down only one tree. If you find the tallest tree, then you have found marriage".

Plato walked forward, and before long, He returned with a tree. The tree was not bad but it was not tall, either. It was only an ordinary tree, not the best but just a good tree.

His teacher asked, "Why did you chop down such an ordinary tree?"

Plato answered, "Based on my previous experience, I had walked through the field, but returned with empty hands. This time, I saw this tree, and I felt that it was the first good tree I had seen, so I chopped it down and brought it back. I did not want to miss the chance."

Socrates then said, "And that is MARRIAGE."

On another day, Plato asked his teacher, "What is paramour?”

Socrates answered, "Go to the forest again. You are allowed back and forth if you like, and pluck the most beautiful flower."

Plato walked forward, after 2 hours he returned with a vivid flower but a little drooped.

His teacher asked, "Is this one the most beautiful follower?"

Plato answered, "I had walked for 2 hours. I found this was the most beautiful flower, so I picked it. But it had been drooping on my way back."

Socrates then said, "And that is PARAMOUR.”

On another day, Plato asked his teacher, "What is life?”

Socrates asked him to go to the forest again, allowed back and forth as well, and pluck the most beautiful flower. Plato walked forward. However he hadn't come back for 3 days. His teacher went to find him.

When he saw Plato’s camping in the forest, he asked: "Have you found the most beautiful flower?”

Plato pointed a flower near to his camp and answered, "This is the most beautiful flower!"

"Why didn't you take it out?" Socrates asked.

Plato answered, "Based on my previous experience, if I pick it, it would be drooping. Even though I didn't pick, it would die in a couple of days for sure. So I had been living by its side while it was blooming. When it's drooped, I was up to find another one. This is the second most beautiful flower I have found!"

Socrates then said, "You've got the truth of LIFE"

~X~

"Love" is the most beautiful thing to happen to a person, it’s an opportunity we often don't see its worth when we have it and many times take it forgranted, but only when it’s gone like the the beautiful stalk do we realize its value.

"Marriage" is like the tree you chopped, it's a compromise; you pick the first best thing you see and learn to live a happy life with it.

Having an affair, a "Paramour", is alluring. It's like lightning -- bright but disappears so quickly that you cannot catch up with and keep it.

"Life" is to follow and enjoy the every beautiful moment of living.

One Way To Find Out

When contemplating whether to do something or not, a plucky voice in our heads may say, "You never know until you try." This is time-honored wisdom that encourages us to be game rather than to hold back. It reminds us that it is only through experience that we learn about this world and ourselves. Even if we regret the outcome, we have learned something, and the newfound knowledge is almost always worth it.

This wisdom can be applied to situations both large and small. From crossing the Atlantic on a boat to trying Ethiopian food, there’s only one way to find out what it’s like. We have all had experiences where we tried something we didn’t think we’d like and fell in love. We may have found ourselves stuck with nothing to read but a "boring" book, only to kick-start a lifelong passion for Victorian literature. We may have decided that sailing was not for us until we fell in love with someone with a boat. On the other hand, we may try tofu only to learn that it is truly not for us. In this case, we gain greater self-knowledge from the experience. And yet, we might still remain open to trying it prepared in a different way. The right marinade might make you a convert—you’ll never know if you don’t try it.

It is often said that at the end of our lives we are more likely to regret the things we did not do than the things we did. As an exercise to test your own willingness to discover through doing, try making a list of things you regret not having done. You may begin to notice patterns such as a failure to say what you really think at key moments or closed-mindedness to certain types of activities. Just being aware of the opportunities you missed might encourage you not to miss them again. There’s only one way to find out.

~OM~

Letting Your Light Shine

Seeing Your Perfection

We are each born into this world with unique gifts. Within us is a glimmer of the divine, a light that can potentially make the world a more beautiful place. But in many, that light lies dormant, snuffed out by fears and feelings of inadequacy. To spark it is to attract attention, face the possibility of rejection or the responsibility of success, and risk being labeled immodest. Yet when we undermine the light by hiding our aptitudes and quashing our dreams, we deny ourselves and others a wealth of experiences. Your abilities are a part of who you are and when you take pride in them, you affirm the love, esteem, and trust with which you view yourself. Moreover, as you express the light within, you grant others permission to do the same, freeing them to explore their own talents.

For some, we are taught to hide our light from the world since childhood. Relatives caution us that the professions associated with our aptitudes are unattainable. Our peers may be envious of our skills and thus overly critical of the activities we instinctively enjoy. And authority figures admonish us to be humble and avoid showing off. But there is a vast chasm that separates those who let their light shine and those who seek only to draw attention to themselves. When you dare to share your light with the world, the beauty and perfection of your soul become clearly visible. You become a whole being—the literal embodiment of your vast potential. Whether you are a wonderful dancer, a first-rate cook, quick with numbers, or a natural negotiator, you’ll come to understand that you do the world no favors when you hold yourself back.

If you have hidden your light for so long that it has shrunk to an ember, make a list of everything you do well, however impractical, silly, or seemingly inconsequential. Then ask yourself how you can positively utilize those abilities in your daily life. The gifts you were born with were not granted to you arbitrarily. While you may never discover what impact your light has had on others, you can be certain that when you embrace your talents and share them with others, you will spread illumination in the world.

Lansagin Upang Gawing Muli

Lahat tayo ay may kakilalang nakapagtaas ng proseso ng pagrereklamo bilang isang tinaguriang sining. Minsan nakakatawa, minsan nakakapagod, ang mga taong ito ay may kakayahang makahanap ng problema ukol sa lahat ng bagay kahit saan. Sa maiging uri ng salita, ang pagrereklamo lamang ay ang kakayahanag makakita kung ano ang hindi maayos, sa sariling buhay o sa panlabas na mundo, at ito ay maaaring maging lubos na kapaki-pakinabang kung susundin nito ang kanyang likas na konklusyon — ang paghanap ng solusyon at ilapat ito. Subalit, marami sa atin ang di pa nakakatunton doon, at napapatagtanto na ang pagrereklamo ay syang dulo na mismo nito. Sa mumunting dosis, hindi ito isang malaking problema, ngunit kung ang pagrereklamo ay naging isang malaking bahagi ng ating pagkatao o pagkakakilanlan, ito ay maaaring oras na upang magandang tingnan kung paano natin inilalagak ng maiigi ang ating panahon at enerhiya.

Ang pagrereklamo ay isang paraan ng bawat isa na kilalanin na hindi sila masaya sa mga kaganapan ng mga bagay-bagay sa paligid nila o sa buhay nila. Sa isang metaporikong paraan, kapag tayo ay nagreklamo o namumuna, nais nating lansagin ang isang hindi kanais-nais na istraktura upang bigyang daan ang isang bagay na bago. Ngunit kung ang lahat ng ating gagawin ay magpilas lamang o manlasag ng kung ano-ano man, nang hindi man lang alalahaning atasan ang mapanlikhang enerhiya na kinakailangan upang lumikha ng bagong bagay, tayo ay hindi tumutupdan sa proseso ng progreso. Sa katunayan, tayo ay nasa panganib na maging isang hadlang at mapanirang puwersa sa ating sariling buhay at sa buhay ng mga mahal natin. Isa pang talakayin sa pagrereklamo ay tayo minsan ay napagdidiskitahan ang kapwa, na di natin mabago, bilang isang paraan upang lihisin ang pansin mula sa taong maaari nating baguhin—ang ating sarili. Kaya nga sa paraan ng pagbabago ng pagrereklamo upang maging isang bagay na kapaki-pakinabang ay prosesong may dalawang bahagi na nagsisimula sa pagbaliktad ng ating mapagpunang mata sa mga bagay na may maaari tayong gawin , at pagkatapos takdan ng positibong aksyon.

Kapag nakikita nating tayo’y nagrereklamo, ang huling bagay na kailangan nating gawin ay makuhang ibaba ang ating sarili. Sa halip, tayo’y maaaring magsimula sa pamamagitan ng pagpansin na tayo’y nasa paraan ng pagdahop na gumawa ng ilang mga pagbabago. Ngunit sa halip na manghagupit sa isang tao o ng isang organisasyon, maaari tayong humanap ng angkop na lugar upang ibambang itong enerhiya—hindi sa ating mga kapwa, ngunit posibleng bahagi ng ating mga sarili. Panghuli, maaari nating tanungin ang ating sarili ng positibong tanong na kung ano ang ating nais na likhain sa lugar nating gusting pilasin. Kapag ginawa natin ito, ating binabambang ang negatibong ugali sa isang malikhaing proseso, sa gayon ay ginagamit natin ang enerhiyang mabago an gating kapaligiran sa isang positibong paraan.

~OM~

Minzhu Nushen

Goddess of Democracy and Freedom

"At this grim moment, what we need most is to remain calm and united in a single purpose. We need a powerful cementing force to strengthen our resolve: That is the Goddess of Democracy. Democracy…You are the symbol of every student in the Square, of the hearts of millions of people. …Today, here in the People’s Square, the people’s Goddess stands tall and announces to the whole world: A consciousness of democracy has awakened among the Chinese people! The new era has begun! …The statue of the Goddess of Democracy is made of plaster, and of course cannot stand here forever. But as the symbol of the people’s hearts, she is divine and inviolate. Let those who would sully her beware: the people will not permit this! …On the day when real democracy and freedom come to China, we must erect another Goddess of Democracy here in the Square, monumental, towering, and permanent. We have strong faith that that day will come at last. We have still another hope: Chinese people, arise! Erect the statue of the Goddess of Democracy in your millions of hearts! Long live the people! Long live freedom! Long live democracy!"

- part of the declaration of the Chinese Art Students that created the statue in their quest for reform held at a rally made in Tiananmen Square


Fall of the Goddess

The soldiers were able to fulfill their timeline of reaching the Square on June 4, 1989 by 1 a.m. through the use of tanks and armored personnel carriers. The Goddess of Democracy had stood for only five days before being destroyed by soldiers of the People's Liberation Army in the assault on Tiananmen that would end the Democracy Movement. The toppling of the Goddess of Democracy was seen by millions across the world on television “pushed by a tank, it fell forward and to the right, so that its hands and the torch struck the ground first, breaking off." As the statue fell, protestors shouted "Down with Fascism!" and "Bandits! Bandits!" It was "quickly and easily reduced to rubble, mixing with all the other rubble in the Square. To be cleared away by the Army". By 5:40 a.m. a negotiated settlement allowed the remaining students to leave by the south-eastern corner of the square. The army had fulfilled its order to clear the Square by 6 a.m. Clashes continued throughout the city and in other towns across China.

And the blood poured through the streets of Beijing

Those Who Came Before Us

Many entities assume the role of spirit guide. Throughout our lives, we may call upon angels, animal and nature spirits, ascended masters, and celestial guardians for aid, protection, and support. Our ancestors represent another wellspring from which we may draw wisdom in times of need for they, too, can act as our spirit guides. Since our forbears spent at least one lifetime experiencing the tribulations that are a part of human existence, the perspective they can offer is a uniquely grounded one. Ancestral spirit guides can empathize with our fears and our frailties, worry, temptation, and feelings of insecurity. Once you have requested their guidance, they will see to it that you emerge unscathed on the far side of conflicts and are well-equipped to fulfill your potential.

If your relationship with your relatives was strained when they were earthbound or you feel disconnected from your heritage, the thought of asking your ancestors for aid can be disconcerting. But when the soul takes on its spirit form, it becomes pure light. Your ancestors, regardless of who or what they were in life, are monitoring your life’s journey because you are their progeny and they want to see you do your best. You can communicate with them directly, as well as through meditation, your dreams, or the written word. Creating an altar or shrine that displays images of your forbears or objects owned by them can help you connect with individual ancestors. The guidance they provide may take many forms as each ancestral spirit guide retains its individual identity and will thus have its own style of communication. If your ancestors do not speak to you directly or visit you in your dreams, examine your life to determine whether they are replying to your queries subconsciously.

When you make contact with your forbears, thank them for being a part of the web of intent that gave you life. Honoring their wisdom and experience can make your life seem larger and richer. Like other spirit guides, your ancestors won’t interfere with your choices or attempt to deprive you of free will. They will only do their best to answer your questions and provide you with all the love, aid, and guidance you ask for in order to help you evolve as an individual.

Greeting the Divine Spirit

Bowing is a universal gesture of respect and reverence. In many cultures, it is the predominant form of social greeting, and most religions incorporate it into their rituals of worship. In many cases, bowing signifies not only respect but also an acknowledgment of the shared divinity between the bower and the recipient. Bowing can also be a turning in toward our own divinity when we bow our heads in prayer, contemplation, or meditation. Bows range in form from a slight forward nod of the head to a full body prostration on the ground, and range in meaning from a simple greeting to a complete giving over of the self to the divine.

If you have ever bowed or been on the receiving end of a bow, you know that it is different from a handshake or a hug. Bowing has the quality of consciously evoking spirit and conveys a sense of reverence for the people involved. The word "Namaste," which accompanies bowing in yoga, actually translates as "The divine spirit in me acknowledges the divine spirit in you." When we greet one another with this kind of awareness, we can?t help but be more conscious that we are deeply connected to one another and to everyone, because this divine spirit resides in all of us.

There are simple bows and complicated bows, and subtle variations carry different meanings depending upon where you are, who you are, and a number of other factors. But we can all practice bowing by simply bringing our two hands together in prayer and pressing the thumb side of our hands lightly into our chests. Keeping a long spine, simply bend your head gently down so that you are looking at the tops of your fingers. Close your eyes and breathe consciously, paying homage to your spirit, the same spirit that resides within all of humanity.

An Unwavering Connection to the Infinite

Worth

Though much of who and what we are changes as we journey through life, our inherent worth remains constant. While the term self-worth is often used interchangeably with self-esteem, the two qualities are inherently different. Self-esteem is the measure of how you feel about yourself at a given moment in time. Your worth, however, is not a product of your intelligence, your talent, your looks, your good works, or how much you have accomplished. Rather it is immeasurable and unchanging manifestation of your eternal and infinite oneness with the universe. It represents the cornerstone of the dual foundations of optimism and self-belief. Your worth cannot be taken from you or damaged by life’s rigors, yet it can easily be forgotten or even actively ignored. By regularly acknowledging your self-worth, you can ensure that you never forget what an important, beloved, and special part of the universe you are.

You are born worthy—your worth is intertwined with your very being. Your concept of your own self-worth is thus reinforced by your actions. Each time you endeavor to appreciate yourself, treat yourself kindly, define your personal boundaries, be proactive in seeing that your needs are met, and broaden your horizons, you express your recognition of your innate value. During those periods when you have lost sight of your worth, you will likely feel mired in depression, insecurity, and a lack of confidence. You’ll pursue a counterfeit worth based on judgment rather than the beauty that resides within. When you feel worthy, however, you will accept yourself without hesitation. It is your worth as an individual who is simultaneously interconnected with all living beings that allows you to be happy, confident, and motivated. Because your conception of your worth is not based on the fulfillment of expectations, you’ll see your mistakes and failures as just another part of life’s journey.

Human beings are very much like drops of water in an endless ocean. Our worth comes from our role as distinct individuals as well as our role as an integral part of something larger than ourselves. Simply awakening to this concept can help you rediscover the copious and awe-inspiring worth within each and every one of us.

~OM~

Eros Ascending

Eros Ascending
by John Maxwell Taylor

The quest for lasting love is one of life’s essential pursuits, in some ways the most essential. But it’s also a quest that’s impossible to separate from spiritual and sexual needs. In Eros Ascending, author John Maxwell Taylor offers a wide-ranging study of sexual dysfunction in society and explains how healthy sexuality can be an entryway to universal love and higher consciousness. Based on Taylor’s twenty-three-year experience with Taoist practices, the book presents an engaging analysis of love, relationships, and sexuality from spiritual, romantic, and sexual perspectives. Taylor melds essential ideas by Jung, Gurdjieff, and Taoist Master Mantak Chia with science, biology, spiritual tradition, and current popular culture to shed new light on this eternal yet misunderstood subject. Not just for couples, the book is equally useful for single people who want to understand the methods for “learning to love yourself ” in preparation for a fulfilling, long-term relationship. Taylor draws on his eclectic background as a successful playwright, composer, actor, and musician in this persuasive plan for converting ordinary sexual energy into food for the soul.

Excerpt:

Why Is It Scary Below the Waist?

If you (or anybody else) were to go to a teacher who had attained divine consciousness and asked to become his or her devotee, the teacher would probably give you meditation techniques for concentrating on the so-called “third eye” at the point between the eyebrows. There might also be concentration on the crown of the head, or at the heart center. But rarely will you find a genuine teacher who would direct a new student to concentrate upon the area of the body below the navel. The reason for this is that the centers of intelligence in the lower part of the body (the three so-called “lower chakras”) are connected directly to the subconscious mind.

When we are out and about, engaged in daily activities, our eyes are usually looking straight ahead, or left or right. We are operating in the so-called “conscious” mode of operation. However, sitting to meditate, we would probably raise our eyes gently upward, toward the third-eye point between the eyebrows, attempting to lift our mental awareness toward higher consciousness. When we sleep at night our eyes go downward as we descend into the subconscious mind to pass the nocturnal hours wandering in our dreams. So the reason the teacher gets the student to focus upon the frontal lobes of the brain and the upper half of the body is to get him or her centered, and established in a strong connection with the higher dimensions of consciousness first. Later, at an appropriate time, if the teacher truly knows what he or she is doing, the student will be led to gradually direct attention downward, toward the lower part of the body. Having previously made a connection with the “higher self,” it might be possible to open up and heal all the disowned parts of the personal self one had to leave behind for a while in order to get established in higher consciousness.

For the student who does not successfully undertake this re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere (the lower body with its innate grounding capabilities), after circling in outer space through meditative detachment from it, the entire structure of spiritual development could come crashing down. Can we build a superstructure of light on an unsafe foundation? Remember the man who built his house upon the sand and, when the wind blew, down it came and great was the fall of it? But the other man, who built his house on rock, found that it was able to withstand anything that life threw at it. That “rock” is a balanced and integrated subconscious mind.

This felicitous state can be attained when we successfully open up the lower part of our nature and purify it through loving acceptance of what we may have been seeing as the dark side of our humanness. According to the Psalmist, to God, the darkness and the light are both the same. Understanding the hidden divine nature of our primal selves, which may initially appear to us as dark and scary, is the solid ground upon which we can build our everyday lives with a firm foundation. Once this is accomplished, we can live secure in the knowledge that nothing can shake us, break us, or throw us off track.

When we are securely established in this manner, our sexual force can be used to fertilize our physical health and mental equilibrium, and create thought-children of insight and inspiration, ideas that can revolutionize our entire approach to life. Instead of seeing the body and everyday life as an impediment to our personal happiness, we become useful to our-selves and our world. We are able to serve as conduits through which healing energy and clarity can enter into our daily activities. Then we can truly aid human evolution at a high level of conscious world service.

Seat Of Life

The Second Chakra

When we have gained a deep understanding of the body and soul, there often follows a desire to reach out, to grow, and to change. In the Vedic texts, the second chakra, the energy center between the navel and genitals, is the seat of life and the house of change. It is a point where opposites come together in sympathy, guiding us toward a balanced existence. The choices that help us evolve are often a product of the second chakra, which, when charged with neither too little nor too much energy, rejects rigid control and embraces creativity. Associated with taste and sensuality, the second chakra or Svadhisthana (which means sweetness) can be visualized as a brilliant sunset orange. Like its element, water, the second chakra is ruled by the moon.

A weakness or imbalance in the second chakra can lead to feelings of extreme empathy, which can cause you to be ruled by the emotions of others. To fail to focus on this chakra leads to the opposite: an utter lack of emotion and dwindling passions. A balanced second chakra embraces both sides of everything, giving you a healthy understanding of your emotions as well as those of others. Nurturing it through dance, laughter, and pleasurable movement will help you embrace your own sexuality, which is the main aspect of the chakra. Stimulation of the second chakra can be achieved through the use of orris root, gardenia, or damiana incense; practicing tantra yoga; or exposing the chakra to moonstone or coral. These methods of opening and energizing the chakra can be performed individually or in tandem for greater effect.

The second chakra may appear a route to indulgence to some, because of its focus on the feelings of the body, but it is also the dwelling place of the self. A fully functioning second chakra, working in a balanced way with the body’s other chakras, is a source of self-knowledge and understanding.

~OM~

Two Sides Of The Same Moon

Ritual Moon

The moon waxes and wanes in the night sky, always following the same cyclical pattern, lighting the darkness with its luminous glow. It has been this way as long as the earth has been here. The same moon grew from dark to full and back again, catching the eyes of our grandparents, our great grandparents, and those at the beginning of humanity. The moon guided our ancestors in the planting, sowing, and reaping of their crops, and we can be inspired to observe and honor these same cycles today with simple rituals that help connect us to the natural ebb and flow of life energy.

Dark moons and new moons represent polar moments of beginning and realization in the arc of the moon’s phases. When the moon is dark, we might take time to meditate on emptiness, the fertile ground in which seeds take root. A simple ritual for acknowledging this potent phase of the moon would be to write down new plans and ideas that present themselves and keep them in a moon journal. Looking back over a year of dark moons, you may be amazed to see which seeds have blossomed. Full moons symbolize completion and fulfillment, the realization of the seed, and they are times of celebration. They are a great time to gather friends and family to partake in a communal feast acknowledging the apex of another monthly cycle. Your full moon journal might track the full moons of an entire year with a recounting of the gathering—the menu, the guest list, and any other observations you feel inspired to make.

Honoring the dark and full moons with these simple rituals brings our year into a new kind of focus. As we acknowledge the flow of the moon’s cycles, we become more comfortable with the changing nature of our earthly lives, making our peace with each phase, and with the shifting from emptiness to fullness and back again. We strengthen our connection to the universe in which we live and find peace in both emptiness and fullness, each of which are natural and necessary—two sides of the same moon.

~OM~