Guest guest Posted December 29, 2001 Report Share Posted December 29, 2001 Hello Colette: Good to see you back around our fire. I am also glad that my artwork speaks to you so deeply and profoundly. For me, this year is about the birth of the Crone and her love which demands community support and individual courage It's now three years since my divorce and being on my own finding myself has been both an agony and an ecstacy. I am again at a crossroads, personally and professionally. Three years of contract work in a variety of toxic workplaces where I have ceased to feel like the victim or scapegoat is a real breakthough for me. Emerging now with the Crone in command is leading me into new work about helping others in the workplace. Several influences came from around this fire. Reading Hillman' s " Kinds of Power " was seminal in opening my imagination up to thinking about power more holistically. Then, of course, I manifested two jobs close to powerbases; one in e-commerce where greed and power are rampant and the other in government where power drives are unbridled, working with two Ministers (U.S. equivalent to Congressmen/women). I learned a lot in those jobs about power and particularly my own power drive - what do I do with power? Well, make people's lives easier and simpler, of course. But it was a struggle to maintain my own perspective on beauty, honour, justice and balance in those jobs when I felt vulnerable to the institutional denial of such. Another influence is dear Alice's Sophia wisdom. I have discovered that my Sophia has a voice in the workplace that brings balance and wisdom into unjust situations. She is also my still point. A wonderful (and pwerful) combination. Mike and Greg, your continuous support of the dialectic mode of reaching for truth within the many polarities and from the feeling animus place has been really important to me in ways you'll never know. Cov, too with his naturally sensual and erotic self . Mutt with his irreverence and with those glorious descriptions of alchemical transformation. And all who have shared their pain and struggles here, especially Toni and Greg, I offer my gratitude for speaking to others of your journey. Now, I am one year into a beautiful relationship with a new man who is intuitive and gentle in both mind and body who has brought into my life trust, nurturing and love. We are now fellow travellers on our journey and conscious of the reality that we were brought together to love each other and work together. Collette, I look forward to 2002 with new life and new hope for ventures that are being seeded (I will write more later) in balance, beauty and truth. Thanks to all and wishing everyone a Happy New Year. in the dance, Frances --- Colette ~ wrote: <tt> On Fri, 21 Dec 2001 12:05:38 +0100, JUNG-FIRE wrote:<BR> <BR> & gt; & nbsp; <BR> Dear Fireminders:<BR> Please go to Yahoo Groups' JUNG-FIRE and click on PHOTOS for Solstice Labyrinth artwork by moi. Dear Frances I am looking at the first pic. I don't know if you mind hearing how I find it. And I do not project that my interpretation is at all what it means to you so dearly .. but to me .. this first one speaks in two ways. <BR> Firstly I was struck by the holding effect of the bubbliness. And by its density underlying such delicate beauty floating above. They reminded me of <BR> a group of interconnected souls working together in harmony to support the birth of awareness of one's innate beauty. <BR> Or on an individual level I found the thick bubbles could be seen to be like shadow substance beneath the perfection of the essence. <BR> And thirdly, it seems the snowflake symmetry offers leave like, new growth supported by pure energy. (All in my opionion). Self contained .. in harmony.<BR> <BR> Thanks for sharing such beauty which spoke to me.<BR> <BR> Love,<BR> <BR> Colette<BR> _________________________________________________________<BR> MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: <BR> <a href= " http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx " >http://photos.msn.com/suppor\ t/worldwide.aspx</a><BR> <BR> </tt> <br> <!-- |**|begin egp html banner|**| --> <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2> <tr bgcolor=#FFFFCC> <td align=center><font size= " -1 " color=#003399><b> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 29, 2001 Report Share Posted December 29, 2001 <BR> > Dear Fireminders:<BR> > Please go to Yahoo Groups' JUNG-FIRE and click on > PHOTOS for > Solstice Labyrinth artwork by moi. > Dear Frances I am looking at the first pic. I don't > know if you mind hearing > how I find it. And I do not project that my > interpretation is at all what it > means to you so dearly .. but to me .. this first one > speaks in two ways. > <BR> > Firstly I was struck by the holding effect of the > bubbliness. And by its > density underlying such delicate beauty floating > above. They reminded me of <BR> > a group of interconnected souls working together in > harmony to support the > birth of awareness of one's innate beauty. > <BR> > Or on an individual level I found the thick bubbles > could be seen to be like > shadow substance beneath the perfection of the > essence. > <BR> > And thirdly, it seems the snowflake symmetry offers > leave like, new growth > supported by pure energy. (All in my opionion). Self > contained .. in > harmony.<BR> > <BR> > Thanks for sharing such beauty which spoke to me.<BR> > <BR> > Love,<BR> > <BR> > Colette<BR> > _________________________________________________________<BR> > MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your > photos: <BR> > <a > href= " http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx " >http://photos.msn. com/support/worldwide.aspx</a><BR> > <BR> > </tt> > > <br> > > <!-- |**|begin egp html banner|**| --> > > <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2> > <tr bgcolor=#FFFFCC> > <td align=center><font size= " -1 " > color=#003399><b> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 30, 2001 Report Share Posted December 30, 2001 > > I got an inkling the other day that the fire was perhaps about the > > anger of the Goddess at being treated like an object .. > > *Object??? NON-object is closer! > Hope you're all okay. > > Love, > m It's just smokey even in the inner city! You can smell the gum leaves burning a long way away. And then when the sun sets it's bright pinky reddish. Mike this use of the word object perhaps gets used differently by Buddhists & Advaitins. I wondered what you meant? In Advaitin circles duality is described as being object referral consciousnesss whereby one seeks outside of one Self looking for one self. Kind like outside the subject. In this case even one's body is objectified as not self. Here we have this use of the word Self for I presume, essence or the naked primordial awareness (not a thing, certainly not objects nor concepts.) So it kind of implies that objectifying like tha,t takes the life out of things because you are not Self referred. Self in this case is not the self image, it is more like everything yet no thing. I know Buddhists do not use this word self & lately I am coming to an understanding why. Naked bald awareness cannot be called anything let alone a self. Ahh well we use words to communicate so we try to use them skillfully. I guess the advaitin implication of Self referral consciousness leads to an awareness of the interdependence of everything so that Mother Earth could not be objectified (not seen as just an object) but seen as part of one's own dear Self. This implies that Nature's intelligence is in all things. No thing is left out. So even if women are treated as sex objects then the anger may be expressed by nature somehow. So the real way to go would be for women ( & men) to do the work to help balance the collective psyche. This blesses nature too in my opinion. love, Colette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 30, 2001 Report Share Posted December 30, 2001 > > Mike this use of the word object perhaps gets used differently by > > Buddhists & Advaitins. I wondered what you meant? > > *Disdain. > > > In Advaitin circles duality is described as being object referral > > consciousnesss whereby one seeks outside of one Self looking for one > > self. Kind like outside the subject. In this case even one's body is > > objectified as not self. > > *Sure. Exactly. Even one's idea of presence. The Diamond Sutra > successively dissolves the ideas of a self, a persona, a mere being, > and a life. > > > I know Buddhists do not use this word self & lately I am > > coming to an understanding why. Naked bald awareness cannot be called > > anything let alone a self. Ahh well we use words to communicate so we > > try to use them skillfully. > > *Yep. And with mitigated success. > Nonetheless that naked bald awareness cannot even be called > naked bald awareness seems to me axiomatic (for all that > wonders where the clarity in that is). Names and terms obscure > inasmuch as they are clung to as being what one imagines is there. > All 'nouns' seem to immediately come complet with a qualifying > 'adjective' and we immediately lose sight of the fact that what seem > to us to be 'nouns' are, in fact, only the becoming... only 'verbs'. I think I find clarity in what births in the present because it is not bound to any past imaging or idea of future attaining .. I rather like this quote .. " There is neither Past nor Future. These is only the Present. Yesterday was the present to you when you experienced it, and tomorrow will also be the present when you will experience it. Therefore experience takes place only in the present, and beyond experience, nothing exists.' Ramana Maharshi ... because often people wonder what can be the practical value of naked awareness .. > There ARE no 'nouns' - Not even 'non-being'. Things neither *are* > what they seem to be or not. Their seeming is all they have. And it's > as fleeting as one's (lack of) attention-span - if not even more so. I think this harmonises my understanding of impermanence more as a gift .. Before it seemed quite a threatening 'concept'. > > > > I guess the advaitin implication of Self referral consciousness leads > > to an awareness of the interdependence of everything so that Mother > > Earth could not be objectified (not seen as just an object) but seen > > as part of one's own dear Self. This implies that Nature's > > intelligence is in all things. No thing is left out. > > *The subtle shift of the Buddhist is simply that oneself - dear or > otherwise - is only ever an attachment to certain ideas. It can never > be found as such. It's only a - fairly useful, but ultimately non- > existant - working hypothesis... 'this' end of an infinite series of > relationships which themselves have no ultimate reality inasmuch > as they, too, are all relative to and dependent upon each other. Well maybe that's a mighty big relating > > > So even if women are treated as sex objects then the anger may be > > expressed by nature somehow. So the real way to go would be for women > > ( & men) to do the work to help balance the collective psyche. This > > blesses nature too in my opinion. > > *Sympathetic magic, but yes. I agree. > As HH Dalai Lama says: 'Kindness is my religion'. > > m I see it more as form & formless together Mike not apart .. " I honor the God & the Goddess, The eternal parents of the universe. The Lover, out of boundless love, Takes the form of the Beloved. What beauty! Both are made of the same nectar And share the same food. Out of supreme love They swallow up each other But separate again For the joy of being two. They are not completely the same But neither are they different. No one can tell exactly what they are. How intense is their longing To be with each other. This is their greatest bliss. Never, not even in jest, Do they allow their unity To be disturbed. They are so averse to separation That even though they have become This entire world, Never for a moment do they let A difference come between them Even though they see All that is animate & inanimate, Arising from within themselves, They never recognize a third. They sit together in the same place, Both wearing a garment of light. From the beginning of time They have been together, Reveling in their own Supreme Love. They created a difference To enjoy this world. When that " difference " Had one glimpse of their intimacy It could not help but merge Back into the bliss Of their eternal union. Without the God, There is no Goddess, And without the Goddess There is no God. How sweet is their love! The entire universe is too small To contain them, Yet they live happily In the tiniest particle. The life of one Is the life of the other, And not even a blade of grass Can grow without both of them. Only these two live In this house Called the universe. When either one is asleep The other stays awake And plays the part of both. Should both of them awake, The whole universe Would vanish without a trace. They become two For the sake of divine play, But in every moment They seek to become one again. Both of them see together, Both of them are seen together. They are happy only when together. Shiva has become all forms: Both dark & light, Both male & female. By the union of these two halves The whole universe comes to be. Two lutes make one note. Two roses make one fragrance. Two lamps make one light. Two lips - one word. Two eyes - one sight. Shiva & Shakti - one universe. Though appearing separate They are forever joined, Always eating from the same plate. She is a chaste & devoted partner; She cannot live without Her Lord. And without Her, The one who can do everything Cannot even appear. How can we distinguish These two from each other? He appears because of Her, And she exists because of Him. We cannot tell sugar From its sweetness Nor camphor From its fragrance. To capture light We take hold of fire. To capture the Supreme Shiva We must take hold of Shakti. Light illumines the Sun, But the Sun itself Creates that light. The glorious Sun & its light Are one & the same. An object has a reflection: When looking we see two images, Yet there is only one thing. Likewise, this world is a reflection Of the Supreme Lord. We may see two, Yet only One exists. Out of pure emptiness She gives rise to the entire world. Everything depends on Her. Yet She exists only because Of Her Lord. Her form is the whole world, It is the glory of God made manifest. God Himself created Her form, God Himself became that form. Seeing Herself beautifully adorned, She could not bear that Her Lord Might have less then Herself. And so she adorned Him With every name & form in the universe. Merged in unity There was nothing to do. So Shakti, the bringer of good fortune, Created this world for the sake of divine play. She reveals Her Lord's splendor By melting Herself & becoming everything; And He glorifies Her, By hiding Himself completely. Out of His great love to see Her He becomes the Seer of the universe. If he could not watch Her play, He would have no reason to exist. To meet her call He takes on the form Of the whole universe; Without Her He remains naked. He is so mysterious & subtle, That while apparent He cannot be seen. It is by Her grace alone That He comes into being. She awakens Her Lord, And serves Him a feast The size of the universe. With great delight He swallows up every dish And also the one who serves Him. While He is sleeping, She gives birth to all that exists And all that does not exist. While She is sleeping He has no form at all. Look! He is hidden, And cannot be found without Her. For they are mirrors, Each revealing the other. Embracing Her, Shiva enjoys His own bliss. Though all the joy Of the world belongs to Him, There is no joy without Her. She is His very form, But Her radiance comes from Him. Blending into one, They enjoy the nectar of their own union. Shiva & Shakti are one, Like air & the wind, Like gold & its luster. Shiva & shakti cannot be separated. They are like musk & its fragrance, Like fire & its heat. In the light of the Sun There is no difference between day & night In the Light of the Supreme Truth There is no difference between Shiva & Shakti. Shiva and Shakti envy the Primordial Sound " Om " because they are seen as two while the sound Om is always regarded as one. Jnanadeva says, " I honor the union of Shiva and Shakti, who devour this world of name and form like a sweet dish. All that remains is the One. " Embracing each other they merge into One, As darkness merges with the light At the breaking of dawn. When we discover their Unity, All words and all thoughts dissolve into silence, Just as when the Universal Deluge comes, the waters of the ocean, and those of the Ganges, will merge into one. The air and the wind will merge into the endless sky; The sun and its light will merge into the Universal Fire. With a true vision of them, the seer and the seen merge into one. Again I honor the two who are one. They are like an ocean of knowledge. And only those who throw themselves in can drink of their waters. I appear separate from them just so I can honor them. But that separation is not real, it is only in name. My praise is like that of a gold ornament honoring the gold from which it is made. When the tongue is used to pronounce the word " tongue, " Is there any difference between the word and the object meant by it? One is called " ocean, " the other is called " Ganges, " and though these are different names, Their waters are still the same. The Sun can be seen, but so can the objects it illumines. Does this mean there are two Suns? If moonlight shines on the surface of the Moon, Or if the light of a lamp reveals the lamp, can we claim that there is another? The syllable " Om " is made up of the sounds A, U, and M, does that mean it is divided? The letter " N " is made up of three lines, does that mean it is more than one? When the luster of a pearl shines upon its surface, The pearl's beauty is only enhanced. If one's bounty is not lessened, and only profit is obtained, Why should the ocean not enjoy its waves, or a flower its own fragrance? So I enjoy the worship of Shiva and Shakti, though I am never separate from them. A reflected image disappears when the mirror is removed, Ripples merge back into the water when the wind becomes still. When sleep comes to an end, a man returns to his senses. Now my individuality has come to an end, and I have returned to Shiva and Shakti. Salt gives up its salty taste to become one with the ocean; I give up my individual self to become Shiva and Shakti. When the covering is removed, the air inside a plantain tree merges with the air outside. And this is how I honor Shiva and Shakti- by removing all separation and becoming one with them. " by Jnaneshwar New Year Wishes for Harmony in 2002 Colette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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