Sunday Stream (156) ~ Roll Away the Stone

[mtmynd]

Roll Away the Stone

Intellectuality is the slavish task of remembering what one has read and set to memory to repeat in the company of like folks for the sake of conversation... be it positive or negative is immaterial - it is the exchange of memories that brings joy to the intellectual.

Intelligence is the understanding of the Self that allows the individual to follow their own instinct - fulfilling the basic need for liberation from the monotony of the mind... the awakening of the creative being that has lain dormant until the realization that life is the joy of experiencing the bliss that has risen within.

To know of both is to be complete...wholly your self, at one, in the now. You have gone passed the duality of choices.

'Welcome home, however briefly...the eternal is always here.'

_________

Today is called Easter by the Christians. Jesus arose (geezus! A rose! ). This worship of the man, I fear, would unsettle even Jesus himself. He was teaching a message of awakening not as the son of God, but a son of god - for we all are children of existence, the world our playground, playing cowboys and Indians, playing mother and baby, playing in suits 8-to-5 to bring home money to purchase toys which we have been brought up with to bring us joy. We cannot allow this temporal joy to extinguish itself in the paranoia of loss. It's not enough that we we have to survive this life. But we don't have the time to ask ourselves what we are doing in this life, and why? Why are we stressing ourselves out if we don't have any answers ?

We are unable to control time. Time is a looming force like a Tsunami ready to overtake us any moment...if we aren't careful, time will reduce us to the bleakness of nothingness, where doubt is the only thing left to do. We allow ourselves to be run by time... we even invented the seconds and minutes, the days and the weeks, the months and the years - it is we, the goofy human, that has created our Time. A time to reap, a time to sow... time has been our limitation put upon by ourselves. We measure and analyze frequencies, we count the spins around our Sun, we count the days the moon is new and count the days the moon is dark, and we count the days in between. We have made numbers conclusive, unerring, infallible, human perfection, and in so doing our minds are able to solve more and more complexities that make us feel good - yes, we feel good when our minds overcome obstacles. We are achievers. We are the best things on the earth... just ask us. We'll tell each other until we all believe it - We are created in 'god's' image... not anything else on the planet, not the animals great and small, not the creatures of the oceans... no, we are the ones that 'god' chose to resemble Himself... just ask us. Jesus looked just like his Father...it must be... we said so, we we put it in print.

What happens to the follower's inner fire that burns within...the energy they need to drive the creative soul into potentiality? What happens when they believe that the fire is in someone else...but not themselves? They are left to stifle their own being for the sake of submission to some other one, who does not need them to live in their own Peace. They choose to follow a leader because they do not know that their Self is all they need to find themselves.

They worship those that did find their individuality. They also strongly condemn those that have freedom to be. They are confused about those that do not need. Those that appear to have all they need are viewed as 'lucky', 'unusual,' 'saints,' 'devils,' ... they cannot decide what side of the coin to choose, and those that do choose are basing their choice upon other's opinions. No wonder the world can seem crazy. No wonder mankind is stressed and confused -

too much mind, not enough soul.

This Easter may your own Self rise from the self-imposed tomb that you have created around you. Roll away the stone of ignorance and let your spirit free. Christian or not, it is always the Now that awaits you. Step into the mystic where mysteries are unfolding beyond the intellectual fences of the mind.


cecil
Easter Sunday 3.23.08
[originally written as Easter/Wester, 20 April 2003]

Sun Rising


photo: cecil b. lee

[westcoast]

Thank you Cecil, a joy to read. Have a wonderful day

~westcoast

[Doreen Peri]

Your writing is wise, as always. You speak truths and it is always inspiring to read you.

I must tell you that I have had a bit of a difficult time with Easter since I stopped believing in the myth. I do understand that there are still beautiful truths to awaken to in the story.

But there was something sacred, something special, something absolutely transforming when I believed this actual man was the Son of God, the only person who ever existed who was both fully God and fully Man.... the only person who literally defied death and our true spiritual connection to the source of all life.

Yeah, I was a believer in the trinity, a follower of Christianity and honestly, I miss it.

It's not even clear to me any more whether there was a man named Jesus who walked this planet at all. All of the "gospels" which I thought were eye-witness accounts, were written years later!

At any rate, I don't subscribe to the myth any more. And something is missing in my life. Though I feel I've grown spiritually and understand more how all of the myths are tied together and how we are all connected .... somehow it's all different now. I miss being a Christian. I miss the sacred feeling of Easter.

Today I celebrate the rebirth of spring.

And I continue working on my own resurrection.

Just saying.... I miss believing. I don't believe in anything any more. Except love.

[mtmynd]

Thanks, westcoast (Janet?)... my day is going along well. I wish the same for you!

Doreen... having been a Catholic once, even to the point of attending a Jesuit High School, I found it very difficult to overcome the indoctrinations I was brought up with. But there does come a time when we face those things we have been taught to believe in and we must ask ourselves whether they still hold any truth for us. Millions have chosen to remain with the myth, the ceremony and all that goes with it. And few ask themselves whether 'their' Jesus did the same...

But there is no doubt the melancholy folks like us go thru on religious holidays for those were burned into us deeply. However I know Jesus would be baffled by all the "pomp and circumstance" his name has wrought upon the world for nowhere did he ask of people he preached and taught to become Christian, much less worship him. I truly feel Jesus' jewishness would agree (having been thru his own indoctrinations) with the first commandment - "You shall have no other gods before me."

[enough]

[Doreen Peri]

And I agree... you are right. I grew up from it. What I mean is, it was real and beautiful and 'true' (the myth) for me for so long until there came a time when I realized what it was ... a myth... and I DO get a lot of value from the myth, knowing it's a myth.... because myths have great truths attached to them and we can all grow from them. It is a very special myth. I am more of a Joseph Campbellian now (if we could create such a religion), finding truths in all the myths.

Was just saying that I do very dearly miss the feeling of a sacred day.... I miss believing in something so profound, it was a fulfilling mystery.

Why do I miss it? Emotionally, it held me. It made life more clear. I felt the "holy spirit" in me. It was a beautiful thing.

But in a way, I feel embarrassed that I ever believed it hook line and sinker. I mean, one day we grow up and stop believing in santa claus, right? But that doesn't take away the special feeling you had when you did believe.

"I want to be someone who believes" - Adam Duritz - Counting Crows... just posted this on the video forum (Rain King)

Is it enough to believe in Love? I hope so. Because that's the only thing I can get my arms around right now. Even though I am a miserable failure at "unconditional love".... the kind, I hope the Universe has for me BECAUSE I'm such a miserable failure at it... I still believe in Love. I just can't love when I feel disrespected even though I still love. I don't know if that makes sense to you or not.

Anyway, thanks again for your spiritual presence here and for these Sunday Stream columns. When I come here, I am in your congregation. One day I would dearly love to meet you.

Five years you've been posting these, right? Or four anyway. A long time! I can't thank you enough... and I'm so happy you have other readers like me who feel the same.

[mtmynd]

Dor', you asked: "Is it enough to believe in Love?"

No. You must be in love before you can be-lieve in love.

"Even though I am a miserable failure at 'unconditional love'...."

'Unconditional' is far less than love will ever be. Don't try to love rather enjoy love as it is.

"I just can't love when I feel disrespected even though I still love."

Are you holding respect above love. It appears that way.

Thank you for having this site and giving me this spot. I really do appreciate it. Truly.

[Doreen Peri]

I was talking about life... not just romantic love. I believe in Love toward people. I have been "in love" a few times. None of the times it lasted.

By "unconditional love," I mean, do you still love someone when they belittle you? Does a child still love a parent when the parent abuses him or her? Does an employee still love his job when he is no longer respected? You get the idea.

I don't hold respect ABOVE love.... BUT... I don't think love is possible without respect. It might be something else, but it's certainly not love... unless there is mutual respect.

AND mutual respect comes with conditions.

Though I understand the concept of agape love... and also the concept of love from a parent to a child... ALL love comes with conditions, in my opinion. I mean, I can forgive my child for being a brat but I will not allow continued disrespect if I had a child who used our home as a flop house. (just an example... this has not happened... LOL)... But you see my point.

I don't get what "unconditional love" means. AND since Love is my only God, I am a little lost as to how to proceed.

I don't ever TRY to love... i have always enjoyed love as it is. You can't force love. It either is or it isn't.

I guess my point is that yeah, respect IS love. Without respect, there can't be love.

Which is why the human race needs to stop and take a look at what it's been doing. Do we respect our planet? No! Then how can we say we love it?

You see where I'm going with this. I hope.

Well anyway... I respect YOU and I thank you again... truly.

[Arcadia]

I can relate with the liberation feeling, no more with the catholic atmosphere... and here in the southern-formally-upside-down-world (not at all western or eastern) the autumn is just beggining so...

gracias for your wishes, the stream & the beautiful photo cecil!!!!!!!!

saludos,

Arcadia

[mtmynd]

Thx, Doreen. You're a good person.

Gracias a usted, arcadia. Have a good fall season.

[Arcadia]

thanks cecil!!!!!! I did no fall yet but I? did somehow this to my right foot only walking during the last days!!!!!!! ice? (mmm... and today the tendinitis looks & feels worse than yesterday)