The Stray Black Cat that follows me, and conversations with life.

Hello Friends,

Every day 5 days a week, unless I am incapable of moving I pick up my wife who gets off of work at around 11 PM. We eat something and then get home anywhere between 12-1 AM. As tough a schedule as it is, especially since when we get home we have to walk the dogs, it’s very rewarding.

There is a stray cat, completely black, that likes to follow us. He or she, [I feel it’s a ‘him’]. He will stare at us which looks surreal, only two yellowish green eyes hanging in the dark, suspended by some invisible force in the ether of the night.

We call to him and he doesn’t come so close yet, but he is very friendly nevertheless. He doesn’t trust us completely yet. Dave has always been a friend and a fan to stray dogs and cats, for some reason more cats than dogs. Maybe they come to me because as my sister and wife say sometimes, I am an animal myself. Whatever the reason he spent a long time looking at us and came much closer than before.

When he came close to us I remembered the following quote from the little prince:

 “’Men have forgotten this truth,’ said the fox.’But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.”

In everyone we meet whether 2 legged or 4 legged, there is something that happens that makes us extend to them our heart and also allows ourselves to concern ourselves even less with our own affairs. A heart is not just a door it is a seat of the soul, the gatekeeper of our own destiny. We are our own veil as Hafez says.

I would like to quote some word from Coleman barks “Sufis assert that there are three ways of being with the mystery: prayer, then a step up from that, meditation, and a step up from that conversation, the mystical exchange they call sohbet. For Rumi beauty comes as a natural response to being spoken to. The rose opens because it has heard something, the cypress grows strong and straight because a love-secret is being whispered to it.

The world projects completely new each second and every second we supply the mortar and steel psychologically so that constantly extend the bridge of past experiences, memories hidden resentment, into the present. All the people who come into our lives are exactly there for a reason, and when they come and a feeling of love develops platonic, mystical, spiritual, or whatever, there is a mystery unfolding there.

The Black cat was and is a constant reminder, that we are all Masks of the Friend whether we know it or not. Don’t turn down a wave or smile, or an intent stare from a 4 legged friend.

                         This is enough

Sugar merchants, I have news: Joseph
has arrived from Egypt with the essence

of sweetness: fruit cobbler that
can save your soul! Spirit wine.  And if

there is something else you want, that
came too.  Khidr through an open window.

Aphrodite singing ghazals.  A sky with
Gold streaks across.  A stick that finds

water in a stone.  Jesus sitting quietly
near the animals. Night so peaceful.

This is enough was always true. We
just haven’t seen it: the hoopoe already

wears a tufted crown.  Each ant is given
its elegant belt at birth.  This love

we feel pours through us like giveaway
song.  The source of now is here!

On seeking and Spirituality (1)

Here is something that got me thinking from the book The Way of the Sufi – it up there on the book list

Seeking truth is the first stage towards finding it. After the seeking comes the realization that Truth is also seeking the Seeker himself. The third stage is the one in which the Sufi is learning from the Way, is when learning reaches a special stage: when The Seeker realized that he is acquiring knowledge in a range beyond ’seeking’ and ‘finding’ or ‘being sought’.

I just thought I would take this time to relate some personal experiences in light of this quote. A good friend of mine from high school, while in high and afterwards would get into many discussions about metaphysics, psychology and the whole like. We were convinced that there was a lot more to life than just waht we knew. We stayed talking and friends and always would meet at key time and points, haphazardly, and talk recommend books to each other. For some reason unbeknownst to us we kept talking of Sufism and the works of Idries and Omar Ali Shah, Robert Ornstein etc.

Seven years of this passed. We each went many places with our seeking. Speaking from my own experience, during this time I really furthered my knowledge of the occult, was involved with Kriya Yoga, Rosicrucianism. I left no stone unturned. However  we both ended up at the Nimatullahi order, and after a classic meeting with the Pir a dalil (spiritual counselor)  we were admitted to the circle of Friends.

Almost 3 Months to the date when we first came, I got initiated. Things happen fast it seems now, but during those three months every aspect of my life was somehow in its own way  put under a microscope, all the bullshit, excuse my french, well not all but a certian amount  was exposed and removed in its own way. It was a confusing time for me, but a deeply fulfilling time nonetheless.

So basically when after sitting for a while amongst the company of darvishes, its up to you to really see if this path is for u or not, some people take years some take months to each his own. This is the point where the above quotation really made an impact in my life. For about a month and half I asked myself what  am I doing here, is this just another phase, is this real ? Then I thought back on what brought me here.  The books I read, the people I met, the order events occured to bring me here.

I realized that all of those thigns were not me, my first book on sufism was given to me  by someone who ironically had no interest in sufism, or has never talked to me about it since. everything I do since realizing has been charged with more meaning, it feel the more receptive I made through sacrifice and attempting to be truly humble and fullfil all my responsibilities as a husband, brother, son, friend,darvish etc the more something happens to further facilitate and take me further.

In other words the immense Gap between me and the truth closes not just by my actions but some other ‘thing’, some living force, call in our above quote the Truth, or it can be called the Cosmic Consciousness. I am more than convinced that there is no act so small that isnt felt or that doesnt make an impact in the universe. it has been a liberating realization to see the the truth looks for you as mucha s you look for it if not longer. This reminds me of a line of poetry from Dr Nurbakhsh

“To Nurbakhsh  you were genereous, You were his buyer long before he sold himself to You”

After realizing that Truth looks for you It has become really hard for me to feel lonely and isolated as I used to. It has been truly liberating

brb for part 2

Dave

Continuing the Conversation Part 3 of 3

Hello Guys,

 

I wanted to continue where I left off before, I am at the font of inspiration and while I still feel like talking I would like to continue talking.

The image to your left is a common image in Kundalini yoga. It shows the  the chakra or energy centers that the Kundalini energy coiled at the basis of the spine (snake imagery again). Do you see that cadeceus looking thing. That helical shape, In some pcitures you can see clearly  that each sinsuoidal wave that is different, Why do you I say that. One represents  the solar consciousness one lunar consciousness, one an active element one a passive. When the kundalini is raised in the aspirant he is transformed, Is the link apparents between the tiresias story of  the generative power of the two snakes in copulation ( representing make and female energies) or rather a unification of opposites  being a vehicle  for a greater mystery to  manifest itself.

The sun is a beautiful think it is the epitomuy of timelessness it is the epitomy of reason rational, why because it shine and illuminates all the same way each time. The path of the sun can be measured, you can establihs a frame of time through it, Like the old testament patriarchs it separates day into night, it operates on the heavens and on the earth. In greek mythology the Sun has always been attributed to Apollo and Helios. What are the qualities of Apollo – Apollo has been variously recognized as a god of light and the sun; truth and prophecy; archery  medicine and healing; music, poetry, and the arts. We should not forget the god of logic and reason.

Interesting to note that Luna, the goddess of the Moon. The moon is never the same always waxing and waning if we take the analogy from the Carmina Burana almsot like the 3 fates, new moon middle age moon old moon. Anyways, the moon inspires where as the sun illuminates, a muse, a source of inspiration is always depicted as a women, she inspires, she gives the artist and inutional understanding of the scene he has to create in either painting or sculpture form. She the moon has control over the seas.The lunar deity has three different aspects: Diana in the heavens, Luna on earth, and Hecate, goddess of witchcraft, in the underworld.

The magical the mysterious world is always present at every moment waiting to manifest in the action of human beings, the witch or the the magical arts in mythology tells secrets in a way that isnt like the gift of prophecy bestowed upon by Apollo or Zeus. Through intuitional feelings and understands of signs, the knowledge of the Gods can be ascertained by mortals. Isnt it interesting that there are three witches in Macbeth.

The role of the women in mythology is always to inspire and oing so show the hero the secrets needed to overcome his trials and tribulations. The Sun,illumination is the job of the sun, when the sun is other nothing is hidden by its rasys, when the Sun retires for the night we have to be kinnd by an inner more mysterious sense.

The dawn has been an image used for a long time, the triumph of the spiritual aspirant is reffered to the dawn of their awakening,  they have emerged from the dark night of the soul or the dark night where they had only been able to be seen and guided by the heart to navigate their way, and after a long apprenticeship seeing and feelign with the heart they have once again united with the solar consciousness.

It is through women that a man in finally initiated into the greater mysteries, the mysteries of Isis and Serapis are perfect examples. I can go on and on, until the break of dawn lol love the sugar hill gang. But i hope you have enjoyed my posts today. I am done

Commentary on fasting and prayer and another Inspiring Quotes for Ramadan -

The Goal of fasting and intense prayer is to further strenghten the relationship between the seeker or aspirant to that of his creator. How does fasting, prayer and meditation help contribute to this, as I understand it:

1. “Abstinence from food and intense prayer and meditation , may give one a certain spiritual state and that, in this state, one’s perception may be clarified. But if the self is likened t a dragon that b fasting becomes powerless, it is certain that whne the fast is broken and enough food is eaten the dragon will revive and , stronger than ever go, about attempting to fulfil its desires”- tken from the Path by Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh, head of the NImatullahi Order
2. It is clear from the point above that if your fast solely remain as an outward manifestation, not being entirely linked to a deeper internal yearning there is the chance that, after it is over the comanding self will return with vigor.In my mind  we can avoid this buy using our hunger and thirst as an intermediary for the real hunger and thirst of the soul. THe stronger we make the association between the two the further we can make  fast a more transcendant experience.
3. Each hunger pain, each desire for food and water serves as another stitch linking together our realization of the limitation of the body, but the unlimited nature of who we truly are. In my experiences after a few days fasting, I start to really see not intellectually but feel that the body is jsut a vehicle and that there are added dimension to ourselves that cannot be feed or appeased by food and drink.
4. What comes to me as an overiding message of fastign and prayer is love. Despite our daily bread, we are still hungry. We still desire more of the transient things in life, well I know I do sometimes the yearning of the heart vascillates, strong one good days weaker on bad day. In fasting we are reminded that at the end of the day we are sustained only the love of the creator, and in a poetic sense our suffering  from the separation of what we feel sustains us open our eyes to the love that really does.

These are just my ideas from what I have experienced. I leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the book the Path and a quote by Jami a reknown sufi mystic

In a prophetic tradition (hadith), God say to Muhammed:

Whoever seeks Me will find Me

Whoever I love, I will kill, and

Whoeever I kill, his blood money I will pay:

I Myself am his blood money.

 

 

 Quote From Jami:

Hidden behind the veil of mystery, Beauty is eternally free from the slightest stain of imperfection.  From the atoms of the world, He created a multitude of mirrors; into each one of them He cast the image of His Face; to the awakened eye, anything that appears beautiful is only a reflection of that Face.    Now that you have seen the reflection, hurry to its Source; in that primordial Light the reflection vanishes completely.  Do not linger far from that primal Source; when the reflection fades, you will be lost in darkness.  The reflection is as transient as the smile of a rose; if you want permanence, turn towards the Source; if you want fidelity, look to the Mine of faithfulness.  Why tear your soul apart over something here one moment and gone the next? 

 

 

Daily Inspiration Friday August 29, 2008

Hey There

                How are you everyone? Does you all remember the carmina burana ? Accordint to wikipedia

“It is a collection, found in 1803 in the Bavarian monastery of Benediktbeuern, and now housed in the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in Munich. The 119 leaves of the original collection contain 228 poems compiled by three different scribes…..   

The first section, thought to be of religious songs, is now lost and there is no record of the missing poems. Therefore it is impossible to trace the manuscript’s existence before its mutilation, since manuscripts were usually catalogued by their opening line. The final section was not originally part of the manuscript and is a scholarly reconstruction of some of the poems where differences and emendations have been found buried underneath other texts.

Many of the religious songs and several of the love songs and drinking songs are accompanied by neumes that suggest melodies. Some of the poems have also had corresponding melodies discovered in later manuscript sources.“

Anyways Carl orff a german composer but some of the carmina Burana to music and of course the msot celebrated part of it  is O fortuna,  O Fortune. It got me thinking about fortune itself, it favors some people today other tomorrow when I am talkign about forutne idont mean wealth or riches. Fortune here meaning:

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin fortuna; akin to Latin fort-, fors chance, luck, and perhaps to ferre

We all are fortunate in many ways and we dont know it. Even the most spiritually and economically poverished among us has something to thank god for. However the questions is are we doingthe best with what we have? take a look at these pictures and you tell me

Fortune may smile on some of us with some things material wealth and on others with other things  (spiritual wealth) but having great material wealth andhaving your soul corrupted by vice and emptiness isnt a life. Neither is having great spiritual wealth and not beign able to eat. Balance is the sign of real spiritual and material prowess and acheivement.

 

I firmly believe that each and everyone one of us is responsible for the world the way it is . If ther eis chaos and order in the world it is because our lives are brimming with chaos and disorder.  Whatever happens in our life is only magnified in the world.  Are we greedy? are we arrogant, are we vindictive? I knowI cant cast the first stone. I remember reading in the80’s that the problem with poverty is not that we dont have enough food but that we dont have the means of proper distribution. Now 20 some odd years later I wonder what the case is ?

My inspiration today is those less fortunate than me, its my gradnmother living in a poor village in the Haiti, its the girl I sponsor through the christian childrens fund that lives in brazil, its the hungry people in the subway.

its this man    in india

its this woman d child in slovakia