back in my college days (which we call university here in Australia) I was a real book fiend. Would spend hours each day in the campus library, perusing different sections, different shelves. A real eclectic reader – history, science, psychology, philosophy, literature – basically everything. And where did this intense curiosity spring from? one work I encountered in my post high school days: JM Robert’s magnificent ‘Penguin History of the World’. (the Penguin here being the publisher, not the animal :-))
this one book triggered an intellectual landslide. All those subjects not treated in my formal schooling days; here they were brought up in a beautiful narrative history; one that excited the mind, elucidated the field, and sparked a thousand other avenues of thought. Reading and re-reading this blockbuster tome (coming in at 1000+ closely printed pages) blew me away. This is an Awakening, in every sense. We’re talking about the History of the World here folks! that means everything comes under its purview; dictators, kings, and empires may form the broad brushstrokes of history, but inside of that the rich endeavorings of humanity are taking place: philosophical enquiry, inventive science, art and dance, the struggles of the family within the societal structures. History may be the canvas here, but it is by painting the little details that the true image is formed.
This book I read and re-read two or three times over when was 19. It fairly well set my course for the next 10 years. Intellectual pursuit of answers, book knowledge in every form. I read and read and read. I lived the life of an omnivorous gorging bibliophile. That was my life.
and against this backdrop the rest of my life was spinning away. I studied, I worked, I studied some more, and I worked some more. The sustenance of my life had to be maintained, but every spare minute I had was ploughed into those never-ending pages of knowledge and insight. Biographies gave me a glimpse into the manifest lives of great men; popular science informed me of the latest findings in genetics, evolutionary psychology, particle physics, and cosmology. Spiritual works informed the meaning and purpose of all things. Literature fired the imagination full of possibilities, poetry set the heart alight. It was a glorious Mental Awakening.
I left those years behind me a little way back. Fully sated, I needed time now to digest. Put all the pieces together.
but that story, my friends, is for another day.
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blessings and peace
String Trio #1 :: scored for violin, viola, and cello
magic has a bad rap these days. after all, one cannot ‘conjure’ things out of thin air, can we?
or perhaps we can?
maybe we should examine what we mean by ‘magic’, and in this case, so-called ‘white magic’.
Magic, at its core, is about getting results. There is no real modern analogue for this term. Some self-improvement circles bandy the notion of being ‘effective’, ‘real’, or ‘getting what you want’. Nice expressions, but what is REALLY happening?
1. an idea, image, or desire flashes in the mind
2. we want to see this happen in ‘reality’.
3. we effect this change (or not, depending on the case :-))
magic is about making this process seamless and efficient. Forget all the past baggage associated with this term, just concentrate on the results and the process.
magic is about consciousness and the transition from the mind into 3-d reality. The more we can make this happen, the more we ‘materialise’ … not out of thin air, but through conforming with real, practical principles.
now, this is going to sound like a rather strange and esoteric subject to some.
but what is “returning the mail”?
good question. Glad you asked. Now, I perceive of the world as a whole bunch of interactions. There are people in the world, and animals, but what really defines life is the interactions we have. Now, to me, there are two basic interactions we can participate in:
1. we can be giving (whether literally, in the case of giving someone an object) or perhaps giving in the sense of emotional support, or just plain old speaking. We are projecting ourselves out there.
2. or we can be receiving. Here we are at the other end of the interaction. The receiving can also be a form of ‘taking’ sometimes; for those who are of a selfish bent. But in most cases, we act as the recipient, and are grateful.
now for the flow of life to work, we can’t always be in the receiving mode. As a child we benefit immensely from our parents` love, because we are vulnerable and still learning. But as we grow older, the balance of the interactions changes, and we start to realise what we can offer to the world. We start ‘giving’.
now for me, ‘returning the mail’ means sending back into the world all the love we have received. Not hoarding it up, dwelling on it, being entranced by it. We have reaped the full benefits of others` free givings; it is up to us to give it back.
And not necessarily to the ones who gave it to us. Find those in need, then pass the mail onto them. They will read the message inside, and be over-joyed!
100 Musical Footsteps 