Fact Of The “Matter”

Science has been chasing the elusive foundation of our so-called material world for a long time. According to online sources, Democritus was the first philosopher to claim that atoms (derived from the Greek word atomos, meaning uncuttable) comprised the foundation of our so-called physical world. However, in 1911, Earnest Rutherford, who was a British physicist, proved beyond doubt that atoms were actually comprised of 99.999% empty space. Basically, it turns out that when scientists cracked the nut (so to speak), they kept discovering smaller and smaller bits of the so called nut. How, then, can anything actually be solid? (Answer: please fill in the blanks: they c _ n n _ t). Still, the search continues at great expense (think CERN and the particle collider) to discover the fundamental constituents of matter.

The issue related to the futile search for matter revolves around one central point: Confusion. Various sages and saints have more appropriately termed the issue ignorance (meaning simply, not to know). Because we assume that we are persons made of flesh and bones, we literally must assume that our world is made of real rocks and mountains, real rivers and trees, real cars and roads. Now, please understand, I’m not saying that I don’t see a world that contains all of that which I’ve just mentioned; I do. What I am saying is that matter appears in God’s Infinite Dream; therefore, it is made of consciousness alone, because consciousness is the foundation of all reality.

Before you call 911 on my behalf, please know that this stance (Truth) is not new. It’s been known by a minority of beings throughout the ages. I’ll offer a few quotes to help you consider the issue more deeply for yourself:

“Every creation that exists is a creation of thought.”
Zen Teachings of Huang Po, by Huang Po

“Mind is the creator of everything.”
The Law of Success, by Paramahansa Yogananda

“This world, with all its animate beings and inanimate objects, is nothing but the creation of mind. When the activities of mind cease, there is no world, no duality. There is only God.”
(Guadapa) Mystery of The Mind by Swami Muktananda

“What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.”
Plutarch

“Phenomenon only ‘exist’ in the mind that observes them.”
Tibetan Book Of The Dead

So why am I sharing this? To be of service; to help you create a life that is rich and fulfilling. I hope that this information helps you understand why Andrew Carnegie, who was once considered one of the wealthiest men in the world, stated the following:

“Any thought that is held in the mind, that is emphasized, that is either feared or revered,

will begin to clothe itself in the most convenient and appropriate form available.”

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

P.S. Please share this article if you enjoyed it. If you’d like to view my latest book (This Taste of Flesh and Bones–released September 8, 2020), press here. May it help you in your spiritual journey. 🙏🤍

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Appearances Deceiving

Samuel Seeger had been seeking true Self for more than twenty years. Faithfully, he had meditated for a minimum of twenty minutes every day. Intuitively, he realized that there something to him–not a thing–that was beyond his name and form. “I mean, really,” he thought, “it’s impossible to actually be a name; for a name is merely a term for that to which it refers.” The word for a glass of water is not the same as holding an apparent glass of water; he reasoned that the same logic must, therefore, apply to Samuel Seeger. Of his body, he also realized that its cells were changing moment to moment. Despite the appearance thereof, there was nothing solid about either. He was seeking the eternal changeless, not the finite changeful. One day he read the following passage in a book (Who Am I?) by Sri Ramana Maharshi:

“At last,” he cried joyously, “I’ve finally recognized Truth! Tears of joy ran down his face as he realized that his so-called reality was actually occurring in a dream. For the next few days, everything he experienced through his senses took on a dreamy feel and texture. He erroneously assumed that he was now awake. All of his years of seeking had paid off. Yes, it only made sense: Why couldn’t it be that his life was occurring in a dream? Didn’t his nighttime dreams feel real? In a dream could he not imagine that he was flying a plane, riding a motorcycle, or eating a meal? All was well…until Samuel happened upon the following passage in a book entitled The Law of Success by Paramahansa Yogananda:

Initially, Samuel did not realize the import of the words; but as he contemplated the passage more deeply, he focused upon the first line (Mind is the creator of everything) and felt an emotional shock run through his body. “But that,” he thought with nervous puzzlement, “would mean that mind must also be the creator of my body-mind. How, then, can my body-mind be real in the way that I’ve previously assumed it to be? Less than a week later, he came across the following two passages. The first is from Amrut Laya, The Stateless State by Shri Sadguru Siddharameshwar Maharaj, and the second is from Hebrews 11:3:

“That which is seen, only appears, it does not exist.”

***

“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God,

so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”

During the coming weeks, Samuel’s understanding stabilized. The realization occurred that what was occurring was the surrender described in so many holy books. On some days, a feeling of tremendous sadness arose; but gradually, there came the understanding that it was only the illusory loss of being Samuel Seeger that was being mourned. Nothing real was ever lost, for he had never been Samuel. Only innocent confusion had made it appear so. What was gained was the knowing recognition that he was an aspect of That, the Divine Creator, the All in All.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

The Price

What price we pay for our apparent ignorance. Because we’re unaware that we’re unaware of our essential nature, we take ourselves and life–and its barrel of tumbling circumstances–as real as real. How could we not? Our conditioning has dictated, via the stinging lashes from the whips of reality, that we accept what our senses report without question. Until we knowingly recognize Truth, we are thus ruled by ignorance-based beliefs related to everything we think, say, or do. Our family was certainly not immune to this. The month was May; the year, 1974:

***

“We think your father has had a heart attack,” came the anxious call from my mother, who was upstairs with my dad. It was about 4:00 pm; and I, sixteen, had just returned from school. My two older sisters came home as soon as possible.

Shock and a depth of fear previously unknown gripped our family, but we clung to our brave facades. “This” could not be happening. By the following day, it was obvious that my father knew what was coming; he talked with mom about being conservative with decision making; of remaining in the house for at least a year. Our anxiousness and intermingled hope gave way to despair when my father died three days later.

My mother, sisters, and I sat on a front pew in the United Church. Below and in front of the pulpit was the casket and my father. To me (and, I assumed, the majority of persons in attendance), it was not just his body-mind lying in that casket; it was him in his entirety. Due to my ignorance of my deeper Reality, it was impossible for me to know his. Handshakes, hymns, prayers, tears, and the minister’s eulogy all blended into a nightmare that refused to end; even when we had followed the hearse to the cemetery and laid my father’s body to rest.

***

Enough of this pitiful display! Let grief be reserved, and tears be shed, only for own ignorance! I share this account in the hope that doing may help alleviate at least a small degree of suffering. Our relationships (with family, friends, and colleagues) mean so very much. We like, love, and become infatuated with one another one day; and we often fall out of like, love, or infatuation the next. Upon these shifting sands of the mind we foolishly attempt to build our so-called stable realities. Not realizing that it is only through Him that we live and move and have our being, we assume that each of us is a discrete autonomous person; capable in varying degrees of moving through time and space that we assume to be objective. This is illusion, my friends, ILLUSION.

Awareness is the only Reality. Not now, or ever, have we actually been these persons of flesh and bones. Only in appearance has such seemed to be so. Everything–from fairy tales to Ferris wheels–exists only within the illusion. Here, in this relative realm that we’ve assumed to be real, we perform surgeries, land on the moon, wheel and deal, climb mountains, and conduct autopsies on body-minds newly departed. Having forgotten That which we are, we–assuming our avatars to be our ultimate identity–mourn the death of other projected avatars. What term do you prefer for this movie of the mind–dream or simulation?

Pray tell, upon which foundation–the Real of Spirit, or the unreal of matter–have you built the foundation of your life? To not know–“this” is the price we pay! Contrary to what the masses believe, Consciousness cannot possibly arise of “you” and “me;” this world and our body-minds arise in Consciousness. If you are unaware of this, please dare to investigate your blind assumptions.

As for my father, and more recently my mother, I grieve no more; for in recognizing true Self, I now recognize them. They never were their body-minds. To you, my spiritual brothers and sisters, I cast neither opinion nor belief–only breadcrumbs that may help direct you to your own trail to Truth. In a void that can never be pointed to as existing here or there, we, Spirit, remain as Life eternal.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Vertical Living

My character, Art, apparently exists in a horizontal (linear) timeline. By this, I mean that he is perceived in space-time with other persons. He appears to have personal and professional history. According to the calendar, his body-mind was born in 1958 and will ultimately expire. If Art was attached to the body-mind perspective (as most individuals are), he would almost certainly fear death; for such implies finality. This is not the case, for I Am not Art. Joel Goldsmith, who was a noted spiritual teacher, wrote of this subject in his magnificent book entitled “A Parenthesis in Eternity.”

If you believe that you consist only of the body and mind, this means that you identify with being a limited flesh-and-bones container referred to as a human being. Conversely, if you recognize your essential nature as Consciousness, you identify with I Am, the ever-present vertical dimension of here and now. Through enlightenment, we realize that the apparent body-mind, world, and objects contained therein appear in Consciousness, are made of Consciousness, and are known by Consciousness. We are, thus, liberated from the apparent bondage of the body-mind perspective.

If you’re earnest about recognizing true Self, you may find it helpful to dismantle the materialist paradigm of reality by contemplating the matter of time. Time and space are rendered via the mind–they do not exist independently. The same holds true for the body-mind that goes by your name and form. Time is a concept that can easily be brought into doubt by attempting to experience either the past or the future. Is such possible? Life only occurs NOW. When we remember the apparent past, we do so NOW. When we imagine a conceptual future, we do so NOW. When else could we apparently “do” anything but NOW? Can you reach back to the first paragraph of this article and experience it as a discrete event in time?

Erroneous identification with the body-mind complex has had its day. It’s over. Now, it’s “time” to knowingly step into the vibrant and glorious aliveness of here and now. Everything is born fresh and new via Consciousness, the true Self, without any of the baggage related to a historical self that is ultimately illusory. The little “i”of name and form is a dream character that interacts with other dream characters in the Waking State–still referred to as reality by those who have as yet to awaken from the dream of personhood. Conceptually, this cannot be understood. However, it can be known directly when we become still and realize that we can witness our sensations, images, feelings, and thoughts. True Self is prior to mind and, therefore, not subject to birth and death. The following quote from The Ultimate Understanding by Ramesh M. Balsekar may add fuel to your spiritual fire: “An object exists only because it is observed.” All that is required to have experience is Consciousness. We are That, eternal and immortal.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Lunch Break: Temple of Apollo

In our modern age, Kristo and Morpheus would have excelled as ironworkers on the tallest skyscrapers; they moved with confidence and ease high above the ground. At the sound of the whistle, they set down their chisels and hammers and reached for their nearby lunch pails. Their torsos were dark bronze from many hours under the sun. With their legs dangling over the frontispiece of the Temple of Apollo, in Delphi, Greece, Kristo and Morpheus examined the contents of their lunches. “What!” exclaimed Morpheus, “eggs and sardines again!”

“Be grateful,” said Kristo, as he reached for an olive, “we’re fortunate to have food to eat.”

“Yes,” said Morpheus, “but variety is the spice of life.”

Kristo’s attention was drawn to a distant hawk that was soaring effortlessly; for a few moments, he felt as though he was flying along with it. “What do you think the inscription means?” he asked.

“Know Thyself?” said Morpheus with querulous expression.

“Yes,” said Kristo.

“I’ll tell you exactly what it means,” said Morpheus. “It means another day, another drachma. Haha, nothing like overtime pay!”

“Agreed,” said Kristo, “overtime pay is wonderful. But what do you think the inscription really means?”

“What care I as long as I get paid?”

“We might learn something.”

“I know all I that need to know!” spat Morpheus gruffly. “It means only that some big mucky muck thought it would be a catchy phrase.”

“Nothing more?”

“What more could it mean? Know Thyself…really? I know that I am Morpheus and that you are Kristo. We are men, Greek, in middle age, with families to feed and mortgages to pay.”

Kristo looked away, squinting against the sun. “An intuition tells me that the inscription relates a message that is much deeper.”

“Have it as you will,” said Morpheus. “I know who I am!”

The whistle blew, signalling that lunch break was over. Both men rose to their feet and exchanged their lunch pails for their tools. Soon their forearms and shoulders were once again straining with each hammer strike to chisel. The afternoon passed as usual for Morpheus; but as Kristo worked, he felt the following message hammer softly at him from within:

“There is more to me than meets the eye.

There is more to me than meets the eye.

There is more to me than meets the eye.”

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

The Decree

As its name implied, Trouble Town was experiencing more than its fair share of trouble. The town’s jail was packed with offenders; homelessness was rising dramatically; the majority of politicians were corrupt; and the unspoken motto of “Greed, More Greed” was prevalent. The residents had endured the atrocious conditions for so long that they believed them to be normal. In desperation, Mayor Marjorie Wisdom called an emergency council meeting. She concluded the meeting by standing and reading the following decree: “By unanimous vote, I hereby decree that as of midnight this coming Sunday, the residents of Trouble Town will magically begin to awaken to true Self.” Raising her tear-filled eyes, she then somberly said, “May recognizing God help us all.”

During the following week, a gradual awakening to Truth did, in fact, occur. As a result, many wonderful changes occurred in Trouble Town, not the least of which were the following:

***

On Sunday, at 06:04, Joey and Tom were about to steal their neighbour’s car when they suddenly realized that to steal Mr. Hampton’s car would be to steal from themselves. As a result, they quietly turned and walked away, never to steal from anyone again.

On Monday, at 21:09, Jack, with intent to rape, was about to attack the young lady who was walking alone through a local park when he suddenly realized that both he and she were aspects of God. As a result, he could not possibly lift a hand against her or anyone else.

On Tuesday, at 10:02, Harvey, who owned an appliance store, was about to accept payment from Mrs. Newman for her new refrigerator when he suddenly realized that to cheat the elderly lady of $200.00 by inflating the bill would be to cheat himself. As a result, he wrote a new contract that reflected a fair price.

On Wednesday, at various times in multiple locations, one hundred residents suddenly realized that God was the only power in the Universe. As a result, they immediately became more humble and grateful. One resident was heard to say, “Thank you, God, for the beat of my heart.”

On Thursday, at 12:31, the Deputy Mayor, Mr. Snider, was having lunch with a local businessman who was looking for favours with regard to a major building project. As a result of his awakening, Mr. Snider found it impossible to accept the bribe money that would have ultimately resulted in the construction of an inferior and possibly unsafe building.

On Friday, at 23:02, Fred and Lisa Delaney, who were owners of a chemical factory, were about to discharge dangerous toxins into the river that flowed through Trouble Town when they realized that by polluting the river they were actually polluting themselves and their neighbours. As a result, they returned to their factory and arranged for proper waste disposal the following day.

On Saturday, at 13:39, Mike Dempster was about to pull the trigger of the loaded handgun that was pointed into his right ear when he awakened to the Truth of his Being. As a result, he was able to see that he was neither his body-mind nor the painful story attached to it. Weeping, he unloaded the gun and later arranged for treatment through qualified professionals.

***

This, of course, is a fictional story. It relates some of the potential benefits that could be expressed through humankind if we, by some magical occurrence, suddenly recognized our shared divinity. What would occur if we listened to the still voice of God instead of the blare of our self-centered egos? What if we realized that “thy will be done” reflects infinite wisdom and that “my will be done” reflects ignorance? Would we not literally create a New Earth that was filled with love, compassion, and kindness? What but the belief in our egos is hindering us from experiencing that world NOW? We’ll close this article by repeating the parting words of Mayor Marjorie Wisdom: “May recognizing God help us all.”

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Johnny’s Mean-Looking Truck

Johnny Duggan had lived a coloured life–at least so he thought. He had been married thrice; filed for bankruptcy twice; and done a stint in jail once. The story of “him” was always uppermost on his mind; it was the mean-looking truck that he drove everywhere he went. At the gym, out on a date, dining at a restaurant–there it was: Johnny’s mean-looking truck. It continuously spewed fumes about itself; and it was so full that Johnny had to beef up the suspension and build up the rear racks to contain all of the dark mental stuff from his past.

One day, Johnny was talking to a guy who claimed to know a little about meditation and the powers of the mind. Johnny told him that he had tried to meditate during his stint in jail (he had certainly had time enough for it) but that it hadn’t done him a lick of good.

“When you meditated,” asked the guy, “did you take your mean-looking truck with you?”

“I sure did,” spat Johnny. “My mind was piled high with all of the junk in my truck. Couldn’t concentrate on nothing else!”

“Uh, huh,” said the guy, as he scratched his chin. “No wonder you’re still having such a hard time.”

“What do you mean?” asked Johnny.

“I mean,” said the guy, “that you’d be wise to check the load that you’re carrying. If you want your life to improve, you gotta offload all of that yuck from your truck!”

“What difference is that gonna make?” asked Johnny.

“Seriously?” said the man. “You really don’t know?”

“Know what?” asked Johnny.

“You don’t know that what you’re impressing into the mind on a habitual basis is going to be expressed as the circumstances of your life? By concentrating your energy on everything that’s bad, you’re actually impregnating your future with more of what’s bad!”

“Well, I’ll be a monkey’s Chihauhau!” exclaimed Johnny.

“If the shoe fits,” said the man. “You have to find the good within before you’ll experience it without. By continuing to rehash the negative events in your life, you’re actually creating more for your future. You’d be wise to focus on what’s good for a change. Andrew Carnegie, who commissioned the book entitled Think and Grow Rich, summed up the principle this way:”

“Any idea that is held in the mind,

that is emphasized, that is either feared or revered,

will begin to clothe itself in the most convenient and appropriate form available.”

The last we heard, Johnny was at the local dumpsite for toxic waste. He was shovelling off a big load of yuck from his truck before settling into his regular meditation session–hint, hint; nudge, nudge. By offloading the “bad stuff,” he made room for all of the “good stuff” that had previously gone unnoticed. Oh, and Johnny has also improved the quality of his life by practicing gratitude on a daily basis. He discovered that the more grateful he is, the more he attracts circumstances for which to be grateful. Probably just a coincidence–not!

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

What Are You?

What are you, my brothers and sisters–do you really know? By this, I am not asking, “What do you think you are?” I’m asking, “What are you?”–prior to the mind’s interpretation. Do you really believe you are only a particular person of flesh and bones; or do you sense, if only faintly, the immeasurability of your Being? If you investigate your essential nature, be not fooled and, thus, robbed, by the various stories by which the mind (as though plying you with liquor) will attempt to intoxicate your discernment. Can you spot a pickpocket in a crowd or, closer, the conceptual one that’s attempting to steal your understanding of true Self?

What is your true Heritage, your Origin, which–although denied–can never be stripped away? Minus name and form (and the related good, bad, and ugly stories), is there anything (not a thing) that remains? Do you really believe that “you” are contained within the apparent boundaries of the body-mind; or does the body-mind and, in fact, the world, arise in YOU? Are your parents, as wonderful as they may be (or not), really the source of your Being? Do they make miracles, or does I Am That I Am? Are you willing to toss aside the fabricated human story you’ve been handed and stretch your soul’s capacity to knowingly recognize your birthright as sons and daughters of I Am?

Please be with me NOW in warm embracing recognition of our I Am-ness. We are not leaving; for there is, in fact, nowhere else to go. We–as Omnipresence Itself–are everywhere and nowhere already. In Truth, we are nothing perceivable or conceivable. We are Spirit pervading, Divine Consciousness. As stated in the 77th Gospel of Thomas: Jesus said, “It is I who am the light which is above them all. It is I who am the all. From me did the all come forth, and unto me did the all extend. Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there.” Please listen not to the false voice that howls that you were born of earth and will die to earth. Heed not its ever-so convincing claims that you are a separate body-mind in time and space. When Truth speaks, we know that space and time are concepts in us. Through Divine Father/Mother, we dream worlds, universes, distant stars–and persons with various names and forms–as easily as drawing breath. Be still and breathe with me in Presence, and recognize the Light of True Being.

In Luke 23:43, it is shared that Jesus on the cross stated the following words to one of the symbolic thieves on either side of Him: “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” I humbly offer that Jesus realized that Truth, when freed of the cloak of ignorance that surrounds our apparent persons, would stand triumphant as Heaven revealed. Our essential nature is That which is formless, dreaming Itself to be a world of finite persons in time and space. This is not a belief; it is the Reality of our Being.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Motorcycling, Then and Now

Once upon a time, a man named “Art” believed that he was made of flesh and bones. It certainly appeared to be the case; for he–as were you–had been conditioned to believe the lies of his senses. Due to his forgetfulness about the Reality of his Being, he, therefore, assumed that the apparent highs and lows of life were real as real. He enjoyed life immensely when all was going well and suffered terribly when life was going poorly. He was deeply attached to his family and possessed by a strong drive to succeed. As so often happens in stories, life suddenly delivered a blow (divorce) that shocked Art to his very core. The family that he had loved so dearly was no more.

As part of his healing journey, Art set out upon ride after ride on Scout, his beloved Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 motorcycle. He intuited that the freedom afforded by the open road would be good for his spirit. Travelling by motorcycle also felt far less lonely than sitting by himself in an empty car. Several years, and thousands of kilometers, rolled by. Art rode west, north, south, and east in a futile attempt to leave the pain related to loss behind him. He rode long hours upon the saddle and stopped only briefly at sites along the way. Such was the apparent then part of the story.

***

Through the Light of Grace, awakening happened; which basically means that The Absolute, Universal Consciousness, knowingly re-cognized that It never had been Art–not now, nor ever. Art was merely a mind character in Lila, the play of Life. All of his apparent history–of marriage, family, career, and those long-distance rides on Scout–occurred only in the placeless place in which anything actually can take place: as a dream in Consciousness. Thus, it was also learned that Art (as he had assumed himself to be) was never the doer. This is the now part of the story; right here, where we awaken to All That Is Real, and discover that anything else is only apparently real.

***

I deliberately used the term then to refer to Art’s historical perspective; but please know that I am aware that any apparent motorcycling (and anything else that appears to occur for you or me) can only seemingly take place now. For those dear readers who may be wondering if it’s time to dial 911 and summon help, I offer the following quote from Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and his spiritual classic entitled I Am That:

“Both sleep and waking are misnomers. We are only dreaming.True waking and sleeping only the gnani [knower, sage] knows.We dream that we are awake, we dream we are asleep.The three states are only varieties of dream state. Treating everything as a dream liberates.”

I also offer the following few sentences from Open Secret, by Wei Wu Wei (Terence Gray):

“Our dreamed ‘selves,’ autonomous in appearance, as in life, can be seen in awakened retrospect to be puppets totally devoid of volitional possibilities of their own. Nor is the dream in any degree dependent on them except as elements therein. They, who seem to think that they are living and acting autonomously, are being dreamed in their totality; they are being activated as completely and absolutely as puppets are activated by their puppeteer. Such is our apparent life, on this apparent earth, in this apparent universe.”

I’ll wrap up this article with a quote that is attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha:

“Events happen, deeds are done, but there is no individual doer thereof.”

If you, dear spiritual brothers and sisters, are going through your own apparent trials and tribulations, please take heart. Contemplate what has been shared within the lines of this article. The true YOU is divine, immortal, and untouched. If you have understood the information contained in this article, you will arrive at one incontrovertible conclusion regarding my true “I”-dentity. What, therefore, must YOU be also? Are you really only name and form…or so much more?

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

The Wise Builder

Upon what type of foundation (Truth or illusion; Real or unreal) are you building your life? Do you really believe that you’re a person of flesh and bones, or could it be that you are actually so much more? This article is based upon the parable of The Wise and Foolish Builders in the Bible. The basic account is related in Matthew 7:24-27:

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

The parable, of course, is not referring to the building of an actual house. It’s not informing us to seek out the town engineer, perform soil sampling, and examine the municipal records to see if a toxic dump was once located on the potential site for our home. It’s informing us about Life and true Self. There is actually only ONE Identity but we’ve been conditioned to believe in another. ONE is founded upon Truth; the other is mired in ignorance. ONE is lasting peace and joy; the other leads to heartache and suffering. ONE is changeless (like the rock upon which the wise man built his house); the other is shifting continuously (like the sands upon which the foolish man built his house). ONE is always safe; the other almost always feels vulnerable. ONE knows there’s no other against whom to compete; the other is competitive by nature.

The parable actually relates the important differences between our ego (the shifting sands) and true Self (the rock of our Being). If you’re seeking lasting peace, they’re worth investigating on a deeper level. Isn’t it true that your thoughts and feelings about yourself are always shifting? One day (or hour) you’re up, and the next down. Happy/unhappy. Satisfied/dissatisfied. If you’re like most persons who are ruled by ego, you might consider yourself to be an outright ~~geennius~~ genius one day but feel like flashing your Dummies Club membership card the next. These shifts in moods and attitudes comprise the shifting sands of the ego.

Beneath all of the various opinions we might hold of ourselves is That which is beyond all descriptions, definitions, and thoughts–either favourable or unfavourable. The true YOU is That which cannot be added to, nor subtracted from. It is neither conceivable nor perceivable. To feel good, It needs not a diploma, degree, or facelift; for It is already everything and yet simultaneously no thing. It is the same YOU that YOU were when your body-mind was five years of age; and It will be the same YOU that shouts yippee at one-hundred-and-five. To seek It, you need not take one step away from or toward your Self (nor is either possible). Seek That, knowingly, here and now.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Think2wice

CONSCIOUSNESS, SPIRITUALITY, & LAW OF ATTRACTION

Category: Freedom

Fact Of The “Matter”

Appearances Deceiving

The Price

Vertical Living

Lunch Break: Temple of Apollo

The Decree

Johnny’s Mean-Looking Truck

What Are You?

Motorcycling, Then and Now

The Wise Builder

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