tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post114459472331276264..comments2024-03-27T11:16:36.951-07:00Comments on One Cʘsmos: Face to Face With RealityGagdad Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14249005793605006679noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144649483988021002006-04-09T23:11:00.000-07:002006-04-09T23:11:00.000-07:00Aye, neurotin (gabapentin) helps sometimes.I'm max...Aye, neurotin (gabapentin) helps sometimes.<BR/>I'm maxed out on them though. <BR/>It would be a lie, if I said it never bothers me, but I really do try to use it to grow.<BR/>Pain is a blessing<BR/>for me, though there are times when I certainly don't feel that way.<BR/>Sleep deprivation can be debilitating. I hope and pray you get some good sleep, soon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144645000847344802006-04-09T21:56:00.000-07:002006-04-09T21:56:00.000-07:00I am good ben...was suffering with sleep deprivati...I am good ben...was suffering with sleep deprivation this past week, so trying to overcome that!<BR/><BR/>I am sure that you have tried so many things...but did neurontin ever help you? Was that something that you and your physicians ever tried?LiquidLifeHackerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01949269503629475002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144621970027423812006-04-09T15:32:00.000-07:002006-04-09T15:32:00.000-07:00Hi LLH!Thank you for your concern. I am well, spir...Hi LLH!<BR/>Thank you for your concern. I am well, spiritually.<BR/>Physically is virtually always filled with pain.<BR/>I have learned to ignore or embrace it.<BR/>Embracing it is more difficult, but therein I am refined. <BR/>Bob's writing has helped me to focus on a contemplative mind/spirit path I haven't ventured into in awhile.<BR/>Your comments, and the others are also quite helpful and moving. :^)<BR/>How are you today?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144619448199367752006-04-09T14:50:00.000-07:002006-04-09T14:50:00.000-07:00Man, step away for an evening and miss all the hoo...Man, step away for an evening and miss all the hoo-hah...<BR/><BR/>Thanks, all, for the housekeeping info. Was just wondering if there was some super-secret posting shortcut.<BR/><BR/>Hopkins! <BR/>"As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame,<BR/>As tumbled over rim in roundy wells, stones ring -"<BR/>That's a good one - about how God sees the Christ in men's faces.<BR/><BR/>Back in the day, I used to tape poems to the kitchen window and memorize them while I washed dishes. (Today I would concentrate on doing the dishes mindfully, instead.) This was one of my favorites and speaks to the discussion: "Ars Poetica"<BR/>http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15222Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144617792129135912006-04-09T14:23:00.000-07:002006-04-09T14:23:00.000-07:00Lisa, thanks for that online exhibition of art...l...Lisa, thanks for that online exhibition of art...let us know about your experience after you attend it. You know, I love elephants and to me baby elephants are just adorable! I loved that one photo of the flying elephant!<BR/>--------------------<BR/>--------------------<BR/><BR/>How are you today Ben? Are you feeling pretty good? Having a good day?LiquidLifeHackerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01949269503629475002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144617622749972972006-04-09T14:20:00.000-07:002006-04-09T14:20:00.000-07:00I feel that way alot jwm when I read the bible...e...I feel that way alot jwm when I read the bible...even if I have read certain parts again and again, I seem to discover something new sometimes that can make me cry. Sometimes its just such sorrow of the past things that are so horrible to revisit when you are not "that person" anymore that makes one so humble in the communion of His word. I guess it's also a kind of realization that you are walking in a path that others have walked. Alot of people get that vibe when they are in Israel too. I guess "going back" is cleansing that way. We always walk away in awe! But I have been driving and listening to a new song before and literally have to pull out of traffic because I can't stop crying. That's how much music can move me...it picks me literally up out of myself and makes me surrender to it.LiquidLifeHackerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01949269503629475002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144617296250578622006-04-09T14:14:00.000-07:002006-04-09T14:14:00.000-07:00Truly, a touching post.I was reminded of Merton wh...Truly, a touching post.<BR/>I was reminded of Merton while reading part of your post.<BR/>Particularly when you spoke of pain.<BR/>It has been awhile since I read any of Mertons deep writings, and your illuminating words (and thoughts) have inspired me to read them again.<BR/>Thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144616715931005192006-04-09T14:05:00.000-07:002006-04-09T14:05:00.000-07:00On tears-When I was around nineteen years old I to...On tears-<BR/>When I was around nineteen years old I took an interest in classical music.<BR/> Deliberately. <BR/>That is, I somehow arrived at the conclusion that a fellow of my intellectual acumen should take an interest in such things. This was at a time in my life when I had decided as well, that a thorough contempt for religion was also important to my intellectual development. <BR/><BR/>What I did not realize was that you couldn't just throw on a symphony, and hear it the way you can with a piano rag, or a pop tune. You have to study it. I tried to like classical, but in truth most of it still sounded like elevator music to me. So I used to put it on the headphones and let it lull me to sleep at night.<BR/><BR/>Web of coincidence at work: I read an interview with Timothy Leary in Playboy magazine. He recommended Mozart's Requiem as good trippin' music. (yeah,I know...)I bought the record. It was seconal on vinyl.<BR/>I had also read a novel in which one of the characters was listening to some unnamed piece by Mozart that made her cry. "He was dying and he knew it," she explained.<BR/><BR/>I remember putting the record on one evening. (I wasn't trippin' by the way.) I had heard it a bunch of times by then. So I thought.<BR/> But that line from the novel flashed though my head during the opening bars of the first movement. It was like hitting a spring loaded catch that caused the whole piece to jump open and come alive. By the Kyrie Eleison fugue I was in tears. When the mass reached its mid point climax in the Rex Tremende chorus, and then impossibly ascends even higher to the ethereal Recodare for the soloists I was a basket case. The music just opened a gateway into a depth I never knew existed. After that I bought Bach's Mass in B minor, and found that after several hearings it had the same effect on me. Then I started in on the Cantatas.<BR/> This put me in a peculiar spot, intellectually. I still had to hate religion, but I found myself in love with religious music. Fortunately, no one ever asked me to explain.<BR/>But now, I realize that I am poking at religion in much the same way I was poking around Mozart and Bach. I have a feeling that if I'm not careful (or maybe if I<I> am</I> careful)that I'm going to hit that spring loaded catch again. We'll see.<BR/><BR/>BTW, Lisa- thanks for that link!WOW!<BR/><BR/>JWMAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144612889370835982006-04-09T13:01:00.000-07:002006-04-09T13:01:00.000-07:00Lisa, that was good lil essay re salt."Salt of the...Lisa, that was good lil essay re salt.<BR/><BR/>"Salt of the earth" - I think in the ancient world salt was a preservative. Also was used as currency. Valuable stuff, which maybe sheds some light on the meaning of Jesus's saying.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144612763517592842006-04-09T12:59:00.000-07:002006-04-09T12:59:00.000-07:00Lisa, I know what ya mean....I like the verses Ma...Lisa, I know what ya mean....<BR/>I like the verses Matthew 5:13-16 <BR/>They talk about salt too.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Even in Job 6:6 there is that question,<BR/>Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?LiquidLifeHackerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01949269503629475002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144610533601681642006-04-09T12:22:00.000-07:002006-04-09T12:22:00.000-07:00So, I was thinking about faces and tears. I happe...So, I was thinking about faces and tears. I happen to be using a salt scrub in the shower and a bit got in my mouth. I thought how tears taste salty to remind us of the not always so fair things that happen to us in life but always influence who we ultimately are and how we react. I also remembered how salt was a major commodity and treat in the ancient world. It made/makes all things taste better. People may differ on what that amount is though! ;0) Salt is also present in sweat that can symbolize the importance of work, creation, and energy. Salt is a unique taste that is not necessarily sweet nor bitter, more like an enhancer.<BR/><BR/>I just thought of sharing my little "aha" with all of you because these posts have helped me synthesize certain things very well. Thanks...Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04969685296436358865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144606436939863262006-04-09T11:13:00.000-07:002006-04-09T11:13:00.000-07:00Good morning.That was a quite beautiful post today...Good morning.<BR/><BR/>That was a quite beautiful post today and brought out nice comments so far. Tears do seem to be special reflections of God. My mother once told me freckles are angel kisses. <BR/><BR/>There is a beautiful exhibit at the nomadic museum on the Santa Monica pier right now, that will be of interest to many readers here. It is called <A HREF="http://www.ashesandsnow.org/" REL="nofollow">Ashes and Snow</A>. It is an ongoing project that weaves together photographic works, film, art installations, and a novel in letters of unscripted interactions between man and nature's living masterpieces. I am hoping to go on Wednesday afternoon. It would be lovely to meet up with some local friendly Bobbleheads! The show will be running until May 14. Besides being the consigliore, I don't mind taking on social chair/events planner! ha ha.<BR/><BR/>Glad to hear you are feeling better, LLH.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04969685296436358865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144604861414413712006-04-09T10:47:00.000-07:002006-04-09T10:47:00.000-07:00A note to trolls--Beginning today, I am exercising...A note to trolls--<BR/><BR/>Beginning today, I am exercising a stronger arm in instantly deleting comments that exceed the stupidity limit or take the discussion off course. Not dissent, mind you, so long as it is intelligently and politely expressed and presumes knowledge of the issues we discuss here. <BR/><BR/>But most of the people who come here just to argue frankly have no understanding of what we're even talking about here, and no real capacity to develop that understanding, so it is fruitless to engage them in dialogue. It's like arguing with a child. <BR/><BR/>I can determine within an instant the developmental level and the intent of the person writing, so don't even try.<BR/><BR/>By the way, this is not to discourage people from asking simple or basic questions. It's the mentality behind the question, not the question, that counts.Gagdad Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14249005793605006679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144600989767347182006-04-09T09:43:00.000-07:002006-04-09T09:43:00.000-07:00WOW! I loved this one!You know, it's amazing what ...WOW! I loved this one!<BR/>You know, it's amazing what simple things can bring tears to my eyes! I can not produce tears on cue even at times when I should perhaps, but just let me see a child walk up and hand a mother a dandelion or watch a bird feed it's young or watch the sky with the finger of God paint a sunset or let me hear a beautiful piece of music...I bawl! When we get moved from the inside it burns! Thats when I understood what it meant when Jesus talked that men's hearts burned! It's powerful!<BR/><BR/>"Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?" Luke 24:32<BR/><BR/>I remember one Easter, sitting in church listening to a sermon about the crucifixion and how suddenly my whole internal body burned. I remember how I couldn't hold back the tears that ran down my face. People kept passing me tissues and it seemed none could sop up what was flowing out of me. I was so moved. It wasn't the first time I had heard Easter sermons like this...it's just on this particular Sunday I ached inside at knowing how much suffering and blood had purchased my soul and that Jesus did it all willingly out of love because He didn't want to live eternally without us! I remember after the sermon was over I had to stand up and walk out with the others and I looked like Alice Cooper since my eye makeup was all over the place! I learned that day to not get too carried away with the mascara in the furture unless I wanted to end up with Tammy Faye eyes because you never know when those "tears" will come! <BR/><BR/>Thank you so much for sharing this today Bob...it has me thinking about alot of times that I have tried to hold back such emotion and perhaps I will just start letting it fall out from now on. It's a good thing! <BR/><BR/>BTW...I hope you don't mind me sharing this...as this is one of my favorite pictures of Jesus and the story of how it was painted is really neat too, since it was the first time this artist ever painted a person. Anyone interested, since www.brucesummerfield.com seems to be hard to access today, I will share a bit of Bruce's words on his struggle to paint this and you can see the actual painting <A HREF="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4532/1620/1600/Jesus3.jpg" REL="nofollow">HERE</A> <BR/><BR/>Bruce Summerfield: "Some time ago, a friend asked me to do a painting of the Crucifixion. After nine months and several unsuccessful attempts, I called my friend to say, "It's impossible, I just can't do it. I've never painted people before, much less the Lord. I just can't get it right." I then threw the painting away. Quite a while went by when I decided to try again to work on the painting of Jesus. I went down to my studio to start the second attempt. I thought to myself, "Lord, if you want this to happen, you're going to have to help me because I can't do it by myself." To my disbelief, the painting started to take shape right before my eyes. Although I had never worked in oils before I chose them for this painting because the original request was for an oil painting. Oils are very slow to dry, sometimes taking several days or even weeks, but that day, the paint was drying almost as fast as it touched the board. I was crying, laughing and singing all at the same time! After six hours, the painting was 95% finished. Keep in mind that for me a major painting sometimes takes two to three months to complete. I could not believe it. The painting that I thought was impossible for me became possible, with God's help. "For You" is truly a gift from above. When Jesus appeared to "Doubting Thomas", He said, "Come and look at my hands.” Thomas then believed. I wanted the light at the wound to be the brightest part of the painting, with the light filtering through the fingers to slightly illuminate bits of the cross, so you might get a better perspective that He is lying down on the cross. But then, you go past his hand to his eye where He is looking at YOU. You see, Jesus didn't come to this world to do this for US. He came to do this "For You". The caption reads, "It was not the nails that held Jesus to the cross, but his love 'For You'"."LiquidLifeHackerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01949269503629475002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144600216748035352006-04-09T09:30:00.000-07:002006-04-09T09:30:00.000-07:00As above, so below. As within, so without. The who...As above, so below. As within, so without. The whole is in the part, the ocean within the drop. Or as Joyce, said, "when a part so ptee does duty for the holos, we soon grow to use of an allforabit." <BR/><BR/>For who is the master but a human allforabit sent here for a spell?Gagdad Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14249005793605006679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1144599798833407392006-04-09T09:23:00.000-07:002006-04-09T09:23:00.000-07:00goodmorningBobandfriends - >>Poets, for example, h...goodmorningBobandfriends - <BR/><BR/>>>Poets, for example, have always understood that by indwelling in nature we can intuit what dwells within nature--we are drowning in a sea of clues that point beyond themselves to a hidden reality to which the clues point.<<<BR/><BR/>Yes, as is said, God hides Himself in the world.<BR/><BR/>Yeats is not really my favorite poet but he was very "concrete" in his explaining of the esoteric at play in his own poetry, in his perspective of life. He understood metaphor not merely as a way of drawing attention to similarities between natural objects and things, but as a way of underscoring sameness between the World of Spirit and the world we dwell in. When Yeats contemplated a lake, for example, he didn't see the lake water as just a symbol for Spirit, he saw it as literally being Spirit made material - in a sense, a corrupted manifestation of Spirit, but still Spirit. <BR/><BR/>Thus, where ever we go, we walk the stations of the Spirit. All those lakes, and rivers - to what aspect of Spirit do rivers speak? And oceans and rain. And trees, grasses, meadows, valleys, mountains? All must speak to a particular mode and activity of Spirit.<BR/><BR/>I think even in the indwelling, there is an outdwelling. There is a "withoutness" within the "within-ness". The material universe is miracle enough, but if we should see it from "within", that is, should we see it in its higher dimensional levels (infinite in number, I would think) we would see, I believe, that all those cold, black, seemingly empty parsecs of space between suns and planets, are not empty at all but filled, occupied, with all manner of things radiant.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com