05-27-2011, 12:00 AM
In reading this thread, Bob, I was trying to remember if that verse from Ecclesiastes was in the bible or in the Gospel of Thomas...I'm glad you posted it because it came to my mind immediately!
There is also a line from the GoT that I think is relevant to this topic...it is the second saying in the lineup.
(2) Jesus said, "Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds,
he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule
over the All." Ruling over all does not mean, to me at least, in the sense that always leads to tyranny but rather to the sort of autonomy that perhaps only a Nagual can relate to...not being ruled by another is the same as ruling over the all, in a sense, and I'll explain my take on that because it might seem rather stilted.
It doesn't mean that the unknowable becomes known but rather that no one else makes one's own decisions...I believe that the consciousness that pervades creation is the ALL...when we flow with that awareness then we are part of the rulership of that awareness which is collective yet of which each individual has their own part whether they are aware or not...still the awareness that the few know of and apprehend is available to all, at any and all times...each with their own luminous cocoon that is not discreet but connected and interconnected...and yet able to act through its own will and intent and from the AP...all individual actions affect and influence and interact with the all as a whole...causing reactions and inspiring responses and all manner of effects...that is how I see what Jesus says by "he will rule over the All."
Becoming aware of awareness is troubling for most, if not all, to say the least. It is what one faces when choosing either to be a warrior or to not be a warrior...if the face of awareness is too troubling or perhaps the soul too timid or reluctant or hesitant...then being troubled turns into being scared...overcome by fear rather than curiosity and the desire for knowledge.
Only the warrior can make it to the point of astonishment...what we might call "wonder"...but there is sadness in that wonder, no doubt...even sadness for those who are deterred by the indescribable face of awareness from which they fled...
But I have found joy even in sadness...because the awareness of the juxtaposition quality of our world, the very thing which makes awareness possible, I suspect...brings joy in just feeling everything to its fullest...not getting taken in or down by it but fully breathing it in and then exhaling it fully in order to make room for the next aromatic experience that is both life and death...
The more aware I've become, the more sadness I feel - I don't mean I am sad more often but rather when I am sad, it is more intense...it borders on the verge of exquisite most of the time and crosses over to it now and then...the tears feel good because they are no longer the tears of self-pity and self-importance and the false need for self-justification!
I fully enjoyed reading every post in this thread! I relate to every one of you about sadness in one way or another but for the most part I think it is something about which we all feel basically the same...
And in regard to power, of which this thread addresses with LW's excellent 10 points...it is the joy that comes from the open communication with Spirit that I find to be the source of my joy...and sadness...learning and seeing things I would deny or avoid if left to my own devices...but at the same time, looking through the eyes of Spirit, I see sadness as nothing more than an integral part of our experience as humans in material existence...without sorrow, joy would have no flavor or delight!
It is power that gives us the ability to rise above duality and to express balance in our beings in all that we do...dreaming or awake, balance is our strength, I believe. I am not overly burdened by sadness nor lifted to impossible heights by joy...but if my joy increases...which it does do...so does the sadness and sorrow increase to maintain balance.
There is also a line from the GoT that I think is relevant to this topic...it is the second saying in the lineup.
(2) Jesus said, "Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds,
he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule
over the All." Ruling over all does not mean, to me at least, in the sense that always leads to tyranny but rather to the sort of autonomy that perhaps only a Nagual can relate to...not being ruled by another is the same as ruling over the all, in a sense, and I'll explain my take on that because it might seem rather stilted.
It doesn't mean that the unknowable becomes known but rather that no one else makes one's own decisions...I believe that the consciousness that pervades creation is the ALL...when we flow with that awareness then we are part of the rulership of that awareness which is collective yet of which each individual has their own part whether they are aware or not...still the awareness that the few know of and apprehend is available to all, at any and all times...each with their own luminous cocoon that is not discreet but connected and interconnected...and yet able to act through its own will and intent and from the AP...all individual actions affect and influence and interact with the all as a whole...causing reactions and inspiring responses and all manner of effects...that is how I see what Jesus says by "he will rule over the All."
Becoming aware of awareness is troubling for most, if not all, to say the least. It is what one faces when choosing either to be a warrior or to not be a warrior...if the face of awareness is too troubling or perhaps the soul too timid or reluctant or hesitant...then being troubled turns into being scared...overcome by fear rather than curiosity and the desire for knowledge.
Only the warrior can make it to the point of astonishment...what we might call "wonder"...but there is sadness in that wonder, no doubt...even sadness for those who are deterred by the indescribable face of awareness from which they fled...
But I have found joy even in sadness...because the awareness of the juxtaposition quality of our world, the very thing which makes awareness possible, I suspect...brings joy in just feeling everything to its fullest...not getting taken in or down by it but fully breathing it in and then exhaling it fully in order to make room for the next aromatic experience that is both life and death...
The more aware I've become, the more sadness I feel - I don't mean I am sad more often but rather when I am sad, it is more intense...it borders on the verge of exquisite most of the time and crosses over to it now and then...the tears feel good because they are no longer the tears of self-pity and self-importance and the false need for self-justification!
I fully enjoyed reading every post in this thread! I relate to every one of you about sadness in one way or another but for the most part I think it is something about which we all feel basically the same...
And in regard to power, of which this thread addresses with LW's excellent 10 points...it is the joy that comes from the open communication with Spirit that I find to be the source of my joy...and sadness...learning and seeing things I would deny or avoid if left to my own devices...but at the same time, looking through the eyes of Spirit, I see sadness as nothing more than an integral part of our experience as humans in material existence...without sorrow, joy would have no flavor or delight!
It is power that gives us the ability to rise above duality and to express balance in our beings in all that we do...dreaming or awake, balance is our strength, I believe. I am not overly burdened by sadness nor lifted to impossible heights by joy...but if my joy increases...which it does do...so does the sadness and sorrow increase to maintain balance.