wonderland

in the world there are many types of souls

so many have excuses to not go forward 

as they do not want to be challenged 

most are caught up in romantic involvements or 

within the whirlwind of
some kind of drama or other...

others sit back and worry all the time 

or are uncertain..

some are self absorbed and caught up in the outer image

so many types of being in the world 

well here is a group of souls that i can tell you about

they live in a place called wonderland on a hill

above the busy-ness of the world 

they have been friends a long time and 

do all sorts of things together

there is one soul in the bunch that is to be the wise one

he is not always present though at their gatherings

but more sought out for advice 

but then this advice is always put to the inner world of the 

soul that is asking and twisted about so as to 

be nearly unrecognizable from the original 

which is the general way of this group..

they end up following the most familiar path anyway

no matter how wise the advice given is 

each member of this group has a certain outstanding 

very distinct quality .

and this is the name given by the universe .....

joe or bob just does not seem to suit them...

why not call it out for what it is ...

the first soul is called *doubt* for he is back and forth 

on every decision.. waffling about as one that is uncertain..

not firm in a thing ...

his stature is a bit hunched over ... not ever looking fully up at what 

is before him...  this is doubt...

the other gentleman is *pride* ... 

he is just full of himself and feels there is nothing to compare to his fine 

form and awesome features ...

the ladies, he feels are always looking up to him
as well as everybody else

he is the master of handsomeness and fine physique

a catch to be sure, feels he...

the other is *sloth*...  he is never ready on time ... always dragging about

as if his legs were made of lead...

wanting to sleep in the middle of the day and getting up quite late 

his energy is a bit wearisome to say the least...

still he has hung out with this group for many years .. 

moving about like a slug... 

the last soul in this fine bunch is called *absurd*... 

this one is always right.. never is he wrong, not ever...

he has his philosophy and intellectual assumptions that he throws out 

constantly ...

and he will take in very little in the way of advice ... 

he wants to be the man on the podium that gives the sermon in church

or be the teacher among the crowd ... 

that has so much knowledge to impart...

"listen friends", are always his first words.. this is the way it is with absurd 

well here is the crew that live in this town called wonderland

and you can be certain the outings are not lacking in drama..

or color.. none within this group are seeking to know the light, this is for certain

so you can imagine the flurry that ensued when a new soul named no-one moved

in to the neighborhood..

this set the bunch on the edge of discomfort and wariness
about what this meant to their little familiar
well wrapped up world of outings and chattering about..

now the advice giver that held some wisdom lived amongst them but 

did not spend his days partaking in this drama filled talk

he spent time just being and living simply..

his name was *earth* .. a funny name but indeed it was fitting for him

because he was the only one that was down to earth...

and not chasing dreams and shadows all the time ..

he had no desire to chat about** how this should be this way** and 

**how that should be that way**

he was content just being and this was all...

the group of souls in wonderland let very little change in their world 

every morning they walked the dogs 

then had coffee

then read the paper..

then took a walk

lunch

chatting 

dinner

chatting

tv

bed...

the general routine...  

when they heard about no-one entering the scene they had a lot to say about it

i heard he's enlightened, said pride...

what?!, said absurd... listen friends, how can an enlightened soul be here in wonderland? i have only read about people like

this living in india or in a cave somewhere on the himalayas...  not right here in our neighborhood..

what absurdity... what nonsense...  

then sloth piped in ...  why bother talking about this at all..  i am ready soon to eat and then take a nap..

this is not anything we need to bother about...

doubt said, oh no this sounds like something that makes me uneasy... i have not been feeling well and 

do not want to hear about something so unsettling and *out there* such as this ...  can we let this go?

but if we do let it go, i will still feel that this new presence is about, and oh what to do? continued doubt..

well this was the end of the conversation for now until later...

pride suggested they talk to earth about the situation... 

they all agreed just as something to do about it
which does in no way mean they were open to truly *hearing* the advice given,
still, they gathered together and trotted off to earth's place in the morning...
the walk was lovely...
the sea sparkling in the distance...  with smells of fresh life blooming and sweet scents from the
woods that stretched all around...
earth was in the doorway to his cabin waiting for the little group to arrive..
he smiled easily with his usual unperturbed style...
not really seeming to be involved in the whole affair, but still open appearing in manner and relaxed...
the first to speak was doubt...  he walked back and forth with his usual non-committal style..
his head down not really seeing what was before him...
he cleared his throat and said... earth, it has come to our awareness that no-one has moved into wonderland .. the word is that he is an enlightened being... we are in a pickle as to what to do or how to approach his presence... we are not wanting to hear of ways that are different than ours .. for why?
we are fine with our routine and quite frankly have no idea what this odd being may have to say..
what he wants or doesn't want... the bottom line is, we are not interested in meeting him, yet feel uneasy about his being and living here ... what to do earth? you seem to be unrattled by changes like this...
this is why we brought our dilemma to you today... not that we will change anything about our stance..
earth spoke - doubt, why would you ask my advice about something that you have not one drop of interest in actually listening to or heeding? ...  you say you are not interested in changing, yet you flit about like a lost soul back and forth in such unrest...
why doubt, would you indeed not want to hear of another way-- that may bring peace and quiet to your restless waters? ...
as these waters are literally drowning you in dark and unsettled ways...
is this really where you are wanting to remain?
doubt spoke, i am simply like this and do not seek to go beyond it ..  this is my stance,..
then he looked reflective and said hmmmm... i guess sometimes i desire a bit of rest this is true, however i do not want to go and listen to very unfamiliar talk that speaks of ways that are foreign..
that stretch beyond our standard mode of thinking...
spoke earth, since you came here you must be in search of a word that helps to guide.. but you, doubt, continue to push away what is offered as you claim immediately it tastes sour to you ...
you make no effort in the least to venture beyond your enclosed world of comforts ..
that quite obviously have not brought refreshment to your soul...
why don't you go and wander about as you do back and forth continually in the forest and find an answer there? ... if this could happen that clarity came this way, you would not be here ... so very lame is your excuse, doubt that you put to shame any bit of intelligence you might have in there ... a closed up house you are with tightly bolted windows and doors .. how very isolated and lonely in its way...
then pride chimed in,... why bother with this something beyond business.. i have made of my body fine and shining so as to attract beautiful maidens with deep fluttering eyes, golden locks and warm arms that will hold me... this is the highest experience of my soul -- to feel loved --
this no-one you speak of ... he can offer nothing -- as he cannot bring affection and warmth like another can ...i am a lover and cannot change.. i have no desire to welcome a man of God ...
he cannot change anything that has meaning to me...
earth spoke, pride your argument is not justified as the arms that hold you will not be eternal...
they will go when the mood of romance changes... and turn sour when the heart becomes overshadowed by desire of another or of something different... so very weak is your excuse not to open to no-one and that romance has the highest experience in life ...
this what is to make of your world a weary one of highs and lows
ridden with pleasures and aching pain..
where within there  is no center or anything that rings of lasting beauty, deep wisdom and peace...
no, pride .. i cannot accept your reasoning as right... you can indeed venture out seeking a warm body all of your days as this is your free right to pursue... but your argument that romance is the highest is completely false ... truth needs no-one and it lives as incomparable beauty, pure love and deep compassion... there is no
maiden that can compare to *truth*, no matter how fair and glowing...
sloth spoke slow and drawling ... oh my gosh, i am getting sleepy with all this nonsense talk..  i mean why bother with it all?..   i just want to enjoy my friends and good food and sleep... what is this all about.. there is no need for a man of truth here ..  he has nothing to offer me when i am quite comfortable the way i am...
spoke earth,.. your comforts are like rugs that are to be pulled when the time comes to meet the maker sloth...  you may feel yourself to be a prince of your world, but not in the  least will you be in the world beyond ... all that you pull to you to bring solace and comfort are like dust in the wind ...
then what sloth?... what are you to do when all of it goes?...
absurd spoke, listen friends, i know all about this spiritual knowledge stuff.. it has to do with finding yourself or something like this ... i do not care about it ... i know what i know and there is no-one that will tell me different... i have read many books about every subject, so my knowledge base is broad and stretching ... i  am a knower .. and do not need anyone else telling me about how the world is or is not
absurd, said earth... you are not a knower.. true knowledge does not come by gathering and collecting facts .. it comes by opening and quieting the mind ... your excuse that you know it all and that there is nothing else to know is beyond stubborn..   like a boat tied to a dock, you will not leave the port with this attitude ...  you will be sunk and find yourself in great suffering with many thoughts flocking about your head and giving you no rest... and at the end of your life your bits of knowledge you have collected have no power in aiding you to move on peacefully beyond the world...
well this was the scene at earths place ... not much entered into the souls that were present ... and they left sunken feeling and a bit at a loss for words for once ...
quietly they strode to their homes and set their heads on their pillows with dreams of all sorts and varieties ...
pride - dreamed he was caught in a gale that tossed him about like a dry leaf and woke shuddering and sweating so as to call out .. oh my gosh what a nightmare...
absurd dreamed he had lost his way to school and roamed about in the forest like a lost puppy looking for his mother...   sleeping without shelter and shivering in the cold air.. he woke startled and breathing heavily, shifting about in his bed...
doubt dreamed he lived in a beautiful foreign land where the faces were open, kind and giving ...  with a flow of wonderful fruits and hearty vegetables ... and warm rains and glorious sun filled endless days...
he woke more refreshed than he had ever been and said to himself, now this is unusual, how wonderful...
sloth dreamt he ran a marathon and needed little to eat ... at the end of it, he flew over huge mountains and looked down with great ease on the entire expanse of land.... he felt great energy and peace surging within... he woke to the alarm clock that said 11:00 am ...  oh my, he said to himself, it is so late. i have missed so much of the day.. and he was surprised at himself how he wanted to get out into life and breathe the fresh air...
the little group met in the day to walk as usual ... all were quieter than normal....
doubt said, you know i have been thinking, possibly we should open up to this no-one... it doesn't mean we haveto change anything, right? i mean we can still be friends, hang out and do the same things..
pride offered his words that said, maybe this is best .. to at least be neighborly and ring the bell.. bring some tea and cookies or something as an offering to aide him to feel welcome...
sloth said, yes, indeed! in such an invigorated voice that was so not of the norm for him that all stopped and looked speachless for a bit...
then absurd spoke.. listen friends... this sounds like a cohesive plan that may aide to set our minds at ease and bring in more spacious light and harmony... and with this flow of  confident words, he surprised everyone including himself ...
they all shook their heads in affirmation and set about to hunt for some treats to bring to no-one as a welcoming greeting...
they called on him in the evening ..
his house was lit up with warm lights that flooded thru the windows...
the foliage was green and full around the house and the frogs could be heard croaking in the back...
when no-one answered the door, he looked very ordinary...
he was wearing nothing that stood out to the eye...
his home was comfortable and quite simple ...
he asked the group to sit down, and welcomed all to enjoy the nice gift of treats they brought...
then there was a rich silence that filled the room... which indeed this little troop was totally unaccustom to ....  nothing was said for a long time ...
then absurd spoke and said ... we wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood and hope you are happy here ...
no-one said that he was indeed happy, but he was at peace no matter where he was as all was the same within... nothing changed...
absurd knew not what to say to this .. but eventually got out the words, that must be nice..
no-one smiled..
then doubt said, dear sir, we heard you are enlightened, is this true?
no-one said that this was true and that all this meant is that the mind forever abides in stillness...
doubt said, this sounded unusual and also a bit enchanting ...
he continued, is this something that any common creature can obtain or is it a special thing that only foreigners from far off places and lands can find...
no-one laughed, and said it is the natural state of all ...all can come to it, if sought in sincerity and with earnest efforts....
well, said sloth... my, how wonderful this sounds...  and then his voice trailed off as he lost his train of thought, and he sat staring the rest of the time in emptiness..
then pride said, sir we were a bit uneasy about meeting you as it just sounded so very unfamiliar and we are set in our ways... we are most relieved to find you ordinary and very pleasant ...
may we come again one day and seek to find out more of what you are speaking?
no-one said, of course, that his door was open to any that are sincere...
then they all left and wandered their way lost to a new possibility on the horizon...
the days passed with the group sitting in no-ones cabin and asking questions...
and this is where this story ends friends, left open like this...
how far they go, it is up to each soul...
as it is certain their set ways will be deeply challenged ...
but once the seed of truth is planted and a true master manifests.... it continues to haunt in its own way..
until the truth is discovered and the soul is set free ...
this is all friends of the heart this evening ...
that is flowing...
many blessings in this beautiful wonderland of life...
ommmmmm

no quick fix

here i write with all my love
of what happens when mind is falling away
there are great gaps in thoughts, there is still a flow of mind
when mind is present it is the same as before
within the same heaviness and all consuming
there are times when this suddenly stops
abruptly as a road ends and there is nowhere else to go
nothing heard as thought

there are still dreams vivid and all consuming
there are still some visions
they flow at any time no matter where one is at
sometimes of natural imagery that consumes the form
and mind
one recently, there was a body that was kneeling down
some knobby roots were sticking out of the earth
this form grabbed hold of the roots tightly
then there were shifts that took place in consciousness
openings and light coming forward to begin the journey
within
also, much greenery, growth sprang forward as the spirit
realm became more of a primary focus
and buildings rows and rows of them that were being covered
in water until the building could not be seen any longer
so these visions still flow off and on
however very much more infrequently than before

there are still bodily changes and hardships, sensitivities
there are still the same challenges
the biggest hallmark at this stage, is the intermittent slowing
down of the running river of mind
and spaces of drying up and then running, circling and then
slowing again
this is where it is now

this my friends is a very long journey indeed
it is not like a quick fix that the mind desires
it is ridden with many many many hardships and trials
that one cannot know
for one does not know what lies hidden deep in the unconscious
tendencies of lifetimes that drive one to be attracted to this
and avoid that
and all of the drama games that come to the personality
all of this gets dislodged to be looked at and reviewed and
questioned

one cannot pick out how this journey is to go or pick and
choose what they want to get rid of and what they want to keep
for all of it is exposed and if attached to will create an uneasy vibration
that creates suffering
so if one is sincere about completion, there must be a full knowing that
one will continue to the end no matter what comes

this is the writing that flowed for now

hope all are well and within spirit heart...

om shanti

better ways

the men that speak of worldly things 

say so much that is complicated 

layered with philosophies, opinions, twisted stories 

they speak and speak all the time 

the words are so important always 

like the central thing 

this is kind of sad 

for there is so much more that speaks without 

words 

and you must know friends!

the garden, it speaks of wonders all the time with 

beauty so sweet and delicate 

it falls it's rain of blossoms darling, pink, violet, blue 

gold 

like magic dots of color within a space of emptiness 

it blooms of microcosm and macrocosm as an unfolding 

concert would burst it's music to the audience 

capturing their hearts with enticing sounds 

it reasons with it's sayings of look at me!, how i grow 

so silently without the need of doership, effort or anything 

but grace 

it writes it's passages on the pages of life better than any thesis 

written by professors 

of how it's workings are mysterious, deep, rich, hearty 

and magnificent 

it whispers too with those voices soft, wispy, as the leaves 

rustle with the winds

it lets the pleasures of the senses delight in just being and enjoying 

well i would say, the  garden speaks 

in better ways than those complex speeches of the world

nothing special needed...

spiritual practitioners that took to the deeper meanings and practices 

were set on knowing what is real

they went about doing this with an urgency in their hearts

as if something was hanging on them equal to the feeling 

of life and death 

this is like a weight that hangs on the heart and will not leave  

the soul alone until this quest to know the truth has come to it's conclusion

so the practitioner is taken inward by his strong desire 

to be free

he, if he is deep into the practices does not separate sound from

silence or attempt to sequester himself from the world 

the world is the practice in which he is to stabilize his being 

into whatever experience appears 

without drawing away into a shell of his private world 

or his private space that has been created 

the world is not a place to be resisted, it is a place in which 

all things rise and fall to be seen, heard, felt, tasted, touched 

it is a world that flows as all things flow with beginning, middle and end 

it is the same like this in all places 

so the practitioner need nothing special but his heart open, his mind open 

his life open to this moment that flows the same in all ways 

the practitioner has his connection to his path which carries the energy to 

move him forward, yet he is not dependent or looking for answers there 

he is looking to see what is true and false for himself 

as this is the only thing with lasting value 

the practitioner that secludes himself away is much more vulnerable to 

challenge when it comes up for he has not been assimilated into the regular 

flow of life with it's ups, downs and all the play there 

this is the value of practicing in regular life with no special clothing, ornaments 

outward appearance, language or circumstances 

one is simply moving with the current of circumstances that comes in it's own

time and way and not setting a special place to be within the heart and quietude 

this is the work...

oh men, women

i write today of this freedom 

that sits silent, blessed with light 

how can one get to know it? 

by moving away from the noise that plays 

in the head constantly 

one must do this or there is only a consuming 

of this ego nature always 

without a break 

which takes one one a journey that is based in self/ego-affirmation

it takes one on a journey that leaves no freshness to flow 

into the spirit 

it takes one on a journey that keeps the soul without sustenance 

of light 

it takes one on a journey that forgets what is righteous 

oh soul 

this is the reality 

for without the purity of light, one is confused in thinking 

what is seen (with the physical eye) is the truth 

and feels that there is only this concrete world to hold to 

with all it's ups and downs 

yet this is the illusion that keeps one revolving here 

it is the one that has courage to move away from this drama-mind 

that can begin to see clearly what is true and false (or transient)

if there is no buffer there that one can see, then the soul is taken

unaware and without knowing on this ride of maya 

this is not how most want it, yet feel this is the way it is without question

the one that is courageous will not let this happen so easily and will

continuously draw away from this mind-stuff and rest in the moment 

it matters not the experience that is taking place, this is the work 

no different whether the experience is good, bad or neutral

yet the experience that is pleasurable can be much more difficult to 

draw away from because the soul desires to repeat it

but those difficult ones, oh love, 

those experiences one is not eager at all to repeat

and will do whatever possible to get out of it and never return 

this is the blessing of suffering that comes to those that remain set

on coming out of it at all cost 

for the mind really is a thing that one is attracted to out of being familiar 

like a friend or simply a part of who *i* am or what *i* am composed of 

including this gross body 

this is the thing to be looked at -- God did not tell you this for sure 

so we must look at this fallacy and see that thoughts rise, fall, have breaks

all of it -- look, look..... question without taking any answer to be the truth either

for this will prop one up in another way and another set of belief systems 

will be adopted..

one rose

in the flow of the universe all things have their time 

and place to be born 

and nothing can stop what is a law of god 

no man, woman, strength, might, resistance 

so we move with the universe as the willows do 

bending with the winds that sing thru them 

we bend with the tides of change 

and not allow our hearts to be overshadowed by 

that which comes, be it ugly, beautiful or anything else 

for there will be a time when that particular manifestation

changes and blooms to something else 

as all opposites turn to the other direction in time 

and all things that are seen now are dying and rebirthing too

as the surface waves play and bring up appearances 

of so many things 

oh one that is true 

you reside deep and alone, free of the passing fancies of change 

and all else that rises there 

deep inside the freedom-heart as a one that is in a secret consciousness 

not of the world though seemingly so 

you move with the form and yet are not that movement 

you speak with the lips and yet are not those words 

you bloom in a variety of ways that are like the lovely fruits on the trees 

that hold so many wonders 

and yet remain untouched by this play of color 

you descend too like the leaf on the branches spiraling down to 

dirt, dust decay, death and then gone 

and yet are not at all cast in shadows of those images of ending and 

beginning any more than the sky is touched by the clouds 

oh true one 

deep beneath the waves of phenomenal play you rest 

and those that have and are resting there know full well

this light of one 

resting as a presence of love, life and freedom everlasting

one bloom, oh world 

one rose for you kept as a secret treasure 

of forgotten purity 

continuously, it blooms
without need of water or attention

quietly, it blooms, delicate, rich, life-filled 

without company it lives 

alone as itself

as the freedom-heart 

as the heart of all

secrets hidden

the moon, with it's secrets hidden
came when the sky was reddened with blood
casting themes beautiful to behold
bringing something other than what is known in the concrete
realm
the moon freed a speaking way that is still bubbling
some in it's song of spirit
like a lake that has churned up something from the earth
that lie dormant, waiting to be lifted up and taken to the human heart
as a light of faith, hope, love, awakening

the moon with it's energy so wondrous sent a cosmic kind of
doorway to the heart, yes it did
how it does this in the cosmos, who can say?
then those visions flowed one after another
specifically alluring to the heart was the one of Mary virgin
lilley white is she, free of disease, suffering or sin
she did not speak, oh sons, daughters
no, not a word truly
but her essence shone that sung of purity in all things here
and there and in between
pure like a dove  flying above the world
or a swan that floats on the glassy lake, untarnished by the
debris underneath
she spake with her heart of the cosmic way
of the open doorway (to the universe), with stairs leading up to it
the stars shining like sparkling lights in the darkness and the crescent moon
winking
she pointed to (the open door) with her left hand and her right hand, she held to her lips
like shhhhhh it is a secret way, this mysticism that works it's silence into the mind
and every part of the material and immaterial spaces
like a cleaning out that lasts a long, long time
indeed, a cleaning of the lifetimes of clutter that has been left to collect dust and put hard things
in the eyes, ears and tongue to taste, hear, see and be with
she shows the doorway that is open to those that are true and sincere and desirious of
this seeking
and desirous of this liberation
that there is a way thru the mind, a way thru to the spirit heart of love, stillness  and
joy everlasting