bagelriffic

Hey, sorry that the tomorrow turned into a week! Been a busy time. Im not sure how to describe the nature of my journey, it seems to keep changing. It started because i wanted to understand myself and my world better, and explain my experiences. I've had experiences that i could never explain since i was old to enough to remember. And now its more about living true to myself and enjoying as much life, love and happiness as possible.

In regards to the meditation, particularly experiencing the Oneness, a great catalyst for that was learning flower essences. I knew nothing about flower essences before i studied them as a part of my naturopathy course. I was pretty skeptical about the whole concept and homeopathic theory in general. For my first assignment i had to make an essence from a flower i chose and then monitor my feelings, thoughts etc for the following 3 weeks. When i was searching for the right flower i realised that each plant i came across had a distinct energy. This energy and consiousness was so subtle but obvious, it was like a tangible feeling, or like a knowing. I felt that i could feel/listen/share consciousness with these plants. Before this exercise i hadnt really felt anything from plants before, and in truth i probably hadnt ever really even paid enough attention to notice before. But after that initial experience it was like the whole world literally came alive around me, and i couldnt help be aware of all the life and connection around me whenever i chose to tune into it. It really changed my life and helped me feel the energy from everything around me, even things i previously viewed as irrevelant such as a rock or piece of plastic. I started meditating much more frequently after this, particularly doing Earth and Moon grounding as well as chakral meditations.

Some books have really helped as well. I experienced my first 'I AM' meditation while i was about half way through reading the 'New Earth'.

How about you?

That's good to hear! What are you up to these days?
Yep, I'm still in the grad program. Trying to figure out my options and what it is I want to do.
And thanks for saying hi

hey bagel, good to hear from you. Things are goin' all right! How are you doing these days?
And still a fan of Ludo's music, yep.

Atleast once, sometimes several times a day. Theres several different techniques i use. Id like to hear more about your experiences too. I'll respond properly tomorrow, as its time for me to pick up my daughter so I've got to be off for now.

Ive been consciously meditating for 4-5 years. It was really hard at first to shut my mind up!
I think that we all slip into meditative states quite often, not necessarily being aware of it or even purposefuly seeking to though.

Hope you're enjoying your experience on the forum!

Insofar that I can generally understand how a thing works, such as this computer, yes.

Yes....most people go through your stereotypical stages of coping with death...denial, anger, fear, etc...
And yes, I have seen them all. My own Father passed away from cancer in 2008...it was strange, but also good in a way, he never got angry, never really was in denial, he still was a fighter, and I'm sure there was some level of fear there for a while...but he passed pretty quickly into the acceptance stage even though the rest of us weren't so quick to get there. It was very difficult as any death of such a close loved one is I'm sure...but I also am thankful that he was able to come to terms with it so fast, it would have been much more difficult had he been angry or in denial the whole time from his diagnosis until he passed (6 months). I was able to spend so quality time with him, and all those issues that we may have had that distanced us...seemed so trivial and pointless...so for that I feel extremely lucky.
That is very interesting about the monkeys...if only people would have a more solid view of the short amount of time we are actually here, I think we as a species could do great things.
As for my possessions...I feel sort-of disconnected from them...I enjoy them...but if I were to have to give them up tomorrow, it wouldn't be painful at all. The things I would miss the most if I were to have to give them up would be my music, and my books....everything else can go...lol.
That old saying of "live life as if each day is your last" is a nice way to think, although, impractical. We all need to go to work to pay our bills and buy the basics to survive. I'm sure you could wander the earth committing acts of good and compassion like David Carradine in the "Kung-Fu" TV series...but somehow I feel I would end up dead from hunger in a doorway...lol.

yeah, it's definitely changed a bit.

(i used to be rememberwhenitrained, if you remember me.)

Well, we can all fear the pain that any number of possible ways to die could bring...I know I certainly wouldn't want to burn to death, or drown, etc...the pain from various ways to die can be something to avoid to say the least. Yes, knowledge and the realization that you could die any day, can either paralyze you or free you, most people fear death all their lives, ad some cannot come to terms with it before they die....they die in denial, sometimes angry, sometimes depressed. How has it changed me...hmmmm? I would say that I don't focus on the "things" that I own, although I do have nice things and a comfortable home, I have found that those relationships that I have in my life, those whom I love are all the more important to me...I find myself making sure to leave on good terms....to always say "I love you" when I say "Goodbye" to someone I care about (those few an INFJ has anyhow...lol). It's hard for a person in this day and age, especially someone who grew up in the Western world where everyday you are bombarded by commercials and things for material possessions, to look at those things and realize there is little to no value in the larger picture.
It's a very difficult concept for most people who grew up with a home and all the modern conveniences to grasp....I still struggle with it sometimes. But I do find myself not being stressed out about how much money I have...or that I have this or that bill looming over me...money comes and money goes.

Only difference I see is the thumbs up is more open. Hope your stay away was exciting.

Being around death I think can either scare you for the rest of your life...make you leave the industry...or you come to terms with what death is and continue on...I was the latter, but not only did I come to terms with it, coming to terms with it was very quick and easy for me...I don't know why, but it just never really was something that scared or bothered me...
By head-scratching moments I mean those times when unexpected results or things occur...like when you get a patient who by all means is clinically dead, no heart-beat, no respirations, he's been like this for over 15 mins before CPR was begun (anything over 4 mins with CPR is considered the cut-off for positive results), so by any stretch this person is not expected to be revived, no one expects them to live...and yet some of them do? Or we will get called in at 230 in the morning...for a dissecting aortic-arch, which automatically has a survival rate of next to nothing, we get them into surgery, open them up...work or them for hours in surgery, with problems and surgical difficulties the whole time...you barely get them sutured up and upstairs without them dying...and yet a small percent survive...most die, but some of the heart surgeries you do, that you expect will be a normal easy heart surgery...and they end up dying...some with kids waiting upstairs. Why? I have a very strong belief in your fated death...When it is your time to die, it is just your time...there is no getting around it, it isn't going to wait for you to pick up your kids, or getting your affairs in order, or anything for that matter...in a flash, you're dead. If there is an afterlife then that's great...if not, then you go out in the blink of an eye and you will never know for the better. So why fear that? I have never understood it any differently.

Thanks for your rep. It's probably from a bit of both...when you work around sick and injured and dying people you see things eventually that you have to chalk up to...what? Luck? Grace? Divine Intervention? Statistics? I'm always questioning which one it is just because of the way I think, but there are for sure head-scratching moments.

thanx for the rep...glad you liked!

Thx for the rep. Beware the balrog...apparently you need little more than a pulse to incur its wrath.

Hi - thanks! *waving to ya*

Thanks for the rep

Thanks! Made it myself heh.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdKjEHfHINQ"]YouTube - Simon and Garfunkel The Boxer (Original)[/ame]

WHEN I LEFT MY HOME AND MY FAMILY I WAS NO MORE THAN A BOY

I took your recommendation from before and bought Maitris book

I haven't got round to reading it because I am swamped with reading at the moment for a number of different reasons before i even get down to reading for my own enjoyment.

The three big occult figures of the 20th century seem to have been: Gurjieff, Blavatsky and Crowley and i am interested in all their systems and any similarities i might find. I'm interested in joining dots!

All these strands of thoughts and beliefs weave their way through history as a sort of undercurrent of influence which while of great importance is little talked about in mainstream history....which is of course because mainstream history is not there to inform us but to make us see things a certain way!

I watched an interesting talk by a freemason (link below) in which he discusses the parallels between freemasonry and the ancient mystery schools. It is basically a continuation. whilst religious texts such as the christian bible have deeper meaning within them the literal translation is given to the common people.....which is of course a travesty because the true meaning is then lost!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4933960062431353720#docid=-1913913188318395102

If you've got the time i'd love a quick summary of the Diamond Approach and the idea of non-duality. Duality seems like such an important part of a number of different systems