So Polly realized....

"[Y]ou are not the only one watching the world, other people are also people, while you watch them they watch you, and they think about you while you think about them. The world isn't just about you."

--Monstrous Regiment, Terry Pratchett

This weather allows me to do nothing put read and sculpt and have sex and sleep. El nino runs amok under the care of innate self-sufficiency and 20-something nannies, while his mom surrenders to the rain and a spirit freed from the heat.

So it goes every summer at this time. We'll regroup in a week or two, joined together by our yearly pleasure at the Perseid and then life will fall back into routines and team-work.

Watch your shape.

"All emotions are pure which gather you and lift you up; that emotion is impure which seizes only one side of your being and so distorts you."

-Rilke

Take the bait.

If you look closely enough, intent upon understanding those things that cause you great pain or consternation, ultimately, I promise you, you'll find great joy and illumination.

And if you look closer still, you'll see all such things as proof of life's infinite grace.

"People who have realized that this is a dream imagine that it is easy to wake up, and are angry with those who continue sleeping, not considering that the whole world that environs them does not permit them to wake. Life proceeds as a series of optical illusions, artificial needs and imaginary sensations."

No thought, no reflection, no analysis, no cultivation, no intention; let it settle itself.

Me and the Boy, Balancing Two Swords

How often people do not realize that when you give up thinking yours is the only reality, it opens you to being able to recognize and respect diversity of thought and experience.

There are certainly times when you go through a rude awakening in a relationship or situation which shakes your assumption that everyone understood circumstances clearly. How often do we take for granted that we thought we knew what to expect of others and what they were expecting of us. And it *is* a shock to discover that a past agreement had distinctly different meanings for you and another party.

I do not think it is right, however, when in such a circumstance one immediately assumes that they have been set up or deceived. And I do not think it's right when in such a circumstance one immediately responds with hostility or anger.

How much better to use the situation as an opportunity to recognize the differences in peoples' experience of reality, their priorities and their points of view. Rather than leap into blaming others for what are essentially differences of perception, I believe people would be much better off by making an effort to appreciate the rich diversity of this world. ::small smile:: And the importance of making clear understandings and agreements in the first place.

That said, don't get me wrong: sometimes people *are* deceptive, 'setting up' assholes.

But not this time. Or so I believe.

Today the Universe reminded me...

...that nothing is meant to be, that you am truly unlimited, and that anything can happen next ... if you choose it.

Thank you, Universe.

Youthful Folly

It is wise, I think, to be on guard for careless or rebellious attitudes within one's self that are characteristic of youthful inexperience. And to ask one's self often: are there circumstances in my life, which I have failed to comprehend completely, perhaps because I have failed to appreciate their inherent complexities?

It is my hope that I am always respectful of anything or anyone who has something to teach me.

It is vital to let education be a continuing part of your life. To be continually developing the strong mind and will necessary to carry one through confusing times. The wise realize that experience, especially difficult experience, is a powerful teacher. But one cannot be forced to learn, even from experience. I would be always a good student, one who delights in learning, one who nourishes her expanding awareness.

More time should be spent by people examining their attitudes for factors which limit their openness.

And it is not often that I need remind myself, although I do now, that I must let people live their own lives and learn their own lessons. To remember that I may offer others my wisdom or advice, but only if they are receptive. And that otherwise, I must give up trying to convince them that I am right - that is only exhausting and counter-productive. If people are not receptive, I must let them proceed - even into difficulty or dangerous circumstances or further isolation. It is the only way they can learn - and without learning, no one can achieve success of spirit.

I would have them know, though, that this does not mean that I do not care -- just that I believe that 'taking care' of someone too much can be harmful. For me. And them.

When we talked only in quotes.

Were he literary, he would perhaps say:

"There is no woman in the world who does not abuse the power she has been able to acquire"

- Pierre Choderlos de Laclos

But he is not, and so I can only respond to myself with:

"Be entirely tolerant or not at all; follow the good path or the evil one. To stand at the crossroads requires more strength than you possess."

"Ordinarily he was insane, but he had lucid moments when he was merely stupid."

-Heinrich Heine

"If I discover within myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world"

- C.S. Lewis

"An enlightened soul ...

... is not one to whom truth has been revealed, but one who has summoned it. And not just when they've been driven by pain, but when life's seas were as calm as glass."

Clinging Like Fire

Flames cling to their source of fuel in order to keep the fire burning. Likewise, in the human world, everything that radiates light or love is dependent upon something else. Through these dependencies we discover that everything is related, each thing to the other. Awareness of your own dependency on others is the key which unlocks the door to your true place in the world. No one is an island.

Fire is also a symbol of liberation - crackling little molecules flying away from home. Paradoxically, by clinging to what is right and proper, we gain inner freedom.

In spite of challenges, it is important to cling to what is luminous in yourself, in others, and in life itself, never forsaking your belief in what is right. When events seem foreboding, or people seem oppressive, remember the good that has been and is yet to be. Holding to this idea is to cling to the power of the light, the force which enables inner darkness to be illuminated.

Revolution

According to Chinese symbolism, the juxtaposed elements of I Ching hexagram for "revolution" are fire under water: Fire evaporates water, and water puts out fire. Change often causes conflict; conflict brings about change.

It amuses me that people often attempt to effect revolutions, of any sort, without even the most basic acceptance of the dynamics involved.

In order to succeed, revolutions must be in alignment with certain immutable laws. They must begin at the right moment, gather support from a broad-base of people, be guided by sincere and capable leaders and - most important of all - must address a real need.

The strength of the forces of change will always be in proportion to the urgency of the need being championed. This is true whether the revolution is in government, in business, in education or in one's personal affairs.

And projection being what it is, what a colossal amount of energy people waste by a failure to fully examine the "needs" they think they are addressing. A complete and utter lack of effort expended looking for what, in them, causes them to see the external in the way that they do. A divorcing of perception from the process that I find almost unimaginable. You see what you see in the way that you see it -- be it lack, be it bounty, be it injustice, be it bliss -- *because* of the way that you see and the why's behind way. What can ever be accomplished by skipping the first critical step of understanding that fully?

Consciousness

Consciousness is awareness plus appropriate action. To perceive a thing to be true is to act upon it.

It is not enough to be aware or go off into wild imaginings and 'mystic realms.' Illusions drain us of the creativity we need for transforming our lives. Awareness without commitment to act leads to self-deception with no purpose. It is easy to get lost in the idea of creating our own realities -- thereby failing to open through commitment and integrity to what is actually real, instead of what we want to be real.

Reflection gives knowledge, and action tests that knowledge. Too often people fail to let their actions be consciously chosen ones.

Spirit

I think it's very important, and unfortunately rare, for people to be fully aware of personal boundaries and concentrate on their own objectives.

It is important that you constantly ask yourself to discriminate between what is yours and what belongs to others. What feelings, values, beliefs and emotional patterns are yours to work on?

The lesson is to respect your own boundaries and not invade others' space. Learn to keep your energy clear; and speak your truth without condemning or judging. Why is it is so hard for people to resist thinking that they know better about anyone else's situation? Why is it is o hard for people to become more self-sufficient?

People need to develop the ability to become their own best teammate and to focus their brilliance on their own mission -- concentrating on the things that are their business, accepting less interference from others, and doing less interfering.

Nourishment

Nourishment refers to much more than a healthy diet. It is the ultimate care-giving function.

You can know people by observing what they choose to nourish in their own lives. Do they feed and develop their own bodies? Do they cultivate their spirits, their intellects, their values? Do they nourish and care for those around them? If so, to whom do they devote their energies? The most successful people are temperate in eating and drinking, thinking and dreaming. They strengthen the world by nurturing the higher nature in man.

It is wise to pay heed to your inner thoughts and impulses, ignoring thoughts which undermine a healthy and persevering attitude. A wise person is temperate in the consumption of food and drink, because to be otherwise only leads to discomfort; the fact that temporary pleasure may precede the discomfort does not influence the person of mature character. In the same way, be discriminating in your words and actions, lest a desire for temporary advantage lead you to cause pain for yourself or others.

Enrich your own character and you will naturally nourish everyone around you.