One Less Angel?

I related this story to a friend of mine and she suggested (strongly) that I blog about it. I don't know why...I'm trusting you, Sherry!

A few years ago my wife and I were finishing a long hike down off the local mountain. As we came to the end of there trail there's an old, weathered fence that separates the grazing land portion of the mountain from the homes nearby.

As we approached we saw this white shape sitting on top of one of the fence posts.

We got closer and saw it was a white plaster angel. Not even a nice cheery cherub, either.

Like fins on cars this seemed so unnecessary. The trail, the trees, the dust, the fence, the rusting barbed wire all seemed of a piece. The angel definitely did not seem to belong.

How often do we do that? Add on to that which is fine just as it is?

This really infuriated my wife, by the way...who snuck back later at dusk and knocked the angel figurine off the post and into the ditch nearby.

My friend who suggested I blog this, pointed out that the possibility is that the person who put it there found it the exact right addition and it actually added to the beauty of the scene.

Or they are an artist who put it there and is filming people and their reactions.

All part of "Having to Believe."

Of Mice and Elephants

Walking the trail I noticed there were two mice, lying on the trail, one moving a bit and the other not moving till I touched it and then it moved just a little.

I thought they were both babies.

I didn't know what to do. There was nothing to be done.

As I started to move away I heard one squeaking.

As I walked away my heart got full and heavy.

I chose not to tell my wife who was a ways ahead of me and didn't see them.

The next day as we passed the spot I looked down and saw both mice were dead.

I walked a few more feet and started to cry. Stopped and doubled over and just cried dripping tears into the dust. I then told my wife what had happened. She had actually stepped on the body of the smaller mouse. We moved them off the trail.

Many years ago walking through North Beach with a friend, we were on the corner of Columbus and Broadway, in front of Carol Doda's old place, catty-corner to City Light books and Jack Kerouc Alley.

We looked down and saw a mouse, wounded, dying, as people hurried around and stepped over, around, almost directly on the mouse.

My friend went back and stepped on the mouse, squishing it, killing it, and then walked on.

She was sorely effected by that.

I was too. No words, no thoughts.

This thought came back after seeing the dead mice.

Maybe she related to the wounded mouse, with people scurrying by, paying no attention.

Knowing her history, this seemed to fit.

Years ago, trying to convey an aspect of the Immensity of the Vastness in a word I was completely unable to reduce the Immensity to a concept, let alone a word. The image of trying to stuff an Elephant into a Mouse suit came to me as an analogy.

Which led to this piece I wrote a few years ago:

Imagine an Elephant. A REALLY BIG Elephant.

And that Elephant is hanging out in the middle of nowhere by itself.

And, it is alone. There are no other Elephants – never were and never will be.

Now, that’s fine.

One day, the Elephant says – “Gee, I’d like some company. Gee, I’d like to play.”

So, it creates a bunch of teeny-tiny mouse suits.

And it, the REALLY BIG Elephant, tries to put on the mouse suit.

Now, obviously, this is a tight fit. To say the least.

The Elephant has to leave certain parts of itself out, because they just won’t fit.

And, it takes A LOT of mouse suits to hold even a little bit of the Elephant.

The Elephant imbues each mouse suit with the ability to “think” for itself – kinda like winding up a toy and letting it go.

It has to give the mice an illusion of free will or what’s the fun?

Plus emotions to make it all seem really real – danger is scary, love is dreamy, etc.

Then, the Elephant creates a HUGE playground for the mice.

And sets them loose.

Now, the Elephant (when in a mouse suit) can experience all the “reality” of being a mouse – hopes, fears, triumphs, pain, loss, gain, etc. that it can't experience being The Elephant.

Mice all have to die eventually or the place gets real crowded real fast.

And, the Elephant uses the death of a mouse as a way to end that particular “reality”/mouse-ness when it is done/bored/tired of it. On to the next. So birth is a way to get a bit of the Elephant into a new mouse suit (and new associated mouse-life).

Now, imagine that one day one of the mice “realizes” that she is, in fact an Elephant in a mouse suit.

Not just heard it from other mice, not just read about, not even “figured it out.”

But knew this to be true. In effect, the mice voluntarily gives up the “illusion” of being a separate mouse.

Now, this is very interesting.

On the one hand, she’s still got a mouse suit – and all that goes along with it.

But, she also knows, and will for the rest of her life (in that mouse suit) she is really an Elephant in a mouse suit.

Imagine how odd that would be.

Remember, all the other mice still think they are “real” and separate mice and the idea of Elephant is a belief sustained with faith.

The wonder and magic of Life lives through us and often it seems in spite of us

We recently moved from a peaceful, beautiful, warm, sunny, quiet 5 acre farm where we would go weeks w/o seeing anyone to The Bay Area, where it can be cold, foggy, noisy with lots of people.

Going through the day to day things to do and watching the people around me. Many don't seem very happy. They seem sad, mad, resigned. I smile at them and often they smile back. Were they just waiting to be reminded? Called out?

My wife was saying how do people live like that day to day?

I said, well, it's not really living. And the IS is still pulsating and shining through. But, put up enough clouds and even the sun seems to get blotted out. Not completely of course. But it can seem that way.

Standing at the hardware store, under a 6 foot sign that says "Keys Made Here" and the keymaker is making a key for me with all the whirring and grinding noise and there are all these key blanks on hangers around and this other customer walks up and asks: '"Do you make keys here."

It was just too funny. I just looked at my wife and giggled.

I said to the key maker:"How often do you get that question?"

He said: "You don't want to know."

I was laughing all the way out. I think maybe I punched through his crust (a bit).

So, how do people do it day to day? Well, *they* don't. Life does. And the conditioned mind gets more conditioned, people get more hypnotized and stop looking, noticing or being present. That is what we see.

Yet, when we are empty, clear, not clouding the sky with mental debris...

• I can watch my car trailer come loose and roll away and smash the neighbors car...and wonder and laugh at it (thanking the impulse to get take the full insurance option).
• I can drive through downtown San Francisco driving a 26 foot fully loaded truck towing my car on the trailer on the freeways and city streets, making tight turns and all, having never done this before...and do it well (enough).
• I can order in chinese food for the first time in 2 years (the country house, while fabulous, was 30 miles from the nearest town) and enjoy the immediacy and convenience.
• I can look around at the fog and listen to the occasional jets flying over (seems we're near SFO's flight path) and the damp and smaller quarters and my wife freaking out thinking we made a mistake...and talk her down. (We didn't make a mistake).
• I can appreciate the different climate ...as well as when the fog lifts and we can see for miles and even see the top of the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance.
• I can appreciate and value a small community, shops, people, hustle, bustle, life.
• I can appreciate drinks and dinner in North Beach.
• I can be happy to be back in the Bay Area. I love the Bay Area.
• I can be nice to people and greet them and meet my new neighbors and say "Hi" and meet the organic grocer lady and enjoy the sights and sounds and the feel.
• And I can reconnect with my wife, re-partner up. We've had it so easy materially and spiritually in the mountains and we've gotten lazy in processing our stuff.
• My kitties have been healing me and I them. My elder cat even invited me to meditate with her. While we sat there she healed my back, sore from moving.
• And I can find a beautiful trail to hike nearby. Saying "Morning" to people as we pass (but not the runners or cyclists - they are too focused on their feet or pedals).
• I can see and treasure the opportunity to put theory into practice.

Life is wonderful, magical in all its ways.

I feel so grateful and lucky to simply be.

Stay Hungy, Stay Foolish

Reading about Steve Jobs recently, combined with a recent series of (unusual) drops on the part of Apple support, I found myself re-reading Steve's commencement speech at Stanford. I liked it so much that I chose to post it here.

Steve's speech reminded me what is possible when we Dream. And Break All The Rules.

The Problem with Abdicating to an "Authority"

Validation

Wonder and magic abounds, and is so simple.

Enjoy the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao

Tapasia

Back in the 80's I introduced a friend of mine to ***-**, and he introduced me to the book: Be Here Now by Ram Dass. The first time I opened the book I opened to a page that described exactly what I was experiencing at that moment.

Given the intense subjective aspect of my experience, I thought: Wow, Pretty neat trick. This is a keeper.

I treasured the book and what it had to say and began listening to and seeing Ram Dass. He always resonated with me.

I last saw him about 6 years ago in Marin, CA. He was in a wheel chair from his stroke, but still telling stories and being Ram Dass. Comforting in a way. The questions he was being asked were probably the same ones he had heard thousands of times. He mentioned hearing the inner voice through the din of the outer blaring trumpets.

I raised my hand to ask a question.

How does one make the trumpets quieter?

He paused...(unusual for him) and then he (the universe) answered:

You don't make the trumpets quieter, you ignore them and pay more attention to the inner voice.

Recently I came across this quote from Be Here Now, for a friend:

Tapasia

Strengthening By Fire

If a man gives way to all his desires, or panders to them, there will be no inner struggle in him, no ‘friction’ no fire. But, if for the sake of attaining a definite aim, he struggles with the desires that hinder him – he will gradually then create a fire which will gradually transform his inner world into a single whole.

-- Ouspensky, In Search of the Miraculous

Here is a Deep Bow, Big Hug and Big Smiles to Ram Dass.