Quote of the Day – January 31 2012

“The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you are out there.”
—Yasutani Roshi

How can I be lonely when I have all of you lovely people here in my head keeping me company? Can we accept as given, that by the act of perceiving something, the object of our perception now lives within us, regardless of any abstract objective presence it may have. You may not believe yourself to be as I perceive you but only when I perceive a difference will you be anything else to me. Thus falling into solipsism becomes a very easy thing to do. But then what is what passes for objective reality on this level of being but consensual solipsism? Comments and Opinions are more than welcome. Namaste, G

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Centred and Centring by G A Rosenberg

Centred In Space by G A Rosenberg

“You never learn how to write a novel, You only learn how to write the novel you’re on”
–Gene Wolfe (to Neil Gaiman)

I see a definite metaphor in the above quote unintended tho it may have been. You never learn how to live a life. You only learn how to live the life you’re on. Wow. This may seem obvious but at the same time I find it profound. It kind of throws the idea that one of us can tell another what to do totally out the window. I mean, perhaps general guidelines (i.e. Love is better, almost always. Honesty works better, almost always, particularly honesty with oneself) but absolutes, probably not. We all have our own novels to write (lives to live) and tho part may be as a collaboration, ultimately we have to make the choices. Namaste, G

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Hearts and Mind by G A Rosenberg

Colourscape with 3 Moons by G A Rosenberg

Quote of the Day – January 29 2012

“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”
–Martin Luther King Jr.

What does it mean–to undertake something with painstaking excellence? Does it mean to get every detail right? Does it mean doing the utmost at every point to make it work? I would like to believe that when I work at anything, especially things that might be of value to others. I get intimidated by excellence. I would rather at this point anyway to paraphrase Sondheim, not worry that it not be perfect, just worry that it won’t be. Maybe what I do will not show painstaking excellence but getting closer and closer in intention. Namaste, G

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Three of Pentacles by G A Rosenberg

Mandala with Inner Sphere Reversal by G A Rosenberg

 

Quote of the Day – January 28 2012

“The Reality of The Other Person Lies Not In What He Reveals To You, But What He Cannot Reveal To You.
Therefore, If You Would Understand Him, Listen Not To What He Says, But Rather To What He Does Not Say.”
–Kahlil Gibran

I find magic in being able to be comfortably with another person in silence. Far too often it seems, when we share an environment where conversation does not reign , we start making assumptions out of fear. “Why doesn’t he / she say something? Are they angry? Did I do something to offend them?” We try to fill up their silence with words of our own devising. The more comfortable I feel with myself, the more I can quiet the chatter of the model of the other I have created in my head and I can actually be open to both them and myself. Namaste, G

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Reflection / Refraction by G A Rosenberg

 

Quote of the Day – January 27 2012

““But love is always new. Regardless of whether we love once, twice, or a dozen times in our life, we always face a brand-new situation. Love can consign us to hell or to paradise, but it always takes us somewhere. We simply have to accept it, because it is what nourishes our existence. If we reject it, we die of hunger, because we lack the courage to stretch out a hand and pluck the fruit from the branches of the tree of life. We have to take love where we find it, even if that means hours, days, weeks of disappointment and sadness.

The moment we begin to seek love, love begins to seek us. And to save us.”
― Paulo Coelho

What would life be like if we approached everything that came our way as if it were for the first time? How can we cultivate that form of observation? Is it a matter of perspective or point of view. Life experience does resemble snow flakes in that nothing ever seems to happen exactly the same way twice. Even when the experience is the same, we, either in outlook, mood, or experience are not quite the same person we were the last time it happened. Of course this type of talk can cause great anxiety in neophobes (people for whom the new causes great anxiety, fear or both).

Namaste, G

 

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Quote of the Day – January 26 2012

“We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals… In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth.”

                       –Henry Beston

The animals I live with teach me a lot. Their behaviour may not make sense from a human point of view but then the same could be said for much of mine. =) What I admire the most about the three of them.  Rufus, a seven year old Irish Terrier  tends to be the most territorial but also the most protective. Maggie, a boxer / pit cross wants most to make us happy tho also loves her comfort. Princess, our feline companion wants what she wants when she wants it. She does not hesitate to ask or demand but is willing to negotiate. She also enjoys hunting and leaving trophies. From them all, I have learned to stand my ground, to give way and to not back down when I feel correct in my actions. I’ve also learned a lot about love and affection. Namaste, G

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Contrasting Spirits by G A Rosenberg

Quote of the Day – January 25 2012

“All human beings are also dream beings. Dreaming ties all mankind together.”

–Jack Kerouac

Tonight I thought I’d find a Jack Kerouac quote and talk about my years hitchhiking around and some of my road adventures. I still may do that some time soon tho instead of a road quote I pulled up a quote about dreaming and what we all have in common.
We all float along the dream stream, sometimes…
Letting go, seeing things clearer and more distant
or nearer and fuzzier,
In our dreams we clear our beings, I suppose in a way one of the functions of the dream world is to be the excretory system of what enters our psyche or perhaps to be more fair (and less gross) the digestive system , we process memes through dreams, lucidly or otherwise, keep what we we can use (sometimes to our detriment) and let the rest pass through whatever symbolic forms they may find…
Yet that would be just one function of dreams, our dreams may also serve as templates or heralds or influencers on what may be coming around the bend.When we become lucid in dreams, we may find ourselves able to influence our future selves in the larger dream we think of as waking life. Namaste, G

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Amethyst Visions by G A Rosenberg

Crystals by G A Rosenberg

Quote of the Day – January 24 2012

“‎”When we feel stuck, going nowhere–even starting to slip backward–we may actually be backing up to get a running start.”
— Dan Millman

This quote resonates in all kinds of ways. Lately, despite minor ups and downs in my art and my life, I have felt a bit stagnant. Physically, I’ve been fighting colds and emotionally and mentally while working on the upbeat, knowing its all emotional weather patterns, I have been like a plane circling in the air looking to either land or take off and perhaps uncertain which one I’ve been heading for. I’ve been this way before a few times, usually before pretty intense life changes. Perhaps a new cycle may be about to begin. I find one thing about this feeling heartening. I have more patience with myself, with whatever emotions may flow through, even with whatever life may bring than I have had before. I trust the universe. It hasn’t let me down before. I only hope ultimately the reverse may be true also.
Namaste, G

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Seated by G A Rosenberg

Seated2 by G A Rosenberg