Open to Interpretation

 

“The incipient magician will confess his faith to a universal religion. He will find out that every religion has good points as well as bad ones. He will therefore keep the best of it for himself and ignore the weak points, which does not necessarily mean that he must profess a religion, but he shall express awe to each for of worship, for each religion has its proper principle of God, whether the point in question be Christianity, Buddhism, Islam or any other kind of religion. But he will not be satisfied with the official doctrine of his Church, and will try to pentetrate deeper into god’s workshop. And such is the purpose of our initiation. According to the universal laws, the magician will form his own point of view about the universe which henceforth will be his true religion”
— Franz Bardon

 

Do you seek answers or do you accept the answers given to you by others? If the latter, do you realize that no matter how authoritative they may be and what holy books they subscribe to, you are merely getting that person’s interpretation which is at best an approximation of their understanding. It is rare for even two fundamentalist preachers to agree on every single line in the Testaments both Old and New. If you read any translation from cover to cover, the chances are you will find places where they contradict themselves. If Truth was that easy, wouldn’t they all agree? If it is not that easy then why would you accept another’s interpretation rather than studying and forming your own opinion? Are you sacrificing understanding and realization for security or is it just laziness? “Rev. Johnson tells me how God works. Now I can focus on the things I consider important. Don’t spoil the new Star Wars movie for me, kay”? While I used Christianity as an example, this is equally true of any religion I have come across and I have studied most of the majors including Atheism.
We all interpret truth according to what we hear anyway. Isn’t it time we take responsibility for our own understanding? Don’t take my word for it tho. I don’t even begin to feel I am an authority on anything.
Blessings, G

 

Click on images to see full-sized:

 

Sailing on Strange WatersSailing on Strange Waters by G A Rosenberg

 

Dynamics of CreationDynamics of Creation by G A Rosenberg

 

Understanding in the Stars

 

“Human beings do not perceive things whole; we are not gods but wounded creatures, cracked lenses, capable only of fractured perceptions.”
— Salman Rushdie

 

Fractal truths unfolding before me
Each being contains unique universes.
We transmit knowledge imperfectly
in our own language
and struggle to connect
with galaxies that were never our own.
Yet somewhere some force
has brought us together
We know each other’s peaceful intent
Listen to my stars and reach out
Love is possible between universes
and perhaps even understanding
— G A Rosenberg

 

Blessings, G

 

Click on images to see full-sized:

 

Exploration2Exploration and Discovery by G A Rosenberg

 

Life-Death in aRainbow RockLife/Death in a Rainbow Rock by G A Rosenberg

 

My Dogma is Running From My Karma

 

“Every dogmatism, whether ecclesiastical-political or state-political, necessarily takes each thought and deed that seems to deviate from it, or that actually does deviate from it, to be in essential agreement with what is inimical to the dogmatism—whether it be the pagans and the godless or the Jews and Communists. A peculiar strength lies in this kind of thinking—not a strength of thinking—but the power to make one’s own gospel prevail.”
— Martin Heidegger

 

It is difficult for me to avoid being political these days. I have gotten caught up in the soap opera of the Republican debates and indeed what a show it’s been. I have also been watching the comments on social media and for an ex-patriot American living in Canada things back home look mighty confusing. So much fear is being spread about Islam and there seems to be confusion for many about whether to be afraid of the terrorists who call themselves the Islamic State or just any follower of the religion. Some people have such a strong knee-jerk reaction to the concept of Islam that they can’t handle when it is discussed in their children’s social studies classes. A few months ago the same people were up in arms about gay marriage and how allowing it would either piss off God or cause moral implosion everywhere. There is fear about being forced to give up their guns and fear of people who are indiscriminately shooting at others. It must be pretty uncomfortable to live somewhere where people are constantly told what they need to be afraid of.
I have been told that the reason why Canadians can be so relatively care-free and liberal about these subjects is because we know that the United States will protect us against any attack. If that is true, then shouldn’t people living in the States feel even safer? It makes the mind boggle.
Blessings, G

 

Click on images to see full-sized:

 

She Carries ForthShe Carries Forth by G A Rosenberg

 

Life-Death in aRainbow RockLife/Death in a Rainbow Rock by G A Rosenberg

 

Fear of Loss

 

“Guns are not the problem. The species is the problem.”
― Forrest Carr

 

Many who know me are surprised that I do not believe in banning guns. Oh I wouldn’t own one myself as I’d be too concerned about just where the bullets might end up going. I am also aware that despite popular misconception it is rare indeed that a criminal with a gun is stopped by armed civilians. I believe the FBI statistics say that happens only three percent of the time.
Yet I believe strongly in the rights and decisions of individuals and Americans have in the last few decades found more and more of their rights taken away sometimes with less justification, sometimes with more. I also feel that abolishing firearms would be addressing a symptom and not the cause of the violence in the states today.
We live in a frightening world and the media and our politicians go out of their way to keep it that way. As I’ve said before, a frightened populace is much easier to control than a calm rational one. Fear excites our limbic brains and brings out a strong fight or flight reaction. When we are scared, we want to do something, anything to stop that fear and rationality goes out the window. We need to address that fear both within ourselves and others and learn how to deal with it.
I also believe that guns need to be handled with much more care and training and demystified. If guns are going to be in the hands of the populace than from a very early age, gun safety and knowledge needs to be taught. The consequences of shooting at a human being needs to be shown as graphically as possible and understanding fostered as to the damage that a gun can do.
There is also a need to teach people to critically differentiate between a real immediate threat and a rhetorical threat. The chances in any one person’s lifetime of finding themselves in a fire zone where they or loved ones are endangered is rather slim. The chances of worsening a situation by pulling a gun of our own in a given situation is high. The reality is that owning guns will not make us safer but learning how to deal with our fears will.
One of the biggest fears we as humans have is the fear of losing something that belongs to us. When the subject of gun control comes up, the odds are that those so inclined will go out of their way to arm themselves more thus proving that a) no one can tell them what to do and b) no one is going to take something away from them. The question is what can we replace firearms with? It doesn’t seem to be peace of mind.
Blessings, G

 

Click on images to see full-sized:

 

The ReturnThe Return by G A Rosenberg

 

Vision of a Questionable OrderVision of a Questionable Order by G A Rosenberg

 

Realizing Potential

 

“To see the fruit in the seed, this is genius.”
— Lao Tzu

 

To see the coming becoming
is to glimpse the future’s dark
enlightening.
Can you see the apex view
from the mountain’s base?
Visionary impulse
with critical thought
Picking among possible futures
and willing the one you want
While wanting the one you will
Still every seed has its own will
so a slow sculpture ensues
Working to achieve the vision presented
while acknowledging the process
and owning it.
— G A Rosenberg

 

Blessings, G

 

Click on images to see full-sized:

 

Within the CrystalWithin the Crystal by G A Rosenberg

 

Forest ConjurorForest Conjuror by G A Rosenberg

 

Fresh Perspective

 

“”I wear the universe backwards. I imagine putting stars in my coffee, and sugar in the sky. I imagine going fishing in clouds, and watching the sun hide behind lakes. I’m too busy dancing with my imagination to even tip toe with reality for a second. They say I’m going mad. They’re right.”
— D. Antoinette Foy

 

I danced with a dream in the daytime
I sang silent songs in my head
I grieved at the grave of the living
and had dinner and tea with the dead

 

I marvelled at colourless rainbows
I got drunk on tap water last night
I played children’s games with little old ladies
how they loved when I gave them a fright

 

Yet through all my cleaver reversals
I find that a balance comes through
Looking at things from angles unseen
makes the commonplace world seem like new

— G A Rosenberg

 

Click on images to see full-sized:

 

Desert ManifestationDesert Manifestation by G A Rosenberg

 

TurbulenceTurbulence by G A Rosenberg