Tag: experience

Maturing the Warrior Way

 

“There are lots of things a warrior can do at a certain time which he couldn’t do years before. Those things themselves did not change; what changed was his idea of himself.”
― Carlos Castaneda

 

When we’re younger, we have a strange mixture of foolhardiness and lack of confidence. We’ll do things to do things not worried about whether they work or not and tend to give up on things faster if they don’t work the first few times we do them. Other things we won’t try at all because we doubt that we have the expertise or knowledge to pull them off successfully. As we age and gain in knowledge and experience and perhaps even wisdom (if we’re lucky) we develop both more patience and more confidence. We are willing to make mistakes and try again after we’ve learned that very few mistakes are permanent. We have seen evidence that if we follow through on our intent, eventually we will be successful and perhaps that willingness to see something through is the beginning of wisdom.
Blessings, G

 

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DiscourseDiscourse by G A Rosenberg

 

Night Flower BloomBlooming Night Flower by G A Rosenberg

Integrating My Experience

 

“Go for broke. Always try and do too much. Dispense with safety nets. Take a deep breath before you begin talking. Aim for the stars. Keep grinning. Be bloody-minded. Argue with the world. And never forget that writing is as close as we get to keeping a hold on the thousand and one things–childhood, certainties, cities, doubts, dreams, instants, phrases, parents, loves–that go on slipping , like sand, through our fingers.”
― Salman Rushdie

 

How do our experiences shape us? How do we take what life gives us and make something worthwhile and of value if only to us? During the last two weeks I have seen so much both in experiencing new shores and people and in seeing some of the most famous and beautiful works of art ever created. As much fun as it is, it has also been somewhat overwhelming and I will no doubt spend months (if not years) integrating it all. At the same time I will experience much more. In the art I created today, I have made the first attempts at incorporating visually some of the wonder I’ve seen. Hopefully as time passes I will find that my palate and abilities have grown. In this way the adventure continues.
Blessings, G

 

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Restored ShephardRestored Shepherd by G A Rosenberg

 

Nude Shadow Beside TreeNude Shadow Beside Tree by G A Rosenberg

 

Experience Life Instead of Solving it

 

“The mystery of life isn’t a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.”
― Frank Herbert

 

We humans tend to be problem-solving animals. For many of us, set a puzzle in front of us and we will work at it, if not consciously then somewhere in the back of our minds. When we don’t have problems to solve, we create them. We hear something that a friend or loved one says and we ask “Now what did they mean by that?” “How did that get there?” “Where did I put my glasses / phone / wallet?” “Why do hot dogs come in packages of eight while hot dog buns are packaged in sixes?” We ask the larger questions and to ask implies that there is an answer “How did I come to be here?” “How did everything else come to be here?” “How do I do this?”.
I tend to obsess around problems. I love working logic puzzles and when someone comes to me for advice either as a friend or as a tarot reader, I do my best to give good answers. Yet I agree with Frank Herbert’s advice above. Sometimes we have to enjoy life, even the rougher parts as the wonderful thing it is. We can’t spend so much time worrying about the hows and whys and whether we can do something better that we forget to live. I find myself in need of this reminder often.
Blessings, G

 

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Dream ObservatoryDream Observatory by G A Rosenberg

 
The Answer's InsideThe Answer’s Inside by G A Rosenberg

 

Scattering to the WindsScattering to the Winds by G A Rosenberg

Finding the Story and Bringing it Home

 

“It’s a funny thing about stories. It doesn’t feel like you make them up, more like you find them. You type and type and you know you haven’t got it yet, because somewhere out there, there’s that perfect thing — the unexpected ending that was always going to happen. That place you’ve always been heading for, but never expected to go.”
— The Doctor (Steven Moffat)

 

I went searching for my story. It seemed everyone else had one but mine had little plot and less action. I’ve had adventures but is it truly a story? Does the plot hang together? Are the characters believable? The one thing I can tell you from first hand experience is to doubt the reliability of the narrator. But that’s ok he doubts himself at times.
That being said tho it seems that my story does improve as I go, the setbacks seeming more minor, the everyday brighter and brighter.I know there’s quite a bit of story before I come to the end of my page.
Blessings, G

 

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BenedictusBenedictus by G A Rosenberg

 

FocusedFocused by G A Rosenberg

The Price of the Ticket

“Buy the ticket, take the ride…and if it occasionally gets a little heavier than what you had in mind, well…maybe chalk it off to forced conscious expansion”
— Hunter S. Thompson

 

Funny how victimized we can feel by our own choices. “He took me home that night and he hurt me. He used me until there was nothing left. It’s no wonder I haven’t been able to find a good relationship since.” No, no and no. No matter how good a line he had you made a choice as an adult to go with him and stay with him even tho you felt drained. You needed the lesson and what you can learn from it. Now you find that you don’t have enough to give to another vampire. Fine, see if you can find someone who can make your heart sing. See if you can do it outside the bar scene. You bought the ticket.
“He screwed me over on that deal. I’m always too trusting and I always get fucked over.” Again, No, I’d agree with you if you were right but in all of those times you have never learned that if you don’t specify terms before hand, the other person may take advantage. How many times do you need that lesson.
“That’s It. I followed another fake guru and found out he’s full of shit. I’m an atheist. All of this spiritual stuff is bullshit.” Sigh, Again you bought the ticket. I hope you enjoyed the ride but there’s no refunds of time or money. Tell me, you spent so long learning from this guy. Are you really saying you learned nothing? I have learned something from ten minutes spent with the dullest people imaginable. There must have been something in what this guy said that made you want to learn from him. Even if the only thing of value said to you was in the first moments you met, you must have gained something to make you think the ticket was worth the cost of the ride. If you spend some time thinking about it, you probably gained a lot more. If the only thing that came out of it was the self-knowledge of what buttons you have that push your spiritual pilgrim button then wow, you learned a lot. Don’t sell the ticket or yourself short.
In the long run, there is little in life that isn’t worth the price of the ride. On some level we know that. It’s why we choose to play in the first place.
Blessings, G

 

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Burnished Self imageBurnished Self-Image by G A Rosenberg

 

Tribal FusionTribal Fusion by G A Rosenberg

Quote of the Day – March 11 2013

“We don’t receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us.”
― Marcel Proust

 

Joyful Activities

Light a candle
bring illumination
dispel the darkness

 

Smile
lift the gloom
warm the heart of another

 

Play silly games
Hug a tree
Sing a song that makes you giggle

 

Run around the block
tickle a baby
play with a puppy

 

Say “I love you”
Say “I love you” to your partner
Say “I love you” to a mirror
Say “I love you” to a stranger.

 

Talk deeply with a friend
walk in the woods
walk by a stream

 

Create
Write a poem
Makeup a story
Draw a picture

 

Listen to music that frees your soul
meditate
Feel Gratitude

 

To be continued….

Blessings, G

 

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PriestessPriestess by G A Rosenberg

 

Staring at the Ceiling2Staring at the Ceiling by G A Rosenberg

 

 

Quote of the Day – February 15 2013

“You’re always free to change your mind
and choose a different future, or a different past.”
— Richard Bach

 

How can we change our pasts? Isn’t what happened incontrovertible?  Perhaps so but then even if I can’t change the events that happened, I can still change how I view them. Did I get taken advantage of by people or did I seek out people who would teach me certain lessons in exactly the way that I needed to learn them? So many times when I think of my past, particularly situations that turned out to be either dangerous or damaging or a combination of both, I realized very early on perhaps even before I entered into them, the possibilities of where they may lead. Part of me knew the adventure would be worth it. Looking back now from the perspective of the present, I believe that I was right. I choose not the path where I am time’s victim but the one where I am time’s student. Over and over I choose the path of learning even when the lessons were painful and so become empowered rather than weakened. What of the future? The future I choose each instance.
Blessings, G

 

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Bringing the StormBringing the Storm by G A Rosenberg

 

Expansion4
Expansion 4 by G A Rosenberg

 

Quote of the Day – February 12 2013

“This day will never come again and anyone who fails to eat and drink and taste and smell it will never have it offered to him again in all eternity. The sun will never shine as it does today…But you must play your part and sing a song, one of your best. ”
― Hermann Hesse

 

Celebrate this day with song and story
Celebrate it with life
Honour it with pleasure
Surrender it your pain
The gift of the present
as it swiftly moves away

I’ve said most of this before but it bears repeating. Even in those moments that life sucks, where everything feels black, appreciate them. When will you feel exactly this way for this reason ever again. Each instance is rare (some are occasionally well-done and those deserve celebration even more perhaps). This perspective of the moment and knowing that it could lead anywhere has gotten me through some very tough times. So especially if you can’t see the sense of it and all seems rough, use it as a benchmark to revisit when things seem great and you can appreciate how far you’ve come. So good or bad or anywhere on the spectrum in between, each day deserves celebration.
Blessings, G

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Pinwheel2
Pinwheel by G A Rosenberg
New Expansions
New Expansions by G A Rosenberg

Quote of the Day – February 11 2013

“You have passed through the two hardest tests on the spiritual road: the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what you encounter.”
― Paulo Coelho

 

If you enjoy the path you travel (and why be on a path you don’t or can’t enjoy?) then disappointment becomes about as unlikely as boredom. I still get surprised by the number of interesting thoughtful even whimsical people who speak of being bored. Why do I see them as being more interesting than they see themselves? Of course others might not enjoy punning contests with themselves as much as I do or thinking of the most bizarre thing I may encounter next. Patience tho becomes a bit trickier. I still find myself tempted at times to make things happen when patience is a better course. Still that’s getting better as well…
Blessings, G

 

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Queen's Service

Queen’s Service by G A Rosenberg

 

Jewel EyeJewel Eye by G A Rosenberg

Quote of the Day – November 16 2012

“Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle.”
― Paulo Coelho, Brida

A gourmet tastes sparingly of everything. A gourmand takes life with gusto taking large bites. In what ways are we like gourmets and which ways gourmands. So often when meeting new people and new ideas I find myself rushing in full force, trying to drink it all in at once and immerse myself. Occasionally this has landed me pretty deeply into situations that then took quite awhile to extricate myself. . Should I have been more hesitant in those situations. Creeping in sparingly and getting the lay of the land first. Perhaps, but more often than not, I knew that the unknown depths contained dragons and I accepted the fact, wanting a ride on scaly wings maybe. I was hungry for experience. I still am. Nothing can hook me faster than when I find myself presented with a totally new outlook on life even when I see the dragon’s eyes looking back at me..
Blessings, G

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Enki by G A Rosenberg

 

Electric Crossroads by G A Rosenberg