Open-Secrets

Category: Perceptions

  • Pirates

    r wayt smith pirateMan
    Likes to think
    He has evolved
    Above the animals
    With an advanced intelligence
    That can choose its destiny
    But the ordinary man
    Is no more evolved
    Than a parrot
    Parrots, too,
    Only repeat their conditioning
    Parrots, too,
    Dress wildly to attract attention
    And parrots are also known
    To associate with pirates
    Need I say more?

     

     

    Obviously the facts are never just coming at you but are incorporated by an imagination that is formed by your previous experience. Memories of the past are not memories of facts but memories of your imaginings of the facts.   – Philip Roth (b. 1933), U.S. novelist.

    According to philosopher/scientist George Berkeley, our knowledge of anything is merely our sensation of it and the ideas derived from these sensations. Sound is the sensation experienced through the faculty of hearing, and there is, to the trained ear, a marked difference between the silence in an empty ballroom and the silence at midnight on a lonely road.

    "It is not a sign of good health to be well adjusted to a sick society." – J. Krishnamurti

    Image by R Wayt Smith

  • I Am NOT Knowing

    not knowing

    Most of us think we do, but most of what we think is only the surface layer of deeper desires, motivations and longings. Exploring what underlies our desire for money, fame, love, peace, happiness eventually leads us back to our deepest longing – to be real, to be authentic, to be our deepest nature.

    When attended to, every action, every interaction, every thought, feeling or sensation can lead us deeper into more intimate knowing of the real. This type of knowing has a very interesting side-effect – it frees us from the habitual, compulsive NEED-to-KNOW that drives most mental activity.

    This attending is not grasping for knowledge or definition. It is more a curiosity – the best image I have is that of a dog with it’s head cocked to the side and it’s ear raised. I often find my heart, mind and soul embodying that quizzical nature.

  • Good Friends

    Follow up to Friends –

    Good friends are a JOY!

    Leave a comment or two about Friends, Your Friends, or Friendship.

  • Friends

    frineds

    The type of friends we choose says a lot about us. Our friends support us, influence us and hopefully challenge us.. The best friends are those that are willing to hold our feet to the fire when we’re not being authentic. These friends are not only there for us when times are tough, they’re there for us in the worst of times.

    As human beings, we all make mistakes. Sooner or later, we are going to let someone down or hurt someone’s feelings. Friends know this, but don’t excuse our actions. Friends are willing to be straight with us and in return, ask us to be straight with them.

    A compassionate friend during times of grief or sorrow is a blessing. A warrioir friend who helps us to cut through our own bullshit is a Godsend.

    Friends are precious. Friends are dear. Sometimes we choose our friends. Sometimes they choose us. Sometimes the universe just throws us together.

    Friends and friendship deserve some contemplative time, some deep thought, some emotional and spiritual exploration. Limiting our understanding of friends to a surface understanding, brings no honor, limits the appreciation and depth possible.

  • Why Affirmation Works

    The universe affirms itself into manifestation through a dynamic that can be partially expressed in the phrase – I AM. I Am, is existence itself. The I AM contains everything, all potential, all possibilities, all completion.

    Knowing the nature of the self is the affirmation that matters for the evolution of conscioiusness. One intention, one aim – one question – What AM I?

    “It occurred to me by intuition, and music was the driving force behind that intuition. My discovery was the result of musical perceptions.” – Albert Einstein on his Theory of Relativity

    In Hawaii they have a saying. They say “be akamai”. It means, just “be smart.” And what it means to me is, it means “pay attention”. Pay attention to what is going on around you. – Terence McKenna

     

    (Image by Martin Murphy 1998)

  • Why Affirmations Don’t Work

    affirmations egoEarly on in the process of seeking change, we come across the notion of using affirmations to effect change. The basic idea is that if we tell ourselves the same thing over and over: it will change us; change our attitude; change our world view; or attract the “right kind” of positifve energy and manifestation into our life.

    One only has to look at the sales figures for the Secret to see that this idea is a perennial favorite in the self-help, self-growth movement.

    My observation of over 35 years of working on my self and watching others work on themselves is that affirmations generally don’t work. There are a lot who will disagree and argue and throw out all kinds of examples, but we’re talking apple and oranges.

    One reason affirmations usually don’t work is that affirmations engage the neo-cortex of the brain in an effort to influence the limbic center of the brain or even deeper to the brain stem. This involves the theory of humans being a triune brain animal. This is an impossible scenario as it involves trying to use a later evolutionary part of the brain to affect an earlier one.

    Another way to look at it is in terms of ego structure. You have the ego (external consciousness) trying to influence the id (the unconscious). Again, generally a losing proposition because most of us don’t want to look very far into the dark corners of our psyche.

    To put the crux of the problem in layman terms – we try to tell (convince) ourselves that we are different than our unconscious beliefs about ourself. The unconscious has much more power than the conscious and can resist this process for a lifetime or two or three.

    Here’s another rub, (and many will argue with this, too) – engaging in affirmations begins with rejecting our experience in the moment.

    All of this adds to conflict already abiding in the psyche.

    This post is probably too much for some. It’s certainly not extensive enough to do much more than confuse or stir the pot. The Theory of Holes is a good place to start.

    Next post – Affirmations, Why They Work

Open-Secrets