Musings #5

Ah!

Look up, do you see? The Heavens are full of Light. All these tiny twinkling dots. I wonder how far away they are. Is it not wonderful to be able to sit here in the silence, and the warmth of a crackling fire, and to witness such magnificence? We have worked hard during the day. Now it is time to relax, and let the imagination fly free. Now is the time for stories.

It can be said that who controls the mythology controls the mind, and who controls the mind controls the world. If someone is telling a story you don't like, do you not think you should try to tell another, better story? Then, the people can decide which one they like. The one they like best is the one they will tell to others in turn. This way, the stories can change, and take on a life of their own. Stories are central to our lives. It has always been so, and perhaps it will always be so. Why not? It is natural like this. Stories are the lifeblood of culture.

It is very important what stories we tell each other, and what stories we tell the children. If we tell them only ghost-stories, they might become fearful of the unknown. If we tell them only fairy tales, they might become too vain, or keep their heads in the clouds, and stumble. If we tell them stories with morals, of heroes and heroines with integrity and courage, they might learn something about living. The same principle applies to us all. We are deeply affected by the stories we hear, and by the stories we tell. Of course, one has to check everything against ones own Innermost. This is one of the things that Life is trying to teach us. We have, in our day and age, a library to rival that of Alexandria, a global town square to dwarf all previous town squares. I am speaking, of course, of The Web. On It, one can find fine and wise old dragons, some dead, some still very much alive and doing what it is that dragons do; one can find demented midgets screaming at the top of their lungs, and one can find silver-tongued, undead Liars in golden masks, sparkling armours and flowing cloaks, lathered in precious perfumes, but unable to fully hide the foul stench of death that permeates the air that surrounds them. One can find foolish priests, greedy gamblers and tired whores; merchants and scientists, magicians and jesters; red-faced warmongers and naïve peacemakers; criminals and men of law, winners, losers, fearless warriors, ignorant soldiers and shivering cowards; crying mothers, shamed fathers, prodigal sons and lost daughters. One can find the sick, and one can find the healthy. One can find the deluded, the mad, the pedantic, and the downright disturbing; There are scholars and bean-counters. There is royalty, and there are beggars. One can find the hysterical and one can find the sober, the brave, the willing and the just, and more, much and many more. It seems endless, and if one is curious one can spend a long, long, long time looking. It should be obvious that one must choose carefully, eating only what one can swallow in a single setting, and then go to a peaceful place and digest what one has seen. It has been said that you are what you eat. Sometimes it is enough to taste, and you will recognize what it is by its flavour. This Web can consume one whole, if one stares overlong into Its murky corners. And, you know, it is said that Cleanliness is a virtue. I would add Purity of the Mind to that. What one cannot find in the clamour of The Web is The Silent. For That, one has to look elsewhere.

Mothers, you know that when you are feeding a child, you do not put all the food into its mouth at the same time. It must be given in small bites. Similarly it is with our minds. There is a limit to how much they can take in in a day. If we do not respect that the mind must digest what it has taken in, we can cause mental constipation. The mind will grow fat and slow. You do not want the mind to grow fat and slow. You need it sharp and lean. This is a dangerous world. It is not wise to give away through carelessness that which can protect you. And it is generally better to have a little deeply known knowledge than a lot of scattered and meaningless information. What is the most important thing to know? That would be What Is. What Is? Who Is? What's this? What is Existence? What is Real? These are all the same question, just expressed differently. Do not accept anyone else-s answer to this vital question. You must find out yourself, and the place to look is right inside of you. The next question is, how do You want to relate to That Which Is? Again, you must find out for yourself. It is better to spend a whole day considering one of these questions without finding an answer, but looking still, than to spend a whole day getting a lot of possible answers to a lot of questions that are not really that important. Of course, some things we do consider important, and if they really are important, we should take good care to do them well. But enough of that for now.

I have looked inside. I have not found the complete answer to What Is, but I have found some clues. My will is to continue looking until I am satisfied that I have found what I am looking for, which I don't know what is yet. One thing I seem to have found is that it is very peaceful in the Centre. There seems to be not much movement, and not much desire for anything else than the Centre. It is a very beautiful feeling, though still unstable in my experience. Of course, I do not know if I have found the Centre. I do not think so. But still, It seems to be right there, beckoning me to come closer. I do not know what the future holds, but I hope to come as close as possible to that seemingly Silent Centre.

What I do seem to have found is that just surrounding that Centre is a wild and exuberant Passion. A raw Power, that can take many forms, depending on how It is channeled. It can take the form of Rage, of Lust, of Anger. I think that Hatred is trapped Rage. The raw Power can take the form of Love. To me, it feels like this Power is The Engine that is driving the whole of Existence, and I have no idea just how powerful It really is. It seems to me to be inexhaustible, and that the only limit that is placed upon It is our frail bodies and nervous systems. But It seems to me to be basically good-natured, although I know that It can also grant one too much Power, and overload ones system, resulting in deleterious effects. It can be trapped in byways of a contorted mind and then come out in cruel and unforgiving ways. It is essential that one respects It. It is said that Power corrupts. My advice is to never wish for more Power than you have Wisdom to handle, as raw Power unleashed can be the downfall of even the mightiest. It seems to me that there does not exist a being that can responsibly hold that Power, because It is inexhaustible. There will always be more than what anyone can contain. But, I do not know. It is said that one can learn, if one is absolutely at peace, to harness It. I know that I do not want more Power than I have Wisdom to use for Good. Certainly not. No thank you. I have had access to more than I could handle, and it nearly destroyed me. If you are going somewhere, it is better to walk slowly in the right direction than to run in the wrong direction. It is said that Patience is a virtue. I know this to be true. Patience can save one from many foolish acts. In many cases, Nature will sort things out Herself, without our interference. In some cases, She will sort it out in ways that we do not wish for. In those cases, it can be best to try to direct her, gently if possible, forcefully if necessary.

If you are thirsty, it is better to have one cup of water than ten liters of oil. If you want to start a big fire, it is better to have one cup of oil than ten liters of water. In both cases, what matters is your Will, which in this case is the same as what you want. Will must come from somewhere, wouldn't you say? Perhaps there is a Higher Power that also Wills? If so, would it not be in our interest to align our own Will with that Higher Will? It is said that it is possible to so perfectly align ones own little will with that Greater Will that the two become indistinguishable. I wouldn't know.

One thing I do know is that I am indebted to this world, and its people. Here, I have learned many things. I have been treated well, I would say. In some cases, not so well, but I suppose that is to be expected here. It is my experience that everything that happens can be used to learn something. And if nothing else can be learned, it seems to me that what can always be trained is to stand ones ground, which is a very important thing to learn, in my opinion. Of course, it has also been said that if you yield you need not break. I do believe that in some rare cases, unyielding, great and willing sacrifices are the best way to go about things. I do not know where I will go after I leave here, but I feel a great Trust in this Existence, whatever It is. So I am relatively peaceful. All is well.

I have been talking for long enough now. Go now, and think, or play music, or whatever else you care to do. Maybe you have a story to tell? I do not wish to tell you what you should do. You have your own Innermost to listen to. Just, I will suggest that you sit still for a while, and look up at The Heavens, with Their seeming infinitude of Lights, and dream. Dream. If you can, I suggest that you dream healthy and beautiful dreams. Dreams can sometimes come true, you know?