Each one of you is so amazing ...

Each one of you is so amazing. Right now you have in you one quadrillion cells. That's one hundred trillion times one thousand. About nine hundred trillion of those cells are not human. They're virus, bacteria, and microorganisms. What makes us human, ironically, is not human. If they were not there you would rot like a piece of fruit in a few days. So be grateful for those free riders. But I want you to experience something, because every second in your body, one septillion things are happening. That's a one with 24 zeros. Another way to imagine one septillion is it's ten times more than all the stars and planets in the known universe. Now, let me ask you a question: Can you feel it? Seriously. One septillion interactions. It's called life. You can feel it. Except we talk and we get busy and we ignore that feeling."
-- Paul Hawken

For each of you ...

For each of you we have appointed a law and a way. And if God had willed it, he would have made you one nation. But He willed it otherwise, that He may put you to the test in what He has given you. So, vie with one another in good works; unto God will we be brought back, and He will inform us about that wherein we differed.
-Muhammed-

Nindinewemaganidok” - My Relatives ...

There are four layers above the Earth and four layers below. Sometimes in our dream and creations we pass through the layers, which are also space and time. In saying the word “nindinewemaganidok” (my relatives) we speak of everything that has existed in time, the known and the unknown, the unseen, the obvious, all that lived before and is living now and which will live in the worlds above and below. We are related to all, everything, that has come before, that is now, and that will be.
-Louise Erdrich-

Ego is Not a Constant ...

Just as energy can be used for many different purposes, so can pure existence be experienced in relation to any phase of life—anger, hatred, or jealousy as well as love and beauty. Every human action must be carried on through the ego, which plays a role comparable to that of a pipe or channel through which energy is conducted for different uses. We usually think of the ego as a kind of constant, unchanging entity. In fact, however, it is simply a succession of physical and mental events or pressures that appear momentarily and as quickly pass away.
–Katsuki Sekida, from A Guide to Zen

Nothing Can Be Better ...

The world of distraction spins around and around, while moving continuously to keep itself amused and entertained. It transports us to a world of fantasy, or a world of controversy, or competition, or of just about anything other than the one true existence that is right before us. Distraction keeps our heads turned in the direction of momentary pleasures, excitement, and delight.
On the other hand, the cool heart, with its spiritual energy, is the sobering factor that keeps us focused on worthier goals. It tempers the euphoria of petty fun. It settles us firmly down on Earth, grounding and sobering us with a clear view into life’s many facets in a balanced manner. The cool heart is unmoved by the intoxication of the world. The wise heart is the cool heart. It directs us to a profound state where we are liberated from the burden and stench of self-consciousness. Nothing can be better than that.
–Ajahn Sumano Bhikkhu, "Meeting the Monkey Halfway"

Seven blunders

"Seven blunders of the world that lead to violence: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, politics without principle."
-Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

Best Remedy

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be."
Anne Frank 1929-1945

The Spirituality of the Earth

Spirituality emerges out of a reality deeper than ourselves, deeper than life, a spirituality that is as deep as the Earth itself, a spirituality born out of understanding the our souls are prayers of the Earth. Earth Mother spirituality is a mode of being in which we not only commune with a living Earth; we discover ourselves in the Earth and the Earth discovers itself in us."

the true human being

Seeing only with the eyes,
Speaking only with the mouth,
This is the path the ego enjoys.
To see from the heart,
And communicate from our inner ki,
This is the way of the true human being.

Money the Ultimate ...

"Money, the ultimate object of worship among modern humans, is the most mysterious of human artifacts: a magic number with no meaning or existence outside the human mind. Yet it has become the ultimate arbiter of life - deciding who will live in grand opulence in the midst of scarcity and who will die of hunger in the midst of plenty. This gives ultimate power to those who control the creation and allocation of money."
Prof. David Korten, 'YES!' Magazine, Summer 2009

Our Bodies Hear Everything We Say

Leadership is not about being loved. Leadership is about being at your best and challenging others to be at their best. Managers know how to do things right; leaders know how to do the right thing.

The Great Secret ...

A good traveler is not intent upon arriving. A good artist lets his intuition lead him wherever it wants. A good scientist has freed himself of concepts and keeps his mind open to what is. Leaders are available to all people and don't reject anyone, use all situations and do not waste anything. What is a good man but a bad man's teacher? What is a bad man but a good man's job? If we don't understand this, we will get lost, however intelligent we are. It is the great secret.

Synthesis of the Will

Psychosynthesis assigns a central function to the Will. Because of Will we can invent new behavior and become an intelligent cause. We can truly and freely choose, bearing the full responsibility of self-determination. It is this evolutionary acquisition, still very much in development, that we give here the name of Will. True Will directs the various personalities from an independent centered standpoint.
Piero Ferrucci

If ...

If a living system is suffering from ill health, the remedy is to connect it with more of itself. This is one of the most vital of all principles to understand and take to heart in how we live and work.
--Francisco Varela of the Integral Institute

Define Intelligence.

A definition of intelligence that discredits the individual mind in favor of some collective mind will feed powerful systems: governments, corporations, and other large institutions. It will emphasize efficiency of thought over depth of thought. And, as we increasingly connect with the world through computer screens, we're removing ourselves from direct sensory contact with nature. In other words, we learning to substitute symbols of reality for reality itself.
Nicholas Carr - How the Internet is Rewiring our Brains

Vision and Power

"It is not enough to have a vision. In order to have its power, you must enact your vision on Earth for all to see. Only then do you have the power."
Nicholas Black Elk

Sophrosyne

Plato said that beautiful language induces "sophrosyne," a condition of stability and integration in psychic life.

Artists play

Artists play an essential prophetic role in the life of a culture which also suggests that the "working artist" in each of us may play a similar intuitive and aesthetic role in one's individual psychic culture.

Poetry is a Force

"The ritual chants, incantations and healing songs of indigenous people at their core illustrate the vital role of artistic language in ancient medicine. In the Western world perhaps the closest we come is in visionary art and in poetry. Art and poetry are indeed forces that alter the way we see our lives and so changes us."

Nothing Is

"Nothing is finite which doesn't include the infinite. The finite is the by product of the infinite as such becomes the outer form, the mirror of the infinite, its external revealing image. Essence and form are inseparable. Essence is the eternal Being. But living form is its constantly ever new manifestation - everlasting revelation...
I try to learn from the finite sciences the lessons of the infinite."
-- Arthur Young