Omphaloskepsis

Mr Mike

Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2009
Messages
15
http://yorkregion.blogs.com/sky_wise/2007/09/the-eye-of-god.html

Why are we here? What is it all about? Is there a deeper purpose behind our existence? What is God? IS God? What happens after we die? Where did God come from? Where is the beginning? How far does space go? What is beyond that?
(Mr Mike, you sure ask a lot of questions)

It is this kind of wonderment of life that propelled me on, back in the 80's, to seek answers to these and other questions like them. I went on that "inner quest" of 'what it's all about'. I'd peer into this faith, dip my foot into that philosophy....I wasn't seeking 'Truth' in any one avenue, but what I did find a 'gem of truth' in just about all of them. When I collected enough of these gems, I placed them into my newly forming personal mosaic. It may not have answered all those questions, but what formed was a seamless philosophy that was pure in its simplicity and beautiful in its perfection.

I claim no special Understanding, but the quest alone has been worth the journey. I am lucky enough to be a poet/songwriter/philosopher/musician, so I have in essence documented my epiphanies in a series of notebooks, and manifesting in the form of songs, poems and existential/transcendental 'essays'. Out of that, I have self-published 4 books, not available to the public....the first three I call the Abraxas Trilogy, and the compilation book is titled Now Is Forever. I say 'not available to the public', because I seek no money, and can only afford to publish for birthday, Christmas and wedding presents. Much of it I wouldn't let many read, it was not subject to scrutiny but used for my own personal perusal, but I got over that once the books were compiled.

What I intend, if allowed, is to present pieces occasionally here, and share with like minds. We all believe something, and believing nothing is a belief within itself. If we were all the same, what a boring life this would be.
I figure if the more we work together, the more likely we are to get to solving this riddle inside a puzzle within an enigma.

We will all know the Big Secret soon enough. There is either a higher power or there isn't.

I will start off with this short little poem I wrote a few years ago:

We create our own coccoon
The energy we put forth
is the energy we build around us

We make our own jail
and bring with us
our own heaven

PEACE
//00\\
 
Werbung:
Thank you, Samsara

I love the screen name.
According to my Steinerbooks Dictionary of the Paranormal, Psychic, Mystic, & Cosmic:
Samsara- Hindu term for the karmic chain of birth, death and rebirth on earth. Release from this chain is only to be gained by Yoga practices (identification of the Smaller Self with the Absolute Self).

I just happened to have written a song by the name Samsara, I never thought I'd share it....certainly not this early into the thread....but just for you...

Samsara
Caught in the Wheels of Life
Samsara, the Joy and the Strife

The Cycle
The Birth and the "Death"
Samsara, every Sacred Breath

Never ending Dream, or so it would seem
Samsara
Caught in the Wheels of Life

Our Karma comes with everything we do
We're just Dharma Bums
looking for the Truth

//00\\

More later....stay tuned
(my epic poems are on their way)
 
I read it in a book

http://heritage.stsci.edu/2008/24/big.html

The way it all happened
and how it all began
Creation of the Omnivese and the Rise of Man
Angels having Angels
Spheres of Light & Dim
Perpetual Self Transcendence
all leading back to Him
I read it in a book

Constant university, the Eternal learning curve
Making the most of each opportunity
and every chance to Serve
The Chasm and the Land Bridge
Missions in the dark
The rivers and the open seas
on which I now embark
Regardless of our Present State
our Potential is the same
It's we who choose to win or lose in Service in His Name
I read about it in a book

The Breath of Life, the Gift of Light
the Color of the Tone
The Music of the Spheres that leads me to my Home
Mansions made of Glory not made by human hands
There's no need to eat or sleep
in this place some call Summerland

//00\\
 
We are God, in some conceptions of what God is, if there is a God, so it would mean glorifying ourselves. Or at least we are merely ideas in part of one of God's dreams.
 
I like the way you think, Sam

Here is a song I wrote a few years back, a mystical native narrative set to a lead progression I play in the background on the guitar (in D tuning). I call it:

Mike's Fable

It was the year negative zero. All was void, except for a big ball of light, but it was Good. And the Big Ball of Light was Pure Consciousness. But it was boring, all this void. Pure Consciousness wanted to experience Itself, so It created Form, and it was Good. But it was still boring, so Pure Consciousness broke into a bazillion pieces, each seeking its own awareness, finding its own Path, searching for its own peace. And on this Journey many pieces of Pure Consciousness decided to inhabit Form, and thus Life was created, and it was Good. Systems were created, Cycles begun. But there was one unexpected problem, it was called Karma--one of the Systems created, one of the Cycles begun. You see, as more & more Drops of Pure Consciousness chose to inhabit Form, They began to forget. They forgot their Source, which was also their Destination which was that Ball of Light, also known as the Ocean of Spirit; God, if you prefer. With Karma being the main System in place, the Drops of Pure Consciousness found out that it was easier to inhabit Form than to separate from it. And so the Drops spent most of their time inventing ways to reconnect with their Source, and religions were born. Dogma. Scripture. Gospel. Legend. Mythology. From time to time some of the purer Drops of Consciousness would come back to show the rest of their own potential, and hence their Destiny. They taught that all were a part of the same great Ball of Light, and demonstrated that there was much more than just the limited Reality that they could perceive. They comforted with their Love, and taught with their Wisdom. And the moral to this story is that no matter how isolated we may feel, we are just as important as the next spark. So as long as we realize that we are all part of the same One-ness then all of our actions and efforts will be on behalf of that Light, and our road Home will be that much shorter. So if we all keep our eyes on the Light, our heart will lead us Home.

http://heritage.stsci.edu/2007/41/big.html
 
Nice story & nice poems Mr Mike. I like poems too. Do you know anything about persian poets like Hafiz or Molavi? Here is a poem by Hafiz that is about the first days of creation. I found two translations, I couldn't decide which one was better, so I offer you both...
(Though non would be as good as the original!)

The radiance of your goodness manifested in eternity
Love appeared and set fire to the mountain, earth and sea
Your face radiated, and still saw angels were loveless
Setting this fire on man, was then your zealous decree
Mind wanted to turn this fire to its own guiding light
You set the world in chaos with your ardent, radiant glee
False seeker sought to witness the secrets of the world
Hidden hand came and kept away his undeserving plea
To others fate brought a lot, filled with pleasure and joy
My sad heart's lot was to be saddened on its knee
My sublime soul was longing for a glimpse of your face
My hand running through the locks of your hair lovingly
Hafiz wrote his love poems only on the day that he
Let the pen write from the heart that is joyous and free.

Here's the second version (more detailed I suppose):

(O true beloved!) in eternity without beginning (the day of misak), of glory, the splendour-ray of Thy beauty boasted.
Revealed became love; and, upon all the world, fire dashed,

(O absolute existence!) Thy face displayed splendour; (and) beheld (that) the angel had no (capacity for) love:
From this (exceeding) zealousness, it became the essence of fire; and upon Adam dashed.

From that torch (of love), reason wished to kindle its lamp.
zealousness's lightning flashed; and in confusion, the world dashed.

The adversary sought to come to the spectacle-place of the mystery (of love):
The invisible hand (of God) came; and, at the heart of the excluded one, dashed.

The desire of thy chin's dimple (thy mysteries) possessed the lofty soul:
At the ring of that tress, curl within curl, (his) hand, he dashed.

Others, all on ease, dashed the dice of partition (fate):
Our grief-experienced heart it was that also, on grief (the dice of fate) cast.

The joy-book of love for Thee, Hafiz wrote on that day,
When, on the head of the chattels of his joyous heart, the reed (of cancellation), he dashed.
 
Q: What is the chief end of man?
A: To glorify God and to enjoy him forever.
That statement is ambiguous and nebulous to the point where a thinking person would not take it seriously. Ask 10 people exactly what that means and you will get 10 different answers.
 
Mike sees the world with a mystic's eyes. I like his ideas, but we should not try to take them so literally, because doing so loses the beauty of them.
 
That statement is ambiguous and nebulous to the point where a thinking person would not take it seriously. Ask 10 people exactly what that means and you will get 10 different answers.


I gave links to the whole work. If you choose to think that two lines from an entire work are not going to be lacking that is up to you.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westmin...rter_Catechism
http://www.shortercatechism.com/

And if after reading the entire Westminster Shorter Catechism you still find it ambiguous you could read the longer one. If you are still confused then you could go to the original source and read the bible.

There is no lack of material to clarify what is meant.
 
Here is one of my first songs:

Where is the Beginning
Or is it all a Dream
Life is what you make it
But it's not all it seems

Sit and try to weed out
The debris floating in your head
And try to concentrate on the important things instead

CHORUS:
Looking to the future
But learning from the past
Seeking for our peace of mind
But can we make it last

Experience is the key to life
Absorb all that you can
Take each day for what it's worth
And you might Understand

I can speak only for myself
From this`man's point of view
And all that I can do is hope
That you will hear me through

//00\\
 
If you are still confused then you could go to the original source and read the bible.

There is no lack of material to clarify what is meant.
John 17:22, 24. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one... Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

Yup! Reading the original source clarifies it for sure. Hold "glory" in one hand, and feces in the other...which hand has something in it? Reading such things as the above is about as "clarifying" as reading Chinese. It could mean anything...or nothing.
 
John 17:22, 24. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one... Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

Yup! Reading the original source clarifies it for sure. Hold "glory" in one hand, and feces in the other...which hand has something in it? Reading such things as the above is about as "clarifying" as reading Chinese. It could mean anything...or nothing.

When you translate Aramaic into Greek, Greek into Latin, Latin into English, you get intelligible gibberish. Yet you believers insist on believing that there is some meaningful message being conveyed. And all the simple old ladies with their mindless perpetual smiles, nod their heads in sage agreement. Such is a gathering of the faithful.
 
Werbung:
John 17:22, 24. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one... Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

Yup! Reading the original source clarifies it for sure. Hold "glory" in one hand, and feces in the other...which hand has something in it? Reading such things as the above is about as "clarifying" as reading Chinese. It could mean anything...or nothing.

Well you are right that verse does not show clearly how the chief end of man is to glorify God. And why would it since it is about Jesus' actions bringing glory to God and Jesus' hope that people would see god's glory?

The verse you quoted is not about the chief end of man.

Additionally, we can see that you chose to read it old english when modern translations are available. That you choose to quote verses 22 and 24 but skipped verse 23. And that you clipped two sentences out of a paragraph and somehow thought that they would have as much meaning this way.

It obviously doesn't clarify it for you since you chose a verse that is not about man glorifying God and then you murdered it. Why would you do that?

Here is a verse that you already know of:

"Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Matthew 22

Do you see how Jesus says that the entire OT is summarized by this one command to glorify God?
 
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