I See …
I am the real thing behind these eyes
These bright blue eyes
Widening in delight at this stellar world
Made new right now, and now, and now.
I will not name you, or place you in a box,
I will watch you slip and slide through every moment
Making no sense, just falling apart,
Weak with laughter.
NOTHING lasts. Everything comes
And goes, like weather, or tides.
What is there to do, but
Realise my debt to life and
Trade sorrow for joy?
Posted with BlogsyEnlightenment At Last!
When I preach the gospel to the crucified people I meet on the streets, I hold hands and say little beyond, “Know who you really are. Infinitely loved, infinitely precious.” Nothing else matters, truth be told.
I used to believe that to be “Saved” was to hand yourself over into the care of a deity, who would then make sure everything worked out for you, especially after you died. I am so glad that I never, as far as I know, convinced anyone. It simple didn't occur to me to realise that a cosmos in which the vast majority of conscious beings ( a much more satisfactory term than 'human' beings) were condemned to hell fire, made absolutely no sense at all. In fact, at no time, ever, did I actually believe this, much less pass it on. The mystery I still call God, simply wouldn't do such a thing, and I know this, or I know nothing.
I used to joke about that: knowing nothing, I mean, though I didn't really believe it. I was proud of my achievements: overcoming a set of fairly minor obstacles to become a reasonably successful professional became my identity. My story.
One day, I was telling my story, when I woke up. It was that sudden. Somehow, possibly out of sheer boredom, that who I really am flooded into Being, and I stopped.
I don't tell the old stories any more. I am just here, experiencing a raw, splendid and joyous existence,, so vivid, so different from the pedestrian me tied to the past, trying to make a future … The Kingdom of Heaven is how one teacher out it, is here, now and within.
Well, yes, I'm still grumpy, selfish and unreasonable, still capable of monumental foolishness. This too, is who I really am. Infinitely loved, infinitely precious. Not the stories I tell about myself. Just me.
This post was prompted nt Dr David Parrish's book: “Enlightenment Made East: Discovering The Obvious” It's free with Kindle! Which makes it amazing value
I Wrote To My MP …
Dear Mark Harper,
There follows a statement put out by War On Want that crystallises my
concerns about the TTIP trade agreement.
I have been following the debate in the U.S. for well over a year, so
was alerted to the secrecy surrounding the agreement, the lack of any
kind of public scrutiny, and the power TTIP gives to American
Corporations, which is particularly scary, as they have an appalling
record with regard to issues such as workers’ rights, and the
protection of the environment. Bearing in mind that U.S. corporations
have the same rights under American law as individual citizens, I find
that giving them the right to sue the UK over any environmental, health
and safety , or employment legislation, enacted to protect UK citizens,
extremely worrying.
It does seem rather ironic that, when we are about to embark on a
referendum over sovereignty, that the loss of sovereignty that TTIP
will invoke is not under scrutiny. Frankly, if staying in the EU
involves signing up to this trade deal, I will vote for leaving, a
position I never thought to take.
What I am seeking reassurance about in particular is:Will the TTIP
agreement be able to be used by foreign nationals to challenge and
change operating practices within the UK, particularly those relating
to the NHS and workers’ conditions of employment? Is the loss of ‘one
million jobs’ a possibility, however remote?
What is your take on the secrecy surrounding the TTIP negotiations? Do
you believe this secrecy works to the advantage or disadvantage of
democratic debate?
Will there be any opportunity at all for opposition to TTIP to be
effectively voiced and acted upon within and outside Parliament?
In conclusion, here’s the piece put out by “War On Want” that alerted
me to the fact that the grave concerns of those of us working with
vulnerable communities, have crossed the Atlantic:
“When cancer patient Paul Giles heard that the EU-US trade deal known
as TTIP might affect health services in the UK, he travelled to
Brussels to find out more. But Paul’s questions were met with silence.
That’s because the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
(TTIP) is being negotiated behind closed doors. In fact, the EU has
confirmed that all key documents relating to the agreement will remain
closed to the public for 30 years. But why all the secrecy?
Governments and big business are relying on lack of public awareness in
order to rush through TTIP and seal the deal without too much
resistance. But what are they afraid of? They know there would be an
outcry if people knew what was in store.
If TTIP goes ahead it will cost at least one million jobs. It will pave
the way for the introduction of genetically modified food into Europe.
It will irreversibly extend the privatisation of key public services
such as the NHS. And it will give US corporations the power to sue the
UK and other states for loss of profits when these governments
introduce public policies designed to protect their citizens. ”
Yours sincerely,
Mary Francis
I Can Think Of A Million Reasons
I can think of a million reasons to be sad,
And I honour them all:
The suffering of innocents
The agony of the guilty
The death throes of this poisoned world.
(Yes! You HAVE to face it!)
There doesn’t seem a lot of point to it all, to be frank.
No. None.
I could stop. Right there, except …
Something rises up in me
Something light, and infectious
Like laughter, only, without sound.
Like joy, but somehow deeper,
If you know what I mean.
I shall, therefore, gallop through this day
With a smile.
A pointless, foolish,
Smile.
Sunday 5th July 2015
Summer rain in thick, sharp bursts,
Punctuates an uneventful afternoon –
For me that is –
Because, as this world turns, the place where I was a moment ago
Is desert, and weeping.
Do not you think, that even on this ordinary day,
My heart forbears to swell with gratitude: You see,
I am content, and my life
Is a merry dance …
🙂
sightbites 
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